In our study, unlike the subjective evaluated methods such as the AHP and Delphi, PCA avoided the limitation of human subjectivity and the problem of the repeated weighting of the each evaluation index because of the correlation between them, which strongly contributed to ensuring the scientific nature of this study under the respect of the integrity of the 17 indicators. Additionally, UREDI not only accurately reflected the overall condition of URED, but also revealed detailed information for each factor corresponding to the specific value of each component, this has important implications for policy makers in identifying the overall regional development pattern [51] . Moreover, the PCA method used in synergy with GIS technology made it possible to simulate URED temporal aspects in a spatially explicit manner, which strongly contributes to ensuring sustainability in regional development, especially in developing countries like China with unequal development between cities and rural areas [52] [53] [54] [55] [56] .

Additionally, UREDI not only accurately reflected the overall condition of URED, but also revealed detailed information for each factor corresponding to the specific value of each component, this has important implications for policy makers in identifying the overall regional development pattern.

Moreover, the PCA method used in synergy with GIS technology made it possible to simulate URED temporal aspects in a spatially explicit manner, which strongly contributes to ensuring sustainability in regional development, especially in developing countries like China with unequal development between cities and rural areas.


Industrialization and urbanization is the only road that lead to China's modernization, current rapid industrialization and urbanization has caused rural hollowing and depopulation, the rural brain-drain phenomenon, in which 0.9 million natural villages have disappeared in China from 2000 to 2010, which is equivalent to nearly 250 per day, and urban-rural contradictions have increasingly become more prominent [16, 17] . Additionally, the balance between economic growth and environmental protection for sustainable urbanization has been destroyed because the natural environment has been seriously polluted both in urban and rural areas, particularly in recent years, the megacities have been faced with grand challenges in achieving environmental sustainability, and the occurrence of urban pollution transfer to rural areas is widespread, which significantly threatens rural ecological functions [18, 19] . The continuously expanding urban-rural gap and worsening rural environment due to the dual-track structure in socio-economic development not only inhibits the urbanization process but also triggers a series of risks to social stability, which have become bottlenecks to sustainable social and economic development in China [20, 21] . The most notable issue is the extreme lack of coordination in economic development, social justice, and resource allocation between urban and rural areas which led to inefficient agriculture, backward countrysides, and poor farmers in rural areas, and the difference is so significant that it has obstructed China's overall development [4] . With these points put into consideration, urban and rural development can no longer be seen isolated or conflicting, more coordinated and sustainable urbanization strategies are needed [22] .

Industrialization and urbanization is the only road that lead to China's modernization, current rapid industrialization and urbanization has caused rural hollowing and depopulation, the rural brain-drain phenomenon, in which 0.9 million natural villages have disappeared in China from 2000 to 2010, which is equivalent to nearly 250 per day, and urban-rural contradictions have increasingly become more prominent.

Additionally, the balance between economic growth and environmental protection for sustainable urbanization has been destroyed because the natural environment has been seriously polluted both in urban and rural areas, particularly in recent years, the megacities have been faced with grand challenges in achieving environmental sustainability, and the occurrence of urban pollution transfer to rural areas is widespread, which significantly threatens rural ecological functions.

The continuously expanding urban-rural gap and worsening rural environment due to the dual-track structure in socio-economic development not only inhibits the urbanization process but also triggers a series of risks to social stability, which have become bottlenecks to sustainable social and economic development in China.

The most notable issue is the extreme lack of coordination in economic development, social justice, and resource allocation between urban and rural areas which led to inefficient agriculture, backward countrysides, and poor farmers in rural areas, and the difference is so significant that it has obstructed China's overall development.

With these points put into consideration, urban and rural development can no longer be seen isolated or conflicting, more coordinated and sustainable urbanization strategies are needed.


Since the establishment of the People's Republic in 1949, China has followed a central-planning model of development with collectivized agricultural production in rural areas and a concentration of heavy industry in urban areas based on the condition of undeveloped agricultural country. These urban-biased policies have prioritized urban development and opportunities over agriculture and peasants during the first three decades [8, 9] . Within policy reflected in measures such as the household registration system, urban and rural areas were separated into two unrelated entities in Chinese social and economic development, and a "dual track" structure including a series of unequal social systems was induced [10] [11] [12] . After the reform was launched in 1978, the traditional centralplanning economy was changed into a market-based one, Chinese rural economy achieved significant growth under the "household responsibility system" and the emergence of township and village enterprises (TVES) in the early 1980s, while the market-oriented economy strategy and open door policies with trade and foreign direct investment provided urban areas with great inherent development advantages [13] . There is no doubt that China has had significant success in economic and social development over the past three decades; by the end of 2013, the per capita GDP has increased to 43,320 which was 113.40 times that of 1978, and nearly 53.73% of the population was urban residents, which was 5.05 and 3 times that of 1949 and 1978, respectively ( Figure 1 ). However, the dual socio-economic structure has not been eliminated from this rapid and unprecedented process of urbanization because urban-biased policies such as fiscal revenue and expenditure, land acquisition, social insurance, and financial intermediation have not substantially changed [14] . The dual structure led to a series of differences between the urban and rural sectors, which was especially reflected in economic development, social progress, political rights, and life quality. The ratios of urban and rural incomes were 2.57, 3.231, and 3.03 in 1978, 2003 , and 2013 at the national level, respectively (Figure 1) , and the absolute difference of urban and rural consumption expenditure rose to 11,397.1 in 2013, furthermore, 82.49 million rural residents still lived in poverty in 2013, which was the hardest issue to tackle for the poverty alleviation programme and was not conducive to the stability of society. Rural residents faced with the shortage of public service such as social security and infrastructure construction, which further expanded the differences. Data showed that one urban NPC representative represents one quarter of the citizens represented by a rural representatives. Unlike farmers living under poor conditions, urban residents live in rich and modern The dual structure led to a series of differences between the urban and rural sectors, which was especially reflected in economic development, social progress, political rights, and life quality. The ratios of urban and rural incomes were 2.57, 3.231, and 3.03 in 1978, 2003 , and 2013 at the national level, respectively (Figure 1) , and the absolute difference of urban and rural consumption expenditure rose to 11,397.1 in 2013, furthermore, 82.49 million rural residents still lived in poverty in 2013, which was the hardest issue to tackle for the poverty alleviation programme and was not conducive to the stability of society. Rural residents faced with the shortage of public service such as social security and infrastructure construction, which further expanded the differences. Data showed that one urban NPC representative represents one quarter of the citizens represented by a rural representatives. Unlike farmers living under poor conditions, urban residents live in rich and modern conditions with an intensive distribution of public facilities, such as libraries, cinemas, and stadiums. These factors put rural areas at a disadvantage in competition with urban. Furthermore, these expanding differences are quite different from the eastern coast to the central and western China and were concentrated on the "three rural issues" (San Nong in Chinese; issues concerning agriculture, countryside & farmers) [15] .

These urban-biased policies have prioritized urban development and opportunities over agriculture and peasants during the first three decades.

Within policy reflected in measures such as the household registration system, urban and rural areas were separated into two unrelated entities in Chinese social and economic development, and a "dual track" structure including a series of unequal social systems was induced.

After the reform was launched in 1978, the traditional centralplanning economy was changed into a market-based one, Chinese rural economy achieved significant growth under the "household responsibility system" and the emergence of township and village enterprises (TVES) in the early 1980s, while the market-oriented economy strategy and open door policies with trade and foreign direct investment provided urban areas with great inherent development advantages.

However, the dual socio-economic structure has not been eliminated from this rapid and unprecedented process of urbanization because urban-biased policies such as fiscal revenue and expenditure, land acquisition, social insurance, and financial intermediation have not substantially changed.

Furthermore, these expanding differences are quite different from the eastern coast to the central and western China and were concentrated on the "three rural issues" (San Nong in Chinese; issues concerning agriculture, countryside & farmers).


Global climate change is predicted to lead to an increase in the intensity and frequency of extreme events in large areas of the world. Droughts may cause intense water stress for plants and soil organisms [10] . In other areas, increasing rainfall together with evapotranspiration and changes in precipitation patterns could potentially lead to constrained water availability during the growing season [11] . In a context where the global water cycle is predicted to change, understanding the effect of soil water content on soil respiration is critical.

Droughts may cause intense water stress for plants and soil organisms.

In other areas, increasing rainfall together with evapotranspiration and changes in precipitation patterns could potentially lead to constrained water availability during the growing season.


With the rapid growth of the Internet and digital technologies, group communication has widely been used to many concrete applications such as distance education, multi-media streaming and pay-TV [1] . To achieve efficient group communication, multicast technique allows a sender to deliver messages to a group of authorized receivers. It can efficiently reduce the required network bandwidth. Since the Internet or wireless communications are operated on a public channel, the multicast messages must be encrypted to resist eavesdropping or unauthorized users obtaining the transmitted messages. A practical approach is to use a common key shared by all authorized users to encrypt the transmitted messages. For preventing the joining/left users from obtaining the previous/later messages, the common key must be renewed when the group membership is changed. Two requisite security requirements for secure multicast communication are defined as follows [2] .

With the rapid growth of the Internet and digital technologies, group communication has widely been used to many concrete applications such as distance education, multi-media streaming and pay-TV.

Two requisite security requirements for secure multicast communication are defined as follows.


I trained a series of WEISSs on ItWaC, a freely available text corpus based on web-collected data and consisting of about 1.9 billion tokens (Baroni & Kilgarriff, 2006) . The raw corpus was tokenized and all characters were converted to lower case. Special characters were removed, with the exception of vowels with orthographically-marked stresses (à, è, é, ì, ò, ù) .

