Functional imaging techniques including perfusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) can be applied for the assessment of physiological processes in vivo such as tissue microcirculation or glucose metabolism [12] [13] [14] [15] . In multiparametric MRI protocols these functional surrogate markers of tumor metabolism are complementing state-of-the-art high resolution imaging of tumor morphology adding valuable information for a more comprehensive, non-invasive characterization of the tumor microenvironment [16, 17] . Multiple experimental and clinical studies demonstrated the potential of contrast-enhanced perfusion MRI for the non-invasive assessment of anti-angiogenic treatment effects on several cancer entities as well as their potential applicability as non-invasive imaging biomarkers of therapy response [18] [19] [20] [21] . However, controversy still exists not only on standardized protocols of data acquisition and analysis, but also with respect to the pathophysiologic correlate of altered tumor microcirculation under molecular cancer therapy [22] [23] [24] [25] . A multiparametric characterization of treatment effects with the assessment of different aspects of tumor metabolism under therapy, e.g. glucose metabolism quantified by multi-facetted chart of treatment effects but also to reveal potential interdependencies between the different acquired parameters of tumor pathophysiology. Multimodality hybrid imaging protocols such as MRI/PET are able to assess a number of functional imaging parameters in a one-stop-shop approach, including tumor perfusion and glucose metabolism, allowing for an intraindividual comparison and validation of the parameters.

Functional imaging techniques including perfusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) can be applied for the assessment of physiological processes in vivo such as tissue microcirculation or glucose metabolism.

In multiparametric MRI protocols these functional surrogate markers of tumor metabolism are complementing state-of-the-art high resolution imaging of tumor morphology adding valuable information for a more comprehensive, non-invasive characterization of the tumor microenvironment.

Multiple experimental and clinical studies demonstrated the potential of contrast-enhanced perfusion MRI for the non-invasive assessment of anti-angiogenic treatment effects on several cancer entities as well as their potential applicability as non-invasive imaging biomarkers of therapy response.

However, controversy still exists not only on standardized protocols of data acquisition and analysis, but also with respect to the pathophysiologic correlate of altered tumor microcirculation under molecular cancer therapy.


The interpretation of these results can be carried out in terms of specific interactions and particularly the formation of intra-and inter-chain hydrogen bonds between the monomer and the polymer molecules. The monomer, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, contains one hydroxyl (-OH) and one carbonyl (C=O) group on its molecule. The C=O group acts only as the proton acceptor, while the OH group acts as both the proton donor and acceptor [26] . Hydrogen bonding between the monomer hydroxyl group and carbonyl oxygen atom strengthens the positive partial charges at the carbonyl C atom and at the double bond, as shown schematically in Scheme 1, leading to a significant charge transfer in the transition state of propagation [27] . In the polymer, PHEMA, both OH · · · OH and C = O · · · HO types of hydrogen-bonds can occur (Scheme 1). Not only the dimer structure (OH · · · OH · · · ), but also the aggregate structure (· · · OH · · · OH · · · OH · · · ) have been found in many systems, including liquid alcohols and solid polymers [26] . It has been found that 53.7% of the OH group on the PHEMA side chain terminal contributes to the OH · · · OH type of hydrogen-bond, while the remaining 47.3% are engaged in the OH · · · O = C type of hydrogen bond, at ambient temperature [26] .

The C=O group acts only as the proton acceptor, while the OH group acts as both the proton donor and acceptor.

Hydrogen bonding between the monomer hydroxyl group and carbonyl oxygen atom strengthens the positive partial charges at the carbonyl C atom and at the double bond, as shown schematically in Scheme 1, leading to a significant charge transfer in the transition state of propagation.

Not only the dimer structure (OH · · · OH · · · ), but also the aggregate structure (· · · OH · · · OH · · · OH · · · ) have been found in many systems, including liquid alcohols and solid polymers.

It has been found that 53.7% of the OH group on the PHEMA side chain terminal contributes to the OH · · · OH type of hydrogen-bond, while the remaining 47.3% are engaged in the OH · · · O = C type of hydrogen bond, at ambient temperature.


The IRED is based on simple, transparent and accurate methodology, covering consistent data collection and offering an unambiguous communication to interested parties. Initially, the design of the IRED was much more complex, but the actual one based on two components, each with three factors, has been considered feasible, given the limited data accessibility. The data for all factors were available on reliable databases and the analysis took into consideration quantitative representation of all factors. At the same time, despite its apparent straightforwardness, IRED is comprehensive and captures the most important quantifiable efforts and outcomes recorded at national level. IRED offers the possibility to identify best performers in terms of renewable energy development, in order to improve the national future policy path by addressing the shortcomings and by replicating the best practices. However, IRED is not a perfect index, as the data were selected from relevant indicators that fitted the desired architecture, available for all countries and all studied years. Some indicators would have been more appropriate like Government interventions in energy market for efforts, and economy competitiveness for outcomes, but unfortunately the data were not available for all selected countries and all the desired years. The IRED was indented as a measure of progress in RES, therefore it does not contain the topic of heating and cooling because this is not sufficiently developed, as the contribution of RES in this sector continues to be very small, fossil fuels being responsible for 75% of all heating and cooling for EU [30] . However, the selected factors of each component suitably cover the intended outcomes and were available on reliable international databases.

The IRED was indented as a measure of progress in RES, therefore it does not contain the topic of heating and cooling because this is not sufficiently developed, as the contribution of RES in this sector continues to be very small, fossil fuels being responsible for 75% of all heating and cooling for EU.


It has been recognized that the greatest barrier to social recovery and community reintegration following ABI is persisting neurobehavioural disability, which causes problems with regulation of mood, behaviour and executive function [5] . Research to date has demonstrated improved social functioning in those living with a brain injury following a period of neurorehabilitation [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] . However, while the evidence in support of the clinical effectiveness of rehabilitation following ABI is abundant, there is a relative scarcity of evidence relating to its cost-benefits [12, 13] .

It has been recognized that the greatest barrier to social recovery and community reintegration following ABI is persisting neurobehavioural disability, which causes problems with regulation of mood, behaviour and executive function.

Research to date has demonstrated improved social functioning in those living with a brain injury following a period of neurorehabilitation.

However, while the evidence in support of the clinical effectiveness of rehabilitation following ABI is abundant, there is a relative scarcity of evidence relating to its cost-benefits.


In a lot of countries pay-as-you-go (PAYG) pension systems are being replaced by (partly) funded pension systems. These shifts are mainly motivated by population aging. One of the accompanying arguments put forward by proponents of such a shift is that it might lead to higher economic growth. If this would already be the case during the transition, it would partly alleviate the transition burden that comes with a shift from PAYG to funding (Borsch-Supan et al., 2005) . Given the fact that so many countries around the world are experiencing this transition, or have just experienced it, it is useful to examine whether these shifts have led to higher economic growth rates.

If this would already be the case during the transition, it would partly alleviate the transition burden that comes with a shift from PAYG to funding.


Although much effort has gone into the problem of spelling error correction over the years, far less attention has been paid to the closely related problem of correcting segmentation errors. One of the few to address this problem is Carter [3] . Carter integrated an advanced tokenizer with the clare system that considers both spelling errors and segmentation errors when unknown tokens are found in the input. The author does not describe the (non-probabilistic) recovery methods in detail, but rather stresses the need for syntactic and semantic knowledge to choose among the multiple alternatives that may be hypothesized in the recovery process. Carter's correction module could unambiguously correct 59 out of 108 nonword error tokens in artificially generated sentences without the use of domain-specific or contextual knowledge. For the remaining 49 errors there were 224 correction hypotheses, including all the correct ones. After syntactic and semantic knowledge had been applied to disambiguate, 71 hypotheses remained and 5 of the correct candidates had been eliminated.

One of the few to address this problem is Carter.


Because the heating system of an electric vehicle consumes the largest proportion of energy, excluding the actual running of the vehicle, high-efficiency heat pumps have been developed and used to increase the driving range of some vehicles [5] [6] [7] . A positive temperature coefficient (PTC) electric heater offers an even more realistic alternative owing to its simple structure and rapid response [8, 9] . However, the use of a high-voltage air-heating type of this electric heater, which is mounted on the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system (HVAC) of the vehicle, requires the development of a heating system with a highly modularized and integrated structure.

Because the heating system of an electric vehicle consumes the largest proportion of energy, excluding the actual running of the vehicle, high-efficiency heat pumps have been developed and used to increase the driving range of some vehicles.

A positive temperature coefficient (PTC) electric heater offers an even more realistic alternative owing to its simple structure and rapid response.


There has been a global acceleration in the development of high-efficiency and environmentally friendly vehicles with the goal of solving climate problems such as global warming and addressing the issue of energy depletion. In particular, efforts are being made to increase the use of electric vehicles. Unlike conventional internal combustion engine vehicles, electric vehicles have no gas emissions and their high energy efficiency also reduces considerably the generation of waste heat. An operation strategy for optimal energy management is thus more important in electric vehicles [1] [2] [3] [4] . There is particularly the need to develop a new heating system for indoor heating in winter as a replacement for engine waste heat, which is used in conventional vehicles.

An operation strategy for optimal energy management is thus more important in electric vehicles.


