The total expenses with maintenance throughout a building's service life depend on various factors: type of building, construction unit, quality of the materials, design of the construction solution, form of execution, replacement of vandalised materials, accidents, and attitude of users. For the consideration of the maintenance indicators of each roof variant the data provided by the 'CYPE Engineers' software was used (CYPE, 2017) . Once the 'decennial maintenance cost' is known, it is possible to determine the 'maintainability ratio' according to equation 1, which indicates the degree of economic viability of the maintenance in the first ten years of construction.

For the consideration of the maintenance indicators of each roof variant the data provided by the 'CYPE Engineers' software was used.


It is important to generate tools to facilitate selecting between construction alternatives and choosing different possible solutions based on their environmental impact, as a way to contributing to raising consciousness in the real estate sector and confer upon it an added value. Using the methodology based on the LCA in an early stage of the design, a building's impact throughout its service life will be positively influenced (Pushkar, 2016) . This fact will create new opportunities for improvement in the residential sector and, by extension, to society as a whole.

Using the methodology based on the LCA in an early stage of the design, a building's impact throughout its service life will be positively influenced.


The energy used in the manufacturing and construction processes implies the modification of the environment and brings with it a number of environmental impacts. The building sector represents one of the sectors with highest incidence of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere, mostly caused by the large amounts of energy used by the processes of manufacturing the materials. The construction and maintenance of buildings uses approximately 40% of the materials employed in the European Union (Baño-Nieva & Vigil-Escalera del Pozo, 2005) .

The construction and maintenance of buildings uses approximately 40% of the materials employed in the European Union.


Hanoi has significantly increased in population (4643.4 thousand in 17 years, a 46.37% increase) and experienced urbanization, as indicated by the increase of residential and industrial classes as land uses and rapid increases in socio-economic indicators from 1960 to 2013, such as the newly built-up areas of residential housing (4987 thous.m 2 , a 99.48% increase), industrial establishments (97092 industrial establishments, a 97.75% increase), and electricity per capita (1531 kWh/pers, a 93.75% increase) [11] . The environmental degradation that accompanied urban development has increased great concern from the public. Therefore, the investigation and assessment of urban development and its environmental effects in the Hanoi metropolitan area are essential and urgent issues in environmental sustainability.

Hanoi has significantly increased in population (4643.4 thousand in 17 years, a 46.37% increase) and experienced urbanization, as indicated by the increase of residential and industrial classes as land uses and rapid increases in socio-economic indicators from 1960 to 2013, such as the newly built-up areas of residential housing (4987 thous.m 2 , a 99.48% increase), industrial establishments (97092 industrial establishments, a 97.75% increase), and electricity per capita (1531 kWh/pers, a 93.75% increase).


The world has recently experienced the most rapid pace of urbanization since the industrial revolution in the second half of the twentieth century, especially in developing countries [1] . Rapid urbanization has strongly promoted economic and social development, but many environmental issues have emerged as a consequence of this development [2, 3] . The urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon is one of the major negative impacts of urbanization, which indicates a metropolitan core that has higher air temperature and land surface temperature (LST) than the surrounding rural area. The surface UHI (SUHI) and atmospheric UHI are two types of UHI [4] . Atmospheric UHI is observed based on air temperature and SUHI is observed based on LST [5] . Together with the urbanization process, the rapid spread of urban areas and changes in land use have led to significant and remarkable UHI phenomena [2] . Urbanization via the adjustment of natural surfaces and atmospheric conditions has an effect on local weather and climate systems, and UHI affects the quality of urban life through impacts on human health and ecosystem functions [6, 7] . Thus, a top priority has been the identification and assessment of urbanization impacts, and recent research has been performed with a view towards a better understanding of the impacts and problems that are related to urbanization [2] .

The world has recently experienced the most rapid pace of urbanization since the industrial revolution in the second half of the twentieth century, especially in developing countries.

Rapid urbanization has strongly promoted economic and social development, but many environmental issues have emerged as a consequence of this development.

The surface UHI (SUHI) and atmospheric UHI are two types of UHI.

Atmospheric UHI is observed based on air temperature and SUHI is observed based on LST.

Together with the urbanization process, the rapid spread of urban areas and changes in land use have led to significant and remarkable UHI phenomena.

Urbanization via the adjustment of natural surfaces and atmospheric conditions has an effect on local weather and climate systems, and UHI affects the quality of urban life through impacts on human health and ecosystem functions.

Thus, a top priority has been the identification and assessment of urbanization impacts, and recent research has been performed with a view towards a better understanding of the impacts and problems that are related to urbanization.


Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, occupies an important geographical and political position. Since 1990, industrialization and modernization began to accelerate in Hanoi, creating a firm foundation for development in the 21st century. The city has achieved excellent results during this period, and the results in the field of economic development and modernization of urban infrastructure are most noteworthy. However, Hanoi also faces serious environmental problems. Issues that are related to urbanization in Hanoi are multi-faceted and many problems related to urban transition still require additional research [8] . The city has rapidly urbanized since the country adopted economic reforms that drove built-up land to exponentially expand, especially in the buffer zone between 10 and 35 km from the city centre [9] . The change in land use in Hanoi has increased the number of hotspots and also increased the average night air temperature in new urban areas by up to 1 • C [10] .

Issues that are related to urbanization in Hanoi are multi-faceted and many problems related to urban transition still require additional research.

The city has rapidly urbanized since the country adopted economic reforms that drove built-up land to exponentially expand, especially in the buffer zone between 10 and 35 km from the city centre.

The change in land use in Hanoi has increased the number of hotspots and also increased the average night air temperature in new urban areas by up to 1 • C.


In summary, the overall results indicate that urban development and its environmental effects and impacts have imposed pressing problems and new challenges for the sustainable development of an increasingly urbanized Hanoi. These challenges must be the focus of additional attention and corresponding measures from city administrators in the years to come. It is suggested that the development plans of constructing a new satellite city should take the context of negative impacts of urbanization in terms of the evidence provided in this study into account in the future. Obviously, with the goal of sustainable development, urban development must be associated with concerns regarding protecting green vegetation. Characteristics of agricultural areas in each municipality, which affect the production and employment capacity, thus directly impacting both the demographic flow and the value of real estate [39] . Moreover, the temporal development of socio-economic and demographic variables that characterize an expanded urban area are complex and hard to predict [40] . Therefore, population allocation, construction of industrial zones, and planning of land use types are the issues that are worthy of attention and need to be addressed in close relation with the development of the new urban zones. More importantly, with the UHI areas that are already detected, they are fully capable of reducing and restoring in the future based on the sustainable development policies from city policymakers.

Characteristics of agricultural areas in each municipality, which affect the production and employment capacity, thus directly impacting both the demographic flow and the value of real estate.

Moreover, the temporal development of socio-economic and demographic variables that characterize an expanded urban area are complex and hard to predict.


In recent years, the interest in pyrogenic carbon (C) for agricultural use (biochar) has sharply increased ( Figure 1 ). The focus of this growing interest recently shifted from C sequestration and climate change mitigation to: soil fertility improvement and crop growth; water retention and movement in the soil; and soil pollution control, as indicated as a new tendency in a recent article in the journal Nature (Cernansky, 2015) . It is however noteworthy that this discourse change, from Terra Preta de Índios and climate change to biochar technology, mainly towards "soil fertility improvement" and "improving crop residue management", had already been preconized by the Brazilian Research Network of Biochar since 2006 (Maia et al., 2011; Madari et al., 2012; Novotny et al., 2012; Paiva et al., 2012; Rittl et al., 2015a) .

The focus of this growing interest recently shifted from C sequestration and climate change mitigation to: soil fertility improvement and crop growth; water retention and movement in the soil; and soil pollution control, as indicated as a new tendency in a recent article in the journal Nature.

It is however noteworthy that this discourse change, from Terra Preta de Índios and climate change to biochar technology, mainly towards "soil fertility improvement" and "improving crop residue management", had already been preconized by the Brazilian Research Network of Biochar since 2006.


The weakly electric fish Eigenmannia (Sternopygus) lineata Mfiller and Troschel (Gymnotiformes, Teleostei) of tropical South America discharges its electric organ in a wavelike fashion. Frequencies are extremely stable at rest, but vary among individuals -approximately 240 600 Hz at 27~ (Lissmann 1958) . Mean frequencies of males and females differ significantly, but the statistical distributions widely overlap; frequency is therefore not considered a cue in mate recognition (Hopkins 1974a; Westby and Kirschbaum 1981) .

Frequencies are extremely stable at rest, but vary among individuals -approximately 240 600 Hz at 27~.

Mean frequencies of males and females differ significantly, but the statistical distributions widely overlap; frequency is therefore not considered a cue in mate recognition.


Bounds in electromagnetism have been a topic of growing interest for many years. In particular, many authors have pointed out the limitations of antennas in terms of bandwidth, directivity and efficiency [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] . Such limitations have shown to be really useful for designers, by highlighting the critical points to deal with and to what extent one can decrease their impact. Those very general limits have been essentially derived from appropriate modal field expansions. The objective of this paper is first to justify a general and analytical method for characterizing power transfer mechanisms, based on this modal field theory. According to this approach, the dissipation in any lossy scatterer can be described with an equivalent junction/circuit model, in terms of power transfer between a set of generators and a linear junction (multipole load). In order to point out common points and differences between the classical microwave circuit theory and the proposed approach, the first section briefly reviews some important aspects of the power transfer between electrical generators and loads.

