As part of the development aid policies in various Western European countries, including the Netherlands, comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) has been promoted and implemented in many resource-poor countries. The impetus for this work is embedded in transnational commitments based on a Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) framework, as defined by organisations such as the United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA), the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF). Within the transnational SRHR field, Western European nation-states invest heavily in sexuality education programmes in collaboration with local NGO partners in low-resource countries to improve the every-day lives of young people. While the SRHR-framework carries with it a universal promise, such programmes, often originally developed in donor countries, are supposed to be 'adapted' to the specific sociocultural-targeted context (Vanwesenbeeck et al. 2016) . Despite the implicit universal ideal in SRHR discourse, cultural sensitivity appeals to diversity as another important virtue, suggesting a paradoxical relationship between the two. Building on critical feminist scholarship on dominant models of sexuality education, this paper focuses in on this paradox as played out by representatives of NGOs involved in setting up sexuality education programmes in Bangladesh. It probes the politics of knowledge and authority in the process of organising youth and adolescent sexuality education. The empirical data were collected as part of a transnational research project entitled Breaking the Shame: towards Improving Adolescent SRHR Education in Bangladesh funded by the Dutch Government.

While the SRHR-framework carries with it a universal promise, such programmes, often originally developed in donor countries, are supposed to be 'adapted' to the specific sociocultural-targeted context.


The women who delivered male babies were associated with four times risk of dying compared to those who delivered female babies. It could be that male babies were bigger were associated with obstructed labour or ruptured uterus. In addition male babies were associated with preeclampsia and abruptio placenta and these complications predisposed the mothers to death [8] [9] [10] 12, 20] .

In addition male babies were associated with preeclampsia and abruptio placenta and these complications predisposed the mothers to death.


The women who sought permission before attending a health unit were associated with three times the risk of dying compared to those who didn't. Similar findings were reported from the study in Tanzania [12] . It is likely that seeking for permission before accessing a health facility at the time complications occurred may be a manifestation of lack of empowerment of the women as they could no make their own decisions.

Similar findings were reported from the study in Tanzania.


Hyperbaric oxygen has a neuroprotective effect as it leads to cerebral vasoconstriction, thereby reducing cerebral edema [13] . Earlier use of HBO contributes to a better outcome [14] . It is specifically indicated for victims of carbon monoxide poisoning presenting with coma, seizures or cardiac arrhythmia [15] . HBO was clearly indicated in our patient. However she made a full recovery with normobaric oxygen (NBO) treatment delivered by conventional mechanical ventilation.

Hyperbaric oxygen has a neuroprotective effect as it leads to cerebral vasoconstriction, thereby reducing cerebral edema.

Earlier use of HBO contributes to a better outcome.

It is specifically indicated for victims of carbon monoxide poisoning presenting with coma, seizures or cardiac arrhythmia.


The Q/I plot parameters varied between the soils and among soil depths. Among the surface samples, the Wabasso had a greater potential NH 4 buffering capacity than the Candler sand. However, there was no significant difference between the two soil series with regard to PBC of the subsurface samples ( Table 2 ). The labile NH 4 pool decreased in the order: Wabasso, surface > Candler, surface > Wabasso, 90-to 100-cm depth horizon > Wabasso, subsurface > Candler, subsurface horizon. It appeared that the 90-to 100-cm depth horizon was unique with respect to its NH 4 exchange reactions. Soil samples of this horizon showed greater PBC and NH 4 _ sas values than any of the other samples. Furthermore, curvilinearity of the Q/I plot for the 90-to 100-cm depth horizon was also observed at high activity ratios (AR NH4 values = 0.02-0.16) (Fig. 2) . This suggests that, compared with the other samples, the NH 4 adsorption capacity of the Wabasso 90-to 100-cm depth horizon is more sensitive to the extent of surface coverage by NH 4 ; that is, NH 4 adsorption is expected to decrease at a faster rate for the 90-to 100-cm depth horizon than for the other horizons as adsorption sites become occupied by NH 4 . The 90-to 100-cm depth horizon and the Wabasso surface soil, which also had a substantial NH 4 buffering capacity and labile pool, appeared to contribute to the greater retention of NH 4 by the Wabasso sand compared with the Candler sand in our previous N leaching study (Wang and Alva, 1996) .

The 90-to 100-cm depth horizon and the Wabasso surface soil, which also had a substantial NH 4 buffering capacity and labile pool, appeared to contribute to the greater retention of NH 4 by the Wabasso sand compared with the Candler sand in our previous N leaching study.


In this paper, the progress and characteristics of ultrasound-mediated drug delivery in the solid tumor treatment are reviewed. First, the design of an acoustically-active drug, such as microbubble, nanoemulsion, liposome, and micelle, is discussed. Then the underlying mechanisms of ultrasound-induced enhancement of drug delivery are explained. In vitro and in vivo outcomes of this novel technology are summarized for future translation into clinics. Finally, technical challenges and the potential direction of development are discussed. Different approaches of loading drug/DNA into microbubbles by (a) attaching to the membrane, (b) embedding within the membrane, (c) bounding non-covalently to the surface, (d) enclosing inside, and (e) incorporating into an oily film surrounded by a stabilizing layer with a ligand for targeting (used with permission [19] ).

Different approaches of loading drug/DNA into microbubbles by (a) attaching to the membrane, (b) embedding within the membrane, (c) bounding non-covalently to the surface, (d) enclosing inside, and (e) incorporating into an oily film surrounded by a stabilizing layer with a ligand for targeting (used with permission).


The increasing consumption of energy in buildings on heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems has initiated a great deal of research aiming at energy savings. With the consolidation of the demand for human comfort, HVAC systems have become an unavoidable asset, accounting for almost 50% energy consumed in building and around 10-20% of total energy consumption in developed countries [1] . The direct expansion (DX) air conditioning plant is one of the main HVAC systems for different types of buildings. Its operation has a significant effect to the overall building energy consumption. DX air conditioning plants are simpler in configuration and more cost-effective to maintain than central cooling ones using chillers and cooling towers [2] . Therefore, these systems have a wide application in small to medium size buildings.

With the consolidation of the demand for human comfort, HVAC systems have become an unavoidable asset, accounting for almost 50% energy consumed in building and around 10-20% of total energy consumption in developed countries.

DX air conditioning plants are simpler in configuration and more cost-effective to maintain than central cooling ones using chillers and cooling towers.


Decomposing plant residues promote soil aggregation, and the magnitude of the effect is related to the decomposability of the material (Abiven et al., 2008) . Potentials of less than -4 kPa prevented loss of plants that developed in aggregates of less than 2 mm diameter after a transitory period of waterlogging, although some shoot and root damage occurred (Shiel et al., 1987) . Differences in soil aggregation and distribution of fulvic acid among experiment sites were attributed to the flooding effect (Kimura et al., 2017) . Elevated O 3 influenced the formation and transformation of soil aggregates and the distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) in the aggregates across soil layer classes (Kou et al., 2014) . Soils under paddy cultivation displayed improved soil aggregate structure and altered the distribution patterns of P fractions in different aggregate size classes (Li et al., 2016) .

Decomposing plant residues promote soil aggregation, and the magnitude of the effect is related to the decomposability of the material.

Potentials of less than -4 kPa prevented loss of plants that developed in aggregates of less than 2 mm diameter after a transitory period of waterlogging, although some shoot and root damage occurred.

Differences in soil aggregation and distribution of fulvic acid among experiment sites were attributed to the flooding effect.

Elevated O 3 influenced the formation and transformation of soil aggregates and the distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) in the aggregates across soil layer classes.

Soils under paddy cultivation displayed improved soil aggregate structure and altered the distribution patterns of P fractions in different aggregate size classes.


Soil aggregation is an important facet of soil structure, providing resistance to wind and water erosion, physical protection of organic matter, and microsites for microbial activity. Plants affect structure at different scales and through various direct and indirect mechanisms, involving effects on different organic matter fractions (such as fungal biomass, hyphal length, labile polysaccharides, hydrophobic aliphatics, and microbial biomass) (Angers and Caron, 1998) . Moreover, plant roots can enmesh and stabilize soil aggregates and can also promote soil aggregation by releasing material that can directly stabilize soil particles or by favoring microbial activity that, in turn, will affect soil aggregation (Tisdall and Oades, 1982) . However, by penetrating the soil, roots create zones of failure, which contribute to fragmentation of the soil and formation of smaller aggregates (Angers and Caron, 1998) .

Plants affect structure at different scales and through various direct and indirect mechanisms, involving effects on different organic matter fractions (such as fungal biomass, hyphal length, labile polysaccharides, hydrophobic aliphatics, and microbial biomass).

Moreover, plant roots can enmesh and stabilize soil aggregates and can also promote soil aggregation by releasing material that can directly stabilize soil particles or by favoring microbial activity that, in turn, will affect soil aggregation.

However, by penetrating the soil, roots create zones of failure, which contribute to fragmentation of the soil and formation of smaller aggregates.


Various methods exist to manipulate the structural, optical, electrical and mechanical properties of solution-based grown thin films. One of these methods is using organic additives in the growth bath for solution-ba sed synthesis. Additives in aqueous solutions are also known to control the surface morphology, preferred orientation, chemical composition, and the grain size [14] . A variety of additives such as coumarin, saccharin, citric acid, EDTA, malonic acid, and tartaric acid are the most widely used ones in electrodepo sition processes for industrial coatings like nickel plating industry [15] . Among them, coumarin is known as an additive that not only refines the grains, but makes the grain size distribution more uniform as well [16] . It is well known that the properties of nano-cry stalline/particu lar thin films depend on both the size and morphology of the crystals/particl es. Many investigations are still carried out to improve the characterist ics of CuO materials . However , to the best of our knowledge, the behavior of coumarin doping during the SILAR-based CuO film growth processes has not been studied yet. In this study, we investigate the influence of coumarin content on the morphology, crystalline structure , and optical properties of CuO nanostructu red films obtained by SILAR method.

