Commercial modules might have different size and number of cells. In case of modules installed in PV parks, it is common to have a layer with 10 Â 6 square solar cells of about 150 mm side. Solar cells transform the solar radiation in electric energy via the so-called photovoltaic effect [5] . Solar cells are made of monocrystalline or polycrystalline Silicon, a semiconductor able to provide a reasonable energy conversion efficiency of about 15-20% at a relatively low production cost. In the commonly used technology, electrons are collected on the front side of the solar cell by tiny electric conductors called grid lines or fingers deposited on the cell surface. Two or three busbars are soldered on the cell surface and collect the fingers along the direction orthogonal to them, see Fig. 3 . These main conductors electrically connect all the solar cells in series. In another technology, to avoid partial shadowing induced by fingers and busbars in order to increase the energy conversion efficiency, a back contact is used and no fingers and busbars are present on the front side. In the present study we restrict our modeling to solar cells with front contacts.

Solar cells transform the solar radiation in electric energy via the so-called photovoltaic effect.


Recently, Cheung, Shen and Wen discovered similar unifying relations for on-shell tree-level amplitudes of a variety of theories from a different angle: by acting some Lorentz and gauge invariant differential operators, one can transmute the physical amplitude of a theory into the one of another theory [10] . In their unified web, amplitudes of various theories include Einstein-Yang-Mills theory, Einstein-Maxwell theory, Born-Infeld theory, Dirac-Born-Infeld theory, special Galileon theory, non-linear sigma model, as well as bi-adjoint scalar theory, can be generated by transmuting the amplitudes of gravity theory. The role of these differential operators has been understood and checked from various angels, such as several explicit examples, factorization property, double copy structure, soft behavior, etc.

Recently, Cheung, Shen and Wen discovered similar unifying relations for on-shell tree-level amplitudes of a variety of theories from a different angle: by acting some Lorentz and gauge invariant differential operators, one can transmute the physical amplitude of a theory into the one of another theory.


Our work also forms part of a systematic effort to study local bifurcations in reversible equivariant systems. The Hopf-zero bifurcation is one of the simplest examples of a codimension one local bifurcation in reversible vector fields. The behaviour of the equilibria in this example follows that predicted by the more general treatment of reversible equivariant steady-state bifurcations of Buono, Lamb and Roberts [6] . The branch of periodic solutions is reminiscent of a Liapunov Centre family of periodic solutions embedded in R 3 × R. This case study illustrates how some results that are well-known to hold in reversible systems in R 2n with dim Fix(R) = n, do not hold without modification in odd dimenions. We noted above the Liapunov centre family of periodic solutions embedded in R 3 ×R. Another striking example encountered in this study is the absense of a one-parameter family of periodic solutions accumulating to symmetric heteroclinic cycles. In even dimensions, it is well known that such families exist in phase space, converging to a persistent heteroclinic [12] . Here, however, the heteroclinic cycle is only persistent in one-parameter families, and there exists a one-parameter family of periodic solutions converging to the heteroclinic in R 3 × R. In fact, varying the parameter towards the heteroclinic cycle bifurcation point, there appears an increasing number of isolated periodic solutions approximating the heteroclinic cycle, with at the bifurcation point an infinite discrete set of isolated periodic solutions with growing period, approaching the heteroclinic cycle as the period goes to infinity (see Theorem 1.2 B).

The behaviour of the equilibria in this example follows that predicted by the more general treatment of reversible equivariant steady-state bifurcations of Buono, Lamb and Roberts.

In even dimensions, it is well known that such families exist in phase space, converging to a persistent heteroclinic.


Poland is one of the countries (states) that for decades belonged to the "Eastern bloc", being politically isolated and falling behind in implementing any environmental policy. Together with part of SE Germany (former East Germany) and the Czech Republic (western part of former Czechoslovakia), SW Poland has formed an area known as the "black triangle". This amalgamation has involved the emission of pollutants subject to cross-border transfer. Air pollution is responsible for environmental threats such as eutrophication of aquatic ecosystems, acidification of forests and degradation of air quality [72, 73] .

Air pollution is responsible for environmental threats such as eutrophication of aquatic ecosystems, acidification of forests and degradation of air quality.


However, this process is a long-term operation in which coal will continue to be the main strategic fuel. On the one hand, this demonstrates Poland's energy security and fuel independence; on the other hand, it is a problem to catch up with the tightening emission standards and a 15% share of renewable energy in total energy consumption in 2020. The Environmental Agenda stresses the need to shift energy sources towards less emissive ones, such as natural gas, nuclear energy and renewable energy. In the case of natural gas, the Russian Federation can be considered as the main supplier of this fuel to Poland, which means that the strategy would undermine the country's energy security [2] . There are no nuclear power plants functioning in Poland, and there is also no social acceptance for their construction (opinion polls showed that 52% of respondents would object to the construction of such a power plant and 70% would object if a power plant were to be built near their place of residence [3] ).

In the case of natural gas, the Russian Federation can be considered as the main supplier of this fuel to Poland, which means that the strategy would undermine the country's energy security.

There are no nuclear power plants functioning in Poland, and there is also no social acceptance for their construction (opinion polls showed that 52% of respondents would object to the construction of such a power plant and 70% would object if a power plant were to be built near their place of residence).


Thus, the development and support of renewable sources is indicated to increase energy security. Although renewable energy sources are currently of lesser significance for Poland's energy security, their use improves energy security on a local scale and contributes to the improvement of the energy supply, especially in areas with poorly developed energy structure [4] . The use of renewable energy sources is one of the key elements of sustainable development, providing rational, economic, ecological and social effects. Developed countries recognise the need to reduce emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels and the need to look for alternative energy sources.

Although renewable energy sources are currently of lesser significance for Poland's energy security, their use improves energy security on a local scale and contributes to the improvement of the energy supply, especially in areas with poorly developed energy structure.


Support for the development of the use of renewable energy sources has become a very important goal in the European Union [5] . Poland is currently under special supervision of the European Court of Auditors because in the current accounting period in place continuing until 2020 has been experiencing significant problems with the disbursement of EU structural and investment funds on RES. It is related, amongst others, to the indolence of territorial self-government units and the lack of low-emission economic programmes (non-compulsory action), whose conditions for the commencement of actions are related to applying for EU funds.

Support for the development of the use of renewable energy sources has become a very important goal in the European Union.


A large amount of theoretical models of DM have been proposed in literatures [8] . All these candidates of non-baryonic DM particles require physics beyond the standard model of particle physics. Among the large amount of candidates, the most attractive scenario involves the weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs). In particular, the minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model (MSSM) provides an excellent WIMP candidate as the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP), usually the neutralino, which are stable due to R-parity conservation [1] .

A large amount of theoretical models of DM have been proposed in literatures.

In particular, the minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model (MSSM) provides an excellent WIMP candidate as the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP), usually the neutralino, which are stable due to R-parity conservation.


Many hypotheses have been advanced for exotic success (Elton 1958 Kulmatiski et al. 2008) . Most of these hypotheses share a fundamental attribute: they posit that some biological processes act in a fundamentally different way in a species' native range than in its introduced range. For example, the 'enemy escape' hypothesis poses that specialist pathogens or herbivores strongly suppress exotic plant population growth or abundance at home. In non-native communities, the relaxation of this limiting factor is thought to drive positive population growth or greatly enhanced abundance compared to the native range (Elton 1958; Maron & Vil a 2001) .

Many hypotheses have been advanced for exotic success.

In non-native communities, the relaxation of this limiting factor is thought to drive positive population growth or greatly enhanced abundance compared to the native range.


With information of papers, scholars, institutes, venues, fields of study and other useful entities, data mining on academic networks aims to discover hidden relations and to find semantic-based information. Several academic databases or knowledge graphs have been built with structured academic data [12, 13, 16] . The public academic knowledge graphs can provide scholars with convincing academic information, and offer large-scale benchmark datasets for researchers to conduct data mining projects.

Several academic databases or knowledge graphs have been built with structured academic data.


Lumber evaluation in dry condition, except for MOR of MCS in trees from high fertility site (Fig. 3c) , showed no differences between climate type or fertility site. This occurred in the case of MOR and MOE in flexure test (Fig. 3a, b) , MOE in MCS (Fig. 3d) , hardness ( Fig. 3e ) and shear stress (Fig. 3f) . At low fertility sites, the TMF trees had lower resistance in MOR and MOE in flexure test (Fig. 3a, b) and MOE in MCS (Fig. 3d) . It was found that timber from low fertility sites produces weaker wood, due to a higher quantity of parenchyma and low fibers content (Bhat and Priya 2004) . Whereas for the other mechanical properties tested, there were no differences between wood from different climates or fertility sites.

It was found that timber from low fertility sites produces weaker wood, due to a higher quantity of parenchyma and low fibers content.


Teak can be planted in tropical zones around the equator below 1000 m altitude, with annual rainfall in excess of 1500 mm, and fertile, deep and well drained soils (Tewari 1999) . It is interesting to note that sites for teak plantations have different geographical and rainfall conditions compared to its natural habitat in Asia (Kollert and Cherubini 2012) . For example, in Central America, teak has been grown on sites with different precipitation levels, temperatures, and fertility (De Camino et al. 2002) . But nowadays, a high demand for new planting sites has led to the establishment of forest plantations on marginal agricultural lands (steep slopes or acid infertile soils), requiring the management of soil fertility to maintain fast-growth plantations at acceptable levels . Teak plantations under this specific practice were able to produce logs from first and second thinning. Lumber produced from these trees is inferior in quality but acceptable for furniture production (Kollert and Cherubini 2012) . Under these plantation management practices, logs to export with a minimum diameter of 12 cm can be produced in less than 6 years (Pérez and Kanninen 2005) .

