In 1994, the Higher-harmonic-control Aeroacoustic Rotor Test (HART I) was conducted in an open-jet anechoic test chamber of the German-Dutch wind tunnel (DNW) by a joint research team from the German DLR, the French ONERA, NASA Langley, DNW, and the U.S. Army [1] . The main focus of the task was to measure the noise level, airloads, vortex wake, and blade motions of a rotor in various flight conditions, with and without higher harmonic control (HHC) pitch inputs, with objectives to improve the physical understanding of the blade-vortex interaction (BVI) phenomena and to promote the HHC techniques for active rotor control. The test data included extensive acoustic and vortex flow measurements which resulted in one of milestone accomplishments in the rotorcraft aeromechanics fields [2] .

In 1994, the Higher-harmonic-control Aeroacoustic Rotor Test (HART I) was conducted in an open-jet anechoic test chamber of the German-Dutch wind tunnel (DNW) by a joint research team from the German DLR, the French ONERA, NASA Langley, DNW, and the U.S. Army.

The test data included extensive acoustic and vortex flow measurements which resulted in one of milestone accomplishments in the rotorcraft aeromechanics fields.


Learning is a major vehicle for behavioral adaptation in animals (Carew and Sahley, 1986) . Experimentally, learning is divided into two classes, associative and nonassociative learning. For associative learning, animals are exposed to different stimuli to learn the relationship of one stimulus to another or the relationship of a stimulus to behavior. For nonassociative learning, animals are exposed once or repeatedly to a single type of stimulus and learn about the properties of the stimulus. Habituation and sensitization are examples of nonassociative learning.

Learning is a major vehicle for behavioral adaptation in animals.


The rest of the paper is organized as follows. In Section 2, we discuss the algorithms used for the estimation of pitch and pitch correlograms. Section 3 develops the clustering algorithm for an optimal number of clusters. Section 4 discusses the experimental results and comparisons with Murthy and Heck [10] results. We conclude in Section 5.

Section 4 discusses the experimental results and comparisons with Murthy and Heck results.

We conclude in Section 5.


In this paper, we introduce pitch correlogram as a device to measure frame-to-frame pitch variations and use it to cluster speakers. Pitch is a property of the voiced part of speech and equals the period of the impulse train excitation of the vocal tract for voiced sound production in a shorttime stationary model [24] . Given a speech tract, its silent frames are removed using a voice activity detection (VAD) algorithm, after which the voiced speech is separated from unvoiced speech using covariance thresholding, since unvoiced speech has low correlation due to its random aperiodic nature [24] . We divide the whole expected pitch region into fixed equal bands (this paper uses 40), extract pitch for each voiced frame, allocate its corresponding band, and monitor this pitch band allocation from one voiced frame to next. This information is stored in the pitch correlogram, which is a 3-dimensional matrix whose (i, j, k)th entry denotes the joint probability of pitch bands i-and j-, k-frames apart. Clearly, a pitch correlogram captures local variation within histogram bands, which makes it a better source of pitch information.

Pitch is a property of the voiced part of speech and equals the period of the impulse train excitation of the vocal tract for voiced sound production in a shorttime stationary model.

Given a speech tract, its silent frames are removed using a voice activity detection (VAD) algorithm, after which the voiced speech is separated from unvoiced speech using covariance thresholding, since unvoiced speech has low correlation due to its random aperiodic nature.


In the current study we identified fibroblast-like cells that were immuno-positive for fibroblast markers and ROCK1 in small airways and in the alveolar parenchyma. These data suggests that the present functional in vitro data also may be relevant in vivo. The altered phenotype may be a compensatory mechanism to the loss of elastic fibers and specific extracellular matrix molecules, as has been reported in the parenchyma of COPD patients [34] .

The altered phenotype may be a compensatory mechanism to the loss of elastic fibers and specific extracellular matrix molecules, as has been reported in the parenchyma of COPD patients.


During comprehension, people construct representations that help them predict what may be mentioned next (Kuperberg & Jaeger, 2016) . Are these predictions resourceintensive? To explore how predictions are affected by factors that can reduce available cognitive resources, we used the visual world eye-tracking paradigm to compare predictions between people who performed a concurrent working memory task and those who did not. In addition, we considered predictions in native (L1) speakers and non-native (L2) speakers, as they may differ in their resources and therefore in the extent to which they may be affected by the working memory load manipulation.

During comprehension, people construct representations that help them predict what may be mentioned next.


Much attention has been paid to analytical methods to simulate the behaviour of RC frame structures with infills, including two common techniques, namely macro-modelling and micro-modelling. The former technique simulates the infills as equivalent diagonal struts, while the latter technique models the infill materials individually using the finite element method [8] . Thus, the macro-modelling approach is widely used to simulate the global behaviour of RC framed buildings with infills, e.g. in determining the period of vibration due to the simplicity of the model. The micro-modelling technique is used to simulate the local behaviour of these buildings, such as local forces and failure modes, and is made possible by the accurate and intensive simulation of the interactions of the infilled panels with the surrounded frame elements in the numerical analysis [3, 9, 10] .

The former technique simulates the infills as equivalent diagonal struts, while the latter technique models the infill materials individually using the finite element method.

The micro-modelling technique is used to simulate the local behaviour of these buildings, such as local forces and failure modes, and is made possible by the accurate and intensive simulation of the interactions of the infilled panels with the surrounded frame elements in the numerical analysis.


Information logical inconsistency deduction methods are widely used to deal with logical inconsistency at the syntactic level [1, 7, 10, 19, 23, 25] . These methods are mainly based on designed logic systems and their reasoning mechanisms. The primary procedure of logical inconsistency detection is implemented through logical reasoning.

Information logical inconsistency deduction methods are widely used to deal with logical inconsistency at the syntactic level.


It is obvious that the focus in most of the "invasion" literature is on the unwanted effects, any beneficial outcome being minimized or overlooked (GALIL, 2007) . A parallel list of species without important adverse effects upon the biodiversity and the environmental stability could be sought. Among the ecological benefits derived from immigration and settlement of Erythrean fish in Egyptian waters and possibly in the Levantine basin at large are the enrichment in species and the ensuing improvement of biodiversity. This leads to a more efficient use of the resources presumably leading to an improvement of the ecosystem stability.

It is obvious that the focus in most of the "invasion" literature is on the unwanted effects, any beneficial outcome being minimized or overlooked.


The clock frequency of microprocessors was increasing for several decades allowing us to improve the systems performance following the Dennard scaling, which formulates the ability to maintain a constant power density while reducing the size of the transistors. However, after the breakdown of this law around 2006, power consumption came in the spotlight, since shrinking the size of the transistors created a greater thermal runaway and, consequently, a higher power consumption. For this reason, reducing power consumption has been identified as an essential challenge that the high performance computing (HPC) community has to face in order to pave the way towards the Exascale era [1] .

For this reason, reducing power consumption has been identified as an essential challenge that the high performance computing (HPC) community has to face in order to pave the way towards the Exascale era.


The next-generation reuseable liquid rocket engine has to be designed to work under harsh conditions (cryogenic, high speed, heavy load, and strict limitations on its volume and mass). Special cryogenic liquids with low viscosity, such as liquid oxygen (boiling point -178°C with viscosity 335.20 9 10 -6 Pa s) and liquid hydrogen (boiling point -191°C with viscosity 4 9 10 -6 Pa s), are proposed to replace the existing fuel and oxidant [1] . The maximum speed of the turbopump for developing highthrust propulsion devices is 29,000 r/min and that for middle and small thrust rockets is higher than 40,000 r/min. With the test results, the axial load (or force) of the shaft in the turbopump in the larger-scale 120,000 kg liquid rocket engine can even exceed 5000 kg. In the turbopump of the cryogenic liquid rocket engine, the shaft seals are essential for reliability of the rotating shaft systems [2] . The shaft mechanical seal, also known as the shaft face seal, is used to prevent leakage of the engine fuel (such as kerosene, liquid hydrogen, UDMH) into the oxidant chamber (such as liquid oxygen) and vice versa. Under such harsh conditions, faults in the seal are peculiarly prone to occur, such as serious surface wear and leakage, which is over the design limits. Once the seal does not meet the requirements of the turbopump system, the stability and reliability of the whole device will be affected. In severe cases, due to the contact between the fuel and oxidizer, burning may result in a serious accident. According to a survey on seal faults by the CASC (China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation), the ratio of seal faults to all of the liquid rocket engine faults is about 12.5% [3] . Therefore, in order to develop next-generation engines, performance analysis and design of such advanced seals have become one of the key steps to improve the service life and performance of the turbopumps in liquid fuel rocket engines.

Special cryogenic liquids with low viscosity, such as liquid oxygen (boiling point -178°C with viscosity 335.20 9 10 -6 Pa s) and liquid hydrogen (boiling point -191°C with viscosity 4 9 10 -6 Pa s), are proposed to replace the existing fuel and oxidant.

In the turbopump of the cryogenic liquid rocket engine, the shaft seals are essential for reliability of the rotating shaft systems.

According to a survey on seal faults by the CASC (China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation), the ratio of seal faults to all of the liquid rocket engine faults is about 12.5%.


Due to the important application requirements in pumps such as high-speed turbopumps in the liquid rocket engine, coolant water pumps for nuclear systems, and hydrogen feed pumps in petrochemical industry, etc., experimental tests, in parallel with theoretical research, play an important role in obtaining the seal performance characteristics. In practice testing, the seals under extreme conditions are very difficult, especially in testing the individual seal components. With respect to cryogenic seal, research several researchers have published theoretical and experimental results. For example, Hendricks carried out experimental measurements and obtained the pressures and leakage flow results for liquid and gaseous nitrogen [4] . Arauz and San Andres presented the theoretical model for cryogenic annular seals and carried out the experimental measurements of a liquid and gaseous nitrogen seal [5, 6] . In other high-temperature and high-pressure working conditions, special seal testing has also been carried out, such as for the hydrostatic seal for nuclear coolant pumps and the non-contact seal for high-pressure pumps in the petrochemical industry [7] [8] [9] [10] .