I trained a series of WEISSs on ItWaC, a freely available text corpus based on web-collected data and consisting of about 1.9 billion tokens.


The single most important reason for under-reporting ODs is the absence of a unified recording and notification system for all insurance schemes. In order to apply such a system, a first step should be the renewal of the National Catalogue of Occupational Diseases. The prescribed list is only rarely revised, and the revision process is based on expert advice, with survey results, epidemiological data and social consensus contributing only moderately to the process [3] .

The prescribed list is only rarely revised, and the revision process is based on expert advice, with survey results, epidemiological data and social consensus contributing only moderately to the process.


Patients who suffer from CD are prone not only to the complications of a relapsing, unpredictable disease, but also to feelings of stigmatization, depression and increased risk of suicidal ideation, suicide, or drug and alcohol abuse [10] . Substance abuse and concurrent psychiatric disorders could be associated with several factors in chronic prescription narcotic users [11] . Furthermore, one of the main symptoms of IBD is abdominal pain; therefore, narcotics are often prescribed for pain relief for short periods.

Patients who suffer from CD are prone not only to the complications of a relapsing, unpredictable disease, but also to feelings of stigmatization, depression and increased risk of suicidal ideation, suicide, or drug and alcohol abuse.

Substance abuse and concurrent psychiatric disorders could be associated with several factors in chronic prescription narcotic users.


Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (App) is the aetiological agent of porcine pleuropneumonia, a severe contagious disease distributed worldwide. This disease is characterized by haemorrhagic necrotizing pneumonia and fibrinous pleuritis, affecting mainly growing and finishing pigs [1] . The disease can take, even within a given batch of animals, three major clinical forms, namely peracute, acute or chronic disease [2] . These different disease presentations vary in severity depending on the age of the animals, the infecting App serovar and specific bacterial strain, environmental conditions, breeding genetic line susceptibility, pig immune status and magnitude of the exposure to the bacterium [1] [2] [3] [4] . As a consequence, the clinical evolution of an App infection outbreak in a pig population might be very variable.

This disease is characterized by haemorrhagic necrotizing pneumonia and fibrinous pleuritis, affecting mainly growing and finishing pigs.

The disease can take, even within a given batch of animals, three major clinical forms, namely peracute, acute or chronic disease.

These different disease presentations vary in severity depending on the age of the animals, the infecting App serovar and specific bacterial strain, environmental conditions, breeding genetic line susceptibility, pig immune status and magnitude of the exposure to the bacterium.


Oral fluid was obtained from 249 subjects (who had given informed consent) by Varian OraLab and Statsure Saliva•Sampler. Fifty subjects were selected during roadside surveys and 199 samples were obtained in a rehabilitation centre for drug addicts. Two oral fluid samples were collected, one with the Varian Oralab 6 (Agilent Technologies, Santa Clara, CA, USA), and the other with the StatSure TM Saliva•Sampler TM (Saliva Diagnostic Systems, Framingham, MA, USA), an oral fluid collector. The latter was chosen because of the high recovery for all drugs [6] .

The latter was chosen because of the high recovery for all drugs.


Psoriasis: Psoriasis is a common, chronic, relapsing, inflammatory skin disorder with a strong genetic basis (Giardina et al., 2004) . One to 2% of the American population has plaque psoriasis. The plaque type is the most common, although several other distinctive clinical variants of psoriasis are recognized (e.g., Psoriasis, Guttate; Psoriasis, Nails; Psoriasis, Pustular) (Naldi, 2004) . Plaque psoriasis is most typically characterized by circular-to-oval red plaques distributed over extensor body surfaces and the scalp. The plaques usually exhibit scaling as a result of epidermal hyper proliferation and dermal inflammation (Naldi and Rzany, 2005) . The extent and duration of the disease is highly variable from patient to patient. Acute flares or relapses of plaque psoriasis may also evolve into more severe disease, such as pustular or erythrodermic psoriasis. The diagnosis of psoriasis is usually apparent clinically but sometimes it nay resembles other skin disorders in atypical cases, such as lichen simplex chronicus, nummular eczema, seborrheic dermatitis and tinea corporis.

Psoriasis: Psoriasis is a common, chronic, relapsing, inflammatory skin disorder with a strong genetic basis.

The plaque type is the most common, although several other distinctive clinical variants of psoriasis are recognized (e.g., Psoriasis, Guttate; Psoriasis, Nails; Psoriasis, Pustular).

The plaques usually exhibit scaling as a result of epidermal hyper proliferation and dermal inflammation.


For some other results on boundary value problem, we refer the reader to the papers [1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 11, 12, [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] . To the authors' knowledge, there are few papers that have considered the existence of solutions for fourth-order two-point boundary value problem with integral condition. Motivated by the works mentioned above, the aim of this paper is to establish some sufficient conditions for the existence of at least one positive solutions of the BVP (1.1) and (1.2). We shall first construct the Green's function for the associated linear boundary value problem and then determine the properties of the Green's function for associated linear boundary value problem. Finally, existence results for at least one positive solution for the above problem are established when f is superlinear or sublinear. As applications, some interesting examples are presented to illustrate the main results.

For some other results on boundary value problem, we refer the reader to the papers.


For our experiments, we captured five HDR test videos -both with and without using a tripod. The videos consist of three indoor and two outdoor shots of mainly static scenes with a large amount of camera rotation. All videos have a resolution of 640 × 480 and an average of 87 HDR frames. Each HDR frame was created using one base frame and 3.35 reexposures on the average. The first two videos were used to fine-tune the parameters of the algorithm (e.g., search range, noise threshold T , uncertainty threshold for d). All five videos are used for performance evaluation. All frames were registered manually, and the resulting translation vectors constitute the ground truth for evaluating the accuracy of our automatic algorithm. As the criteria for our evaluation, we use mean and standard deviation of the distance between our estimate and the ground truth over all frames of a video. Since it is our goal to capture and display HDR videos in real-time, the time taken for registration of a frame of a certain size is our second criterion. Both criteria are compared to our implementation of Ward's algorithm [5] . Ward's algorithm was developed for registering still images only. It does not make use of the history of motion vectors. So we start by comparing its accuracy to the one achieved by the still image version of our algorithm, excluding the filtering and prediction. The search range is set to 16 for both approaches. The second and third column of the table in Figure 2 show the results of this comparison. It can be seen that in this setup both algorithms perform similarly with respect to accuracy. The first video contains re-exposures with a height of only 48 pixels which is too small for our algorithm to handle properly. Video 5 is an indoor scene with motion blur in some of the long exposures. This explains the bad accuracy achieved by both.

Both criteria are compared to our implementation of Ward's algorithm.


The most widely adopted technology in treating effluents containing high organic concentrations is the upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor. The anaerobic digestive systems are favourable because of their low cost, operational simplicity and low production of solids. Moreover, the success of UASB lies in its capability to retain a high concentration of immobilised biomass because of the granulation of sludge particles (HulshoffPol, 1989) . However, one important aspect when applying anaerobic processes in the treatment of effluents is to ensure careful operation and control, as well as efficient monitoring of convectional parameters such as pH, alkalinity, temperature, organic load, etc.

Moreover, the success of UASB lies in its capability to retain a high concentration of immobilised biomass because of the granulation of sludge particles.


Following the atomization, the droplets travel towards the flame front, evaporate and mix with the combustion air in an ideal case. If only a mentioned process is inadequate, the flame can become uneven, and the appearing hot spots decrease the maintenance intervals and increase the emission of nitrogen oxides. Furthermore, the worst possible consequent event is the combustion instability or even engine failure [10] [11] [12] .

Furthermore, the worst possible consequent event is the combustion instability or even engine failure.


To date, the attention is focused on the possibilities of direct utilization of crude vegetable oils in our current heat engines. Furthermore, setting development goals is of primary importance. Therefore, the aim of the present paper is to evaluate the interchangeability of diesel oil to crude vegetable oils in an atmospheric burner. However, there are high-pressure applications, (e.g., gas turbines, internal combustion engines, highpressure furnaces) the most crucial part of their operation is the startup process [4] . Therefore, the atmospheric back pressure is used at the burner tip. It is out of the question that the most likely advancement towards clean combustion is to increase the ratio of renewables in the utilized fuel [3] . Despite that, the worst-case scenario is to be investigated from combustion point of view, namely, utilizing pure renewable fuels. Of course, by blending, the situation is always better [5] .

However, there are high-pressure applications, (e.g., gas turbines, internal combustion engines, highpressure furnaces) the most crucial part of their operation is the startup process.

It is out of the question that the most likely advancement towards clean combustion is to increase the ratio of renewables in the utilized fuel.

Of course, by blending, the situation is always better.


Finally it should be noted that the six-dimensional SCFTs dual to the AdS 7 vacua discussed in Section 3.1 admit twisted compactifications to two-, three-, and four-dimensional interacting CFTs with various amounts of supersymmetry [9] [10] [11] . It is natural to expect that these lower-dimensional supersymmetric CFTs will in turn have non-trivial vacuum moduli spaces. It will be very interesting to understand whether the "universal" tensor branch flow of the 6d theory "descends" to some interesting RG flow in the lower-dimensional theory.

Finally it should be noted that the six-dimensional SCFTs dual to the AdS 7 vacua discussed in Section 3.1 admit twisted compactifications to two-, three-, and four-dimensional interacting CFTs with various amounts of supersymmetry.