Teak can be planted in tropical zones around the equator below 1000 m altitude, with annual rainfall in excess of 1500 mm, and fertile, deep and well drained soils.

It is interesting to note that sites for teak plantations have different geographical and rainfall conditions compared to its natural habitat in Asia.

For example, in Central America, teak has been grown on sites with different precipitation levels, temperatures, and fertility.

Lumber produced from these trees is inferior in quality but acceptable for furniture production.

Under these plantation management practices, logs to export with a minimum diameter of 12 cm can be produced in less than 6 years.


SEM studies of blood cells in typhoid mice have not been reported so far. The present SEM studies revealed that the normal red blood cells (group1) were biconcave and elliptical in shape ( Fig. 2A) , whereas in Salmonella-infected mice (group2), the RBCs were distorted in shape. Folds and depressions of RBCs and activated WBCs with finger-like projections were a commonly observed in infected mice (Fig. 2B, C, D) . In groups 3, 4, 5 and 6, the cells exhibited morphology comparable to normal (Fig. 2E, F) . Morphological distortions were observed in blood cells in the Salmonella-infected group (group 2), because Salmonella resides in phagocytes, escaping killing. These distortions receded with propolis treatment(group 5). Reports also confirmed that infections like Plasmodiumin mice showed distortions in both red and white blood cells [23] .

Reports also confirmed that infections like Plasmodiumin mice showed distortions in both red and white blood cells.


Summarizing, in this work we have made a theoretical and experimental study of the polarization-resolved nonlinear dynamics of a 1550 nm single-mode VCSEL subject to orthogonal optical injection. Simultaneous measurements of the time traces of the power of both linear polarizations have permitted us to evaluate their contribution to the dynamics of the total power. We have characterized the periodic, period doubling, and irregular dynamics that appear for both polarizations in terms of time traces and power spectra. We have obtained that the correlation properties of both linear polarizations depend on the frequency detuning between the injected frequency and the frequency of the suppressed orthogonal mode of the solitary laser. For positive frequency detuning values, we have usually found that orthogonal polarization is the only polarization that contributes to the dynamics of the total power. Only correlated periodic dynamics in both linear polarizations has been found near the border of the periodic region, when the bias current is large and optical injection strength is small. For negative frequency detuning values, the correlation properties change because we find anticorrelated dynamics in both linear polarizations. This dynamical regime is characterized by a larger influence of nonlinear effects that produce anticorrelated trains of pulses in both linear polarizations. These trains of pulses have been characterized by the average and dispersion of the time elapsed between consecutive pulses, the interpulse time. We have shown that both the average and dispersion of the interpulse time increase as the injected power is increased. We have also shown that the appearance of broad power spectra that characterizes the irregular dynamics is related to large values of the dispersion of the interpulse time. We have also analyzed the relative phase between the oscillations observed in the time traces of the optical power of both polarizations. Good qualitative agreement has been demonstrated between theory and experiment. Our results show that optically injected 1550 nm VCSELs are sources of stable periodic oscillations. Low-cost characteristics of these systems makes them potential candidates for generation of stable RF signals for use in RoF applications [27] .

Low-cost characteristics of these systems makes them potential candidates for generation of stable RF signals for use in RoF applications.


With the ever-increasing use of power electronic products, power factor correction (PFC) has become more become important. With this in mind, reduced-size low-cost highefficiency power converters are the best choice [6] . A PFC function includes shaping the source current waveform and regulating the output voltage. Due to the need for continuous input current, boost -type converters have been widely integrated into AC-DC converters to achieve the derived PFC function and harmonic reduction [7] . Accurate mode boundary detection is performed by using accurate inductance estimated as a result of the tuning process; this estimate can be useful for a digital current programmed control technique [8] . The output voltage is sensed for the outer loop to regulate the derived output. Sensing the input voltage is also required for the generation of the derived current reference and the feed forward terms [9] . A feedforward control is significantly helpful for the control action needed for performance sensitivity to parameter variations and uncertainties [10] . Some compensation loops are added to the multi-loop control to improve the PFC performance for motor drive applications in order to regulate the speed of a motor.

With this in mind, reduced-size low-cost highefficiency power converters are the best choice.

Due to the need for continuous input current, boost -type converters have been widely integrated into AC-DC converters to achieve the derived PFC function and harmonic reduction.

Accurate mode boundary detection is performed by using accurate inductance estimated as a result of the tuning process; this estimate can be useful for a digital current programmed control technique.

Sensing the input voltage is also required for the generation of the derived current reference and the feed forward terms.

A feedforward control is significantly helpful for the control action needed for performance sensitivity to parameter variations and uncertainties.


Diode-based bridge rectifiers are a widely used power supply. The major drawbacks of the conventional diode bridge and thyristor-based rectifiers are low power factors and high current harmonics in the AC supply. These drawbacks can be rectified by adding a series choke combination comprising capacitors and diodes [1] . Inserting an inductor on the AC supply side is a simple method for improving the current waveform but this solution reduces the power factor [2] . A passive wave shaping method can be used to lower rectifier current stresses and improve the power factor [3] . IEEE 519 and IEC 1000-3-2 standards prescribe the allowable limit of harmonics on the input side power quality [4] [5] .

These drawbacks can be rectified by adding a series choke combination comprising capacitors and diodes.

Inserting an inductor on the AC supply side is a simple method for improving the current waveform but this solution reduces the power factor.

A passive wave shaping method can be used to lower rectifier current stresses and improve the power factor.

IEEE 519 and IEC 1000-3-2 standards prescribe the allowable limit of harmonics on the input side power quality.


Multi-level converters are the most preferable choice for wind energy systems to reduce the cost, size and complexity of the systems compared to two-level boost converters [18] . In addition, high withstanding voltage semiconductor switches often have larger drain-source resistances. Thus, three-level converters possess the advantages of low voltage stress, low inductor current ripple and low switching loss [19] . A synchronized PWM, as implemented in a three-level delta rectifier, has a reduced current ripple with low source current THD [20] . Voltage compensators with three-level PWM control schemes are used to provide better capacitor voltage balance in multi-level converters [21] . A hysteresis current control, adopted with a power estimates and voltage compensator block, improve the power quality with a source current THD of 6% [22] . A multi-loop interleaved control with reduced sensing parameters is implemented for the improved quality and operation of the three-level converter [23] .

Multi-level converters are the most preferable choice for wind energy systems to reduce the cost, size and complexity of the systems compared to two-level boost converters.

Thus, three-level converters possess the advantages of low voltage stress, low inductor current ripple and low switching loss.

A synchronized PWM, as implemented in a three-level delta rectifier, has a reduced current ripple with low source current THD.

Voltage compensators with three-level PWM control schemes are used to provide better capacitor voltage balance in multi-level converters.

A hysteresis current control, adopted with a power estimates and voltage compensator block, improve the power quality with a source current THD of 6%.

A multi-loop interleaved control with reduced sensing parameters is implemented for the improved quality and operation of the three-level converter.


There are, however, other possible explanations for the small chance of success of the proportionality defence. Likely, landlords will only request an eviction order in the case of other than drug related anti-social behaviour if the relationship between the neighbours has been completely ruined following a long period of nuisance (Vols, 2014b) . If landlords think the anti-social behaviour can be addressed with another instrument such as mediation or a warning letter, they will first use that instrument. Consequently, landlords will only initiate court proceedings if they believe that eviction results in a fair balance between the rights and interests of the tenants and those of the neighbours and themselves. Moreover, the small chance of success may be explained by the type of cases that landlords choose to bring before court. For instance, landlords do not regularly request an eviction order if an anti-social tenant has (young) children or is disabled. In these types of cases, proportionality issues are likely to play a role and, therefore, landlords may want to avoid court proceedings. In other words, the proportionality check also functions as a barrier to court proceedings and to eviction. A possible area of future research would be to investigate the criteria used by landlords to determine which cases they will submit to court and which cases will never be seen in court. This study should also take into account whether the tenant receives legal advice and is represented by a lawyer, because this is likely to influence the outcome of the procedure (Bright & Whitehouse, 2014) .

Likely, landlords will only request an eviction order in the case of other than drug related anti-social behaviour if the relationship between the neighbours has been completely ruined following a long period of nuisance.

This study should also take into account whether the tenant receives legal advice and is represented by a lawyer, because this is likely to influence the outcome of the procedure.


Moreover, it is not clear what specific types of anti-social behaviour are addressed with eviction. Previous research has found that landlords are becoming more and more important in the fighting of drugs in the Netherlands. Since the beginning of this century, the government has intensified the fight against drug related crime (Schuilenberg, 2012) . Municipalities, the police and landlords have founded public/private alliances to fight drug related anti-social behaviour such as the growing of cannabis (Sapens et al., 2007) . This relates to what Garland has called the responsibilisation strategy: state agencies adopt a 'strategic relation to other forces of social control' such as landlords. They aim to build 'broader alliances, enlisting the governmental powers of private actors, and shaping them to the ends of crime control' (Garland, 2001, p. 124) .

Since the beginning of this century, the government has intensified the fight against drug related crime.