In particular, many authors have pointed out the limitations of antennas in terms of bandwidth, directivity and efficiency.


In the food industry, the use of sense organs to analyze the characteristics of the products play an important role, since appearance, aroma and flavor are determinants to accept a food product (Almario et al., 2014) . Even though there are expert people, tasting panels, capable to determine the quality of some food, especially drinks, it is necessary to contribute in the food sector developing devices that can be able to take signals from samples of drinks and to process these signals with the purpose to control the quality of their products, since the organoleptic analysis that a tasting panel make is very expensive. Although there are electrochemical devices that can be used to analyze a sample of drink, in the particular case of dairy sector, the device used must be portable, therefore, the use of PSoC technology is a suitable alternative to develop a device that gathers these characteristics. The structure of a PSoC circuit provides the flexibility that separates the PSoC family with regard to other microcontrollers. With the use of this technology, it is possible to reconfigure a device without the need to make changes on the hardware of its stages, since the changes are made on the chip. The PSoC technology is used to make analog signal treatment according its characteristics, for example the development of a system which applies cycle tests method for lithium-ion secondary batteries was possible using the PSoC technology (Kato et al., 2003) .

In the food industry, the use of sense organs to analyze the characteristics of the products play an important role, since appearance, aroma and flavor are determinants to accept a food product.

The PSoC technology is used to make analog signal treatment according its characteristics, for example the development of a system which applies cycle tests method for lithium-ion secondary batteries was possible using the PSoC technology.


The Institutional Review Board at the University of Michigan approved all methods and procedures for this study. Seventy-two children with autism between the ages of 9-18 years (n = 72, male = 55, female = 17), who were recruited as a part of an adapted physical activity intervention study (teaching children how to ride a twowheel bicycle), met the requirements to be included in this study. All participants were unable to ride a twowheel bicycle prior to the study. An adapted two-wheel bicycle was used to teach the participants how to ride a conventional two-wheel bicycle. Parental consent and participant assent was obtained for all participants. To be included in this study all participants met autism cut-off criteria based on the mild-moderate and severe codes of the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), a valid assessment reliable in measuring autism severity [14, 15] . Additionally all children met physical activity monitoring guidelines based on best practice recommendations (outlined below) [11, 16] .

To be included in this study all participants met autism cut-off criteria based on the mild-moderate and severe codes of the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), a valid assessment reliable in measuring autism severity.

Additionally all children met physical activity monitoring guidelines based on best practice recommendations (outlined below).


In Section 5 we note two corollaries of the main theorem. Firstly, we solve the Dirichlet problem in the general case, i.e. the problem for the ball B(a, r) with boundary conditions put on the set a + p−1 k=0 e kπi p ∂B(0, r) (Corollary 1). Next, we solve the exterior problem corresponding to the interior problem (1) (Corollary 3). Here polyharmonicity is required on the set R n \ B with the same boundary conditions as in the problem (1) .

Here polyharmonicity is required on the set R n \ B with the same boundary conditions as in the problem.


The present paper is noteworthy in that it describes the isolation of L. elongisporus, an ascomycetous yeast species, from a suspected fungemia case from the Middle East. Although the etiologic significance of isolation of L. elongisporus from the catheter tip culture of our patient was not accompanied by concomitant recovery from blood, its role as bloodstream pathogen capable of causing deep-seated infection has already been recognized [7] [8] [9] . The inability to culture the organism from blood is in conformity with previous observations showing that the blood culture positivity for Candida species even in autopsy-proven cases of invasive candidiasis remains low (∼50%) [20] . The patient's favorable response to antifungal therapy is also consistent with the possible etiological role of L. elongisporus in fungemia since the isolate Kw553-08 recovered from the catheter tip was highly susceptible to fluconazole. Our paper also reinforces the previous observations that currently available phenotypic identification methods based on Vitek 2 or API 20C carbon assimilation profiles, misidentify isolates of L. elongisporus as C. parapsilosis [7] . It is probable, therefore, that L. elongisporus isolates may be occurring with greater frequency than hitherto recognized due to limitations of currently available phenotypic identification methods. Recent application of molecular methods have resulted in species-specific identification of closely related yeast species including L. elongisporus [21] . Application of molecular methods in one study involving 542 clinical isolates of C. parapsilosis obtained from 25 countries and previously identified by conventional phenotypic methods identified 10 isolates as L. elongisporus. Furthermore, 8 of 10 L. elongisporus originated from a single hospital in Mexico while one isolate each came from China and Malaysia [7] . Interestingly, all 10 bloodstream isolates formed distinct turquoise color on CHROMagar Candida instead of pink/lavender color colonies typical of C. parapsilosis isolates, thus facilitating their initial discrimination and subsequent confirmation as a distinct species by DNA sequencing [7] . Another case of fungemia due to L. elongisporus was also described subsequently from Malaysia while a case of endocarditis was reported recently from Australia [8, 9] .

Although the etiologic significance of isolation of L. elongisporus from the catheter tip culture of our patient was not accompanied by concomitant recovery from blood, its role as bloodstream pathogen capable of causing deep-seated infection has already been recognized.

The inability to culture the organism from blood is in conformity with previous observations showing that the blood culture positivity for Candida species even in autopsy-proven cases of invasive candidiasis remains low (∼50%).

Our paper also reinforces the previous observations that currently available phenotypic identification methods based on Vitek 2 or API 20C carbon assimilation profiles, misidentify isolates of L. elongisporus as C. parapsilosis.

Recent application of molecular methods have resulted in species-specific identification of closely related yeast species including L. elongisporus.

Furthermore, 8 of 10 L. elongisporus originated from a single hospital in Mexico while one isolate each came from China and Malaysia.

Interestingly, all 10 bloodstream isolates formed distinct turquoise color on CHROMagar Candida instead of pink/lavender color colonies typical of C. parapsilosis isolates, thus facilitating their initial discrimination and subsequent confirmation as a distinct species by DNA sequencing.

Another case of fungemia due to L. elongisporus was also described subsequently from Malaysia while a case of endocarditis was reported recently from Australia.


In summary, previous research has shown that the presence of visual obstruction results in an increase in vigilance. Therefore, this visual obstruction obviously prevents the animal from obtaining certain important information. Yet we have previously been unable to determine the focus of antipredator vigilance (Roberts 1996) . The following experiment has been designed to determine whether aerial predators are a significant focus of thirteen-lined ground squirrel antipredator vigilance.

Yet we have previously been unable to determine the focus of antipredator vigilance.


In regards to future research, the existence and affect of impression management tendencies would be further clarified if the provided self-report data was compared with more objective data (e.g., traffic histories, criminal histories, etc) among larger sample sizes. Furthermore, research may need to consider whether those with psychopathic tendencies are in fact more likely to believe it is desirable to have qualities which others might interpret as unwanted, and therefore not be compelled to present self-reported information about themselves in a more positive light (Levenson et al., 1995) . Nevertheless, future research that continues to identify and examine the existence of integrated psychopaths within the community who have not displayed criminal behaviours resulting in prosecution provides an ideal opportunity to disentangle the attributes that characterise psychopathy and criminality.

Furthermore, research may need to consider whether those with psychopathic tendencies are in fact more likely to believe it is desirable to have qualities which others might interpret as unwanted, and therefore not be compelled to present self-reported information about themselves in a more positive light.


In regards to the central aim of the study, individuals who demonstrated the highest psychopathic traits were less likely to utilise impression management. The fact, half of those individuals scoring among the highest SRP-III scores also scored among the lowest impression management scores, which suggests impression management tendencies did not obstruct the identification of psychopathy in this community sample. Additionally and given that erratic lifestyle was the highest scoring SPR-III subfactor, this factor was also inversely related to impression management. This suggests that the more erratic an individual's lifestyle, the less likely they were to utilise impression management. Though erratic lifestyle was not significantly related to self-deceptive enhancement, erratic lifestyle did indicate a negative relationship with overall PDS scores, again suggesting that those reporting erratic lifestyles did not engage in deception. Furthermore, those who scored higher on interpersonal manipulation (which was the second highest SRP-III factor) also scored lower on impression management and on deception subfactor (PDS). That is, an increased propensity for the interpersonal manipulation of other people (presumably in their lives) did not directly translate to manipulation of the assessment process. Additionally, those with higher criminal tendencies scores were less likely to engage in impression management, although this has also previously been found among samples of violent offenders (Mills & Kroner, 2006) . The results have important implications for future research (on larger and more varied community samples) as the issue of deception may not prove to negate the identification of individuals with elevated psychopathic tendencies. This result may further confirm current scientific understanding of the psychopathy construct (as well as re-affirm criteria used within assessment practices) as it is believed that such individuals who demonstrate these traits do not misrepresent the truth in an effective manner (Hare, 1991) . It is noteworthy that this issue may prove to extend beyond purely forensic and/or incarcerated populations, and thus may also be relevant for community-based populations.

Additionally, those with higher criminal tendencies scores were less likely to engage in impression management, although this has also previously been found among samples of violent offenders.

This result may further confirm current scientific understanding of the psychopathy construct (as well as re-affirm criteria used within assessment practices) as it is believed that such individuals who demonstrate these traits do not misrepresent the truth in an effective manner.


