An efficient clustering of stakeholders according to their preferences, followed by the assessment of the cognitive characteristics within the groups, is essential to prioritize requirements when the stakeholders profiles exhibits diversity. Because of the need of interpretation of the clustering process, we propose the use of self organizing maps to perform the mapping of the preferences vectors of the stakeholders. The importance of this process is closely related with the assertion that one of the critical factors in the success of a Software Project, consists precisely in achieving the requirements prioritization in a relatively early stage of software life cycle [22] [23] .

The importance of this process is closely related with the assertion that one of the critical factors in the success of a Software Project, consists precisely in achieving the requirements prioritization in a relatively early stage of software life cycle.


Based on the groups provided by the SOM network, the preferences average values were computed in each group. The aggregation has been linear, as is stated in Karlsson [24] . Table 2 , Groups 1 and 2 show the same pattern of priority. That is, their User Requirements were ranked in the following sequence: 1,4,3,2. However, the Group 3 provided another order: 4, 3, 2, 1.

The aggregation has been linear, as is stated in Karlsson.


Thus, personal factors determine the perception of stakeholders, biased by different interpretations about the requirements of the future system. Based on this perspective; we propose the convenience of describing and analyzing the concept of semantic memory. Semantic memory is referred to the memory of meanings, underEureka-2013. Fourth International Workshop Proceedings standings, and other concept-based knowledge that is not related to personal experiences, Vivas [11] . Hence, the meaning of a concept seems to emerge directly of its intrinsic properties. Instead, the meaning attributed to an entity, phenomenon or process seems to emerge from the relative weight of relations that the subject has established in its history with the reference object [12] [13] [14] .

Fourth International Workshop Proceedings standings, and other concept-based knowledge that is not related to personal experiences, Vivas.

Instead, the meaning attributed to an entity, phenomenon or process seems to emerge from the relative weight of relations that the subject has established in its history with the reference object.


The prevalence of albuminuria (19.2%) in this study seems to be higher than those in European and American population (7-8.3%) [19, 20] . However, this value is within the range of previous reports conducted in general Japan population (13.2-19.6%) [21, 22] . Another study documented that the incidence of microalbuminuria (40%) in hypertensive diabetic patients is higher in Asia than in North America and Europe (16-29%) [23] . Therefore, an Asian population including Japanese might be susceptible to albuminuria when compared with other populations. In addition, several factors including differences in the method of collecting urinary samples and characters of subjects might cause the difference in part.

The prevalence of albuminuria (19.2%) in this study seems to be higher than those in European and American population (7-8.3%).

However, this value is within the range of previous reports conducted in general Japan population (13.2-19.6%).

Another study documented that the incidence of microalbuminuria (40%) in hypertensive diabetic patients is higher in Asia than in North America and Europe (16-29%).


The African wild dog is one of the endangered carnivorous species in South Africa. They are mainly distributed in parts of eastern and southern Africa. In the past few decades the habitat of African wild dog has been drastically reduced, and the population quantity has declined significantly [1] . Research suggests that there are many reasons for the sharp decline in the distribution and number of African wild dogs, which may include conflicts with humans, habitat loss, persecution and competition with other predators, genetic diversity of infectious diseases, and inbreeding depression [2] . The scholars analyzed the demographic data of endangered Lycaon pictus in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park in South Africa from 1980 to 2004. They found that the African wild dog population has an obvious Allee effect [3] . In 1931, W.C. Allee paid attention to the possibility of a positive relationship between individual aspects of fitness and population density [4] . In other words, when the species has a small population density, the death rate increases, and the birth rate decreases, then the risk of species extinction increases. There are many reasons for this phenomenon. For example, for an individual, it is difficult to seek spouses and difficult to resist enemies and inbreeding depression [5] . Therefore many researches focus on the Allee effect (sparse effect) and have done a lot of work in this direction [6] [7] [8] [9] .

In the past few decades the habitat of African wild dog has been drastically reduced, and the population quantity has declined significantly.

Research suggests that there are many reasons for the sharp decline in the distribution and number of African wild dogs, which may include conflicts with humans, habitat loss, persecution and competition with other predators, genetic diversity of infectious diseases, and inbreeding depression.

They found that the African wild dog population has an obvious Allee effect.

In 1931, W.C. Allee paid attention to the possibility of a positive relationship between individual aspects of fitness and population density.

For example, for an individual, it is difficult to seek spouses and difficult to resist enemies and inbreeding depression.

Therefore many researches focus on the Allee effect (sparse effect) and have done a lot of work in this direction.


The Allee effect has been observed in many species, such as plants, marine invertebrates, and mammals [8] . For these species, there exists a minimum survival threshold, which implies that it is not necessary to adopt any measure to intervene when the population density is above this threshold [10] . But once the population density is lower than the survival threshold, some corresponding control measures should be performed according to the state of the target species. So the threshold strategy is also called the state feedback control strategy. This strategy can be precisely described by an impulsive differential equation in mathematics [11] .

The Allee effect has been observed in many species, such as plants, marine invertebrates, and mammals.

For these species, there exists a minimum survival threshold, which implies that it is not necessary to adopt any measure to intervene when the population density is above this threshold.

This strategy can be precisely described by an impulsive differential equation in mathematics.


This difference between models can be explained through the stress levels experienced by birds. Rectal temperature is the first indicator of poor welfare of broilers, whereas the mortality is the highest indicator related to stress (Broom, 2007) . Increasing values of lairage time tend to elevate the variation of rectal temperature. The excess of climatization results in thermal heterogeneity on the lairage environment causing hypothermia in some birds depending on its localization on the truck, for example more contact with the climatization system, and also body weight and age (Hunter et al., 1999; Barbosa Filho et al., 2009) . In relation with the number of dead birds, the adoption of lower or higher lairage time resulted in reduced and less variable mortality, according to the distance and related with the results achieved through the mean model. In other words, when analyzed jointly with other important factors, such as distance between farms and slaughterhouse, the extremes of lairage time had major influence on determining the mortality, despite of the intermediate levels.

Rectal temperature is the first indicator of poor welfare of broilers, whereas the mortality is the highest indicator related to stress.

The excess of climatization results in thermal heterogeneity on the lairage environment causing hypothermia in some birds depending on its localization on the truck, for example more contact with the climatization system, and also body weight and age.


The difference between the rectal temperature taken at the departure and at the arrival was included in the statistical analysis (difference of rectal temperature) with the objective to verify a reduction or increasing of rectal temperature of broilers, due to lairage climatization. The number of dead losses per truck was achieved in the database of the industry. Data were analyzed using a Double Generalized Linear Model (DGLM), an extension of Generalized Linear Models (GLM), which provides a framework for modeling the dispersion in generalized linear models as well as the mean (Vieira, A., 2008) . The difference of rectal temperature was considered in this study as a response variable with normal distribution, with the mean linked to a linear predictor through an identity function. The number of dead birds was treated as a response variable with Poisson distribution. The logarithmic function was assumed to make a link between the model linear predictor and the expected value of response variable and for the link function was also assumed as a logarithmic function which guarantee positive values for the expected dispersion parameter ( f ).

Data were analyzed using a Double Generalized Linear Model (DGLM), an extension of Generalized Linear Models (GLM), which provides a framework for modeling the dispersion in generalized linear models as well as the mean.


Assuming the usual SO(3) rotational invariance leaves only two independent tensor structures, corresponding to shear viscosity η and bulk viscosity ζ. In the anisotropic, non-commutative theory we have however only an SO(2) symmetry and this gives rise to a much richer tensor structure. We will be interested only in the shear part, i.e. the part that determines the diffusion of momentum into transverse directions. More precisely we have to distinguish between three possible shear viscosity coefficients corresponding to either momentum in the commutative direction diffusing into a non-commutative direction, momentum in a non-commutative direction diffusing into a commutative direction and momentum in a non-commutative direction diffusing into a non-commutative direction 2 . On a technical level the shear viscosities can be calculated in various different ways, either by searching for a diffusion pole in the retarded two point function of the momentum density operators or by Green-Kubo type formulas using the zero-momentum and zero frequency limit of the imaginary part of the retarded equilibrium Greens function of traceless components of the stress tensor. We therefore need to understand first how the field theory stress tensor can be obtained from the holographic dual. In holographic duals the stress tensor is usually generated by a fluctuation of the metric components. In the non-commutative theory it is important to distinguish between the closed string metric, in terms of which the supergravity solution is formulated and the open string metric, which is the metric that is seen by open strings ending on a D-brane in a B-field background [12] .

In the non-commutative theory it is important to distinguish between the closed string metric, in terms of which the supergravity solution is formulated and the open string metric, which is the metric that is seen by open strings ending on a D-brane in a B-field background.


Results shown in Fig. 3 indicate that the specific reboiler heat duty decreases exponentially t with the increase of CO 2 concentration, leveling off for concentrations higher e e than 15% (mol). The same trend occurs with the electricity consumed by the flue gas compression. It is well known that the high energy consumption for the MEA-based system is mainly caused by the solvent regeneration in the stripper. A possible way to reduce this high heat consumption could be to reduce the water concentration in the solvent; for example, some solvents commercially available, which contains higher MEA concentration, were reported as reducing the steam consumption of 25% compared a conventional system [27] .

A possible way to reduce this high heat consumption could be to reduce the water concentration in the solvent; for example, some solvents commercially available, which contains higher MEA concentration, were reported as reducing the steam consumption of 25% compared a conventional system.


Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is considered to be one of the most promising alternatives for reducing anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and is forecasted to account for 20% of the reductions in man-made GHG emissions in 2050 [1] . To bring CCS closer to commercial realization, the viability of CCS value chains must be explored. For a commercial CCS chain to be successful, it must be sustainable and therefore take into account the three pillars of sustainability: profitability, planet, and people [2] . To ensure the critical evaluation of the viability of a CCS chain with respect to multiple criteria, a consistent and transparent methodology was developed and published [2] . The value of such a methodology is in the support it provides to decision makers to select the most viable alternatives for the CCS chains.

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is considered to be one of the most promising alternatives for reducing anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and is forecasted to account for 20% of the reductions in man-made GHG emissions in 2050.

For a commercial CCS chain to be successful, it must be sustainable and therefore take into account the three pillars of sustainability: profitability, planet, and people.

To ensure the critical evaluation of the viability of a CCS chain with respect to multiple criteria, a consistent and transparent methodology was developed and published.


One can envision a multiscale framework in which the hybrid multiphase solver employed here relies on simulation information for fluid particle dynamics (e.g., breakup/coalescence rate and size distribution) from dynamic LBM simulations being conducted for the specific flow conditions (e.g., fluid properties, phase fraction, and turbulence conditions) found in the concurrent macroscale simulation. Such a multiscale, multiregime, multiphase flow simulation strategy could have application to a wide variety of complex multiphase flows where current methods are unable to capture the diverse range of physics encountered. One example familiar to the authors and that has been the main target for the development of the methods demonstrated here is liquid-liquid extraction in which both dispersed and fully segregated multiphase flow regimes for three phases (typically two liquids and air) are found in a single flow device Wardle [41] .

One example familiar to the authors and that has been the main target for the development of the methods demonstrated here is liquid-liquid extraction in which both dispersed and fully segregated multiphase flow regimes for three phases (typically two liquids and air) are found in a single flow device Wardle.


Bevacizumab is an approved anti-angiogenesis treatment widely used in combination with chemotherapy for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. Whilst being an effective treatment, not all patients derive benefit, with modest survival benefits reported in unselected patient populations [1] [2] [3] . Biomarkers that may predict patient outcomes to bevacizumab are urgently needed to guide its use in patients who are most likely to benefit.

Whilst being an effective treatment, not all patients derive benefit, with modest survival benefits reported in unselected patient populations.


In the future, we want to make our current hardware-accelerated framework more efficient. Several researchers demonstrate that EWA point splatting with OpenGL point primitives can significantly improve the performance by reducing the size of the proxy geometry and processing time for each splat [2, 4] . We plan to use a similar technique for adaptive EWA volume splatting. We also want to apply our adaptive EWA splatting scheme to irregular volume datasets in a hardware-accelerated framework. Finally, we are interested in developing a hardware-accelerated adaptive EWA volume splatting framework with image-aligned traversal order to avoid popping artifacts and implement post-classification.

Several researchers demonstrate that EWA point splatting with OpenGL point primitives can significantly improve the performance by reducing the size of the proxy geometry and processing time for each splat.


Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is the seventh most important food crop in the world [1] . Despite its importance, cassava unfortunately contains potentially harmful cyanogenic glucosides, which release toxic hydrogen cyanide upon hydrolysis [2] . Without access to foods containing sulphur amino acids, continuous ingestion of cyanogenic glucosides from improperly processed cassava products, often results in cases of cassava cyanide intoxication in rural poor cassava dependent communities [3] . Cases of cassava cyanide intoxication have been reported in a number of countries in Sub-Saharan African, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Mozambique, Tanzania, Cameroon, Central African Republic and Angola [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] . The reports consisted of cases of acute cyanide 3 intoxication but more commonly of the cassava cyanide health disorder called konzo (spastic paraparesis), which is known to result in an irreversible paralysis of legs [9] [10] [11] [12] .

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is the seventh most important food crop in the world.

Despite its importance, cassava unfortunately contains potentially harmful cyanogenic glucosides, which release toxic hydrogen cyanide upon hydrolysis.

Without access to foods containing sulphur amino acids, continuous ingestion of cyanogenic glucosides from improperly processed cassava products, often results in cases of cassava cyanide intoxication in rural poor cassava dependent communities.

Cases of cassava cyanide intoxication have been reported in a number of countries in Sub-Saharan African, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Mozambique, Tanzania, Cameroon, Central African Republic and Angola.

The reports consisted of cases of acute cyanide 3 intoxication but more commonly of the cassava cyanide health disorder called konzo (spastic paraparesis), which is known to result in an irreversible paralysis of legs.


Solar thermochemical processes are efficient routes for converting high temperature solar heat into valuable and sustainable chemical energy carriers (solar fuels). Thermochemical water-splitting cycles consist of the thermal conversion of water into separate streams of hydrogen and oxygen via a series of endothermic and exothermic chemical reactions. It is particularly attractive due to the abundance, availability and low cost of the water feedstock. Endothermic reactions can be driven by high-temperature concentrated solar thermal energy [1] [2] [3] [4] . A thermochemical water-splitting cycle operates at much lower working temperatures than direct water thermolysis while resulting in the same global water decomposition reaction.

Endothermic reactions can be driven by high-temperature concentrated solar thermal energy.


CQ relates positively to job satisfaction. This is an important outcome because job satisfaction functions as a driver to continue and sustain communication in cross-cultural interactions. Job satisfaction is an important variable with regard to intention to stay with the organization, important for host country managers who developed their CQ after having experienced frequent cross-cultural interactions with foreign expatriates. Turnover among local employees is high. There is a risk they quit their job to be hired by other foreign multinationals (Wong and Law 1999) .

Turnover among local employees is high.

There is a risk they quit their job to be hired by other foreign multinationals.


Fat supplementation of the diet is an efficient mean to modify milk yield, fat content and fatty acid (FA) composition in lactating ruminants (Chilliard et al. 2003) . Feeding vegetable oils has been shown to affect milk yield and composition, as well as FA and CLA content of milk in cows and goats (Castro et al. 2009) . Plant oils from different oilseeds have different FA compositions and accordingly have different effects on milk FA profile (Gómez-Cortés et al. 2008) .

Fat supplementation of the diet is an efficient mean to modify milk yield, fat content and fatty acid (FA) composition in lactating ruminants.

Feeding vegetable oils has been shown to affect milk yield and composition, as well as FA and CLA content of milk in cows and goats.

Plant oils from different oilseeds have different FA compositions and accordingly have different effects on milk FA profile.


To summarize, a bifurcation point is detected within a certain small tolerance. As the prediction depends on the initial point, this translates into small errors of the predicted curve. If we start close enough to the actual new curve, any point will converge to it and in general one expects a convergence cone [15] . If we parametrize the predicted curve by ε, the initial amplitude ε is to be chosen to be within the convergence cone, see also Figure 1 .

If we start close enough to the actual new curve, any point will converge to it and in general one expects a convergence cone.


Concern about generating isoniazid resistance is a major obstacle to wider implementation of IPT. These data do not support this concern. Treatment outcomes were typical of this setting, taking into account the high numbers of transfers to other treatment programmes and unrecorded outcomes. South Africa as a whole has not yet met the WHO targets for treatment outcomes [6] . Drug resistance was not more prevalent than in comparison groups. Among first episodes of TB, the prevalence of isoniazid resistance, at 12.1%, was higher in the TB after IPT group than in control clusters (6.0%), but similar to that in the laboratory substudy (11.8%). In retreatment cases, isoniazid resistance was less common in the TB after IPT group than in control clusters (7.7 vs. 18.7%). The prevalence of isoniazid resistance in the TB after IPT group is also in keeping with a drug-resistance survey among gold miners in this area in the 1990s in which 7.3% (95% CI 6.1-8.7) of first TB episodes and 14.3% (11.3-17.9) of retreatment episodes had isoniazid resistance [14] . In this analysis, we present several comparators, acknowledging that each has limitations. Overall, although numbers of resistant cases were small and CIs accordingly wide, the data do not suggest an increase in proportion of isoniazid-resistant cases among those exposed to TB screening and IPT.

These data do not support this concern.

South Africa as a whole has not yet met the WHO targets for treatment outcomes.

The prevalence of isoniazid resistance in the TB after IPT group is also in keeping with a drug-resistance survey among gold miners in this area in the 1990s in which 7.3% (95% CI 6.1-8.7) of first TB episodes and 14.3% (11.3-17.9) of retreatment episodes had isoniazid resistance.


Three previous papers specifically describe active TB following IPT [17] [18] [19] . Methods differ and numbers are very small, so it is difficult to draw clear conclusions in terms of drug resistance from these studies. Data concerning TB after IPT from clinical trials have been reviewed previously in a meta-analysis [5] . The summary estimate for the risk of isoniazid resistance following IPT compared with those not exposed to IPT was 1.45 (95% CI 0.85-2.47), suggesting no evidence for an increase in resistance.

Three previous papers specifically describe active TB following IPT.

Data concerning TB after IPT from clinical trials have been reviewed previously in a meta-analysis.


To overcome these challenges, researchers have tried to introduce cross-plotting as a statistical method on well logs [5] [6] [7] [8] . However, cross-plotting was found to be unable to fully expose the relationship that may exist within well log data [9] . Interpretation from the cross-plot is similarly reliant on the experience of log analysts [10, 11] . With the current computational power and the increasing number of well log tools, it has become necessary to automate the process of lithology determination, by minimizing the impact of human interference that can lead to biased and multiple interpretations [12] [13] [14] .

To overcome these challenges, researchers have tried to introduce cross-plotting as a statistical method on well logs.

However, cross-plotting was found to be unable to fully expose the relationship that may exist within well log data.

Interpretation from the cross-plot is similarly reliant on the experience of log analysts.

With the current computational power and the increasing number of well log tools, it has become necessary to automate the process of lithology determination, by minimizing the impact of human interference that can lead to biased and multiple interpretations.