More stringent tests of this correspondence require parallel observations on late RNs and chiasmata/crossovers in short defined chromo-some regions. Just such a test system is provided by the short nucleolus organizing (NO) arm of bivalent 8 of A. fistulosum. In A. fistulosum, as in other species belonging to the cepa section of the genus A/hum, the NO bivalent is the most asymmetrical (acrocentric) member of the complement, all other bivalents being metacentric or sub-metacentric (Vosa, 1976) . It is therefore easily distinguished by its arm ratio, when the centromere is discernible, as well as by its possession of a nucleolus organising region (NOR) which identifies it at pachytene through its association with nucleolar material, and at later meiotic stages either by its satellited short arm in orcein stained preparations or by its silver staining reaction. In one particular clone of A. fistulosum, the NOR bivalent is heteromorphic as a result of a deletion of part of the short arm including the NOR. This feature permits a direct assessment of crossing-over in this bivalent arm, as well as the incidence of chiasmata and late RNs.

In A. fistulosum, as in other species belonging to the cepa section of the genus A/hum, the NO bivalent is the most asymmetrical (acrocentric) member of the complement, all other bivalents being metacentric or sub-metacentric.


The final major assumption of the model is that no jaguars within the sampled area have a zero probability of being captured. The smallest conservatively estimated home range size for jaguar is 10 km 2 for a female jaguar in a Central American tropical forest habitat (Rabinowitz & Nottingham, 1986) . With no data from the dry forest Chaco sites in Bolivia, we assumed home ranges in the Chaco to be roughly twice as large (20 km 2 ) for a female jaguar. Consequently, we placed cameras such that no areas without cameras greater than 10 km 2 (rainforest in Belize and Bolivia) or 20 km 2 (dry Chaco forest in Bolivia) existed within the sample area.

The smallest conservatively estimated home range size for jaguar is 10 km 2 for a female jaguar in a Central American tropical forest habitat.


We characterized habitat only at those sites where subreaches were sampled [14 sites: Tallahatchie Co. (2 sites), Bliss Creek (7), Hatcher Bayou (1) and Skillikalia Bayou (4)]. Habitat was characterized by designating a representative transect across each sampled subreach (3 per 100 m). Along the transect we recorded stream width and constructed a depth profile at 0.5-m intervals. Substratum composition (%) was visually estimated within each subreach following a modified Wentworth scale (Cummins, 1962) . Substratum categories were: (1) hard clay (soapstone); (2) soft clay (loose); (3) silt; (4) mud; (5) sand (1-8 mm diam); (6) gravel (8-16 mm diam); (7) pebble (16-32 mm diam); (8) small cobble (32-64 mm diam); (9) large cobble (64-256 mm diam); (10) small boulder (256-320 mm diam), and (11) large boulder/rip-rap (> 320 mm diam). Additional categories included (12) detritus, (13) aquatic vegetation, (14) snag and (15) concrete (bridge abutment). Water temperature (C) was measured at each site, and stream order was determined from 1:24,000 USGS topographic maps (Horton, 1945; Strahler, 1957) .

Substratum composition (%) was visually estimated within each subreach following a modified Wentworth scale.

Water temperature (C) was measured at each site, and stream order was determined from 1:24,000 USGS topographic maps.


In technology education, teachers' attitudes to technology and technology teaching are considered to be an aspect of teachers' professional knowledge, and teachers' attitudes affect students' attitudes (Rohaan et al. 2008) . In other fields, e.g. science education, research shows that teaching is affected by the attitudes of the teacher, e.g. good teaching is characterised by teachers being enthusiastic about their subject and thus the teacher variable is the most important factor determining student attitude (Osborne et al. 2003) . A central way of improving science and technology teaching, therefore, is to consider teachers' attitudes (Korur et al. 2016) .

In technology education, teachers' attitudes to technology and technology teaching are considered to be an aspect of teachers' professional knowledge, and teachers' attitudes affect students' attitudes.

In other fields, e.g. science education, research shows that teaching is affected by the attitudes of the teacher, e.g. good teaching is characterised by teachers being enthusiastic about their subject and thus the teacher variable is the most important factor determining student attitude.

A central way of improving science and technology teaching, therefore, is to consider teachers' attitudes.


No evidence for 'irreversible' binding of Eu by bentonite has been observed. Although Eu(III) does bind to bulk bentonite and bentonite colloids and there was both a fast and slow dissociation, there was no sign that the radionuclides were bound permanently. For bulk bentonite, beyond ∼100 days preequilibration time, the amount of Eu in the most slowly dissociating fraction was effectively constant. However, the experiments suggest that there is a change in dissociation behaviour over preequilibration times up to 1 week, with a reduction in the slowest dissociation rate constant of approximately an order of magnitude. In addition to a significant fraction that dissociates instantaneously and some material with intermediate rates, there does seem to be a most slowly dissociating fraction that has a characteristic rate constant of approximately 4.3 × 10 −8 s −1 . There was a difference between the colloid and bulk dissociation. The first-order rate constant was significantly higher (i.e. faster reaction rate) for colloids, with an average dissociation rate constant of 8.8 × 10 −7 s −1 , over an order of magnitude faster than for bulk bentonite. There was also only a single rate constant in the colloid system, and the amount slowly dissociating did not increase beyond a pre-equilibration time of one day. Previous work with humic substances has shown that in a system where some portion of colloid-associated radionuclides dissociate slowly, this will dominate transport (Bryan et al., 2007) . Whether or not the rate constants measured here mean that colloidal transport is significant will depend upon transport residence times in the subsurface.

Previous work with humic substances has shown that in a system where some portion of colloid-associated radionuclides dissociate slowly, this will dominate transport.


Effects of Pre-heat Temperature and Post-Weld Heat Treatment. Fig. 3 shows the effects of pre-heat temperature and post-weld heat-treatment (PWHT) on residual stresses in a nickel alloy weld clad block. A lower pre-heat temperature results in lower tensile residual stresses, while PWHT does not decrease residual stresses. This is due to significant mismatch between clad and substrate materials. A number of measurements have been obtained on each block and cylinder, with ongoing surface preparation investigation to minimize variation in results. Investigation into decreasing stress error values suggests that optimal step increments could decrease errors to less than 20 MPa [10] .

Investigation into decreasing stress error values suggests that optimal step increments could decrease errors to less than 20 MPa.


Experimental validation is undertaken using the incremental center hole drilling (ICHD) method, allowing residual stress measurements to be obtained to a depth of 1mm into the clad layer. This technique is a relaxation technique which allows the measurement of local displacement in the vicinity of a drilled hole using a strain gauge rosette, prior to converting strain values into stresses [9] . Residual stress measurements are obtained for cylindrical and rectangular clad specimens.

This technique is a relaxation technique which allows the measurement of local displacement in the vicinity of a drilled hole using a strain gauge rosette, prior to converting strain values into stresses.


There are two reasons such scales are of interest. The first is theoretical: inflation is hard to maintain. A large amount of inflation seems to require some fine tuning [11, 12] .

A large amount of inflation seems to require some fine tuning.


General arguments from the string landscape also suggest a statistical tendency towards fewer e-foldings [13] . If this is a general property of inflationary models, the most likely model of our Universe involves the minimum number of e-foldings. This would suggest interesting dynamics would occur on scales comparable to our Hubble volume. In particular, this suggests that the lowest moments of the angular power spectrum would (in addition to statistical fluctuations) encapsulate these dynamics.

General arguments from the string landscape also suggest a statistical tendency towards fewer e-foldings.


One of the reasons that males ßy a short distance in comparison to their potential ßight distance may be due to their ßight behavior. In addition, to the brevity of their mating period, they do not ßy straight forward during their mating period but ßy randomly with many turns (Hirooka 1981) . Normal urban conditions such as streets, residential lights, and physical barriers (i.e., buildings) are likely to reduce their dispersal speed and range to a great extent.

In addition, to the brevity of their mating period, they do not ßy straight forward during their mating period but ßy randomly with many turns.


Application of high throughput screening technologies to natural product samples accelerates considerably the discovery, development and use of natural cosmetic ingredients, but such a screening is still a long-term undertaking [56] . It was recently suggested that only five in every 100 genetic resources identified as being potentially of interest will ever end up in cosmetic and personal care formulas [57] . In fact, once the ingredient developed, it must pass all the efficacy, quality, shelf life and safety/tolerability (cytotoxicity, skin and ocular irritability) tests right throughout the development chain prior to be launched on the market. Only after this array of controls has been undertaken will a formulator consider using this ingredient in an actual finished-product formulation. Some researchers actually integrate the toxicology assessment directly into the cosmetic ingredient R&D process to avoid an unpleasant discovery at the end of the process, which could lead to the restriction or even the abandonment of the ingredient's use due to toxicity concerns [58] . The vigilance about worldwide regulation compliance is guaranteed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). At the European level, the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS, replacing the former SCCNFP) establishes and regularly revises guidance notes that contain relevant information on the different aspects of testing and safety evaluation of cosmetic substances [59] . These notes must be adapted at each individual case, depending, for instance, on the nature of the ingredients entering the formulation, on the finished product's formulation itself, and the frequency and route of consumers' use of the product.

Application of high throughput screening technologies to natural product samples accelerates considerably the discovery, development and use of natural cosmetic ingredients, but such a screening is still a long-term undertaking.

It was recently suggested that only five in every 100 genetic resources identified as being potentially of interest will ever end up in cosmetic and personal care formulas.

Some researchers actually integrate the toxicology assessment directly into the cosmetic ingredient R&D process to avoid an unpleasant discovery at the end of the process, which could lead to the restriction or even the abandonment of the ingredient's use due to toxicity concerns.