The construct, measurement and effect of psychopathy have remained central issues within psychological research for over a century. However, while such research has traditionally focused on criminal offenders, increasing efforts are now being directed towards identifying and understanding psychopathic traits within the broader community. There are a number of benefits to this endeavour including the potential to extend current understanding of psychopathy which will not be confounded by criminality or the effects of longterm institutionalisation (Kirkman, 2002) . More specifically, such pursuits provide an opportunity to disentangle the attributes that are specific to psychopathy and those specific to criminality, thus contributing to an overall understanding (as well as more effective measurement) of the psychopathy construct. Furthermore, given the link between psychopathy and violence (and particularly since psychopathy is one of the best predictors of violent recidivism), the importance of increasing scientific knowledge regarding the type and extent of psychopathy within the community becomes paramount (DeMatteo, Heilbrun & Marczyk, 2005) .

There are a number of benefits to this endeavour including the potential to extend current understanding of psychopathy which will not be confounded by criminality or the effects of longterm institutionalisation.

Furthermore, given the link between psychopathy and violence (and particularly since psychopathy is one of the best predictors of violent recidivism), the importance of increasing scientific knowledge regarding the type and extent of psychopathy within the community becomes paramount.


The study of psychopathy, particular the extent and measurement of psychopathic tendencies, continues to receive increasing research attention. While such research endeavours have traditionally focused on forensic populations, researchers propose there are a number of benefits associated with examining non-incarcerated samples, in particular, studying the construct without the possibly confounding effects of criminality or long-term institutionalisation (Kirkman, 2002) . As a result, the current study aimed to examine the existence and prevalence of psychopathic traits within a community sample as well as investigate the relationship between psychopathy and impression management, given the tendency for such individuals to be inclined to use deception.

While such research endeavours have traditionally focused on forensic populations, researchers propose there are a number of benefits associated with examining non-incarcerated samples, in particular, studying the construct without the possibly confounding effects of criminality or long-term institutionalisation.


Wireless sensor nodes are also called as motes which provide bridge between the real physical and virtual world. In real scenario more than thousand of motes are deployed in the real physical world to monitor an area under study [1] . WSN has a wide range application in various fields such as process management, health care monitoring, environment monitoring, water quality monitoring and industrial monitoring.

In real scenario more than thousand of motes are deployed in the real physical world to monitor an area under study.


Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) refers to a group of spatially dispersed and dedicated sensors for monitoring and recording the physical conditions of the environment and organizing the collected data at a central location. WSNs measure environmental conditions such as temperature, sound, pollution levels, humidity, wind speed, direction and pressure. Each sensor node comprises components like controller unit for processing all the relevant data and capable of executing arbitrary code, sensors and actuator unit used to observe or control physical parameter of the environment, memory unit to store program and data [1] .

Each sensor node comprises components like controller unit for processing all the relevant data and capable of executing arbitrary code, sensors and actuator unit used to observe or control physical parameter of the environment, memory unit to store program and data.


The choice of an appropriate extraction buffer has great impact on the protein composition in the extracts and the recovery from the sample. ELISA performance, however, was not affected by the extraction buffers due to the at least 20-fold sample dilution. Of the eight buffers examined in the present study including a range of different pH and ionic strengths, PBS was shown to be the most effective in terms of total protein yield from the A. simplex-spiked cod samples. However, the amount of total protein extracted was not correlated to the amount of A. simplex protein measured by the ELISA. Extraction by HSB (pH 4.5) and Tris-glycine resulted in similar total protein yield as for PBS. With regard to A. simplex protein, the extractability and ELISA-detectability appeared to be greatly dependent on the pH-values of the buffers. Measurable A. simplex proteins were only obtained under basic conditions, which is congruent to an observation made for other allergens in a previous study [43] . The Tris-glycine extraction buffer was found to be optimal considering the yield of detectable A. simplex proteins from thermally treated samples. This might be connected to the amino acid content in the Trisglycine buffer, possibly increasing the extraction efficiency of A. simplex proteins. In contrast, PBS was apparently only suited for the extraction of raw samples according to the Western blot results in this study.

Measurable A. simplex proteins were only obtained under basic conditions, which is congruent to an observation made for other allergens in a previous study.


A vast body of analytical, computational, wind-tunnel, and flight data exist on the ASE characteristics of subsonic transport and supersonic fighter aircraft [1] . Systems for control of undesirable aeroelastic phenomena, such as suppression of flutter, have been demonstrated in the past [2] [3] [4] [5] . Systems that exploit vehicle flexibility for improved performance, such as vehicle roll control beyond aileron reversal and wing load alleviation have also been demonstrated [6, 7] .

A vast body of analytical, computational, wind-tunnel, and flight data exist on the ASE characteristics of subsonic transport and supersonic fighter aircraft.

Systems for control of undesirable aeroelastic phenomena, such as suppression of flutter, have been demonstrated in the past.

Systems that exploit vehicle flexibility for improved performance, such as vehicle roll control beyond aileron reversal and wing load alleviation have also been demonstrated.


Our results showing a significant decrease in the prevalence of nocturia according to the latter definition support this suggestion. Studies of the effects of nocturia on QoL have shown that most people with less than 2 voiding episodes per night generally have only minimal bother from the condition, and that nocturia is more likely to have more serious consequences only when ≥ 2 voiding episodes per night occur on a regular basis [6] . Although nocturia literally refers to waking up to void, as defined by the ICS, a certain cutoff point is needed when it is used to describe a symptom or a clinical disease that has known consequences for health and health-related QoL. The current definition may include individuals who do not consider their nocturia bothersome [14] . Alternatively, new terms such as "bothersome nocturia" may be used to distinguish nocturia as a disease from the term used for waking up to void. Population-based studies have shown age to be the most important risk factor for nocturia [17] . In our study, the prevalence of nocturia increased with age in both sexes. Our results also confirmed those of previous studies that showed sex to have a significant impact, with the prevalence of nocturia was generally greater in women among young adults, but greater in men among the elderly [17] .

Studies of the effects of nocturia on QoL have shown that most people with less than 2 voiding episodes per night generally have only minimal bother from the condition, and that nocturia is more likely to have more serious consequences only when ≥ 2 voiding episodes per night occur on a regular basis.

The current definition may include individuals who do not consider their nocturia bothersome.

Population-based studies have shown age to be the most important risk factor for nocturia.

Our results also confirmed those of previous studies that showed sex to have a significant impact, with the prevalence of nocturia was generally greater in women among young adults, but greater in men among the elderly.


Let Γ be a countable discrete group. An algebraic action of Γ is the induced (continuous) action Γ M from some (left) ZΓ-module M. Here M is the Pontryagin dual of the discrete abelian group M. One of main concerns is about the interplay between the dynamical information of Γ M and the algebraic information of M. Weiss considered the case that M is a torsion abelian group [18] . For general ZΓ-module M, Peters showed that the topological entropy of Γ M coincides with the algebraic entropy of M when Γ is amenable [14] . This general result does not only establish the beautiful connection but also provides the great flexibility to study the entropy of algebraic actions [5, 13] .

Let Γ be a countable discrete group.

An algebraic action of Γ is the induced (continuous) action Γ M from some (left) ZΓ-module M. Here M is the Pontryagin dual of the discrete abelian group M. One of main concerns is about the interplay between the dynamical information of Γ M and the algebraic information of M. Weiss considered the case that M is a torsion abelian group.

For general ZΓ-module M, Peters showed that the topological entropy of Γ M coincides with the algebraic entropy of M when Γ is amenable.

This general result does not only establish the beautiful connection but also provides the great flexibility to study the entropy of algebraic actions.


Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are rare tumors, accounting for less than 1% of all newly diagnosed malignancies [1] . Of all STS, only 20% originate from retroperitoneal and intra-abdominal locations [2] . These tumors are commonly extensive and locally invasive, rendering complete surgical resection challenging. Nonetheless, resection remains the mainstay of therapy for retroperitoneal and intra-abdominal STS, because radiotherapy is limited due to incomplete responses and potential toxicity to adjacent structures, and because highly effective adjuvant chemotherapy remains to be identified. To the best of our knowledge, there are only three cases of intraduodenal STS reported in the literature, two of which are recurrent retroperitoneal STS and one being synchronous with the retroperitoneal sarcoma [3] [4] [5] . We report a case of an intraduodenal recurrence of a retroperitoneal sarcoma causing bowel obstruction.

Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are rare tumors, accounting for less than 1% of all newly diagnosed malignancies.

Of all STS, only 20% originate from retroperitoneal and intra-abdominal locations.

To the best of our knowledge, there are only three cases of intraduodenal STS reported in the literature, two of which are recurrent retroperitoneal STS and one being synchronous with the retroperitoneal sarcoma.


Open/closed string duality has been a powerful tool in understanding string theory and gauge theory. The most basic form of this relation originates from the dual descriptions of the vacuum cylinder amplitude, as a one-loop open string vacuum energy on one hand, and as a tree-level closed string exchange amplitude on the other. The AdS/CFT correspondence is another kind of open/closed string duality, whereby an open string theory on a collection of D-branes is dual to a closed string theory in some non-trivial geometry with fluxes. Recently, another type of open/closed string duality has been revealed. Gaiotto, Itzhaki and Rastelli have shown that closed string disk scattering amplitudes from a periodic array of D-branes in imaginary time are identical to purely closed string sphere amplitudes with an additional insertion of a particular physical closed string state [1] . This led to the proposal that an array of D-branes in imaginary time corresponds to a particular pure closed string background, and that perhaps any configuration of D-branes which are localized in imaginary (or complex) time corresponds to some pure closed string background.

Gaiotto, Itzhaki and Rastelli have shown that closed string disk scattering amplitudes from a periodic array of D-branes in imaginary time are identical to purely closed string sphere amplitudes with an additional insertion of a particular physical closed string state.