Additives in aqueous solutions are also known to control the surface morphology, preferred orientation, chemical composition, and the grain size.

A variety of additives such as coumarin, saccharin, citric acid, EDTA, malonic acid, and tartaric acid are the most widely used ones in electrodepo sition processes for industrial coatings like nickel plating industry.

Among them, coumarin is known as an additive that not only refines the grains, but makes the grain size distribution more uniform as well.


Another interesting result of this study was that the Internet was used by all participants through various strategies that enabled participation in Internet activities. One strategy found is in line with the result of having access to more Internet-enabled devices than used, and it is the strategy of reducing the number of Internetenabled devices and preferring the use of personal ones. This can be interpreted as a direct adaptation to handle the rapidly changing digital environment with different codes on devices and new software to navigate. Despite the finding of the challenging digital environment the results showed that very few participants had specially and individually adapted Internet-enabled devices with assistive devices. This may explain the individual need to change to the most personalised Internetenabled device when possible in each setting. In studies on developing or teaching cognitively accessible interface to persons with intellectual disabilities, its use in everyday settings or over time was reported to be lacking (Cihak et al., 2015; Davies et al., 2015) .

In studies on developing or teaching cognitively accessible interface to persons with intellectual disabilities, its use in everyday settings or over time was reported to be lacking.


Furthermore, word-, picture-, and voice-based strategies were used when, for example, searching on the Internet. This can be viewed as environmental compensation for digital skills and competencies in the individual, such as literacy skills, when doing an Internetactivity. This is in line with recognising the importance of integrating both the person, the physical environment and the activity component when exploring and describing accessibility and usability (Iwarsson & Stahl, 2003) . Similar strategies and solutions have previously been described among web designers as important cognitive adaptations to enhance the accessibility to and usability of the Internet for users with intellectual disabilities. However, research has highlighted that universal design needs to recognise the varying needs of persons with different levels of intellectual disability and that challenges cannot be solved by universal design of the web but have to include individual adaptations, education and support (Kennedy et al., 2011; Ramsten et al., 2017) . The need for support from others was one of the strategies found to be used in this study, indicating that although strategies in the physical environment were used, support from others was needed to access and use the Internet to enable taking part in Internetactivities for the participants.

This is in line with recognising the importance of integrating both the person, the physical environment and the activity component when exploring and describing accessibility and usability.

However, research has highlighted that universal design needs to recognise the varying needs of persons with different levels of intellectual disability and that challenges cannot be solved by universal design of the web but have to include individual adaptations, education and support.


This study set out with the aim of exploring and describing access to the Internet and how it was used among adolescents and young adults with mild and moderate intellectual disabilities in their everyday settings. The results revealed that young participants with both mild and moderate intellectual disabilities had access to a large number of Internet-enabled devices and to Internet connections in most settings. Analysis even revealed that the participants had access to more Internet-enabled devices than they used. In Sweden, people in the general population are reported to have a combination of Internet-enabled devices, especially in families with children living at home, where 87% have several computers, smartphones, tablets and gaming consoles in their homes (Findahl & Davidsson, 2015) . This is in line with the results of this study, where most participants lived in their parental home. However, the findings in this study of having access to many Internet-enabled devices are contrary to previous studies with persons with intellectual disabilities suggesting that they are less likely to have access to and use the Internet than the general population (Chadwick et al., 2013) . A possible explanation for this contradiction is the age of the participants, with young people participating in the present study, and adolescents access the Internet to a greater extent than adults do, especially older people (Findahl & Davidsson, 2015) . Studies showing that the general population have greater access to the Internet have included people of various ages with intellectual disabilities (Chadwick et al., 2013; Tanis et al., 2012) .

In Sweden, people in the general population are reported to have a combination of Internet-enabled devices, especially in families with children living at home, where 87% have several computers, smartphones, tablets and gaming consoles in their homes.

However, the findings in this study of having access to many Internet-enabled devices are contrary to previous studies with persons with intellectual disabilities suggesting that they are less likely to have access to and use the Internet than the general population.

A possible explanation for this contradiction is the age of the participants, with young people participating in the present study, and adolescents access the Internet to a greater extent than adults do, especially older people.

Studies showing that the general population have greater access to the Internet have included people of various ages with intellectual disabilities.


Acetaminophen (APAP) is a readily available and commonly used antipyretic and analgesic drug worldwide [1] [2] [3] . It is safe when administered within its therapeutic dose; however, its overdose is the most common (50%) cause of acute liver failure in the US and other Western countries [2, 3] . APAP-induced acute liver injury (ALI) is a dose-dependent hepatocellular injury. APAP is metabolized by P450 enzymes, predominantly cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1), and is converted to N-acetyl-pbenzoquinone imine (NAPQI). NAPQI is detoxified by glutathione (GSH), and its accumulation results in GSH depletion [4] . In addition, this event is followed by mitochondrial dysfunction, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and necrotic cell death. Pathologically, APAPinduced ALI is characterized by confluent centrizonal necrosis [5] . Treatment of this usually involves early Nacetylcysteine therapy and supportive care; however, emergent liver transplantation is required in some cases [6] .

Acetaminophen (APAP) is a readily available and commonly used antipyretic and analgesic drug worldwide.

It is safe when administered within its therapeutic dose; however, its overdose is the most common (50%) cause of acute liver failure in the US and other Western countries.

NAPQI is detoxified by glutathione (GSH), and its accumulation results in GSH depletion.

Pathologically, APAPinduced ALI is characterized by confluent centrizonal necrosis.

Treatment of this usually involves early Nacetylcysteine therapy and supportive care; however, emergent liver transplantation is required in some cases.


IAverage-TLI MKTL learns the weights to combine the outputs of each prior models with the new knowledge repre sentation. Thus, a natural baseline is to consider the infor mation coming from the priors and the new knowledge as equally relevant. This is equivalent to train a SV M classifier using the average of all the available kernels. This method often performs as good as many MKL algorithms [14] .

This method often performs as good as many MKL algorithms.


For the LL traits, no regions of homology could be defined and specific primers were developed for the PAT and the BAR gene separately (Genebank AY346130.1; DQ156557.1). For the CP4-EPSPS genes existing to date, two types of DNA sequences can be distinguished: a sequence-type I EPSPS found in soybean, maize, and cotton GM events (indicated CP4-EPSPS I) and a sequence-type II EPSPS found in GM rapeseed and sugar beet (indicated CP4-EPSPS II) [28, 29] . A duplex qPCR method was developed comprising a small highly homologous region close to the NH 2 -terminus of the EPSPS mature protein (the forward primer matching both sequence types of CP4-EPSPS) and two reverse primers specific to each of the respective chloroplast transit peptide sequences of the EPSPS I and II (Genebank AY125353.1; own unpublished data). For the cryIAb gene (Genebank AF465640; EF094884.1), a single primer pair was developed allowing the detection of the major CryIAb events on the market (Bt11 and MON 810 GM maize, MON531 GM cotton). For both the CP4-EPSPS and the CryIAb targets, the respective different types have been specified in Table 2 . The DNA sequence of the selected primers are listed in Table 1 . Green qPCR can vary between 0.5 and 1°C for the same amplicon [30, 31] . Therefore, to cover slight deviations in the T m value between reference materials and samples due to analyte impurities, a standard deviation (SD) of ± 1°C on the nominal T m value will be applied, as the acceptance range, in further analysis. In the case of the CryIAb targets, the T m values of the amplicons are overlapping, and in this case, the acceptance range of a positive signal is set at a T m = 78.1 ± 2°C.

For the CP4-EPSPS genes existing to date, two types of DNA sequences can be distinguished: a sequence-type I EPSPS found in soybean, maize, and cotton GM events (indicated CP4-EPSPS I) and a sequence-type II EPSPS found in GM rapeseed and sugar beet (indicated CP4-EPSPS II).

Green qPCR can vary between 0.5 and 1°C for the same amplicon.


Models can vary in detail and complexity, ranging from descriptive models, which provide a framework for designers to delineate and reflect on usability problems, to predictive models, which use mathematical expressions for estimating user performance [15] . Unlike the descriptive category, predictive models can be used to objectively estimate the required time for performing a set of user interactions. Likewise the descriptive category, predictive models can be applied at early design stages, before starting to develop the real user interface.

Models can vary in detail and complexity, ranging from descriptive models, which provide a framework for designers to delineate and reflect on usability problems, to predictive models, which use mathematical expressions for estimating user performance.


We present our experiences with the development of two mobile systems using a combination of ethnography and OOA&D. The first case study concerned the operation of a large container ship (Kjeldskov and Stage, 2003) . The second one concerned the operation of a large power plant . We present the two development process case studies in detail, showing how they each followed the same overall process from ethnographic field studies, through object-oriented analysis and design, to conception of prototype systems that could be evaluated with prospective users. The second case study naturally built on the lessons learned from the first one, and we show how this led to modifications to the method applied.

We present our experiences with the development of two mobile systems using a combination of ethnography and OOA&D. The first case study concerned the operation of a large container ship.