Municipalities, the police and landlords have founded public/private alliances to fight drug related anti-social behaviour such as the growing of cannabis.


The existing OR schemes leverage the forwarder selection mechanism of expected transmission (ETX) count [24] . Choosing the forwarder(s) is critical to overall performance of the network. The routing protocol can be subdivided into three parts: route discovery, packet forwarding, and route maintenance. In OR, selection of forwarding nodes is part of route discovery. The wrong selection of the forwarder nodes severely impacts the overall performance of OR. The impact on multihop transmission is much more devastating than for single-hop transmission. In this research, we focus on the first task, that is, route discovery, and specifically on forwarder selection. The selection of the intermediate nodes as forwarders is still an unexplored research area. The main objective of our study is to enhance system throughput and devise a new approach to selecting forwarders. For this purpose, we first analyze and evaluate equal, or uniform, distance node placement in the network and then determine the impact of forwarder selection on throughput. Thereafter, on the basis of the system model, we propose a heuristic approach to selecting the forwarders. We then compare the results with Extremely Opportunistic Routing (ExOR), random routing, and Simple Opportunistic Adaptive Routing (SOAR) forwarder selection schemes. The results indicate improvement in system throughput.

The existing OR schemes leverage the forwarder selection mechanism of expected transmission (ETX) count.


HASORF achieves the best throughput; that is, it transmits more bytes in less time. This indicates significant impact on the performance of WSNs. It not only delivers more data in the given time but also saves power while reducing the number of retransmissions. Recalling that power is one of the most critical resources in sensor networks, we conclude that HASORF improves overall system performance. Figure 14 represents the bioinspired wireless network scenario. In this scenario, all sensor nodes are equipped with a global positioning system device. Hence, the distance can be calculated using geometric coordinates, and positions of all the sensors can be found [30] . The source can select the forwarders according to the HASORF scheme and deliver data to the destinations with potentially the best forwarders among the intermediate nodes. In case of the heart beat monitoring device, the delivery of sensor data reliably and in a shorter time is very crucial. The HASORF serves this purpose well. Because one of the main goals of bioinspired systems is to deliver packets over the shortest path in less time, HASORF can be a good candidate for bioinspired networks.

Hence, the distance can be calculated using geometric coordinates, and positions of all the sensors can be found.

The HASORF serves this purpose well.


A recent population pharmacokinetic (popPK) paper used modeling and simulation to recommend dose adjustments for metoprolol, a cardio-selective β-blocker, for geriatric men and women who generally suffer from multiple comorbidities [1] . However, gender-stratified doses in the non-geriatric population not being treated for various ailments have not been established. Therefore, the primary aim of this paper is to identify the doses resulting in an approximately equivalent area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) for men and women administered an oral dose of metoprolol. To do so, this paper will use pharmacokinetic (PK) modeling and simulation to identify the full PK equation parameters and describe metoprolol using a one-compartment model based on data from the well-cited gender-differences study by Luzier and colleagues [2] .

A recent population pharmacokinetic (popPK) paper used modeling and simulation to recommend dose adjustments for metoprolol, a cardio-selective β-blocker, for geriatric men and women who generally suffer from multiple comorbidities.

To do so, this paper will use pharmacokinetic (PK) modeling and simulation to identify the full PK equation parameters and describe metoprolol using a one-compartment model based on data from the well-cited gender-differences study by Luzier and colleagues.


In bringing the findings of the survey together, it quickly became evident that the key value of participation in peer mentoring in higher education is Volume 14, Special Issue, Winter 2012 -13 ISSN: 1466 that the student experience is enhanced through promoting a sense of belonging. This finding, which supports the conclusions drawn from the wider 'What Works' Programme, supports the contention that 'belonging' is a central determinant of student success -both from an academic and social perspective (Thomas, 2012) . Moreover, with regards to the student experience, peer mentoring represents the means by which HEIs can ease students' transition into higher education and in doing so begin to address issues of transition and retention.

This finding, which supports the conclusions drawn from the wider 'What Works' Programme, supports the contention that 'belonging' is a central determinant of student success -both from an academic and social perspective.


Hundreds of thousands of refugees try every year to reach the territory of another country and settle in a more secure environment. In the early 1980s, the number of asylum applications received by the developed countries was in the range of 100,000 to 200,000 per year. It peaked at 850,000 in 1992, fell back to about 400,000 by 1997, and then rose again to roughly 600,000 in 2001. For 2009, the industrialized nations received a total of 377,000 asylum requests (IOM (2010) ). These large and persistent inows of asylum seekers over the last two decades have become a major public policy issue, triggering signicant changes in asylum policies and practices in the advanced countries.

For 2009, the industrialized nations received a total of 377,000 asylum requests).


Therefore searching for new methods of correction is extremely important, and also for tools that would enable determination of corrective functions which facilitate minimization of uncertainty of the information obtained at the outputs of the measurement systems [2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11] . This paper suggests the use of sensitivity analysis as a tool for specification of corrective functions in measuring transducers. The proposed method enables specification of corrective functions also in case of cooperation of several systems, any of which can have own nonlinear characteristics.

Therefore searching for new methods of correction is extremely important, and also for tools that would enable determination of corrective functions which facilitate minimization of uncertainty of the information obtained at the outputs of the measurement systems.


Hyperspectral image processing has become one of the hot topics in recent twenty years, because the hyperspectral images contain much useful information, and the information plays an important role in the development of society and economy. Hyperspectral images combine imaging techniques with the spectral techniques together, are widely used in civil and military areas. Compared with the moderate dimension images, hyperspectral images can get a finer spectral curve, also provide stronger evidence to the recognition of ground covers. Though the high resolution, the hyperspectral images inevitably contribute to information redundancy and difficulty to data processing. In order to solve these problems, we should reduce the dimensions of the images, because with the increase in the number of the dimensions, the number of the training samples must be increased exponentially [1] .

In order to solve these problems, we should reduce the dimensions of the images, because with the increase in the number of the dimensions, the number of the training samples must be increased exponentially.


Thirty one (10.8%) of the 288 patients had antibodies against hepatitis A; there were 16 boys and 15 girls. Seven of the 31 (22.6%) patients had clinical features of viral hepatitis on admission and two gave a past history of jaundice. The prevalence of hepatitis A antibodies in relation to the sociodemographic features of the study sample are given in Table 2 . Of the 242 patients under 10 years of age, 28 had antibodies to hepatitis A (11.6%). Majority of the children in the study (78%) were from families with a monthly income of less than Rs 10 000/-. Of the 31 children who were seropositive, 15 (48.4%) were from families earning less than Rs 5 000/-per month. The social class of the patients was classified according to their fathers' occupation [1] . Twenty two of the 31 antibody A statistically significant difference in the HAV seropositivity was observed in children from lower social classes (IV and V) and who had mothers having had only a primary education (Table 3) . When the availability of basic amenities were compared with the presence of antibodies (Table 4) , there was no significant difference in the seroprevalence between the children who had their own source of water and toilet facilities and those who shared with others. Disposal of garbage conducive to fly breeding was not significantly associated with the presence of antibodies in this study. Mother prepared the food of 271 children (94%) and all except two used soap to wash their hands. Table 5 is an analysis of the personal hygiene practices of the mothers/ bystanders. There was no statistically significant difference in the practices analysed with the presence of antibodies.

The social class of the patients was classified according to their fathers' occupation.


Proactive assistance from the Chinese government and/or Hunan regional agencies seems to be making a difference to the website quality of the Hunan-based SMEs investigated. However, the relatively high website quality of Hunan-based SMEs compared to others was undermined by their poor accessibility. Poor accessibility relates to more general issues about internet use. Various surveys and reports have revealed that Chinese e-commerce activities in general suffer from a poor telecommunications network, unreliable methods of credit payment and fundamental concerns about the security of transactions due to an immature legal system (Martinsons, 2008) . These broader issues highlight that website quality is a minor Small firms' website quality factor compared to the fundamental importance of building a robust internet infrastructure and economic environment for e-commerce to flourish. Certainly ad hoc government e-commerce policies and individual company initiatives such as improving website quality are pointless compared to the comprehensive development of a reliable infrastructure. Thus the Hunan experience reinforces the requirement for governments worldwide wishing to foster e-commerce activity that fundamental infrastructure investments are required to take advantage of any inherent resources and skill advantages their SMEs may possess. Similarly, results imply that Russian government needs to invest in a more reliable and stable e-commerce environment, so the SMEs investigated from Southern Russia can surmount poor accessibility issues. In spite of more mature or established SMEs from Scotland and New Zealand possessing lower website quality they benefit from more convenient, reliable and inexpensive access to the Internet. Moreover, unlike Chinese consumers, Scottish and New Zealand consumers can search the Internet to compare products offered by many rival suppliers and make online purchases with widely accepted credit cards. Improvements in website quality will only have an impact if there are no significant difficulties or barriers of doing business on the Internet.

Various surveys and reports have revealed that Chinese e-commerce activities in general suffer from a poor telecommunications network, unreliable methods of credit payment and fundamental concerns about the security of transactions due to an immature legal system.


Beyond interactions across scales, land use and fire may also form unique teleconnections [18, 19] . Teleconnections describe interactions that take place between non-adjacent locations, for example between urban centers and distant farms. We hypothesize here that teleconnections may exist between land use and fire due to funding mechanisms which directly link local land use change to distant fire management decisions and because management goals of local and distant actors may differ.

