More recently, there are many instruments and kits that can be used to determine oil degradation. For example, viscosity meters and electronic-based physical tests such as Vibro Viscometer (A&D Company Limited, Japan) can be used to observe frying oil at all stages of its used and determine its viscosity [11] . Other than that, instruments such as Testo 270 (InstruMartlnc, Germany), and Ebro FOM 310 (ebroÒElectronic GmbH, Germany) were developed by electronic companies to measure the quality of frying oil by testing the total polar materials (TPM) based on changes in the dielectric constant of the oil. In addition, kits such as Fritest (E. Merck, Germany) and Oleh TestTM (Panreca, Spain) were developed to measure the quality of frying oil by testing the FFA and TPC, respectively based on the color reaction of the oil [9, 37] . However, there are some limitations with the current devices such as complex calibration requirement, suitability for different type of oil as well as distinct temperature dependencies [27] .

For example, viscosity meters and electronic-based physical tests such as Vibro Viscometer (A&D Company Limited, Japan) can be used to observe frying oil at all stages of its used and determine its viscosity.

In addition, kits such as Fritest (E. Merck, Germany) and Oleh TestTM (Panreca, Spain) were developed to measure the quality of frying oil by testing the FFA and TPC, respectively based on the color reaction of the oil.

However, there are some limitations with the current devices such as complex calibration requirement, suitability for different type of oil as well as distinct temperature dependencies.


Loading a shaft with a tensile force is equivalent to the creation of an additional support causing an increase of the static stiffness of the part. Therefore, the alignment and the fixing of semi-finished products can be realized in self-centring grips or in a spring sleeve. Such a new elastic-deformable state of the workpiece could be also helpful to overcome chatter vibrations in turning process (Altintas 2000) .

Such a new elastic-deformable state of the workpiece could be also helpful to overcome chatter vibrations in turning process.


The porous developments in all the samples very much owe to the kitchen-waste decomposing medium too, which is the ground here. The ground acts as the natural template for the porous arrangement generation in all the samples. BET surface area analysis reveals the porosity and pore volumes of all the samples. The pore volumes were found to be 0.10, 0.06, and 0.04 cm for the sample SKC2. It shows that the processed samples (SK2 and SKC2) exhibited lower surface area and pore volumes, but increased pore sizes as compared to the control sample (S2). As shown in N 2 -sorption isotherms in Fig. 2 , all the samples exhibited type IV isotherm curves which signifies the presence of mesopores in them [29] . This highlights their suitability for the electrocatalytic applications, as mesoporous size distributions (2-50 nm) are highly desirable for the faster diffusion of larger molecules into the internal porous surface of carbons. Hierarchical porous carbon structures with multimodal (meso-and micro-porous) pore size distributions are advantageous for the ORR in an FC, microporosity provides numerous accessible active sites, and mesoporosity facilitates efficient mass transport in the catalyst layers [30] . The presence of various heteroatoms in the porous arrangement of all the samples was further confirmed by EDS analysis. The spectra are shown in Fig. 3 , and the sample composition analysis is given in Table 2 . It has been established that all of them contain significant portions of various dopants, most importantly N and O, which have been considered to be vital for an improved catalytic performance of the electrocatalysts to speed up the kinetics of ORR in an FC [31] . A comparison of the amount of N content present in all the samples shows that SKC2 sample contains the maximum doping content, and the amount is significantly higher than the samples S2 and SK2. In addition, the doped N content varies slightly in the other two samples (S2 and SK2). It shows that the treatment of the organic manure with the poultry faeces has resulted in an increased N content in the sample SKC2. It is important to say here that the doped N content in all the samples is either comparable or higher than previously reported biomass-derived PCM-based electrocatalysts [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] . It again signifies the utilization of kitchen waste-based organic manure for the electrocatalytic applications in futuristic clean energy devices. However, a detailed study of the doped N content and the N-bonding configurations is required further which reveals the exact role of the heteroatoms content for an improved electrocatalytic performance and the operational stability of an electrocatalyst.

As shown in N 2 -sorption isotherms in Fig. 2 , all the samples exhibited type IV isotherm curves which signifies the presence of mesopores in them.

Hierarchical porous carbon structures with multimodal (meso-and micro-porous) pore size distributions are advantageous for the ORR in an FC, microporosity provides numerous accessible active sites, and mesoporosity facilitates efficient mass transport in the catalyst layers.

It has been established that all of them contain significant portions of various dopants, most importantly N and O, which have been considered to be vital for an improved catalytic performance of the electrocatalysts to speed up the kinetics of ORR in an FC.

It is important to say here that the doped N content in all the samples is either comparable or higher than previously reported biomass-derived PCM-based electrocatalysts.


A continual use of fossil fuel reserves is leading us towards an alarming situation, where we have to devise some alternative means of energy generation. Hence, there are persistent efforts to replace present-day fuel resources with more economic, environment-friendly, and advanced alternative fuels [1] . A rapid industrial growth and increasing world population are adding on to this pressure with each passing day. In this scenario, most viable and practical approach is to look back at technologies which were in use before the advent of using non-renewable sources. Biomass is in use for various means of energy generation since the beginning of mankind. The materials such as firewood, crop residues, manure, or charcoal used in a traditional way have been the main energy source for most of the human history and still play relevant roles. It is the biological matter which includes all living matter on the earth. Biomass-based materials are indeed advantageous for the three most important reasons: it is renewable source, hence an everlasting solution for the developments in the future as compared to conventional fossil fuels; it is an environment-friendly source of energy as it releases CO 2 and sulphur contents in fewer amounts; and it is more economic and financially viable as compared to the costlier fossil fuels [2] .

Hence, there are persistent efforts to replace present-day fuel resources with more economic, environment-friendly, and advanced alternative fuels.

Biomass-based materials are indeed advantageous for the three most important reasons: it is renewable source, hence an everlasting solution for the developments in the future as compared to conventional fossil fuels; it is an environment-friendly source of energy as it releases CO 2 and sulphur contents in fewer amounts; and it is more economic and financially viable as compared to the costlier fossil fuels.


Bulk composition analysis of the three samples was also performed to check the % of organic matter, N and the P contents in three samples. S2 contains organic matter 2.14%, N content 120.7 kg/ha, and P content 0.67 kg/ha. SK2 contains organic matter 0.42%, N content 246.20 kg/ha, and P content 1.61 kg/ha. SKC2 contains organic matter 1.46%, N content 324.60 kg/ha, and P content 1.79 kg/ha. It has been observed that the organic matter content is the maximum in the sample S2, preceding it are the samples SKC2 and SK2. The doped N content is the maximum for the sample SKC2 and minimum for the sample S2. These results are consistent with the EDS analysis. In addition, it has been observed that the doped P content is the maximum for the sample SKC2 and minimum for the sample S2. However, the values are very less as compared to the doped N content. Both these dopants are important to achieve a higher electrocatalytic performance of an electrocatalyst [41] .

Both these dopants are important to achieve a higher electrocatalytic performance of an electrocatalyst.


As a first step towards making the challenge of understanding soil respiration more tractable, a functional distinction is often made between two carbon sources: (1) CO 2 arising from roots and root-associated microbial organisms consuming recently fixed photosynthates (Brhizospheric respiration^) and (2) CO 2 arising from microbial mineralization of soil organic carbon (e.g., Bheterotrophic respiration^). This partitioning is useful because these two categories represent fundamentally different sources with very different implications for exchange of carbon between ecosystems and the atmosphere. However, in real soils there is no division between these categories. Due to factors such as root symbioses, exudation, and turnover, there is a continuum of relative dependence on recently fixed photosynthates in soil, with opportunistic switching between recent and older carbon sources (Högberg and Read 2006) .

Due to factors such as root symbioses, exudation, and turnover, there is a continuum of relative dependence on recently fixed photosynthates in soil, with opportunistic switching between recent and older carbon sources.


A potential mechanism that can increase the number concentration of INPs at warm temperatures is pre-activation, denoting the enhanced ice nucleation ability of an INP after its exposure to low temperature and/or its prior involvement in an ice nucleation event (Knopf and Koop, 2006; Pruppacher and Klett, 1997; Vali, 2008) . In the latter case, it is argued that small pockets of ice can survive in pores or cracks at the particle surface even in an ice-subsaturated environment after the sublimation of the ice cloud from the preceding nucleation event (Mossop, 1956) . These ice pockets represent sites where macroscopic ice crystals can easily grow Published by Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union.

A potential mechanism that can increase the number concentration of INPs at warm temperatures is pre-activation, denoting the enhanced ice nucleation ability of an INP after its exposure to low temperature and/or its prior involvement in an ice nucleation event.

In the latter case, it is argued that small pockets of ice can survive in pores or cracks at the particle surface even in an ice-subsaturated environment after the sublimation of the ice cloud from the preceding nucleation event.


Burning liquid fires have been studied extensively. It has long been known that the burning rate of pool fires is controlled by the heat transfer back to the surface. For pool fire sizes of interest to fire engineers, i.e., diameters greater than 0.2 m, the heat transfer is governed by the radiation back to the surface. For pool fires with diameters between 0.2 m and 1 m the flame is considered to be optically thin whereas pool fires greater than 1 m diameter the flame is optically thick [1] . The burning rate for pool fires greater than 0.2 m can be estimated using the following semi-theoretical expression [2] .

For pool fires with diameters between 0.2 m and 1 m the flame is considered to be optically thin whereas pool fires greater than 1 m diameter the flame is optically thick.

The burning rate for pool fires greater than 0.2 m can be estimated using the following semi-theoretical expression.