Position Lists Word Aligned Hybrid (PLWAH) is an extension of WAH that aims at compressing sparse bitmaps better. PLWAH has the same literal L symbol with WAH, but introduces a different format for the 0-Fill and 1-Fill symbols. In particular, the 30-bit payload of a fill-word is used to store both the fill length k and a list of positions. The list stores as 5-bit numbers the positions of each 1 in the next literal. In this way a sparse literal can be encoded within the fill word and then suppressed to save space as shown in the bottom of Figure 2 . Therefore, the maximum length that can be encoded in each fill is 31 × (2 31−(5i) − 1), where i is the number of positions. In practice, a single 5-bit position makes PLWAH indexes half the size of WAH indexes [3] . Given a list of input values of an attribute, the compressed bitmap can be built incrementally, i.e., without needing to create first the uncompressed bitmap, using the algorithm described by Lemire [9] . Input values are processed in chunks of 31 consecutive values. For each chunk, up to 31 literals (each corresponding to a distinct value) are created. The new literals are then appended at the end of the corresponding bitmap columns. Before appending a literal to its corresponding column, the current chunk identifier is compared to the identifier of the last literal appended to the column. If the difference delta between the current and the previous chunk identifier is greater than 1, then a 0-Fill word whose length is exactly delta − 1 needs to be inserted before the new literal. In this way, when an index is updated with a new chunk, only d ≤ 31 out of the n columns have to be updated, where d is the number of distinct values present in the chunk.

In practice, a single 5-bit position makes PLWAH indexes half the size of WAH indexes.

Given a list of input values of an attribute, the compressed bitmap can be built incrementally, i.e., without needing to create first the uncompressed bitmap, using the algorithm described by Lemire.


A bitmap index is an indexing data structure for numerical records that enables expedient access to the row positions matching a given value of an attribute. More importantly, bitmap indexes corresponding to distinct attributes can be used to efficiently answer queries involving boolean operations over multiple attributes, e.g. "SELECT * WHERE DstP ort = 80 AND P roto = 17". The bitmap index corresponding to an attribute that can assume n distinct values is a binary matrix with n columns and as many rows as the number of indexed records (as shown in the example of Figure 1 ). Bitmap indexes can become very large when the number of columns (or rows) grow. Compressed bitmap indexes have been introduced to reduce the index size while preserving, or even accelerating, the index lookup time. Columns are independently compressed using light-weight compression techniques, like Run Length Encoding (RLE), that typically enable boolean operations to be performed over multiple columns in the compressed domain. Several encodings for compressing bitmap indexes have been proposed. WAH and its extension PLWAH are among the best-known compressed bitmap indexes as they stand out for their lookup performance. A thorough evaluation of the response times and compression ratios achieved by WAH and PLWAH in the context of indexing network traffic data can be found in previous work [6, 7] . Both encodings use word-aligned compression symbols.

A thorough evaluation of the response times and compression ratios achieved by WAH and PLWAH in the context of indexing network traffic data can be found in previous work.


In this paper we report about a search for HP as dominant DM particles with FUNK (Finding U(1)s of a Novel Kind). FUNK is an experiment that is based on the recently proposed dish-antenna method [10, 11] . A similar experiment, although with smaller sensitivity, has been performed in Tokyo [12, 13] .

FUNK is an experiment that is based on the recently proposed dish-antenna method.

A similar experiment, although with smaller sensitivity, has been performed in Tokyo.


Having a high cement content in the production of SCC, there is a disadvantage with regard to the shrinkage of this type of concrete. Shrinkage is a volumetric contraction of concrete caused by evaporation or hydration of cement. When concrete is already in hardened state a withdrawal of capillary water due to evaporation will result in drying shrinkage. Meanwhile, if evaporation is prevented concrete can be nevertheless loss of its capillary water due to self-dessication i.e. consumption of capillary water in the progress of hydration. The volumetric contraction as a result of self-dessication is termed autogenous shrinkage [4, 5] . Both type of shrinkages are originated in cement paste while aggregates in concrete act to restrain these volumetric contractions. Since the proportion of aggregate and cement in SCC are relatively low and high, respectively, these factors tend to promote a higher shrinkage of SCC compared to normal concrete [6] .

The volumetric contraction as a result of self-dessication is termed autogenous shrinkage.

Since the proportion of aggregate and cement in SCC are relatively low and high, respectively, these factors tend to promote a higher shrinkage of SCC compared to normal concrete.


One method to model transient thermal systems is using thermal RC networks analog to electrical circuits [7] . In this analogy, voltage and current stand for temperature and heat flow rate, respectively. Such RC network models range from simple ones which only consider the most important thermal phenomena to complicated networks which include the details of the cooling system.

One method to model transient thermal systems is using thermal RC networks analog to electrical circuits.


The minimization of conflicts over water use in this basin requires the adoption of an appropriate program of water resource management. In this sense, knowledge of water availability is the basic information for decision making in this process, and the limited series of available fluviometric data and the need to know the flow, along the river system, make it difficult or often prevent creation of a proper water management. In order to overcome this difficulty, it was used the technique of regionalization of flows to transfer spatial information (MOREIRA, 2006) .

In order to overcome this difficulty, it was used the technique of regionalization of flows to transfer spatial information.


In recent years, a number of applications have gained interest in wireless sensor networks for the fact that they are applicable in harsh environments predominantly in the setup of hostile applications, such as reconnaissance of the battlefield, surveillance of coast and border, rescue and search, outer space, and deep ocean exploration [1] . Mainly, wireless sensor nodes are used for monitoring in the areas of health, residential, and military purposes since they are self-healing, self-organized, and fault tolerant. In the application for military, WSNs are widely used and apt to different tasks such as command and control, targeting, communication, and surveillance [2] .

In recent years, a number of applications have gained interest in wireless sensor networks for the fact that they are applicable in harsh environments predominantly in the setup of hostile applications, such as reconnaissance of the battlefield, surveillance of coast and border, rescue and search, outer space, and deep ocean exploration.

In the application for military, WSNs are widely used and apt to different tasks such as command and control, targeting, communication, and surveillance.


Although the idea of using rollbacks (or perfect compensations) as a means of synchronisation might be new in the area of runtime verification, this is not the case in the area of distributed games [17, 18, 10] . The problem of distributed games is to minimise the effects on the playing experience due to network latencies. Two general approaches taken are pessimistic and optimistic synchronisation mechanisms. The former waits for all parties to be ready before anyone can progress while the latter allows each party to progress and resolve any conflicts later through rollbacks.

Although the idea of using rollbacks (or perfect compensations) as a means of synchronisation might be new in the area of runtime verification, this is not the case in the area of distributed games.


Most initiatives to increase coverage of childhood vaccination in developing countries involve improvement or extension of health services [3, 4] . The short-term reality is that the service offer cannot improve without sizeable investment; health services are stretched to maintain their existing service offer, including childhood vaccination. Yet many households do not take up the existing offer of vaccination.

Most initiatives to increase coverage of childhood vaccination in developing countries involve improvement or extension of health services.


The ocean's momentum response is classified into two regimes: the directlyforced or near-field; and the evolving 3-dimensional wake or far-field (Shay [1] ). In the near-field, the cyclonically-rotating wind field of a TC causes OML currents of about 1 to 1.5 m s -1 to diverge from the storm track, starting within one-quarter of an inertial wavelength behind the eye, where the inertial wavelength (Λ) is defined as the product of the storm translation speed (U h ) and the local inertial period (IP). This divergence causes the upwelling of cooler water underneath the storm track, thereby decreasing the OML depth. Over the next one-half inertial cycle, OML currents converge towards the storm track, causing an increase in the OML depth as warmer water is downwelled into the thermocline. This alternating cycle of upwelling and downwelling of the isotherms (and isopycnals) occurs over distances of Λ and establishes horizontal pressure gradients that couple the OML to the thermocline as part of a spreading 3-dimensional wake.

The ocean's momentum response is classified into two regimes: the directlyforced or near-field; and the evolving 3-dimensional wake or far-field (Shay).


A number of studies have established that normal native speakers of a language know how to improve their intelligibility to listeners under intelligibility-challenging conditions. This skill is known as Clear Speaking style, or Clear Speech, and it is generally elicited by instructing the speaker to "speak as if your listener is hearing impaired" or "speak as if your listener is not a native speaker of your language". Many studies have shown that this "Clear Speech" speaking style is significantly more intelligible to listeners; the average Clear Speech benefit is 15-17% to normal-hearing listeners in noise and to hearing impaired listeners in quiet (Uchanski, 2005) . This is roughly the equivalent of a 5 dB improvement in signal/noise ratio (Uchanski, 2005) .

Many studies have shown that this "Clear Speech" speaking style is significantly more intelligible to listeners; the average Clear Speech benefit is 15-17% to normal-hearing listeners in noise and to hearing impaired listeners in quiet.

This is roughly the equivalent of a 5 dB improvement in signal/noise ratio.


Xiong and Deng showed that after Ti6Al4V annealing, the contact angle decreased and the tribological behavior in water and bovine serum increased [33] . Thus, the low contact angle can indicate a good tribological performance. This conclusion is also in good agreement with our experiments, which showed that the friction performance of annealed Ti25Nb10Zr is inferior to that of the untreated alloy, while the contact angle is lower.

Xiong and Deng showed that after Ti6Al4V annealing, the contact angle decreased and the tribological behavior in water and bovine serum increased.


The nature of electrolyte may play an important role in aggressiveness and corrosion mechanisms. The Hank solution is less aggressive than SBF, due to the HCO − 3 ion concentration (27 mmol/L) which is six times less than in SBF (4.09 mmol/L), being a reason for the differences in corrosive behavior of the alloy. Moreover, the NaH 2 PO 4 and KH 2 PO 4 acts as an inhibitor for the corrosion process [67] . For example, Liang and Mou investigated the effects of different electrolytes (Ringer's, PBS, and Hank's solution) on corrosion of 316L stainless steel, Co-Cr alloy, and Ti6Al4V, finding that the corrosion caused by the Ringer's solution is more active, followed by the PBS and Hank's solution [67] .