Coronary artery disease is very commonly found in elderly patients. Some patients may present with upper quadrant pain or bleeding [7] . Our patient underwent coronary angiography due to upper quadrant pain and ST segment elevation in leads V1-V4, and this revealed 65% stenosis of the left anterior descending branch of the coronary artery. However, the patient still suffered upper quadrant pain, and high-grade temperature was observed subsequently. Upper quadrant pain accompanied by recurrent fever should be possibly considered as foreign body ingestion, and CT scan should be performed simultaneously.

Some patients may present with upper quadrant pain or bleeding.


In an attempt to further reduce errors dominated by the optical effects of non-absorbing particles this study will in addition to determine the scattered light provide a chemical quantification of the inorganic fraction of the non-absorbing material. A photometer measured light transmission and scattering at 528 nm on particulate samples accumulated on polycarbonate membrane (PCMB) filters. The PCMB filters were selected to avoid high chemical blank values characteristic for the otherwise commonly used glass fiber filters (Bond et al., 1999) .

The PCMB filters were selected to avoid high chemical blank values characteristic for the otherwise commonly used glass fiber filters.


One worry when applying optical measurements of ambient BC concerns possible interferences with non-elemental carbon compounds. Carbon containing aerosol particles that absorb light can be regarded as a continuous spectrum of compounds, with BC as a strong absorber at 550 nm wavelength and organic carbon, OC, (originating from biological processes such as low temperature oxidation) absorbing towards shorter wavelengths in UV which gives the compounds a brown or yellow color. As OC does not absorb strongly where BC normally is measured its presence should be of minor concern. However, it has also been shown that large amounts of OC are collected as liquid drops, rather than as solid particles, which can cause errors in the measured light absorption (Subramanian et al., 2007) .

However, it has also been shown that large amounts of OC are collected as liquid drops, rather than as solid particles, which can cause errors in the measured light absorption.


Among the many additives that are employed for formulating engine lubricants, zinc dialkyldithiophosphates (ZnDTP) probably represent one of the most successful class of compounds ever synthesized. First introduced as antioxidants in the 1940s (they act as both primary (i.e. radical trapping) and secondary (i.e. peroxide-decomposing) antioxidants), it soon became clear that ZnDTPs also combine good antiwear and extreme-pressure properties [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] . The performance of ZnDTPs is strongly influenced by the chemical structure of the molecule, which mainly depends on the type of alcohols used for the synthesis [8] .

First introduced as antioxidants in the 1940s (they act as both primary (i.e. radical trapping) and secondary (i.e. peroxide-decomposing) antioxidants), it soon became clear that ZnDTPs also combine good antiwear and extreme-pressure properties.

The performance of ZnDTPs is strongly influenced by the chemical structure of the molecule, which mainly depends on the type of alcohols used for the synthesis.


Moving from primary alkyl to secondary alkyl ZnDTPs, the oxidative inhibition and wear protection performance improves, while the thermal stability decreases. This structure-activity dependence of ZnDTPs was explained by the ease with which the nucleophilic substitution at the a-carbon atom of the alkyl group can take place [10] . Compared to the alkyl varieties, aryl ZnDTPs usually show inferior antioxidant and antiwear performance, but superior thermal stability [8] .

This structure-activity dependence of ZnDTPs was explained by the ease with which the nucleophilic substitution at the a-carbon atom of the alkyl group can take place.

Compared to the alkyl varieties, aryl ZnDTPs usually show inferior antioxidant and antiwear performance, but superior thermal stability.


In the past decades, the use of polymer materials in the design of safety components for vehicles has increased due to their combination of modulus, yield stress and high toughness [1] . When their structural response is analysed using finite element codes, an accurate constitutive equation is required. Due to the significant stress anisotropy, plasticity laws based on the von Mises theory are no longer suitable to describe the phenomenology of inelastic polymer deformations [2] . Therefore, additional mechanical tests to the classical uniaxial tensile test are required to calibrate advanced material models (e.g. SAMP-1) which introduced shear test data to characterise non-linear plasticity [3] .

In the past decades, the use of polymer materials in the design of safety components for vehicles has increased due to their combination of modulus, yield stress and high toughness.

Due to the significant stress anisotropy, plasticity laws based on the von Mises theory are no longer suitable to describe the phenomenology of inelastic polymer deformations.

Therefore, additional mechanical tests to the classical uniaxial tensile test are required to calibrate advanced material models (e.g. SAMP-1) which introduced shear test data to characterise non-linear plasticity.


In digital mammograms, an important sign of the early breast cancer is the existence of Microcalcification Clusters (MCs). One of the key techniques for early diagnosis of the breast cancer is to detect MCs and to judge whether they are malignant or not in mammograms. However, there is only about 3% information in mammograms, which can be seen with the naked eyes. Due to the most details in mammograms cannot been perceived by human eyes, it is even very difficult for a skillful radiologist to find the sign of early breast cancer, i.e., micalcification clusters, as a result missing the best time for treatment. To detect early sign of this disease and we need to do research on how to build a computer-aided diagnosis system to aid doctors to diagnose breast cancer in early stage. Machine learning techniques have been successfully applied to it [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] .

Machine learning techniques have been successfully applied to it.


In the planning of a wind farm in a certain area, the wake effect is an influencing factor in maximizing the power production and minimizing the cost and additional loads on the turbine. More turbines in the certain area will increase the total power production and decrease the marginal cost of construction, but it will also reduce the efficiency of the power generation and cause additional loads on the turbines if the turbines are placed too close to each other. Any decision made requires a thorough understanding of the turbine wake effects and accurate prediction of the wind turbine wake. An accurate prediction of the turbine wake is also fundamental to the optimization of the wind farm layout and for the wind turbines fatigue hazard mitigation [4] .

An accurate prediction of the turbine wake is also fundamental to the optimization of the wind farm layout and for the wind turbines fatigue hazard mitigation.


We compared several experimental demonstrations of slow light in semiconductor heterostructures with different physical mechanisms including EIT, CPO, gain system, OIL and exciton dephasing. All these are material dispersion based devices with a slow down factor that can be tuned at a high speed. The slow down factor achieved by a waveguide dispersion based structure is still rather limited owing to the fabrication complexity. Recently, a slow down factor of 125 was reported in a two-dimensional photonic crystal structure [38] .

Recently, a slow down factor of 125 was reported in a two-dimensional photonic crystal structure.


The incidence of the FIP1L1-aPDGFR fusion gene in Japanese HES (13% in WHO, 17% in Chusid) was similar to those described in recent reports from Western countries (10-20%) [17] [18] [19] . All FIP1L1-aPDGFR-positive cases in this study are male. The male predominance is compatible with previous reports [4, 22] . There was no trend of difference in other clinical features listed in Table 1 between FIP1L1-aPDGFR-positive and negative patients, although the number of positive cases is too low to compare statistically. Therefore, it is critical to examine the FIP1L1-aPDGFR fusion gene of HES because imatinib therapy is expected to provide a complete response for the fusion gene positive cases [4, 14, 15, 19] .

The incidence of the FIP1L1-aPDGFR fusion gene in Japanese HES (13% in WHO, 17% in Chusid) was similar to those described in recent reports from Western countries (10-20%).

The male predominance is compatible with previous reports.

Therefore, it is critical to examine the FIP1L1-aPDGFR fusion gene of HES because imatinib therapy is expected to provide a complete response for the fusion gene positive cases.


A further novelty of our work is the use of the information contained in the background tissue of images. Most of the references found in literature dealing with breast cancer detection methods are based on microcalcifications (Wang and Karayiannis, 1998; Netsch and Peitgen, 1999; Kestener et al., 2001; El-Naqa et al., 2002) . Only recently the information contained in the background is taken into consideration (Nicolis et al., 2011; Hamilton et al., 2011) . This classifying measure based on background tissue would be a new tool to be used in combination with existing clinical diagnostic tools, thus improving the power of non-invasive diagnostic techniques.

Most of the references found in literature dealing with breast cancer detection methods are based on microcalcifications.

Only recently the information contained in the background is taken into consideration.


The National Cancer Institute estimates that 1 in 8 women born today will be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime (Altekruse et al., 2010) . Breast cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer among women in the United States, second only to non-melanoma skin cancer. A national objective has been set by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to reduce the female breast cancer death rate from 22.9 per 100,000 females in 2007 down to 20.6 by the year 2020 -a 10% improvement (Healthy People 2020, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). One of the most important tools toward that goal is advanced precision of screening technologies. Early detection is the best method for improving prognosis and also leads to less invasive options for both specific diagnosis and treatment. Mammography is currently the most efficient and prevalent method for detecting a breast cancer early, before it is substantial enough to cause symptoms. However, the radiological interpretation of mammogram images is a difficult task since the appearance of even normal tissue is highly variable and complex, and signs of early disease are often small or indistinct. Suspicious findings are commonly clarified by follow-up images, ultrasound, or MRI. On the other hand, it has been estimated that 10 − 30% of cancers which could have been detected are missed (Martin et al., 1979) . Thus, improving both the specificity and the sensitivity of mammographic diagnoses is an important goal in improving prognoses while also reducing the number of unnecessary procedures or surgical operations.

The National Cancer Institute estimates that 1 in 8 women born today will be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime.

On the other hand, it has been estimated that 10 − 30% of cancers which could have been detected are missed.


For breeding and mensurational purposes it is desirable to estimate whole-tree wood quality values for commercially important traits using cheap and non-destructive sampling techniques. Knowledge of within-tree variation is required to determine the most representative point to sample or measure and to develop relationships between point estimates and whole-tree values [30] . Mensurationists also use knowledge of longitudinal within-tree variation to estimate yields of individual product classes (e.g. log sizes by diameter and length [21] ). Similarly, timber processors can use such knowledge to ensure trees are used in the most appropriate and profitable manner by modifying processing practices or allocating logs to particular end uses according to the known properties of different stem sections.