Beyond interactions across scales, land use and fire may also form unique teleconnections.


We believe that a land systems science framework for understanding the complex role of fire in society may be a valuable contribution to our understanding of human fire relationships. This is urgently needed, especially given the important role that land use plays in different fire-related problems across the globe [20] . Here, we attempt to synthesize the relationships between fire, its risk, and management, and land use change. We start by reviewing past research on the impacts of fire, fire risk and fire management on land use change as well as the impacts of land use change on fire ignitions and fuel loads. We will then offer a land change science perspective on fire and land use interactions drawing heavily on the idea of land use teleconnections [18] . In this section we focus on a short case study of teleconnections between land use and fire, fire risk, and fire management in California. Our goal is to demonstrate how a land change science perspective can broaden the suite of interactions that are evaluated within the land change/fire system. The inclusion of teleconnections within this system suggests the need to coordinate land change and fire management across large spatial scales and between non-adjacent areas.

This is urgently needed, especially given the important role that land use plays in different fire-related problems across the globe.

We will then offer a land change science perspective on fire and land use interactions drawing heavily on the idea of land use teleconnections.


Fire and land use have been connected throughout history. Here we provide a relevant review of many of these connections, including the impacts of fire on land use and land use regulations, and also the impacts of land use on fire ignitions and fuel loads. While our review is not exhaustive, it does suggest that even though there are clear feedbacks between land use and fire, they are still often studied as a closed rather than coupled system. This may be changing however, as recent research has shown promise in this area [20, 84, 85] . We suggest that future research into fire and land use as a coupled system is necessary to provide pathways to a future where we co-exist with fire as a natural process, and when possible, better plan how and where we build.

This may be changing however, as recent research has shown promise in this area.


The human relationship to fire is complex, and it varies substantially across the globe [1] . Humans have used fire as a tool for modifying landscapes for millennia, clearing land for agriculture, improved hunting, and settlement [2] [3] [4] [5] . At the same time, human land use changes have had profound impacts on fire regimes by changing fuel loads and ignition rates, leading to altered fire patterns in many parts of the world [6] . Fire management, in response to human settlement on fire prone landscapes, has often led to ever greater manipulation of fire regimes, with near complete exclusion of fire in some systems resulting in massive changes to natural ecosystems [7, 8] .

The human relationship to fire is complex, and it varies substantially across the globe.

Humans have used fire as a tool for modifying landscapes for millennia, clearing land for agriculture, improved hunting, and settlement.

At the same time, human land use changes have had profound impacts on fire regimes by changing fuel loads and ignition rates, leading to altered fire patterns in many parts of the world.

Fire management, in response to human settlement on fire prone landscapes, has often led to ever greater manipulation of fire regimes, with near complete exclusion of fire in some systems resulting in massive changes to natural ecosystems.


Lifestyle factors, including physical inactivity, are important modifiable risk factors in the development of hypertension. In addition to standard anti-hypertensive therapy, the benefits of physical activity on hypertension and cardiovascular disease have been well demonstrated [6] [7] [8] [9] . Accordingly, physical activity and other lifestyle modifications are an important component of American, European, and World Health Organization guidelines for anti-hypertensive therapy [10] [11] [12] . Although the effect of physical activity on hypertension and on the heart has been well described, the mechanisms underlying the protective effect of physical activity on the hypertensive heart are not well understood. Here, we review the most recent evidence for the influence of physical activity on hypertension and cardiac structure and function.

In addition to standard anti-hypertensive therapy, the benefits of physical activity on hypertension and cardiovascular disease have been well demonstrated.

Accordingly, physical activity and other lifestyle modifications are an important component of American, European, and World Health Organization guidelines for anti-hypertensive therapy.


Developments in information and technology can be found in every field of our life at any time. Ignoring these developments is almost impossible. Education is also trying to catch up with these developments. New instructional technologies can be seen as an effort to keep up with new developments. It is known that the effectiveness of education increases as the information technology which is called the "instructional technology" is used consciously (Akkoyunlu, 1998) . The information technologies used have an important role in the teaching-learning environment and offer different opportunities for the teacher and student during the teaching and learning process. Avoiding the use of these facilities means ignoring the quality and benefits of technology in education.

It is known that the effectiveness of education increases as the information technology which is called the "instructional technology" is used consciously.


One of the newest examples of technological developments in the field of education is IWBs. This device which is known as the "IWB", "electronic whiteboard", or sometimes by brand (Smartboard, Promethean) is a device used in presentations. It is sensitive to touch and used by connecting to digital projector (Shenton & Pagett, 2007) .

It is sensitive to touch and used by connecting to digital projector.


In the face to face interviews, writing was found to be the first feature students didn't like about the IWB. Students said that it was difficult to write on the IWB, the writing appeared late after it had been written, and big letters made them uncomfortable. According to some students the fast pace of the lesson where the IWB was used created a negative situation. A few students articulated that the lesson was not going in a logical order and the person on the board couldn't see the board because of his/her shadow. When the relevant literature was examined, similar problems were indicated in the studies related to this field (Glover &Miller, 2001; Schut, 2007; Wall et al., 2005) . Doing the study in the school's laboratory caused the students to be located in an unfamiliar class atmosphere. It is thought that the U-type sitting plan might be the reason for some of the problems. Lessons' being covered by someone that students met for the first time, in this case the reasearcher, might have also affected the study.

When the relevant literature was examined, similar problems were indicated in the studies related to this field.


Hybrid composite method using nanoclay in addition to a matrix is available in this work [16] . Fibre is the primary load bearing element in the composite. It is interesting to enhance the property of natural fibre reinforced composites by nanoclay infusion in fibre and matrix. The chemical treatments were performed on CIFs to eliminate the unwanted amorphous, hemicellulose and lignin phase of the fibre. The enhancement in concentration of in-house cellulosic phase increases the cellulosic phase content [4] . This study is to find the possibility of using nanoclay as filler in Coccinia Indica (CI) fibre as reinforcement in structural polymer composite materials because of its lightweight and eco-friendly nature. To overcome the disadvantages of natural fibre, NaOH treatment were performed on the prepared CI fibre. The mechanical properties of prepared reinforced polymer composites were enhanced by the addition of small concentration of nanoclay onto it. The introduction of nanoclay into the novel natural reinforcing material is the innovation and novel aspect of this research. This finds potential application as reinforcing material in composite materials manufacturing. In this present work, the mechanical properties and morphological changes on the effect of nanoclay inclusion for alkali treated CIFs-reinforced epoxy composites were discussed in detail.

Hybrid composite method using nanoclay in addition to a matrix is available in this work.

The enhancement in concentration of in-house cellulosic phase increases the cellulosic phase content.


The current study examines the effect of z-pins upon the in-plane tensile and compressive stress versus strain responses of composite laminates. It is anticipated that the insertion of z-pins into a fibre laminate leads to both local stress concentrations and to fibre waviness. In tension, some reduction in strength is expected due to the stress concentrations. In compression, we expect that the stress concentrations and the fibre waviness will lead to a reduced fibre microbuckling strength of the laminate (Fleck, 1997) . The experiments performed in this study confirm these conjectures. Finite element simulations are also reported for fibre microbuckling, and they reveal that the observed compressive strengths are consistent with the degree of as-manufactured fibre waviness.

In compression, we expect that the stress concentrations and the fibre waviness will lead to a reduced fibre microbuckling strength of the laminate.


Four certified FACS coders were provided with 2 s clips (50 frames) depicting the unfolding of either a single AU or a combination of several AUs, evolving from no activation to 100% of activation to produce realistic full-blown expressions. Clips were numbered, and each FACS coder was assigned to a randomized presentation order. For each clip, FACS coders were instructed to mark if the AUs were present (noted 1) or absent (noted 0), yielding an activation profile of AUs. FACS coders were not asked to rate the intensity of activation for each AU, as judgments of this parameter show poor inter-rater agreement (Sayette et al. 2004) .

FACS coders were not asked to rate the intensity of activation for each AU, as judgments of this parameter show poor inter-rater agreement.


In order to achieve in-class participation at a higher scale, early class preparation is a key imperative and part of flipped class strategy. Recently authors have started appreciating that pre-class activities such as online short lectures, peer to peer group activities, and preliminary readings are essential for class participation (Parappilly, Schmidt, & De Ritter, 2015; Phillips et al., 2016) . In addition, pre-class preparation improves the self-regulation, problem solving, and positive examination performances (Moravec, Williams, Aguilar-Roca, & O'Dowd, 2010; Tanner & Scott, 2015) . Therefore, class preparation is the key for success of all class participants in flipped class environments (Suleman & Gruner, 2016) .

Recently authors have started appreciating that pre-class activities such as online short lectures, peer to peer group activities, and preliminary readings are essential for class participation.

In addition, pre-class preparation improves the self-regulation, problem solving, and positive examination performances.

Therefore, class preparation is the key for success of all class participants in flipped class environments.


Digitization and the internet have reshaped the education field from a traditional delivery to an inverted or flipped class-room. The inverted or flipped class room approach divides the learning content into pre-learning(outside) and within the classroom (in-class) discussions, therefore, lets the teachers and students interact and work on factual problems, solving schemas within the class instead of going through the slide contents (Lockwood & Esselstein, 2013) . The inverted class room is seen as an attractive practice within several disciplines due to its practical objective in the direction of highest levels of learning achievements (Suleman & Gruner, 2016) . Although seen as an increment of workload for the teaching staff, the practice of blended learning has yielded positive impacts on learning and high grade achievements (Lockwood & Esselstein, 2013; Park, 2016; Phillips, Schumacher, & Arif, 2016; Suleman & Gruner, 2016) .