Predicted climate changes will increase the likelihood of abiotic stress throughout the country, including various combinations of multiple stressors. For example, heat waves are predicted to become more intense throughout the country while precipitation is expected to increase in the northern USA and to decrease in the southwest [11] . Our literature review has revealed several "all purpose" biomass crops that are moderately or highly tolerant of multiple environmental stressors (Table 6 ). For example, Andropogon gerardii, Eucalyptus spp., Miscanthus spp., Panicum virgatum, Pinus spp., Populus spp., Robinia pseudoacacia, and Spartina pectinata were shown to be moderately or highly tolerant of four or more stress types. For particular growing conditions such as some hot and dry areas, growers could choose among Agave americana, Andropogon gerardii, Jatropha curcas, Miscanthus sinensis, Pinus sylvestris, Pinus taeda, Populus euphratica, or Robinia pseudoacacia. Many wet and saline environments could likely support Arundo donax, Eucalyptus camaldulensis (particularly Eucalyptus camaldulensis "Silverton" and "Local"), Miscanthus × giganteus, Panicum virgatum "Trailblazer," Sorghum bicolor varieties, and Spartina pectinata. Genera such as Pinus and Populus comprise a host of species that are adaptable to different stressors and combinations of stressors. As previously mentioned, our list is not exhaustive and, in some cases, is based on studies that assessed relative-not absolute-stress tolerance, but it represents a much more comprehensive biomass crop selection guide for growers than currently exists. Based on this review, growers could choose from a variety of plant types representing a variety of industrial uses from ethanol (e.g., Miscanthus spp.) to combustion (e.g., Pinus spp.), depending on their preferences and the capabilities of local processing plants. In addition, we have indicated here that a number of biomass crops have already been improved for greater stress tolerance, and we assume that breeding programs will continue to develop additional stresstolerant crops. Therefore, it appears that there will be a number of options available for marginal lands now and into the increasingly stressful future [105] .

For example, heat waves are predicted to become more intense throughout the country while precipitation is expected to increase in the northern USA and to decrease in the southwest.

Therefore, it appears that there will be a number of options available for marginal lands now and into the increasingly stressful future.


When the Mars science laboratory successfully landed on the surface of Mars, the active guidance showed its unprecedented high landing precision in all Mars landing missions so far. However, the Mars exploration program to land a mass of about 0.8 tons on a site as high as +2 km Mars orbiter laser altimeter (MOLA) elevation with 10 km of accuracy has reached the limits of the Viking-era technology qualification [1] . Moreover, future Mars missions will likely need to land more close to the scientifically interesting locations such as the ancient southern high lands. Therefore the more precise EDL (Entry, Descent and Landing) technology is required. In the entry phase, the vehicle experiences hypersonic deceleration from the entry interface to the parachute deployment site. The error in the entry phase can be the main part of the total errors due to the limited landing-site modifiability in decent and landing phases. Therefore, a closed-loop entry guidance, which can achieve better landing precision and accommodate for the errors in the atmosphere model, the uncertainties in vehicle aerodynamic characteristics, and the dispersions in vehicle entry states, is required.

However, the Mars exploration program to land a mass of about 0.8 tons on a site as high as +2 km Mars orbiter laser altimeter (MOLA) elevation with 10 km of accuracy has reached the limits of the Viking-era technology qualification.


A key difficulty in producing fine grained ceramics is the attainment of full density without allowing excessive grain growth. This is a severe limitation with conventional sintering processes [1] . A recently introduced method of overcoming this problem is so-called spark plasma sintering (SPS), also known as field assisted sintering technology (FAST). The process resembles conventional hot pressing, but with much higher heating rate owing to direct heating of the graphite die or the sintering precursor itself by passing direct current (DC) through it. This allows the rapid sintering of powders as well as the production of metastable phase compositions. It remains a matter for debate that whether the novel microstructures produced are simply a consequence of the rapid heating or a result of the electric field or current involved [2] [3] [4] [5] .

This is a severe limitation with conventional sintering processes.

It remains a matter for debate that whether the novel microstructures produced are simply a consequence of the rapid heating or a result of the electric field or current involved.


Various herbs and species are used in Indian cooking such as onion, Garlic, Ginger, Turmeric, Cardamom, Coriander etc has many medicinal properties (Vijayameena et al., 2013) . Among this category one of the significant medicinal plant which show countless medicinal properties is Erythrina variegata Linn. The antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of Erythrina variegata Linn were documented in Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of pyrexia, scabies and septicaemia (Baskar et al., 2010) .

Various herbs and species are used in Indian cooking such as onion, Garlic, Ginger, Turmeric, Cardamom, Coriander etc has many medicinal properties.

The antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of Erythrina variegata Linn were documented in Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of pyrexia, scabies and septicaemia.


The plant bark is astringent, febrifuge, anti-bilious, anthelmintic, and it is too useful in opthalmia and skin diseases. The leaves are used in fever, inflammation and joint pain and the juice of the leaves are used to relieve earache and toothache. The roots are used in bronchitis, febrifuge and as an insecticide. The roots are also used in the treatment of cancer, convulsions and used to treat pimples. It has the repute to stimulate lactation and menstruation and is used as laxative, diuretic and expectorant (Baskar et al., 2010) . The present study was focused to evaluate the phytochemical analysis, anti-inflammatory activity, in vitro antidiabetic activity and to record the GC-MS profile of Erythrina variegata L. bark (methanolic extract).

It has the repute to stimulate lactation and menstruation and is used as laxative, diuretic and expectorant.


In this article, we will adopt the last proposal, where one is immediately faced with the problem of extending the concept also to highly symmetric spacetimes such as cosmological ones. In a single-field inflationary model, the expansion of the background Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) spacetime is driven by a scalar field (the inflaton) that only depends on time. All scalars that can be constructed from the background metric and inflaton then also only depend on time, and it is impossible to distinguish points on an equal-time hypersurface by the values of these scalars. This obstacle has been overcome only recently [40] .

This obstacle has been overcome only recently.


We further show that (iv) the CDS e ect does not vary across borrowers who require di erent monitoring intensities and that the e ect (v) is particularly strong if the lead arranger reputation is high. Further, (vi) borrowers are not more likely to violate loan covenants once CDS are actively traded on the borrowers' debt. If anything, the likelihood of a covenant violation decreases after CDS inception. These results are unsupportive of the conjecture that lenders can no longer credibly commit to monitor a borrower if laying o credit risk anonymously via CDS is possible (Parlour and Winton (2013) ).

These results are unsupportive of the conjecture that lenders can no longer credibly commit to monitor a borrower if laying o credit risk anonymously via CDS is possible).


However, there is a potential cost to the availability of CDS. Loan sales and CDS di er in one key aspect: loan sales transfer both credit risk and control rights to the counterparty, while CDS only transfer the credit risk. Hence, CDS trading could have a detrimental e ect on bank monitoring incentives because although the credit risk is transferred to the counterparty, the control rights remain with the bank (Parlour and Winton (2013) ). If the lead arranger in a syndicated loan can lay o credit risk anonymously via CDS, potential participants may be less willing to invest, as they might fear that the lead bank will no longer monitor the borrower. Hence, syndication 1 may become more di cult/costly and originating banks would be forced to retain larger shares in their loans. Overall, while the theoretical e ect of CDS trading on syndication is unambiguous -banks rely less on syndication once credit protection via CDS is available -di erent economic mechanisms can lead to this conjecture.

Hence, CDS trading could have a detrimental e ect on bank monitoring incentives because although the credit risk is transferred to the counterparty, the control rights remain with the bank).


We have assessed the agreement between the perineal position during straining and POP-Q points Ba, C, and Bp [26] . No statistically significant correlation has been found (data not shown). The study was performed in a tertiary referral center. One of the reasons for referral to our center is when there is a discrepancy between symptoms and clinical findings. This implies that patients where POP-Q findings could not explain symptoms were overrepresented. Therefore, this population is very appropriate to assess a relation between symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction and less obvious measurements such as perineal descent. Even in this population where rare conditions are expected to be overrepresented, perineal descent only showed a limited correlation with symptoms. In our opinion, this shows that the clinical value of this measurement is probably limited.

We have assessed the agreement between the perineal position during straining and POP-Q points Ba, C, and Bp.


The accumulation of phytoplankton biomass is the main manifestation of the bloom, which begins in late March to April in the western Atlantic and then develops further east and north until peaking after about 1 or 2 mo (Li et al. 1993) . The NASB sampling occurred between May 28 and June 30, a time period likely to encompass post-bloom conditions. Data on phytoplankton standing stocks confirm that the peak of the bloom had passed. Photic zone standing stocks of phytoplankton were much higher in NABE than in NASB (1.3 ± 0.5 and 5.5 g C m -2 in NASB and NABE, respectively) . Similarly, phyto- Table 4 . Bacterial growth efficiency (BGE) measured in light and dark incubations. SEs were calculated by propagating the uncertainties in rates of biomass production (average CV = 9.6%) and oxygen consumption (average CV = 52%) plankton stocks were higher (4 to 5 g C m -2 ) in the western North Atlantic during the bloom (Li et al. 1993) .

The accumulation of phytoplankton biomass is the main manifestation of the bloom, which begins in late March to April in the western Atlantic and then develops further east and north until peaking after about 1 or 2 mo.

Similarly, phyto- Table 4 .

SEs were calculated by propagating the uncertainties in rates of biomass production (average CV = 9.6%) and oxygen consumption (average CV = 52%) plankton stocks were higher (4 to 5 g C m -2 ) in the western North Atlantic during the bloom.