Moreover, the NaH 2 PO 4 and KH 2 PO 4 acts as an inhibitor for the corrosion process.

For example, Liang and Mou investigated the effects of different electrolytes (Ringer's, PBS, and Hank's solution) on corrosion of 316L stainless steel, Co-Cr alloy, and Ti6Al4V, finding that the corrosion caused by the Ringer's solution is more active, followed by the PBS and Hank's solution.


Thus, in order to understand and improve the performance of PCM in a glazed structure, knowledge of the radiation (optical) heat transfer properties as well as the visual aspects during phase change is required. Furthermore, in order to justify the performance of PCM systems to a wider variety of conditions, modelling approaches are commonly employed [7, 8, 9] . Consequently, a modelling approach will also be developed to allow the prediction of phase change and radiation performance of PCM-glazed systems, which is currently limited in the literatures.

Furthermore, in order to justify the performance of PCM systems to a wider variety of conditions, modelling approaches are commonly employed.


Therefore, for tentative identification, the spectra obtained after EI mode are compared with a database. This is, in general, the first assumption for peak identification. When available, one can also use additional tools such as CI mode, MS/MS and standard coinjection when standards are available. EI mode allows a rapid identification of compounds present, but as ions resulting form EI mode can also be formed because of ion-molecule reactions, thus extending fragmentation patterns, low structure specificity ions might be obtained (Benincasa et al. 2003) . CI mode with methane as reagent gas may provide a relatively abundant [M+H] + , and on the other hand, MS/MS can provide cleaner spectra and further knowledge about the ion's origin. Both methods produce lower fragmentation profiles than EI mode. This fact might be significant for the specific identification of fragment ions and supporting structural information (Benincasa et al. 2003; Bouchonnet et al. 2004; Culleré et al. 2006) . GC ¥ GC experiments, on the other hand, are increasingly applied for complex matrix characterization (Adahchour et al. 2008) . When in tandem with mass spectrometric detectors, high resolution and sensitivity is attained, and nearly pure spectra are produced, thus facilitating the identification task (Cardeal et al. 2006; Mateus et al. 2008) . The purpose of this study was to determine and identify volatile compounds in red wine from a Portuguese red wine variety, Trincadeira, which is broadly used in the production of red wine in the south region of Portugal. This variety is the most ancient and traditional grape variety of the Alentejo region, very well adapted to the climatic conditions and represents a large fraction in vineyards. Nevertheless, little is known about the volatile profile of wines produced with Trincadeira grapes, and as far as the authors are aware, the evaluation of the MLF impact produced by indigenous or selected starter bacteria on the aroma composition of the wines produced with their grapes was never studied before.

EI mode allows a rapid identification of compounds present, but as ions resulting form EI mode can also be formed because of ion-molecule reactions, thus extending fragmentation patterns, low structure specificity ions might be obtained.

This fact might be significant for the specific identification of fragment ions and supporting structural information.

GC ¥ GC experiments, on the other hand, are increasingly applied for complex matrix characterization.

When in tandem with mass spectrometric detectors, high resolution and sensitivity is attained, and nearly pure spectra are produced, thus facilitating the identification task.


Wine aroma is one of the major features that allows differentiation, characterization and qualification of the numerous wines all over the world. One of the several tools available for winemaking is the selection of microbial starters to carry out fermentation, seeking to optimize the aroma compound's biosynthesis without affecting overall fermentation (Swiegers et al. 2005) . For MLF, Oenococcus oeni strains are usually predominant because of their tolerance to adverse wine conditions.

One of the several tools available for winemaking is the selection of microbial starters to carry out fermentation, seeking to optimize the aroma compound's biosynthesis without affecting overall fermentation.


Malolactic fermentation (MLF) takes place because of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), usually after alcoholic fermentation. The major processes involved are malic and citric acid metabolism. The main consequence of MLF is a decrease in total acidity as well as microbial stabilization; however, other subtler changes result in a higher complexity of the aroma (Gámbaro et al. 2001) . Bacterial metabolism contributes to the aroma either by transformation of grape-or yeast-derived compounds or by formation of additional ones (Lonvaud-Funel 1999; Revel et al. 2005; Ugliano and Moio 2005) .

The main consequence of MLF is a decrease in total acidity as well as microbial stabilization; however, other subtler changes result in a higher complexity of the aroma.

Bacterial metabolism contributes to the aroma either by transformation of grape-or yeast-derived compounds or by formation of additional ones.


The Trincadeira is a very used wine variety in Portugal because is very well adapted for climate and soil conditions. Nevertheless, little is known about their influence on the volatile composition of wines containing it, and also the contribution of MLF for the volatile profile of this variety. In general, a decrease in compounds as esters and higher alcohols was observed. Ethyl lactate, g-butyrolactone and diethyl succinate concentration increased in all the wine samples after MLF, the observed increase concentration being higher in the sample wines inoculated with B1. In contrast with other red wine varieties, butan-2,3-diol (all stereoisomers) present a decrease in its concentration, which might contribute to the bouquet of wine containing Trincadeira compared with other varieties (Fernandes et al. 2003) . GC/MS is an adequate tool for tentative identification on the basis of EI spectra comparison with a library. Nevertheless, additional ionization modes, such as CI and MS/MS, may provide additional information to support the identification assignments when standards are not available, and GC ¥ GC/ToF-MS can be used in order to obtain high spectral quality for further peak identification tasks.

In contrast with other red wine varieties, butan-2,3-diol (all stereoisomers) present a decrease in its concentration, which might contribute to the bouquet of wine containing Trincadeira compared with other varieties.


Most people with IBS have mild symptoms. Many people don't recognize IBS symptoms. Yet, IBS is one of the most common disorders seen by physicians. Not all individuals with IBS symptoms, seek medical care for their symptoms. Nevertheless, there are between 2.4 and 3.5 million annual physician visits for IBS in the United States alone. IBS is the most common disorder diagnosed by gastroenterologists and accounts for up to 12% of total visits to primary care providers [2] .

IBS is the most common disorder diagnosed by gastroenterologists and accounts for up to 12% of total visits to primary care providers.


Near-nano and nanostructured cemented carbides are characterized by unique combinations of high hardness and good fracture toughness. The fracture toughness of cemented carbides originates from the soft and ductile binder and depends mainly on the binder phase content and is influenced by the characteristics of the starting powder, WC grain size, microstructural characteristics, and sintering parameters. Improvements of hardness and fracture toughness of cemented carbides can be achieved with a decrease of the grain size to the nanoscale [1] . The mentioned improvements have industrial importance and significantly influence the lifetime and robustness of tools manufactured from cemented carbides [2, 3] . Therefore, great efforts have been made over the past years to research nanostructured cemented carbides and to reach certain conclusions about fracture toughness behaviour.

Improvements of hardness and fracture toughness of cemented carbides can be achieved with a decrease of the grain size to the nanoscale.

The mentioned improvements have industrial importance and significantly influence the lifetime and robustness of tools manufactured from cemented carbides.


The microstructure of all of the samples is fine, with a uniform grain-size distribution, homogeneous, and without abnormal grain growth. The size of the starting powders is almost retained in the sintered product and some of the developed cemented carbides can be classified as nanostructured WC-Co cemented carbides (d WC < 200 nm) where d WC represents the mean WC grain size determined by the linear intercept method. The largest grain size of d WC = 0.251 was measured for sample WC9Co-2 (Figure 3b) , where a discontinuous growth of single carbides exists in the microstructure [10] . The microstructure becomes coarser for the WC9Co-2 mixture with the addition of only 0.27% VC as grain growth inhibitor in the starting powder compared to mixtures with higher content of GGIs. The microstructure of the samples, obtained by FESEM, is presented in Figure 3 .

The largest grain size of d WC = 0.251 was measured for sample WC9Co-2 (Figure 3b) , where a discontinuous growth of single carbides exists in the microstructure.


Strategies to detect and analyze the very weak signals from inspiralling compact binaries involve matched filtering of a set of accurate theoretical template waveforms against the output of the detectors. Measurement-accuracy analyses have shown that, in order to get sufficiently accurate theoretical templates, one must at least include conservative post-Newtonian effects up to the 3PN level, and radiationreaction effects up to 5.5PN order, i.e. 3PN beyond the leading order of radiation reaction which is 2.5PN [24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29] . The appropriate description of inspiralling compact binaries is by two structureless point-particles, characterized solely by their masses m 1 or m 2 (and possibly their spins). Indeed, most of the non-gravitational effects usually plaguing the dynamics of binary star systems, such as the effects of a magnetic field, of an interstellar medium, the influence of the internal structure of the compact bodies, are dominated by purely gravitational effects. Inspiralling compact binaries are very clean systems which can essentially be described in pure general relativity.

Measurement-accuracy analyses have shown that, in order to get sufficiently accurate theoretical templates, one must at least include conservative post-Newtonian effects up to the 3PN level, and radiationreaction effects up to 5.5PN order, i.e. 3PN beyond the leading order of radiation reaction which is 2.5PN.


In addition to the homophily and network effects, this article documents that placements differ for URM student teachers and non-URM student teachers. Specifically, URM candidates are more likely to be placed with a CT of the same race/ethnicity than non-URM candidates, but in every other sense the network effects discussed above are less strong for URM candidates than for non-URM candidates. Future work could investigate whether these differences in student teacher placements may help explain prior findings that URM candidates in Washington are less likely to enter the state's teaching workforce (Goldhaber et al., 2014) .