Although the results of the study like other qualitative studies cannot be generalized beyond its context, it seems that the findings are contextually and socially important for African counties to manage the diversity of their economies and environmental problems in future. Technology is also playing a more important role in African education. Although there are many industrial challenges for African countries, for example, Nigerian teachers are dissatisfied with the absence of infrastructure and ICT equipment (Ololube et al., 2008) .

Although there are many industrial challenges for African countries, for example, Nigerian teachers are dissatisfied with the absence of infrastructure and ICT equipment.


Cisplatin, cis-diamminedichloroplatinum with the molecular formula cis-[Pt(NH3)2Cl2], is a platinum-based drug used as an antineoplastic agent which has unwanted and sometimes severe side effects limiting its usage. Therefore, methods that may reduce these side effects are worth investigating. It is a widely used and effective cytotoxic agent in the treatment of a variety of malignant tumours, including lung, colorectal, ovarian, breast, head and neck, bladder and testicular cancers in both children and adults (Gulec et al., 2013) . Despite being a commonly used chemotherapy drug, the benefit of cisplatin is compromised by severe side effects including neurotoxicity, myelotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, ototoxicity and haematological toxicity (McWhinney et al., 2009) .

It is a widely used and effective cytotoxic agent in the treatment of a variety of malignant tumours, including lung, colorectal, ovarian, breast, head and neck, bladder and testicular cancers in both children and adults.

Despite being a commonly used chemotherapy drug, the benefit of cisplatin is compromised by severe side effects including neurotoxicity, myelotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, ototoxicity and haematological toxicity.


The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision Principles for the Management of Credit Risk defines credit risk as the possibility that the borrower or the lender will fail to keep an appointment with the correlative bank. In China, SMEs are the main applicants of SCF, thus the bank suffers from credit risk in SCF when the SMEs cannot honor an agreement. Researchers and bankers emphasize that structuring the SME credit risk evaluation index system is the largest and most critical challenge to banks' management of SCF and is the fundamental work in credit loan decision making. A good credit risk evaluation index system can guarantee profitability and stability of a FI, whereas a poor system can potentially lead to losses [10] [11] [12] . We propose that the SME credit risk evaluation index system of SCF evaluate credit risks from various aspects, including the SMEs' financial condition, the CEs' financial condition, the operational status of the entire supply chain and the transactional relationship between the SMEs and the CEs.

A good credit risk evaluation index system can guarantee profitability and stability of a FI, whereas a poor system can potentially lead to losses.


In a wide class of planar (integrated) optoelectronic systems, processing of the optical signal is performed in a slab waveguide [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] . Such geometry corresponds to the "insulator-oninsulator" platform and is suitable for the creation of fully integrated optical devices. In this case, the processed signal corresponds to a superposition of slab waveguide modes having different propagation directions (in the case of spatial processing) or different frequencies (in the case of spectral processing). In this regard, the design of integrated resonant photonic structures is of great interest [12, 13] .

In a wide class of planar (integrated) optoelectronic systems, processing of the optical signal is performed in a slab waveguide.

In this regard, the design of integrated resonant photonic structures is of great interest.


Many current fungicidal chemicals used in mold protection readily leach from treated materials in wet environments, and this is of particular concern for products that come in contact with food and eating utensils such as bamboo chopsticks, baskets, mats, chopping boards and toys (Sun and Duan 2004) . Leaching of biocidal chemicals can potentially impact human health but is also a concern from the perspective of both abiotic and biotic contamination in the environment. Further, leaching of the chemical protectants from the bamboo structure leaves the material susceptible to mold attack. Current research has therefore focused on antifungal systems that can protect bamboo with low leaching potential, which also have low risk to human health and limited environmental impacts (Tang et al. 2012) .

Many current fungicidal chemicals used in mold protection readily leach from treated materials in wet environments, and this is of particular concern for products that come in contact with food and eating utensils such as bamboo chopsticks, baskets, mats, chopping boards and toys.

Current research has therefore focused on antifungal systems that can protect bamboo with low leaching potential, which also have low risk to human health and limited environmental impacts.


Being a widely known antiseptic, iodine (I 2 ) is also approved by food and drug administrations around the world for low-dosage use by humans and in food contact materials (Lawrence 1998) . More so, it is reported to be very effective against fungi even in minute quantities (Adimurthy et al. 2003; Choi et al. 2003) . When higher concentrations of molecular I 2 are added to water, excess of I − will form a brownish water-soluble triiodide (I 3− ) precipitate that will remain in equilibrium with dissolved I 2 .

Being a widely known antiseptic, iodine (I 2 ) is also approved by food and drug administrations around the world for low-dosage use by humans and in food contact materials.

More so, it is reported to be very effective against fungi even in minute quantities.


Our study also has a number of potential limitations. In spite of the large number of cases of haemorrhagic stroke, there were few cases with antecedents of migraine with aura. This limited the statistical power of these analyses. Furthermore, the diagnosis of migraine was not established according to the International Headache Society criteria [8] . The migraine diagnosis was, however, reached by general practitioners (GPs) and as such reflects everyday practice. Not all migraineurs seek medical attention for their migraine headaches [9] . We find it probable that migraineurs with milder attacks were less likely to seek medical attention and may therefore be underrepresented in our study, which may explain our finding of a rather low prevalence of migraine. We sub-classified migraine type almost entirely based on free-text comments, since GPs mostly did not use codes for migraine with aura, even in cases where they clearly stated this diagnosis and described aura symptoms in the free-text. This probably means that some patients with migraine with aura in our sample have been misclassified as migraine without aura, due to missing information on aura symptoms in the freetext. We believe that this source of non-differential misclassification probably leads to an underestimate of the association of migraine with aura and hemorrhagic stroke. We therefore conclude that our study indicates that migraine, and in particular migraine with aura, may be associated with an increased risk of ICH, but probably not SAH. However, given the implications of a link between migraine and ICH, and the limitations of the present as well as previous studies, the issue merits further studies.

Furthermore, the diagnosis of migraine was not established according to the International Headache Society criteria.

Not all migraineurs seek medical attention for their migraine headaches.


Use of other COPD treatments in the baseline period was summarized. Post-index use of short-acting betaagonist (SABA) bronchodilators as a potential timevarying confounder was included. SABAs are used to relieve acute symptoms and have been associated with more severe disease and/or poorly controlled disease [27] .

SABAs are used to relieve acute symptoms and have been associated with more severe disease and/or poorly controlled disease.


Indeed as Bohr points out, we cannot sub-divide a quantum process and analyse it in the way we do in classical physics. All we can rely on is the well-defined quantum algorithm from which we are able to calculate the probabilities of a given outcome defined by the whole experimental arrangement [13] . This process does not attach any notion of reality to the wave function; it is regarded simply as part of the mathematical algorithm, or if you will a 'tool', giving it no ontological status at all. It is merely a symbol in a mathematical formula and as long as we adopt this position we cannot talk about which way particles go when interference is involved. If we want to give direct significance to the particle and remain in total agreement with the quantum formalism then we must use the Bohm approach.

All we can rely on is the well-defined quantum algorithm from which we are able to calculate the probabilities of a given outcome defined by the whole experimental arrangement.


Plants assigned treatment E i.e. uninoculated control showed the best growth and yield since it was not plagued by infection. However, plants treated with carbofuran, but inoculated showed best growth and yield among all other inoculated and treated. The observation confirmed the potency of carbofuran in reducing the population of M. incognita below where they could cause economic injury to plant growth, development and yield (Hemeng, 1992) . The reduced growth observed in all the inoculated plants despite the chemical and amendment added, compared with uninoculated plants might be due to some basic physiological processes in them impaired such as absorption of water and mineral nutrients due to attack on roots by M. incognita. This indirectly must have affected the growth and development of the crop to some extent.

The observation confirmed the potency of carbofuran in reducing the population of M. incognita below where they could cause economic injury to plant growth, development and yield.


To design and operate large-scale fluidized beds safely and efficiently, one needs to achieve good solid mixing in both lateral (horizontal) and axial (vertical) directions. For instance, one sees the importance of lateral solid mixing in fluidized bed combustors; in the latter, the rate at which solid fuel mixes laterally strongly influences the plant performance, affecting combustion efficiency, allocation of heat release and formation of emissions (Gómez-Barea and Leckner, 2010) . It is therefore crucial to ensure that fuel spread homogeneously and rapidly over the whole cross-section of the bed. One way of achieving this is to feed the fuel at multiple entry points with the aid of a spreader; however, each added feed point increases the installation costs, and consequently one should aim to minimize their number. The knowledge of how fuel mixes laterally in a combustor is also crucial for minimizing excess air; the latter causes energy loss in the system and thus increases cost. Therefore, knowing how fuel mixes laterally is essential for improving the design of fluidized bed combustors. Efficient operation of the latter, naturally, also depends on how well mixing is achieved vertically.

For instance, one sees the importance of lateral solid mixing in fluidized bed combustors; in the latter, the rate at which solid fuel mixes laterally strongly influences the plant performance, affecting combustion efficiency, allocation of heat release and formation of emissions.


Foodborne pathogens still remain one of the major causes of illness and fatalities in the world. In the United States food safety is still a problem as food contamination by pathogens, which are harmful to humans, has been estimated to lead to about 3000 fatally and 128,000 cases of hospitalization each year [1] . Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella enterica are the top three pathogens responsible for foodborne illnesses and deaths [2, 3] .

In the United States food safety is still a problem as food contamination by pathogens, which are harmful to humans, has been estimated to lead to about 3000 fatally and 128,000 cases of hospitalization each year.