Knowledge of within-tree variation is required to determine the most representative point to sample or measure and to develop relationships between point estimates and whole-tree values.

Mensurationists also use knowledge of longitudinal within-tree variation to estimate yields of individual product classes (e.g. log sizes by diameter and length).


The results of determination of hydroxyl radical scavenging activity (Table 4) showed that IC50 values were 67,11±0.23, 53.23±0.51 and 50.57±0.75 μg/mL for metanolic, chloroform and petrol ether extracts, respectively. These results revealed that the methanol, chloroform and petrol ethar extracts of T. candida organs were free radical scavengers, acting possibly as primary antioxidants. The strong antioxidant activity of T. candida assessed by the different systems could be attributed to their high total polyphenolic contents. Moreover, the high yield of the different phenolic compounds (depsidones) found in T. candida thallus (Table 1 ) might contribute to the potent antioxidant activity of the tested extracts, since a positive correlation between phenolic composition and antioxidant activity was proved (Katalinic et al., 2006) . Thus, antioxidant property of the lichen could be attributed to the significant amount of depsidones, especially norstictic acid, present in our study with the high amounts of 51.5±2.0, 53.6±1.0 and 64.3±1.5 μg/g DW, respectively in the methanol, chloroform and petrol ether extracts. Other minor phenolic compounds should not be neglected, since synergy of the different chemicals with each other should be taken into consideration for the biological activity. The presence of the phenolic groups in the lichen metabolites is considered to be key element for the antioxidative efficiency (Markovic & Manojlovic, 2010) . Norstictic acid posesses two phenolic groups in the molecule which probably play an important role in expression of their antioxidant activity.

Moreover, the high yield of the different phenolic compounds (depsidones) found in T. candida thallus (Table 1 ) might contribute to the potent antioxidant activity of the tested extracts, since a positive correlation between phenolic composition and antioxidant activity was proved.

The presence of the phenolic groups in the lichen metabolites is considered to be key element for the antioxidative efficiency.


Phenolic compounds have been reported to be associated with antioxidative action in biological systems, mainly due to their red-ox properties, which can play an important role in absorbing and neutralizing free radicals, quenching singlet and triplet oxygen, or decomposing peroxides (Saha et al., 2008) . The results of determination of total phenolic and antioxidant capacity are given in Table 3 . Total phenolic contents were determined and amounted to 76.26±0.32 mg GA/g, 45.25±0.72 mg GA/g and 42.98±0.15 mg GA/g, for methanol, chloroform and petrol ether extracts, respectively. The results showed that the methanolic, chloroform and petroleum ether extracts possess antioxidant activity, with total antioxidant capacity of 78.45±0.58 μg AA/g, 56.67±0.30 μg AA/g and 51.45±0.31 μg AA/g, respectively.

Phenolic compounds have been reported to be associated with antioxidative action in biological systems, mainly due to their red-ox properties, which can play an important role in absorbing and neutralizing free radicals, quenching singlet and triplet oxygen, or decomposing peroxides.


X-ray diffraction technique has been widely used in industries and laboratories for residual stresses measurement. The XRD technique is based on the measurement of the crystallographic lattice deformation. According to Bragg conditions, a change in lattice spacing induce a shift of the diffracted X-ray angle [1] . Then, the strain and stress can be calculated from the peak shift. For decades, the traditional sin 2 ψ method has been employed for stress calculation [2] . The dedicated diffractometer mainly use line detectors, most commonly Position Sensitive Scintillation Detectors (PSSD), in order to capture the scattered X-rays. In the case of stress-free isotropic polycrystalline material, X-rays are diffracted in all directions by the grains, giving form to a cone. The line detectors only capture a limited part of the scattered X-rays corresponding to two diffraction cone radii. In the case of plane-stress state, a minimum of two sample orientations are required for strain measurements [2] .

According to Bragg conditions, a change in lattice spacing induce a shift of the diffracted X-ray angle.

For decades, the traditional sin 2 ψ method has been employed for stress calculation.

In the case of plane-stress state, a minimum of two sample orientations are required for strain measurements.


In 1978, the cos α method was developed in Japan for stress calculation [3] . This method, also called the single exposure method, allows stress calculation by capturing the resulting diffraction cone of a single incident X-ray beam via a 2D detector. The intersection of the diffraction cone with the area detector provides a ring named Debyer-Scherrer ring [1] . The introduction of new 2D photosensitive detectors, such as image plate (IP), and the development of powerful calculation algorithms, bring the cos α method up to date [4] . Since few years, portable apparatus equipped with IP allow quick residual stress measurements using the cos α method. The two presented XRD methods measure the elastic strain for a chosen diffraction peak corresponding to specific planes of atoms in the crystal structure. This family of planes does not necessarily have the same elastic constants than the bulk material; the latter being the expression of the average elastic behavior of all plane families. Therefore, the X-ray elastic constants (XEC) determination is needed for the chosen peak of the material subjected to X-ray residual stress measurement [5] . The XEC are determined by measuring the lattice strain of given crystallographic planes using a diffractometer while the specimen is subjected to constant axial loading. A wrong XEC value may underestimate the residual stress state, leading to non-conservative fatigue predictions [6, 7] .

In 1978, the cos α method was developed in Japan for stress calculation.

The intersection of the diffraction cone with the area detector provides a ring named Debyer-Scherrer ring.

The introduction of new 2D photosensitive detectors, such as image plate (IP), and the development of powerful calculation algorithms, bring the cos α method up to date.

Therefore, the X-ray elastic constants (XEC) determination is needed for the chosen peak of the material subjected to X-ray residual stress measurement.

A wrong XEC value may underestimate the residual stress state, leading to non-conservative fatigue predictions.


Although the growth response of fertilization is wellknown, there is less research on the profitability of fertilization and its optimal timing (Hedwall et al. 2014) . It is rather clear that fertilization is profitable at least with low discount rates if the additional growth is realized in a cutting within 10 years. This is because the value of the additional growth is typically two to three times larger than fertilization cost if majority of the additional growth can be harvested as saw logs. However, knowing the overall costs and benefits of fertilization does not reveal the optimal timing of fertilization or the optimal management of fertilized stands. The additional value increment obtained with fertilization depends on the stage of stand development and the technical quality of trees, among other things. Fertilization affects profitability also through harvesting costs since it affects the mean size and total volume harvested trees. Moreover, improving growth rate affects the competition among trees, which may result in increased self-thinning and size differentiation of trees. These, in turn, affect the future management of the stand.

Although the growth response of fertilization is wellknown, there is less research on the profitability of fertilization and its optimal timing.


That is to say, the equilibrium partitioning between the compartments and organisms controls the bioavailability of PAHs, as the pollutants general speaking (Ditoro et al. 1991; Sijm et al. 2000) . Some deviations from expected partitioning theory results have been observed, which are usually attributed to sequestration of pollutants in the sediments, the effects of feeding, and biotransformation (Cornelissen et al. 2001; Ditoro et al. 1991) . In this paper, n-butanol (chemical reagent) was used to extract the PAHs in sediments and assumed as bioavailable. This research has been carried out in the School of Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Parana (Curitiba, Brazil), in July 2010.

That is to say, the equilibrium partitioning between the compartments and organisms controls the bioavailability of PAHs, as the pollutants general speaking.

Some deviations from expected partitioning theory results have been observed, which are usually attributed to sequestration of pollutants in the sediments, the effects of feeding, and biotransformation.


PAHs of molecular mass 178 and 202 are commonly used to distinguish between combustion and petroleum sources (Soclo et al. 2000) . The ratio of mass 178 (anthracene/anthracene ? phenanthrene) ranged from 0.03 to 1.71. Usually ratios \0.10 indicate petroleum while a ratios [0.10 indicate dominance of combustion products (Budzinski et al. 1997) . Here the results showed that PAHs come from both sources, pyrogenic and petrogenic. Episodes of leakage of petroleum compounds and also crude oil was reported in this region, justifying the presence of petrogenic compounds.

PAHs of molecular mass 178 and 202 are commonly used to distinguish between combustion and petroleum sources.

Usually ratios \0.10 indicate petroleum while a ratios [0.10 indicate dominance of combustion products.


The bending of the cantilever is related to the applied force. By monitoring the displacement the amplitude of the applied force can be detected. Several sensing methods can be used to detect forces: piezoresistive, capacitive and optical/laser detection. The optical method, mostly used in atomic force microscopy (AFM), is based on focusing a laser spot on the cantilever and then monitoring the motion of the reflected light using a photodiode. This method is very powerful in measuring small displacements, but it requires a highly accurate alignment of the optical system. The tip of the cantilever should be larger than the laser spot size. The method therefore becomes difficult when the size of the cantilever is decreased [1] .

The method therefore becomes difficult when the size of the cantilever is decreased.


The capacitive method is based on the capacitance change when the structure is deformed and is the most widely used method in microaccelerometers and sensors for harsh environments. The capacitive structures, however, need to be completely isolated between two electrodes; so normally silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers are employed. Instead of SOI, trench isolation can be used [2] . However, it is difficult to control the etching area to obtain a completely isolated structure. Moreover, the capacitive method requires complicated electronic circuits.

Instead of SOI, trench isolation can be used.