For example, Hendricks carried out experimental measurements and obtained the pressures and leakage flow results for liquid and gaseous nitrogen.

Arauz and San Andres presented the theoretical model for cryogenic annular seals and carried out the experimental measurements of a liquid and gaseous nitrogen seal.

In other high-temperature and high-pressure working conditions, special seal testing has also been carried out, such as for the hydrostatic seal for nuclear coolant pumps and the non-contact seal for high-pressure pumps in the petrochemical industry.


The non-contact mechanical seal of the turbopump is designed to tolerate a certain amount of leakage for the purpose of obtaining a long service life and reducing surface wear. The leakage will be blocked by the other additional seal parts. Due to the extremely small viscosity at cryogenic temperatures of the sealed fluid, the seals have to operate under poor lubricating conditions. We have developed a water-lubricated test system and completed a low-viscosity simulated experimental test with water as the sealed fluid [11] [12] [13] . The experimental results with water as the sealing fluid are supposed to provide the seal performance with the low-viscosity fluid (water, liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen) as the sealing fluid. Our previous experimental results show that the phenomenon of twophase flow occurs because the face temperature of the seal is higher than 100°C, and the liquid and gas water appear simultaneously in the test process [11] .

We have developed a water-lubricated test system and completed a low-viscosity simulated experimental test with water as the sealed fluid.

Our previous experimental results show that the phenomenon of twophase flow occurs because the face temperature of the seal is higher than 100°C, and the liquid and gas water appear simultaneously in the test process.


We have also used the partitions as inputs to aggregation / disaggregation methods. It turns out, that with a certain choice of parameters the partitions generated by the new algorithms are the same as that generated in the package MARCA due to W. Stewart [23] , [25] . With the use of some other parameters, the partitions generated provide an aggregation scheme with which the aggregation / disaggregation methods converge in less computational time; see Section 3.

It turns out, that with a certain choice of parameters the partitions generated by the new algorithms are the same as that generated in the package MARCA due to W. Stewart.


The complexity of PABLO is O(n + v), where v is the number of nonzeros in A , i.e., the number of edges in E [16] . Let us analyze the added complexity introduced by the additional criterion. Each nonzero in the matrix is searched to compare its value with the threshold y at least once, adding computing time proportional to U. In addition, if a node v j is not added to the current set P , it is sent back to the set C and searched again, say when looking at another node adjacent to it. This rejection can happen at most d times, where d is the maximum degree of a node in E , i.e., the maximum number of nonzeros in any given row or column. Thus, the total additional time is at most proportional to ( l + d ) v . The algorithms studied are designed for large sparse matrices, and thus we expect d to be small, namely d << n, and therefore the complexity of TPABLO is also O(n + v), though with a larger constant. In practice, the complexity -- Table 2 : Aggregation/Disaggregation using TPABLOl with a = /3 = 0, minbs = 10 of the algorithm is as low a s PABLO's as it can be appreciated in the numerical experiments presented in Section 3. This is in part because the criterion for threshold is tested after either of two criterions in PABLO has been satisfied, in other words, not every vertex needs to be tested for the given threshold.

The complexity of PABLO is O(n + v), where v is the number of nonzeros in A , i.e., the number of edges in E.


Nowadays, organisations use more and more business processes to capture, manage, and optimise their activities. In areas such as supply chain management, intelligent transport systems, domotics, or remote healthcare, business processes can gain a competitive edge by using the information and functionalities of IoT devices (sensors and actuators). Business processes use IoT information to incorporate real world data, to take informed decisions, optimise their execution, and adapt itself to context changes [14] . In addition, the increase in processing power of IoT devices enables them to take part in the execution of the business logic. This way, IoT devices can aggregate and filter data, and make decisions locally, by executing parts of the business logic whenever central control is not required, reducing both the amount of exchanged data and of central processing [13] .

Business processes use IoT information to incorporate real world data, to take informed decisions, optimise their execution, and adapt itself to context changes.

This way, IoT devices can aggregate and filter data, and make decisions locally, by executing parts of the business logic whenever central control is not required, reducing both the amount of exchanged data and of central processing.


One assumption of utilizing the Delphi method is that the respondents serving on the panel are knowledgeable of the subject (Johnson & Schumacher, 1989) . For this study, the respondents must have experience in managing a greenhouse in an educational setting, rather than a commercial setting. Based an analysis of the demographics reported by the respondents, the researchers felt this assumption was met.

One assumption of utilizing the Delphi method is that the respondents serving on the panel are knowledgeable of the subject.


There are several technologies, such as meltblowing and spunbonding available for the production of long-life nonwovens with micro-sized fibers. Large surface area fabrics are composed of extremely small fibers which have dimensions of 1 or 2 microns. Micro-fiber cleaning products have already made a huge impact in both the industrial and household cleaning markets. The value addition due to increased surface area is not limited to wipes but can be extended to include filtration, military and medical applications as well. This is because the larger surface area fabrics enhance properties related to insulation, fluid retention, drapeability and durability [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] .

This is because the larger surface area fabrics enhance properties related to insulation, fluid retention, drapeability and durability.


Well known manufacturing processes for producing nano and microfibers include electrospinning, spunbonding coupled with a fiber-splitting process, and meltblowing. While the electrospinning process can produce filaments in the diameter range of less than 100 nm, most meltblowing processes are limited to greater than 500 nm diameter fibers. Electrospinning process has been plagued with low productivity issues limiting its commercialization in applications requiring large quantities of fibers and this fact has been compounded by the fact that the fiber mats produced using this technique need a substrate to provide the necessary mechanical strength. Meltblowing on the other hand has limitations in the number of polymers that are compatible with the process and the webs produced from this process also lack mechanical strength [17] [18] [19] [20] . Meltblown process produces fibers that are also inherently weak limiting their applications and often requiring an additional nonwoven substrate for support.

Meltblowing on the other hand has limitations in the number of polymers that are compatible with the process and the webs produced from this process also lack mechanical strength.


To the best of our knowledge, very few studies have so far been reported on the fabrication of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) reinforced CFRP composites using manufacturing of prepregs [22] . GNPs are difficult to process because of the issues associated with agglomeration and lack of interfacial interactions with polymers. None of the previous studies, nevertheless, have given due attention to the influence of adding GNPs on the solvent type prepreg process. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the role of adding GNPs into the matrix material, which will largely affect the impregnation of fibres and prepreg processing conditions.

To the best of our knowledge, very few studies have so far been reported on the fabrication of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) reinforced CFRP composites using manufacturing of prepregs.


Individual differences in interpretation mean that stimuli will not affect all climbers in the same way (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) . Stimuli may be perceived as benign, stressful (distress, anxiety inducing, resulting in a negative affective state) or positive (eustress, enhancing function and optimal arousal) (Apter, 1991) . Distress and negative affect in response to a stimulus is likely due to a disparity between its demands and an individual's ability to meet them; conversely, eustress and positive affect are likely to arise when an individual is capable of meeting the demands of a stimulus (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) .

Individual differences in interpretation mean that stimuli will not affect all climbers in the same way.

Stimuli may be perceived as benign, stressful (distress, anxiety inducing, resulting in a negative affective state) or positive (eustress, enhancing function and optimal arousal).

Distress and negative affect in response to a stimulus is likely due to a disparity between its demands and an individual's ability to meet them; conversely, eustress and positive affect are likely to arise when an individual is capable of meeting the demands of a stimulus.


Soil moisture at the end of the first spring after plantation was above 10 % (in volume) for all treatments and steadily diminished toward the summer. This diminution, however, was not so pronounced in the tree shelter treatment (C2), which showed moisture values above those registered in the other two treatments. These higher moisture values in C2 could be explained by the radiative condenser effect that tree shelters may produce (del Campo et al. 2006) . On the other hand, the soil moisture values recorded under shrub understories (C1) were significantly lower than those found in C2 and similar to those found in the control (C3). This situation could be explained by considering that in semiarid areas, such as that found in our study site, rains may occur as small precipitation events. Shrub canopies intercept this rainwater, limiting its availability in their understories, making the soil under shrub canopies drier than the adjacent open areas (Tielbörger and Kadmon 2000) . In other cases in the same areas, if a moderate to heavy rainfall event occurs, some shrubs increase water availability by directing water intercepted by the canopy to their understory through stem flow (García Ortiz 2006) . Besides these two examples, other mechanisms for water uptake under shrub canopies may occur, such as hydraulic lift (Flores and Jurado 2003) .

These higher moisture values in C2 could be explained by the radiative condenser effect that tree shelters may produce.

Shrub canopies intercept this rainwater, limiting its availability in their understories, making the soil under shrub canopies drier than the adjacent open areas.

In other cases in the same areas, if a moderate to heavy rainfall event occurs, some shrubs increase water availability by directing water intercepted by the canopy to their understory through stem flow.

Besides these two examples, other mechanisms for water uptake under shrub canopies may occur, such as hydraulic lift.