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella enterica are the top three pathogens responsible for foodborne illnesses and deaths.


In addition to causing food safety issues, pathogens also target farm animals causing diseases and deaths. In some cases livestock such as cattle serve as major reservoirs for pathogens specifically Escherichia coli O157:H7 resulting in contaminated meat, fruit and vegetables for human consumption [3] . Antimicrobial agents are used in animals to treat diseases, to safeguard the health and safety of farm animals, and to promote growth and feed efficiency [4] . Continuous and indiscriminate uses of such antimicrobial agents often cause passage of antimicrobial medicines to humans through the food chain resulting in issues of antibiotic resistance.

In some cases livestock such as cattle serve as major reservoirs for pathogens specifically Escherichia coli O157:H7 resulting in contaminated meat, fruit and vegetables for human consumption.

Antimicrobial agents are used in animals to treat diseases, to safeguard the health and safety of farm animals, and to promote growth and feed efficiency.


Climate and site conditions of all four stands were similar (Tab. I), although site index (H 100 ) differences were observed between stands (Tab. II). This may influence growth, along with other forestry-related factors such as stand structure and competition. In other species, a relationship has been found between the radial increment of the stem and the site index [3, 18, 22] . Specifically, H 100 of the stand with oak understorey was lower than H 100 of the other stands, but dominant trees were also older than those in the other stands; this suggests a potential problem with the site index curves, the age measurement, or an interaction with the oak understorey.

In other species, a relationship has been found between the radial increment of the stem and the site index.


Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) is one of the preferred species for reforestation in Spain, where it occupies third place among the native conifers (920 000 ha) and yields 7% of the total timber production. Average wood production is around 4 to 5 m 3 ha −1 year −1 , with wide site variations [4] . Such variability seems to be caused by structure, site quality, diseases and competition [7] .

Average wood production is around 4 to 5 m 3 ha −1 year −1 , with wide site variations.

Such variability seems to be caused by structure, site quality, diseases and competition.


EXPERIMENT 2: OTITIS MEDIA Phonological deficits have various causes. For example, atypical phonology resulting from hearing, dyslexia, or speech impairments differs in the extent to which input, representations, or output phonology are compromised (Stackhouse & Wells, 1997) . The consequences for literacy may depend on the quantity and/or quality of phonological impairment (Fowler, 1991; Ramus & Ahissar, 2012) . In Experiment 2 we examine whether phonological impairment impacts on use of morphology in spelling, or whether the difficulties with derivational morphology observed in the dyslexic group in Experiment 1 were linked to their literacy impairment rather than phonological difficulties.

For example, atypical phonology resulting from hearing, dyslexia, or speech impairments differs in the extent to which input, representations, or output phonology are compromised.

The consequences for literacy may depend on the quantity and/or quality of phonological impairment.


The low-energy dynamics on the worldvolume of a D3-brane at a quotient singularity C 3 /Z N is well-known [5] . It is obtained from the N =4 theory with gauge group U(N) describing the motion of N "image" D3-branes on the covering space C 3 by a projection to Z N invariant degrees of freedom. The group action on the transverse space must be augmented by an action on the Chan-Paton indices to determine a projection. Different choices of this representation correspond to the various three-dimensional BPS branes. In addition to the D3-brane we are after, these include D5-branes wrapping two-cycles localized near the singularity and D7-branes wrapping such four-cycles. These states are thus "pinned" to the singular locus. This correspondence between representations of the discrete group and the homology of the quotient space is the (generalized) McKay correspondence [6] . In our case we will use the regular representation, corresponding to a D3-brane free to move on the quotient space.

The low-energy dynamics on the worldvolume of a D3-brane at a quotient singularity C 3 /Z N is well-known.

This correspondence between representations of the discrete group and the homology of the quotient space is the (generalized) McKay correspondence.


Finally, it is important to note that this scheme of coarse-graining via condensing link expectation values in these supersymmetric theories turns on marginal deformations from the point of view of the corresponding worldsheet string theory in this background. A natural question is what the corresponding story is for nonsupersymmetric orbifolds with localized closed string tachyons [17] [18] . These orbifolds typically have both relevant (tachyonic) and marginal closed string twisted sector modes. Assuming that the system does not run away along the directions with tachyonic instabilities, we can extend the above analysis to the marginal modes. On the other hand, turning on a tachyonic (relevant) deformation on the worldsheet corresponds to evolution in time in the target space, i.e. the worldsheet RG scale corresponds to time in the target space. It is interesting to ask what the relation of this block-spin-like transformation is, if any, to these tachyonic flows.

A natural question is what the corresponding story is for nonsupersymmetric orbifolds with localized closed string tachyons.


The aim of this study was to determine the ISE in Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), which are the most widely used types of materials for providing better retention of removable protheses in cases of alveolar resorption, as well as for denture reparation in case of crack or fracture. Denture reline resins have a lower mechanical properties compared to denture resins, since the components (powder and liquid) are manually mixed together for a limited period of time, when polymerization process is started. Such material possesses a higher amount of monomer, which acts as empty space, or a microvoid, which, under load may propagate and cause fracture. Furthermore, the ISE of microwave treated dental reline resins, which is a common method for improving mechanical properties by decreasing the amount of monomer, were tested [16, 17] .

Furthermore, the ISE of microwave treated dental reline resins, which is a common method for improving mechanical properties by decreasing the amount of monomer, were tested.


Finite automata are important models in the study of hybrid systems and discrete event dynamical systems and also serve for the finite-state approximation of complex dynamical systems [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] . They received considerable attention in the control and computer communities for their broad applications to embedded systems, automotive controllers and algorithm design, etc. In particular, automata have been widely used in the control analysis and synthesis problems of discrete event system under the Ramadge-Wonham framework [6] . Furthermore, some concepts related to automata such as simulation/bisimulation have been applied to the control synthesis problems [7, 8] .

Finite automata are important models in the study of hybrid systems and discrete event dynamical systems and also serve for the finite-state approximation of complex dynamical systems.

In particular, automata have been widely used in the control analysis and synthesis problems of discrete event system under the Ramadge-Wonham framework.

Furthermore, some concepts related to automata such as simulation/bisimulation have been applied to the control synthesis problems.


The results obtained from the antifeedant assays clearly demonstrate that the hydroalcoholic extract obtained from A. indica leaves exerts antifeedant effects on Z. subfasciatus. The fact that the insect life cycle is not affected suggests that the extract causes an inhibition of the insect's ingestion ability, probably by making the beans unpalatable to them. A similar effect regarding appetite suppression was previously reported for Meliaceae plants (Koul, 2000; El-Aswad et al., 2004) .

A similar effect regarding appetite suppression was previously reported for Meliaceae plants.


The Neem crude hydroalcoholic extract completely dissolves in acetone (for the antifeedant assays) and water (for the phytogrowth assays), with no precipitated residues. This is strong evidence that chemical constituents of this extract are present in all the tested solutions and, therefore, they are the ones responsible for the deterrent effect on Z. subfasciatus as well as for the seed germination and radicle growth inhibitory activities on P. vulgaris. Limonoids, including azadiractin, have been isolated from different parts of Azadirachta sp (Isman, 2000) . In fact, the ability of limonoids obtained from Cedrela ciliolata (Meliaceae) to affect the germination and post-emergent growth of mono-and dicotyledoneous has been previously reported (Céspedes et al., 1999) . Thus, the antifeedant as well as the seeding germination and radicle growth inhibitory activities of the crude hydroalcoholic extract of A. indica leaves may be partially attributed to limonoids, but these activities can also be partly due to other compounds present in the leaves, which can be interacting synergistically or additively.

Limonoids, including azadiractin, have been isolated from different parts of Azadirachta sp.

In fact, the ability of limonoids obtained from Cedrela ciliolata (Meliaceae) to affect the germination and post-emergent growth of mono-and dicotyledoneous has been previously reported.


The question of whether the observed change in fitness between two tests is 'real' or is an error can be answered by the simple approach of comparing the magnitude of the observed changed score value with the typical error. This method identifies if the real change in the test scores is greater than the biological or technological error. An observed positive change being greater than the TE signifies 'real improvement' and in case of an observed negative change, a 'real decline'. If the observed change, whether positive or negative, is less than the TE, the test is rated as 'stable' [19] . The mean distance covered by the youth soccer players during the different phases of the soccer season were 2799, 3084 and 3038 m, respectively. This suggests that there was a worthwhile and real improvement (285 m) in the repeated high-intensity running capability of the participants from pre-season to the early in-season phase while the performance from early in-season to end mid-season (46 m) was 'stable'.

If the observed change, whether positive or negative, is less than the TE, the test is rated as 'stable'.


Another soccer-related protocol, constructed with a purpose of determining the aerobic capacity and the time to exhaustion (TTE), and to correlate these measures to the performance on a field test (YoYo IRT level-1) was found to be valid for assessing repeated high-intensity running in soccer players and the high-intensity exercise performance during a game [8] . However, the drawback of this protocol was that it lasted for approximately 40-46 minutes which may be a deterrent for testing elite athletes in the laboratory. Therefore, a need is evident for a suitable protocol for the assessment of the most discriminatory and valid performance quality of modern soccer; i.e., the capability to perform repeated high-intensity running. Since the overall game pattern is highly variable and unpredictable, the extent to which the performance of the players in such 'fixed pattern' tests are applicable to continuously changing activity patterns of the game is uncertain. Rather, it would be of greater practical relevance to specifically assess the intermittent high-intensity running capability that has been established to be the more consistent and valid measure of soccer performance.