A pool fire geometry represents a worse case in terms of radiation enhanced mass loss rate. The entire fuel surface sees the hot upper layer and bounding surfaces. Thomas and Bennetts, have studied large pool fires in a deep narrow compartment with different opening geometries [3] . In their study, the entire floor of the compartment was covered with fuel pans. Results highlighted the importance of ventilation geometry on the burning rate of the pools.

Thomas and Bennetts, have studied large pool fires in a deep narrow compartment with different opening geometries.


A few studies on p-PAHs have been previously conducted in ambient atmosphere of Hong Kong. Vehicle exhaust is well known to be the most significant source for p-PAHs in Hong Kong (Zheng et al., 1997; Panther et al., 1999; Lee et al., 2001; Guo et al., 2003) . In addition, cooking fume can contribute to the p-PAHs emission due to characteristics of Chinese stirfrying cooking style (Chen et al., 2007; Huang et al., 2011) . In order to advance the understanding of p-PAHs emitted from vehicles, real-world vehicle emission factors for p-PAHs were determined (Ho et al., 2009) . The vehicle emission factors for the main p-PAHs including pyrene, fluoranthene, chrysene, phenanthrene, and naphthalene accounted for ~70% of total measured p-PAHs (Ho et al., 2009) .

Vehicle exhaust is well known to be the most significant source for p-PAHs in Hong Kong.

In addition, cooking fume can contribute to the p-PAHs emission due to characteristics of Chinese stirfrying cooking style.

In order to advance the understanding of p-PAHs emitted from vehicles, real-world vehicle emission factors for p-PAHs were determined.

The vehicle emission factors for the main p-PAHs including pyrene, fluoranthene, chrysene, phenanthrene, and naphthalene accounted for ~70% of total measured p-PAHs.


A less studied aspect is going beyond linearized approximations and taking backreactions to the gravity equations of motion. One typically needs this extension in order to study far-from-equilibrium dynamics of the plasma, such as early-time thermalization or black-hole formations [16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22] . It is also conceptually more appealing to have a full complete solution of the system, rather than working in an approximation. Another reason for including back-reactions is to study effects to the energy-momentum tensor from other symmetries/operators of the theory. For example, external gauge potential coupled to a global symmetry of a CFT can give rise to violation of conformal Ward identities. To rigorously compute such effects, one needs to consider back-reactions to the metric.

One typically needs this extension in order to study far-from-equilibrium dynamics of the plasma, such as early-time thermalization or black-hole formations.


As the white-box models are primarily targeted at calculating the voltage response due to the standard lightning impulse test voltage (1.2/50 µs), their accuracy for use in general transients studies remains to be clarified. It was already observed in a previous WG (JWG A2/C4.39) that the calculation programs by manufacturers give quite different results when applied to the same geometry [9] . One example of such comparison is given in Fig. 1 which shows the node-ground voltage at one internal point inside the transformer when a lightning impulse voltage is applied to an external terminal. It is clear that the simulation by the various contributors differ substantially regarding the frequency components and their damping. These deviations are particularly worrisome if the model is to be used in simulations involving resonant overvoltages as the natural frequencies must then be quite accurate to obtain reliable results.

It was already observed in a previous WG (JWG A2/C4.39) that the calculation programs by manufacturers give quite different results when applied to the same geometry.


Adaptive tree approaches offer a solution space that addresses both, seamless handovers and sustained receiver contact. In addition, they can take advantage of limited mobility-related changes in the shapes of multicast distribution trees that can be observed [13] . They need to tackle the problem of RPF-incongruity, though, whenever intermediate forwarding states do not fall onto a valid SPT. The Tree Morphing protocol complies well with these advantages and constraints, but suffers from two significant drawbacks. At first, it relies on an initial source routing of packets, which appears elegant from the perspective of protocol design, but faces severe deployment objections from the perspective of operators. Source routing is considered a general security threat and frequently defeated. At second, extensive simulation studies revealed not only an undesirable delay stretch in initial packet delivery, but a realistic likelihood that the router convergence process will cause packet loss for those packets, initially routed via the previous designated router. For these reasons, we will present an enhanced version of the protocol in the following section that operates without source routing, omits packet loss and attains expedited forwarding and protocol convergence.

In addition, they can take advantage of limited mobility-related changes in the shapes of multicast distribution trees that can be observed.


Both ligands (silibinin and glycyrrhetic acid) have shown strong binding energy with all three target proteins (-7.5 to -10.9 Kcal/mol).The said compounds followed the Lipinski's rule in Table 2 of five without any violation with respect to molecular weight (≤ 500KDa), an octanol-water partition coefficient (log P ≤ 5), molecular refractivity (40 -130), number of H-bond acceptors (≤ 10) and number of H-bond donors (≤ 5). Lipinski's rule of five analyzes various physiochemical properties [16] . These includes Log P anoctanol water partition coefficient which should be greater than or equal to 5, number of H-bonds donors and acceptor ≤5 and ≤10 respectively, molecular weight of greater than 500 and a molecular refractivity in the range of 40-130. The Lipinski's screening is an essential filter that determines if a compound is suitable for drug designing. Upon docking, both silibinin and glycyrrheticacid ( Figure 1 ) formed at least one hydrogen bonds with all three target proteins. Docking with cyclooxygenase-2 (6COX) hydrogen bonds formation were observed with Phe580 residue having bond length of 2.84Å (silibinin) and 3.09Å (glycyrrhetic acid) as shown in Figure 2 . Additionally, Asp347, Gln350, Gly354, Gln192, His351, Ser579, Phe580 were found to be common interacting residues in the target proteins for both ligands.

Lipinski's rule of five analyzes various physiochemical properties.


The power grid around the world is going through a substantial and drastic transformation through Smart Grid technology. Smart Grid is the most ingenious and imaginative technology of existent era. An existing power grid lacks reliability, remote monitoring and control, automation, sensing, disaster recovery, security, and efficiency [1] . Smart Grid technology is an integration of electrical and communication infrastructure with bidirectional flow of electricity and information. It ensures reliable power distribution through real time monitoring and control of generation, transmission, and distribution parameters. Sensing, communication, and automation are the core constituents of Smart Grid infrastructure [2] .

An existing power grid lacks reliability, remote monitoring and control, automation, sensing, disaster recovery, security, and efficiency.

Sensing, communication, and automation are the core constituents of Smart Grid infrastructure.


Communication protocols are designed using layered approach in which each layer is meant to perform a specific function in alliance with the rest of the layers. In layered approach, different layers function autonomously. A particular layer is concerned about a layer located above or below it only for the sake of some degree of responses and exchanges. A layered approach can be amended with cross layer approach [13] . Cross layer optimization explores synergy between different layers for the improvement of network performance. It is a joint optimization of different layers which explores dependence between layers. Figure 1 shows the conceptual diagram of cross layer design.

A layered approach can be amended with cross layer approach.


Internet has paved the way for Smart Grid design and deployment. Smart Grid includes hierarchical and heterogeneous layers as well as standards. Smart Grid comprises three main hierarchical layers such as Home Area Network (HAN), Neighbourhood Area Network (NAN), and Wide Area network (WAN). Home Area Network is meant for consumer premises. It comprises Wireless Sensor Network (WSN), home appliances, smart meters, renewable energy resources, Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs), and so on for its operation [3] .

It comprises Wireless Sensor Network (WSN), home appliances, smart meters, renewable energy resources, Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs), and so on for its operation.


Monopropellants enable a unique solution to the characteristic difficulties of a free piston engine, eliminating the problems of fuel/air mixing, compression and ignition, startup, and idling. Previous work on monopropellants includes several U.S. patents describing hydrogen peroxide power conversion systems [8, 9] . Researchers have recently explored the use of hydrogen peroxide to move pneumatic actuators [10] . The free piston hydraulic pump (FPHP) described in this work integrates a monopropellant based robotic power supply and a free piston pump, two concepts not previously realized in a single system.

Previous work on monopropellants includes several U.S. patents describing hydrogen peroxide power conversion systems.

Researchers have recently explored the use of hydrogen peroxide to move pneumatic actuators.


Current strategies used to control mosquito and its larvae are based on techniques that integrate the reduction of reproduction sources and as addition of pitfalls [6] [7] . Other strategies include the use of Bacillus thuringiensis H-14 (Bti) (biopesticide), as well as the chemical insecticides from classes of pyrethroids, carbamates, organophosphates, diflubenzuron and triflumuron [8] [9] . Furthermore, the use of vaccines against Dengue virus has not reached any effective protection [10] [11] . With this restriction, the need to develop methodologies for mosquito control, using computational strategies, which can suggest new chemical compounds for testing in vivo against A. aegypti, is crucial for the reduction of Dengue incidence in underdeveloped countries [12] .

Current strategies used to control mosquito and its larvae are based on techniques that integrate the reduction of reproduction sources and as addition of pitfalls.

Other strategies include the use of Bacillus thuringiensis H-14 (Bti) (biopesticide), as well as the chemical insecticides from classes of pyrethroids, carbamates, organophosphates, diflubenzuron and triflumuron.

Furthermore, the use of vaccines against Dengue virus has not reached any effective protection.

With this restriction, the need to develop methodologies for mosquito control, using computational strategies, which can suggest new chemical compounds for testing in vivo against A. aegypti, is crucial for the reduction of Dengue incidence in underdeveloped countries.


Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) refer to those genes with exceeding 200 nucleotides (nt) in length but without the capacity to encode proteins [5] . LncRNAs have been reported to be abnormally expressed in various cancers, and exerts an irreplaceable function in the carcinogenesis and progression of malignancies [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] . LncRNAs are associated with different pathological cellular processes, such as cell proliferation, apoptosis, invasion as well as migration. For example, lncRNA UCA1 facilitates cell growth and migration, yet refrains cell apoptosis in gastric cancer by up-regulating PDL1 through sponging miR-26a/b, miR-193a and miR-214 [12] . LncRNA SNHG1 regulates colorectal cancer epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process and impacts cell activity via binding with miR-497/miR-195-5p [13] . Hence, targeting lncRNA could hopefully be a theoretical treatment method in cancers.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) refer to those genes with exceeding 200 nucleotides (nt) in length but without the capacity to encode proteins.

LncRNAs have been reported to be abnormally expressed in various cancers, and exerts an irreplaceable function in the carcinogenesis and progression of malignancies.

For example, lncRNA UCA1 facilitates cell growth and migration, yet refrains cell apoptosis in gastric cancer by up-regulating PDL1 through sponging miR-26a/b, miR-193a and miR-214.

LncRNA SNHG1 regulates colorectal cancer epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process and impacts cell activity via binding with miR-497/miR-195-5p.


The objective of the article is to provide a tutorial demonstrating a broad range of online judge systems prepared based on an extensive review of literature conducted using the Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Scopus Indexes. Moreover, we reviewed in detail the vast majority of articles published in Olympiads in Informatics journal and queried the Internet to find such systems that are available even if they have not yet been published. For all queries, we used the following set of keywords: online judge, online judge systems, automated programs grading, and automated grading programming. The area of students' assignments assessment has been quite extensively explored in many well-known review papers where such systems are described in the light of potential applications, e.g., teaching use cases (Caiza and delÁlamo Ramiro 2013; Ihantola et al. 2010 Ihantola et al. , 2015 Romli et al. 2010; Staubitz et al. 2015; Wilcox 2016) . To ensure completeness of the possible applications of online judges in the proposed review, we selected systems that are the most comprehensive, from the applications-oriented perspective, as representatives in this category.

The area of students' assignments assessment has been quite extensively explored in many well-known review papers where such systems are described in the light of potential applications, e.g., teaching use cases.


Major or severe trauma is the primary cause of death in up to 10 % of all deaths worldwide. It is defined as having an Injury Severity Score (ISS) of 15 or greater [1] . Inadvertent injuries are the sixth leading cause of death and the fifth leading cause of severe disability internationally [1] . Hypothermia has been shown to exacerbate morbidity and mortality in severely injured trauma patients. Dr Benjamin Rush, the surgeon-general of military hospitals, first described this phenomenon during the American Revolutionary War. Within that time period, he eventually prohibited wet clothing for injured soldiers in order to avoid more serious complications [2] . Cold-related injuries were further described in World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War as causing significant morbidity and mortality and effectively altering the outcome of several strategic encounters [3] . The lessons learned from these conflicts led to a change in over 30 clinical practice guidelines in combat conflicts, including the Iraq War. This protocol incorporated damage control resuscitation with performance improvement initiatives and led to a decrease in the rate of hypothermia from 7 % to 1 % [4] .

It is defined as having an Injury Severity Score (ISS) of 15 or greater.

Inadvertent injuries are the sixth leading cause of death and the fifth leading cause of severe disability internationally.

Within that time period, he eventually prohibited wet clothing for injured soldiers in order to avoid more serious complications.

Cold-related injuries were further described in World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War as causing significant morbidity and mortality and effectively altering the outcome of several strategic encounters.

This protocol incorporated damage control resuscitation with performance improvement initiatives and led to a decrease in the rate of hypothermia from 7 % to 1 %.


Our deep collaborative filtering model is able to effectively assimilate many signals and model their interaction with layers of depth, outperforming previous matrix factorization approaches used at YouTube [23] . There is more art than science in selecting the surrogate problem for recommendations and we found classifying a future watch to perform well on live metrics by capturing asymmetric co-watch behavior and preventing leakage of future information. Withholding discrimative signals from the classifier was also essential to achieving good results -otherwise the model would overfit the surrogate problem and not transfer well to the homepage.

Our deep collaborative filtering model is able to effectively assimilate many signals and model their interaction with layers of depth, outperforming previous matrix factorization approaches used at YouTube.


Methodologically, our analysis approached the ideals of naturalistic, explanatory multiple case studies (Willig, 2008) . Initially, the five cases were analysed serially. The analysis of the first case yielded several descriptions of mediator interventions and interactional patterns; these emerging concepts were then revised by comparison to the second case, and so forth. In this fashion, all emerging concepts were refined by a continuous exploration of tentative hypotheses in light of subsequent cases. The final stage of analysis consisted of a validating commentary and expansion on the serial analysis by the mediator.

Methodologically, our analysis approached the ideals of naturalistic, explanatory multiple case studies.


As the FORM project protocol did not include standardized working alliance measures, we applied the working alliance concept as a 'sensitizing concept' (Blumer, 1954) . A sensitizing concept serves as an interpretative framework guiding the analytic process, while at the same time forwarding an exploration and expansion of the concept itself (Blumer, 1954) . The use of sensitizing concepts allow an explorative, qualitative analysis that is particularly suited for the study of complex social phenomena where we expect great variation in the material available for analysis.

As the FORM project protocol did not include standardized working alliance measures, we applied the working alliance concept as a 'sensitizing concept'.

A sensitizing concept serves as an interpretative framework guiding the analytic process, while at the same time forwarding an exploration and expansion of the concept itself.


In this paper we present a novel approach to the study of animal models which presents a number of advantages regarding these issues. For concreteness we discuss the case of usual Peierls contours; a more general treatment will be presented in Fernández, Ferrari and Garcia [14] . Here is an overview of the main features of our approach.

For concreteness we discuss the case of usual Peierls contours; a more general treatment will be presented in Fernández, Ferrari and Garcia.


There are numerous studies about the health effects of ground level ozone where in a comprehend study about 95 cities of United states, results showed that the all cities suffer from high level ozone volume and one-third decrease of ozone in these cities prevent 4000 yearly deaths in the country [9] . Another similar research about European countries depicted that 22000 individuals lose their life because of direct ozone poisoning [10] . These statistics illustrate emergency of studies about ozone and pragmatic suppositions presentations. Hence, in this paper the ground level of volume of ozone in Tehran, Iran, predicted and modelled with soft computing methods with self-education ability. These statistics illustrate emergency of studies about ozone and pragmatic suppositions presentations. Hence, in this paper the ground level of volume of ozone in Tehran, Iran, predicted and modelled with soft computing methods with self-educable ability.

There are numerous studies about the health effects of ground level ozone where in a comprehend study about 95 cities of United states, results showed that the all cities suffer from high level ozone volume and one-third decrease of ozone in these cities prevent 4000 yearly deaths in the country.

Another similar research about European countries depicted that 22000 individuals lose their life because of direct ozone poisoning.


Leaf area, like the above characters, was variable depending on the genotype (Table 1 ). In fact, recent studies have detected common QTL for leaf area at flowering (LAF-P-12-1, LAF-W-12-1) in linkage group 12. Genomic regions on the linkage groups 9 and 12 are specific for QTLs of leaf-related traits in sunflower (Haddadi et al., 2011) .

Genomic regions on the linkage groups 9 and 12 are specific for QTLs of leaf-related traits in sunflower.


Broomrape presents serious problems to sunflower production in Romania, as well. It is constantly expanding its distribution area, forming new more virulent races (Pâcureanu et al., 2008) . Although some authors suggest possibilities for chemical control of broomrape, most studies indicate that genetic resistance is the most important method for controlling the parasite. When cultivated sunflower (H. annuus) was crossed as a female parent with both wild species, the F 1 hybrids obtained in this study were fertile and had a combination of morphological traits from both parents.

It is constantly expanding its distribution area, forming new more virulent races.


Modular multiplication is widely employed in public-key cryptography, especially where modular exponentiation is essential. For instance, the most commonly used asymmetric cryptographic algorithm is the RSA [1] . The RSA security depends on the difficulty of factoring large numbers. Here, large numbers mean prime numbers of up to 4096 bits, used as cryptographic keys.

For instance, the most commonly used asymmetric cryptographic algorithm is the RSA.


The Ethiopian government has considerable investments in conserving the environment, with its main objective being the improvement of livelihood opportunities through improved environmental conditions that ensure sustainable and increased agricultural production. During the 1980s, the country started SWC campaigns, encouraging the implementation of SWC practices in drought prone and extremely land degraded parts of Ethiopia (Mekuriaw and Hurni 2015) . However, as farmers were forced to implement a conservation structure designed by experts, the program was not effective (Haregeweyn et al. 2015; Mekuriaw et al. 2018; Mekuriaw and Hurni 2015; Wolka 2014) . Since the Ethiopian People Republic Democratic Front (EPRDF) came to power in 1991, SWC has been a part of the agriculture extension package.

During the 1980s, the country started SWC campaigns, encouraging the implementation of SWC practices in drought prone and extremely land degraded parts of Ethiopia.

However, as farmers were forced to implement a conservation structure designed by experts, the program was not effective.


In order to make the best possible use of it teachers should distinguish between the two types of educational software, LMS (Learning Management System) and VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) (Lewis, 2008) . While LMS includes the types of software used to deliver, track and manage training, VLE embraces software systems developed to assist teachers and learners in educational settings. Educational software may be either providing a series of lessons revealed to the learner periodically (LMS) or unveiling the whole course all at once leaving the learner free to select (VLE). As Lewis notes, it is of importance to differentiate static types of software that present ready-made exercises with an accompanying key from dynamic programs that suggest options and possibilities through which learners can choose in their learning experience. The former is referred to as only an 'object' but the latter as a 'tool' (Lewis, 2008) . Providing learners with mere objects will hinder their interest and creativity whereas tools involve and attract learners guiding them to develop their own materials.