Any experimental study has limitations and so has this. First, a main assumption of the results in this paper is the workload, which is characterized in the supplemental material, which can be found on the Computer Society Digital Library at http://doi.ieeecomputersociety.org/10.1109/ TCC.2014.2360399. We have analyzed workloads with high volatility and even added additional noise in the demand, and the results were robust. The results do not carry over to applications that are difficult to forecast. For example, order entry systems can experience demand peaks based on marketing campaigns, which are hard to predict from historical Srv -average server demand, SD d e -maximum server demand, SD b cminimum server demand, Mig -VM migration count, SQ ½% -service quality based on 3 second intervals workloads. Also, sometimes VMs are set up for testing purposes and are only needed for a short period of time. In such cases, different control strategies are required and reactive control clearly has its benefits in such environments. Such applications are typically hosted on in a separate cluster, and we leave the analysis of such workloads for future research. Second, the experimental infrastructure was small and the results for larger environments with 120 and more VMs are based on simulation. While simulation has its limitations, we took great care that the main system characteristics such as migration duration were appropriately modeled. Also, the controller software was exactly the same as the one used in the lab experiments. Finally, one can think of alternative ways to implement the reactive and proactive controllers. For example, advanced workload prediction techniques could be used [31] , [32] . We conjecture, however, that the basic trade-off between migration costs and efficiency gains by dynamic resource allocation will persist also with smarter control strategies with similar workloads.

For example, advanced workload prediction techniques could be used.


Evidence is available from the literature showing significant reductions in worker exposure due to the introduction of LEV systems. For example, LEV fitted or integrated on equipment may produce reductions of >90% (Croteau et al., 2002 (Croteau et al., , 2004 Gressel, 1997) . However, the protective effect is limited and highly depends on the way it is installed and used by the workers (Lazovich et al., 2002b) . Our results clearly indicate that more attention should be paid to proper use and maintenance of LEV in the various flour processing sectors.

For example, LEV fitted or integrated on equipment may produce reductions of >90%.

However, the protective effect is limited and highly depends on the way it is installed and used by the workers.


However, previous research overlooked nonrigid behaviour: the nature of the error components associated with each link will thus become more complex. Stiffness errors will depend not only on their own link variables but also on the remaining links' variables within the machine tool and hence make the phenomenon more complex. However, as the stiffness in the machine's components is not infinite, deformations arising from dynamic behaviour and load conditions may be significant and the errors thus produced cannot be neglected [4] . Traditionally, researchers at design stage pay attention to make the structure more rigid by using heavy base frames and moving slides, but this affects the accuracy and power utilisation as the movement of heavier components is neither recommended nor appreciated. In addition, heavy parts may generate large inertial forces and increased dynamic load, especially for machines using high accelerations. Hence, error reduction to improve the accuracy of the machine tool is crucial. The errors/inaccuracies can be reduced with the structural improvement of the machine tool through better design, manufacturing, and assembly practices [2] . Large machine tools are increasingly important because of the increasing demand for large parts, for example, in the production of wind turbines, which are growing in size with each new model [26] . With the increasingly high demand for precision machining it is critical to establish an accurate processing model, especially for heavy-duty overloaded machines with the characteristics of large weight and high load strength. Therefore, constructing a machining accuracy model for heavy-duty machine tools with consideration of load induced errors can provide an important basis for design of machine tool structure and processing compensation technology.

However, as the stiffness in the machine's components is not infinite, deformations arising from dynamic behaviour and load conditions may be significant and the errors thus produced cannot be neglected.

The errors/inaccuracies can be reduced with the structural improvement of the machine tool through better design, manufacturing, and assembly practices.

Large machine tools are increasingly important because of the increasing demand for large parts, for example, in the production of wind turbines, which are growing in size with each new model.


Geometric errors are caused by mechanical imperfections in the machine tool structure and the misalignment of machine tool elements: they arise under cold-start conditions and all change gradually due to component wear [1] . Among these errors, geometric errors in machine tool components and structures are one of the biggest sources of inaccuracy [3] . The systematic geometric error components of the machine tool directly affect the tool tip position because of dimensional and form errors of the kinematic linkage and linear/angular misalignment between them [4] . Geometric errors are concerned with the quasistatic accuracy of the surfaces and their relative movement. The effect of the geometric inaccuracies is to produce errors between the machines' moving elements. They manifest themselves as position and orientation errors of the tool with respect to the machined part [5] .

Geometric errors are caused by mechanical imperfections in the machine tool structure and the misalignment of machine tool elements: they arise under cold-start conditions and all change gradually due to component wear.

Among these errors, geometric errors in machine tool components and structures are one of the biggest sources of inaccuracy.

The systematic geometric error components of the machine tool directly affect the tool tip position because of dimensional and form errors of the kinematic linkage and linear/angular misalignment between them.

They manifest themselves as position and orientation errors of the tool with respect to the machined part.


Given a graph G = (V, E) representing a communication network, where vertexes are the nodes and edges the communication links, the clustering process constructs subsets of nodes V i , i = 1, .., n where ∪ i=1,..,n V i = V , such that each subset V i induces a connected sub-graph of G. These vertex subsets are clusters. Ideally, the size of the clusters falls in a desired range. Moreover, for several approaches, a special vertex in each cluster is elected to represent the cluster and is called clusterhead [5] .

Moreover, for several approaches, a special vertex in each cluster is elected to represent the cluster and is called clusterhead.


We have proposed a wearable LOS detection system that has transparent optical sensors on the eyeglasses, as shown in Fig. 1 . An array of dye-sensitized photovoltaic cells are patterned on eyeglasses as transparent optical sensors and they detect the differences in reflected light from the pupil and the white of the eye (sclera) to deduce the pupil position, which is further used to determine the user's LOS. This system is characteristic because it is wearable like eyeglasses and light-weight and does not have any CCD cameras facing to the user, which leads to little physical and mental stress to the user. The previously proposed system had a 2 × 5 array of 1.5 mm square cells on the eyeglasses and could measure the horizontal position of the pupil with an accuracy of 2.3°, but could not measure the vertical position accurately [22] [23] . This is because our eyes are narrow in the vertical direction and the white parts above and below the pupil are covered by the eyelid. A limbus tracking system, which is another type of LOS detection system that uses a border of the white of the eye, also encounters this problem of low accuracy in the vertical direction [24] .

The previously proposed system had a 2 × 5 array of 1.5 mm square cells on the eyeglasses and could measure the horizontal position of the pupil with an accuracy of 2.3°, but could not measure the vertical position accurately.

A limbus tracking system, which is another type of LOS detection system that uses a border of the white of the eye, also encounters this problem of low accuracy in the vertical direction.


Our results demonstrate an overwhelming dominance of littoral PP in whole-lake autotrophic production in Mekkoj€ arvi. The lake is very humic, which limits light penetration, while its depth ratio and complex littoral structure leave the majority of the lake bottom in darkness. However, littoral vegetation lining the lake perimeter is well-illuminated and supports highly productive periphyton assemblages, with mean contribution to whole-lake NPP over 80% throughout the sampling period. Intense respiration of allochthonous OC in the pelagic habitat substantially exceeded phytoplankton PP, indicating strong net heterotrophy with low GPP : CR ratios in the open water of the lake. In contrast, welldeveloped and highly productive periphyton mats led to net autotrophy in the littoral habitat, and when incorporated into whole-lake PP the system GPP : CR ratio was net autotrophic. Estimating PP and CR for structurally complex littoral zones is very challenging, and our estimates of whole-lake littoral PP and CR undoubtedly have higher uncertainty than the pelagic values. Nevertheless, the littoral values are so high that the associated uncertainty cannot alter their essential message. Moreover, the values for littoral NPP must be underestimates, as we obtained these by subtracting CR from GPP, and the true respiration attributable to primary producers must be less than the CR. Hence, our results demonstrate that, despite high terrestrial inputs of DOC and dominance of heterotrophic processes in the pelagic zone, some humic lakes can be metabolically balanced or even net autotrophic when highly productive periphyton communities are included in measurements of whole-lake metabolism. Our findings challenge the current theoretical framework regarding whole-lake metabolism in humic systems and provide some answers to recently posed questions about the carbon budgets in lakes (Hanson et al., 2014) .

Our findings challenge the current theoretical framework regarding whole-lake metabolism in humic systems and provide some answers to recently posed questions about the carbon budgets in lakes.


The distribution of species with homobaric and heterobaric leaves was weakly correlated with taxonomic group. Although Lauraceae is present in all strata of LLODF and in the first three strata of MOF, it is the only family that is represented by a larger number of heterobaric leaf species. All the species of the families Aquifoliaceae and Melastomataceae, which are commonly found in under-canopy strata, had homobaric leaves. Even though they comprise species with both leaf types, the families Euphorbiaceae, Myrtaceae, Primulaceae, and Sapindaceae did not show a distributional pattern related to strata. The one exception was Fabaceae, whose species with heterobaric leaves were present in Stratum 3 in MOF. These results indicate that the leaf types of each species are more dependent on habitat and/or life form type than phylogenetic relationships. Environmental filters have convergent effects and seem to favor functional diversity due the habitat heterogeneity, especially in tropical forest communities (Manel et al. 2014) .

Environmental filters have convergent effects and seem to favor functional diversity due the habitat heterogeneity, especially in tropical forest communities.