The increased risk of interference caused by GSM phones results from the specific temporal characteristics of GSM system operation. In Time Division Multiplexing modulation the user occupies 1 out of 8 consecutive time slots forming a frame. Each slot has a length of 0.58 ms. This means that a mobile phone emits periodic power bursts with a frequency of 217 Hz. Data are transmitted by the phone at the end of every multiframe period consisting of 26 frames which is connected with power bursts with a frequency of 8 Hz. The peak power of digital phones used in the European GSM system is 2 W and 1 W for 900 MHz and 1800 MHz frequency bands, respectively. Power control system regulates the output radio signal power to the minimum value necessary for effective communication. However, when the user is located at the edge of the cell (far from the base station) or in shielded spaces, e.g., elevators, reinforced concrete structures, the mobile phone may operate at maximum transmit power level. Another P 10.2478/msr-2013-0035 mechanism which changes the temporal characteristics of data transmission is Discontinuous Transmission (DTX) mode. This mechanism limits the frequency of power bursts to 2 Hz in periods of voice inactivity. RF bursts sent with frequencies 2 and 8 Hz correspond to 120 and 480 pulses per minute, which in certain circumstances may mimic fibrillation in the ECG signals. However, power of the signal transmitted from the mobile phone changes in the range from 0.02 W to 2 W and it depends on the strength and quality of the signal received from the base station [35] [36] [37] [38] .

Each slot has a length of 0.58 ms.

However, power of the signal transmitted from the mobile phone changes in the range from 0.02 W to 2 W and it depends on the strength and quality of the signal received from the base station.


The complex-type biantennary N-glycan bearing both ending arms of LacdiNAc is the major N-glycan isolated from the bovine whey concentrate, accounting for 11.3% of total N-glycans. N-glycans possessing terminal LacdiNAc account for 22.8% of total N-glycans, a level that is approximately 1.7-times lower than that of terminal high-mannose type. LacdiNAc can be modified by other sugars, such as sulfate, fucose and sialic acid. Only an α2-6 sialylated LacdiNAc structure was detected in bovine whey protein concentrate; this modified form is frequently found in vertebrates [16] .

Only an α2-6 sialylated LacdiNAc structure was detected in bovine whey protein concentrate; this modified form is frequently found in vertebrates.


Whereas unstable proteins and most fats coagulate into the curd portion, most of the lactose, minerals, fast-acting proteins and vitamins are in the whey portion. Although there is composition variation of whey depending the type of cheese production and the milk composition varying due to season, species, etc., whey is generally composed of 61-75% lactose, 10-15% protein, 7-14% ash, 0.2-2% fat, moisture ≤5% for dry product and ≤95% for liquid product, and lactic acid ≤0.16% for sweet-type whey and ≥0.35% for acidictype whey [3] . Whey can be further processed into three different forms: isolate (the purest form containing at least 90% protein), concentrate (the cheapest form containing not less than 25% protein) and hydrolysate (hypoallergenic form that is pretreated with enzymes to break down amino acid chains). Whey protein has a number of applications in the food industry, such as in baked goods, beverages and nutritional supplements, due to its functionality and nutritive value [4] .

Although there is composition variation of whey depending the type of cheese production and the milk composition varying due to season, species, etc., whey is generally composed of 61-75% lactose, 10-15% protein, 7-14% ash, 0.2-2% fat, moisture ≤5% for dry product and ≤95% for liquid product, and lactic acid ≤0.16% for sweet-type whey and ≥0.35% for acidictype whey.

Whey protein has a number of applications in the food industry, such as in baked goods, beverages and nutritional supplements, due to its functionality and nutritive value.


Whey is the liquid part separated from the solid part of milk (curd) by mixing milk with harmless active bacteria (providing acid whey with a pH lower than 5.1) or the enzyme rennin (providing sweet whey with a pH of at least 5.6) in a coagulation (clotting) process, the basis of cheese production. Generally, about 9 L of whey is produced as a byproduct for every kilogram of cheese-making [1] . Whey was previously considered as dairy industrial waste, but the functionality and nutritive value of whey are now recognized [2] .

Generally, about 9 L of whey is produced as a byproduct for every kilogram of cheese-making.

Whey was previously considered as dairy industrial waste, but the functionality and nutritive value of whey are now recognized.


Results on the rare portion of the imSitu dataset are presented in Table 2 in rows 1-5. Our final model (row 5) provides the best overall performance (mean column) on rare cases among models trained only on imSitu data, improving by 0.64 points on average. All models struggle to get correctly entire structures (value-all columns), indicating rare predictions are extremely hard to get completely correct while the baseline model which only uses image regression potentials performs the best. We hypothesize that image regression potentials may allow the model to more easily coordinate predictions across roles simultaneously because role-noun combinations that always co-occur will always have the same set of regression weights. Semantic Data Augmentation Our results on the full im-Situ development set are presented in Table 1 in rows 6-8. Overall results indicate that semantic data augmentation helps all models, while our tensor model (row 7) benefits more than the baseline (row 6). Self training improves the tensor model slightly (row 8), making it perform better on top-1 and top-5 predictions but hurting performance given gold verbs. On average, our final model outperforms the baseline CRF trained on identical data by 2.04 points. Results on the rare portion of the imSitu dataset are presented in Table 2 in rows [6] [7] [8] . Surprisingly, on rare cases semantic augmentation hurts the baseline CRF (line 6). Rare instance image search results are extremely noisy. On close inspection, many of the returned results do not contain the target activity at all but instead contain target nouns. We hypothesize that without an effective global noun representation, the baseline CRF cannot extract meaningful information from such extra data. On the other hand, our tensor model (line 7) improves on these rare cases overall and with self training improves further (line 8).

Results on the rare portion of the imSitu dataset are presented in Table 2 in rows.


Iron has been shown to have an effect on eDNA levels in biofilms via the PQS quorum sensing system [11] . Increased iron ion concentrations leads to decreases in PQS production which in turn results in decreased cell lysis and corresponding eDNA release. Our studies show an increase in Fe(II) levels in media when FeNPs are incubated with P. aeruginosa, and a corresponding decrease in the amount of eDNA. These results support previous experiments on the effect of iron on eDNA release and supports our findings that P. aeruginosa can use FeNPs as an iron source.

Iron has been shown to have an effect on eDNA levels in biofilms via the PQS quorum sensing system.


Iron is a key nutrient required by most living organisms. Due to the insolubility of the ferric (Fe(III)) ion and because the soluble ferrous (Fe(II)) ion is readily oxidized at neutral pH, this abundant element is a limited resource for which organisms must compete [3] . Similarly, iron's efficiency as an electron donor and acceptor makes it susceptible to generating toxic oxygen radicals [4] .

Due to the insolubility of the ferric (Fe(III)) ion and because the soluble ferrous (Fe(II)) ion is readily oxidized at neutral pH, this abundant element is a limited resource for which organisms must compete.

Similarly, iron's efficiency as an electron donor and acceptor makes it susceptible to generating toxic oxygen radicals.


In previous reports we deposited indium sulphide oxide (InS x O y ) thin films using the electrochemical deposition technique (ECD) [17, 18] . The as-deposited films were amorphous in nature and included elemental indium in a polycrystalline structure. In order to improve their crystalline structure, the deposited films were annealed in nitrogen atmosphere at 100˚C, 200˚C, 300˚C and 400˚C [19] . Phase transition happened only at 400˚C and the structure of the 400˚C-annelaed film was polycrystalline. Due to annealing at such relatively high temperature (400˚C), almost all the sulphure content escaped from the film and oxygen, from the atmosphere, partly replaced it. This might be inversely affected the electrical properties of the annealed films.

In previous reports we deposited indium sulphide oxide (InS x O y ) thin films using the electrochemical deposition technique (ECD).

In order to improve their crystalline structure, the deposited films were annealed in nitrogen atmosphere at 100˚C, 200˚C, 300˚C and 400˚C.


The main result of our work is that we have associated a mixed-symmetry field to each of the generalized KK monopoles using the general rule (18) . All the generalized KK monopoles considered have a single set of isometry directions, with the notable exception of the ten-dimensional solution (2, 0, 6, 1) −4 and the eleven-dimensional solution (2, 0, 7, 1), which have two inequivalent isometry directions. Such monopoles have a quadratic and cubic dependence of the mass on the radii, see eqs. (25) and (26). It turns out that the specific mixed-symmetry fields we found are precisely the ones predicted by E 11 [14] . Indeed, E 11 naturally contains fields that are all possible dual descriptions of the supergravity fields, and thus naturally includes the fields in Table 3 and in eq. (16) [23] . Moreover, selecting out of the various potentials the ones that are associated to supersymmetric branes corresponds to selecting the real roots of E 11 , and this gives automatically all supersymmetric branes in all dimensions [13] . This is one more application where E 11 is used to learn about the properties of supergravity.

The main result of our work is that we have associated a mixed-symmetry field to each of the generalized KK monopoles using the general rule.

It turns out that the specific mixed-symmetry fields we found are precisely the ones predicted by E 11.

Indeed, E 11 naturally contains fields that are all possible dual descriptions of the supergravity fields, and thus naturally includes the fields in Table 3 and in eq. (16).

Moreover, selecting out of the various potentials the ones that are associated to supersymmetric branes corresponds to selecting the real roots of E 11 , and this gives automatically all supersymmetric branes in all dimensions.


The lower-dimensional branes with α = 0, −1, −2, −3 can all be seen to arise as dimensional reductions of branes and a set of generalized KK monopoles in ten dimensions [16, 17] . The generalized KK monopoles can be schematically represented by the introduction of mixed-symmetry fields in ten dimensions, provided that one applies a restricted dimensional reduction rule when counting the branes in the lower dimension: given a mixedsymmetry field A m,n with m > n, indicating a Young tableaux consisting of a column of length m and a column of length n, one requires that the n indices Comparison between the number n P = dim G of (D − 2)-form potentials, the number n D = dim G − rank G of supersymmetric defect branes and the number n S = dim G − dim H of coset scalars for the coset spaces G/H of maximal supergravity in 3 ≤ D ≤ 10 dimensions. The derivation of the expression for n D may be found in Section 2.