At the European level, the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS, replacing the former SCCNFP) establishes and regularly revises guidance notes that contain relevant information on the different aspects of testing and safety evaluation of cosmetic substances.


Based on our simulation observations, we have been able to make various conclusions regarding the influence of the extensions we implemented in the original mathematical model [14] . Increasing initial SR Ca 2+ concentration increases probability of calcium waves, though flooding of the cell can occur with a higher SR Ca 2+ diffusion coefficient and low strength of the SR pump that pulls Ca 2+ back into the cell. The addition of a buffer into the SR behaved as expected, decreasing the likelihood of wave propagation. Also as expected, we saw an increased probability of wave dynamics and, even more likely, calcium flooding in the cell when the voltage difference across the plasma membrane was included in the model. Overall, our findings aligned with known biological models and principles, giving us a thorough understanding of several factors that influence Ca 2+ dynamics in cardiac myocytes.

Based on our simulation observations, we have been able to make various conclusions regarding the influence of the extensions we implemented in the original mathematical model.


Applications of micro-manipulation can be extensively found in microsystem manufacture, micro-medical, biomedical, optical engineering, and other important areas [1] . An increased requirement in micro-manipulation has led to rapid development of manipulating grippers. For micro/nano-manipulation, the manipulated objects usually have a small size, typically ranging from 1 µm to 1 mm, and are difficult to handle. Hence, various micro-grippers have been designed and developed based on different actuation techniques.

Applications of micro-manipulation can be extensively found in microsystem manufacture, micro-medical, biomedical, optical engineering, and other important areas.


Combining the criteria of SIFT and GERP scores, we first show that sorghum racial groups accumulate considerable amounts of deleterious mutations in the genome, estimated to be ~33% of total nonsynonymous substitutions ( Fig. 1) . Although the number and frequency of such mutations within a population depends on population size, our results match well with previous studies that estimated 20 to 30% of nonsynonymous variants to be deleterious in several crop species, including model plant species [4, 5, 28, 29] . Considering only highly conserved (GERP>2) and frequent (DAF>0.9) mutations, there are 63 nonsynonymous deleterious mutations across racial groups, and distributed across all chromosomes. These variants are likely a combination of variants of important domestication targets, recent pseudogenes, and some truly deleterious variants that are the product of drift.

Although the number and frequency of such mutations within a population depends on population size, our results match well with previous studies that estimated 20 to 30% of nonsynonymous variants to be deleterious in several crop species, including model plant species.


Wallabies at 5-year-old sites formed 2 distinct clusters along axis 2 in Fig. 2b . The group of 4 lower on axis 2 selected shrubs to a greater extent and forbs to a lesser extent than their counterparts. The labeled points in Fig. 2b represent uncharacteristically strong selection for trees (point 1) and ferns (point 2), and are influenced by the sensitivity of selection indices to very low availability values (Lechowicz 1982) . The removal of point 1 had little effect on the analysis, but the removal of point 2 resulted in an approximately 40% increase in the difference between unharvested and 5-year-old sites (A ¼ 0.07 after removal).

The labeled points in Fig. 2b represent uncharacteristically strong selection for trees (point 1) and ferns (point 2), and are influenced by the sensitivity of selection indices to very low availability values.


We have presented the working principle of ultra low noise differential integrating AC photo detectors and discussed two different hardware realizations with components from different suppliers. The cw and pulsed noise performance of both detectors has been discussed in detail with special emphasis on the analysis procedures for pulsed operations. We have demonstrated that the ultra-low noise performance of our detectors extends into the range of microsecond long pulses which is of considerable importance for atomic physics applications [7] . There, duration and photon number per pulse is set by the desired coupling strength between the light pulses and the atomic ensemble and is typically in the range of 10 5 − 10 6 photons distribute over few microseconds. In this regime the noise performance of the detectors discussed here is considerably better than what has been previously reported [6] . The influence of correlated noise sources has been discussed, for example classical pulse correlations generated by the pulling of the detector baseline for imbalanced detector operation. A baseline subtraction scheme has been proposed and successfully used to circumvent these shortcomings. Correction for the baseline pulling is generally only necessary when rather high photon numbers are considered. In this case, the additional electronic noise due to the analysis procedure is negligible compared to the detected light shot noise.

We have demonstrated that the ultra-low noise performance of our detectors extends into the range of microsecond long pulses which is of considerable importance for atomic physics applications.

In this regime the noise performance of the detectors discussed here is considerably better than what has been previously reported.


In 2011, the number of international students in the world was estimated to be well over 3.8 million (Banks & Bhandari, 2012) . The number of Third Culture Kids (TCKs) increases as the number of expatriates increases. The increasing number of TCKs affects the multicultural dynamics of international schools. Therefore, the ability to interact and communicate effectively within a diverse and multicultural environment is a necessary skill. Intercultural sensitivity (ICS) describes an individual's response to cultural differences and the perspectives of people from other cultures (Bhawuk & Brislin, 1992) . Research on intercultural competence and ICS has focused on adult population; however, there is scant research on international students, or TCKs.

In 2011, the number of international students in the world was estimated to be well over 3.8 million.

Intercultural sensitivity (ICS) describes an individual's response to cultural differences and the perspectives of people from other cultures.


Uncertainty avoidance is the level of risk accepted by a culture, which can be gleaned from the emphasis on rule obedience, ritual behavior, and labor mobility (Straub et al., 2002) . Uncertainty avoidance primarily focuses on the extent a culture programs its members to feel either comfortable or uncomfortable in unstructured situations. Uncertainty avoidance cultures try to minimize the possibility of unstructured situations by creating "strict behavioral codes, law, and rules, disapproval of deviant opinions, and a belief in absolute Truth; 'there can only be one Truth and we have it'" (Hofstede, 2011, p. 10) .

Uncertainty avoidance is the level of risk accepted by a culture, which can be gleaned from the emphasis on rule obedience, ritual behavior, and labor mobility.


In the textbook example, all household members maximize a join utility function (Becker 1981) . A cash transfer shifts out the household budget constraint. The composition of expenditures then changes as households move along the Engel curve that relates expenditures on a particular item or group of items to total expenditures. Neither the source of the additional income nor who within the household receives the transfer matters.

In the textbook example, all household members maximize a join utility function.


User-perceived measures such as response time must meet customer expectation. Performance analysis techniques of measurement and/or modeling therefore need to be applied to the software systems [1] . Hence queueing models are often used to model software performance [8] .

Performance analysis techniques of measurement and/or modeling therefore need to be applied to the software systems.

Hence queueing models are often used to model software performance.


Previous studies identified neuropathy and respiratory effects in arsenic exposed individuals with skin lesion, worldwide, as well as, in West Bengal population. According to the published literature little or no attention had been given to those individuals who were free of skin lesion despite arsenic exposure. Till date, only a single study from our group focused association of conjunctivitis with arsenic (Baidya et al., 2006) . Conjunctivitis was found to be strongly associated with arsenicism. Present study provides strong evidence that ingestion of inorganic arsenic through drinking water results in significant increase in peripheral neuropathy, conjunctivitis and respiratory illness even in those individuals who were free of skin lesion despite arsenic exposure (Table 4 ). The trend test for OR of the three diseases in three groups was found to be statistically significant (Table 4) . However, we did not find any association of these diseases with age, sex, or smoking status (data not shown). Hence, we calculated the OR and 95% CI values adjusted for these three parameters.

Till date, only a single study from our group focused association of conjunctivitis with arsenic.


We also have demonstrated that, over and above the "objective" risk of victimization, visible signs of neighborhood disorder are highly predictive of expressed fear of crime. Thus, individuals seem to respond to visual cues such as litter, vandalism, and graffiti in the neighborhood as being informative about their risk of victimization. Although this cannot be considered an especially novel claim in itself, our research represents an advance on most existing studies resulting from our use of independently recorded assessments of neighborhood disorder and the comprehensive set of individual-and neighborhood-level controls employed in our models. This finding supports the view that the emphasis on policing strategies that seek to remove visual signs of "low-level" disorder is an appropriate way of reducing public anxiety about crime. Additionally, our analyses show that the effect of disorder on expressed fear is moderated by the social and demographic characteristics of individual residents, with more vulnerable groups such as women and those in poor health expressing greater fear in response to signs of neighborhood disorder than their less vulnerable counterparts. This, too, has important implications for policing strategies that are intended to "reassure" local residents that they are safe, by reducing levels of disorder within local neighborhoods and enhancing community involvement, which indicates a need for targeted interventions that focus particularly on alleviating the concerns of more vulnerable groups (Innes, 2004) .

This, too, has important implications for policing strategies that are intended to "reassure" local residents that they are safe, by reducing levels of disorder within local neighborhoods and enhancing community involvement, which indicates a need for targeted interventions that focus particularly on alleviating the concerns of more vulnerable groups.