Bundle-sheath extensions (BSEs) are formed by parenchyma or sclerenchyma cells that extend from the vascular bundle to both sides of the leaf epidermis (Karabourniotis et al. 2000; Nikolopoulos et al. 2002) . Leaves are classifi ed as homobaric or heterobaric depending on the condition of the BSEs (Kenzo et al. 2007) . Th e former lack, or have incomplete, BSEs and their mesophyll is more homogeneous. The latter have complete BSEs and their mesophyll is divided into several photosynthetic compartments (Karabourniotis et al. 2000; Nikolopoulos et al. 2002; Kenzo et al. 2007) . Homobaric leaves have a continuous mesophyll (Terashima 1992) .

Bundle-sheath extensions (BSEs) are formed by parenchyma or sclerenchyma cells that extend from the vascular bundle to both sides of the leaf epidermis.

Leaves are classifi ed as homobaric or heterobaric depending on the condition of the BSEs.

The latter have complete BSEs and their mesophyll is divided into several photosynthetic compartments.

Homobaric leaves have a continuous mesophyll.


Corporate social responsibility (CSR) can be grouped into three dimensions: economy, the environment and society (Jones et al, 2005) . The economic dimension includes issues such as wealth and job creation. Society refers to the social impacts of the firm, including employee issues, health and safety and inclusiveness issues. The environmental dimension considers the use of ecological resources and the impact of a specific activity upon environmental systems. However, it is naïve to assume that these three areas are necessarily mutually reinforcing.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) can be grouped into three dimensions: economy, the environment and society.


Our approach is unusual for an analysis of an IR dispute. We were less interested in the 'facts' of the case, as one might adopt in an interest-based analysis, but rather the different articulations of the dispute and meanings that different actors and observers drew from those articulations. The dispute took place between August and October 2010, but we were interested in analysing not only the period of the dispute but also subsequent accounts and commentary, which have continued to shape meaning. Documents and e-mails have been released under New Zealand's Official Information Act (OIA) in the intervening period, and each release has sparked a re-articulation of the dispute by various protagonists and commentators. The period then for which we analysed the data was from mid-2010 until mid-2013. We collected data from a range of sources, including New Zealand print and broadcast websites, commentaries and blogs, public statements issued by the key players, industry and government reports on New Zealand's film industry, and film footage of the dispute on YouTube and media websites. The newspaper search largely focused on the two leading New Zealand outlets, The New Zealand Herald and www.stuff.co.nz (the website of Fairfax Media, which operates 10 of New Zealand's other leading newspapers). We also searched the website of Television New Zealand, the national broadcaster. We searched for stories including both 'Hobbit' and some dimension of the dispute ('dispute', 'boycott', 'union'). These searches returned 374 stories. When combined with other sources we had in excess of 450 'texts'. Added to the corpus were a number of detailed IR analyses of the dispute (Haworth, 2011; Kelly, 2011; McAndrew and Risak, 2012) .

These searches returned 374 stories.

Added to the corpus were a number of detailed IR analyses of the dispute.


Our analytical approach recognises that all our texts, including 'realist' media accounts (as opposed to editorial commentaries) and the academic analyses, are understood as being constitutive of the dispute, rather than merely reflective of it (Phelan and Dahlberg, 2011) . In addition to the linguistic data, our analysis incorporated other articulatory practices, such as a protest march by film production workers against the actors boycott and the visit to New Zealand by Warner Bros executives. All fall within Laclau and Mouffe's definition of discourse -all are material and have a constituting effect on each other. Unlike in other forms of discourse analysis there is no distinction made between discursive and nondiscursive elements of the social world. We analysed the data systematically, focussing on the key protagonists and looking for the various ways in which identities were made available. Intertwined with these identities were a set of motivations or interests, and these were noted, along with actions that were implied by this combination. We judged that there were two distinct articulations, one of which we assessed to be dominant, or hegemonic, with the other being marginalised. Our analysis is presented in Table 1 -before expanding upon this, we first provide a brief overview of the dispute.

Our analytical approach recognises that all our texts, including 'realist' media accounts (as opposed to editorial commentaries) and the academic analyses, are understood as being constitutive of the dispute, rather than merely reflective of it.


On another note, most of the services such as water quality would be provided locally. Consequently, this would require the decentralization of their management at meaningful eco-regional levels to respond to the local demands. This leads to one potential weakness of this study, since we did not consider the current Government expenditures for irrigated agriculture at a national scale. In particular, our hypothetical scenarios proposed some additional local taxes to enhance services provided locally. Further research would be needed to compare this study with a study where the scenario proposed would be paid by reallocating the government budget instead of adding new local taxes (Morrison & MacDonald 2011; Remoundou et al. 2014) .

Further research would be needed to compare this study with a study where the scenario proposed would be paid by reallocating the government budget instead of adding new local taxes.


Tunable sound absorption using active materials and structures has been studied for a long time [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] . The active sound cancelation technique is the method for eliminating unwanted sounds by an additional feedforward control power source [18] . Active noise canceling technique is best suited for acoustic cavity and duct based systems, and for the periodic sounds than random ones. On the other hand, piezoelectric materials, which are compact, lightweight, and can be easily tuned by shunting circuits, have been extensively implemented for the damper design in structures, causing an essential change of dissipation capabilities. This technique has also been actively applied in lots of sound control applications. Passive sound absorbers combined with piezoelectric membranes can achieve the sound absorption at a single frequency controlled by a feedback loop [19] . Thin micro-perforated plates attached with piezoelectric patches and electrical circuits were suggested, where the sound absorption can be improved by tuning shunting circuits [20] . When the micro-perforated panel was made by flexible Polyvinylidene fluoride piezoelectric film, sound absorption could be also improved by using the shunt-damping technology [21] . Hybrid multilayered cells consisting of porous damping material and piezoelectric plate were investigated, in which active control has been proved to enhance sound transmission loss and absorption [22, 23] . Acoustic absorbing systems designed with active materials have shown great potentials in the damping enhancement. However, the tunable and broadband manipulation on sound absorption at extremely low frequencies has not been fully solved.

Tunable sound absorption using active materials and structures has been studied for a long time.

The active sound cancelation technique is the method for eliminating unwanted sounds by an additional feedforward control power source.

Passive sound absorbers combined with piezoelectric membranes can achieve the sound absorption at a single frequency controlled by a feedback loop.

Thin micro-perforated plates attached with piezoelectric patches and electrical circuits were suggested, where the sound absorption can be improved by tuning shunting circuits.

When the micro-perforated panel was made by flexible Polyvinylidene fluoride piezoelectric film, sound absorption could be also improved by using the shunt-damping technology.

Hybrid multilayered cells consisting of porous damping material and piezoelectric plate were investigated, in which active control has been proved to enhance sound transmission loss and absorption.


Acoustic metamaterials, which have been rapidly developed in the past decade, provided new efficient solutions in low-frequency mechanical energy dissipations with resonant microstructures. Recently, nearly total sound absorption metamaterials have been designed at narrow-band frequencies by covering a stretched membrane over an air cavity [8, 9] . The peak-absorption frequency can also be tuned to even lower by attaching small mass blocks on the membrane, such that the device is compact with the thickness far less than the operating wavelength. After that, several other absorptive metamaterial designs have been suggested. For example, normal quarter-wavelength acoustic damping tubes were bended and coiled into coplanar ones [10] [11] [12] . The improved absorber becomes highly compact with the thickness around one percent of the peak-absorption wavelength. By packing together subwavelength resonators of different operating frequencies, sound damping structures that could work over the relatively broad frequency band have been achieved [13] [14] [15] . The coherent perfect absorption, originally found in optics, has recently been verified in acoustics [16, 17] . To totally absorb sounds incident from one side, the control wave with the same amplitude but opposite phase is used, propagating inversely from the other side. It has also been found that absorption coefficients can take any values from unity to zero, depending on the relative phase between the incident and control waves. Currently available metamaterial absorbers, including those mentioned above, tend to share certain characteristics that they work in narrow bands centered at multiple resonant frequencies. In addition, they are passive systems implying that the sound absorption ability will be not tunable once absorber samples are fabricated.

Recently, nearly total sound absorption metamaterials have been designed at narrow-band frequencies by covering a stretched membrane over an air cavity.

For example, normal quarter-wavelength acoustic damping tubes were bended and coiled into coplanar ones.

By packing together subwavelength resonators of different operating frequencies, sound damping structures that could work over the relatively broad frequency band have been achieved.

The coherent perfect absorption, originally found in optics, has recently been verified in acoustics.


Recently, authors have proposed a different mechanism for broadband noise control based on adaptive metamaterials that involve piezoelectric materials with shunting circuits. When both negative capacitance and inductance are introduced into the circuit, the extremely wideband flexural wave bandgap has been created [28] . In the later study, we extended this concept to the acoustic-structural interaction system, and demonstrated that high sound transmission loss can be achieved in broadband frequency and angular spectrum [29] . In this work, we further apply the adaptive-metamaterial concept for the design of small-size active cells with broadband sound absorption at extremely low frequencies. In section 2, we first illustrate the design of the adaptive metamaterial. An analytical model considering the piezoelectricstructure-acoustic coupling is then developed for the theoretical estimation of the sound absorption. In section 3, numerical examples and discussions are provided, from which broadband sound absorptions at low frequencies are verified and physical mechanisms are explained. A brief summary is finally provided in section 4.

When both negative capacitance and inductance are introduced into the circuit, the extremely wideband flexural wave bandgap has been created.

In the later study, we extended this concept to the acoustic-structural interaction system, and demonstrated that high sound transmission loss can be achieved in broadband frequency and angular spectrum.