Here, we present a new R package, library ("codyn"), that fills this niche for published functions that characterize communities over time (Hallett et al. 2015) . Short for 'community dynamics', library("codyn") functions are explicitly temporal and can be easily implemented over multiple replicates or experimental treatments. Functions in library("codyn") fall into two categories: temporal diversity indices and community stability metrics. Below, we describe the metrics by category and demonstrate their application with examples from the Konza Prairie Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Site, in Kansas, USA.

Here, we present a new R package, library ("codyn"), that fills this niche for published functions that characterize communities over time.


A review of recent literature failed to identify previous research which addresses the accuracy of expert ratings or the degree of expert consensus in the assessment of ergonomic risks. Expert analysis has been used, however, in other fields to establish probability distributions for catastrophic events, such as nuclear power plant accidents (Hofer et al., 1985) . Procedures have also been developed to improve the ability to elicit information from experts and to improve the extent of expert consensus. A well-known method is the Delphi technique developed by the Rand Corporation in 1948. This technique consists of a set of procedures to canvass, integrate, and improve experts' judgments through feedback. Each expert on a panel anonymously replies to the problem(s) by responding to a questionnaire. The questionnaires are then collected, analyzed, and returned to each expert with a summary of how the full panel responded. Each expert may then change his/her response, based on the replies of the other experts, if so desired. This process is iterated until the group reaches a consensus or until group members no longer wish to revise their individual responses (Apostolakis and Mosleh, 1979; Linstone and Turhoff, 1975) .

Expert analysis has been used, however, in other fields to establish probability distributions for catastrophic events, such as nuclear power plant accidents.

This process is iterated until the group reaches a consensus or until group members no longer wish to revise their individual responses.


The very gravitational theory string theory predicts may be the Double Field Theory with non-Riemannian surprises, rather than General Relativity based on Riemannian geometry. The underlying mathematical structure of DFT unifies supergravity with various non-Riemannian gravities including (stringy) Newton-Cartan geometry, ultra-relativistic Carroll geometry, and non-relativistic Gomis-Ooguri string theory. The non-Riemannian geometries of DFT can be classified by two non-negative integers, (n,n) [1] .

The non-Riemannian geometries of DFT can be classified by two non-negative integers, (n,n).


Another shortcoming arises from the use of self-report data which can be subject to a certain degree of response bias (Cook & Campbell, 1979) . Three arguments suggest that such bias was not an issue in the current study. First, we applied structured interviews that showed excellent validity in meta-analytic research (Schmidt & Hunter, 1998) . Our interviews incorporated probing and clarification of participants answers by well-trained interviewers.

Another shortcoming arises from the use of self-report data which can be subject to a certain degree of response bias.

First, we applied structured interviews that showed excellent validity in meta-analytic research.


The general layout for AD compensation is shown in Fig. 1 . An optical system with a suitably chosen magnification images the plane of the nonlinear crystal onto an angularly dispersive optical element or elements. If the imaging system is properly designed, the angular dispersion of the beam can be matched in magnitude, but with opposite sign, to that of the angularly dispersive optical system and a collimated beam without AD and spatial chirp is obtained. Imaging also makes sure that propagating the angularly dispersed beam does not lead to spatial or temporal chirp. Various schemes have been proposed to compensate the angular dispersion of idler beams in noncollinear parametric amplifiers with an angular-dispersion-free signal beam, where the idler pulse energy, average power, and the red edge of its spectrum were limited to 3 μJ, 3 mW, and 1.6 μm, respectively [17] - [19] . The demonstrated arrangements were based on reflection gratings combined with reflective-type telescopes. A crucial aspect of the setup is its overall throughput mainly limited by the angularly dispersive element.

Various schemes have been proposed to compensate the angular dispersion of idler beams in noncollinear parametric amplifiers with an angular-dispersion-free signal beam, where the idler pulse energy, average power, and the red edge of its spectrum were limited to 3 μJ, 3 mW, and 1.6 μm, respectively.


Strong-field physics and attoscience can tremendously benefit from the development of few-cycle mid-infrared (MIR, 3-8 μm) sources providing high peak and average power simultaneously. Operating at the blue edge of the MIR (i.e., 3-4 μm) provides a good trade-off between shorter soft-X-ray wavelengths in high-order harmonic generation (HHG) and the unfavorable scaling of the single atom response in HHG at increasing driver laser wavelength. A proven technique to reach the required repetition rates (i.e., 10 kHz) and pulse energies (i.e., ≥ 10's of μJ) at the blue edge of the MIR is optical parametric chirped pulse amplification (OPCPA) driven by picosecond, diodepumped Nd-or Yb-doped pump lasers [1] - [6] . Using Yb-doped materials (bulk or fiber) in the pump laser/amplifier chain enables shorter pulse durations around 1.03 μm, down to the sub-ps regime, which is advantageous for the parametric amplification process [2] , [4] - [6] . Yb-laser systems are gaining wide popularity due to their lower cost, higher robustness, and greater average power scalability compared to the more traditional Ti:sapphire pump lasers.

A proven technique to reach the required repetition rates (i.e., 10 kHz) and pulse energies (i.e., ≥ 10's of μJ) at the blue edge of the MIR is optical parametric chirped pulse amplification (OPCPA) driven by picosecond, diodepumped Nd-or Yb-doped pump lasers.

Using Yb-doped materials (bulk or fiber) in the pump laser/amplifier chain enables shorter pulse durations around 1.03 μm, down to the sub-ps regime, which is advantageous for the parametric amplification process.


A limitation of this review is its little contribution to the discussion concerning values and ethics; even though moral aspects are an acknowledged facet of decision-making. Retrospectively, we would suggest adding appropriate terms to the syntaxes, such as moral judgement, in order to ensure the identification of relevant papers. Furthermore, review articles are typically constrained by a publication bias. This means that research reporting statistically significant effects is more often published than papers reporting non-significant effects [121] . Writing a systematic review conclusively underlies the journals' pre-selection of articles. The conduction of a meta-analysis might have controlled this bias; nevertheless, since a large proportion of the papers are subject to a qualitative research design this endeavor did not seem suitable.

This means that research reporting statistically significant effects is more often published than papers reporting non-significant effects.


The systematic literature review was conducted according to the methodological guidelines in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions [68] . Furthermore, the procedure of identification and selection of relevant articles was guided by the preferred-reporting of items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses statement (PRISMA; [69, 70] ). The resulting PRISMA flowchart illustrates the different phases of the selection process (see Figure 2 ) through reasoned inclusion and exclusion criteria (see Table 1 ). Data was collected from three electronic databases, two international ones and a German database, each fitting the interest of the underlying research endeavor: (1) Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), as an internationally recognized database for educational research, and (2) Web of Science (WoS), as a supplementary database focusing on scientific research to assure a holistic approach to the concept of sustainability. To encompass a German perspective, we performed a separate search with German translations of the search terms in (3) FIS Bildung, the German equivalent to ERIC. The validity of results in a systematic literature review depends on the selection of search terms and databases. In order to establish the results' validity the three key search terms extended education, sustainable development and decision making were based on theoretical considerations and expanded Figure 1 . Graphical illustration of this paper's underlying research interest (grey space) combining (1) decision-making in sustainability-related issues (2) sustainability-related issues in extended education activities and (3) decision-making in extended education activities.

The systematic literature review was conducted according to the methodological guidelines in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions.

Furthermore, the procedure of identification and selection of relevant articles was guided by the preferred-reporting of items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses statement (PRISMA;).


The systematic literature review was conducted according to the methodological guidelines in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions [68] . Furthermore, the procedure of identification and selection of relevant articles was guided by the preferred-reporting of items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses statement (PRISMA; [69, 70] ). The resulting PRISMA flowchart illustrates the different phases of the selection process (see Figure 2 ) through reasoned inclusion and exclusion criteria (see Table 1 ). Data was collected from three electronic databases, two international ones and a German database, each fitting the interest of the underlying research endeavor: (1) Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), as an internationally recognized database for educational research, and (2) Web of Science (WoS), as a supplementary database focusing on scientific research to assure a holistic approach to the concept of sustainability. To encompass a German perspective, we performed a separate search with German translations of the search terms in (3) FIS Bildung, the German equivalent to ERIC. The validity of results in a systematic literature review depends on the selection of search terms and databases. In order to establish the results' validity the three key search terms extended education, sustainable development and decision making were based on theoretical considerations and expanded with terms found to be used interchangeably in other peer-reviewed papers. Following this manner, the search terms were optimized to find all relevant papers without generating an unmanageable number of search results. The selection of databases accounted for discipline-general (WoS) and discipline-specific (ERIC, FIS) publications on an international (ERIC, WoS) as well as national level (FIS). Limits to the validity are discussed in the limitations section (see Section 5.2.). Individual syntaxes were developed and used for each database. For exemplary reasons, one of the syntaxes is shown below.


A tremendous growth of the wireless RF identification (RFID) market is currently observed in the UHF and microwave frequency bands [1] . The microwave frequency range is also considered for electronic toll collection and more generally for wireless road-tovehicle communication systems [2] [3] [4] [5] . Microstrip antennas are one of the most innovative components which fulfill the requirements of all aforementioned communication systems, but the physical size of the patch conductor is too much large at UHF/microwave frequencies. For this reason, researchers have tried to develop techniques that reduce the surface area associated with the microstrip patch antenna. As the need for antenna size reduction, two major techniques, using a shorting post and high permittivity substrate material has been proposed. To decrease the resonant frequency of an antenna for a given surface area, the current path must be maximized within that area by the shorted patch concept. The high dielectric permittivity will also maintain the compactness of the structure whereas low dielectric permittivity will provide more efficient result. Bandwidth of the microstrip patch antenna can also be increased by increasing the thickness of the substrate material [6, 7] . The major disadvantage of increasing thickness is the reduced efficiency since the large portion of the input power is dissipated in the resistor which takes away the available power that can be radiated by antenna. Further more, reducing the height of the structure may appear to be a suitable solution, but it may lead to a reduced impedance bandwidth and lower radiation efficiency. This is often a tradeoff in realizing compact antennas while maintaining performance characteristics. The advantage of loading very high permittivity material for microstrip patch antenna compared to the shorting pin is the elimination of the need for a shorting post to penetrate through the substrate, hence making the device easier to manufacture.