Future work could investigate whether these differences in student teacher placements may help explain prior findings that URM candidates in Washington are less likely to enter the state's teaching workforce.


Importantly, however, the fact that student teaching occurs in schools and with teachers who are associated with positive future outcomes does not imply student teacher placements are optimized. Specifically, there are a large number of promising classrooms where student teachers are not hosted, and there tend to be geographic holes (Figure 2 ) in parts of Washington that train few future teachers. These holes may have important teacher equity implications given the locality of teacher labor markets (Boyd et al., 2005; Krieg et al., 2016; Reininger, 2012) . Future work could explore further equity implications of student teaching placements, including differences in placements among TEPs with higher and lower proportions of URM candidates. Future work could also explore the importance of geographical distance in student teaching placements. Although this work clearly indicates increased distance reduces the likelihood of hosting a student teacher, our sample is restricted to Western Washington where distances between large districts are relatively small. It is an open question whether these findings remain in rural areas and States where TEPs are spaced differently.

These holes may have important teacher equity implications given the locality of teacher labor markets.


Visual tracking is an essential task in computer vision. It is applicable in many fields such as vehicle tracking, medical imaging, robotics, and surveillance. Many efforts have been paid in developing a robust visual tracking algorithm to overcome the challenges when occlusion, illumination changes, viewpoints variation, or noise interruption occurs [1] [2] [3] .

Many efforts have been paid in developing a robust visual tracking algorithm to overcome the challenges when occlusion, illumination changes, viewpoints variation, or noise interruption occurs.


The majority of studies assessing cognition show spared global cognitive functioning and basic language functions [22] [23] [24] . By contrast, most OSA patients are impaired on testing of vigilance, that is, tests that require sustained attention for a period of time, a finding which has important implications for the ability to drive and for general occupational functioning [25] [26] [27] [28] . It is therefore not surprising that OSA has been linked to an increased risk of motor vehicle accidents and, thus, if left untreated, imposes a health risk not only to the individual but also to those around them.

The majority of studies assessing cognition show spared global cognitive functioning and basic language functions.

By contrast, most OSA patients are impaired on testing of vigilance, that is, tests that require sustained attention for a period of time, a finding which has important implications for the ability to drive and for general occupational functioning.


Sleep can affect learning and memory in a number of ways. Specific sleep-dependent memory tasks have been used with increasing popularity to assess the dynamic processes during which initial, labile memory representations are converted (either stabilized or enhanced) into more permanent ones. But thus far, few studies have investigated sleep-dependent memory processes in patients with obstructive sleep apnea [40, 41] . Given that the precise domains of sleep-dependent memory impairment present in OSA have not been sufficiently studied, important questions remain concerning their reversibility with CPAP treatment.

But thus far, few studies have investigated sleep-dependent memory processes in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.


Modern variable speed drive applications require steeples control and suitable dynamic response and accuracy. These considerations have been met to a large extent in the past decade by thyristor-controlled dc machines. However, the dc machine remains expensive in relation to the types of rotating machines. For the higher power drives in industries, the lighter, less expensive, reliable simple, more robust and commutator less induction motors are desirable and these motors are being applied today to a wider range of applications requiring variable speed. Unfortunately, accurate speed control of such machines by a simple and economical means remains a difficult task. With the development of the siliconcontrolled rectifier, triac and related members of the thyristor family, it has become most feasible to design variable-speed induction motor drives for a wide variety of applications. Different techniques have been used, using SCR controllers. A back-to back connected SCR' are used in series with the rotor phases to control their effective impedance [1] [2] [3] [4] . A chopper-controlled external resistance is used to control the speed by varying the duty cycle of the chopper. A controlled rectifier is used in the rotor circuit to feed the external resistance, and by varying the firing angle, the effective rotor impedance is controlled.

A back-to back connected SCR' are used in series with the rotor phases to control their effective impedance.


This paper investigates the linear stability of nonlinear traveling waves in dispersive evolution equations. It is well known that the derivative of a solution to a translation-invariant equation is a neutrally stable eigenfunction of the linearized equation. The question addressed here is under what circumstances may the eigenvalue for this eigenfunction, referred to here as the translational mode, bifurcate from zero. This type of analysis originated in Hamiltonian systems, where Saffman proved that the linear stability of traveling waves in a family of waves may only change at local extrema of the speed-energy curve [1] . More recently, similar results have been shown for the the Nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS), Korteweg-de Vries (KdV), and Kadomtsev-Petviashvilli (KP) equations [2, 3] . Here, we extend this result to classes of one-way and bidirectional conservative, nonlinear, dispersive equations. The result applies to models for gravity-capillary waves, where the dynamics and stability of solitary waves is of current interest [4, 5] . In the gravity-capillary case, the bifurcation studied in this paper has been observed numerically [6] . The understanding of this observed bifurcation was the motivation for this paper.

This type of analysis originated in Hamiltonian systems, where Saffman proved that the linear stability of traveling waves in a family of waves may only change at local extrema of the speed-energy curve.

More recently, similar results have been shown for the the Nonlinear Schrödinger (NLS), Korteweg-de Vries (KdV), and Kadomtsev-Petviashvilli (KP) equations.

The result applies to models for gravity-capillary waves, where the dynamics and stability of solitary waves is of current interest.

In the gravity-capillary case, the bifurcation studied in this paper has been observed numerically.


The theoretical interpretations of optical properties are very important, because the electronic structure has a large impression on optical and energy loss properties [19] . In the present work, we aim to give the theoretical insight of the structural, electronic and optical properties of ZnO in wurtzite phase with efficient mBJLDA potential using ab initio calculations. In Section 2, we give the computational details and brief description of the method of calculation. In Section 3, we discuss the results of present calculation. Finally, the conclusions are presented in Section 4.

The theoretical interpretations of optical properties are very important, because the electronic structure has a large impression on optical and energy loss properties.


Zinc oxide (ZnO) is the most promising candidate of II-VI semiconductor family due to its vital applications in various fields. It has attracted much interest of the research community for its electronic properties such as a wide band gap, ~3.34 eV and a large exciton binding energy, 60 meV [1] . It is ample in nature, environmentally friendly and even biocompatible. In addition, ZnO occupies an ideal place in optical and photonic devices, di-rectly or as a substrate for the growth of other semiconductors such as GaN and SiC [2] . Exploration on optical properties and refractive index of ZnO were studied many decades ago [3] - [12] . Its superior electronic, optical and piezoelectric properties make it a noticeable candidate for applications in visible and ultraviolet light emitters, transparent field-effect transistors, ultraviolet nanolasers, photodetectors, solar cells, surface acoustic wave devices, gas sensors and piezoelectric devices [13] - [17] . The technological importance of ZnO makes the researchers to do continuous work on it and to achieve more potential utilization in optical devices.

It has attracted much interest of the research community for its electronic properties such as a wide band gap, ~3.34 eV and a large exciton binding energy, 60 meV.

In addition, ZnO occupies an ideal place in optical and photonic devices, di-rectly or as a substrate for the growth of other semiconductors such as GaN and SiC.

Exploration on optical properties and refractive index of ZnO were studied many decades ago.

Its superior electronic, optical and piezoelectric properties make it a noticeable candidate for applications in visible and ultraviolet light emitters, transparent field-effect transistors, ultraviolet nanolasers, photodetectors, solar cells, surface acoustic wave devices, gas sensors and piezoelectric devices.


The 2002 World Health Organization classification of soft-tissue tumors included alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS) in the category 'Tumors of Uncertain Differentiation' [1] . ASPS is a rare malignant soft tissue tumor affecting mainly adolescents and young adults. It can present in any region of the body, but is most commonly seen in the deep soft tissues of the extremities. ASPS usually acts as a relatively indolent but relentless sarcoma, characterized by late metastases and an extended clinical course [2] . However, when radically resected, local recurrence is rare and long-term survival is possible [3] . Thus, preoperative distinction of ASPS from other soft tissue tumors may be important for optimal patient management and therapeutic planning to improve the prognosis.

The 2002 World Health Organization classification of soft-tissue tumors included alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS) in the category 'Tumors of Uncertain Differentiation'.

ASPS usually acts as a relatively indolent but relentless sarcoma, characterized by late metastases and an extended clinical course.

However, when radically resected, local recurrence is rare and long-term survival is possible.


The assessment of the mechanical behaviour of complex industrial parts is still an issue nowadays. Usually, these parts are composed of both thin and massive areas that are assembled together along junctions. The mechanical behaviour of these massive and thin areas is different, so that different models are usually considered. The usual path for such analysis begin with the CAD representation of the structure: both thin and thick areas are represented as three-dimensional volumes which are described by their outer boundary (BREP). This volumetric representation is converted into plates or shells by means of the extraction of the mid-plane of the part. Extracting this mid-plane cannot always be automatized for complex shapes, leading to some tedious and time consuming issues (difficulties to obtain continuous mid-planes with part assembly). However, the constitutive equations must also be rewritten for plate and shells models, which can be problematic for non-linear problems. Moreover, a special care as to be taken on the junction between these 2D zones and the 3D massive parts. Usually, the kinematic link between the two areas induces stress concentrations. This is why in some highly secured applications, solid modelizations have to be considered for certification purpose [1] . In addition, such a kinematic hypothesis decreases the accuracy of the model near junctions. In order to overcome these issues, either solid elements can be used, or special "solid shell" elements can be considered. Using low order solid elements requires a large number of degrees or freedom in order to be able to represent the mechanical fields in the parts. This is also due to the bad behaviour of such elements when their aspect ratio increases.

This is why in some highly secured applications, solid modelizations have to be considered for certification purpose.