However, in assessing the efficiency of smoke suppressants, smoke evolution results may be influenced by the degree of ventilation during testing. In addition, the mode of decomposition may also vary with specimen size and specific fire condition [12] . Consequently while this study primarily investigates the possible interaction between tin compounds, ammonium polyphosphate, nanoclay and their combined effect on burning and smoke suppressing behavior of unsaturated polyester resin, comparison of various means of assessing smoke will be a major focus. To this end, possible synergistic effects of different smoke suppressants on thermal stability, flammability, and smoke suppression of flame retarded polyester resin have been studied under wellventilated (by cone calorimetry), under-ventilated (using a smoke chamber), and fully developed, under-ventilated (using a tube furnace) fire conditions. Carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) production under different conditions is also reported.

In addition, the mode of decomposition may also vary with specimen size and specific fire condition.


Based on these results, we scan rank five line bundle models for the six suitable base spaces and find more than 400 SU (5) GUT models with the correct chiral asymmetry. Upon taking the quotient by the involution and introducing a Z 2 Wilson line in the hypercharge direction these will lead to models with the standard model gauge group and three chiral families. A common feature of all models is the presence of a large number of vector-like states. In SU (5) language all models have at least one 10-10 vector-like pair and at least 20 (!) 5-5 vector-like pairs. Particularly the latter number is surprising compared with the results obtained for heterotic line bundle models on complete intersection CY manifolds [5, 6, 15] . For complete intersection CY manifolds, imposing the right chiral asymmetry frequently meant the absence of 10-10 vector-like pairs and a small number of 5-5 vector-like pairs.

Particularly the latter number is surprising compared with the results obtained for heterotic line bundle models on complete intersection CY manifolds.


The oxidation concept proved to be promising in its use for thermal history sensing, and particularly for BAM:Eu. This phosphor is commonly used in plasma display panels (PDP) due to its high luminance efficiency in the blue region, and its degradation process has been extensively studied related to this application [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] . However, the conclusions derived from these studies need to be carefully considered, since those studies concentrated their attention in thermal degradation during manufacture and degradation in service under exposure to vacuum UV (VUV) irradiation. This implies that the duration of the phosphor exposure to high temperatures in previous investigations, which was 1h or above, was longer than might be needed as a thermal history sensor. In addition, in most of the referred work excitation of the phosphor was achieved using VUV wavelength, typically the 147 nm of a Xenon lamp, which is shorter than the excitation that would be used in a thermal history 5 phosphor application. This makes it difficult to compare photoluminescence results, since the emission spectra is dependent on the excitation used. Finally, the reported research shows a lack of agreement as to what is the exact degradation mechanism of the phosphor, although it seems to be related to the oxidation of Eu 2+ to Eu 3+ when the bath gas contains oxygen.

This phosphor is commonly used in plasma display panels (PDP) due to its high luminance efficiency in the blue region, and its degradation process has been extensively studied related to this application.


Thermal history sensors can record the temperatures to which they are exposed during operation, such that these temperatures can be determined off-line. One example of this type of sensor are temperature indicating paints -or thermal paints-which are widely used in gas turbine development [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] . Although they have been used for many years, these paints present some drawbacks and reliable results are difficult to obtain. Main problems with the use of these paints are related to subtle colour changes with temperature that lead to poor resolution and great dependence on local conditions such as ambient illumination.

One example of this type of sensor are temperature indicating paints -or thermal paints-which are widely used in gas turbine development.


Most classification problems addressed in the literature consider each example to be associated with only one class label. In addition, class labels are treated as unrelated, in the sense that classification algorithms do no assume the existence of any kind of relationship between different class labels. This classification scheme is usually referred to as flat (or non-hierarchical ) single-label problems. Nevertheless, in many real-world classification problems (e.g., classification of biological data), one or more class labels can be divided in subclasses or grouped in superclasses. In these cases, the classes form a hierarchical structure, usually in the form of either a tree or a Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG). These problems are known in the ML literature as hierarchical classification problems, in which new examples are assigned to classes associated to nodes belonging to a hierarchy [1] . For instance, an example that belongs to a given class automatically belongs to all its superclasses (the so-called hierarchy constraint).

These problems are known in the ML literature as hierarchical classification problems, in which new examples are assigned to classes associated to nodes belonging to a hierarchy.


Different from the local approach, the global approach induces only one classifier using all classes of the hierarchy at once. After training the classifier, the classification of a new example occurs in just one step [5] . Since globalbased methods induce just one classifier to consider the specificities of the classification problem, they do not use conventional classification algorithms, unless these are adapted to consider the hierarchy of classes.

After training the classifier, the classification of a new example occurs in just one step.


Ever since the first grading machines based on flatwise bending were introduced, it has been well known that the relationship between bending strength and MoE determined on the basis of bending deformations is dependent on the length over which the deformations are measured (Corder 1965) . Over the years, large research efforts have been directed to the determination of MoE corresponding to local bending deformations measured over a few centimetres of a board's length (Kass 1975; Bechtel 1985; Foschi 1987; Boughton 1994) . Still, it has been found that the accuracy of MoE values determined on the basis of deformations and loads related to such short spans are often affected by measurement noise and numerical errors (Kass 1975; Foschi 1987) . Consequently, no grading method based on measurement of deformations over very short spans has, to the knowledge of the authors, been approved for or applied in commercial machine strength grading.

Ever since the first grading machines based on flatwise bending were introduced, it has been well known that the relationship between bending strength and MoE determined on the basis of bending deformations is dependent on the length over which the deformations are measured.

Over the years, large research efforts have been directed to the determination of MoE corresponding to local bending deformations measured over a few centimetres of a board's length.

Still, it has been found that the accuracy of MoE values determined on the basis of deformations and loads related to such short spans are often affected by measurement noise and numerical errors.


As an advancement of the ChemCam design, the SuperCam instrument suite selected for the NASA Mars 2020 rover will use LIBS but with the addition of Raman Spectroscopy and Visible and Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy to determine the elemental composition and mineralogy of Mars soils and rocks [6] . The LIBS investigation will be supported by the Mars Microphone that will record LIBS shock-waves at distances up to 4 m [7] . The Mars Microphone and its associated electronics were designed and tested to record audio signals from 100 Hz to 10 kHz, a bandwidth that includes LIBS shock-waves but also natural atmospheric phenomena such as wind [8] .

As an advancement of the ChemCam design, the SuperCam instrument suite selected for the NASA Mars 2020 rover will use LIBS but with the addition of Raman Spectroscopy and Visible and Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy to determine the elemental composition and mineralogy of Mars soils and rocks.

The LIBS investigation will be supported by the Mars Microphone that will record LIBS shock-waves at distances up to 4 m.

The Mars Microphone and its associated electronics were designed and tested to record audio signals from 100 Hz to 10 kHz, a bandwidth that includes LIBS shock-waves but also natural atmospheric phenomena such as wind.


The persistent prevalence of chronic malnutrition in Northern Ghana is of particular concern that requires urgent attention and immediate action. To be able to address the problem adequately, it is important that the context-specific risk factors for malnutrition are identified for appropriate interventions to be implemented. The risk factors of malnutrition are multifaceted and complex, and the relative importance of each of the known risk factors of malnutrition including household food insecurity is likely to vary between settings. Food insecurity is probably one of the determinant factors of malnutrition in developing countries, but its role remains unclear. In particular, it is not known whether all children suffer from household food insecurity and at what extreme levels. Some studies have shown that in times of food insecurity, mothers are likely to reduce their own intakes to secure those of infants and small children [3, 4] .

Some studies have shown that in times of food insecurity, mothers are likely to reduce their own intakes to secure those of infants and small children.


Their potential role as a biocontrol agent against fungal phytopathogens is of considerable interest in organic farming system. Chitinase from one of the strains of actinomycetes, S. griseus HUT6037, has been found to increase plant resistance to disease caused by Trichoderma reesei [23] . Our group has reported the chitinolytic activity of Streptomyces sp. MT7 and its antagonistic activity against wood-rotting fungi [24] . Keeping in view of the fact that in spite of massive exploration of actinomycetes for different functionalities in earlier times, the investigation for potent organism possessing distinctive characteristics still holds to be fascinating field of research. During the process of search for effective metabolites, many studies have been targeted in isolating novel actinomycetes from unique and virgin habitats. Even though terrestrial habitats have been explored by several researchers for many years, it is pertinent to highlight that the actinomycetes discovered so far is very meagre [25] . Studies on actinomycetes from Annual rainfall: 1094 mm). Three samples each of about 50 g were collected from the three sites approximately 5 meters apart. The samples were kept in sterile container after collection using sterile spatula and brought to the laboratory for study. The three samples were pooled together and mixed. Figure 1 shows the sampling site of the study area.

Chitinase from one of the strains of actinomycetes, S. griseus HUT6037, has been found to increase plant resistance to disease caused by Trichoderma reesei.

Our group has reported the chitinolytic activity of Streptomyces sp. MT7 and its antagonistic activity against wood-rotting fungi.

Even though terrestrial habitats have been explored by several researchers for many years, it is pertinent to highlight that the actinomycetes discovered so far is very meagre.