The lower-dimensional branes with α = 0, −1, −2, −3 can all be seen to arise as dimensional reductions of branes and a set of generalized KK monopoles in ten dimensions.


Unlike the cited works, in the present model the dynamics takes place on an empirical etherogeneous network organized in interconnected groups. This is the director network of Fortune 1000 corporations (data are kindly provided by Davis [3] ). The connectivity within a group (a board of directors) and between groups is highly etherogeneous. Moreover, the dynamics takes places in different groups at different times.

This is the director network of Fortune 1000 corporations (data are kindly provided by Davis).


We present a model for the diffusion of decisions in a network of corporate boards linked by shared board directors. Boards of large corporations share common directors with each other forming complex networks, often characterized by Small World properties [3] . An example of board network is shown in figure 1 : nodes represent boards of directors, two boards are connected by an edge if there is at least one director sitting on both boards at the same time. The network represents the boards at 1 degree of separation (in term of edges) away from the board of Chase Manhattan Bank. For instance the boards of Abbott Laboratories and Chase Manhattan Bank are connected because they share one director.

Boards of large corporations share common directors with each other forming complex networks, often characterized by Small World properties.


The spinel magnetic ferrites have generated considerable interest among the researchers all across the world, due to their unique and versatile properties. Novel electrical and magnetic behaviors are observed for the nanosized magnetic particles when compared to that of the bulk counterparts [1] . In the early days, garnets were used for microwave devices where they have high value of electrical resistivity and low dielectric losses. But because of low Curie temperature, high stress sensitivity, and high cost of the garnets, they are rarely used. Recently, spinel ferrites are often used in place of garnets. Lithium ferrites and substituted lithium ferrites have become important materials for the microwave applications such as in circulators, isolators, and phase shifters due to their high resistivity, low dielectric losses, high Curie temperature, square hysteresis loop, and low cost [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] .

Novel electrical and magnetic behaviors are observed for the nanosized magnetic particles when compared to that of the bulk counterparts.

Lithium ferrites and substituted lithium ferrites have become important materials for the microwave applications such as in circulators, isolators, and phase shifters due to their high resistivity, low dielectric losses, high Curie temperature, square hysteresis loop, and low cost.


Attention of animals, also primates and humans, is rapidly drawn towards conspicuous objects and regions in the visual environment. The ability to identify such objects and regions in complex and cluttered environments is key to survival, for locating possible prey, predators, mates or landmarks for navigation (Elazary and Itti, 2008) . But attention is only one aspect. We start to understand how our visual system works: (1) very fast extraction of global scene gist, (2) also fast local gist for important objects and a rough spatial layout map, (3) in parallel with (2) the construction of a saliency map for Focus-of-Attention (FoA), and only then (4) sequential screening of conspicuous regions for precise object recognition, using peaks and regions in the saliency map with inhibitionof-return in order not to fixate the same region twice, but with two strategies for FoA: first covert attention (automatic, data-driven) possibly followed by overt attention (consciously directed). In addition, our visual system is not analysing all information for constructing a complete and detailed map of our environment; it concentrates on essential information for the task at hand and it relies on the physical environment as external memory (Rensink, 2000) .

The ability to identify such objects and regions in complex and cluttered environments is key to survival, for locating possible prey, predators, mates or landmarks for navigation.

But attention is only one aspect.

In addition, our visual system is not analysing all information for constructing a complete and detailed map of our environment; it concentrates on essential information for the task at hand and it relies on the physical environment as external memory.


Currently, the NF membrane market is dominated by polyamide (PA) thin film composite (TFC) membrane made by interfacial polymerization (IP) technique. The unique characteristics of TFC membrane (compared to asymmetric membrane formed via phase inversion technique) are the significantly higher water flux coupled with excellent separation capability and wide pH tolerance. By embedding a small quantity of nanofillers into PA selective layer of membranes, it was reported the water permeability of the resultant thin film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes could be significantly improved with minimum impact on salt rejection rate due to higher membrane hydrophilicity (Ingole et al., 2016; Lau et al., 2015a; Lind et al., 2009; Ma et al., 2017; Sirinupong et al., n.d.; Wang et al., 2015; Zheng et al., 2017) . The resultant TFN membranes also show huge potential not only in overcoming flux-rejection trade-off of TFC membranes, but also introducing additional features rendered by inorganic nanofillers such as excellent antifouling properties and antibacterial effect (Emadzadeh et al., 2014; Lau et al., 2015b , Lee et al., 2008 , 2007 Li et al., 2015) .

By embedding a small quantity of nanofillers into PA selective layer of membranes, it was reported the water permeability of the resultant thin film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes could be significantly improved with minimum impact on salt rejection rate due to higher membrane hydrophilicity.

The resultant TFN membranes also show huge potential not only in overcoming flux-rejection trade-off of TFC membranes, but also introducing additional features rendered by inorganic nanofillers such as excellent antifouling properties and antibacterial effect.


The temporal instability of personality trait measures is particularly problematic for studies in which comparison groups are defined by their level of a particular trait, a problem that becomes more substantial when the groups represent opposite ends of the spectrum (Knowles et al., 1996) . If the self-report measures used to select prospective participants do not reflect the trait of interest in a stable fashion, then individuals who are initially recruited may no longer actually meet the inclusion criteria upon study enrollment. Researchers who then fail to find significant differences between groups may attribute this failure to the lack of an effect of a specific personality trait on the dependent variable, when a real effect may have been diluted or masked by a shift in the trait used to assign participants to groups. Therefore, the ability to predict which participants will demonstrate trait stability vs. trait drift on a screening question-naire is of methodological value. With respect to studies on pathological worry, advancements in ways to separate stable, chronic worriers from acutely worried individuals through the use of self-report measures will facilitate a better understanding of worry as a personality trait.

The temporal instability of personality trait measures is particularly problematic for studies in which comparison groups are defined by their level of a particular trait, a problem that becomes more substantial when the groups represent opposite ends of the spectrum.


The use of self-report measures to screen large groups of prospective participants for a desired quality or personality trait is common practice in the social sciences and has been used in several studies designed to better understand the nature and function of worry (Delgado, et al., 2009; Ruscio & Borkovec, 2004) . However, it is it is not always clear whether study eligibility was determined based on a single assessment of worry/ anxiety or if these questionnaires were readministered in order to ensure stability of the desired trait over time. The former scenario is the most convenient, and investigators may often assume minimal change in the trait over time. Nevertheless, it is important to recognize that personality traits may not be completely impervious to influence by environment, context, or emotional state (Mischel, 1977) . Also, just as some individuals may be more sensitive to state-dependent fluctuations in selfreport assessment of personality traits than others, some purported trait questionnaires may demonstrate more instability over time than others.

The use of self-report measures to screen large groups of prospective participants for a desired quality or personality trait is common practice in the social sciences and has been used in several studies designed to better understand the nature and function of worry.

Nevertheless, it is important to recognize that personality traits may not be completely impervious to influence by environment, context, or emotional state.


Self-report measures are commonly used to screen for personality traits in both clinical and research settings. The stability of these questionnaires is crucial for accurate assessment, as well as for determining the effectiveness of a treatment or intervention strategy. Nevertheless, the stability of personality questionnaires can decrease with increasing length of time between evaluations (Schuerger, Zarrella, & Hotz, 1989) . Mean shifts in self-report measures of anxiety, for example, can occur with repeated assessment even in the absence of an external variable, such that symptoms appear to improve over time (Knowles, Coker, Scott, Cook, & Neville, 1996; Windle, 1954) . The use of questionnaires to recruit participants may, therefore, pose a problem for researchers interested in mechanisms underlying anxiety and its associated features, as instability can result in misclassification of participants, weakening of effect sizes, and increased error in the data (Knowles et al., 1996) . The purpose of this paper is to examine the stability of repeated administrations of trait questionnaires of worry and anxiety when such measures are used to screen participants for inclusion in a study.

Nevertheless, the stability of personality questionnaires can decrease with increasing length of time between evaluations.

Mean shifts in self-report measures of anxiety, for example, can occur with repeated assessment even in the absence of an external variable, such that symptoms appear to improve over time.

The use of questionnaires to recruit participants may, therefore, pose a problem for researchers interested in mechanisms underlying anxiety and its associated features, as instability can result in misclassification of participants, weakening of effect sizes, and increased error in the data.


Collagen IX gene is one of the most recent trending research targets among numerous genes [8] . Collagen IX has been demonstrated to serve as a bridge between collagenous and non-collagenous proteins in normal tissues [9] . COL9A2 and COL9A3 genes encode α2 and α3 chains on collagen IX, respectively [10, 11] . To date, numerous groups have reported the associations of COL9A2 and COL9A3 gene polymorphisms with the risk of LDD.

Collagen IX gene is one of the most recent trending research targets among numerous genes.

Collagen IX has been demonstrated to serve as a bridge between collagenous and non-collagenous proteins in normal tissues.

COL9A2 and COL9A3 genes encode α2 and α3 chains on collagen IX, respectively.


