In the face of ASEAN open market, the actors (Fast Moving Consumer Goods industry) must increasingly explore patterns of business development because of tough competition and challenges in the market. One of strategy for surviving in high competition is retain the customer loyalty. The data were usually obtained from various sources and contains heterogeneous features, such as numerical and non-numerical features. The datasets with heterogeneous features can affect feature selection results that are not appropriate because of the difficulty of evaluating heterogeneous features concurrently. In this paper, we propose a method that combine the features transformation and subset selection based on mutual information to obtain feature subset that able to improve performance classification algorithm. Analysis comparative among before feature subset selection, dynamic mutual information (DMI) methods, p-value methods and researcher estimate were also done. Feature transformation (FT) is another way to handle the selection of heterogeneous features. The datasets were obtained from the survey of customers fast moving consumer goods, with a total of 386 respondents. By applying unsupervised feature transformation and dynamic mutual information methods, can be known the relevant features that affected the performance of decision tree algorithm. The accuracy and F-measure increased of the DMIunsupervised-feature-transformation compared to all features (without features subset selection), p-value methods and manual features subset selection. The accuracy and F-measure for DMI-unsupervised-feature transformation are 76.68% and 73.5% respectively.


The increasing development in technological capabilities and resources is pushing the transportation industry to implement new and better technologies to improve techniques for collecting travel behavior data for transportation planning applications. Travel surveys are the most common procedure used for this task and the development of more efficient ways to gather data is a major concern for transportation agencies. Improvement of data collection methods would produce great benefits for policy makers and taxpayers because of potential savings in time, cost and resources. The ever-increasing availability of the Internet creates an opportunity for a potentially more efficient, less costly means of collecting travel behavior data. An efficient Internet-based travel survey has the potential of being a very effective means of collecting data for inclusion into transportation planning models (e.g., trip generation, distribution). This project examines the usefulness of an Internet survey through a pilot study in Huntsville, Alabama. The study specifically addresses the data (types, range, etc) obtained from the Internet travel survey and efficacy of applying the collected data for transportation planning applications.


This paper applies embedding knowledge into model based design method, an efficient and cost-effective way to develop embedded systems. The approach is based on a single design description in the graphical Matlab/Simulink environment that is used for FPGA emulation, ASIC design, verification and chip testing. This simulation-based approach gives a better understanding of design alternatives and tradeoffs than traditional prototype-based design methodologies. It enables to optimize design to meet predefined performance criteria. The methodology is tested for designing VCO and the simulation results confirm the efficiency of presented methodology.


The problem of a conducting sphere with a dielectric coating under the influence of an electrostatic field (primary) is solved by employing Kelvin transformation or the method of inversion. The primary field is assumed to be regular inside the body but otherwise arbitrary. The solution consists of linear combinations of the primary field, its inverted version, and weighted integrals thereof. Physical interpretation of the solution in terms of Neumann images reveals that there are point charges and line charges. The strengths of these charges depend on several parameters, including the orientation angle of the observer, a feature attributable to the layered nature of the object. This aspect of the solution is investigated in some detail, and numerical results are presented. The Kelvin solution presented here should converge faster than the conventional one consisting of an infinite sum of spherical harmonics. It is further believed that extension to other geometries such as a two-layered dielectric sphere should pose no new difficulties.


~i 1 Photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) with a stepped raised-core profile and one layer equally spaced holes in /iiinia, 1 the cladding are analyzed. Using effective index method and considering a raised step refractive index i difference between the index of the core and the effective index of the cladding, we improve the charac,velop- I teristic parameters such as numerical aperture and V-parameter, and reduce its bending loss to about one 1 tenth of a converltional PCF. Implementing such a structure in PCFs may be one step forward to achieve ILIIZ~CS, 1 low loss PCFs for communication applications. 1 OCIS codes: 060.2270, 060.2280, 060.2310, 060.2330. I


Abstract Rationale: Idiopathic ventricular tachycardia (VT) occurs in individuals without structural abnormalities in the heart, accounts for approximately 10% of total VTs. Furthermore, approximately 70% of idiopathic VTs originate from Right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT). However, among perioperative arrhythmias, incidence of VT after surgery is extremely rare and most arrhythmias are atrial origin. Patient concerns: A 69-year-old man with permanent pacemaker underwent colon surgery. Diagnoses: Patient suffered from low blood pressure and dizziness, sweating at post anesthetic care unit (PACU) and heart rate (HR) increased suddenly to 200 beats/min with monomorphic VT after bolus ephedrine administration and continuous dopamine infusion. Interventions: Pacemaker interrogation followed by DC cardioversion was done. Outcomes: Patient's vital signs became normal and symptoms are subsided. Lessons: RVOT VT can be caused by triggering activities, such as ephedrine, dopamine, and inadequate fluid management. These triggering activities are initiated by acceleration of HR from ventricles with infusion of catecholamine which lead monomorphic VT originating from RVOT. RVOT origin PVCs can be precipitated into monomorphic VT by administrating catecholamines such as ephedrine and dopamine even in patient with pacemaker. The mechanism of these VTs includes catecholamine induced acceleration of HR. Since RVOT PVCs can be recognize by 12 EKGs, we should be pay more attentions to the pre-operation EKG and be cautious using catecholamines.