Another soccer-related protocol, constructed with a purpose of determining the aerobic capacity and the time to exhaustion (TTE), and to correlate these measures to the performance on a field test (YoYo IRT level-1) was found to be valid for assessing repeated high-intensity running in soccer players and the high-intensity exercise performance during a game.


The overall activity pattern of soccer is that of an intermittent high-intensity type, and this characteristic of the game is independent of player and position-based differences [1] [2] [3] . The ratio of rest-to-high and rest-to-low intensity period may vary to some extent depending on the individual style of play, but all outfield players show a similar intermittent high-intensity exercise pattern [1] . Moreover, the higher the level of soccer, the greater is the amount of high-intensity running performed by the players. The total distance covered may vary from game to game for a player, but the amount of high-intensity exercise appears to be a more constant measure of performance [4] . Hence, soccer at higher standards is characterised by the players' capability to perform high-intensity work repeatedly and this fitness attribute constitutes the most consistent, discriminatory, decisive and valid measure of performance in modern soccer. Therefore, it is important that soccer players should possess the fitness capability to perform repeated high-intensity running in quick succession. Further, it will be of practical significance for soccer coaches, trainers and sports scientists to gain information on the performance indicators that characterise the repeated high-intensity running capability.

The overall activity pattern of soccer is that of an intermittent high-intensity type, and this characteristic of the game is independent of player and position-based differences.

The ratio of rest-to-high and rest-to-low intensity period may vary to some extent depending on the individual style of play, but all outfield players show a similar intermittent high-intensity exercise pattern.

The total distance covered may vary from game to game for a player, but the amount of high-intensity exercise appears to be a more constant measure of performance.


Clothes are designed to sense user requirements and environmental contexts, and provide appropriate service at the right time and place accordingly with minimum effort required from the users to operate (Marzano, 2000) . In this research, Smart Clothing only refers to garments and fashion accessories that contain intelligent functions based on electronic technologies. Smart Clothes and Wearable Computers bring a large number of product opportunities; as Venture Development Corporation estimates that it will grow more than 50% each year through to 2006 and its shipment will reach 563 million dollars in 2006 (Broersma, 2002) . Nevertheless, this market research emphasises that the true potential of Smart Clothing can only be reached if improvements are made in consumer-based products.

Clothes are designed to sense user requirements and environmental contexts, and provide appropriate service at the right time and place accordingly with minimum effort required from the users to operate.

Smart Clothes and Wearable Computers bring a large number of product opportunities; as Venture Development Corporation estimates that it will grow more than 50% each year through to 2006 and its shipment will reach 563 million dollars in 2006.


Historically, the first example where the asymptotic symmetry group is enhanced with respect to the isometry group of the background metric and becomes infinite-dimensional is the one of asymptotically flat 4-dimensional spacetimes at null infinity [5, 6, 7] . In this case, the induced metric is 2-dimensional because the boundary is a null surface. The asymptotic symmetry group of non singular transformations is the well-known BondiMetzner-Sachs group. It consists of the semi-direct product of the group of globally defined conformal transformations of the unit 2-sphere, which is isomorphic to the orthochronous homogeneous Lorentz group, times the infinite-dimensional abelian normal subgroup of so-called supertranslations.

Historically, the first example where the asymptotic symmetry group is enhanced with respect to the isometry group of the background metric and becomes infinite-dimensional is the one of asymptotically flat 4-dimensional spacetimes at null infinity.


Genome duplication is a key mechanism in human evolution and genetic adaptation. As segmental duplications overrepresent genes involved in immunity, duplications are thought to benefit host immunity [1] . Direct phenotypic evidence is, however, limited.

As segmental duplications overrepresent genes involved in immunity, duplications are thought to benefit host immunity.


The quantum calculus is the subject of calculus without limits and deals with a set of nondifferentiable functions. The quantum operators are widely used in mathematic fields such as hypergeometric series, complex analysis, orthogonal polynomials, combinatorics, hypergeometric functions, and the calculus of variations. The quantum calculus is also found in many applications, such as quantum mechanics and particle physics [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] .

The quantum calculus is also found in many applications, such as quantum mechanics and particle physics.


By fixing a generating set of a self-similar group, we get a sequence of d-regular graphs Γ n associated to the action of generators on words of length n. A natural question arises whether we can produce an expanding family in this way. However, the graphs Γ n were studied mostly for the opposite case of contracting self-similar groups. In this case, the graphs Γ n converge in certain sense to a compact fractal space, which lead to the notion of a limit space of a contracting self-similar group and further developed into the beautiful theory of iterated monodromy groups [13] . The diameter of graphs Γ n for contracting groups has exponential growth in terms of n (polynomial in the number of vertices), what makes them opposite to expanding graphs and the zig-zag product.

In this case, the graphs Γ n converge in certain sense to a compact fractal space, which lead to the notion of a limit space of a contracting self-similar group and further developed into the beautiful theory of iterated monodromy groups.


A significant reduction in N, N p and P l tomato leaves of all variants was observed in field conditions from fructification stage up to harvesting (Figure 2, Table 4 ). During the experiment, it was obtained that correspondence between N and P I changes was significant in all variants ( Table 5) . At the same time, in all variants a reduction in N P reliably correlated (versus the variant Openly accessible at Table 5 ). It was previously shown that ATF, synthesised in LR, is used in phosphorylation reactions of monosaccharides at first priority [15] . Besides, a reduced mineral part of Р l was observed in leaves, resulting from this reaction. In this case, the efficiency of phosphorylation fell significantly, inducing ADF/ATF ratio increase. As a result, it led to the inhibition of protein synthesis [16, 17] . During the experiment, in case of N p and P l reduction a significant P l /N p ratio increase was obtained in all variants, except for variants N 210 P 90 K 90 (Figure 2 (c), Table 4 ). Simultaneously, during the experiment, P l /N p ratio growth was reliable correspondence with N p reduction in all variants. Thus, the N p decrease could be induced only by the deficiency in P l mineral part. The N and N P reduction degree was higher particularly in the unfertilized N 0 P 0 K 0 variant and high-yield variants N 150 P 90 K 90 , compared with other variants of the second group (Tables 4 and 7). Only first group variants showed a deficiency in reliable correspondence between the changes N and M l ( Table 5 ). The existence of correspondence between the nitrogen amount in leaves and fruits and the lack of correspondence between the applied dose of nitrogen fertilizer with concentrations N, N p and N f were also obtained ( Tables 6 and 7) . This allows to assume that the quantity of added nitrogen fertilizer and the amount of leaf nonprotein nitrogen have not generally determined N p differences between variants. The degree of N p regression decrease was lowerest for N 210 P 90 K 90 variant ( Table 4 ) (which has integrated with a high concentration of N and N f and absence of reliable changes of M l and ratio P l /N p, as well as correspondence between N and N p changes, compared with other variants (Tables 4-7) ) that could, presumably, be caused by *Experimental design of data measurements was as in Table 4 .

It was previously shown that ATF, synthesised in LR, is used in phosphorylation reactions of monosaccharides at first priority.

As a result, it led to the inhibition of protein synthesis.


Earlier it was showed also that in the case of М s deficit, inhibition of protein synthesis and a reduction in N p , as well as an increase in N were observed [21] [22] [23] . During the experiment a significant M l decrease was obtained among leaves of variants (apart from the variant N 210 P 90 K 90 ), which, however, had a significant correlation with the changes of M s in only fertilized variants (d Ml Ms = 59-64%) (Figure 2(d) , Table 5 ). In case of the increase in the nitrogen fertilizer dose M l determinacy from M s change was also raised. However, in all variants the reduction of N p , N and nonprotein nitrogen did not reliably correlate with M s change. Significant correspondence between N and M l values was registered only in second group variants of N 90 P 90 K 90 and N 210 P 90 K 90 (Table 5 ). This shows that the M s and M l could not be regarded as key factors causing N p reduction, as well as P l , K l and S l changes also did not depend generally on the M S changes (Figure 2) . At the same time, in variant N 90 P 90 K 90, showing the highest degree of M l reduction (Table 4) , a reliable correspondence between changes of S l and ratio S l /N p with M l could be induced as a result of significant correlations of both N, P l with M l changes, peculiar only to this variant (Tables 5 and 8) . This results show that watering plants on July 19 could be only a trigger mechanism promoting substantial changes in metabolism of plants (Figure 2) .

Earlier it was showed also that in the case of М s deficit, inhibition of protein synthesis and a reduction in N p , as well as an increase in N were observed.


Previously, it assumed that kinetics of fast phase further decay depend from the photosynthetic dark processes intensity [4] [5] [6] . This decay of induction curve induced the membrane energisation decreasing as result of cation efflux from thylakoids. These are a biological base triggering the use of these DF parameters in physiological research. The interest of using the parameters of DF for the diagnosis of plants state identified as the possibility of their fast measurements on intact objects by the use of comparatively simple and accessible equipment. Therefore, our goal was research the correspondence of DF parameters, metabolism and yield changes of plants in order of the use of these parameters for the system analyses of production process of field plants.

Previously, it assumed that kinetics of fast phase further decay depend from the photosynthetic dark processes intensity.