The strategy proposed here consists in translating the explicit CAD representation of the domain into a Level-Set and a mesh that can be used in order to simulate the behaviour of mechanical parts, using the X-FEM. This method has to be tolerant with damaged CAD files and accurate. The accuracy is obtained thanks to the use of quadratic elements that have been reported to represent a good compromise between accuracy and computational cost for modelling thin structures with solid elements [15, 16] .

The accuracy is obtained thanks to the use of quadratic elements that have been reported to represent a good compromise between accuracy and computational cost for modelling thin structures with solid elements.


Because of cost issues, waste animal fats are also good alternative for biodiesel production. Different animal fats are used for biodiesel production such as, pork lard, beef tallow, chicken fat, yellow grease and brown grease [4] . On the other hand, the use of beef tallow for biodiesel production for Turkey has taken special interest, since it allows the use of waste materials from cattle slaughterhouses. The process of biodiesel production was studied using of beef tallow as raw materials with methanol and potassium hydroxide as catalyst [5] . At the same year, it is used inedible beef tallow [6] . Their fuel properties were mixture of diesel fuel and blends of them (5%, 20% and 50% by volume). Biodiesel was obtained from pork lard using basic transesterification in consideration of the prevalence of animal husbandry [7] .

Different animal fats are used for biodiesel production such as, pork lard, beef tallow, chicken fat, yellow grease and brown grease.

The process of biodiesel production was studied using of beef tallow as raw materials with methanol and potassium hydroxide as catalyst.

At the same year, it is used inedible beef tallow.

Biodiesel was obtained from pork lard using basic transesterification in consideration of the prevalence of animal husbandry.


Demographical data showed a domination of male children. Previous studies also reported high prevalence of lymphadenitis among boys than girls [26] [27] [28] . The current study showed majorly Saudi nationals. The very little number of non-Saudi cases in the study may due to the small size sampling or increased predominance of such complications among Saudi population. However none of the previous studies considered the nationality of the children for analysis and no such data was available in the country [18, 19, 26] . The drug susceptibility pattern of the isolates showed resistance to isoniazid among the Danish 1331 isolates and pan-susceptibility in Tokyo 172-1 strain. Supportively, the lowlevel isoniazid resistance of Danish 1331 strain is a known phenomenon [29] .

Previous studies also reported high prevalence of lymphadenitis among boys than girls.

However none of the previous studies considered the nationality of the children for analysis and no such data was available in the country.

Supportively, the lowlevel isoniazid resistance of Danish 1331 strain is a known phenomenon.


In 2006, Yasar and her colleagues published a paper on the development of the Design, Engineering, and Technology (DET) teacher instrument. Their study showed that K-12 teachers had low self-rated familiarity with DET and low confidence in teaching DET (Yasar et al., 2006) . Although this study surveyed a large sample of K-12 teachers, only a small number of them (N 5 13) taugh at the elementary level. Our work expands upon this prior research by specifically focusing on elementary teachers. Despite the increasing emphasis on DET education at the elementary school level, benefits of DET education for children, and the urgent need for research-based teacher professional development, we know little about elementary teachers' perceptions of DET, their motivations to teach DET, and possible differences based on demographic factors such as gender, ethnicity, and teaching experience. Hence, in our study, we surveyed the characteristics of a large sample of elementary teachers and their perceptions of DET based on their gender, ethnicity, and teaching experience.

Their study showed that K-12 teachers had low self-rated familiarity with DET and low confidence in teaching DET.


We mentioned possible trigeminal -olfactory interaction in modulation of cough response in our interpretaion of the observed menthol effects. The nature and extent of interactions between trigeminal and olfactory stimulation are poorly understood however TRPM8 and TRPA1 were detected both on trigeminal and olfactory nerve terminals [29] . Exposure of the nose to the malodorants (unpleasant smells) increases the responsiveness of trigeminal nerves, and this mechanism is mediated by paracrine signalling pathway between olfactory and trigeminal nerves [30] . Patients with acquired olfactory loss exhibit reduced trigeminal sensitivity, possibly due to the lack of these interactions. Considering possible modulation of cough by cortical activity induced by odours is a phenomenon that could contribute to the antitussive efficiency of placebo [31] . In addition, the sweet taste of cough syrups or honey may have modulatory roles through oral/oropharyngeal receptors.

The nature and extent of interactions between trigeminal and olfactory stimulation are poorly understood however TRPM8 and TRPA1 were detected both on trigeminal and olfactory nerve terminals.

Exposure of the nose to the malodorants (unpleasant smells) increases the responsiveness of trigeminal nerves, and this mechanism is mediated by paracrine signalling pathway between olfactory and trigeminal nerves.

Considering possible modulation of cough by cortical activity induced by odours is a phenomenon that could contribute to the antitussive efficiency of placebo.


This was a limited study so; it could be informative to undertake future RCS surveys, employing the methodology used here. For example, in the following situations: localized paving activities within a street canyon; regional dust deposition events such as sand blown in from the Sahara and monitoring around potential gas fracking sites where, in the US for example, high worker RCS exposures have been noted as a result of handling of sands used in the fracking process (Esswein et al., 2013) . The XRD technique employed was used to interrogate sampled particles for other mineral phases present (Esteve et al., 1997) . Examination of crystalline phases within samples could be useful in identifying the origins of dust emissions. For example, significant amounts of material associated with concrete in products were found in filter samples from the surveyed demolition sites. The rural filter samples were found to contain crystalline sodium sulphate (Na 2 SO 4 ) or sodium hydrogen sulphate (Na 3 H(SO 4 ) 2 ), indicative of the formation of secondary aerosols.

For example, in the following situations: localized paving activities within a street canyon; regional dust deposition events such as sand blown in from the Sahara and monitoring around potential gas fracking sites where, in the US for example, high worker RCS exposures have been noted as a result of handling of sands used in the fracking process.

The XRD technique employed was used to interrogate sampled particles for other mineral phases present.


This condition follows immediately from a simple dimensional analysis. Indeed, if the physical meson mass m and all dimensionful couplings scale according to their dimensions as m → 0, then the mass of the soliton M as a function of these parameters must also scale as m. One can take a different, but equivalent, look at the problem: After rotation to Euclidean space one finds that the soliton is a string-like interface between two phases in two-dimensional classical statistical field theory. Our principle is then related to the wellknown property of the interface tension: the tension vanishes at the critical (conformal) point [17] . Note again that the formulation of this principle is entirely nonperturbative.

Our principle is then related to the wellknown property of the interface tension: the tension vanishes at the critical (conformal) point.


Budgeting attracts the attention of organizations and researchers due to its function of coordinating the performance target of organizations and the target of employees (Dos Santos, Lavarda and Marcello, 2014) . Although budgets are seen as an important tools of traditional results control, and criticizes by the As it is stated above, many researchers investigated the relationship among different factors. However, there is no research investigating the relationships among budgetary participation, budget goal commitment, information sharing and job performance in a holistic approach. In the current study, the relationships among budgetary participation, budget goal commitment, information sharing, and job performance were investigated. Because the managers are the most influential members of organizations on budget formation and usage processes, they were chosen as a sample of the current study. If the underlying effects of budgetary process on managers' performance could be understood better, and their performance could be enhanced; organizational performance also could be enhanced. So, this research contributes the literature in order to understanding these process and enhancing managers' performance and organizational performance. Another reason which makes this study important is lack of study investigating the relationship between budgetary participation and job performance of managers and impact of intervening factors in Turkey. It is important for the understanding of national enterprises and enhancing new strategies in order to increase their performance. With this point of view, it was purposed that budgetary participation directly enhances the job performance of managers who work at different levels of organizational hierarchies. It was also suggested that budget goal commitment and information sharing play a mediating role in this relationship. In other words, budgetary participation increases budget goal commitment and information sharing, and these two intervening variables increase job performance of managers.

Budgeting attracts the attention of organizations and researchers due to its function of coordinating the performance target of organizations and the target of employees.


High budgetary participation of managers will also provide the more committed managers to the budgetary goals of organization (Nouri and Parker, 1998; Wentzel, 2002) . High budgetary participation also reveals the special and concealed information related to managers' responsibility areas. So, budgetary participation increases information sharing among managers. This result was also supported by previous research (Kren and Liao, 1988; Shields and Shields, 1998; Parker and Kyj, 2006; Chong and Johnson, 2007) .

High budgetary participation of managers will also provide the more committed managers to the budgetary goals of organization.

This result was also supported by previous research.


Although previous PPE approaches have been useful, they have limitations. Most of the previous PPE studies used atmosphere/slab-ocean (mixed layer ocean) GCMs (ASGCMs) rather than coupled atmosphere/full-ocean GCMs (CGCMs) (Murphy et al. 2004; Stainforth et al. 2005; Annan et al. 2005; Sanderson 2011; Klocke et al. 2011) . One of the reasons for this is that the computational costs required to reach equilibrium for the ASGCMs are lower than those for the CGCMs. However, the climate feedback may differ between ASGCMs and CGCMs (Boer and Yu 2003a; Yokohata et al. 2008; Williams et al. 2008) .

Most of the previous PPE studies used atmosphere/slab-ocean (mixed layer ocean) GCMs (ASGCMs) rather than coupled atmosphere/full-ocean GCMs (CGCMs).

However, the climate feedback may differ between ASGCMs and CGCMs.


Two main features are common to a lot of developing and transition countries: received remittances and high unemployment rate. The increase in migration ‡ows across countries and the development of …nancial institutions allowed faster and less expensive money transfers so that remittances ‡ows show a constant upward trend. In the past …ve years international remittances received by 1 developing countries have almost doubled becoming a major source of development reaching in 2007 $240 billion, up 107% from 2002 (Dadush, 2008) . These …gures rely on o¢ cial data based on annual balance of payments records but they may actually underestimate the real size of the actual ‡ow because they fail to capture all informal money transfers. Workers'remittances represent an increasingly important source of income for many poor families whose relatives have emigrated looking for better employment opportunities. In many poor countries remittances are the …rst source of external …nancing: recorded remittances account for two-third of foreign direct investments ‡ows to developing countries and are twice o¢ cial aids.