In order to make the best possible use of it teachers should distinguish between the two types of educational software, LMS (Learning Management System) and VLE (Virtual Learning Environment).

The former is referred to as only an 'object' but the latter as a 'tool'.


With regard to the first research question; that is, the extent to which the courseware follows the principles of English Language Teaching, it was found that some crucial ELT techniques were neglected in its development. As the results showed, the courseware did not adhere to the principles of materials development (Tomlinson, 1998) . Its content structure and delivery indicated that the teaching courseware stood isolated from Approach (body of theory that supports a method) and Procedure (the way the learner, teacher and material play roles in the classroom). As the results showed, time-tested methods could not be incorporated into the lessons where the teaching courseware was used. According to the principles of methods like the Total Physical Response (TPR), Audio-Lingual Method (ALM) or Communicative Approach to Language Teaching (CALT) the teacher, learner and materials should work in harmony to create and re-create language. The teacher using the courseware, however, would often be a manipulator of hardware and the lesson would be more teacher-centered as opposed to learner-centered.

As the results showed, the courseware did not adhere to the principles of materials development.


As warned by the researchers in the area of ELT material development and evaluation, the application of unsophisticated multimedia developed for language instruction usually does nothing more than providing learners with similar content from conventional materials (Mukundan, 2008) . A considerable part of the teaching courseware included still-screen multimedia with simple animation. This would suggest that the courseware fell under the category of educational software programs that are static and merely provide learners with activities that could be presented using textbooks anyway.

As warned by the researchers in the area of ELT material development and evaluation, the application of unsophisticated multimedia developed for language instruction usually does nothing more than providing learners with similar content from conventional materials.


Iran has a population of around 71 million, out of which, about 22 million (around 32%) live in rural areas (35191 villages). Iran's rural sector is having hard times struggling with prolonged drought, low commodity prices, high inflation, foreign imports, unstable agricultural policies and economy, growing gap of living standard between urban cities and rural areas, and lack of basic information and easy access to public services that could assist villagers to improve their livelihoods. To deal with the afore-mentioned problems, particularly the two last, ICT applications were considered by national and local officials, and the idea of rural telecentres was developed (Paryab and Zamani-Miyandashti, 2010) . In Iran, during the last years, rural telecentres development was one of the main government's major programs. An example is the fourth national development plan containing a legal duty for the ministry of communication and information technology for commissioning 10000 rural ICT centers and, especially, the strategic document of national ICT development. Currently, more than 7.51% of Hamadan population is living in village, in the other hand, because of the villagers' immigration to cities; ICT development has an especial role in reducing this process. This development can exit the villages from isolation and, by removing the traditional borders between cities and villages affect the rural development, in addition to balance the city and village as well as integrating them. Thus, this study was aimed to identify and evaluate factors affecting the villagers' use of rural telecentres.

To deal with the afore-mentioned problems, particularly the two last, ICT applications were considered by national and local officials, and the idea of rural telecentres was developed.


Data were collected through the online course platform, WebCT. WebCT allows the researcher to have complete control over who accesses which surveys, in a certain order, at specific, time-limited hours and dates. An online consent form was provided that assured confidentiality of responses. The anonymity reduced bias in the survey results. Use of electronic surveys is appropriate with this sampling frame and does not create a threat to sampling validity, a key issue with electronic surveys (Sheehan and Hoy, 1999; Coomber, 1997) .

Use of electronic surveys is appropriate with this sampling frame and does not create a threat to sampling validity, a key issue with electronic surveys.


Individualized consideration is dependent on altruism to differentiate leadership from authoritarian control (Kanungo and Mendonca, 1996) . Inauthentic leaders concentrate on the maintenance of follower dependence, while authentic leaders act as mentors and coaches to develop their followers into leaders. Inauthentic leaders encourage personal distance, invite blind obedience, encourage favoritism and competition, and exploit feelings of followers to maintain deference (Sankowsky, 1995) . While both authentic and inauthentic leaders may have a need for power, the authentic leader will convert this need into attainable goals for the good of the organization and the follower. The inauthentic leader works only to increase that power while looking condescendingly on his/her followers and pretending to be helpful.

Individualized consideration is dependent on altruism to differentiate leadership from authoritarian control.

Inauthentic leaders encourage personal distance, invite blind obedience, encourage favoritism and competition, and exploit feelings of followers to maintain deference.


Inauthentic leaders want to seem to motivate through empowerment, though actually seek to control (Conger and Kanungo, 1998) . Empowerment should be uplifting and focussed on the good of the follower; inauthentic leaders focus on conspiracy, illusory risk, excuses, and anxieties (Bass and Steidlmeier, 1999) . They are pre-disposed to self-serving biases and are known to be deceptive, domineering, and egotistical with an inflated and positive public image, an image they may indeed be idolized for, though they are privately serving only their own interests. While their motivation seems inspirational, it is, in fact, false without concern for the organization or followers. Their motivation is to enhance their image while serving their own needs. To unknowing followers, deceptive leaders will motivate them to do what they think is best for the organization, when the leader is truthfully the only one who benefits.

Inauthentic leaders want to seem to motivate through empowerment, though actually seek to control.

Empowerment should be uplifting and focussed on the good of the follower; inauthentic leaders focus on conspiracy, illusory risk, excuses, and anxieties.


Inauthentic leaders are deceptive and manipulative. They display many of the qualities of an ethical leader, though actually seek power and position at the expense of their followers. They appear authentic, though are false to the organization's mission, their hidden purposes self-aggrandizing. Whereas authentic leaders have vision with a sense of responsibility to the organization and followers to the point of self-sacrifice (in an altruistic sense), inauthentic leaders have vision but cannot be trusted and are willing to sacrifice followers for their own purposes. In using their charisma, or idealized influence, these leaders seek to be idolized rather than idealized (Bass and Steidlmeier, 1999) .

In using their charisma, or idealized influence, these leaders seek to be idolized rather than idealized.


Authentic leaders intellectually stimulate their followers in a dynamic interaction that encourages questions, debate, and the attempt to formulate creative solutions to problems. Inauthentic leaders prey on the unawareness of their followers so their followers will more willingly accept a vague picture of the leader concerning their morality and true intentions. This acceptance, gained through the promotion of ambiguity and inconsistency, provides opportunities for the self-enhancement of pretenders (Bass and Steidlmeier, 1999) . Authentic leaders use hard evidence and base discussion on the merits of the issues, whereas inauthentic leaders use false logic and depend on authority to make their arguments. Instead of rational debate, inauthentic leaders depend on emotional argumentation. The inauthentic leader uses a veneer to hide his/her true intentions. What looks like intellectual stimulation is nothing more than the leader sounding intelligent to confuse followers into doing what the leader wants.

This acceptance, gained through the promotion of ambiguity and inconsistency, provides opportunities for the self-enhancement of pretenders.


Perceptions of effective leadership can be based on two alternative processes (Lord and Maher, 1991) . First, an inference-based perceptual process can be used to garner conclusions about leadership from observed, relevant events, and outcomes; leadership is inferred from outcomes of salient events. These processes rely upon attribution, such as a successful business turnaround being attributed to the top management team or CEO (Hartog et al., 1999) . Second, recognition-based perceptual processes rely on the degree of fit between observed leader behavior and a person's implicit theory of what a leader is or should be. When there is a fit between observed behavior and one's personal theory of leadership, the individual exhibiting the behavior is recognized as a good leader.

Perceptions of effective leadership can be based on two alternative processes.

These processes rely upon attribution, such as a successful business turnaround being attributed to the top management team or CEO.


Traditionally agriculture has been treated differently than other industries within the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) rules. In the early rounds of GATT, agriculture received special treatment because the political reality in many industrialized countries required that support be provided to agriculture (Marks and Maskus, 1993) . This support took the form of quantitative trade restrictions, subsidized exports, direct payments, and other production subsidies.

In the early rounds of GATT, agriculture received special treatment because the political reality in many industrialized countries required that support be provided to agriculture.


Another application for the crushable foams is in oil well casing. Heat is generated due to the normal drilling and production applications. As temperature rises, the trapped fluids tend to expand and potentially can create a very high pressure. The most effective mitigation solution for this pressure build-up is the application of crushable foam wrap. This will allow the fluid trapped within the casing annulus to expand. The crushable foam wrap is predetermined to collapse before any potential dangerous pressure may exist [7] .

The crushable foam wrap is predetermined to collapse before any potential dangerous pressure may exist.


In automotive safety, the crushable foams are used in the new Steel And Foam Energy Reducing (SAFER) barriers. In many NASCAR racetracks, simple crushable polystyrene insulation foam blocks are placed between the outer steel tube, and the inner concrete wall. This SAFER barrier is very low in cost and weight and easy to fabricate [5, 6] .

This SAFER barrier is very low in cost and weight and easy to fabricate.


The EEG frequency variations are grouped into four categories: alpha, beta, theta and delta [3] . More recently, some authors have suggested that frequencies between 25 -45 Hz, which they termed gamma rhythm, accounted electrical correlates of cognitive activities execution. Thus, the record of a rhythm in a determined cortical area while performing a mental activity suggests that cortical area would be responsible for the processing of mental activity.

The EEG frequency variations are grouped into four categories: alpha, beta, theta and delta.