The inverted or flipped class room approach divides the learning content into pre-learning(outside) and within the classroom (in-class) discussions, therefore, lets the teachers and students interact and work on factual problems, solving schemas within the class instead of going through the slide contents.

The inverted class room is seen as an attractive practice within several disciplines due to its practical objective in the direction of highest levels of learning achievements.

Although seen as an increment of workload for the teaching staff, the practice of blended learning has yielded positive impacts on learning and high grade achievements.


In population-based studies, PA was shown to be associated with slower age-related decline of the forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV 1 ) in adults [9, 10] . Results from a longitudinal study among middle-aged men showed that those with higher levels of PA experienced slower lung function decline over 25 years [11] . However, all these studies assessed PA by questionnaires, which was found to correlate only low-to-moderately with activity objectively assessed by motion sensors in adults [12, 13] .

In population-based studies, PA was shown to be associated with slower age-related decline of the forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV 1 ) in adults.

Results from a longitudinal study among middle-aged men showed that those with higher levels of PA experienced slower lung function decline over 25 years.

However, all these studies assessed PA by questionnaires, which was found to correlate only low-to-moderately with activity objectively assessed by motion sensors in adults.


The quadrotor system is highly nonlinear because the aerodynamic of the four rotors. Like traditional aircraft, the control of quadrotor involves attitude control and position control. The main difference is that, due to unique body structure as well as rotor aerodynamic, the attitude dynamics and position dynamics are strongly coupled (Abhijit et al., 2009) . Moreover, because the motion of the quadrotor is six degrees of freedom (6 DOF) but with only four driving forces, so the system is underactuated.

The main difference is that, due to unique body structure as well as rotor aerodynamic, the attitude dynamics and position dynamics are strongly coupled.


Several observations on the ophiostomatoid fungi associated with bark beetles in Norway spruce trees were made in Poland (Siemaszko 1939; Jankowiak 2004 Jankowiak , 2005 Jankowiak & Hilszczański 2005) . However, these studies focused on the species of blue-stain fungi with affinity to I. typographus. A total of 14 ophiostomatoid species were found in the galleries of I. typographus in Norway spruce. Of them, C. polonica, Grosmannia penicillata (Grosmann) Goid., G. piceiperda (Rumbold) Goid., Ophiostoma ainoae H. Solheim, O. bicolor R.W. Davidson & D.E. Wells and O. piceae sensu lato were most frequent. This study aims to clarify the ties among ophiostomatoid fungi and their bark beetle vectors in the branches of Norway spruce, and characterize diversity of assemblages of these fungal associates of bark beetles in southern Poland.

Several observations on the ophiostomatoid fungi associated with bark beetles in Norway spruce trees were made in Poland.


A desalinated water cost model for MD, like the benchmark RO and MED systems, is sensitive to several economic and technical factors such as energy source, plant capacity, salinity, and design features [5] . Among those factors, energy source and plant capacity have a dominating influence in addition to feed seawater salinity for the RO process [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] . The energy requirement of desalination has an important effect on the overall process economics that is more prone to suffer from variation in the cost of fossil fuels [12] .

A desalinated water cost model for MD, like the benchmark RO and MED systems, is sensitive to several economic and technical factors such as energy source, plant capacity, salinity, and design features.

Among those factors, energy source and plant capacity have a dominating influence in addition to feed seawater salinity for the RO process.

The energy requirement of desalination has an important effect on the overall process economics that is more prone to suffer from variation in the cost of fossil fuels.


The techno-economic performance of these processes favours RO due to the continual advances made to reduce energy consumption and lower cost of water produced [3, 4] . While most authors report RO as the less expensive process to recover fresh water these studies do not take into account imminent rises in energy prices. RO uniquely relies on electricity to operate, while the thermal processes can utilize a waste heat or solar thermal energy more conveniently [3] [4] [5] [6] .

The techno-economic performance of these processes favours RO due to the continual advances made to reduce energy consumption and lower cost of water produced.

RO uniquely relies on electricity to operate, while the thermal processes can utilize a waste heat or solar thermal energy more conveniently.


Despite these costing reports in literature, it is uncertain what desalinated water by any technology will cost in a carbon constrained society. In 2012, Australia implemented a $23 per tonne carbon cost. A variable price with commence in 2015 when the Australian Government converts this to an Emission Trading Scheme [15] . With policies coming into practice to tax carbon emissions, the economics of each desalination process are therefore undergoing change particularly with the concept of MD using waste heat. Therefore one of the purposes of this work is to explore how carbon taxing will influence the cost of desalination and how the waste heat concept can give opportunities for MD.

A variable price with commence in 2015 when the Australian Government converts this to an Emission Trading Scheme.


Desalination is a means of producing fresh water from saline or brackish water by removing dissolved salts to make it suitable for human use, agricultural and industrial or manufacturing purposes [1] . With water shortages emerging across the world, communities are turning to desalination as a solution to reliable water supply. Cost and energy reductions for desalination are therefore considered an important factor to minimise the environmental impact of desalinated fresh water supply especially in arid and semi arid regions where there is little alternative. Commercial technologies for desalination include membrane separation processes such as reverse osmosis (RO) and electrodialysis (ED), as well as thermal processes, specifically multi effect distillation (MED), multi stage flash (MSF) and vapour compression distillation (VCD). These technologies are the most widely used desalination processes with MSF and RO dominating the market for both brackish and sea water with a total share of about 78% [2] .

Desalination is a means of producing fresh water from saline or brackish water by removing dissolved salts to make it suitable for human use, agricultural and industrial or manufacturing purposes.

These technologies are the most widely used desalination processes with MSF and RO dominating the market for both brackish and sea water with a total share of about 78%.


A key question in the dynamics of any system is whether or not that system has, or is likely to have, thresholds. Can a threshold be identified before it has been crossed (Carpenter 2003) ? From the examples in the database, the question can sometimes be answered by extrapolation from similar closely related systems (e.g., in lakes). So far, we have found no published examples where a new kind of threshold has been predicted before it has been experienced. How to do this is an obvious question for any future research agenda on thresholds. Is a threshold an emergent property of some underlying set of attributes of a system? Is there a relationship, for example, between the network topology of a system and the likelihood of a threshold? Which research avenues will allow us to best approach this question? Research on a typology of thresholds is a priority topic in the emerging area of "sustainability science," and it requires a rich database of empirical data.

Can a threshold be identified before it has been crossed?


Previous studies estimated environmental impact of electricity based on an electric power unit, kWh [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] . The kWh-based unit allocates the environmental impacts of the fuel combustion to electricity users according to the amount of electricity consumption. Since electricity production and consumption are managed based on the amount of electric power, a kWh-based unit is intuitive to interpret and the result is compatible with other applications [16] . Accordingly, a kWh-based unit becomes a common functional unit for environmental impact assessment studies. However, the kWh-based functional unit does not necessarily reflect the transmission and distribution behaviors of an electricity energy system.

Previous studies estimated environmental impact of electricity based on an electric power unit, kWh.

Since electricity production and consumption are managed based on the amount of electric power, a kWh-based unit is intuitive to interpret and the result is compatible with other applications.


In agreement with the physiological response to a cold stress, which normally consists in heat conservation and heat production, external cooling increased EE in the patients studied despite the decrease in body temperature. In contrast with this observation, previous studies reported that external cooling decreases EE, possibly because shivering was suppressed by sedation or therapeutic paralysis [5, 9] . However, in our externally cooled patient group EE increased despite clinically adequate sedation and the absence of a visible shivering response, suggesting that the increase in EE by external cooling involves other mechanisms than shivering which are not entirely blunted by sedation. The reason for the decrease in EE with external cooling in the above studies could be treatment crossover and/or the prior administration of antipyretic drugs, causing the hypothalamic thermostat to reset at a normal level. Therefore the body may have reacted with heat loosing mechanisms rather than heat production, thus exhibiting a decrease in EE. We specifically addressed this point when we designed the study. Indeed, no treatment crossover was allowed, and only patients free of prior antipyretic agents were enrolled.

In contrast with this observation, previous studies reported that external cooling decreases EE, possibly because shivering was suppressed by sedation or therapeutic paralysis.


Linear machines are capable of providing faster dynamic performance, higher precision, lower noise, lower maintenance, and lower pollution when compared with rotary machines as gear boxes, chains, and ball screws can be eliminated in linear motion, making these machines better choices in many industrial applications such as transportation, aerospace and other linear motion systems [1] [2] [3] . In recent years, linear flux-switching permanent magnet (LFSPM) machines, which inherit the advantages of high thrust density of the rotary flux-switching permanent magnetic (FSPM) machines, have attracted interest from researchers. For applications such as urban rail transit (URT) which always adopt linear machines with a long stator and short mover, the LFSPM machines, having the magnets and armature windings all on the mover, in addition to a simple and robust stator structure, are very suitable due to their high reliability, low expenses, and easy road maintenance [4, 5] .

Linear machines are capable of providing faster dynamic performance, higher precision, lower noise, lower maintenance, and lower pollution when compared with rotary machines as gear boxes, chains, and ball screws can be eliminated in linear motion, making these machines better choices in many industrial applications such as transportation, aerospace and other linear motion systems.