A central concern of criminological research during its relatively brief history has been whether and how neighborhoods influence individual perceptions of the risk of criminal victimization. Yet, for primarily methodological reasons, the evidence in support of the contention that "neighborhoods matter" has been inconsistent and, therefore, unconvincing. Our aim in this article has been to enunciate carefully the causal mechanisms through which neighborhoods have been proposed to influence fear of crime and to test hypotheses relating to these mechanisms using high-quality, nationally representative survey data linked to detailed neighborhood-level information. A key innovation of this research to our understanding of neighborhood effects on fear of crime is our use of independently collected measures of the key predictor and outcome variables in our models. Rather than relying on respondent assessments of neighborhood characteristics, disorder, and crime in the area, we have assembled measures that were collected independently of the survey responses that we use to gauge fear. Therefore, we can discount the kinds of "cognitive rationalization" explanations that have dogged existing research in this area for so long (Sampson and Raudenbush, 2004) . Our analyses confirm that, in the British context, neighborhoods exert independent influences on fear of crime through 1) the incidence of reported crime; 2) visible signs of low-level disorder; 3) weak social, economic, and structural characteristics; and 4) moderators of individual-level causes of fear. These findings have important implications for both criminological theory and those responsible for the development and implementation of social policy.

Therefore, we can discount the kinds of "cognitive rationalization" explanations that have dogged existing research in this area for so long.


Taken together, the variables representing the three neighborhood mechanisms account for 34 percent of the variation in fear between neighborhoods within CDRP. Thus, their joint effect only is marginally greater than is evident for any of them considered in isolation. This finding is particularly true of the social-structural variables that account for 30 percent of the contextual variability on their own. A clear implication here is that a good deal of causal dependency exists between these variables. It is likely, for instance, that social-structural characteristics influence both the crime rate and the level of physical disorder in a neighborhood, that the level of disorder also influences the crime rate, and that the crime rate itself feeds back, over time, to produce and reproduce weaker social-structural characteristics ). It is not our goal in this article to identify the distinct indirect and total effects of each of the three proposed mechanisms. Indeed, we believe that attempting to do so would push our observational data beyond its inferential limits (Morgan and Winship, 2007) . Instead, our approach is to focus on the more tractable strategy of identifying the direct and independent effects of each mechanism. In adopting this pragmatic approach, however, it is essential to note that we almost certainly are oversimplifying the complexity of the true causal system and underestimating the total effect of each proposed mechanism.

Indeed, we believe that attempting to do so would push our observational data beyond its inferential limits.


Before we turn our attention to the wider relevance of our findings, however, it is important to emphasize once again that, in focusing on the direct and independent effects of these mechanisms in our statistical models, we are very much operating under George Box's imprimatur that "all models are wrong but some are useful" (Box and Draper, 1987: 424) . It is, of course, highly improbable that these mechanisms operate independently but that, in reality, they interact and feed back on one another in a highly complex and contingent manner over time (Markowitz et al., 2001) . Given the unsuitability of the kind of static observational data at our disposal here for estimating highly complex, dynamic causal models, we have set ourselves the more tractable task of identifying the independent, direct effects of each proposed mechanism. Untangling the causal inter-relationships and estimating more complex indirect and total effects will be a useful direction for future research in this area.

It is, of course, highly improbable that these mechanisms operate independently but that, in reality, they interact and feed back on one another in a highly complex and contingent manner over time.


While the organizations are striving for organizational intrapreneurism in every field at the same time countries are also focusing on developing entrepreneurs in order to foster economic growth and development (Naffziger et al., 1994) . Entrepreneurs play important role for the growth and development of an economy as through entrepreneurship development few things automatically comes. Those are employment, enhancement of quality of life, social up gradation, reduction of poverty and so on (Scott and Twomey, 1988) . The immense significance of developing entrepreneurship is even greater if we consider the scenario of developing country like Bangladesh as agriculture base developing countries always try to shift its economic focus from agriculture to business for the creation of more job opportunities. Entrepreneurship contributes development of an economy by creating new markets, new industries, new technology, new jobs and net increases in real productivity (Behave, 1994) .

While the organizations are striving for organizational intrapreneurism in every field at the same time countries are also focusing on developing entrepreneurs in order to foster economic growth and development.

Those are employment, enhancement of quality of life, social up gradation, reduction of poverty and so on.

Entrepreneurship contributes development of an economy by creating new markets, new industries, new technology, new jobs and net increases in real productivity.


Thus, it is obvious that there is very few replacement of entrepreneurship for fostering and triggering economic development (Aldrich and Wiedenmayer, 1993) . Then, the important bottom line from this just catch the attention is that how to foster entrepreneurship and what are the factors and forces that does trigger the entrepreneurship development process. This is an important area of global research on entrepreneurship and innovation as it focuses on the root causes behind people's motivation of becoming entrepreneurs (Summers, 1998 and Delmar and Davidsson, 2000) . The immense significance of this study rooted into that area. It has uncovered the determining factors that influence the entrepreneurial intention of potential entrepreneurs and future business leaders in the form of business students of different prominent universities of Bangladesh.

Thus, it is obvious that there is very few replacement of entrepreneurship for fostering and triggering economic development.

This is an important area of global research on entrepreneurship and innovation as it focuses on the root causes behind people's motivation of becoming entrepreneurs.


The general definition of the relationship between different determining factors and entrepreneurial intention has altered a lot in recent years. In western countries researchers are trying hard to adopt and get a successful entry into the new structure of this relationship (Brockhaus, 1982) . It is widely believed and also outcomes of number of research papers-that there are different situational, psychological, environmental and also personal issues and factors that influence people to become entrepreneur (Bateman and Crant, 1993) . According to the basic scientific outcome in the field of psychology and organization behavior-modern students and pupils somehow seek more self control and decision making authority than the old compatriots used to do . However, the case is not of the similarity in every situation. It does get varied from country to country region to region or society to society.

In western countries researchers are trying hard to adopt and get a successful entry into the new structure of this relationship.

It is widely believed and also outcomes of number of research papers-that there are different situational, psychological, environmental and also personal issues and factors that influence people to become entrepreneur.


With the HOHV basis function, a well-conditioned matrix can be obtained for conventional structures [9] . However, when modeling multiscale structures, the high contrast (electrically large and electrically small) sized meshes exist together, so the proper equilibration technique of MoM matrix equation is needed to decrease the condition number 2 International Journal of Antennas and Propagation [11] . At the same time, ill-shaped meshes are inevitable and the orthogonality of HOHV basis function is affected. This makes the matrix equation ill-conditioned and causes convergence difficulty for Krylov subspace methods [12] . Therefore, HOHV basis function cannot be directly applied to model multiscale structures.

With the HOHV basis function, a well-conditioned matrix can be obtained for conventional structures.

However, when modeling multiscale structures, the high contrast (electrically large and electrically small) sized meshes exist together, so the proper equilibration technique of MoM matrix equation is needed to decrease the condition number 2 International Journal of Antennas and Propagation.

This makes the matrix equation ill-conditioned and causes convergence difficulty for Krylov subspace methods.


Addition of the protease inhibitor aprotinin to the insulin solution induced a similar early enchancing effect on the absorption of insulin from its injection site in our group of Type I diabetic patients, as previously reported for healthy subjects [1] . Thus, we found a significantly earlier insulin entry into the circulation. The disappearance rate of the radiolabelled insulin from the injection site was also higher with aprotinin early after injection, although the difference was not statistically significant. The most likely explanation for this minor discrepancy between the two methods used to study insulin absorption is a statistical type 2 error. However, it cannot be entirely excluded that the discrepancy could be due to the fact that the two methods are not fully comparable as a measure of insulin absorption, as has been discussed earlier [6] .

Addition of the protease inhibitor aprotinin to the insulin solution induced a similar early enchancing effect on the absorption of insulin from its injection site in our group of Type I diabetic patients, as previously reported for healthy subjects.

However, it cannot be entirely excluded that the discrepancy could be due to the fact that the two methods are not fully comparable as a measure of insulin absorption, as has been discussed earlier.


FRAP has emerged during the last two decades as a common and powerful method for measuring mass transport properties (Lorén et al. 2015) . A confocal microscope is used to direct high-intensity light into a region of interest that will cause substantial photobleaching of the fluorescent molecules present in the area. This will impose a concentration gradient of non-bleached molecules in the region of interest, where unbleached molecules will diffuse into. The recovery of intensity in this area is a function of how fast unbleached molecules diffuse into the area. The local diffusion rate can be estimated from the rate of intensity recovery. Dextran labeled with the fluorophore fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) is commonly used as a diffusion probe in FRAP experiments (Deschout et al. 2014) .

FRAP has emerged during the last two decades as a common and powerful method for measuring mass transport properties.

Dextran labeled with the fluorophore fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) is commonly used as a diffusion probe in FRAP experiments.


In SE, wood chips are treated with pressurized steam for a specific time period, and then the pressure is rapidly released, causing a pressure difference between the interior of the wood chips and the surrounding vessel, and finally the softened chips collide with other chips and the vessel walls (Muzamal et al. 2015) . Chemical modifications occur during the steam treatment due to the high temperature of the steam, which can be observed by the dark discoloration of the wood (Zhang and Cai 2006) . The rapid release of pressure has shown to increase the average pore diameter, attributed to removal of hemicellulose and lignin in combination with deformation of the cell wall (Muzamal et al. 2015) . Further, the collisions of the soft wood chips after the pressure release cause significant physical damage, splits, and brush-like tears of the chips depending on the angle of impact (Muzamal et al. 2015; Muzamal and Rasmuson 2017) .

In SE, wood chips are treated with pressurized steam for a specific time period, and then the pressure is rapidly released, causing a pressure difference between the interior of the wood chips and the surrounding vessel, and finally the softened chips collide with other chips and the vessel walls.