In animal studies, using the EEG with small electrodes, it was observed the existence of the gamma rhytmh in auditory memory, visual, olfactory, and motor somesthetic in several of species animals [9] . Similarly, our study has shown high activity in the gamma rhythm during the somesthetic and olfactory stimuli, as well as for gustatory stimuli. On the other hand, a significant percentage of gamma rhythm was not observed during the auditory and visual stimuli, in the latter was only observed a significant percentage of gamma rhythm during the recall period. This result is interesting, since in another study in which various cognitive tasks during the EEG record were applied was observed a much less intense gamma rhythm increase during the hearing task using music, compared to other cognitive tasks performed in the study [10] .

In animal studies, using the EEG with small electrodes, it was observed the existence of the gamma rhytmh in auditory memory, visual, olfactory, and motor somesthetic in several of species animals.

This result is interesting, since in another study in which various cognitive tasks during the EEG record were applied was observed a much less intense gamma rhythm increase during the hearing task using music, compared to other cognitive tasks performed in the study.


Volumetric stability is an important engineering property of any cementitious material, as it can significantly affect the long-term durability and serviceability of concrete structures [1] . At early ages, when volume reduction (i.e., shrinkage) occurs under restrained conditions, concrete structures frequently experience premature cracking. The drying shrinkage and autogenous shrinkage correspond to the reduction of volume due to external and internal moisture loss, respectively. Autogenous shrinkage is associated with loss of internal water through hydration (self-desiccation), while drying shrinkage is associated with loss of water through evaporation [2] [3] [4] . Since the physical origin of these two types of shrinkage is similar, the principle focus of shrinkage research is correlation between shrinkage deformation and shrinkage driving forces. The shrinkage driving force is triggered by the dryinginduced changes of water content and status (e.g., water in capillary tension or in adsorbed films) at various length scales. As such, before either drying or autogenous shrinkage can be predicted accurately, the underlying shrinkage driving force needs to be better understood. Despite the extensive investigation by previous researchers, the shrinkage mechanism or driving force behind shrinkage has not been well explained [5] . The focus of the first part of this paper is a thorough review of the theoretical basis of various shrinkage mechanisms to provide relevant evidence and justifications for their applicability to cementitious materials. The second part focuses on comparison of shrinkage mechanisms in ordinary Portland cement and alkali-activated slag binders.

Volumetric stability is an important engineering property of any cementitious material, as it can significantly affect the long-term durability and serviceability of concrete structures.

Autogenous shrinkage is associated with loss of internal water through hydration (self-desiccation), while drying shrinkage is associated with loss of water through evaporation.

Despite the extensive investigation by previous researchers, the shrinkage mechanism or driving force behind shrinkage has not been well explained.


The aforementioned alkaline activated slag (AAS) is an emerging binder prepared by combining blast-furnace slag, a byproduct of steel production, and an alkaline solution (e.g., sodium hydroxide and/or sodium silicate). Alkali-activated slag has become a promising alternative to conventional OPC. It is because AAS can not only have superior performance and durability over OPC but also have the potential to have a lower environmental impact, since it reuses industrial byproducts and as such reduces waste material deposition and does not require additional energy for material production [18] . However, this new binder suffers from several problems as a building material, including large volumetric instability and microcracking [6, 12, 19, 20] . The scientific reasoning behind the considerable shrinkage of AAS has not been exclusively reported. Another goal of this research is to explore the potential reasons that are responsible for the unique shrinkage performance of AAS. Finally, this review also attempts to highlight some drawbacks in the present shrinkage models and to provide some recommendations for further shrinkage research.

It is because AAS can not only have superior performance and durability over OPC but also have the potential to have a lower environmental impact, since it reuses industrial byproducts and as such reduces waste material deposition and does not require additional energy for material production.

However, this new binder suffers from several problems as a building material, including large volumetric instability and microcracking.


With these superior properties, SHFRCC has been applied to various structures to date (Kunieda and Rokugo [8] ). Examples include coupling beams of a reinforced concrete building for earthquake resistance and surface repair of a bridge and a retaining wall made of reinforced concrete against alkali silica reaction or carbonation. The former example utilizes the ductility of SHFRCC, while the latter utilizes the multiple fine cracks.

With these superior properties, SHFRCC has been applied to various structures to date (Kunieda and Rokugo).


The Croatian system of business cycle research mostly relies on the Business and Consumer Surveys (BCS). BCS represents qualitative assessments of † This work has been fully supported by Croatian Science Foundation under the project 3858 "The role of economic sentiment in explaining macroeconomic trends: methodological improvements and new areas of application" managers' and consumers' judgments about the past, present and future tendencies of the key variables from their economic surroundings. Since 1961, the BCS have been fully synchronized on the EU level through The Joint Harmonized EU Programme of Business and Consumer Surveys. This document regulates and unifies the methodology of conducting BCS, which enables direct comparability of their results between various EU Member States [5] . The surveys are carried out on a regular monthly basis in different economic sectors of each country: the industrial sector, retail trade, construction, services and the consumer sector.

This document regulates and unifies the methodology of conducting BCS, which enables direct comparability of their results between various EU Member States.


Reports are available on the use of several plant byproducts, which possesses antimicrobial properties on several pathogenic bacteria and fungi [10] . Therefore, researchers are increasingly turning their attention to herbal medicines looking for new leads to develop better drugs against microbial infections. All these facts shows that plant based antimicrobial agents possess vast untapped sources for drugs and have enormous therapeutic potential [11] .

Reports are available on the use of several plant byproducts, which possesses antimicrobial properties on several pathogenic bacteria and fungi.

All these facts shows that plant based antimicrobial agents possess vast untapped sources for drugs and have enormous therapeutic potential.


In this work, we examine eigen-emittances produced at the cathode when the minimum number of linear correlations required to produce two small eigen-emittances are present in the electron bunch. By first studying the eigen-emittances we aim to then tailor the beam's emittance values using this information. Previous work has studied one specific case of correlations and examined the resulting eigen-emittances [13] . We use an alternative approach, in which we search for combinations of correlations that lead to our desired eigen-emittance splitting. We aim to find the theoretically possible combinations so that we are forearmed with knowledge of which correlations are worth pursuing to obtain a transversely bright electron beam. Future work can then focus on finding ways to realize the required correlations in physical systems.

Previous work has studied one specific case of correlations and examined the resulting eigen-emittances.


These findings revealed that the social context of learning had a powerful influence on what students learn, as both teachers and students negotiated their autonomy on an ongoing basis. It has been argued that literacy learning in a social context is affected by different factors, apart from teachers passing on technical skills about reading and writing to learners (Street, 1995) . Other researchers (e.g. Heath, Street) refer to viewing the classroom in the social context of literacy learning as a community (Smith, 2010) . As EFL/ESL learning involves learning new skills about language, as in literacy learning, the present study argues that vocabulary learning should not focus only on one particular element, such as VLSs used by learners or teaching techniques employed by teachers.

It has been argued that literacy learning in a social context is affected by different factors, apart from teachers passing on technical skills about reading and writing to learners.

Other researchers (e.g. Heath, Street) refer to viewing the classroom in the social context of literacy learning as a community.


It is also apparent that the majority of the empirical vocabulary research seems to conceptualise vocabulary learning as a set of teaching techniques and VLSs. Most of the existing studies examine the effectiveness of particular teaching techniques or VLSs and provide implications based on the outcome of these studies. Nevertheless, vocabulary learning in the classroom, as the thesis argues, is a social practice involving a set of aspects, which interact in complex ways and influence the learning. In addition to the important role of teaching techniques, VLSs and the prescribed textbooks, the beliefs, attitudes and motivations that learners hold towards what they learn and how they learn also play a key role in learning. Although the classroom appears to be one social unit, the culture of the classroom includes different views of language, preferences for learning and learning purposes (Breen, 1985) .

Although the classroom appears to be one social unit, the culture of the classroom includes different views of language, preferences for learning and learning purposes.


The analysis of the textbooks found that the cultural values presented in the textbooks were often substantially different from the students' own. This supports several researchers, who argue that textbooks present cultural values which can often be alien to the students (Modiano, 2005; Taki, 2008) . As both teachers and students made references to the cultural values that the textbooks introduced, the role of cultural values in the practice of vocabulary learning needs to be examined when considering a good environment for learning. Certain aspects, such as students' own cultural beliefs, values and understanding, play a key role in vocabulary learning as a social practice. Aspects from outside the class, such as students' beliefs, are beyond the practices occurring in the classroom, but nevertheless important and with a direct impact on learning.

This supports several researchers, who argue that textbooks present cultural values which can often be alien to the students.


Although a large number of studies have been carried out in the field of vocabulary research, most of these studies were experimental by focusing on the effectiveness of using certain techniques and strategies in teaching and learning vocabulary. Therefore, examining vocabulary teaching techniques by observing them in use is needed and 'a surprisingly under-researched area' (Nation & Webb, 2011: 15) . Also, existing studies on VLSs relied heavily on the frequency of using these strategies (Schmitt, 2010) . Learners may recognise the usefulness of a strategy that they do not usually use and might be willing to try new strategies if they are trained to use them (Schmitt, 1997) . So, it is crucial to explore other aspects, such as the VLSs identified by students as the most useful and the strategies students felt competent in using.

Also, existing studies on VLSs relied heavily on the frequency of using these strategies.

Learners may recognise the usefulness of a strategy that they do not usually use and might be willing to try new strategies if they are trained to use them.