In the past …ve years international remittances received by 1 developing countries have almost doubled becoming a major source of development reaching in 2007 $240 billion, up 107% from 2002.


The case of ABC is more complex. This innovation was used by a handful of academics to "reform" the management accounting field in France: a field that had scarcely been called into question since 1947 (Lebas, 1994a) . Promoters and opponents found in ABC an opportunity for confrontation. There was also, for consultants and software publishers, an obvious shared commercial interest in promoting the diffusion of this innovation. However, French consultants were also enrolled into the ABC network through intellectual interessement (some of them did their Ph.D. dissertations on this topic). Similarly, young academics saw in ABC a good subject for publication at a time where publication pressure became an inescapable "reality" for French academics.

The case of ABC is more complex.

This innovation was used by a handful of academics to "reform" the management accounting field in France: a field that had scarcely been called into question since 1947.


First, problematization is not just technical but may also refer to such lofty ideals as the defense of the Nation (Jones and Dugdale, 2002) . The solution proposed (the innovation) may even sound like a new enlightenment of managerial practices. But this depends on the actors' ability to enroll ideals that are not already embodied into other competing innovations (antiprograms) that have already achieved the status of black boxes. In the case of GPM, the ideals that Perrin tried to enroll were already part of (more) powerful networks supporting the Sections Homogènes and Direct Costing. However, in the 1980s, it was yet again possible to enroll these ideals as they were once again spotlighted by the diagnosis of the industrial crisis in western countries. The ABC network took advantage of this to enroll such ideals as the defense of the Nation, at the expense of the Sections Homogènes. At the same time, the GPM network tried to give a new impetus to its diffusion, not trying to enroll any ideals but by simply relying on a technical comparison with ABC.

First, problematization is not just technical but may also refer to such lofty ideals as the defense of the Nation.


From an ANT point of view, time/space movements and translations are linked. There cannot be movements (drifts) without some adaptation/translation and vice versa. Hence, any diffusion in time and space is a paradox as its outcome is both homogenization and heterogenization of practices. For example, our story about ABC showed that France and the USA used the same concepts called ABC and ABM even though they did not correspond exactly to the same practices. ABC's importation from the USA to France (a movement in time and space) gave rise to multiple double translations of its concepts (translation in the sense of ANT and from English to French). In turn, these multiple translations gave birth to specific practices (Mévellec, 1993) . For its part, GPM remained uniform over time although changes in its name could lead us to believe that the method was evolving. Paradoxically, it was because GPM was not the subject of controversies -which would have driven the networks supporting it to adapt it -that it didn't diffuse and didn't become global. This leads us to raise the following question: can a method that remains uniform become global?

In turn, these multiple translations gave birth to specific practices.


FT-IR spectra were also used to characterize the crystallinity degree FTIR of PVOH and PVOH/MMT (Table 2) . We used the ratio of the intensities of absorption bands at 1142 cm −1 and 1432 cm −1 to calculate the degree crystallinity FTIR [34] [35] [36] [37] . It also testified the increase of crystallinity for PVOH/MMT and the nucleating effect of MMT [42, 43] . For PVOH, FTIR was about ∼48%, but for PVOH/MMT FTIR = 69%.

We used the ratio of the intensities of absorption bands at 1142 cm −1 and 1432 cm −1 to calculate the degree crystallinity FTIR.

It also testified the increase of crystallinity for PVOH/MMT and the nucleating effect of MMT.


To understand the difference between the mechanisms of the reinforcement, the mechanical properties of LbL film of PVOH/MMT were compared with data of the nanocomposite of PVOH/MMT * , which was prepared by conventional solution casting (Table 2) . It is well known that the solution preparation of nanoclay-polymer nanocomposites acquires the possibility of macromolecules to penetrate into the platelet interlayer and promotes development of intercalated (stacked) or delaminated (exfoliated) structure of the nanocomposite [18, 19] . Such nanocomposites can demonstrate good tensile property improvements. The conventional nanocomposite of PVOH/MMT * is characterized only by relatively low (about 1.5 times) improvements in elasticity and strength ( = 80.2 MPa; = 3.2 GPa), because reinforcing efficiency (aspect ratio) decreases due to possible stacking of the nanoparticles. The total interactions intensity at the polymer-nanoparticle interface also decreases with agglomeration of the nanoparticles in the polymer matrix [18, 19] .

It is well known that the solution preparation of nanoclay-polymer nanocomposites acquires the possibility of macromolecules to penetrate into the platelet interlayer and promotes development of intercalated (stacked) or delaminated (exfoliated) structure of the nanocomposite.

The total interactions intensity at the polymer-nanoparticle interface also decreases with agglomeration of the nanoparticles in the polymer matrix.


The layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly is a simple method of thin film deposition [1] . It was successfully applied to the preparation of thin composite films combining nanoparticles and polymer. It is simple method to produce from diverseby-nature raw materials high quality coatings and films of highly layered structure with regular coplanar orientation of the components [2] . Other deposition techniques that can be used for preparation of layered films are spin coating, Langmuir-Blodgett deposition, and others [3] [4] [5] .

The layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly is a simple method of thin film deposition.

It is simple method to produce from diverseby-nature raw materials high quality coatings and films of highly layered structure with regular coplanar orientation of the components.

Other deposition techniques that can be used for preparation of layered films are spin coating, Langmuir-Blodgett deposition, and others.


WAXD for PVOH was about 52%; WAXD for PVOH/MMT was increased till 77%. MMT layers possibly acted as nucleating agent changing the overall polymer crystalline structure and amount of crystalline phase [42, 43] . FT-IR spectra were received to characterize the developed interactions between the components. FTIR spectra, measured in the range 500-4000 cm −1 for PVOH, MMT, and PVOH/MMT samples, were shown in Figure 3 . For PVA, the characteristic absorption peaks were at 3330-3340 cm [44] . The spectrum of PVOH/MMT film showed combined peaks in the bands region of the initial components. A broad band in the region 3300-3700 cm −1 (O-H vibration) was observed, which corresponded to the presence of O-H groups involved in formation of hydrogen bonding between the components.

MMT layers possibly acted as nucleating agent changing the overall polymer crystalline structure and amount of crystalline phase.

For PVA, the characteristic absorption peaks were at 3330-3340 cm.


In comparison, the mechanical properties for PVOH/ MMT LbL film showed two times higher strength = 150.2 MPa and ten times higher modulus of elasticity = 11.2 GPa when compared with pure PVOH polymer ( = 85.1 MPa; = 1.9 GPa). SEM micrographs (Figure 7 ) testified that PVOH/MMT film had a structure of the laminate, which consisted of coplanar layers of MMT and PVOH. MMT layers acted as reinforcement with very large aspect ratio and the modulus of elasticity of about 175 GPa [45] . PVOH and MMT were bound through formation of strong hydrogen bonds. It was testified by FTIR tests. As a result, very dense network of bonds at the components interface can be developed. The polymer consisted mainly (about 69-85%) of the strong and dense crystalline phase [29] . It also contributed to the total increase of the stiffness of the PVOH/MMT LbL deposited film.

MMT layers acted as reinforcement with very large aspect ratio and the modulus of elasticity of about 175 GPa.

It was testified by FTIR tests.

The polymer consisted mainly (about 69-85%) of the strong and dense crystalline phase.


Nanocomposites are of scientific interest because of their improved properties due to the nanoparticle application and nanoscale interactions [6] . It was demonstrated that the nanocomposites of polymers and nanoparticles could combine the best properties of the components: deformational properties of polymer matrix and high elasticity and strength of nanoparticles [7, 8] . It has been also reported that the thermal stability and permeability properties of composites could be greatly improved by the addition of nanoparticles [9, 10] .

Nanocomposites are of scientific interest because of their improved properties due to the nanoparticle application and nanoscale interactions.

It was demonstrated that the nanocomposites of polymers and nanoparticles could combine the best properties of the components: deformational properties of polymer matrix and high elasticity and strength of nanoparticles.

It has been also reported that the thermal stability and permeability properties of composites could be greatly improved by the addition of nanoparticles.


TGA was performed to evaluate the thermal properties and the weight loss of the specimens. Figure 1 showed the TGA curves of PVOH and PVOH/MMT films. The degradation temperature for PVOH was 315 ∘ C. It decomposed very fast starting at 250 ∘ C. PVOH/MMT characterized the decrease of till 279 ∘ C (see Table 2 ). It was established from TGA weight loss curves that heating the PVOH/MMT to 600 ∘ C decreases its weight by about 50%. The observed initial decrease in the weight of the nanocomposite could be connected to the some residual water vaporization and in the range of 300-600 ∘ C was also caused by decomposition of the polymer [18, 40, 41] .

The observed initial decrease in the weight of the nanocomposite could be connected to the some residual water vaporization and in the range of 300-600 ∘ C was also caused by decomposition of the polymer.


Recently, it has also been reported that electrically conductive and cross-linked films using PVOH and nanoplatelets can be processed by LbL deposition [30] . They can be used as polymer membranes for fuel cells [31] . The LbL deposition method is very simple technique to prepare polymer nanocomposites with organized structures and enhanced properties. In the present work, we are demonstrating the preparation of very strong and highly crystalline polyvinyl alcohol/montmorillonite (PVOH/MMT) thin films with regular layered structure by LbL deposition. The resulting layered films display remarkable tensile characteristics exceeding the properties of the initial polymer material and conventional polymer-nanoclay nanocomposite. We also explore, by the use of different instruments, the crystallinity degree of the polymer in the LbL film, which differs significantly from the crystalline structure of the bulk PVOH polymer. It is important because the crystalline structure strongly influences the final macromechanical properties of the polymer nanocomposite.