It was obtained that the productivity Y/A of variants was decreasing in comparison with the increase in nitrogen fertilizer dose and in reliable correspondence with the S l /N p changes (Tables 7 and 8) . At the same time, the S total was increasing in parallel with the enhanced dose of nitrogen fertilizers and significantly correlated with the reduced concentration of S l (Figure 2(e), Tables 7 and 8) . Consequently, the S l accumulation reduction in variants was caused by the increase in requirement of assimilates by fruits. However, in N 0 P 0 K 0 variant, which had lower productivity, and in N 150 P 90 K 9 variant, which had higher productivity, the total accumulation of soluble sugars in fruits per unit of A (S total /A) was less, as compared with the second group of two other variants ( Table 6 ). It was obtained that these two groups of variants had differences by their N p , P l , P l /N p , S l /N p , K l /N p , N f , and S f (Tables 6 and 7). These results are consistent with previous findings that the nitrogen fertilizer, effect on yield growth was achieved mostly due influence on the assimi-Openly accessible at lating surface square increase [24] . During the experiment, I reduction was registered in all fertilized variants (Figure 3(a) , Table 9 ) and substantially correlated with the N decrease (apart from N 90 P 90 K 90 variant) ( Table 9 ). I reduction reliably correlated with N p decrease in variants of the first group -N 0 P 0 K 0 and N 150 P 90 K 90 (Table 9) , the average ratios of I and I/N p of which were higher (Figures 3(a) and (b) , Table 10 ) as well as N p and S total /A lower ( Table 6 ) compared to the second group of variants. In the mean time, in the course of the experiment only the first group variants showed a reliable I/N p ratio growth, which was reliable correlated with N p decrease (Figure 3(b) , Table 9 ). According to the chemical kinetics laws, the reduction in concentration of interacting centers, as well as the decrease in efficiency of LR products used in DR (as a result of ribulose-1,5-diphosphate carboxylase concentration reduction) should lessen the effectiveness of coupling of LR and DR and increase of the back reaction probability between QA -and Z + . Thus must promote certain growth of counter interaction between primary photo-oxides and photo-reducing products.

These results are consistent with previous findings that the nitrogen fertilizer, effect on yield growth was achieved mostly due influence on the assimi-Openly accessible at lating surface square increase.


In the minimal case (which is the simplest one too), Φ and F Φ are assumed to be in the singlet representation of SU (5) . This corresponds to equal gaugino masses at the grand unified theory (GUT) scale. However, Φ can belong to any of the nonsinglet representations 24, 75, and 200 of SU (5) . In that case, the gaugino masses are unequal but related to one another via the representation invariants. It should be kept in mind that an arbitrary combination of these different representations is also allowed but we shall study the case of each representation separately. As we shall discuss later, the 24 dimensional representation is the most interesting one in the context of our present investigation. In Table  1 we display the ratios of resulting gaugino masses at tree level as they arise when F Φ belongs to various representations of SU (5) . Clearly, the nonsinglet representations have characteristic mass relationships for the gauginos at the GUT scale. The resulting relations at the electroweak scale, using the renormalization group evolution at the one-loop level are also displayed. The phenomenology of supersymmetric models depends crucially on the compositions of neutralinos and charginos. In addition to the laboratory studies, relevant input is obtained from the dark matter searches. The WMAP satellite has put precise limits on the relic density. Supersymmetric theories which preserve Rparity contain a natural candidate for the cold dark matter particle. If the lightest neutralino is the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP), it can provide the appropriate relic density.

In the minimal case (which is the simplest one too), Φ and F Φ are assumed to be in the singlet representation of SU.

However, Φ can belong to any of the nonsinglet representations 24, 75, and 200 of SU.

In Table  1 we display the ratios of resulting gaugino masses at tree level as they arise when F Φ belongs to various representations of SU.


This study provides evidence that the CBM is a suitable tool for the assessment of challenging balance and mobility performances in healthy, young-older adults. The CBM tasks represent meaningful everyday performances which are specifically required to ambulate safely within an everyday environment. With trained assessors, the scale is easily administered, requires little equipment, and most importantly, is valid and reliable in the studied target population. Based on the present results, the CBM has been selected as an end point within the EU project PreventIT and is currently used within a randomized controlled trial evaluating a lifestyle-integrated training intervention for preventing functional decline in healthy, young-older adults (registered online; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/ NCT03065088). The CBM may help to better understand the mechanisms of early balance and mobility decline in young-older adults and inform the development of treatments and intervention programmes aimed at improving early deterioration in balance and mobility, which is in line with the recently updated guidelines for early implementation of neuromotor exercise training in public health approaches [7] .

The CBM may help to better understand the mechanisms of early balance and mobility decline in young-older adults and inform the development of treatments and intervention programmes aimed at improving early deterioration in balance and mobility, which is in line with the recently updated guidelines for early implementation of neuromotor exercise training in public health approaches.


The given result combines aspects from prime number theory, group theory, and circulant Hermitian matrices. It is based on the Fourier transformation, which also plays a role in dynamical systems associated to geometric element transformations [15] . The resulting prime fractals provide an alternative visual representation of an approximation of the prime counting function and with this of prime numbers and their structures itself. It is hoped that these alternative representations provide a basis for further insights into the structure of the distribution of prime numbers. Furthermore, applying similar visualization techniques to other number theory functions might reveal additional insights.

It is based on the Fourier transformation, which also plays a role in dynamical systems associated to geometric element transformations.


Various health system related constraints have impeded the uptake of IPT. Only 12% of PLWHA who were newly enrolled in HIV care programmes were started on IPT, worldwide, in 2010 [1, 9] . Adherence to treatment is a critical factor that needs to be considered in scaling up services in developing countries [9, 10, 11] . This paper seeks to systematically review the evidence on adherence to IPT with a view to assessing and interpreting deterrent and enabling factors associated with observed trends in non-adherence.

Only 12% of PLWHA who were newly enrolled in HIV care programmes were started on IPT, worldwide, in 2010.

Adherence to treatment is a critical factor that needs to be considered in scaling up services in developing countries.


High school students today have access to enormous databases of digital music content and, having a seemingly limitless appetite for music, many are frequent users of products and services incorporating highly-sophisticated signal processing (iPods, YouTube, and digital audio editing software). These techniques, tools, and aesthetics permeate almost all forms of modern music today, yet the current generation remains largely unaware of the science, engineering, and computing within that heritage. Thus, it is unsurprising (though somewhat ironic) that while we are witnessing an explosion of interest in digital music content creation and manipulation, there are two educational trends that run counter to this. First, it is difficult to retain interest in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) after high school, particularly among women and minorities [1] . Second, in-structional time devoted to music and arts education in public schools is decreasing [2] .

First, it is difficult to retain interest in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) after high school, particularly among women and minorities.

Second, in-structional time devoted to music and arts education in public schools is decreasing.


Biodiversity inventory is the first step for understanding ecological processes at coastal or even at broader oceanic scales. The remarkab le nu mber of new records of benthic fauna in Santa Catarina islands reveals the lack of taxono mic studies to better access the state of the marine conservation in the southern Brazilian coast. So far we have been unable to identify endangered species, due to the scarcity of data that might indicate even natural fluctuations of sessile invertebrate populations threatened by many anthropogenic impacts such as sedimentation associated with habitat losses at the coast, pollution and overfishing [38, 39] . In general, a reef environ ment exposed to excessive loads of pollutants, responds to changes and often simplify the structure of biological co mmunit ies [40] . Unfortunately, little is known on the effect of overfishing on the biodiversity in Brazilian subtidal reefs and rocky shores [41, 42] .

So far we have been unable to identify endangered species, due to the scarcity of data that might indicate even natural fluctuations of sessile invertebrate populations threatened by many anthropogenic impacts such as sedimentation associated with habitat losses at the coast, pollution and overfishing.

In general, a reef environ ment exposed to excessive loads of pollutants, responds to changes and often simplify the structure of biological co mmunit ies.

Unfortunately, little is known on the effect of overfishing on the biodiversity in Brazilian subtidal reefs and rocky shores.


The present paper does not focus on wing aerodynamics, but on the intrinsic nonlinear dynamics of insect-like wings when subject to their own weight and elastic energy storage. Evolution and natural selection have made insect wings stiff enough to withstand the aerodynamic load [31] . Unlike birds and bats which have active muscles in their modified forelimbs to control the wing shape, insect wings twist and camber due to their elastic properties [32] . Wing flexural stiffness varies along the wing [33, 34] . However, we consider here a "lumped" spring model, where the wing and muscle stiffness are both modeled via an elastic torsional spring at the based of two rigid wings. We analyze the stability of this insectile wing system around the vertically down position and explore its global behavior as a function of total energy and spring stiffness. Interestingly, we identify regions of rotational motion (rolling end over end), chaotic behavior, and periodic flapping. The region of periodic flapping decreases as energy increases, and increases as spring stiffness increases. We conclude by discussing the potential implications of these findings on flapping flight.

Evolution and natural selection have made insect wings stiff enough to withstand the aerodynamic load.

Unlike birds and bats which have active muscles in their modified forelimbs to control the wing shape, insect wings twist and camber due to their elastic properties.

Wing flexural stiffness varies along the wing.


Another interesting feature of these mass deformed theories is that they appear to support a set of degenerate vacua. It would be useful to identify a set of physical observables which can be used as a way to discriminate between these degenerate vacua. On the field theory side, the expectation value of the superpotential is a partial probe of this issue. A natural candidate dual of this observable is the superpotential of Gukov, Vafa, and Witten [11] . These superpotentials should also be useful for computing the tension of domain walls. It would be interesting to demonstrate a more detailed correspondence between the superpotential of the field theory side and the GVW superpotential, especially for the case of LLM/mass deformed ABJM theory where a lot is known already on the field theory side.