For applications such as urban rail transit (URT) which always adopt linear machines with a long stator and short mover, the LFSPM machines, having the magnets and armature windings all on the mover, in addition to a simple and robust stator structure, are very suitable due to their high reliability, low expenses, and easy road maintenance.


When delay is less a concern than system life, the Maximum Residual Energy Path (MREP) routing has been shown an effective scheme for energy conservation [3, 4] . In MREP routing, the best path is one that has the maximum residual energy left after sending the message. Past MREP routing is based on the assumption that only the transmitting node consumes energy, but the receiving node does not. This assumption is not true if acknowledgements are required, or if the receiving node needs to be waken up from its energy conservation mode (sleeping mode). In either case, the process of receiving a packet requires the receiving node send some thing back to the sending node and that will consume energy at the receiving side.

When delay is less a concern than system life, the Maximum Residual Energy Path (MREP) routing has been shown an effective scheme for energy conservation.


Over the last decade research activities which aimed at the development of photocatalysts for water purification by photosensitive oxide materials, such as TiO 2 , have intensified [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] . The underlying concept of water purification involves the utilisation of solar energy to oxidise water molecules for the production of reactive oxygen species and other oxidising radicals, which are toxic to microorganisms in water. TiO 2 has been the focus of intensive research activities due to its high photocatalytic activity under the photon energy of ultraviolet and possibly visible light, chemical and thermal stability, resistance to chemical breakdown, and strong mechanical properties. Its application in water disinfection is enhanced by the ability of TiO 2 to completely destroy organic pollutants and microorganisms [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] . It appears, however, that most of the reported experimental data on photocatalytic water purification are not comparable, even for the same chemical systems, due to lack of reproducibility. Therefore, there is an urgent need to assess the reasons for this incompatibility. Generation of meaningful antimicrobial data may lead to derivation of theoretical models. Such models could then be used to compare photocatalytic systems and predict the effect of basic properties, such as chemical composition, structure, and semiconducting properties, on performance.

Over the last decade research activities which aimed at the development of photocatalysts for water purification by photosensitive oxide materials, such as TiO 2 , have intensified.

Its application in water disinfection is enhanced by the ability of TiO 2 to completely destroy organic pollutants and microorganisms.


As is known to the present, oxide materials are well defined in terms of reproducibility when they are in thermodynamic equilibrium with the gas phase of controlled oxygen activity. In the case of TiO 2 , its properties are controlled by the conditions of the equilibrium [12] . At lower temperatures (below equilibrium) they are profoundly influenced by cooling procedures, such as cooling rate and the associated gas phase composition. In many instances, however, TiO 2 specimens are processed at room temperature using soft chemistry. This results in properties being determined by the applied experimental procedures, which are frequently not reproducible.

In the case of TiO 2 , its properties are controlled by the conditions of the equilibrium.


A range of summary measures have been used to capture residential location patterns, offering complementary insights. There continues to be debate about the relative merits of alternative indices (Gorard, 2011; Johnston & Jones, 2010; Nijkamp and Poot, 2015) . We use three group-level summary measures to capture the differing spatial distributions of immigrant groups by country of birth. These capture three different aspects of residential concentrationsegregation, isolation, and spatial autocorrelation (Massey & Denton, 1988) . We also use a measure of geographic concentration calculated for each area to identify in which areas each immigrant group is concentrated. In all equations that follow we will use a common notation.

There continues to be debate about the relative merits of alternative indices.

These capture three different aspects of residential concentrationsegregation, isolation, and spatial autocorrelation.


The spatial distribution of new migrants differs from that of the host population. New immigrants settle predominantly in metropolitan regions and are often concentrated in specific parts of cities. In many cases, entering migrants live disproportionately in the same areas as earlier cohorts of migrants with similar backgrounds, sometimes to the extent that the areas where they live are referred to as ethnic enclaves (Edin et al., 2003) .

In many cases, entering migrants live disproportionately in the same areas as earlier cohorts of migrants with similar backgrounds, sometimes to the extent that the areas where they live are referred to as ethnic enclaves.


The focus of the current paper is on documenting patterns of residential assimilation by examining the spatial distribution of immigrants when they first arrive in the host city, and the change in this distribution as they spend longer in the host country. The process of spatial dispersion has been linked to social mobility and, for migrants, to acculturation (Massey & Denton, 1985) . It is thus tempting to interpret dispersion as a positive outcome, and spatial concentration as a symptom of poor socio-economic outcomes. Concentration is, however, neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for social exclusion or poor settlement outcomes.

The process of spatial dispersion has been linked to social mobility and, for migrants, to acculturation.


The positions of window openings are important parameters for the analysis of the effectiveness of wind-driven cross-ventilation in buildings. Therefore, natural ventilation can save the energy consumed by the heating, mechanical ventilation, and air-conditioning systems in a building if it provides acceptable indoor air quality and thermal comfort levels [1] . Appart from the evaluation of the positioning of the ventilation openings, if it is not completely unobstructed, the elements present in the facade and their behavior in contact with the wind must also be evaluated, as in the examples provided in this study, for analyses of the type of grid elements under ventilation conditions.

Therefore, natural ventilation can save the energy consumed by the heating, mechanical ventilation, and air-conditioning systems in a building if it provides acceptable indoor air quality and thermal comfort levels.


The humification process increases the concentration of semiquinone free radicals (SFRC) in humus and high FI is correlated with the electron spin resonance spectroscopy (Millori et al., 2002) . According to these authors, the FI decrease in HA represents a lower degree of humification of soil humus after FC compost application. Decreases in FI after compost incorporation suggest the presence of simple structural components with wide molecular heterogeneity and low content of conjugated chromophores in HA, and similar FI to that of FA (Senesi, 1990) . The increase in FA content during incubation is possibly due to the conversion of the HA fraction into more hydrophilic components.

The humification process increases the concentration of semiquinone free radicals (SFRC) in humus and high FI is correlated with the electron spin resonance spectroscopy.

Decreases in FI after compost incorporation suggest the presence of simple structural components with wide molecular heterogeneity and low content of conjugated chromophores in HA, and similar FI to that of FA.


Industrial residues with high carbon (C) content and free of organic and inorganic pollutants can be applied to agricultural fields. In particular, filter cake (FC), a residue from the sugar industry, has great potential as soil amendment due to its high nutrient content (Busato et al., 2010) . The use of FC as fertilizer is a traditional practice in many regions, although it can promote immobilization of soil nitrogen when incorporated directly into the soil, due to the stimulation of native microbial activity (Blagodatskaya & Kuzyakov, 2008) . Composting the organic residues is attractive, as it converts them into environmentally safe products (Rivero et al., 2004) . Many studies have shown increases in C and N soil contents after amendment with different composts but studies on the effects of FC on soil humus composition are scarce. Humic substances (HS) are the most widespread natural products found on the Earth's surface but although their various important roles in environmental processes are recognized, the dynamics of their transformations remains one of the least understood aspects of soil chemistry.

In particular, filter cake (FC), a residue from the sugar industry, has great potential as soil amendment due to its high nutrient content.

The use of FC as fertilizer is a traditional practice in many regions, although it can promote immobilization of soil nitrogen when incorporated directly into the soil, due to the stimulation of native microbial activity.

Composting the organic residues is attractive, as it converts them into environmentally safe products.


Microfinance, the supply of banking services to the poor, is high on the public agenda and is attracting increased interest from academics. The developmentenhancing aspect of microfinance has been recently recognised with the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Mohammad Yunus and Grameen Bank. Microfinance is also increasingly becoming an investment opportunity. The total stock of foreign capital investment in microfinance more than tripled between 2004 and 2006, to US$4 billion, with the establishment of 40 new specialised international investment funds (Reille and Foster 2008) .

The total stock of foreign capital investment in microfinance more than tripled between 2004 and 2006, to US$4 billion, with the establishment of 40 new specialised international investment funds.


In the past century, different molecular simulation methods have been developed to compute equilibrium and transport properties of fluids primarily by Molecular Dynamics (MD) techniques, or by sampling phase-space using Monte Carlo (MC) simulations [1] [2] [3] . Many thermodynamic properties such as the density and pressure of a system are straightforward to compute [4] [5] [6] [7] . The Gibbs Ensemble (GE) was introduced by Panagiotopoulos in 1987 to compute the coexistence densities and simulate VLE of pure components and mixtures of different components [4, 8] . Computing the correct coexistence densities in the conventional GE depends on efficient molecule exchange between the boxes. At high densities, successful molecule insertions depend strongly on occurrence of spontaneous cavities large enough to accommodate the inserted molecule. As a result of rare occurrence of such cavities at high densities, GE simulations suffer from low acceptance probabilities for molecule insertions. For a discussion on the accuracy and efficiency of the GE, the reader is referred to studies by Siepmann and coworkers [7, 9, 10] .

In the past century, different molecular simulation methods have been developed to compute equilibrium and transport properties of fluids primarily by Molecular Dynamics (MD) techniques, or by sampling phase-space using Monte Carlo (MC) simulations.

Many thermodynamic properties such as the density and pressure of a system are straightforward to compute.

The Gibbs Ensemble (GE) was introduced by Panagiotopoulos in 1987 to compute the coexistence densities and simulate VLE of pure components and mixtures of different components.

For a discussion on the accuracy and efficiency of the GE, the reader is referred to studies by Siepmann and coworkers.