Recently, it has also been reported that electrically conductive and cross-linked films using PVOH and nanoplatelets can be processed by LbL deposition.

They can be used as polymer membranes for fuel cells.


The layered structure of the film was testified by the use of WAXD. Figure 2 showed the WAXD pattern of pure PVOH, MMT, and PVOH/MMT film with 30, 80, and 130 double layers. The diffractogram curve of initial MMT contained a clear characteristic diffraction peak at 2Theta = 7.0 deg, which was caused by the MMT layers periodicity and corresponded to the basic or interlayer distance 001 = 1.26 nm (Table 1) . Diffraction peak of layered structure of the film PVOH/MMT appeared at smaller diffraction angles of 2Theta. It was assumed that, with increased number of the double layers in the film, the characteristic diffraction intensity of layered structure also increased correspondingly. The interlayer distance 001 was about 3.3 nm. Region of 2Theta = 15-25 ∘ at diffraction pattern was contributed to the diffraction of PVOH crystalline structure. The changes in the intensity and the shape of the peaks revealed the modification of polymer crystal structure. The macromolecular chain mobility could be restricted due to the absorption on MMT layers and development of strong bond interactions [29] . So the PVOH crystallization occurred in the limited space, that is, confined environment [42, 43] . The degree of crystallinity WAXD of PVOH was calculated using the method of area under the diffraction curve [32, 33] . The calculated values were given in Table 2 . The diffraction pattern intensity of the PVOH/MMT crystalline phase was more intensive in comparison to the PVOH, which corresponded also to higher crystallinity values.

The macromolecular chain mobility could be restricted due to the absorption on MMT layers and development of strong bond interactions.

So the PVOH crystallization occurred in the limited space, that is, confined environment.

The degree of crystallinity WAXD of PVOH was calculated using the method of area under the diffraction curve.


Above the polar cap, at altitudes of 5-9 R E , for northward or weak IMF, Cluster spacecraft detected structures of intense electron beams outflowing from the ionosphere, very collimated along magnetic field lines. These structures have a small spatial extent, of the order of 100 km at the satellite altitude, corresponding to a few km in the ionosphere. Their energy fluxes are quite large, they can reach 10 −4 erg/(cm 2 .sr.s.eV), i.e. ∼10 −2 erg/(cm 2 .sr.s.eV) at ionospheric altitudes, as in the auroral zone (Carlson et al., 1998b) . They are also very variable on time scales shorter than one second.

Their energy fluxes are quite large, they can reach 10 −4 erg/(cm 2 .sr.s.eV), i.e. ∼10 −2 erg/(cm 2 .sr.s.eV) at ionospheric altitudes, as in the auroral zone.


We present our analysis using the health policy analysis triangle. The themes identified were also informed by policy theories related to lesson drawing, in order to inform the capacity for policy learning in other contexts [19] [20] [21] . These include: the type of actors and their role in the process; the structure and content of the policies and the instruments selected; the political dynamics and processes involved; and the interaction with global factors and actors.

The themes identified were also informed by policy theories related to lesson drawing, in order to inform the capacity for policy learning in other contexts.


Here we report preliminary results on the use of glucan particles (GPs) to deliver Rif. GPs are 2-4 m spherical, hollow, porous shells extracted from Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Baker's yeast). The hollow cavity of the particles allows for adsorption and encapsulation of payload molecules, and the surface composition of the GPs (>90% 1,3--glucan) facilitates receptor-mediated phagocytic cell uptake by cells bearing glucan receptors (e.g., dectin-1 and complement receptor 3, CR3), such as macrophages and dendritic cells [6] . These properties make GPs an ideal drug delivery vehicle to target phagocytic cells in the immune system. Since M. tuberculosis is primarily an intracellular pathogen of macrophages the ability of glucan particles to traffic to organs in the body containing these types of cells provides the rationale for testing glucan particles as an alternative method to effectively deliver lethal doses of Rif.

The hollow cavity of the particles allows for adsorption and encapsulation of payload molecules, and the surface composition of the GPs (>90% 1,3--glucan) facilitates receptor-mediated phagocytic cell uptake by cells bearing glucan receptors (e.g., dectin-1 and complement receptor 3, CR3), such as macrophages and dendritic cells.


Conversely, unaffiliated adolescents may be socialized to avoid adolescent sexual activity for nonreligious reasons. Unaffiliated teens may receive more exposure to public health messages than religiously affiliated teens. Religiously affiliated teens may be sheltered from such messages, because religious leadership or religiously involved parents may view some public health messages as in opposition to religious principles. Indeed, one study suggests that religious parents avoid conversations about sex and birth control (Regnerus 2005) . Religiously unaffiliated teens may also be more receptive to messages from public health officials concerning sexual health than religiously affiliated teens. However, it must also be acknowledged that our results regarding religious affiliation could be a statistical artifact, produced as the result of our dense models capturing various aspects of religious involvement.

Indeed, one study suggests that religious parents avoid conversations about sex and birth control.


Given that Li() is the 1D interpolant of node-i at i, the interpolation function of the node-(i,j) at (i,j) of the 2D Lagrange element is the tensor product Li()Lj() in which (,) are the natural coordinates. Interpolants for Lagrange elements with equispaced nodes suffer from the Runge phenomenon in which, as the number of nodes increases, the functions exhibit undesirable level of oscillation near the boundary of the interpolation range. To overcome the oscillation, Chebyshev and Lobatto (also known as Lobatto-Legendre) nodes have been used in the context of the spectrum finite elements [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] . Among them, Lobatto elements using the Lobatto nodes are often integrated by the Lobatto (also known as Gauss-Lobatto) rule in which the integration points are the Lobatto nodes. Thus, the element mass matrices are diagonal and can readily be used in the explicit time integration. Moreover, the derivatives of the Lagrange interpolant at node-(i,j) depend only on the nodes along  = i and  = j. They can be efficiently computed using the coefficient matrices of the spectrum method. Note worthily, Lobatto elements have recently been advocated as the differential quadrature elements [11, 12] .

To overcome the oscillation, Chebyshev and Lobatto (also known as Lobatto-Legendre) nodes have been used in the context of the spectrum finite elements.

Note worthily, Lobatto elements have recently been advocated as the differential quadrature elements.


Hydrogen is one possibility to store electricity. It is already used in the context of mobility and studies show that it is increasingly accepted [5] . It might be hypothesized, though, that people's attitudes and public perception are quite different when hydrogen is used in large-scale applications for storage, within urban environments, near city quarters, or even close to people's homes. In this context, it is also a relevant issue if public perceptions differ between different types of storage technologies (e.g., battery, flywheel generator, etc.), and how hydrogen is perceived relative to these other storage possibilities.

It is already used in the context of mobility and studies show that it is increasingly accepted.


As is the case with all magnetic materials, the microstructure, particularly the grain size, plays a critical role in maximizing the extrinsic magnetic properties, namely coercivity and remanence. Phase purity additionally impacts overall saturation (and, consequently, remanence). Rapid solidification by melt spinning bypasses the primary solidification of γ 2 and β-Mn phases, resulting in single-phase ε in the as-solidified case [5] . Further, upon conversion to the τ phase, the coercivity of melt spun τ-MnAl is reported to be 1.25 kOe [5] . Microstructural modification via mechanical milling results in a decrease in grain size, leading to increases in coercivity [9] . However, it causes formation of the β phase which decreases the magnetization.

Rapid solidification by melt spinning bypasses the primary solidification of γ 2 and β-Mn phases, resulting in single-phase ε in the as-solidified case.

Further, upon conversion to the τ phase, the coercivity of melt spun τ-MnAl is reported to be 1.25 kOe.

Microstructural modification via mechanical milling results in a decrease in grain size, leading to increases in coercivity.


If oxidation occurred during milling, then an effective change in Mn:Al ratio would result and the phase relationships would be altered. Thus, if a milled sample is annealed in the ε phase field (above 1050 °C), then the phase transformation to the β phase can be reversed back to the ε phase, and ultimately form the τ phase. If oxidation occurred, then the composition would shift so that it would no longer be in the ε single-phase field. Figure 7 shows a sample that was milled, annealed at 1050 °C for 10 min, and then annealed at 500 °C for 10 min. The XRD pattern revealed single-phase τ, suggesting that no significant change in composition occurred that resulted in the formation of β-Mn during milling ( Figure 5) . Interestingly, the original coercivity was recovered upon conversion to τ. Presumably, the grain size increased as a result of the high temperature heat treatment but with no effect on the coercivity. Additionally, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy revealed only trace oxygen levels up to 1 h of milling, although long-term milled samples (10 h) showed significant oxidation [6] . It should be noted that the mechanical milling protocol of the latter sample was different, notably that intermittent milling was not employed. In order to determine if site disorder was responsible for the loss of magnetization, a sample was milled for 15 min and the intensity ratio I (001) /I (111) was compared to the original intensity. If site disorder increased, then the intensity of the (001) superlattice peak would decrease (relative to the (111) fundamental peak). The peaks were fitted with a Gaussian fit to determine the area. Figure 8 shows the XRD data and the Gaussian fits. The intensity ratio of the 15 min milled sample was virtually identical to the non-milled sample (both 0.6 ± 0.05), indicating that site disorder did not increase upon milling. It should be noted that a ~15% loss in magnetization was observed even with the relatively short-term milling.

Additionally, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy revealed only trace oxygen levels up to 1 h of milling, although long-term milled samples (10 h) showed significant oxidation.