A natural candidate dual of this observable is the superpotential of Gukov, Vafa, and Witten.


PSnAP has two distinct phases 1) capture and 2) replay. During the capture phase an instrumented version of the application generates a compact profile that summarizes the important properties of the full application trace, using a binary rewriting tool, PMaCInst [18] . The replay phase, which can be done at any point in time after capture and does not require the use of an HPC system, produces a synthetic address trace with similar characteristics from the profile.

During the capture phase an instrumented version of the application generates a compact profile that summarizes the important properties of the full application trace, using a binary rewriting tool, PMaCInst.


The performance of a structure is affected by several uncertainties. Among these, uncertainties in load effects, material properties and damage occurrence and propagation should be highlighted [28] . Many design codes, including the Eurocode, have adopted the partial safety factors to take into account the uncertainties arising from geometry, material properties, load effects, and design models. During the planning of maintenance actions, stakeholders should also be well aware of the uncertainties involved in the deterioration process and potential inspections/interventions [17] . A proper consideration of uncertainties can lead to significant economic benefits for both initial design and life-cycle performance [29] .

Among these, uncertainties in load effects, material properties and damage occurrence and propagation should be highlighted.

During the planning of maintenance actions, stakeholders should also be well aware of the uncertainties involved in the deterioration process and potential inspections/interventions.

A proper consideration of uncertainties can lead to significant economic benefits for both initial design and life-cycle performance.


Some of these previous studies also focused on flow transients, considering temporally evolving base flows [14, 13, 11] . Figure 1 illustrates the classic parabola of a super-critical Hopf bifurcation. By exceeding a critical control parameter, the flow becomes unstable and bifurcates to the oscillating state. The aim of transient experiments is to track the amplitude and frequency of the dominant periodic structure during the transient from the unstable (steady) fixed point to the stable (unsteady) limit cycle. The beauty of transient flow studies is that they reveal the initial linear mechanism that triggers the instability, as well as the nonlinear saturation process.

Some of these previous studies also focused on flow transients, considering temporally evolving base flows.


One of its growing applications is the manufacturing of coronary stents for medical application. A stent is a wire mesh tube, which is deployed in a diseased coronary artery to provide smooth blood circulation. Stents can be either balloon expandable or self-expanding (using shape memory alloys). Stents are typically made from biocompatible materials such as stainless steel, nitinol (Ni-Ti alloy), cobalt-chromium, titanium, tantalum alloys, platinum iridium alloy as well as polymer. The most commonly used is stainless steel. The laser key requirement for its fabrication is a small consistent kerf width and this demands constant beam quality and excellent laser power stability. The laser cut must have a good surface quality with a minimum amount of slag and burr to reduce post-processing similarly the heat affected zone (HAZ) and molten material recast needs to be small [2] .

The laser cut must have a good surface quality with a minimum amount of slag and burr to reduce post-processing similarly the heat affected zone (HAZ) and molten material recast needs to be small.


In pancreatic cancer SUVs were also introduced as a new metabolic predictor of prognosis [35] [36] [37] [38] . Most previous studies in this tumor type demonstrated that tumor-associated histologic characteristics are important in defining prognosis. However, most of them were available only after a resection procedure has been performed [36] . In another series of pancreatic cancer, the SUV was not able to predict survival in a subgroup of patients with resectable tumors [35] . In the subgroup with unresectable tumors, however, SUV proved to be an independent prognostic indicator for overall survival.

In pancreatic cancer SUVs were also introduced as a new metabolic predictor of prognosis.

However, most of them were available only after a resection procedure has been performed.

In another series of pancreatic cancer, the SUV was not able to predict survival in a subgroup of patients with resectable tumors.


Compared to furanic compounds, methanol has a short history as a paper ageing indicator. Methanol was first confirmed as a paper ageing indicator in around 2007 [3] . Ageing experiments have shown that methanol could mainly be generated from cellulose rather than from the ageing by-products of cellulose such as levoglucosan or glucose [3] . Therefore, researchers have suggested that methanol could be generated during the scissioning of glycosidic bonds in cellulose polymer. However, the mechanisms involved with the production of methanol from paper have not been fully understood yet. In addition, methanol has shown higher yield than 2-FAL during the early ageing period and hence it has been suggested to use methanol to indicate early stage of paper ageing [3] .

Methanol was first confirmed as a paper ageing indicator in around 2007.

Ageing experiments have shown that methanol could mainly be generated from cellulose rather than from the ageing by-products of cellulose such as levoglucosan or glucose.

In addition, methanol has shown higher yield than 2-FAL during the early ageing period and hence it has been suggested to use methanol to indicate early stage of paper ageing.


Furanic compounds were first identified as paper ageing indicators during early 1980s [2] . Several furanic compounds including 2-furfuraldehyde (2-FAL), 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfuraldehyde, 2-furoic acid, furfuryl alcohol, 5-methyl 2-furfuraldehyde and 2-acetyl furan were suggested to be related with paper ageing [2] . However, 2-FAL is commonly used due to its higher concentration in oil and better stability than the others. Experiments have shown that components in paper including cellulose, hemi cellulose and the ageing by-products of cellulose such as levoglucosan can promote generation of 2-FAL from paper [4] . Furthermore, laboratory experiments have shown that 2-FAL would increase exponentially with paper ageing [3] .

Furanic compounds were first identified as paper ageing indicators during early 1980s.

Several furanic compounds including 2-furfuraldehyde (2-FAL), 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfuraldehyde, 2-furoic acid, furfuryl alcohol, 5-methyl 2-furfuraldehyde and 2-acetyl furan were suggested to be related with paper ageing.

Experiments have shown that components in paper including cellulose, hemi cellulose and the ageing by-products of cellulose such as levoglucosan can promote generation of 2-FAL from paper.

Furthermore, laboratory experiments have shown that 2-FAL would increase exponentially with paper ageing.


Caffeine is the most commonly ingested psychoactive drug in the world, naturally occurring in coffee, cocoa (chocolate), and black teas, and as an additive in soft-and energy-drinks. The stimulant effect of foods that contain caffeine, such as the coffee bush berry, has been known for hundreds of years (Flament, 2002) . The stimulant effect was due to caffeine and related methyl xanthines such as theophylline and theobromine whose physiologic mode of action is antagonism of the adenosine A1 and A2 receptors in the brain (Rainnie, Grunze, McCarley, & Greene, 1994) .

The stimulant effect of foods that contain caffeine, such as the coffee bush berry, has been known for hundreds of years.

The stimulant effect was due to caffeine and related methyl xanthines such as theophylline and theobromine whose physiologic mode of action is antagonism of the adenosine A1 and A2 receptors in the brain.


Physio-chemical interactions can change flavour intensity or even generate new flavours. They occur in a simple aqueous solution: weak attractive forces, such as hydrogen or hydrophobic bonding, will result in altered structures; precipitation of the compounds will render them weaker or tasteless. The chemical composition of a food matrix will influence perceived flavour, changing from an aqueous to emulsion system (oil-in-water) decreased bitterness (Metcalf & Vicker, 2002) .

The chemical composition of a food matrix will influence perceived flavour, changing from an aqueous to emulsion system (oil-in-water) decreased bitterness.


In addition, in order to understand and follow the consequences of the complex interactions between human health and well-being and climate and other environmental change, it is important to have appropriate monitoring and data collecting systems in place. Environmental public health tracking at all levels (locally, nationally, regionally and globally) joined up through linkage of databases and standardized collection systems is an essential ingredient to pushing forward the science in this area [134] . A greater appreciation is required of the importance of big data involved in environment and human health collected by these environmental public health tracking systems [135] . The affected communities across the world require access to these data, while respecting issues of confidentiality, privacy and data governance [136] . Additionally, an important implication of both big data and the surveillance/monitoring systems is the need for new ways of thinking about and analyzing these data, learning from the experience of other scientific disciplines (such as oceanography or climate change modelling) in terms of improving modelling expertise over much broader time and spatial scales [135] [136] [137] .

Environmental public health tracking at all levels (locally, nationally, regionally and globally) joined up through linkage of databases and standardized collection systems is an essential ingredient to pushing forward the science in this area.

A greater appreciation is required of the importance of big data involved in environment and human health collected by these environmental public health tracking systems.

The affected communities across the world require access to these data, while respecting issues of confidentiality, privacy and data governance.

Additionally, an important implication of both big data and the surveillance/monitoring systems is the need for new ways of thinking about and analyzing these data, learning from the experience of other scientific disciplines (such as oceanography or climate change modelling) in terms of improving modelling expertise over much broader time and spatial scales.


An example of this is the contamination of the natural environment with manmade pharmaceuticals. For instance, antibiotics have been over-used in both human and veterinary healthcare, leading to the phenomenon of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), considered to be as big a threat as climate change to the future of humankind [23, 24] . When AMR was initially described, it was identified as originating in hospitals, and then spreading into the community. However, due to ongoing antibiotic contamination of the natural environment, together with normal evolutionary processes, AMR is now developing widely in the natural environment and the community, and then entering back into hospital environments with potentially extremely serious direct consequences for human and animal health [24] .

For instance, antibiotics have been over-used in both human and veterinary healthcare, leading to the phenomenon of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), considered to be as big a threat as climate change to the future of humankind.

However, due to ongoing antibiotic contamination of the natural environment, together with normal evolutionary processes, AMR is now developing widely in the natural environment and the community, and then entering back into hospital environments with potentially extremely serious direct consequences for human and animal health.