A tremendous growth of the wireless RF identification (RFID) market is currently observed in the UHF and microwave frequency bands.

The microwave frequency range is also considered for electronic toll collection and more generally for wireless road-tovehicle communication systems.

Bandwidth of the microstrip patch antenna can also be increased by increasing the thickness of the substrate material.


The findings of the study also showed a strong positive relationship between the self-efficacy of teachers in the use of the tools of the Web 2.0 in education, and their actual use of these tools. Among the factors that led to a rise in the self-efficacy index of teachers, and their strong belief in their ability to use Web 2.0 tools in education, is their in-service training in using these tools. Training is one of the most important strategies that can be used to increase the self-efficacy of teachers in any field, especially in the use of new educational technologies, which some teachers may find difficult to use (Pan, 2011) .

Training is one of the most important strategies that can be used to increase the self-efficacy of teachers in any field, especially in the use of new educational technologies, which some teachers may find difficult to use.


Specialty coffee becomes one of the alternatives to liberate the producer from the unjustified coffee market structure [9, 11, 12] . Single origin coffee is the next most realistic strategy to give protection to the uniqueness of environment where coffee are producing as well as its cultural characteristics Sustainability 2019, 11, 1319 3 of 17 they pay specific attention to the environmental issues as well as have the willingness to pay for environmentally friendly products more than general consumers [3, 36, 37] . They have the tendency to try understanding, evaluating, and appreciating the consumption of objects, subjectively showing a preference towards certain coffee attributes such as the origin of the coffee, the serving method, and others [9, 38] . Connoisseurs enjoy more of the behavior as a leisure activity as well as emphasizes the different self-identities with many of the consumers group where its characteristics are empathy to the environment, not having a problem with the price, and subjectively caring about the goods and service they consume [9, [39] [40] [41] . Because of the various attributes, these CCs have the potential to build their own subculture that is different from regular consumers [35, 39, 42] .

Specialty coffee becomes one of the alternatives to liberate the producer from the unjustified coffee market structure.

Single origin coffee is the next most realistic strategy to give protection to the uniqueness of environment where coffee are producing as well as its cultural characteristics Sustainability 2019, 11, 1319 3 of 17 they pay specific attention to the environmental issues as well as have the willingness to pay for environmentally friendly products more than general consumers.

They have the tendency to try understanding, evaluating, and appreciating the consumption of objects, subjectively showing a preference towards certain coffee attributes such as the origin of the coffee, the serving method, and others.

Connoisseurs enjoy more of the behavior as a leisure activity as well as emphasizes the different self-identities with many of the consumers group where its characteristics are empathy to the environment, not having a problem with the price, and subjectively caring about the goods and service they consume.

Because of the various attributes, these CCs have the potential to build their own subculture that is different from regular consumers.


Sustainability 2018, 10, x FOR PEER REVIEW 3 of 17 friendly products more than general consumers [3, 40, 41] . They have the tendency to try understanding, evaluating, and appreciating the consumption of objects, subjectively showing a preference towards certain coffee attributes such as the origin of the coffee, the serving method, and others [9, 42] . Connoisseurs enjoy more of the behavior as a leisure activity as well as emphasizes the different self-identities with many of the consumers group where its characteristics are empathy to the environment, not having a problem with the price, and subjectively caring about the goods and service they consume [9, 35, 43, 44] . Because of the various attributes, these CCs have the potential to build their own subculture that is different from regular consumers [35, 39, 45] . They are not the only important visitors; CCs also have the ability to build a community and to generate a new subculture and social capital that can support the existence of SOCSs. Even a small existence of CCs has the potential to build specific consumer communities between not only their own but also consumers in general. Thus, the existence of CCs will be able to help single origin coffee shops to build a community of consumers so that they will rely not only on the impulse consumers but also on special consumers driven by CCs. Based on the above description, this article specifically analyzes whether the existence of connoisseur consumers between the consumers of single origin coffee shops will be able to improve the dynamics capabilities of SOCSs and to build the sustainability consumption of single origin coffee. Figure 1 shows that CCs can attract other consumers, both regular or general visitors, and outstanding professionals to build social capital and a new subculture [35, 37, 39] . On the dynamic capabilities side, the existence of CCs as the market segment is relatively more loyal with a clearer preference than regular consumers; its potential facilitates the company in sensing, seizing, and transforming the company to be more directed relatively. For example, the huge existence of CCs in the consumers' structure in a company facilitates the managers in detecting what knowledge will likely be asked by them. The company can also anticipate it by giving enough education to its personnel who will communicate with the CCs. Therefore, the existence of CCs will facilitate the company to detect what are the required needs to serve the typology of such consumers. The analysis ability on the external demand to skillfully change the organization to answer those challenges is one of the signs that a company has good DCs [46] . Dynamics capabilities (DCs) is a theory emerging to answer why many business institutions that have dominated the asset, have a strong human resources, and have a solid system but will collapse in On the dynamic capabilities side, the existence of CCs as the market segment is relatively more loyal with a clearer preference than regular consumers; its potential facilitates the company in sensing, seizing, and transforming the company to be more directed relatively. For example, the huge existence of CCs in the consumers' structure in a company facilitates the managers in detecting what knowledge will likely be asked by them. The company can also anticipate it by giving enough education to its personnel who will communicate with the CCs. Therefore, the existence of CCs will facilitate the company to detect what are the required needs to serve the typology of such consumers. The analysis ability on the external demand to skillfully change the organization to answer those challenges is one of the signs that a company has good DCs [43] .

Sustainability 2018, 10, x FOR PEER REVIEW 3 of 17 friendly products more than general consumers.

Figure 1 shows that CCs can attract other consumers, both regular or general visitors, and outstanding professionals to build social capital and a new subculture.

The analysis ability on the external demand to skillfully change the organization to answer those challenges is one of the signs that a company has good DCs.


Between agro-food products, coffee is the first commodity to quarrel in ethical attributes and sustainability issues such as fair trade, premium prices, as well as justified value chain issues [1] [2] [3] . Several consumer culture specialists mention that the phenomenon is part of "third wave coffee" where coffee is not only a commodity with a strong cultural character but also a worldwide global business [4] [5] [6] [7] . Now, the development of the coffee consumption trend is fast and dynamic; several consumer culture observers are even building a "fourth wave" theory [8, 9] . In the fourth wave theories, global coffee consumption will lead to a coffee consumption model with the best quality becoming a popular trend as well as an extended business to build a new supply chain that is different from the current condition [8, 9] . Coffee has shifted from a business involving the control of traditional means of production such as land, capital, and technology to control over the means of symbolic production in extracting a surplus value through global trade [4, 10] .

Between agro-food products, coffee is the first commodity to quarrel in ethical attributes and sustainability issues such as fair trade, premium prices, as well as justified value chain issues.

Several consumer culture specialists mention that the phenomenon is part of "third wave coffee" where coffee is not only a commodity with a strong cultural character but also a worldwide global business.

Now, the development of the coffee consumption trend is fast and dynamic; several consumer culture observers are even building a "fourth wave" theory.

In the fourth wave theories, global coffee consumption will lead to a coffee consumption model with the best quality becoming a popular trend as well as an extended business to build a new supply chain that is different from the current condition.

Coffee has shifted from a business involving the control of traditional means of production such as land, capital, and technology to control over the means of symbolic production in extracting a surplus value through global trade.


A preliminary version of the analytical model presented in the next section of this paper was used to design a sandwich beam specimen that would be suitable for the study of core indentation failure. Sandwich beams show a range of competing failure modes, which typically are core shear failure, face sheet fracture, face sheet wrinkling and indentation [1] . To achieve a sandwich beam configuration that would fail exclusively due to indentation failure (rather than any of the other competing modes of failure), the analytical model was used to select suitable geometrical and material parameters. The investigated sandwich beam should closely replicate a real structure; hence, its span was maximized in the bounds of the available three-point bending rig. A realistic face sheet thickness for marine, transportation or wind turbine blades of a minimum of 2 mm was required which was achieved by stacking ten RP-528 layers. Having established these initial parameters, an iterative design process based on the analytical model at room temperature was adopted as shown in Figure 2 to determine the face sheet laminate layup and the core thickness.

Sandwich beams show a range of competing failure modes, which typically are core shear failure, face sheet fracture, face sheet wrinkling and indentation.


Lightweight composite sandwich structures with glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) face sheets and polymer foam core materials (such as polyvinyl chloride -PVC) are widely used for structural applications across the marine, transportation and energy industries. They are valued for their excellent stiffness to weight ratio combined with their affordability for low to medium cost applications [1] . However, they are prone to indentation failure when localized loading is applied and they are sensitive to elevated temperatures, because the typically used foam cores display significant softening and reduction of stiffness and strength already in the temperature range of 50-70 C, which is well within the service environment of typical applications such as high speed boats and train structures or wind turbine blades that are exposed to sun light or heat emission of machinery.

They are valued for their excellent stiffness to weight ratio combined with their affordability for low to medium cost applications.