One-parameter semigroups of holomorphic self-maps arise in various areas of analysis, including geometric function theory, operator theory, iteration theory, theory of branching stochastic processes. The study of one-parameter semigroups can be also regarded as a special but very important case of the more general Loewner theory, which gained recently much attention, partially due to the successful development of its stochastic counterpart introduced in 2000 by Schramm [30] . More about the theory of one-parameter semigroups, its applications and history of the topic can be found in the survey paper [21] .

The study of one-parameter semigroups can be also regarded as a special but very important case of the more general Loewner theory, which gained recently much attention, partially due to the successful development of its stochastic counterpart introduced in 2000 by Schramm.

More about the theory of one-parameter semigroups, its applications and history of the topic can be found in the survey paper.


Here we report on the temporal correlations between cells in the limbic thalamus and the hallmark oscillations of non-REM sleep. We recorded single units and LFPs from functionally connected regions in the mPFC, CA1, and midline nuclei of the thalamus, including reuniens, mediodorsal and ventromedial nuclei. We found that thalamic cells in these nuclei often reduce their firing and are more bursty with CA1 SWRs during non-REM sleep. Although firing in the thalamus becomes sparse, spikes are correlated with other thalamic cells and with LFP population events in mPFC and CA1. Specifically, thalamic units were phase-locked to the delta and spindle frequency bands recorded in deep layers of mPFC, and some thalamic cells showed a strong rebound of activity following the down-state of the mPFC slow oscillation (1) (2) (3) (4) . In addition, individual thalamic cells rarely contributed spikes in consecutive cycles of the spindle oscillation, but showed consistent correlations with other thalamic cells within the period of spindle cycles. We also found that CA1 SWRs were strongly correlated with individual cycles of mPFC spindles, a correlation that was enhanced following spatial exploration. Furthermore, CA1 units that were active during behavior were more strongly activated during SWRs compared to units not active during behavior, and including during SWRs nested in spindle cycles, when they phase-locked to the underlying spindle oscillation. The evidence raises the hypothesis that sparse synchronicity in thalamic cell ensembles facilitates CA1-mPFC consolidation processes during non-REM sleep. The enhancement of ripple-spindle correlations after exploratory behavior and preferential engagement of recently active CA1 units in SWRs and phase-locking to spindles, further suggest that individual spindle cycles provide time windows in which the interleaved activation of thalamic cells can promote incremental synaptic plasticity and facilitate the robust integration of recently acquired traces into neocortical networks.

Specifically, thalamic units were phase-locked to the delta and spindle frequency bands recorded in deep layers of mPFC, and some thalamic cells showed a strong rebound of activity following the down-state of the mPFC slow oscillation.


Malaria, which is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, infects over 500 million people in a year; it kills between one and three million, most of whom are children in Sub-Saharan Africa (Snow, Guerra, Noor, Myint, & Hay, 2005) . Some degree of anaemia is linked to most malarial infections. The seriousness of this anaemia depends on the patient peculiarity as well as parasite features such as species and drug-resistance phenotype (Lamikanra, Brown, & Potocnik 2007) . Severe injury and death may arise from malarial anaemia particularly in children and pregnant women infected with Plasmodium falciparum (Menendez, Fleming, & Alonso, 2000) . In P. falciparum infection, several haematological changes such as anaemia, thrombocytopenia and leukocytosis have been reported (Fleming, 1981) . For most of its life cycle, the malaria parasite is shielded from the body's immune system since it resides in the liver and blood cells, which are relatively invisible to immune surveillance (Chen, Schlichtherle, & Wahlgren, 2000) . Cerebral malaria occurs when sequestrated infected red blood cells breaches the blood brain barrier, a situation that could lead to coma (Adams, Brown, & Turner, 2002) .

Malaria, which is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions, infects over 500 million people in a year; it kills between one and three million, most of whom are children in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The seriousness of this anaemia depends on the patient peculiarity as well as parasite features such as species and drug-resistance phenotype.

Severe injury and death may arise from malarial anaemia particularly in children and pregnant women infected with Plasmodium falciparum.

In P. falciparum infection, several haematological changes such as anaemia, thrombocytopenia and leukocytosis have been reported.

For most of its life cycle, the malaria parasite is shielded from the body's immune system since it resides in the liver and blood cells, which are relatively invisible to immune surveillance.

Cerebral malaria occurs when sequestrated infected red blood cells breaches the blood brain barrier, a situation that could lead to coma.


The unsupervised systems that we will apply on this paper require raw corpora and a thesaurus with relations between word senses and words. Although these resources are not available for all languages, there is a growing number of WordNets in different languages that can be used 1 . Other approach would be to apply methods based on distributional similarity to build a thesaurus automatically from raw corpora (Lin, 1998) . The relations can then be applied in our algorithm. In this paper we have focused on the results we can obtain for English, relying on WordNet as thesaurus (Fellbaum, 1998) .

Other approach would be to apply methods based on distributional similarity to build a thesaurus automatically from raw corpora.

In this paper we have focused on the results we can obtain for English, relying on WordNet as thesaurus.


There are also some deeper questions about M-theory geometry. We know from other work how the so called "open string" metric is an invariant under a similar deformation process [22] . Later it was show that one could form the equivalent invariant metric for M-theory [23] . It would be interesting to see if one could form a similar invariant combination of metric and C-field that captures the class of the solution and is invariant under the deformation process. This is similar in spirit to the generalised geometry prgram where T-dualities are just diffeomorphisms of a more general geometry of bigger space. Perhaps the entropy invariance mentioned above is a sign of such a deeper symmetry.

We know from other work how the so called "open string" metric is an invariant under a similar deformation process.

Later it was show that one could form the equivalent invariant metric for M-theory.


Steady-state or dynamic simulation tools are widely used in the design, optimization, and operation of equilibrium-stage processes. Increasingly these tools are being used industrially to model very large-scale processes (Zitney et al., 1995) . This trend has been made possible in part by impressive gains in computer performance and advances in numerical methods. Today, supercomputing technology, offering parallel and/or vector processing architectures, is increasingly seen at price levels that make it available to process systems engineers. Thus, the use of supercomputers in process simulation is more practicable than ever before, and provides opportunities to solve larger-scale and more realistic plant models than ever before. However, since most current methods for solving process simulation problems were developed for use on conventional serial machines, they typically do not effectively take advantage of the vector and parallel processing architecture of supercomputers. Thus, exploiting this technology in process simulation requires a rethinking of the solution strategies used. In this paper, we consider the sparse linear equation solving strategies used in this context.

Increasingly these tools are being used industrially to model very large-scale processes.


The class F fly ash geopolymer is synthesized using potassium silicate and potassium hydroxide and the resulting matrix is reinforced with different wt% of basalt and carbon fibres at 0.5, 1 and 1.5%. Potassium silicate to potassium hydroxide ratios of 3 was selected in this study as this ratio was found as the optimum content for fire resistant based on authors previous research (Hosan et al. 2016) . Control geopolymer paste synthesized by sodium and potassium based activators without any fibers was also cast as control. A constant activator/fly ash ratio of 0.35 was considered in all the series in both parts. For each series fibre reinforced geopolymers, six 50 mm cube specimens were casted and heated at 200, 400, 600 and 800°C temperatures.

Potassium silicate to potassium hydroxide ratios of 3 was selected in this study as this ratio was found as the optimum content for fire resistant based on authors previous research.


The investigation of mild steel corrosion and iron is a major theoretical issue and has attracted significant attention. Many scientists are conducting research on mild steel corrosion. The corrosion inhibitors of two imidazoline derivatives have been investigated for mild steel and the chloridesubstituted was found better as compared with the fluoridesubstituted [5] . The effect of 4,6-diamino-2-pyrimidinethiol (4D2P) inhibitor on mild steel oxidation in hydrochloride acid media was studied [6] . The rind, seed, and peel extract of watermelon were studied as corrosion inhibitor for mild steel in hydrochloride acid media [7] .

The corrosion inhibitors of two imidazoline derivatives have been investigated for mild steel and the chloridesubstituted was found better as compared with the fluoridesubstituted.

The effect of 4,6-diamino-2-pyrimidinethiol (4D2P) inhibitor on mild steel oxidation in hydrochloride acid media was studied.

The rind, seed, and peel extract of watermelon were studied as corrosion inhibitor for mild steel in hydrochloride acid media.


Since spin is not a conserved quantity, detecting spin currents has proven a very elusive task. One solution is to perform a spin-resolved photoemission experiment where the electrons excited in the conduction band are extracted into the vacuum after the realization of negative or near-negative electron affinity conditions at the surface of the semiconductor [7, 9, 11, 13, 23] . This technique has the advantage of providing absolute values of the spin polarization of the photo-emitted electrons, which, however, might be affected by spin depolarization occurring when they are transferred from the bulk of the sample to the surface and then to vacuum. Another solution is represented by optical techniques exploiting the transfer of angular momentum between the photons and the spin-polarized electrons, leading to Faraday or Kerr rotation of the linear polarization of the light. Unfortunately such methods are characterized by very low signals, require low temperatures, and are diffraction limited. One might also measure the circular polarization of the photoluminescence light emitted when spin-polarized conduction electrons radiatively recombine across the gap [17, 24, 25] . Spin accumulation might be locally probed by measuring the current crossing magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) fabricated by lithography techniques where a ferromagnetic layer is separated from the semiconductor by a thin insulating spacer [26] . MTJ have the advantage that they can be fabricated to have either in-plane or out-of-plane magnetic anisotropy and be sensitive to any component of the spin polarization.