Chemical modifications occur during the steam treatment due to the high temperature of the steam, which can be observed by the dark discoloration of the wood.

The rapid release of pressure has shown to increase the average pore diameter, attributed to removal of hemicellulose and lignin in combination with deformation of the cell wall.

Further, the collisions of the soft wood chips after the pressure release cause significant physical damage, splits, and brush-like tears of the chips depending on the angle of impact.


Over 400 different mycotoxins have been identified. They are structurally diverse (Figure 1 ) but are produced primarily by three genera of fungi: Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Fusarium. Patulin (~150 Da), a polyketide lactone is produced by Penicillium and Aspergillus. The trichothecenes (~250-550 Da) are a group of sesquiterpene epoxides produced mainly by Fusarium species while zearalenone (~318 Da) is a resorcyclic acid lactone also produced by Fusarium. Mycotoxin contamination can occur in a variety of plants used as food, including commodities such as cereal grains (barley, corn, rye and wheat), coffee, dairy products, fruits, nuts, peanuts, and spices. Contamination can also arise in animal products, like milk, caused by animals consuming contaminated feeds. Generally, crops that are stored for more than a few days become a potential target for mold growth and mycotoxin formation. The primary way in which humans become exposed to mycotoxins is by eating contaminated food such as grain, corn, and other foodstuff or, alternatively, by consuming animals or animal products that have eaten contaminated feed. Mycotoxins are extremely stable compounds so they can easily avoid damage in the digestive system and reach the human bloodstream (Stoev, 2015) .

Mycotoxins are extremely stable compounds so they can easily avoid damage in the digestive system and reach the human bloodstream.


There is a large amount of experimental data available about the segment determination system. The gap gene system implements the most upstream regulatory layer of the segmentation gene network. It receives inputs from long-range protein gradients encoded by maternal coordinate genes and establishes discrete territories of gene expression. In this process the gap gene cross-regulation plays important role. The formation of gap gene expression domains is a dynamic process: the domains do not form in one place, but instead in the posterior half of the embryo they shift anteriorly during cleavage cycle 14. At the molecular level we know the genomic location of many functionally verified CREs, as well as identity and binding affinity of sites for relevant regulating TFs. A wealth of genome scale functional studies provide data on Chip-Seq, RNA-Seq and DNaseI accessibility measurements. The analysis of these datasets demonstrated that maternal co-ordinate and gap TFs bind to thousands of sites across the Drosophila genome and that the dominant force in cells that modifies the intrinsic DNA specificity of TFs is the inhibition of DNA binding by chromatin [1] . High resolution imaging and image processing techniques provide spatiotemporal data on segmentation gene expression at cellular resolution [2] .

The analysis of these datasets demonstrated that maternal co-ordinate and gap TFs bind to thousands of sites across the Drosophila genome and that the dominant force in cells that modifies the intrinsic DNA specificity of TFs is the inhibition of DNA binding by chromatin.

High resolution imaging and image processing techniques provide spatiotemporal data on segmentation gene expression at cellular resolution.


Although eco-tax is specifically used in this study, the applicability of our manipulation is broad and widespread, given people's reliance on heuristics. A number of other important real-world problems (e.g., cigarette smoking, pollution in rivers, air pollution and overfishing) could be improved by presenting information in a similar form. For example, the government could consider increasing the tax per packet of cigarette to reduce smoking. One of the tax options could be a tax increase of a dollar, from $1 per cigarette packet this month to $2 per packet next month. Another option could be a tax increase of $2, from $3 per packet this month to $5 per packet next month. If smokers spend on average a $100 tax buying cigarettes each month, then the first option will reduce their consumption by 50 cigarette packets, while the latter option only by 13 packets. On account of the proportionalthinking heuristic, we expect smokers to also readily prefer the option with a $1 tax increase compared to the $2 tax increase. The end result would be a larger reduction in packets smoked-a desirable outcome. In the real world, it might be very difficult to change existent human behavior and reliance on heuristics [3] . We suggest an alternative: to change people's decision environment such that existent behavior and reliance on heuristics enables people to improve their decision choices.

In the real world, it might be very difficult to change existent human behavior and reliance on heuristics.


We develop cosmic ray telescopes designed for imaging geological targets with a thickness of rock between 50 and 1500 m. The detection time from each measurement location has to remain less than six months, to construct in a few years a tomography of the object. This method allows the detection of objects with a spatial resolution between 10 and 40 m, for telescopes with an angular resolution of about 0.1 rad. The density variations detectable with such a method could be as low as 3 %, depending on the rock opacity as well as on the respective sizes of the target and the heterogeneities . Some first acquisitions have to be realised in open sky conditions to control the telescopes' bars efficiency and calibrate their set-up (Lesparre et al., 2012) .

Some first acquisitions have to be realised in open sky conditions to control the telescopes' bars efficiency and calibrate their set-up.


This emphasizes the potential for this new masssensitive parameter in particular for inclined showers. At large zenith angles, the radio emission spans over a large area on ground, which makes sparse detection array and thus large-scale applications feasible. The results show that the novel technique provides additional accuracy for mass measurements of cosmic rays on a per-event level. This is essential for further progress in answering open questions about the origin of ultra-high energy cosmic rays, since not only the total flux, but also the mass composition is expected to feature an anisotropy in the arrival directions [13] . Therefore, the scientific potential of existing particle-detector arrays can easily be enhanced by adding radio antennas, and future air-shower arrays can be planned to feature both, muon and radio detectors.

This is essential for further progress in answering open questions about the origin of ultra-high energy cosmic rays, since not only the total flux, but also the mass composition is expected to feature an anisotropy in the arrival directions.


Even in its initial implementation, our general purpose VDV requires a user interface that is fairly complicated for a virtual environment. We have taken the approach that a combination of more-or-less traditional menus (although 3D objects) and more direct means of icon manipulation will do the job. In more recent work, we have followed the traditional menu analogy entirely and use 2D pop-up menus [29] . The work here shows that our interfaces are indeed usable and we can build a useful set of tools. Certainly this work demonstrates that, in spite of drawbacks in display resolution and tracking accuracy of VR equipment, it is still possible to use multiple text-based menus or to handle widgets with multiple control points. However, the development of design principles for virtual interfaces will have to await additional detailed investigations and evaluation of interface approaches.

In more recent work, we have followed the traditional menu analogy entirely and use 2D pop-up menus.


Sensor network technology lays at the confluence of several disciplines, including data management. Among the numerous issues under investigation, an important one is query processing due to its use in the retrieval of the data collected by the sensor network. Several influential works in this direction are [11, 14, 18] . They focus on retrieving realtime sensor measurements, possibly aggregated, and consider that each measurement is independent of one another. In real life this assumption does not generally hold due to the properties of the monitored phenomena (e.g., humidity varies smoothly between close locations). Query processing with approximate answering uses in various ways such properties of the monitored phenomena to substantially reduce query processing costs. Thus, it has recently raised much interest from the research community.

Several influential works in this direction are.


This qualitative study was designed to investigate third year learning and teaching experiences in a mathematics degree in a large Scottish university. First and second year form the pre-Honours element of this programme with years 3 &4 (and an optional fifth) constituting Honours. The concept of transitions informed the research design as it "offers practitioners an additional lens through which learning and teaching theory and practice can be evaluated; it also provides a conceptual framework that maps the learning journeys of both individuals and institutions" (Shovlin, 2016) . The application of the concept of transitions in this study generated a holistic understanding of the third year experience incorporating not only the knowledge and subject specific abilities required, but also the mindset, attitudes and approaches that correlate with a positive student experience. Although third year is the main focus of the research, the application of the lens of transitions to a particular stage of an educational programme, affords much more than an examination of this one stage alone. A transitions based study also offers a valuable programme-level perspective by exploring to what extent previous elements of the programme relate to and prepare students for the learning stage in question. Lastly, but no less importantly, transitions based studies such as this one require that student and staff perspectives are taken into account in order to discuss the assumptions and realities of both.

The concept of transitions informed the research design as it "offers practitioners an additional lens through which learning and teaching theory and practice can be evaluated; it also provides a conceptual framework that maps the learning journeys of both individuals and institutions".


Rapid increased energy prices and the continuous reduction of the Earth's conventional fuels resources as well as the increased world-wide global warming have been the motivation for the recent growing interest in alternative sources of energy, such as solar energy. The development of renewable energy technologies is important for the future of a balanced global energy economy. The non-conventional sources of energy are capable of solving all above problems of energy. The renewable energy fulfills the gap between mounting energy demand and diminishing supply of conventional sources of energy. Need of clean environment and the increase in demand of more healthy and hygienic food-products encourages the use of renewable energy in industrial production and domestic processes. Solar Energy is the best solution to avoid energy crisis. To save conventional energy sources and to protect the environment, solar energy is the best aspect (Zhiqiang, 2005) .

To save conventional energy sources and to protect the environment, solar energy is the best aspect.


The tendency of snow to adhere to a surface has also been studied and it was shown that a hydrophobic surface will tend to decrease the likelihood of snow adhesion, whereas a hydrophilic coating will increase the probability of this adhesion [23] . For application to PV in regions where snow exists and the temperature varies around the −1 • -−2 • switch point, the determination of optimal surface properties is complicated. This paper presents a generalizable method to make this determination for any PV and surface coating.