Our second objective in this paper is of a more geometric and physical nature. Specifically, we will show that the fractional wave operator, as considered in the theory of hypersingular integrals, does arise in gravitational physics as the Dirichlet-to-Neumann map of the Klein-Gordon equation (1.8) in anti-de Sitter spaces. Hyperbolic equations for fields in anti-de Sitter backgrounds with nontrivial data on their conformal boundaries have attracted much attention over the last two decades, especially in connection with the celebrated AdS/CFT correspondence in string theory [15, 25] . Indeed, this conjectural relation establishes a connection between conformal field theories in n dimensions and gravity fields on an (n + 1)-dimensional spacetime of anti-de Sitter type, to the effect that correlation functions in conformal field theory are given by the asymptotic behavior at infinity of the supergravity action. Mathematically, this involves describing the solution to the gravitational field equations in (n + 1) dimensions (which, in the simplest case of a scalar field reduces to the Klein-Gordon equation) in terms of a conformal field, which plays the role of the boundary data imposed on the (timelike) conformal boundary.

Hyperbolic equations for fields in anti-de Sitter backgrounds with nontrivial data on their conformal boundaries have attracted much attention over the last two decades, especially in connection with the celebrated AdS/CFT correspondence in string theory.


An additional analysis of the potential demographic predictors behind these achievement results was beyond the scope of this paper. A separate paper, using a variety of demographic variables (e.g., socio-economic status, English language learner status, and gender) in a linear regression analysis, examines these potential predictors (Moyer-Packenham, Jordan, et al., 2013) . The results of the additional analysis revealed that fewer demographic predictors of student performance (e.g., socio-economic status, English language learner status, and gender) existed during fraction instruction using virtual manipulatives. When instructors used virtual manipulatives, there was an equalizing effect on achievement in third and fourth grade, in that fewer demographic factors were influential in the VM groups.

A separate paper, using a variety of demographic variables (e.g., socio-economic status, English language learner status, and gender) in a linear regression analysis, examines these potential predictors.


Decision problems have been central to the field of geometric group theory since its inception in the work of Dehn [14] . These may be split into local problems, where a group is given and questions are asked about elements or (finite) collections of elements, and global problems, where questions are asked about different finite presentations of groups. Miller's survey article provides further details [31] .

Decision problems have been central to the field of geometric group theory since its inception in the work of Dehn.

Miller's survey article provides further details.


The efficient management of working capital is particularly important for small firms at a time of economic downturn such as the current "credit crunch", which started in 2008. A "credit crunch" is defined as a sudden reduction in the general availability of loans and credit or sudden increase in the cost of obtaining loans from banks (Ding et al., 2008) . Consequently, owner-managers find it more difficult to raise finance for working capital due to the higher cost of borrowing, the effect of declining property value on the ability of owner-managers to provide the necessary collateral, and the perception that the banks have become even more risk-averse than they were already.

A "credit crunch" is defined as a sudden reduction in the general availability of loans and credit or sudden increase in the cost of obtaining loans from banks.


The aim of this paper has been to show how liquidity management in small firms can be understood as a learning process. The argument presented here is not that liquidity management based on formal rationality should be ignored, or that procedural and expressive rationality are more important than formal rationality. Rather, the argument is that human actions cannot be understood solely in terms of formal rationality (Jarvis et al., 1996) .

Rather, the argument is that human actions cannot be understood solely in terms of formal rationality.


The limited impact of previous studies is the result of weaknesses in the methodologies used and the over-reliance on the financial practices of large firms as well as the standards and practices used by accountants, banks, and other professionals, without paying much attention to the practices actually used by small business owners themselves. The core argument in this paper is that to improve practices in dealing with liquidity problems in small firms, advice given and methods recommended should be those grounded in the actual behaviour of small business owners (Ekanem, 2005) . This means understanding the motivations of small business owners and their experiences and not just making assumptions about it.

The core argument in this paper is that to improve practices in dealing with liquidity problems in small firms, advice given and methods recommended should be those grounded in the actual behaviour of small business owners.


Because sorghum is not Indonesian origin, so its genetic variability found in Indonesia is still limited. Some sorghum genotypes have been introduced from abroad e.g. from the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in India. Through plant breeding programs, the Ministry of Agriculture has released some sorghum varieties such as UPCA, Keris, Mandau, Higari, Badik, Gadam, Sangkur, Numbu and Kawali [8] . These national varieties have big potential to be cultivated and developed in the arable land in Indonesia especially during wet seasons. Further research on sorghum breeding is needed especially to search for genotypes that can be grown and cultivated during dry seasons.

Through plant breeding programs, the Ministry of Agriculture has released some sorghum varieties such as UPCA, Keris, Mandau, Higari, Badik, Gadam, Sangkur, Numbu and Kawali.


The research presented in this paper is motivated by the possibility to generate a small number of polymer lenses with different focal length in a very simple, cost effective process. Therefore, two approaches were prepared for preserving the shape of a liquid lens. The general concept is to fill a circular hole with a low viscosity UV-curing adhesive. The free surface of the liquid adhesive forms a spherical cap the same way a liquid lens of any other material (e.g. water) does [7, 9, 13, 14] . To preserve the shape of this liquid lens, the adhesive is hardened with UV light. For the first approach, a Si-wafer with holes is used and for the second, a PDMS mould is manufactured by casting of a SU-8™ master structure.

The free surface of the liquid adhesive forms a spherical cap the same way a liquid lens of any other material (e.g. water) does.


The present study also found that hyperuricemia risk decreased as the quartile of flavonoids, which are DII components, increased. Flavonoids are products of the secondary metabolism of many edible plants. Flavonoids intake is inversely associated with cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, stoke risk, myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, dementia, and colorectal cancer [44] [45] [46] [47] [48] [49] [50] [51] [52] [53] . Various studies on flavonoids suggest that they are antioxidants that are able to reduce free radical formation as well as the number of free radicals [54, 55] . Oxidative stress is known to activate a variety of transcription factors, such as inflammatory cytokines, that can lead to the expression of various genes [56] . It is associated with activation of reactive oxygen species, which are supplemented by antioxidants such as flavonoids to reduce cellular oxidants, which, in turn, can prevent hyperuricemia. One study reported that flavonoids are related to ã-aminobutyric acid type A (GABA A ) receptor for preventing alcohol use disorders [57] . We also performed a joint analysis of alcohol consumption and flavonoid intake for the risk of hyperuricemia. The results showed that the interaction of alcohol consumption and flavonoid intake was not significant (p = 0.23, data not shown), and the combined effect was significant, but it was similar to these factors' respective single effects.

Flavonoids intake is inversely associated with cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, stoke risk, myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, dementia, and colorectal cancer.

Various studies on flavonoids suggest that they are antioxidants that are able to reduce free radical formation as well as the number of free radicals.

Oxidative stress is known to activate a variety of transcription factors, such as inflammatory cytokines, that can lead to the expression of various genes.

One study reported that flavonoids are related to ã-aminobutyric acid type A (GABA A ) receptor for preventing alcohol use disorders.


Although the generation and propagation of earthquake-generated tsunamis have been studied for the last four decades and are now relatively well understood, the causes and effects of landslide-generated tsunamis are much less known. The generation and effects of landslide-generated tsunamis are complex and variable. Historical landslide-generated tsunamis have produced locally extreme wave heights of hundreds of meters, as exemplified by the greater than 100-foot wave heights in Lituya Bay, Alaska, that were generated by the 1958 Lituya Bay landslide [6] . Landslide-generated tsunamis have relatively small source areas compared to the earthquake-generated tsunamis. These landslide-generated tsunamis are more prone to coastal amplification (increasing the local effect) as well as radial damping (decreasing the distal effect). This is in direct contrast to the earthquake-generated tsunamis, which are caused by elongated 2-D sources and propagate perpendicular to the source fault with little radial spreading [2, 7] .

Historical landslide-generated tsunamis have produced locally extreme wave heights of hundreds of meters, as exemplified by the greater than 100-foot wave heights in Lituya Bay, Alaska, that were generated by the 1958 Lituya Bay landslide.

This is in direct contrast to the earthquake-generated tsunamis, which are caused by elongated 2-D sources and propagate perpendicular to the source fault with little radial spreading.


However, there are several limitations and disadvantages to the flap use. The presence of teeth in the symphyseal region makes the distant required for the flap to reach the defect considerably long. The possibility of biting through the flap pedicle is a deterrent factor, that the flap use is best restricted to the edentulous patients [2] .

The possibility of biting through the flap pedicle is a deterrent factor, that the flap use is best restricted to the edentulous patients.


To detect cavitation inside the centrifugal pump, determination of 3% head drop is the most common method in industrial application [7, 8] . But many researches have proved that cavitation develops much earlier than that reflected in the head curve [9, 10] . Visualization of cavitation inside the blade channels could be applied to observe cavitation inception effectively, but it is not a convenient means in industrial application [11] . Along with cavitation occurring, emitted noise and high amplitude vibration would be easily identified [12, 13] . So cavitation induced vibration signals could be applied to detect cavitation considering its convenient characteristics for application.

To detect cavitation inside the centrifugal pump, determination of 3% head drop is the most common method in industrial application.

But many researches have proved that cavitation develops much earlier than that reflected in the head curve.

Visualization of cavitation inside the blade channels could be applied to observe cavitation inception effectively, but it is not a convenient means in industrial application.

Along with cavitation occurring, emitted noise and high amplitude vibration would be easily identified.


Cavitation, one of the unexpected flow instabilities inside centrifugal pumps, is detrimental to the stable operation of centrifugal pumps [1] [2] [3] . With absolute static pressure at the impeller suction decreasing, cavitation may easily occur at the blade leading edge. Furthermore, with static pressure decreasing continuously, cavitation region inside blade channels expands towards the blade trailing edge, and cavitation bubbles travel with the main flow collapsing at high static pressure region [4] . During the collapsing process, unsteady impact forces acting on the blade surfaces and shock waves would be generated resulting in vibration energy of the pump increasing rapidly [5, 6] . Besides, due to the continuously impingement effect of the burst cavitation bubbles, cavitation erosion would develop on the blade surfaces. So it is essential to detect cavitation during pump operating to avoid the unexpected effects.