Deep learning eliminates the requirement for domain specific expertise in feature extraction algorithms, because these methods are fed with raw data. In case of US based soft tissue cancer detection, the deep learning algorithms would be fed with unprocessed US images. On the positive side, it eliminates the feature extraction step and the associated ambiguities 3 [85] . On the negative side, the diagnosis process becomes very abstract. Throughout the design of the offline system, there are quality control measures to ensure traceability. That means, if something goes wrong, it is possible to trace back into the design process and locate the error. In contrast, deep learning is a one step process without continuous quality monitoring. Ultimately, the decision on whether or not to use deep learning algorithms will depend on their performance for well-known standard problems [86] . To be specific, if deep learning based CAD systems deliver higher diagnosis accuracy, when compared to traditional feature based methods, then the new methods will supersede the traditional algorithm structures.

On the positive side, it eliminates the feature extraction step and the associated ambiguities 3.

Ultimately, the decision on whether or not to use deep learning algorithms will depend on their performance for well-known standard problems.


Classical machine learning systems, such as the ones used in current CAD systems, require careful engineering and expert knowledge in order to create feature extractors [84] . The texture algorithms extract feature information from the US images. Subsequently, the extracted information is fed to machine learning algorithms. While that process is straight forward in the online system, domain specific expertise is required to test and select the best performing algorithm combination with the design centric offline system. The process of selecting the algorithm combination is based on experience as well as on trial and error. The method of trial and error implies that the resulting CAD system might be sub-optimal. To be specific, during the design phase only a limited number of feature algorithms can be tested. Hence, there might be other algorithms which outperform the selected methods. For example, a designer might not be aware of the GLRLM feature extraction methods. That knowledge gap would have a big impact on the thyroid cancer classification example, presented in Section 2.5, because a GLRLM method (LRE) was the best of the tested methods.

Classical machine learning systems, such as the ones used in current CAD systems, require careful engineering and expert knowledge in order to create feature extractors.


The future direction of US imaging can be summed up in one word: radiomics [87] . The term refers to the automated extraction and analysis of high dimensional feature vectors [88] . These feature vectors, combined with other patient data form the input to sophisticated bioinformatics tools which help to improve diagnostic and predictive accuracy [89] . All processing is done in the digital domain with computer algorithms executed by microchips. The inherent cost effectiveness, speed and scalability of this technology helps to cope with an ever increasing amount of medical images [90] . The main idea behind radiomics is to interpret medical images as data and the interpretation of that data is left to machines [91] . The assumption is that, new image processing algorithms are able to extract the salient features from the medical images which are the hidden signatures of the diseases. The postulated benefits focus on the strong points of computing technology. However, these methods are inflexible and therefore they fail to accommodate errors in the input data. In other words, radiomics proposes to replace or at least to diminish the role of the human brain, which has a negative impact on both safety and reliability of disease diagnosis. This poses considerable design challenges, which goes beyond 'good' engineering practice [92, 93] . Radiomics systems must be safe, reliable and functional [92] . The design process must ensure that systemic errors are minimized [94] . Errors may be caused by operator mistakes. The widespread deployment of CAD systems will depend on trust which is closely linked to justifications given for claims of reliability and system safety [95] .

The future direction of US imaging can be summed up in one word: radiomics.

The term refers to the automated extraction and analysis of high dimensional feature vectors.

These feature vectors, combined with other patient data form the input to sophisticated bioinformatics tools which help to improve diagnostic and predictive accuracy.

The inherent cost effectiveness, speed and scalability of this technology helps to cope with an ever increasing amount of medical images.

The main idea behind radiomics is to interpret medical images as data and the interpretation of that data is left to machines.

This poses considerable design challenges, which goes beyond 'good' engineering practice.

Radiomics systems must be safe, reliable and functional.

The design process must ensure that systemic errors are minimized.

The widespread deployment of CAD systems will depend on trust which is closely linked to justifications given for claims of reliability and system safety.


Computer-Aided Diagnosis (CAD) can help to overcome the problems of human texture analysis and thereby increase the diagnosis accuracy [16, 17] . The challenge for such computer based texture analysis is twofold. First, we need to establish mathematical definitions for relevant image textures. These mathematical definitions lead to texture analysis algorithms which can be used in practical CAD systems [18] . The second problem is to detect the texture changes, which indicate malignant tissues. It turns out that these problems cannot be solved a priori; the texture interpretation can only be done a posteriori. In other words, it is impossible to know what type of texture analysis algorithm will be sensitive for the subtle differences between normal and cancer cells in US images. Therefore, empirical methods identify which texture methods work well for a specific problem [19] . As a consequence, it is necessary to test a wide range of algorithms and select the ones which show the best performance on known data. Another complicating factor, for computer based texture analysis, is that most of the known texture algorithms depend on the image resolution. Hence, specific texture results are not transferable between different US capturing machines.

Computer-Aided Diagnosis (CAD) can help to overcome the problems of human texture analysis and thereby increase the diagnosis accuracy.

These mathematical definitions lead to texture analysis algorithms which can be used in practical CAD systems.

Therefore, empirical methods identify which texture methods work well for a specific problem.


For texture algorithms, computational complexity is just equipment investment and computation time. In general, computational complexity of feature extraction algorithms impact on latency and cost [83] . The cost rises in accordance with efforts to keep the latency down. However, the performance of processing systems doubles every 18 months 2 , hence keeping the computational complexity down is a weak research objective.

In general, computational complexity of feature extraction algorithms impact on latency and cost.


One issue that has not specifically been addressed is that of temperature management of the batteries for a space application. Outside of its temperature envelope, the battery suffers loss of efficiency and permanent damage if the limits are greatly exceeded (Chen and Evans 2005) . When the COTS MFPS is used as part of the main body of the spacecraft and is internal, the spacecraft's thermal-control system can maintain battery temperature. However, if the COTS MFPS forms part of a structure that is external to the spacecraft, i.e., as part of a solar array, it may require thermal control to maintain battery temperature.

Outside of its temperature envelope, the battery suffers loss of efficiency and permanent damage if the limits are greatly exceeded.


Natural mint plant extracts contain several menthol isomers, of which L-menthol carries the characteristic minty smell and cooling sensory properties. L-Menthol, produced synthetically or purified from natural material, is also the isomer added to menthol cigarettes by the tobacco industry [16] . Menthol acts on the transient receptor potential melastatin 8 (TRPM8) receptor in peripheral sensory neurons, with L-menthol the most potent menthol isomer [17] [18] [19] . Our previous studies, relying on a mouse model, have shown that vaporized racemic menthol (a mixture of L-menthol and D-menthol) acts as a counterirritant, attenuating irritant responses to low concentrations of individual tobacco smoke irritants such as acrolein, acetic acid and cyclohexanone [15] . Specific irritant receptors are responsible for activation of respiratory chemosensory nerves [14] . Two important receptor classes are the transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) receptor activated by acrolein and the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) receptor activated by cyclohexanone [15, [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] .

L-Menthol, produced synthetically or purified from natural material, is also the isomer added to menthol cigarettes by the tobacco industry.

Menthol acts on the transient receptor potential melastatin 8 (TRPM8) receptor in peripheral sensory neurons, with L-menthol the most potent menthol isomer.

Our previous studies, relying on a mouse model, have shown that vaporized racemic menthol (a mixture of L-menthol and D-menthol) acts as a counterirritant, attenuating irritant responses to low concentrations of individual tobacco smoke irritants such as acrolein, acetic acid and cyclohexanone.

Specific irritant receptors are responsible for activation of respiratory chemosensory nerves.

Two important receptor classes are the transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) receptor activated by acrolein and the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) receptor activated by cyclohexanone.


In some ecosystems, complex structural or functional attributes can be provided by a single taxon. For example, particular tree species within forests or kelp in temperate seas can provide shelter and living space for a wide variety of other species (Jones et al., 1997) . In addition, foundation species can underpin fundamental ecosystem processes such as productivity and nutrient cycling (Bruno & Bertness, 2001; Ellison et al., 2005) . In tropical shallow waters, hard corals increase the architectural heterogeneity of the seascape considerably, providing suitable habitat and microclimatic conditions for a myriad of species and contributing substantially to ecosystem dynamics (Hatcher, 1997) . Loss of hard corals on reefs is therefore likely to have severe repercussions for associated biodiversity, ecosystem structure, function and stability.

For example, particular tree species within forests or kelp in temperate seas can provide shelter and living space for a wide variety of other species.

In addition, foundation species can underpin fundamental ecosystem processes such as productivity and nutrient cycling.

In tropical shallow waters, hard corals increase the architectural heterogeneity of the seascape considerably, providing suitable habitat and microclimatic conditions for a myriad of species and contributing substantially to ecosystem dynamics.


The loss of architectural complexity following declines in coral cover in the Caribbean differs from the pattern reported in the Indo-Pacific region, where a lagged response in the aftermath of widespread coral mortality following mass bleaching events was apparent (Wilson et al., 2006; Graham et al., 2007 Graham et al., , 2008 Pratchett et al., 2008) . However, these studies encompassed different temporal scales; our Caribbean analyses explore year-by-year changes throughout a multidecadal period of continual coral and reef architecture loss, whereas the Indo-Pacific studies spanned either side of a discrete catastrophic coral mortality event. In addition, there are important historical and ecological differences between these two regions that are likely to influence these processes, with Caribbean reefs typically having fewer coral species, less ecological redundancy and frequent hurricane impacts (Bellwood et al., 2004; Briggs, 2005) . To determine whether our findings can be broadly generalized would require similar longitudinal and spatial studies of Indo-Pacific reefs.

The loss of architectural complexity following declines in coral cover in the Caribbean differs from the pattern reported in the Indo-Pacific region, where a lagged response in the aftermath of widespread coral mortality following mass bleaching events was apparent.