The tendency of snow to adhere to a surface has also been studied and it was shown that a hydrophobic surface will tend to decrease the likelihood of snow adhesion, whereas a hydrophilic coating will increase the probability of this adhesion.


Motivational research has examined a broad range of cognitive, affective and behavioural outcomes resulting from personal and environmental motivational conditions and processes. To our knowledge, however, no studies have investigated the role of motivational factors in the performance of fundamental movement skills at the secondary school age level. Examining the relationship between motivational factors and fundamental movement skill levels in the context of secondary school physical education (PE) would seem important because students in this age group are potentially sensitive to motivational loss emanating from a lowering in perceived physical and motor competence (Barnett et al., 2008b; Stodden et al., 2008) . Hence, the purpose of the present study is to examine the associations between social and cognitive motivational factors and secondary school PE students' demonstration of fundamental movement skills.

Examining the relationship between motivational factors and fundamental movement skill levels in the context of secondary school physical education (PE) would seem important because students in this age group are potentially sensitive to motivational loss emanating from a lowering in perceived physical and motor competence.


For fuel chips, mechanically or manually operated screening devices are commonly applied and there is a large variety of applicable systems. The screens are usually arranged in a tower of several sieves, which are clamped to each other, starting with the largest aperture size on top (Fig. 1) . They are operating in a one-, two-or three-dimensional screen shaking movement sorting the particles by decreasing size. This type of determination of particle size distribution of wood chips is described in a number of standards [5] [6] [7] [8] .

This type of determination of particle size distribution of wood chips is described in a number of standards.


Recently some measuring alternatives to the common flat screens have been discussed for use in wood fuel quality determination [9] . One of the options is an arrangement of several cylindrical sieves, which form a rotary screen starting with the lower aperture size and sorting the particles by increasing size (Fig. 1 ). The horizontal screening and the rotary classifier belong to the gravimetric method, which all have the problem that long and thin particles can pass small aperture widths while being in a vertical orientation, and they are thus wrongly allocated, if a separation by length is desired.

Recently some measuring alternatives to the common flat screens have been discussed for use in wood fuel quality determination.


In section 2, a two-phase interpretation of the microstructure is presented. It is based on physicochemical characterizations and on mechanical and rheological considerations. This interpretation at the mesoscopic scale allows to make a heuristic scaling towards the continuum mechanics, by taking place in the general framework of thermodynamics of open systems [38] [39] [40] [41] [42] . On the other hand, this choice is supported by the importance of exchanges phenomena of SCP with their industrial environment. Section 3 specifies the choice of the thermodynamic potential which allows to justify a coupling equation between both phases of the material. Section 4 introduces the viscoplastic formalism chosen to model the irreversible effects at the origin of the nonelastic strain of SCP and Section 5 presents a validation of the model for PVF 2 and PA11.

This interpretation at the mesoscopic scale allows to make a heuristic scaling towards the continuum mechanics, by taking place in the general framework of thermodynamics of open systems.


A key assumption in the display foraging model is a rational user -acting according to preferences or goals -who decides which tiles to attend to and how long to do so before moving on to do something else. This principle is used for estimating the best possible information gain on a given layout. For the definitions, we build on information foraging theory [39] . Foraging theories draw a parallel between how animals forage for food and people navigate information spaces. The environment of an agent contains patches separated by a given distance (or, equivalently, a certain travel time). A patch is associated with a gain: a function describing how quickly energy or information is obtained within that patch. Animals choose patches for maximizing the expected energy obtained per unit of time. For instance, a wolf can choose to hunt for rabbits or instead deer: the optimal choice is governed by expected energy-intake gain per unit of time. Rabbits are easier prey, but deer offer larger energy gains. Similarly, information foragers (rational users) maximize the expected information gain per unit of time as a tradeoff between interest in (or importance of) the content and the effort (or time) to extract the information from it [40] .

For the definitions, we build on information foraging theory.

Similarly, information foragers (rational users) maximize the expected information gain per unit of time as a tradeoff between interest in (or importance of) the content and the effort (or time) to extract the information from it.


There are two major models in IFT work [26] . In the patch model, the environment is modeled as a set of patches, each having a specific gain function. The question that arises is how long an agent should stay in a patch before moving on to the next one. The optimal time for leaving a patch is when the net gain does not increase any further, since the informative content has been exhausted. In the diet model, there are different types of patches, characterized by a certain profitability. The question here involves determining which patches to visit and in which order so as to maximize the overall gain before leaving the environment. Patches are ranked by profitability and sorted in such a way that prioritizing in order of decreasing profitability is considered the optimal sequence for visiting the patches. The agent stops foraging once the cumulative rate of gain is greater than the profitability of the next patch.

There are two major models in IFT work.


Interest in the education of gifted and talented students (GTS) in contemporary history has attracted the attention of several countries throughout the world because GTS considered a national treasure and an important factor in a country's development and scientific progress. GTS contribute to the welfare of society and its development, and help ensure a country's present and future security (Abu-Jaber, 2011) . By contrast, the neglect of GTS education leads to serious negative consequences for society (Al-Hadabi, 2010) . As a result, the Arab world has witnessed a rising interest in GTS education propel Arab societies toward greater cultural and scientific progress. Thus, educational policies and trends in the Arab world are attempting to establish educational institutions and special education programs to meet their unique needs of GTS and to provide them with intellectual challenges (Srour, 2010) .

GTS contribute to the welfare of society and its development, and help ensure a country's present and future security.

By contrast, the neglect of GTS education leads to serious negative consequences for society.

Thus, educational policies and trends in the Arab world are attempting to establish educational institutions and special education programs to meet their unique needs of GTS and to provide them with intellectual challenges.


Richter's hernia refers to a condition in which a portion of the bowel wall is entrapped in the hernia sac without symptoms of ileus; this condition tends to occur most frequently in aged patients, particularly elderly females [1] . The most commonly reported hernia content is a loop of the distal ileum; however, any portion of the gastrointestinal tract and omentum can become incarcerated. The most common sites for Richter's hernia are the femoral ring (36-88%), followed by the deep inguinal ring (12-36%) [8] . Richter's hernias have been reported in other relatively rare locations, including incision and laparoscopic port insertion sites [9] . To the best of our knowledge, the presence of an ECF as a chronic complication of Richter's hernia through a defect in the umbilical region in the absence of prior abdominal surgery is extremely rare. First, strangulation in a neglected Richter's hernia that causes fistula is typically an urgent, rapidly developing, and critical condition with high mortality. In 1986,J.M. Horbach reviewed a series of strangulated hernias; over 30%of these hernias were Richter's hernias, more than two-thirds of which required aggressive emergency treatment due to manifestations such as necrosis of the bowel wall [10] . This series truly reflected the rate of disease progression. Second, the majority of ECFs occurin cases involving inflammatory bowel disease or a surgical intervention history [11] [12] [13] [14] . The literature indicates that spontaneous fistul as have been reported more frequently in developing countries, such as India and Nigeria, than in developed nations [15, 16] . Similarly, our index case involved a patient from Hong'an, a secluded mountain area in China with a primitive economy and culture. Certain factors aggravated the patient's condition, including living alone, poverty, late presentation and a lack of appropriate therapy.

Richter's hernia refers to a condition in which a portion of the bowel wall is entrapped in the hernia sac without symptoms of ileus; this condition tends to occur most frequently in aged patients, particularly elderly females.

The most common sites for Richter's hernia are the femoral ring (36-88%), followed by the deep inguinal ring (12-36%).

Richter's hernias have been reported in other relatively rare locations, including incision and laparoscopic port insertion sites.

In 1986,J.M. Horbach reviewed a series of strangulated hernias; over 30%of these hernias were Richter's hernias, more than two-thirds of which required aggressive emergency treatment due to manifestations such as necrosis of the bowel wall.

Second, the majority of ECFs occurin cases involving inflammatory bowel disease or a surgical intervention history.

The literature indicates that spontaneous fistul as have been reported more frequently in developing countries, such as India and Nigeria, than in developed nations.


Nanoscience deals with matter at nanoscale dimension, typically in the size range between 1 nm and 100 nm. Unique phenomena/novel properties that are found in materials at the nanoscale enable nanotechnology to be applied in various fields and form a solid basis towards technological breakthrough. Interestingly, such properties are not observed at the atomic/molecular scale or at the bulk scale, thus making nanotechnology an emerging technology of the 21 st century. The surface to volume ratio is much higher in nanoparticles compared with their respective bulk materials. Therefore, surface atoms that are known to be in an energetic state different from that of the bulk atoms make significant contribution to the total free energy. Cerium oxide (CeO 2 ) is a semiconductor with wide band gap energy (3.19eV ). In the recent years, much effort has been made towards the development of new synthetic routes for preparing nanostructure cerium oxides due to their potential uses in many applications, such as high-storage capacitor devices, buffer layers for conductors, fuel cells, polishing materials, UV blocks and optical devices [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] . The cerium oxide nanoparticles are prepared by various methods [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] . This paper deals with the preparation of cerium oxide nanoparticles using the precipitation method. The prepared nanoparticles were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction analysis, FTIR, Raman spectrum, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) UV-analysis and dielectric studies.

In the recent years, much effort has been made towards the development of new synthetic routes for preparing nanostructure cerium oxides due to their potential uses in many applications, such as high-storage capacitor devices, buffer layers for conductors, fuel cells, polishing materials, UV blocks and optical devices.

The cerium oxide nanoparticles are prepared by various methods.