Cavitation, one of the unexpected flow instabilities inside centrifugal pumps, is detrimental to the stable operation of centrifugal pumps.

Furthermore, with static pressure decreasing continuously, cavitation region inside blade channels expands towards the blade trailing edge, and cavitation bubbles travel with the main flow collapsing at high static pressure region.

During the collapsing process, unsteady impact forces acting on the blade surfaces and shock waves would be generated resulting in vibration energy of the pump increasing rapidly.


A stable HEK293 cell line over expressing AKT1 was generated using GATEWAY technology, as described earlier [8] . SILAC labelling was used to detect varied protein amounts among samples under different conditions. It relies on the metabolic incorporation of the given light and heavy forms of amino acids in the protein. Drug treatment experiment was performed as described earlier [8] .

A stable HEK293 cell line over expressing AKT1 was generated using GATEWAY technology, as described earlier.

Drug treatment experiment was performed as described earlier.


Determination of the attitude of a vehicle with respect to a reference frame is one of the fundamental tasks of a navigation system. Frequently, the attitude is determined by comparing vectors measured in a body-fixed coordinate frame with known reference vectors in the reference frame. The necessary vector measurements can be obtained, for example, by using on-board magnetometers, which measure the earth's magnetic field; star-trackers, which measure the position of stars relative to the vehicle; or accelerometers, which measure the earth's gravity field together with the acceleration of the vehicle. If at least two non-parallel vector measurements and their corresponding reference vectors are available, then the attitude can be determined by using algorithms like the quest algorithm (Shuster and Oh, 1981) .

If at least two non-parallel vector measurements and their corresponding reference vectors are available, then the attitude can be determined by using algorithms like the quest algorithm.


Direct Numerical Simulation of viscoelastic fluids in turbulent channel flow is carried out using the FENE-P model to find relationships between flow and fluid rheological parameters [14] . Three different regimes of drag reduction, namely low, high and medium are identified proposing mathematical expressions for the eddy viscosity in the three regimes. A procedure based on the DNS predictions of the budgets of momentum and viscoelastic shear stress is developed to evaluate the mean velocity profile. A RANS model is employed using the FENE-P constitutive relationship to describe the rheology of polymer-induced turbulent drag reduction [15] . Correlations among flow and polymer conformation variables are identified by analyzing recent DNS results of dilute polymer solutions.

Direct Numerical Simulation of viscoelastic fluids in turbulent channel flow is carried out using the FENE-P model to find relationships between flow and fluid rheological parameters.

A RANS model is employed using the FENE-P constitutive relationship to describe the rheology of polymer-induced turbulent drag reduction.


One of the most important advances in spindle metrology since the work by Bryan and Tlusty was the refinement of capacitance sensors with high sensitivity and resolution. An excellent background on capacitive sensors is available from Foldvari and Lion [19] . By the late 1980s, researchers developed nanometer-resolution sensors that could be applied to the challenge of measuring precision spindle error motion [20] . Chapman designed and built a spindle analyzer capable of measuring radial, axial, and tilt error motion with a resolution of 5 nm [21] . Hansen introduced a general-purpose instrument in 1988 using the now popular double sphere artifact for complete calibrations [22] .

An excellent background on capacitive sensors is available from Foldvari and Lion.

By the late 1980s, researchers developed nanometer-resolution sensors that could be applied to the challenge of measuring precision spindle error motion.

Chapman designed and built a spindle analyzer capable of measuring radial, axial, and tilt error motion with a resolution of 5 nm.

Hansen introduced a general-purpose instrument in 1988 using the now popular double sphere artifact for complete calibrations.


In a complete spindle calibration all five degrees of freedom of error motion are measured as a function of the spindle's angular position. Some applications, such as a lathe with fixed sensitive direction, only require that three degrees of freedom be measured to fully characterize the relevant error motion. The B89.3.4M standard illustrates a number of experimental configurations for measuring the relevant components of error motion. Fig. 1 illustrates one measurement configuration that records five displacements (X 1 , Y 1 , X 2 , Y 2 , and axial) of two spherical artifacts during the revolutions of a spindle; the exact number of revolutions is not rigidly prescribed by B89.3.4M. In such a measurement, the recorded displacements result from both the spindle error motion and imperfections in the artifact geometry (as well as displacements due to thermal drift or other changes in operating condi- tions). Several techniques can separate spindle error motion from artifact form errors, including Donaldson reversal, Estler reversal, multi-step, and multi-gage methods [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] .

Several techniques can separate spindle error motion from artifact form errors, including Donaldson reversal, Estler reversal, multi-step, and multi-gage methods.


Other developments have been thoughtfully researched, including alternatives to the Donaldson and Estler reversal methods for separating spindle error motion from artifact form error. These alternatives include multi-position techniques where measurements are recorded with displacement sensors at multiple angular locations and multi-probe methods where measurements are recorded from multiple sensors simultaneously. Whitehouse pointed out that the multi-position and multi-probe methods are insensitive to (i.e., do not accurately detect) certain harmonics of the error motion depending on the number of gages, positioning of the gages, or steps used in acquiring the data [23] . Donaldson and Estler reversal are widely preferred since they completely separate all harmonics of error motion and artifact form. Regardless of the error separation scheme used in a particular spindle calibration, the literature and experience show that the accuracy of all methods is adversely affected by imperfectly re-positioned gages or by using multiple gages of unequal sensitivity. Therefore great care is required when reorienting a displacement sensor and reversing the spindle or artifact.

Whitehouse pointed out that the multi-position and multi-probe methods are insensitive to (i.e., do not accurately detect) certain harmonics of the error motion depending on the number of gages, positioning of the gages, or steps used in acquiring the data.


The ANSI/ASME B89.3.4M Axes of Rotation: Methods for Specifying and Testing Standard defines the language of spindle metrology and the reader is referred to the standard for concise, complete and rigorous definitions of the relevant terms [4] . In accordance with this standard, the spindle metrologist must unambiguously specify the imperfections in a spindle's axis of rotation. The spindle rotor is treated as a rigid body with six degrees of freedom and ideally 1 • of motion (rotation about the Z-axis, by convention). Any motion in the remaining five degrees of freedom is error motion and is quantified and described with techniques and terms from the B89.3.4M standard. This motion is reported by its radial (X and Y directions at a specified location), axial (along the Z-axis), and tilt components (rotation about the X and Y axes). The specific axial location of radial measurements must be reported since tilt components influence radial error motion.

The ANSI/ASME B89.3.4M Axes of Rotation: Methods for Specifying and Testing Standard defines the language of spindle metrology and the reader is referred to the standard for concise, complete and rigorous definitions of the relevant terms.


The metrology of machine tools and their components has roots back to the early 1900s. Scheslinger was the first to establish specific tests for qualifying the performance of machine tools and key components such as spindles [12] . Scheslinger's tests of a machine tool spindle used a mechanical displacement indicator on the rotor to measure the total indicated reading (TIR), which is now recognized to be the superposition of the form error of the measured surface and the spindle error motion.

Scheslinger was the first to establish specific tests for qualifying the performance of machine tools and key components such as spindles.


Inorganic chemicals are attracting more and more attention among common fire retardants due to their high flame retardant efficiency, low cost, and environmental friendliness [1] [2] [3] [4] . Specifically, phosphorus flame retardants like ammonium polyphosphate (APP) and ammonium monohydric phosphate (DAP) are effective fire retardants and have been widely used for fire retardation treatment of wood and other cellulosic combustible materials [5] [6] [7] [8] . However, the inorganic salts of the flame retardants are water-soluble, resulting in a gradual loss during using terms, which directly affect the durability of fire-retardant properties, thus limiting its use in contact with water or humidity. What is more, with the use of phosphorus flame retardants, more gases like CO are produced which result in the suffocation of people [9] . Therefore, nontoxic, leach resistance smoke suppression will be a trend in the development of flame retardants for wood.

Inorganic chemicals are attracting more and more attention among common fire retardants due to their high flame retardant efficiency, low cost, and environmental friendliness.

Specifically, phosphorus flame retardants like ammonium polyphosphate (APP) and ammonium monohydric phosphate (DAP) are effective fire retardants and have been widely used for fire retardation treatment of wood and other cellulosic combustible materials.

What is more, with the use of phosphorus flame retardants, more gases like CO are produced which result in the suffocation of people.


The inorganic nano-SiO 2 aerogel plays a certain role in the adsorption and blocking action, which shows a porous structure when it is resided in interior materials. Meanwhile, the Si element existed in SiO 2 aerogel, combined with P or N presented in phosphorus flame retardants, exert a certain synergistic flame retardant and smoke suppression effect [10, 11] . What is more, nano-SiO 2 aerogel has large specific surface area and strong adsorbability, which may help to prevent the phosphate flame retardant from running off [12] . Hence, in this work, nano-SiO 2 aerogel, obtained by sol-gel method, was used to combine with three different phosphate flame retardants to treat wood in order to improve the flame retardancy and smoke suppression and leaching resistance of wood.

Meanwhile, the Si element existed in SiO 2 aerogel, combined with P or N presented in phosphorus flame retardants, exert a certain synergistic flame retardant and smoke suppression effect.

What is more, nano-SiO 2 aerogel has large specific surface area and strong adsorbability, which may help to prevent the phosphate flame retardant from running off.