The fabricated face sheet laminates were bonded to the foam core using SA80 250 g/m 2 adhesive epoxy film from Gurit [17] . The adhesive film (Max T g ¼ 99 C at cure temperature of 120 C) ensured a bond line with a constant thickness (approx. 0.2 mm) between core and face sheets. The constituents were cured together in a vacuum bag at 1 bar and at a temperature of 80 C for 12 h. The low cure temperature minimized the risk of altering the foam core properties during the manufacturing process by exceeding the glass transition temperature of the constituent materials.

The fabricated face sheet laminates were bonded to the foam core using SA80 250 g/m 2 adhesive epoxy film from Gurit.


The metabolic performance of a microbial culture in the bioreactor depends strongly on complex interactions of the various operating conditions. For example, the agitation intensity, the microbial species being cultured, the nutrients type and supply determine the bulk rheology and cellular morphology. Rheology in turn affects supply of nutrients, specially oxygen, and the ease of mixing of the broth. Rheology-morphology relationships are particular relevant in fermentations involving filamentous fungi and bacteria. The specific growth morphology produced under given conditions depends on several factors including the fungal strain, the method of initiation of culture (e.g. spores, pellets, dispersed mycelium), the nature of the growth medium, and the hydrodynamic regime in the bioreactor (Metz and Kossen, 1977; Suijdam and Metz, 1981) . Excessive hydrodynamic shear stresses are known to damage mycelial hyphae and pellets, but much lower shear stresses are sufficient to influence growth morphology.

The specific growth morphology produced under given conditions depends on several factors including the fungal strain, the method of initiation of culture (e.g. spores, pellets, dispersed mycelium), the nature of the growth medium, and the hydrodynamic regime in the bioreactor.


In industrial applications pellet morphology is usually preferred in fermentations and in downstream processing due to the non viscous rheology of the broth (Atkingson and Daoud, 1976; Zhaou et al., 2000) . In such fermentations, the mass transfer of oxygen and nutrients is considerably better and the subsequent separation of the pellets from the medium is simpler (Reichl et al., 1991) . Since agitation and aeration is also much easier in such a system, the power input therefore the operating cost is lower.

In industrial applications pellet morphology is usually preferred in fermentations and in downstream processing due to the non viscous rheology of the broth.

In such fermentations, the mass transfer of oxygen and nutrients is considerably better and the subsequent separation of the pellets from the medium is simpler.


It is well known that solid particles suspended in a turbulent flow may exhibit a non-trivial spatial distribution as a consequence of their hydrodynamic interaction with coherent flow structures (Eaton & Fessler, 1994) . The resulting spatial structure of the dispersed phase, in turn, is key to understanding many technologically relevant aspects of these systems, such as particle collision statistics, dispersion/mixing behavior as well as the particles' impact upon the carrier phase. It is therefore not a surprise that much effort has been devoted in the past to the understanding of the mechanisms responsible for the formation of agglomerations of particles in turbulent flows. In the following review we will for the sake of brevity focus our attention on the idealized flow configuration of (approximately) homogeneous-isotropic turbulence.

It is well known that solid particles suspended in a turbulent flow may exhibit a non-trivial spatial distribution as a consequence of their hydrodynamic interaction with coherent flow structures.


The scarce knowledge and few investigations on the Saprolegnia species involved in saprolegniosis on embryonic stages could be the result from the difficulties in identifying species. The species S. australis, S. diclina, and S. delica are morphologically very similar (Beakes et al., 1994; Diéguez-Uribeondo et al., 1994; Hughes, 1994) . The identification of MOTUs for Saprolegnia now allows for an efficient identification of Saprolegnia species, especially of those with suspected diseases in the embryonic developmental stage (Liu et al., 2014; Rezinciuc et al., 2014) .

The species S. australis, S. diclina, and S. delica are morphologically very similar.

The identification of MOTUs for Saprolegnia now allows for an efficient identification of Saprolegnia species, especially of those with suspected diseases in the embryonic developmental stage.


In this paper, we present a technique to improve a detection algorithm on retinal images via a learning-based approach. The idea behind this technique is to finetune the parameter setup for a certain detector. Since the selection of the optimal parameter setup usually traverses a large search space, we decided to use a stochastic approach, simulated annealing for this task. To demonstrate the effectiveness of this technique, we present a novel macula detector and show that the proposed framework improves detection performance. The contribution in this particular area is justified by the fact that the detection of macula involves the lowest number of reported works in the field of DR screening research [16] . A comparative analysis reveals that our tuned algorithm outperforms other state-of-the-art algorithms in the field.

The contribution in this particular area is justified by the fact that the detection of macula involves the lowest number of reported works in the field of DR screening research.


The model used in the study separates and estimates the contribution of each experimental variable to the respondent's preference rating for each of the products (Wirth et al., 2007) . Within the model, the intercept term (b0 = 6.86) represents the mean preference rating combined for the average liner buyer. Parameter estimates for tested variables and other data reported by respondents that were expected to influence preferences for nursery liner stock were used to calculate the average ''respondent demographics'' value for study participants (b9 = -0.92) (Tables 3, 4, and 5).

The model used in the study separates and estimates the contribution of each experimental variable to the respondent's preference rating for each of the products.


ETTER KNOWLEDGE of the inner structures of human body is possible by using CT or NMR investigations. The non-invasive magnetic resonance scanning of the vocal tract volume of subjects for speech configuration or in phonation position of their resonant cavities for each vowel enables to develop the threedimensional (3D) computer models of the vocal tract. The primary volume models of the human acoustic supraglottal spaces created from the MR images can then be transformed into the 3D finite element (FE) models [1] . The FE models open new possibilities in simulating and understanding production of human voice and speech. The FE models of the human vocal tract enable to perform numerical simulations of voice production. The frequency modal characteristics of the up to now frequently used onedimensional (1D) models showed that the 1D models can closely replicate the behaviour of the 3D vocal tract only up to about 3 kHz. The developed FE models can be useful for studying the influence of vocal tract alterations on acoustic voice quality.

The primary volume models of the human acoustic supraglottal spaces created from the MR images can then be transformed into the 3D finite element (FE) models.


In our first noise reduction and comparison experiment, the testing person lies on one side during the MRI scan due to the used knee RF coil (see Fig.7 ). But this subject position could have an influence on the produced speechposterior movement of the tongue due to gravity. This effect will be eliminated by applying the right neck coil which is currently developed (this RF coil was absent in equipment of the tested MRI machine). In that case the object can lie in supine position, as is usual in other similar experiments. As follows from the obtained results of measured noise pressure level shown in Fig.6 , the maximum of I N was below 72 dB, therefore testing persons don't use ear phones. The used professional condenser microphones have no effect on the homogeneity of low-magnetic field B 0 of the MRI machine, which can be also mapped by special phantoms [17] . It is important, because the magnetic field homogeneity is a significant parameter of RF coils for NMR tomography [18] .

The used professional condenser microphones have no effect on the homogeneity of low-magnetic field B 0 of the MRI machine, which can be also mapped by special phantoms.

It is important, because the magnetic field homogeneity is a significant parameter of RF coils for NMR tomography.


If no fault occurs, the process is almost entirely the same, and it is shown in Fig. 5(b) . Like before, the RP of p1 causes the checkpointing to cascade to p2 and p3. However, in this case no error occurs and p1 successfully exits the RP. When this happens, we immediately notify the other processes by utilizing TCP's out-of-band (OOB) data [33] . OOB data are not part of the regular data stream, so we can signal p2 and p3 without corrupting the application data stream and without requiring data to be read by the processes. Instead, we can rely on the OS to notify the process when such a packet is received (e.g., by raising a signal or exception). TCP does not support multiple OOB signals on a particular stream (i.e., a second OOB would overwrite the first and would be the only one to raise a signal on the receiver). For this reason, we can only use it to signal successful exits from RPs. Our approach is an optimistic one, assuming that errors will be rare.

When this happens, we immediately notify the other processes by utilizing TCP's out-of-band (OOB) data.


To increase software availability, many mechanisms that aim to recover execution when unhandled errors occur have been proposed [16] . One of these mechanisms is software self-healing based on rescue points [30] . It operates based on the observation that applications already contain code for handling anticipated errors and proposes reusing this code to also handle unexpected errors. Rescue points (RPs) are essentially functions that contain error handling code, which can be exploited to recover from errors occurring within the RP, including the RP routine itself and all called routines. A checkpoint is taken upon entering a RP, and execution is rolled back to that checkpoint when an unhandled error occurs, while concurrently a valid error code is returned by the RP to the application (i.e., through the routine's return value), so that it can gracefully handle the failure.

To increase software availability, many mechanisms that aim to recover execution when unhandled errors occur have been proposed.

One of these mechanisms is software self-healing based on rescue points.


In the methanol extract there are a number of other nitrogen containing compounds: nucleobases (purine derivatives adenine, 9H-purin-6-amine and hypoxantine) and nucleosides (adenosine and uridine). Purine and pyrimidine nucleotides participate in many biochemical processes in plants. They are building blocks for nucleic acid synthesis, an energy source, and precursors for the synthesis of primary products, such as sucrose, polysaccharides, phospholipids, and secondary products. Nucleotides are synthesized both from amino acids and from other small molecules via de novo pathways, and from preformed nucleobases and nucleosides by salvage pathways. Nucleotide metabolism is involved in various areas of growth and organized development in plants, including embryo maturation and germination, in vitro organogenesis, storage organ development and sprouting, and leaf senescence (Stasolla et al. 2003) .