Mode choice or modal split is an important stage in the transport planning process, and it is very useful for policymakers (Minal and Sekhar 2014) . Transport mode choice is currently exercised by means of discrete choice models (Ben-Akiva and Lerman 1985) . In these models, the available alternatives are exclusive and collectively exhaustive (Koppelman and Bhat 2006) . Discrete models are based on selecting the alternative that provides the highest utility to the choice maker. There are plenty of unobservable and situational variables that make this decision complicated (Koppelman and Bhat 2006) . For this reason, random utility theory was developed (Mcfadden 1980) .

Mode choice or modal split is an important stage in the transport planning process, and it is very useful for policymakers.

Transport mode choice is currently exercised by means of discrete choice models.

In these models, the available alternatives are exclusive and collectively exhaustive.

There are plenty of unobservable and situational variables that make this decision complicated.

For this reason, random utility theory was developed.


One of the important issues in mode choice modelling relates to the factors that explain the trip makers' mode choice. Mode choice is influenced by a plethora of social, economic, cultural, and environmental factors (Minal and Sekhar 2014) . Additionally, the socio-economic characteristics of the trip maker, such as the household income, gender, age, employment, car ownership, social status, and the number of people in the household, have an important role in the mode choice (de Dios Ortúzar and Willumsen 2011) . Two other influencing factors are the trip purpose and the relative cost of the modes of transport in relation to the service that they provide (Giannopoulos 2005) . The parameters that affect this selection and are related to the mode of transport include travel time, cost, waiting time, in-vehicle time, walking time, comfort, safety, security, etc., (de Dios Ortúzar and Willumsen 2011) . Therefore, mode choice models deal with the range of trade-offs that individuals are willing to make amongst these factors (Ben-Akiva and Lerman 1985; Koppelman and Wen 2000) . In a more recent study, it was observed that trip characteristics could affect mode choice (Racca and Ratledge 2004) .

Mode choice is influenced by a plethora of social, economic, cultural, and environmental factors.

Additionally, the socio-economic characteristics of the trip maker, such as the household income, gender, age, employment, car ownership, social status, and the number of people in the household, have an important role in the mode choice.

Two other influencing factors are the trip purpose and the relative cost of the modes of transport in relation to the service that they provide.

The parameters that affect this selection and are related to the mode of transport include travel time, cost, waiting time, in-vehicle time, walking time, comfort, safety, security, etc..

Therefore, mode choice models deal with the range of trade-offs that individuals are willing to make amongst these factors.

In a more recent study, it was observed that trip characteristics could affect mode choice.


One alternative to masking is to use of query expansion to improve query performance in P2P file-sharing systems [6] . This work attempts to build a distributed semantic network of terms, revealing generalizations and synonyms, which can be used to increase the recall of a query. Besides the difficulty of maintaining the semantic network, a problem of this technique is that it may lead to a "drift" in the original semantics of the query. As we know of no experimental validation of this technique, it difficult to accurately gauge its performance.

One alternative to masking is to use of query expansion to improve query performance in P2P file-sharing systems.


We care about formal deformations of associative algebras. Historically, the theme has its root in the work of Gerstenhaber [7] . There are closed connections between deformation theory and Hochschild cohomology. For example, the second Hochschild cohomology group may be interpreted as the set of (equivalence classes of) first order deformations; the obstruction theory is related to the third Hochschild cohomology group. In this paper, we construct formal deformations of noncommutative generalized Weyl algebras A = k[z; λ, η, ϕ(z)] when k is of characteristic zero. Generally speaking, a formal deformation can only be constructed under the severe condition that all obstructions are passed successfully. This condition trivially holds for homologically smooth generalized Weyl algebras (see §2.3 and Theorem 4.5). According to our computations, a surprising result is that even if A is not homologically smooth, we can construct a formal deformation of A starting with a special Hochschild 2-cocycle. Concretely, we use a periodic complex to compute the Hochschild cohomology of A with coefficients in any A-bimodule M whose cocycles are called Per cocycles, and define a map f : M → {Per 2-cocycles}. When M = A, by a pair of quasi-isomorphisms between the Hochschild cochain complex and the periodic complex, we prove (see Theorems 5.3 and 5.4) Theorem 1.2. Let A = k[z; λ, η, ϕ(z)] be a noncommutative generalized Weyl algebra. Let F 1 be the Hochschild 2-cocycle corresponding to f (z) if η = 0, or to f (1) if λ = 1. There exist a family of k-bilinear maps F n : A × A → A, n ≥ 2 integrating F 1 that determine a formal deformation of A. The family {F n } is unique if each F n satisfies the conditions (a), (b) in Lemma 5.1.

Historically, the theme has its root in the work of Gerstenhaber.


In this paper, we propose a framework for tracing aspects from requirement goal models to implementation and testing. Goal-oriented requirements engineering (RE) uses goal models to elicit, specify, and analyze requirements [41] . We provide language support for modeling goal aspects and mechanisms for transforming models to aspect-oriented programs. Test cases are derived from requirements models to guide verification and validation of aspects. The benefits of leveraging our framework are twofold. By separating crosscutting concerns throughout requirements, implementation, and testing phases, we achieve a high degree of modularity and traceability in software development. By driving implementation and validation from stakeholder goals, we achieve a high level of software quality and user satisfaction.

Goal-oriented requirements engineering (RE) uses goal models to elicit, specify, and analyze requirements.


Model-driven engineering is simply the notion that we can construct a model of a system that we can then transform into the real thing [36] . One of the challenges faced in MDE is the escalating complexity of software and system models [13] . For large-scale software development, the sheer size of models, the intertwining relationships between intra-and inter-model elements, and the concerns expressed across different models present a high adoption barrier to MDE practice. A fundamental principle in addressing complexity is separation of concerns [32] . Maintaining a clear separation of concerns throughout the software life cycle has long been a goal of the software community. Aspect-oriented software development (AOSD) provides explicit means to model concerns that crosscut multiple system components. It is argued that the synthesis of MDE and AOSD can not only provide effective support for managing software complexity but also improve model quality and productivity [13] .

Model-driven engineering is simply the notion that we can construct a model of a system that we can then transform into the real thing.

One of the challenges faced in MDE is the escalating complexity of software and system models.

A fundamental principle in addressing complexity is separation of concerns.

It is argued that the synthesis of MDE and AOSD can not only provide effective support for managing software complexity but also improve model quality and productivity.


In considering the effectiveness of each block system for automated, real-time assessment of cognitive skills, three criteria are considered: sensibility, scalability, and communicability. The blocks must be equipped with sensors that can detect the physical motions applied to each of them and the assembly configurations among multiple blocks. The number of blocks used in the test/game must be scalable to support 2-dimensional (2D) and 3-dimensional (3D) assemblies with varying difficulty. Bi-directional communication between the blocks and a host computer and among the blocks will support real-time sensor data acquisition, as well as assembly detection among the assembled blocks. The SIG-Blocks system has some unique features that satisfy all of these criteria. Only Cognitive Cubes and Sifteo support both block-to-computer and block-to-block communications, but neither of them supports block-to-computer wireless communication. The SIG-Blocks system was operated in a fully decentralized manner without any hierarchical or master-slave structure, such as that used in Cognitive Cubes, and is therefore fault-tolerant. In addition, most existing systems were designed for tangible gaming or educational purposes, but they lack the necessary recording functions, which are essential for assessment function. SIG-Blocks with TAG-Games were specifically designed to provide feedback on the player's performance and behavior via real-time, wireless, and bidirectional communications. Only Learning Cube demonstrates block-tocomputer wireless communication capability based on radio frequency (RF) (Terrenghi et al., 2006) .

Only Learning Cube demonstrates block-tocomputer wireless communication capability based on radio frequency (RF).


As previously mentioned, little research exists on the effects of high ambient temperatures and the vulnerable population of neonates. One area that has been looked at is the relationship between temperature and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). A possible role for hyperthermia in SIDS has been hypothesized because some victims are found in unusually warm environments, are warm and sweaty when found dead, are wrapped tightly in clothing or bedding, have a history of febrile illness before death, or have high rectal temperatures at examination or autopsy [33, 34] . In our study, none of the neonates died and so this was not examined. A larger dataset would permit exploration of these outstanding questions, which warrants the need for further study.

A possible role for hyperthermia in SIDS has been hypothesized because some victims are found in unusually warm environments, are warm and sweaty when found dead, are wrapped tightly in clothing or bedding, have a history of febrile illness before death, or have high rectal temperatures at examination or autopsy.


The cell membrane charge is also affected by sialic acid being the component of glycolipids and glycoproteins. Sialylation affects the half-lives of many circulating glycoproteins and plays roles in a variety of biologic processes such as cell-cell communication, cell-matrix interaction, adhesion and protein targeting [27] . It has been supposed that sialic acid also influences surface concentration of acid and basic groups as well as association constants of positive and negative groups during cancer transformation.

Sialylation affects the half-lives of many circulating glycoproteins and plays roles in a variety of biologic processes such as cell-cell communication, cell-matrix interaction, adhesion and protein targeting.