One solution is to perform a spin-resolved photoemission experiment where the electrons excited in the conduction band are extracted into the vacuum after the realization of negative or near-negative electron affinity conditions at the surface of the semiconductor.

One might also measure the circular polarization of the photoluminescence light emitted when spin-polarized conduction electrons radiatively recombine across the gap.

Spin accumulation might be locally probed by measuring the current crossing magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) fabricated by lithography techniques where a ferromagnetic layer is separated from the semiconductor by a thin insulating spacer.


Spintronics (spin transport electronics or spin-based electronics) consists in the study and, possibly, in the active control of spin degrees of freedom in solid-state systems. Among the goals of spintronics is to understand how the particle spin interacts with its solid-state environments determining phenomena such as spin transport, dynamics, and relaxation [1] . In this frame, the production of a spin current, i.e., a net flow of spins, in nonmagnetic materials and, in particular, semiconductors is a topic of ever-growing importance because of the implications it might have for applications concerning the manipulation of spin in electronic devices. Noteworthy, spin transport can be completely decoupled from charge transport, and it is in principle possible to generate currents of spins only, with no net particle transfer along the channel. Such a pure spin current is invariant under time reversal: if the clock is ran backward, the spin current would still flow in the same direction. This feature ensures that quantum information can, in principle, be sent through the channel without losing quantum coherence. Moreover, a device relying on pure spin transport should have faster switching times and lower power consumption than conventional devices, mainly because spins can be manipulated faster and at lower energy cost than charges can.

Among the goals of spintronics is to understand how the particle spin interacts with its solid-state environments determining phenomena such as spin transport, dynamics, and relaxation.


The technological parameters of production also affect the oxidative stability of the kibble. Dry foods manufacturing process (extrusion, baking or other) is expected to offer products with extended shelf life, when stored in factory sealed bags. After opening for everyday use, various environmental factors affect the chemical and physical properties of kibbles, especially when improperly handled or stored in risky conditions [11] .

After opening for everyday use, various environmental factors affect the chemical and physical properties of kibbles, especially when improperly handled or stored in risky conditions.


Lipid ingredients are specifically prone to oxidation damage and rancidification causing major sensory alterations that occur during storage. Thus, the monitoring of oxidative stability status is crucial for pet foods quality control [7] . It was previously shown that oxidized dietary lipids negatively affect the growth, antioxidant status and some immune functions of growing dogs [8] . Various combinations of antioxidant compounds were tested for their efficacy in preserving the nutrient quality and protecting freshness of pet foods during storage [9] . It is essential to add that labeling the information on antioxidants added to the product is voluntary. In consequence, such additives may be indicated only as a functional group [10] .

Thus, the monitoring of oxidative stability status is crucial for pet foods quality control.

It was previously shown that oxidized dietary lipids negatively affect the growth, antioxidant status and some immune functions of growing dogs.

Various combinations of antioxidant compounds were tested for their efficacy in preserving the nutrient quality and protecting freshness of pet foods during storage.

In consequence, such additives may be indicated only as a functional group.


The behaviour following the detonation of a high explosive charge underwater has been studied in detail for many years (see for example, Cole [1] ). A detonation in deep water can be considered as the case of a shell of water of infinite thickness, and in these conditions, one observes the growth and oscillation of a stable gas bubble. There have been many examples of this phenomenon and we illustrate this behaviour in Fig. 1 .

The behaviour following the detonation of a high explosive charge underwater has been studied in detail for many years (see for example, Cole).


Explosive acceleration of a liquid shell differs from the corresponding situation with solid particles due to the presence of voids in the unperturbed particle bed. In the latter case, the shock propagating through the particles causes considerable compaction, and depending on the ductility of the particles, the compacted bed may approach a fully densified state and have considerable strength after compaction. In the case of shock loading of a liquid, the reflection of an expansion wave at the liquid surface and subsequent tension applied to the bulk liquid will lead to the cavitation of void growth and subsequent breakup of the bubbly liquid into a droplet aerosol [11] .

In the case of shock loading of a liquid, the reflection of an expansion wave at the liquid surface and subsequent tension applied to the bulk liquid will lead to the cavitation of void growth and subsequent breakup of the bubbly liquid into a droplet aerosol.


A decrease in heat losses of buildings is an obligatory demand for highly insulated and nearly Zero Energy Buildings (nZEB). With reference to EU energy performance of buildings directive (2010/31/EU) and agreements on the worldwide level, we are looking for at least a 20% reduction of energy use compared to previous decades. These expectations are driven by means of optimization of resources use, energy and time, as well as clean and healthy environment. The energy efficiency and whole improvement of condition of residential buildings has been receiving more attention as more than 70% of them are over 30 years old and about 35% are more than 50 years old [1] . In Estonia about 65% of people live in apartment buildings. The designed service life of this type of buildings is 50 years, which is almost over for formerly constructed buildings. Research of current technical conditions of Estonian old concrete element housing stock refers to satisfactory conditions in terms of load-bearing, but highlights insufficient energy performance, indoor climate and hygrothermal performance of the building envelope [2] .

The energy efficiency and whole improvement of condition of residential buildings has been receiving more attention as more than 70% of them are over 30 years old and about 35% are more than 50 years old.

Research of current technical conditions of Estonian old concrete element housing stock refers to satisfactory conditions in terms of load-bearing, but highlights insufficient energy performance, indoor climate and hygrothermal performance of the building envelope.


The initial simulation of the structure was done in points 3, 4, 5 and 6 (see t3&RH3, t4&RH4, t5&RH5 and t6&RH6 in Fig. 1 right) . The initial moisture content of the existing concrete large element external slab was set to w=110_kg/m 3 as the starting state. RH was observed throughout a 5-year period. Initially the solution was designed so that the PE-foil was used as air&vapor barrier (Fig. 1, pos.6 ), serving the purpose of the basic suitable solution for timber-frame structures in cold climate conditions [25] . The highest RH level was found on the inner surface of PEfoil air&vapor barrier, in the location of wooden studs (in point 4, see Fig. 1 ). At this location the insulation was at full saturation state for more than 3½ years (see Fig. 3, P4) . For more than a 1-year period, 100% of RH was also detected on the inner surface of the PE-foil air&vapor barrier between wooden studs (see Fig. 3, P5 ). In the analyzed points 3 and 6, RH dropped in the course of 3-4 months to the level of equilibrium state and thereupon followed normal weather dynamics (see Fig. 3 , P3 and P6). As a result of the preceding calculations, analysis was continued in the most critical hygrothermal performance point 4 (see t4&RH4 in Fig. 1 right) , on the inner surface of the PE-foil air&vapor barrier, in the location of wooden studs as the highest RH level in the analyzed period was observed there. In this location, the RH was calculated with a different air&vapor barrier and control layers and with a number of the initial moisture content levels in the external slab of existing concrete large element (75_kg/m 3 , 90 kg/m 3 and 110 kg/m 3 ) in order to replicate the different moisture loads and at the same time, compare moisture load impact with different air&vapor control layers.

Initially the solution was designed so that the PE-foil was used as air&vapor barrier (Fig. 1, pos.6 ), serving the purpose of the basic suitable solution for timber-frame structures in cold climate conditions.


It is important to acknowledge the limitations of this study when interpreting the results. Members of the patient panel were recruited from a single hospital and were mainly of white ethnicity. The lack of diversity in the sample population suggests that caution should be exercised when applying the core outcome set to other settings, given that pain perception and experience are influenced by ethnicity and cultural factors (Edwards et al., 2001) . Similarly, the entire patient panel and the majority of the clinician panel were based in the United Kingdom and therefore this core outcome set was predominantly driven by consensus among people living in the United Kingdom. Further research would be required to determine if similar results would be obtained in the context of other settings. The use of a snowball technique of sampling to recruit clinicians had the potential for bias and we were unable to ascertain whether the members of the clinician panel were representative of those approached. The composition of the clinician panel also warrants consideration. The use of a single heterogeneous clinician panel meant that the views of physiotherapists, who comprised over half the panel, were strongly represented in the final consensus and the opinions of other health professionals with low representation on the panel, such as nurses and occupational therapists, would likely have been masked. In addition, although there was low attrition between rounds of the Delphi, participants who dropped out between rounds gave lower importance ratings compared with those who completed the round which may have introduced attrition bias and led to an overestimation of the level of consensus in the core outcome set (Sinha et al., 2011) .

The lack of diversity in the sample population suggests that caution should be exercised when applying the core outcome set to other settings, given that pain perception and experience are influenced by ethnicity and cultural factors.

In addition, although there was low attrition between rounds of the Delphi, participants who dropped out between rounds gave lower importance ratings compared with those who completed the round which may have introduced attrition bias and led to an overestimation of the level of consensus in the core outcome set.


The efficient market hypothesis implies among other that past performance is no guarantee of future performance, the average manager will not be able to beat a passive strategy, and top managers will not be expected to outperform in future. Excess performance is the result of luck, not skill. Further, track records are useful for evaluating the riskiness of managers' strategies, but not to ascertain the skill of managers (Goetzmann & Ibbotson, 1994) .

Further, track records are useful for evaluating the riskiness of managers' strategies, but not to ascertain the skill of managers.