All of the teachers involved in this study perceived reading as a useful strategy in learning vocabulary and the majority of the students shared this view. They saw reading as an important source of new words; it helps to use the new words in a context and has advantages for vocabulary retention. However, they did not always agree that the prescribed textbooks were suitable in terms of content, type of reading activities or appropriateness for students' cultural values and level of competence. Reading of texts in English is also a useful strategy for EFL learners in particular, since their contact with native speakers can be limited and 'the use of reading and other input sources may be the only practical options for out of class language development for some learners' (Nation, 2001) . Another perceived benefit by the participants was that texts give them a context for using the new word, which helps the students know how to use this word correctly and remember it. Seeing the word in written format also helps with learning the spelling of the new word. Learning the correct spelling in particular might be difficult when learning vocabulary through other strategies, like listening. Reading was also seen by the participants as useful in improving pronunciation, especially when performed aloud. However, teachers did not read out the reading passages and did not use any CDs.

Reading of texts in English is also a useful strategy for EFL learners in particular, since their contact with native speakers can be limited and 'the use of reading and other input sources may be the only practical options for out of class language development for some learners'.


As predicted, participants who had recently been socially accepted reported more interest in mating than did either control participants or individuals who had been socially rejected. This is consistent with the proposal that changes in inclusion status lead to a reprioritization of basic motives related to survival and reproduction. As evidenced by the results of Study 1, social acceptance increased interest in mating. When the basic need to affiliate with others and form social relationships was satisfied-thus ensuring access to group resources-individuals appeared to increase their interest in mating. Mating is a fundamental human motive, but one that is best pursued when more basic survival needs are met (Kenrick et al., 2002) . Given the importance of social relationships to survival in the history of human evolution, forming social relationships is an indirect method of ensuring survival for both oneself and one's offspring (Brewer, 2004) .

Mating is a fundamental human motive, but one that is best pursued when more basic survival needs are met.

Given the importance of social relationships to survival in the history of human evolution, forming social relationships is an indirect method of ensuring survival for both oneself and one's offspring.


Inclusion status was manipulated by having participants play a game of Cyberball (Zadro, Williams, and Richardson, 2004) . Some participants were either included or excluded from the game of Cyberball, while a control group of participants did not play the game but completed all other portions of the experiment. Following this manipulation, participants were shown faces of the opposite sex (varying in attractiveness) and were asked questions regarding their romantic interest in them. Notably, research on social rejection has often used social acceptance as the sole comparison group, but we believe that such comparisons are inappropriate if social acceptance produces unique consequences. For these reasons, in both studies we included a control group of participants who had not recently been accepted or rejected to determine if recent experiences of social acceptance increase mating interest relative to individuals experiencing no change in inclusion status as well as individuals recently experiencing social rejection.

Inclusion status was manipulated by having participants play a game of Cyberball.


For GT only situation, for a decrease of ambient inlet air temperature by 10°F, plant net output has been found to increase by 4.6% for all fuels. Also, for a decrease of ambient inlet air temperature by 10°F, plant net efficiency has been found to increase by 1.8% for all fuels. The increment may grow further for bigger GT frames. This observation is in good agreement with the findings of other research studies [7] . While, for GT with fogger situation, for a decrease of ambient inlet air temperature by 10°F, plant net output has been found to further increase by 3.2% for all fuels as compared to GT only situation. Also, for a decrease of ambient inlet air temperature by 10°F, plant net efficiency has been found to further increase by 1.2% for all fuels as compared to GT only situation. For GT only case, 70 MW e frame the mass flow rate of air varies from 350 to 330 lb/s.

This observation is in good agreement with the findings of other research studies.


Fogging systems spray atomized water into the GT inlet air. Evaporative cooling system consists of moistened media through which the GT inlet airflow passes, to cool down by evaporation. Chiller system is similar to air-condition chiller used to cool large buildings. In this system, chilled water is circulated through a finned-tube coil placed in the GT inlet air path. This cools down the inlet air, possibly condensing some of its moisture, which is drained away [9] . Present study focuses on inlet fogging due to its merits in hot climatic conditions (has been qualitative argued in the results and discussion section).

This cools down the inlet air, possibly condensing some of its moisture, which is drained away.


Gas turbines are constant volume machines. At a given shaft speed they always move the same volume of air, but their power output depends on the mass flow through the turbine. During hot days, when the air is less dense, power output drops. By cooling the air, mass flow is increased, thus increasing the power output. Also, about 30-40% of the power produced by the turbine is needed to drive the compressor. If the air is cold, the power required by the compressor is less, leaving more power available for the turbine output shaft. Fogging technique is widely used to reduce the inlet air temperature of compressor. Fogging system sprays atomized water into the GT inlet air. The fog is generated by forcing water at high pressures (100~200 bar) through minute holes in arrays of nozzles, arranged across the GT inlet ducting. As per recommendation in the literature, underspray fogging has been used in the present study [10] . Unclean and saline water will clog the nozzles. Clogging can be avoided by regular maintenance and using desalinated water for fogging. Reverse osmosis unit is used to provide desalinated water to the fogging unit. System configuration simulated in the present study is shown in fig. 1 . Fogging unit injects atomized water at the entrance of the inlet duct before the filters as depicted in fig. 1 . Typical gas turbine performance curves are shown in fig. 2 . It can be seen that as ambient temperature decreases power output and air flow increase. Whereas, heat rate and exhaust gas temperature increase with increase in ambient temperature.

As per recommendation in the literature, underspray fogging has been used in the present study.


The present work involves assessment of performance of gas turbine power plants with and without inlet fogging. The study has been carried out for a given location, Riyadh (for 20 MW e GE 5271RA, 40 MW e GE-6561B, and 70 MW e GE-6110A frames and fogger units with required mass flow rate) using GT PRO software based on available data/information. Reverse osmosis unit of capacity 4 kg/s supplies required water to the fogger unit. GT PRO is a popular software for designing gas turbine power plants. GT PRO is used to calculate heat balance and cost estimate of the power plant [9] . The study involves effect of variation of fuels, relative humidity (RH) and inlet air temperature on gas turbine performance for different GT frames. Also, this software has been used to analyze net plant output, net efficiency, break even electricity price (BEEP) and break even fuel LHV price (BEFP), carbon emissions, etc. Simulations have been made for different scenarios such as gas turbine performance evaluation with and without inlet fogging.

GT PRO is used to calculate heat balance and cost estimate of the power plant.


Amount of water sprayed in inlet air stream defines the type of inlet fogging, namely under spray and over spray [10, 11] . In under spray, air is cooled by evaporating fog, without droplets entering the compressor. However, in over spray, excessive water droplets enter the compressor and will affect its performance. Furthermore, certain gas turbine engines are unsuitable to overspray fogging, and some manufacturers do not recommend overspray for GT [9] .

Amount of water sprayed in inlet air stream defines the type of inlet fogging, namely under spray and over spray.

Furthermore, certain gas turbine engines are unsuitable to overspray fogging, and some manufacturers do not recommend overspray for GT.


The effect of humidity on net plant output (for a given inlet air temperature 100°F, for all fuels) is shown in fig. 3 . RH has been varied between 30-45% (this covers the prevailing average RH range in Saudi Arabia). It can be noticed that variation of RH does not affect/improve the performance appreciably for GT only configuration. This observation is in agreement with an earlier study [3] . However, variation of RH has little effect on net plant output. For GT with fogger situation, introduction of fogger unit, variation of humidity has mild effect on performance. Due to presence extra moisture, "due to density variation" compressive work decreases (turbine output increases) and hence variation in performance is observed. For an increase in RH from 30 to 45%, net plant output has been found decrease by 2% for all fuels. Since, RH does not have much effect on the GT plant performance; it has been fixed at 30% in the present study.

This observation is in agreement with an earlier study.


NSCLC has a high rate of metastasis and is the most lethal cancer worldwide. To promote proliferation and metastasis, NSCLC has to rely on angiogenesis, or new vessels formation. Therefore, anti-angiogenic therapy is an important strategy in NSCLC treatment [24] . In our study, we found that PVT1 promotes angiogenesis through targeting the miR-29c/VEGF signaling pathway in NSCLC.

Therefore, anti-angiogenic therapy is an important strategy in NSCLC treatment.


Nowadays, the fifth generation mobile communication network (5G) are undoubtedly one of the most attractive topics in both academic and industrial fields. Many res earchers engage themselves to explore the new advanced methodologies and technologies in 5G, to support the booming data traffic with reduced energy consumption and improved quality of service (QoS) provision. Some enabling technologies, such as heterogeneous networks (HetNets), massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), and millimeter wave (mmWave) techniques, have been identified to bring 5G to fruition [1] .

Some enabling technologies, such as heterogeneous networks (HetNets), massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), and millimeter wave (mmWave) techniques, have been identified to bring 5G to fruition.


Given the short life span (<1 yr) and low fecundity of neritic squid, high survival rates during the early life history are essential to guarantee that recruitment failure does not occur. However, currently, there are no estimates of juvenile mortality rates for neritic squid and it is not clear whether size at hatching is important in survivorship. In the fish literature, it is widely suggested that fast growing and rapidly developing larvae attain larger sizes earlier, thereby lowering their risk of size-dependent mortality (Johannessen et al. 2000) . There are a number of theories supporting why this is the case and they collectively attribute it to faster growing fish accelerating through the window of vulnerability associated with being small and poorly developed (Fogarty et al. 1991) . Furthermore, this potential for faster growth may be present at hatching, with larger hatchlings displaying an 'athletic' edge compared to their smaller siblings (Meekan & Fortier 1996) . Similarly, some individuals may be more likely to survive based on other physical, behavioural or physiological characteristics (Rice et al. 1993) .