Learning was able to reveal the problems and gaps of theory integration with the practice of learning evaluation (Beveridge, 2006) . A lot of learning methods could be used in the learning process of Entrepreneurship. The learning methods mentioned started from the fewest students involved (Expository=exposition=lecturing teacher) up the method of the most students involved (Discovery=Inquiry=students found by themselves) among the methods of Problem Based Learning (PBL). Problem Based Learning (PBL) was an instructional approach that exemplified student centered learning. It emphasized solving complex problems in riching Contexts and aimed at developing higher order thinking skills (Savery & Duffy, 1995; Barrows, 1996) . PBL had these characteristics: (a) learning was student centered; (b) authentic problems formed the organizing focus for learning; (c) new information was acquired through self-directed learning; (d) learning focused in small groups; and (e) teachers aced as facilitators.

Learning was able to reveal the problems and gaps of theory integration with the practice of learning evaluation.

It emphasized solving complex problems in riching Contexts and aimed at developing higher order thinking skills.


In general, the issue of ship motion attenuation is gaining interest. It is not only to ensure passengers comfort, in this time of travelling increase (Haywood, et al. 1995; Ryle, 1998) . There are also reasons of safety, operational crew efficiency, and ship stabilization: for instance to get better conditions for helicopter landing on the ship.

It is not only to ensure passengers comfort, in this time of travelling increase.


From this analysis, we showed that after adjustment for other neighborhood environment characteristics, neighborhood preferences, attitudes towards walking, and socio-demographic characteristics, neighborhood sidewalk length was positively associated with participation in NWT and minutes of NWT and NW, but not with NWR participation or minutes. The walkability index was positively and independently associated with participation in NWT, but not with other types of neighborhood-based walking. Our findings support previous studies suggesting that built environment characteristics appear to be more strongly associated with transportation-related compared with recreational or leisure-related physical activity [17, 18, 26, 28] .

Our findings support previous studies suggesting that built environment characteristics appear to be more strongly associated with transportation-related compared with recreational or leisure-related physical activity.


Even if the availability of panel datasets enables the investigation of poverty dynamics, most studies use consumption expenditure or income to measure poverty dynamics. However, income and consumption tend to fluctuate over time and are prone to measurement errors (Hulme and Shepherd, 2003) . Measurement errors in consumption expenditure arise not just from the intrinsic difficulty of calculating prices and consumption quantities, but also from the recall error that induces a downward bias in the estimation (Dinkelman, 2004) .

However, income and consumption tend to fluctuate over time and are prone to measurement errors.

Measurement errors in consumption expenditure arise not just from the intrinsic difficulty of calculating prices and consumption quantities, but also from the recall error that induces a downward bias in the estimation.


The NWA recognises that water resources occur in different forms that reflect the different components of the hydrological cycle (aquatic, terrestrial, subterranean, atmospheric and marine), and that integrated management of all these components and aspects of water resources is necessary in order to achieve sustainable use of water for the benefit of all its users (Republic of South Africa, 1998) . In order to fulfil this requirement, a shift in thinking is necessary, from a point where water is seen simply as a commodity to one where water resources are recognised as integral parts of a larger ecosystem. This ecosystem approach requires an understanding of the relationships between the various components of the hydrological cycle and the linkages and inter-relationships between these components. The dynamics of these complex inter-relationships and feedback loops are regulated by ecosystem processes. These ecological processes are important, from a human-needs perspective, for the goods and services they provide. Recognition of the central role that biodiversity plays in maintaining ecological processes and hence in ensuring the maintenance of the flows of ecosystem goods and services on a sustainable basis, is critical to successful water resource management .

The NWA recognises that water resources occur in different forms that reflect the different components of the hydrological cycle (aquatic, terrestrial, subterranean, atmospheric and marine), and that integrated management of all these components and aspects of water resources is necessary in order to achieve sustainable use of water for the benefit of all its users.


However, challeneges in using differential technique has been overcome, through the use of molecular techniques as alternative options for detecting variability in pathogen populations. Available genetic markers such as random amplified microsatellite (RAMS), repetitive sequences such as enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus sequence (ERIC) and repetitive extragenic palindromic (REP) which have all indicated how P. griseola is extremely diverse (Sebastian & Balatti, 2006) . Such makers have been reported to be reliable, reproducible when used to assess fungus strain diversity especially when combined with computer-assisted data analysis (Louws et al., 1999) . Depending on the reliability, markers have been previously used to determine genetic variation of P. griseola and divided it into two Andean and middle American groups (Pastor-Corrales et al., 1998) . The existence of two groups suggest that developing durable resistance requires incorporation of resistance genes from Andean into a mesoamerican cultivar, a process best complemented by a clear understanding of how variable P.griseola is. Hence, the study aimed at assessing the distribution and variation of P. griseola isolates from Uganda using both the differential cultivar and molecular techniques in order to facilitate breeding against ALS resistance.

Available genetic markers such as random amplified microsatellite (RAMS), repetitive sequences such as enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus sequence (ERIC) and repetitive extragenic palindromic (REP) which have all indicated how P. griseola is extremely diverse.

Such makers have been reported to be reliable, reproducible when used to assess fungus strain diversity especially when combined with computer-assisted data analysis.

Depending on the reliability, markers have been previously used to determine genetic variation of P. griseola and divided it into two Andean and middle American groups.


However, considering the vastness of the Chinese territory and the huge differences in regions' development, the problems of economic structure revealed by the fluctuations of labor force are more prominent, which restricts the sustainability of the overall Chinese economic development. Specifically, the northern area of China has a strong influence on heavy industry, and the continuous outflow of labor force has fueled industrial structure transformations. Meanwhile, in the west of the country, an important mineral resources source and strategic reserve, there is a simple labor force and the primary energy structure has not changed, which means the allocation of production factors is static, the self-repairing function is inhibited, and the bottom-up transformation of the industrial structure seems to be an unattainable vision. The central region has taken on the role of linking the east with the west; whether the transformation of its industrial structure can be successfully completed has a critical bearing on the other two areas. As a pioneer in economic reform, the rich east, due to its geographical advantages, has been leading the way in technological innovations and economic development [2, 3] .

As a pioneer in economic reform, the rich east, due to its geographical advantages, has been leading the way in technological innovations and economic development.


Reasons for the increased incidence of invasive GAS and GBS disease among postpartum women and the decreased postpartum effect on incidence for invasive pneumococcal disease are not clear. The mean incidence among postpartum women for GAS and GBS is higher than that observed among adults aged $65 years, a group well established as being at increased risk of GAS and GBS infections [14, 43] . Invasive GBS infection in nonpregnant adults is strongly associated with having an underlying medical condition (71%, with diabetes present in 28%) [43] . Of note, only 28% of postpartum women had at least one underlying condition, and none had gestational diabetes. For GAS, only 23% of postpartum women had an underlying illness, compared with 50% of (5) 1 (6) 1 (2) 14 (6) 28 43 (14) 4 (22) 12 (24) 27 (11) 89 23 (7) 1 (6) 7 (14) 15 (6) a Race: Documented black versus all others.

The mean incidence among postpartum women for GAS and GBS is higher than that observed among adults aged $65 years, a group well established as being at increased risk of GAS and GBS infections.

Invasive GBS infection in nonpregnant adults is strongly associated with having an underlying medical condition (71%, with diabetes present in 28%).


Urban-rural equalized development is highly multidimensional, dynamic over long periods, and difficult to quantify, this study has explored the spatio-temporal differentiation of URED reasonably and reliably in the example study area at county-level [59, 60] . This identified methodology can be adopted to assess and monitor the spatio-temporal pattern of URED in wide time span, especially at county-level. However, only 17 potential indictors were chosen due to the availability of good quality data with the necessary temporal and spatial resolution, the evaluation index system is required to further add relevant indicators. As URED usually occurs over a wider time span, the case study with a time span of just 10 years was not enough to understand the dynamics of long-run processes of URED [61] . Additionally, it should be noted that this study was conducted just in Chengdu at county-level, this methodology requires further study to increase their level of applicability and efficiency at all spatial and temporal scales, which might give some new insights [62] [63] [64] . The authors are aware that a single case study cannot prove a theoretical framework; nevertheless, the findings can serve as a useful reference to monitor dynamic changes in sustainable urban and rural development for planners and policy makers.

Urban-rural equalized development is highly multidimensional, dynamic over long periods, and difficult to quantify, this study has explored the spatio-temporal differentiation of URED reasonably and reliably in the example study area at county-level.

As URED usually occurs over a wider time span, the case study with a time span of just 10 years was not enough to understand the dynamics of long-run processes of URED.

Additionally, it should be noted that this study was conducted just in Chengdu at county-level, this methodology requires further study to increase their level of applicability and efficiency at all spatial and temporal scales, which might give some new insights.


By using principal component analysis, we explored the saptio-temporal differentiation of urban-rural equalized development in Chengdu, as the state-designated experimental zone to promote urban-rural comprehensive reform, which has experienced rapid industrialization and urbanization, has explored the theory and practice of URED since 2003 to more effectively urbanize Chengdu and significantly decrease the gap between urban and rural areas compared to the national level (Figures 1 and 5 ). In the proposed study, 17 indicators of five categories were identified to develop the UREDI for the urban-rural equalized development conditions of the 19 county-level districts under Chengdu's administration, and the dynamic degree was calculated to further analyze the spatial dynamic patterns from 2004 to 2013. This study revealed the dynamic evolution of URED in both spatial and temporal dimensions in the example study area, and provided insights into decision-making process and policy actions in regional development [52, 57, 58] .

This study revealed the dynamic evolution of URED in both spatial and temporal dimensions in the example study area, and provided insights into decision-making process and policy actions in regional development.