For reliable crack prediction at early ages, strain criteria must be applied, and this calls for well-documented material models. In recent years, an increased interest in cracking of hardening concrete has led to extensive research on this subject. Making reliable cracking risk assessments involves experimental testing and advanced modelling of the time and temperature-dependent behavior of the properties, the restraint conditions of the structure, and the external environmental conditions. A large number of material models for young concrete have been presented and implemented in computer programs for the simulation of stress development [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] . Based on extensive experimental test, the welldocumented material models were proposed, and verification of the development of the restraint stress in the TSTM test showed that the combination of the material models is capable to describe the total behavior of hardening concrete [10, 11] .

A large number of material models for young concrete have been presented and implemented in computer programs for the simulation of stress development.

Based on extensive experimental test, the welldocumented material models were proposed, and verification of the development of the restraint stress in the TSTM test showed that the combination of the material models is capable to describe the total behavior of hardening concrete.


A number of authors have proposed definitions of work and derived fluctuation theorems for quantum systems in contact with general thermal environments [26, 27, 28, 29, 30] . Our more focused aim in this paper is to consider a quantum system in contact with a thermal environment that produces decoherence but no dissipation. From a theoretical viewpoint, we argue that the TPM protocol provides a natural definition of quantum work in this situation, and we give an elementary, physically motivated derivation of Eq. 1 that agrees with more general results obtained by previous authors [31, 32, 33, 34, 35] . We then describe an experimental implementation constructed from trapped ions that simulates an externally driven system subject to decoherence but no dissipation. From the data we verify the validity of the quantum work relation, providing the first experimental confirmation of Eq. 1 for a system undergoing decoherence.

A number of authors have proposed definitions of work and derived fluctuation theorems for quantum systems in contact with general thermal environments.

From a theoretical viewpoint, we argue that the TPM protocol provides a natural definition of quantum work in this situation, and we give an elementary, physically motivated derivation of Eq. 1 that agrees with more general results obtained by previous authors.


Recently there has been a lot of interest in multimodal biometrics [3, 4, 11, 12] . In general, each biometric sensor has its own limitations and problems. Not all issues can be addressed by a single sensor. Hence integrating multiple sensors to achieve multiple objectives becomes an obvious choice. Many approaches employing fusion for personal identification have been investigated with success [3, 4, 6] . These approaches have explored using different types of sensors to collect the same biometric feature. An example is the fusion of fingerprints collected using both an optical sensor and ultrasound sensor. Others have studied system performance for multimodal biometric fusion such as face and voice. All have demonstrated performance improvement. In a system for the general population, it is paramount that a multimodal system employing fusion be available so that tailoring of the biometric collection and matching process can be accomplished to address the employee's unique characteristics as well as access needs.

Recently there has been a lot of interest in multimodal biometrics.

Many approaches employing fusion for personal identification have been investigated with success.


In the past various methods have been developed to obtain forecasts of fatalities in the absence of additional road safety measures [12] . In theory forecasts should involve causal factors that contribute to the incidence of crashes [13] . However, this requires a detailed and quantitative knowledge of these causal factors and that knowledge is still lacking. Even if knowledge about these causal factors would be available, however, they still would all have to be forecasted too in order to predict the future number of fatalities. For this reason, it is common to extrapolate the historical time trend in the number of fatalities.

In the past various methods have been developed to obtain forecasts of fatalities in the absence of additional road safety measures.

In theory forecasts should involve causal factors that contribute to the incidence of crashes.


Diabetes mellitus (DM) is considered as one of the most chronic diseases that faced humankind. It affected human kind and continued to do so, but in steady increasing rate. Globally the burden of Diabetes mellitus is overwhelming. It is estimated that the total number of people with diabetes is to reach 221 million in 2010 and this number will increase to 366 million in 2030 [1] [2] .

It is estimated that the total number of people with diabetes is to reach 221 million in 2010 and this number will increase to 366 million in 2030.


To determine the impact on performance of JSWs and capitalize on their effectiveness, research addressing the role of JSWs in job searching is required. In addition to research investigating the factors influencing JSW use, research on the factors underlying the impact of JSW use on job searching performance is required. Task-technology fit is one factor that has been evidenced to influence both the use of information systems and their performance impacts (Goodhue & Thompson, 1995) . This paper considers the role of task-technology fit in JSW adoption and addresses the question of how task-technology fit influences the impact of JSWs on jobseeker performance.

Task-technology fit is one factor that has been evidenced to influence both the use of information systems and their performance impacts.


Tabletops with tangible user interfaces are, in principle, wellsuited to the visualization of scientific datasets, and previous research has investigated their application in various domains. One example is a museum exhibit that enables users to explore the distribution of oceanic phytoplankton using ring objects and a 55-inch custom-built table. Compared to a multi-touch interface, the tangible exhibit improved affordance, which attracted groups and invited further exploration [14] . Another example is G-nome surfer, which is a multi-touch tabletop interface that uses tangible objects as containers for generelated information. The system was compared to a traditional GUI and multi-mouse GUI setups and was found (along with the multi-mouse setup) to reduce workload and stress levels. Moreover, it proved superior as it encouraged participation and reflection [20] . Finally, a tabletop interface that incorporates tokens to explore phylogenetic trees performed better that a traditional pen-and-paper approach in encouraging collaboration and improving learning performance [18] . Despite the plot's appearance, each data point has a unique position (the human genome has 3 billion SNPs). The plot was generated using Haploview [2] .

Compared to a multi-touch interface, the tangible exhibit improved affordance, which attracted groups and invited further exploration.

Moreover, it proved superior as it encouraged participation and reflection.

Finally, a tabletop interface that incorporates tokens to explore phylogenetic trees performed better that a traditional pen-and-paper approach in encouraging collaboration and improving learning performance.

The plot was generated using Haploview.


Some visualization research combines vertical projection displays with tangible objects to physically interact with data. In one demonstration, tangible objects represented search criteria where its range could be manipulated. The evaluation of the system validated users' understanding of the concepts [11] . Another example is Artviz, an interface that combines advanced visualization techniques and tangible interactions to explore artwork. It allows users to navigate a large collection of artwork on a graphical display using USB-controlled plug-and-play hardware components [5] .

The evaluation of the system validated users' understanding of the concepts.

It allows users to navigate a large collection of artwork on a graphical display using USB-controlled plug-and-play hardware components.


Other research has explored visualization systems where tangible objects did not only act as controls, but also physically visualized the data or where data were projected virtually onto the objects. Tangible views used lightweight objects associated with a tabletop to explore visualizations, by moving the objects on or above the tabletop's surface [21] . Tangible models of biological molecules enhanced with augmented reality have been developed and found to help in improving and communicating understanding [8] . Emerge is a physical dynamic bar chart developed to support analysis technique. Initial insights from a user study evaluating 14 analysis-based interaction techniques found interacting with the physical system to be intuitive and informative [22] .

Tangible views used lightweight objects associated with a tabletop to explore visualizations, by moving the objects on or above the tabletop's surface.

Tangible models of biological molecules enhanced with augmented reality have been developed and found to help in improving and communicating understanding.

Initial insights from a user study evaluating 14 analysis-based interaction techniques found interacting with the physical system to be intuitive and informative.


The nonisospectral soliton equations usually describe solitary waves in nonuniform media [15] [16] [17] . These equations are related to time-dependent spectral parameters with polynomial evolution λ t = α j λ j in which each coefficient α j corresponds to a certain type of relaxation effect. For example, one Hirota-Satsuma equation, the KdV equation with loss and nonuniformity terms, is related to λ t = −2αλ, and α describes the relaxation and nonuniformity of the media [16] . Besides, the nonisospectral flows related to λ t = λ j usually play the role of master symmetries and then generate time-dependent symmetries [18, 19] .

The nonisospectral soliton equations usually describe solitary waves in nonuniform media.

For example, one Hirota-Satsuma equation, the KdV equation with loss and nonuniformity terms, is related to λ t = −2αλ, and α describes the relaxation and nonuniformity of the media.

Besides, the nonisospectral flows related to λ t = λ j usually play the role of master symmetries and then generate time-dependent symmetries.


Current state-of-the-art SDSs identify suitable places to speak with the help of an end-of-utterance (EOU) detector. This component relies on speech activity detection (SAD), which marshals spoken input into contiguous intervals of speech with internal pauses no longer than a predefined threshold; we will refer to these intervals as talkspurts [2] . Candidate EOUs are considered only at end-oftalkspurt (EOT) events. In the majority of SDSs currently in use, this determination is based exclusively on the duration of the post-EOT pause. Such systems tend to favor politeness over a high number of interruptions by choosing long pauses (1-2s), rendering the conversation less responsive than with a human interlocutor.

This component relies on speech activity detection (SAD), which marshals spoken input into contiguous intervals of speech with internal pauses no longer than a predefined threshold; we will refer to these intervals as talkspurts.


Brown seaweeds are the most common edible seaweeds in Korea and Japan. Their carbohydrates vary strongly between algae species. Typical carbohydrates in brown algae varieties consist of fucoidan, laminaran ( -1.3-glucan), cellulose, mannitol and alginates. Laminaria japonica that has many nutritional value and many health functions is a sort of brown seaweeds [2] . Main reserve polysaccharides of brown seaweed such as laminaran are built up by long chains of sugar unit. After pretreatment and hydrolysis, they can be converted into intermediate products which can be transformed into bio-fuels or other industrially important products [3] .

Laminaria japonica that has many nutritional value and many health functions is a sort of brown seaweeds.

After pretreatment and hydrolysis, they can be converted into intermediate products which can be transformed into bio-fuels or other industrially important products.