In the fish literature, it is widely suggested that fast growing and rapidly developing larvae attain larger sizes earlier, thereby lowering their risk of size-dependent mortality.

There are a number of theories supporting why this is the case and they collectively attribute it to faster growing fish accelerating through the window of vulnerability associated with being small and poorly developed.

Furthermore, this potential for faster growth may be present at hatching, with larger hatchlings displaying an 'athletic' edge compared to their smaller siblings.

Similarly, some individuals may be more likely to survive based on other physical, behavioural or physiological characteristics.


For a knot K ⊂ S 3 , let N K denote a tubular neighborhood of K and let M K := S 3 N K denote the exterior of K. Let µ, λ be the canonical meridian-longitude basis of H 1 (∂N K ). An element p/q ∈ Q ∪ {1/0} is called a boundary slope of K if there is a properly embedded essential surface (S, ∂S) ⊂ (M K , ∂N K ), such that every circle of ∂S is homologous to pµ + qλ ∈ H 1 (∂N K ). Hatcher has shown that every knot K ⊂ S 3 has finitely many boundary slopes [7] .

Hatcher has shown that every knot K ⊂ S 3 has finitely many boundary slopes.


We find that firms that adopt the Cadbury Code's recommendation of having at least three non-executive directors subsequently experience a lower rate of increase in pay and stronger pay-performance sensitivity. This suggests that our results are less likely to be driven by endogeneity problems and that corporate governance reforms can possibly improve the effectiveness of executive pay, a conclusion similar to that reached by recent US evidence (Chhaochharia and Grinstein, 2009) . However, it is noteworthy that this positive effect only applies to those firms that actually adopt the recommendation. For all firms as a whole following Cadbury, there is if anything a higher rate of increase in pay and a decrease in the relation between pay and performance.

This suggests that our results are less likely to be driven by endogeneity problems and that corporate governance reforms can possibly improve the effectiveness of executive pay, a conclusion similar to that reached by recent US evidence.


We have demonstrated a system for interactive editing of 3D video footage. It is based on a 4D spatio-temporal representation which allows for unified handling of space and time. Using a three-staged processing loop, we support various editing tasks for post-production of 3D video. For future work we would like to improve our representation by explicitly modeling time coherence [22] . A practical limitation of our current implementation is the large amount of data. We plan to integrate both in-core as well as out-of-core data structures to handle longer 3D video sequences. Furthermore, to speed up the graph-cut object selection, mean-shift pre-segmentation could be employed. Although the presented editing operators allow for the most common editing tasks, others can be envisioned, e.g., altering the motion of actors or re-targeting of motion from one actor to another [6] . In addition, illumination adaptation needs to be solved for application in productive environments. Finally, our system is only as good as the employed 3D video capturing system. We hope that the years to come will provide us with high-quality, commercial depth video scanning systems.

For future work we would like to improve our representation by explicitly modeling time coherence.

Although the presented editing operators allow for the most common editing tasks, others can be envisioned, e.g., altering the motion of actors or re-targeting of motion from one actor to another.


We have analysed most of the flavour data in the quark sector in the framework of one of the simplest extensions of the SM. We have incorporated an additional up quark of vector like character and singlet under SU (2) L . Its existence leads to the presence of FCNC and deviations of 3 × 3 unitarity, incorporated in a great variety of much more sophisticated models such as extra dimensions, little Higgs, etc [91] [92] [93] [94] [95] [96] [97] [98] [99] [100] . We have started by looking again to a model independent analysis to stress the fact that in the down sector the most important tensions appear in the bd sector. We realize that in the sUVL model, despite the violation of 3 × 3 unitarity, the situation is similar. In fact it is with the change of a unitary bd triangle to a quadrangle that we can improve the tensions among Br(B + → τ + ν τ ) and A J/ΨK S . By the same token, an enlargement of |V ub | -improving also A J/ΨK S -implies an enhancement of A d SL in the right direction of the D0 result of A b SL , but not enough. Also Br(B d → µ + µ − ) can get larger values compared to the SM when Br(B + → τ + ν τ ) is in the right place.

Its existence leads to the presence of FCNC and deviations of 3 × 3 unitarity, incorporated in a great variety of much more sophisticated models such as extra dimensions, little Higgs, etc.


The problem of unitarity can manifest itself and even can be destructive for a negative β, which is possible in the case of the dominant contribution of higher spin conformal fermions with s ≥ 3/2. As we saw, cosmology with β < 0 is inconsistent, because its statistical sum contains a divergent contribution of necklace instantons. The source of this inconsistency is apparently related to the breakdown of perturbative unitarity. Suppression of vacuum necklace instantons, mentioned in Sect.2, is based on the Gaussian integration with a positive definite quadratic form [23] . The boundary condition φ(x + ) = φ(x − ), induced by the microcanonical density matrix as depicted in Fig.2 , can be enforced with the Lagrange multiplier λ in the path integral for a generic theory with the quadratic action S[ φ ] = with the local source J λ (x) peaked at x ± , J λ (x) ≡ λ δ(x − x + ) − δ(x − x − ) , and the kernel G(x, y) -the Green's function of F . Therefore, the statistical sum reduces to zero, Z ∼ (G(x + , x + ) + G(x − , x − )− 2G(x + , x − )) −1/2 = 0, in view of the divergent coincidence limits for G(x, y), G(x + , x + ) = G(x − , x − ) = ∞. Violation of unitarity is associated with the indefiniteness of the operator F which makes Z divergent, and this is consistent with the divergence to −∞ of the integral part of (2.20) for B < 0.

Suppression of vacuum necklace instantons, mentioned in Sect.2, is based on the Gaussian integration with a positive definite quadratic form.


The work done by they proved that the level of dividend payout is not totally dependent on a firm's investment and financing decisions. Their study showed that dividend payout levels are not totally decided after a firm's investment and financing decisions have been made and the decision on dividend is taken in the presence of investment and financing decisions. Their results do not match the views of Miller and Modigliani [8] . But, according to Partington, the firms set certain payout ratios as target and the companies' investment policy does not impact their dividend policy decisions and the extent to which dividends are announced.

Their results do not match the views of Miller and Modigliani.


Transaction costs come in favor of dividends as a supporting argument. A shareholder who is in need of frequent income from his shareholdings of a company has got two choices. One is to buy the stocks which pay dividends and cashing the dividends, the other one being that of purchasing a non-dividend paying shares and frequently selling a part of the portfolio. For a small individual investor the transaction costs of cashing in the dividends may be significantly smaller than the transaction costs associated with selling a part of the stocksAllen and Michaelly [11] .

For a small individual investor the transaction costs of cashing in the dividends may be significantly smaller than the transaction costs associated with selling a part of the stocksAllen and Michaelly.


The overall goal of the research presented here is to increase the range and endurance of flapping wing SUAVs by employing passive bio-inspired structural modifications. The structural modification implemented in the ornithopter wings is in the form of a contact aided compliant mechanism that is designed to be inserted in the wings leading edge spar to mimic the function of an avian wrist. In this paper, free flight data comparing performance metrics for a test ornithopter with and without the compliant mechanism is presented. The data collected is used to assess the effect of the compliant mechanism on wing and body kinematics, and the vehicle's overall performance, as well as increase the understanding of the flight physics and dynamics of flapping wing unmanned vehicles. Wing kinematics data was previously collected on a bench top where the ornithopter fuselage was clamped to a six degree of freedom (DOF) load cell [9, 10] . This paper is organized as follows: the research approach and a summary of the compliant spine design optimization are presented in Section 2. Section 3 then discusses the experimental procedures and ornithopter set-up. Lastly, Section 4 presents the free flight tests results of the baseline ornithopter kinematics and the effect of the compliant spine presence on the leading edge spar deflection and vehicle's overall performance.

Wing kinematics data was previously collected on a bench top where the ornithopter fuselage was clamped to a six degree of freedom (DOF) load cell.


Modern designs for wing morphing in flapping wing SUAVs utilize rigid-link mechanisms, such as rigid four-bar mechanisms, or involve active morphing techniques [4] [5] [6] . Most active wing morphing mechanisms for ornithopters have resulted in designs that are heavy and too complicated to be implemented during free flight and were limited to bench top tests [7, 8] . In contrast to rigid-link mechanisms and active approaches, the focus of the current research is on the implementation of a novel passive morphing technique using compliant mechanisms. Passive morphing is defined such that the shape change is a result of the operational loads the vehicle experiences during flight and not due to a separate actuation mechanism. When compared to active morphing, passive morphing mechanisms require no actuation energy expenditure, minimal weight addition and a significant reduction in complexity.

Modern designs for wing morphing in flapping wing SUAVs utilize rigid-link mechanisms, such as rigid four-bar mechanisms, or involve active morphing techniques.

Most active wing morphing mechanisms for ornithopters have resulted in designs that are heavy and too complicated to be implemented during free flight and were limited to bench top tests.


Wired channels are completely characterized by their attenuation and time delay properties as a function of frequency which are time invariants. However, wireless channels exhibit random and time variant channel characteristics. In order to characterize the fading channel it is necessary to investigate its higher order fading statistics. First order statistics such as probability density function (PDF) and Cumulative Density Function (CDF) of the received signal strength can only be used to obtain average behavior of the channel such as the Bit Error Rate (BER). Second order statistics such as Average Fade Duration (AFD), Level Crossing Rate (LCR), and outage probability characterize a fading channel with deeper insight in the channel behavior [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] . Emerging 3G and 4G mobile networks are designed to offer wide variety of services in hostile propagation environments. Therefore, there is a need to identify additional fading parameters for channel characterization purpose. The paper presents investigations on "Tolerance time" of a fading channel and its effects on the fading statistics with variations in Doppler spread and fade depth. Tolerance time is defined as the short outage times which a wireless communication system can tolerate satisfying the application dependent maximum value of Packet Error Rate (PER).