In addition, there are important historical and ecological differences between these two regions that are likely to influence these processes, with Caribbean reefs typically having fewer coral species, less ecological redundancy and frequent hurricane impacts.


Flavors and fragrances have a wide application in the food, feed, cosmetic, chemical, and pharmaceutical sectors (Vandamme 2003) . Nowadays, they represent over a quarter of the world market for food additives and most of them are provided by extraction from natural sources or by traditional methods, as chemical synthesis. The specialized magazine Perfumer & Flavorist has recently reported that the expected market for flavors and fragrances will reach US$ 45.6 billion in 2018 (Bhttp://www.perfumerflavorist.com/fragrance/ trends/Report-Global-Fragrances-Perfumes-Market-ToReach- 456B-by-2018-197588241.html,^n.d.) with a good growth rate over the next 5 years.

Flavors and fragrances have a wide application in the food, feed, cosmetic, chemical, and pharmaceutical sectors.


A range of probes were used to observe and measure the extent of cellular poration: propidium iodide was used initially for proof-of-concept work, while characterization of the pore structure and the dynamics of payload delivery was accomplished using CdTe quantum dots (QDs) of a range of diameters, between approximately 3 nm7nm [12, 13] . Propidium iodide penetration was observed throughout targeted cells almost immediately, but QD experiments revealed far more interesting behavior. QDs up to approximately 4.2 nm diameter were observed to diffuse into HCT 116 cells cell at the site of irradiation only. However, once inside their relatively large hydrodynamic radii coupled with the high viscosity and crowding within the cell led to them retaining the shape of the irradiated region for extended periods, allowing us the ability to tattoo cells with long-lasting shapes as shown in Figure 1 . QDs of >4.5 nm diameter, however, were excluded from the cell interior, although became adsorbed to the cell surface allowing their selective bleaching via two-photon processes. These pore diameters remained essentially constant for a given cell line, from the first sign of payload delivery at minimal laser power through to the cells' eventual lysis at much higher irradiation intensities. High intensities could also trigger flash boiling of the medium, centered upon the site of irradiation, and even etch the a-Si surface itself, producing patterns with features of the order of 2 µm (although generally with rough edges). This lack of strong temperature dependence above a critical threshold is indicative of some structure or physical force maintaining the pore size (as opposed to the pore size scaling with irradiation intensity, as seen in classical photoporation experiments [14] ).

A range of probes were used to observe and measure the extent of cellular poration: propidium iodide was used initially for proof-of-concept work, while characterization of the pore structure and the dynamics of payload delivery was accomplished using CdTe quantum dots (QDs) of a range of diameters, between approximately 3 nm7nm.

This lack of strong temperature dependence above a critical threshold is indicative of some structure or physical force maintaining the pore size (as opposed to the pore size scaling with irradiation intensity, as seen in classical photoporation experiments).


The toolkit of techniques that makes up the bulk of biochemical research has achieved many notable successes and has provided us with our first real glimpses into the fundamental workings of the cell, but the miniscule sample volumes presented by individual cell means that the approaches are unsuitable for the analysis of anything less than ensembles of tens of thousands of cells. This is a serious limitation, as stochastic processes have been demonstrated to make a substantial if not the dominant role in any number of cellular responses, even amongst supposedly clonal cell cultures [1] . This leads to a significant loss of resolution as a major percentage of a tissue sample or culture must respond similarly in order to be detected, and meaning that outliers and rare cells (such as potentially dangerous cancer precursor cells damaged through oxidative stress) are lost into the noise [2] .

This is a serious limitation, as stochastic processes have been demonstrated to make a substantial if not the dominant role in any number of cellular responses, even amongst supposedly clonal cell cultures.

This leads to a significant loss of resolution as a major percentage of a tissue sample or culture must respond similarly in order to be detected, and meaning that outliers and rare cells (such as potentially dangerous cancer precursor cells damaged through oxidative stress) are lost into the noise.


Here we present a novel, optically-mediated cell poration technique which combines a gentle and nondestructive approach with single-micron spatial precision. This technique has demonstrated high reproducibility across cell lines alongside essentially quantitative success rates and post-experimental cell viability, and for the first time allows the direct delivery of material to regions of interest at a sub-cellular level [10] . Quantitative investigations and computer modelling of the structure and dynamics of the pore formation process has suggested a mechanism radically different from those previously identified, based upon rapid and reversible changes within the lipids of the cell's plasma membrane itself.

This technique has demonstrated high reproducibility across cell lines alongside essentially quantitative success rates and post-experimental cell viability, and for the first time allows the direct delivery of material to regions of interest at a sub-cellular level.


Thus, the nuclear signal-initiated template, that is released to cytosol in the form of signal-determined array of RNAs, dictates production of the specific variety of transport vesicles. In comparison, the presently supported hypothesis based on the associated protein function cannot withstand the requirements that are obligatory for cohesive and cell genuine restitution. Under the conditions described in the latter concept, it is not achievable that multiplicity of membranes, their receptors, and the integral proteins would be synthesized and precisely embedded. Such integration can only be accomplished if the translation and membrane synthesis is synchronized in time and space [2] [3] [4] .

Such integration can only be accomplished if the translation and membrane synthesis is synchronized in time and space.


While the initial impression of the nuclear membranes restitution seemed to set apart the processes contributing to the transport of cytosolic proteins to nucleus, the fact that nuclear membrane represents a portion of endoplasmic continuum provided explanation for lack of vesicular transport. As our previous studies revealed, the continued ER membrane that envelopes nuclear contents is restored by progressive lateral movement of ER membrane that is evoked by the synthesis of membrane lipids and specific modification of the PI into PIPs serving as cytosolic protein receptors and transporters. The lipid synthesis-induced movement through one nuclear pore provides nucleus with newly translated nuclear proteins and the renewal of INM, while through the other pore site emerges the newly refurbished INM exporting nuclear components transcribed in response to the entering signal from cytosolic site. In our interpretation, the lateral movement of the nuclear portion of the ER continuum endows nucleus with a steady influx of cytosolic signal proteins, and the ER with steady influx of the membrane that is conditioned to generate vesicles according to nucleus delivered template [13, 18, 36, 49] .

In our interpretation, the lateral movement of the nuclear portion of the ER continuum endows nucleus with a steady influx of cytosolic signal proteins, and the ER with steady influx of the membrane that is conditioned to generate vesicles according to nucleus delivered template.


Most studies in agricultural economics explain the pattern of coordination from the point of view of the markets. Prices and quantities are the only variables required to perform the analysis, while the role of institutions is largely ignored. Recent literature has shown that this approach does not match the reality. Contracts instead of prices are the prevailing mechanisms of coordination between farming, food processing and consumers (MacDonald, 2006) . Moreover, the institutional environment plays a fundamental role in the formulation of private strategies and of public policies. Contracts prevail among farmers that form marketing cooperatives, farmers that sell genetically modified free commodities to traders, and farmers that supply organic food to supermarkets, just to name few examples.

Contracts instead of prices are the prevailing mechanisms of coordination between farming, food processing and consumers.


The presence of bile in the hepatoduodenal ligament, retroperitoneum, or abdominal cavity, which in fact can be hidden by hemoperitoneum, is an indicator of bile duct injury [4, [13] [14] [15] . The presence of hematoma in the hepatoduodenal ligament and injury to the liver, duodenum, or gallbladder may also be associated with bile duct injury. This justifies the Kocher maneuver and mobilization of hepatic flexure of the colon, beyond the exploration of the porta hepatis, after obtaining control of any bleeding [11, 16] . In the second case herein, the presence of bile leakage after cholecystectomy and a hematoma in the hepatoduodenal ligament lead to the identification of the injury. If the dissection does not identify the lesion, the diagnosis is not made and an intraoperative cholangiography through the gallbladder or cystic duct should be performed [11] [12] [13] .

The presence of bile in the hepatoduodenal ligament, retroperitoneum, or abdominal cavity, which in fact can be hidden by hemoperitoneum, is an indicator of bile duct injury.

This justifies the Kocher maneuver and mobilization of hepatic flexure of the colon, beyond the exploration of the porta hepatis, after obtaining control of any bleeding.

If the dissection does not identify the lesion, the diagnosis is not made and an intraoperative cholangiography through the gallbladder or cystic duct should be performed.


The author recently developed a more general threedimensional numerical model for the simulation of transient heat and moisture transfer in soil with a horizontally coupled earth -air heat exchanger for preheating and cooling of buildings [19] . The model included all the principal interactions of heat and moisture transfer in soil and between the atmosphere, soil, heat exchanger and supply air passing through the heat exchanger. It was then used to investigate the potential of earth -air heat exchangers for preheating supply air in the UK conditions and compare the results with those from a simplified analytical model for soil temperature and an axi-symmetric model for the whole computational domain [20] . Results from the simplified models were found to differ significantly from the general numerical model. The numerical model has been used for further simulation of the performance of earth-air heat exchangers for both preheating and cooling of supply air in building ventilation. In this paper, results using the model are presented. Emphasis is placed on the impacts of the interactions on the predicted performance in terms of the amount and rate of heat transfer and the temperatures of the heat exchanger and supply air.

The author recently developed a more general threedimensional numerical model for the simulation of transient heat and moisture transfer in soil with a horizontally coupled earth -air heat exchanger for preheating and cooling of buildings.

It was then used to investigate the potential of earth -air heat exchangers for preheating supply air in the UK conditions and compare the results with those from a simplified analytical model for soil temperature and an axi-symmetric model for the whole computational domain.