The aerodynamic performance of an airfoil greatly depends on the airfoil geometry. The distribution of pressure over the airfoil is highly influenced by the airfoil geometry, including attack angle, chord length, camber height, and so on [1] . The relation between the airfoil geometry and its performance is shown as Figure 1 . Most airplane wings are sufficiently rigid without significant movement or twist during flight. For example, large aircraft wings designed for efficient high-speed flight incorporate some form of rigid trailing edge flap and perhaps a rigid leading edge device such as a slat to achieve high aerodynamics performance [1] . However, future airplanes may fly like birds with flexible wings, so-called, morphing wings. Morphing wings may consist of a single element with sophisticated structures that can reconfigure their shape and adapt to changing flying conditions. These changes can affect the aerodynamics of the wing. A change in the geometry of the wing might be used to control flight, suppress flutter, reduce buffeting effects, and maximize fuel economy. Morphing wings might enable the design of multifunctional aircraft.

The distribution of pressure over the airfoil is highly influenced by the airfoil geometry, including attack angle, chord length, camber height, and so on.

For example, large aircraft wings designed for efficient high-speed flight incorporate some form of rigid trailing edge flap and perhaps a rigid leading edge device such as a slat to achieve high aerodynamics performance.


Determination of the reachable workspace of manipulators plays an important role in the design and analysis of robot manipulators. Workspace is the set of positions and orientations (poses) that the endeffector (mobile platform) of the manipulator can reach. Parallel manipulators are closed-loop mechanisms in which the mobile platform is generally connected to the base platform by means of a number of kinematic chains of links and joints. Parallel manipulators consist of a base platform, a mobile platform, and legs which connect the base platform to the mobile platform. In wire-actuated parallel manipulators, the solid-link legs are replaced by wires. That is, in these types of manipulators the pose of the mobile platform is controlled via wires. The light weight, high load capacity, large workspace, and simpler dynamic model are some advantages of wire-actuated parallel manipulators compared to solidlink parallel manipulators [1] [2] . However, one considerable drawback is that wires can only exert tensile force and cannot push on the mobile platform. Therefore, at least n + 1 wires are necessary in order to fully control an n degrees of freedom wire-actuated parallel manipulator [3] . For example, in planar wireactuated parallel manipulators with two translations on the plane and a rotation about the axis perpendicular to the plane of motion, at least four wires are required to fully control the pose of the mobile platform. Examples of these manipulators can be seen in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 .

The light weight, high load capacity, large workspace, and simpler dynamic model are some advantages of wire-actuated parallel manipulators compared to solidlink parallel manipulators.

Therefore, at least n + 1 wires are necessary in order to fully control an n degrees of freedom wire-actuated parallel manipulator.


Soybean (Glycine max L.) is one of the world's most important sources of oil and protein. It has the highest protein content among leguminous crops (El-Abady et al., 2008) . Soybean plants are subjected to attack by several fungal, bacterial and viral diseases that cause great losses in the yield. Wilt disease of soybean caused by Fusarium oxysporum is one of the most destructive diseases of the crop and is a very common soil-borne fungus (Hashem et al., 2009; Fayzalla et al., 2009) . This pathogen is difficult to control because of their persistence in the soil and wide host range. Some chemicals are effective in controlling this disease but these chemicals are expensive and not environmental friendly. Therefore alternative measures are being tested, including induce resistance by using biotic and abiotic treatments. The phenomenon of systemic induced resistance (SIR), in which resistance to disease is *Corresponding author. E-mail: fowzy_2008@yahoo.com. enhanced in tissues distant from the site of the prior inducing treatment, has been extensively reported for a number of plant/pathogen systems and has been the subject of recent reviews (Hammerschmidt, 1999) .

It has the highest protein content among leguminous crops.

Wilt disease of soybean caused by Fusarium oxysporum is one of the most destructive diseases of the crop and is a very common soil-borne fungus.

E-mail: fowzy_2008@yahoo.com. enhanced in tissues distant from the site of the prior inducing treatment, has been extensively reported for a number of plant/pathogen systems and has been the subject of recent reviews.


The goal of our research is to develop a conceptual framework for contextbased security systems. Context-based security aims at adapting the security policy depending on a set of relevant information collected from the dynamic environment. As the environment evolves, the context change, some contextual elements being integrated in the proceduralized context, others leaving the proceduralized context [1] . Thus, security policies dynamically change in order to cope with new requirements.

As the environment evolves, the context change, some contextual elements being integrated in the proceduralized context, others leaving the proceduralized context.


The position of a mobile station (MS) can be determined using multiple radio signals transmitted or received by the MS. Some location estimation methods like assisted global positioning system (A-GPS) are based on signals transmitted from satellites, while others rely on measurements of signals between MS and base stations (BS), the so-called network-based methods. Currently, the best positioning accuracy in cellular systems is provided by A-GPS at the expense of a significant increase in network and handset complexity [4] . For instance, modifications on the handset such as an embedded GPS receiver and deployment of location management units (LMU) into the network are needed in order to operate A-GPS systems [5] . Compared to A-GPS, network-based methods are relatively less complex. Moreover, they can be used in many situations where the A-GPS method cannot be applied, i.e., indoor positioning, but generally with a degradation in accuracy. So far, a wide variety of network-based positioning techniques have been proposed which use measurements obtained within the cellular networks, such as received signal strength (RSS), time of arrival (TOA), time difference of arrival (TDOA), and angle of arrival (AOA) methods [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] .

Currently, the best positioning accuracy in cellular systems is provided by A-GPS at the expense of a significant increase in network and handset complexity.

For instance, modifications on the handset such as an embedded GPS receiver and deployment of location management units (LMU) into the network are needed in order to operate A-GPS systems.

So far, a wide variety of network-based positioning techniques have been proposed which use measurements obtained within the cellular networks, such as received signal strength (RSS), time of arrival (TOA), time difference of arrival (TDOA), and angle of arrival (AOA) methods.


Recently, location estimation has been among the most attractive research topics in the area of cellular communications. With accurate position estimation, a variety of applications and services such as emergency services, monitoring and tracking fraud protection, asset tracking, fleet management, mobile yellow pages, and even cellular system design and management can become feasible for cellular networks [1] . These potential applications of wireless positioning have also been recognized by the IEEE, which set up a standardization group 802.15.4a for designing a new physical layer for low-data rate communications combined with positioning capabilities [2] . Furthermore, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the USA has required wireless providers to locate mobile users within tens of meters for emergency 911 calls [3] .

With accurate position estimation, a variety of applications and services such as emergency services, monitoring and tracking fraud protection, asset tracking, fleet management, mobile yellow pages, and even cellular system design and management can become feasible for cellular networks.

These potential applications of wireless positioning have also been recognized by the IEEE, which set up a standardization group 802.15.4a for designing a new physical layer for low-data rate communications combined with positioning capabilities.

Furthermore, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the USA has required wireless providers to locate mobile users within tens of meters for emergency 911 calls.


The audience of this tutorial includes researchers and practitioners who are interested in data quality and data cleaning. Besides a basic understanding of database technology, there is no prerequisites. The tutorial is 1.5 hours. Most of the materials of this tutorial comes from a survey we published in Foundations and Trends in Databases [23] .

The tutorial is 1.5 hours.

Most of the materials of this tutorial comes from a survey we published in Foundations and Trends in Databases.


The present study is based on the results of our recently updated Cochrane systematic review of primary and secondary prevention randomized clinical trials with low risk of bias showing that all-cause mortality was significantly increased by the administration of beta-carotene, vitamin E, and possibly vitamin A [8] . The review results urged us to assess whether doses of beta-carotene, vitamin E, and vitamin A influenced allcause mortality, using meta-regression analyses. We also compared the influence of daily dose within the recommended dietary (daily) allowance (RDA) (low dose) to daily dose above the RDA (high dose) of beta-carotene, or vitamin A, or vitamin E on all-cause mortality in meta-analyses. To control the risks of type I and type II errors in meta-analyses, we used trial sequential analyses to assess whether the level of evidence was sufficient to make conclusions (i.e., whether the required information size was reached or if any of the trial sequential monitoring boundaries were crossed before the required information size was reached) [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] .

The present study is based on the results of our recently updated Cochrane systematic review of primary and secondary prevention randomized clinical trials with low risk of bias showing that all-cause mortality was significantly increased by the administration of beta-carotene, vitamin E, and possibly vitamin A.

To control the risks of type I and type II errors in meta-analyses, we used trial sequential analyses to assess whether the level of evidence was sufficient to make conclusions (i.e., whether the required information size was reached or if any of the trial sequential monitoring boundaries were crossed before the required information size was reached).


The most common tumor types of the female breast are invasive ductal and lobular carcinoma. These designations indicate a tumor differentiation more similar to the ducts or to the lobules of the mammary parenchyma, respectively. For both types of breast cancers, an attempt is made towards grading of malignancy in routine diagnostics. This is important for prognosis prediction and therapy planning. It is intended to apply our method for the characterization of mammary carcinomas of different degrees of malignancy, and eventually to use it for the prediction of the grade of malignancy from spatial data, i.e., for the purpose of pattern recognition. Also it will be interesting to differentiate by this technique between ductal and lobular mammary carcinomas, which may be difficult in some cases (Mattfeldt and Fleischer, 2005) . However, before these two more ambitious projects are put into practice, we thought it advisable to implement the methodology first in a simpler setting comparing tumor-free tissue to carcinoma tissue, where the differences between the classes of specimens are more pronounced. For the advanced applications, it may become useful to consider vectorial tests. With the described method it is possible to characterize the tissue high-dimensionally. If only one phase is considered, one obtains 9 instead of 3 numerical values per image (the three point estimates, the three asymptotic variances and the three asymptotic covariances of the Minkowski functionals). This rises to a whole bunch of characteristics if also the other two phases are taken into account. This will be subject of a further paper.

Also it will be interesting to differentiate by this technique between ductal and lobular mammary carcinomas, which may be difficult in some cases.