Second order statistics such as Average Fade Duration (AFD), Level Crossing Rate (LCR), and outage probability characterize a fading channel with deeper insight in the channel behavior.


Various techniques and methods have been proposed in the literature to address different activities of the consistency management process including: detecting overlaps between software models, detecting inconsistencies, identifying the source, the cause and the impact of inconsistencies, and resolving inconsistencies [31] . As UML has become the de facto notation for object-oriented software development, most research work in consistency management has focused on problems relating to consistency between UML diagrams and models [15, 16] . Several approaches strive to define fully formal semantics for UML by extending its current meta-model and applying well-formedness constraints to the model [3, 6] . Our framework also involves developing a meta-model and specifying well-formedness constraints. However, our framework also addresses the mechanism of resolving constraint violations when changes are made to the model.

Various techniques and methods have been proposed in the literature to address different activities of the consistency management process including: detecting overlaps between software models, detecting inconsistencies, identifying the source, the cause and the impact of inconsistencies, and resolving inconsistencies.

As UML has become the de facto notation for object-oriented software development, most research work in consistency management has focused on problems relating to consistency between UML diagrams and models.

Several approaches strive to define fully formal semantics for UML by extending its current meta-model and applying well-formedness constraints to the model.


In order to prove Theorem B we proceed as follows. First we prove that, when viewed as functions on the moduli space of hyperelliptic Riemann surfaces, both ψ and 1 2h ϕ have the same image under ∂∂. Then we study the asymptotic behavior of the difference of ψ and 1 2h ϕ on a family of hyperelliptic Riemann surfaces degenerating into a stable curve of compact type. By using induction on h we will then deduce that the difference is a constant on the moduli space, equal to log 2. For the degeneration argument we will rely heavily on results obtained by R. Wentworth [23] .

For the degeneration argument we will rely heavily on results obtained by R. Wentworth.


During the development of the Western world, mining techniques, and the understanding of underground engineering, gradually improved. The creation of deep strata tunnels in many countries has highlighted the damage that can be caused by highly geothermal environments; these issues are of increasing significance in underground engineering [1] [2] [3] [4] . This damage can seriously affect tunnel construction and durability and can result in changes to the physical behaviour of concrete.

The creation of deep strata tunnels in many countries has highlighted the damage that can be caused by highly geothermal environments; these issues are of increasing significance in underground engineering.


The growing number of reservoirs around the world and the need for recovering hydrocarbons more efficiently and effectively has been the driving force for oil and gas industry to continuously improve the drilling process. A variety of drilling techniques have been investigated and many of them are currently used in oil and gas industry. One of such techniques is called Underbalanced drilling (UBD), which allows drilling a well more economically, efficiently and safely [15] . The UBD is the process, in which the wellbore pressure is deliberately designed to be lower than the process of the formation that is drilled. The underbalanced pressure conditions facilitate the reservoir fluids to enter the wellbore during drilling, thus preventing fluid loss and related causes to formation damage [2] . In order to achieve UBD conditions, a simultaneous injection of a mixture of two-phase liquid and gas is required. The two-phase mixture is directly injected into the drill string at the surface, and then the returning fluid is flowing back in an upward vertical fashion in the annulus, outside the drill string [18] . The liquid-gas mixture flows in the annulus according to several topological configurations, which are called flow regimes, these are namely bubble flow, slug flow, churn flow and annular flow [7] . Prediction and monitoring these flow regimes are of particular importance for optimisation, diagnostics and control of the process, especially for establishing a suitable pressure drop model in an annulus. As reported in literature that an accurate annular multiphase flow pressure drop model for underbalanced drilling is highly required [12] . As in UBD process the control of pressure in the wellbore is very important [14] . The visualisation of these flow regimes in the annulus can provide valuable information and whereby conduct a safe and effective drilling [3] .

One of such techniques is called Underbalanced drilling (UBD), which allows drilling a well more economically, efficiently and safely.

The underbalanced pressure conditions facilitate the reservoir fluids to enter the wellbore during drilling, thus preventing fluid loss and related causes to formation damage.

The two-phase mixture is directly injected into the drill string at the surface, and then the returning fluid is flowing back in an upward vertical fashion in the annulus, outside the drill string.

The liquid-gas mixture flows in the annulus according to several topological configurations, which are called flow regimes, these are namely bubble flow, slug flow, churn flow and annular flow.

As reported in literature that an accurate annular multiphase flow pressure drop model for underbalanced drilling is highly required.

As in UBD process the control of pressure in the wellbore is very important.

The visualisation of these flow regimes in the annulus can provide valuable information and whereby conduct a safe and effective drilling.


ERT is an imaging technique that can capture the internal structure of a two-phase flow within an opaque pipe or vessel [21, 23, 24] . The principle of ERT is based on the difference in the conductivity of the constituent phases within multiphase flow domain. It has been successfully applied on many industrial processes, such as mixing, multiphase flow and so on. The basic principle of ERT operation is that the flow process is interrogated by an array of electrodes (typically 16 electrodes) at the periphery of the pipe wall. An electrical current is injected through a pair of electrodes and the voltage is measured through the remaining electrodes. The main advantage of ERT is that non-intrusive, relatively inexpensive, fast and safe. Therefore, it can provide a unique opportunity to visualise the internal structure of a two-phase flow in an annulus.

ERT is an imaging technique that can capture the internal structure of a two-phase flow within an opaque pipe or vessel.


The study of two-phase flow in an annulus has received a significant attention from previous researchers; this is clearly due to its practical application. Some of these studies have focused on theoretical predictions of flow regimes within the annulus, however, due to the complex nature of flow phenomena, the prediction of flow behaviour and monitoring the flow regimes are quite difficult to make, through theoretical approach. In addition, most of the existing steady-state multiphase flow experimental investigations are based on low viscous Newtonian fluids, while the fluids and its physicochemical properties in the condition of the down-hole are very different. Therefore, the calculation of multiphase flows with the existing multiphase flow theories deviates from the actual values [8] .

Therefore, the calculation of multiphase flows with the existing multiphase flow theories deviates from the actual values.


Very few studies have been conducted in high income countries with national health services [11] . Even less is known about the situation in Asian countries, particularly in Chinese communities such as Hong Kong. Hong Kong's health care system aims to provide equal access for all citizens; its per capita GDP was US$34386 in 2011. However, it has a high Gini coefficient as well as disparities. Despite the overall life expectancy ranking second in the world in 2011, the breast cancer incidence rate has increased over the past two decades, possibly because of the adoption of Western lifestyles. Unlike breast cancer mortality rates in other developed countries, the mortality rate in Hong Kong has remained unchanged. One contributory factor is the lack of population-based screening in Hong Kong. This study also examines whether screening practices are associated with the early detection of breast cancer.

Very few studies have been conducted in high income countries with national health services.


Based on the above experimental results, a possible growth mechanism can be proposed as follows. At first, Zn 2+ reacts with OH − to form Zn(OH) 2 , then Zn(OH) 2 can transform into ZnO nanosheets [25] . At the same time, sulfur powder induces ZnO nanosheets into self-assembly of hierarchical ZnO nanostructures. The overall reaction for the formation of hierarchical ZnO nanostructures may be simplified as follows: Finally, room-temperature photoluminescence property of the as-synthesized hierarchical ZnO nanostructures was investigated. The experiments were conducted by 325 nm He-Cd laser source. Figure 6 presents a PL spectrum of the as-synthesized hierarchical ZnO nanostructures. The spectrum reveals an emission band located at 385 nm, which can be commonly assigned as the near band gap exciton emission in ZnO [26, 27] . However, broad band with humps may be attributed to crystal disorder and the intrinsic defects such as oxygen vacancies, Zn interstitials, or impurities [28] .

At first, Zn 2+ reacts with OH − to form Zn(OH) 2 , then Zn(OH) 2 can transform into ZnO nanosheets.

The spectrum reveals an emission band located at 385 nm, which can be commonly assigned as the near band gap exciton emission in ZnO.

However, broad band with humps may be attributed to crystal disorder and the intrinsic defects such as oxygen vacancies, Zn interstitials, or impurities.


In this paper we discussed a new strategy to test effective string predictions. Instead of looking at the interquark potential we studied the flux distribution in presence of the quark-antiquark pair. The major consequence of this choice is that the leading effective string correction (the Lüscher term) disappears thus allowing to disentangle higher order corrections. We apply the method to the 3d gauge Ising model and find that while the first subleading correction (the one related to quartic terms in the string Lagrangian) agrees very well with the one predicted by the Nambo-Goto model, the subsequent term (due to sixth order terms in the Lagrangian) is definitely different and seems to have the opposite sign or at most to be compatible with zero. This observation agrees with a set of similar results obtained in these last years in the 3d gauge Ising model looking at various different physical observables ranging from the interquark potential to the effective string width to the interface free energy of the dual spin Ising model [9, 10, 18, 21] . These tests were all supporting, even if only at a qualitative level, a value for the sextic correction different from the Nambu-Goto one and fully compatible with the one that we find here.

This observation agrees with a set of similar results obtained in these last years in the 3d gauge Ising model looking at various different physical observables ranging from the interquark potential to the effective string width to the interface free energy of the dual spin Ising model.