Nucleotide metabolism is involved in various areas of growth and organized development in plants, including embryo maturation and germination, in vitro organogenesis, storage organ development and sprouting, and leaf senescence.


The Lemnaceae (duckweeds) comprise a small, aquatic monocotyledon family of five genera (Landoltia, Lemna, Spirodela, Wolffia and Wolffiella) and 37 species. Duckweeds are particularly interesting evolutionarily because they are the world's smallest angiosperms (Les et al. 2002) . Lemnaceae are extremely reduced in morphology and present a developmental hybrid of leaf and stem origin (Bog 2010) . Individuals of Wolffia (the smallest genera), seldom not exceed 0.5-1.2 mm in length and 0.4-1.0 mm in width and bear little similarity to other flowering plants (Godziemba-Czyż 1970) . W. arrhiza shows an extremely reduced plant cormus: leaves and stems are replaced by a fusion of both, called a frond. It lacks a central root system and, therefore, absorbs nutrients from the water through the entire plant. Each frond of W. arrhiza contains one meristematic region which produces new fronds. W. arrhiza plants float individually or as two in a cluster at the surface of the water (Les et al. 2002) . In response to unfavorable environmental conditions, the resting forms (turions) are formed (Appenroth & Nickel 2010) .

Duckweeds are particularly interesting evolutionarily because they are the world's smallest angiosperms.

Lemnaceae are extremely reduced in morphology and present a developmental hybrid of leaf and stem origin.

Individuals of Wolffia (the smallest genera), seldom not exceed 0.5-1.2 mm in length and 0.4-1.0 mm in width and bear little similarity to other flowering plants.

W. arrhiza plants float individually or as two in a cluster at the surface of the water.

In response to unfavorable environmental conditions, the resting forms (turions) are formed.


The solutions could be improved in other ways. For example, the solutions presented in Sections 3.2 and 3.3 exhibit curvature singularities as τ → 0 and it is an interesting, though difficult, problem to understand the stringy modifications of those backgrounds. More modestly, it would be interesting to relax the assumption that the solutions retain the same isometry as the KS solution by, for example, not smearing the D3-branes over the S 3 15 . One can also consider similar perturbations to the baryonic branch solution [56, 57] .

One can also consider similar perturbations to the baryonic branch solution.


Crystals with different compositions were synthesized by direct combination of high purity 5N for Cu and In, 6N for Ga and Se in the desired proportions. The elements were placed in a quartz tube sealed under a vacuum of 5 × 10 −6 Torr. This tube was placed ina horizontal heater that reached a temperature exceeding the melting point of the compound. It was left in the heater for 72 hours at which point it was allowed to slowly cool down [7] .

It was left in the heater for 72 hours at which point it was allowed to slowly cool down.


The use of facial actions other than blinking can offer more functional solutions in combination with gaze pointing. Other facial muscles that can be used in HCI are, for example, corrugator supercilii (i.e., activated when frowning) or zygomaticus major (i.e., activated when smiling). In 2004, a real time HCI method was introduced where voluntary gaze direction was used for pointing and voluntarily produced facial muscle activations were used for object selection [3] .

In 2004, a real time HCI method was introduced where voluntary gaze direction was used for pointing and voluntarily produced facial muscle activations were used for object selection.


In professional football matches in South Africa, and many other countries, the home team provides the ball. The choice of ball is of course restricted, primarily by Fifa law 2, which dictates the size, (dry) weight, pressure and material. Hence the main changes in ball design have entered through the material and shape of the panels [10] . A further restriction comes through the sponsor, in that the team must use one of their balls. In the case of Bidvest Wits the balls are provided by Nike. During the meeting in Johannesburg three Nike balls were presented, the balls had a very similar appearance, however there was one significant difference in that two balls were rough (with dimpled panels) while one ball had smooth panels (see, for example, close-up pictures of the Nike T90 Tracer and Catalyst on Nike.com).

Hence the main changes in ball design have entered through the material and shape of the panels.


The procedure of isoperistaltic narrow gastric tube reconstruction was proposed by Akiyama in 1972 [5] . It is widely applied nowadays and contributes to 79-90% of all the oesophagectomy for cancer worldwide [2] . Several clinical studies are focussed on the application of narrow gastric tube reconstruction [5, 6] . Most authors favour it because of fewer postoperative complications and better surgical results. However, these studies are difficult to evaluate because the population sizes are small, and there is no comparison of different surgical procedures within the groups. Moreover, there were no studies in literature comparing quality of life (QoL) with regard to the methods of reconstruction.

The procedure of isoperistaltic narrow gastric tube reconstruction was proposed by Akiyama in 1972.

It is widely applied nowadays and contributes to 79-90% of all the oesophagectomy for cancer worldwide.

Several clinical studies are focussed on the application of narrow gastric tube reconstruction.


Unlike the marginal circlet of fultoportulae, which are present within most other members of the thalassiosiroid lineage, the fultoportulae are irregularly dispersed around the center of the valve face. A single rimoportula is located near the center of the valve. A wide hyaline flange is found marginally along the valve face of the generitype, Minidiscus trioculatus (Taylor) Hasle, however this character is not found within all species. Currently, the genus Minidiscus is comprised of seven species [32, [34] [35] [36] [37] . Due to their extremely small size, it is believed that the amount of diversity could be vastly underestimated [36] .

Currently, the genus Minidiscus is comprised of seven species.

Due to their extremely small size, it is believed that the amount of diversity could be vastly underestimated.


Ricardo is an 11-year-old male Hispanic in the seventh grade. He is a timid, aloof child who suffers from dyspraxia, an inability to perform coordinated movements (Miyahara & Baxter, 2011) . Although Ricardo made continuous efforts to be accepted by bullies, they continue to attack him both verbally and physically. Ricardo lives with his mother and two sisters, and he has regular contact with his father. He enjoys watching movies, playing video games, and playing sports with his friends.

He is a timid, aloof child who suffers from dyspraxia, an inability to perform coordinated movements.


In addition to having a history of peer victimization, the participants of this study typified characteristics of passive or provocative victims (Olweus, 1993) . Some were shy, aloof, and introverted (Ricardo, Iris, and Tammie); others had physical limitations such as obesity or a motor imbalance (Tammie, Aaron, and Iris). Hence, buUies did not perceive them as a threat and proceeded with the attacks.

In addition to having a history of peer victimization, the participants of this study typified characteristics of passive or provocative victims.


A thorough review of the participants' academic records was another useful method of data analysis. Each record contained the foUowing information: performance evaluations, attendance history, assessment reports, and copies of disciplinary actions. None of the files were removed from the school, and the researcher limited the analysis to the information pertinent to the study. Once all of the data were collected, the researcher used the process of "coding up" (Drake & Jonson-Reid, 2007) . The researcher read the transcripts from the interviews, reviewed the information from the observational protocols, and used the academic records to identify content units. Once these units were identified, the researcher was able to develop a coding scheme and use the NVivo software to determine categories and themes.

Once all of the data were collected, the researcher used the process of "coding up".


Electrical conductivity (EC) has been used to detect mastitis during last four decades (Linzell and Peaker, 1975; Hamann and Zecconi, 1998) . EC is determined by the concentration of anions and cations in milk. Concentration of sodium and chloride ions increases in milk from infected quarters which leads to increased electrical conductivity of milk (Kitchen, 1981) . As a results of the damage to the udder tissue, concentration of lactose and potassium decrease, and concentration of sodium and chloride increase. EC of milk can show substantial variation in the absence of mastitis due to factors such as lactation stage, age of the cow, milking interval and oestrus (Biggadike et al., 2000) . Also, factors such as milk temperature, pH and fat concentration in milk have influence on the measurement of EC. Electrical conductivity of milk has a positive correlation with somatic cell count.

Electrical conductivity (EC) has been used to detect mastitis during last four decades.

Concentration of sodium and chloride ions increases in milk from infected quarters which leads to increased electrical conductivity of milk.

EC of milk can show substantial variation in the absence of mastitis due to factors such as lactation stage, age of the cow, milking interval and oestrus.


Electrical conductivity/resistance of milk can give useful informations about udder health status, but hand-held EC meters, such as Draminski mastitis detector, cannot be used alone in diagnosis of subclinical mastitis. This conclusion correspond with findings of other autors (Hillerton and Walton, 1991) . Results of electrical conductivity of milk should be supplemented with bacteriological findings in milk or somatic cell count.

This conclusion correspond with findings of other autors.


In our study, mice fed with this diet for 15 weeks presented an increased body weight associated with histological signs of hepatic steatosis, high serum levels of total and LDLcholesterol and hyperinsulinemia. Only slight changes and inside the normal range levels were observed for transaminases, probably due to the limited period of exposure to this diet, as already reported in the other study [22] . Interestingly, the presence in CAF mice of an increase in insulin levels seems to reproduce the well-known phase of hyperinsulinemic normoglycemia observed in obese individuals before the development of diabetes mellitus 2 (DM2). In our caf fed mice, administration of 0.037 mmol/kg/day of Ole and 0.025 mmol/kg/day of Ac-Ole, determined the following: (a) reduction in the body weight increase due to minor accumulation of fat in the abdominal adipose tissue, with unchanged food intake gain; (b) significant decrease of macroscopic and microscopic steatosis; (c) lower levels of serum lipids, with normalization of the levels of LDLcholesterol; (d) correction of elevated glucose plasmatic levels without increase in insulin levels, associated with normal HOMA-IR.

Only slight changes and inside the normal range levels were observed for transaminases, probably due to the limited period of exposure to this diet, as already reported in the other study.