Intuitionistic fuzzy theory is an excellent tool to represent uncertainty and vagueness in fuzzy multi criteria decision making problems. When intuitionistic fuzzy numbers are used to express fuzzy information, they need to compare with each other to indicate the relative importance or priority. This paper reviews an existed method of ranking two intuitionistic fuzzy numbers, and further defines another ranking method based on probabilities. Then we present two step-by-step processes to rank intuitionistic fuzzy numbers based on probabilities and both hesitations and probabilities, respectively. Each process is illustrated by a numerical example and its own available range or condition is discussed as well.


Shipping plays an important role in the world's economic development and has always been characterized as a relatively risky business. With an increasing awareness of environmental protection and safety issues, research into maritime risk assessment has become a major factor for marine companies when making their operating decisions, and is therefore an important research domain. It is found that the traditional and simplest way to estimate the probability of maritime accidents is to consider accident statistics or expert estimation. However, both of these methods have certain limitations. This book is based on the safety performance of global vessels and has found various risk indicators that can be used to indicate the probability of an accident. An innovative approach toward integrating logistic regression and a Bayesian Network together into risk assessment was presented. This approach has been developed and applied to a case study in the maritime industry. It can apply to other industries as well. Finally, a case study applying this risk assessment approach in the port state control program is presented.


Trace amine-associated receptors (TAARs) are a group of G protein-coupled receptors that are expressed in the olfactory epithelium, central nervous system, and periphery. TAAR family generally consists of nine types of receptors (TAAR1-9), which can detect biogenic amines. During the last 5 years, the TAAR5 receptor became one of the most intriguing receptors in this subfamily. Recent studies revealed that TAAR5 is involved not only in sensing socially relevant odors but also in the regulation of dopamine and serotonin transmission, emotional regulation, and adult neurogenesis by providing significant input from the olfactory system to the limbic brain areas. Such results indicate that future antagonistic TAAR5-based therapies may have high pharmacological potential in the field of neuropsychiatric disorders. TAAR5 is known to be expressed in leucocytes as well. To evaluate potential hematological side effects of such future treatments we analyzed several hematological parameters in mice lacking TAAR5. In these mutants, we observed minor but significant changes in the osmotic fragility test of erythrocytes and hematocrit levels. At the same time, analysis of other parameters including complete blood count and reticulocyte levels showed no significant alterations in TAAR5 knockout mice. Thus, TAAR5 gene knockout leads to minor negative changes in the erythropoiesis or eryptosis processes, and further research in that field is needed. The impact of TAAR5 deficiency on other hematological parameters seems minimal. Such negative, albeit minor, effects of TAAR5 deficiency should be taken into account during future TAAR5-based therapy development.


Background: The correlation between the urinary 6β-hydroxycortisol/17-hydroxycorticosteroids (6β-OHF/17-OHCS) ratio and the metabolic capacity of the most abundant form of hepatic cytochrome P450 (CYP3A4) after induction remains unclear. Methods: Concentrations of 6β-OHF and 17-OHCS in spot urine specimens obtained from 61 epileptic children receiving continuous carbamazepine therapy were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. The relationship between the urinary 6β-OHF/17-OHCS ratio and the serum carbamazepine concentration, corrected for dose and body weight, was examined. Results: Serum carbamazepine was inversely associated with the urinary 6β-OHF/17-OHCS ratio, and the hyperbolic relationship between the two parameters was statistically significant (P < 0.01). Discussion: Carbamazepine is well known as a potent inducer and a substrate of hepatic CYP3A4. The present results suggest that measurement of the urinary 6βOHF/17-OHCS ratio is helpful for assessing individuals' hepatic CYP3A4 capacity after enzyme induction.


In the last two or three decades many New Zealanders have collected and treasured consumer goods manufactured and often designed in this country in the post-war period. These items are valued not necessarily for their quality but because they were local and symbolic of emergent understandings of national autonomy and distinctiveness. In a time when global corporations flood national markets with low-cost generic goods produced where there is low-cost labour, there is an international movement by 'baby boomer' collectors to conserve items produced in their nations when they were young.


Abstract. This study investigates the Caledonian metamorphic and tectonic evolution in northern Norway, examining the structure and tectonostratigraphy of the Reisa Nappe Complex (RNC; from bottom to top, Vaddas, Kåfjord and Nordmannvik nappes). Structural data, phase equilibrium modelling, and U-Pb zircon and titanite geochronology are used to constrain the timing and P-T conditions of deformation and metamorphism that formed the nappes and facilitated crustal thickening during continental collision. Five samples taken from different parts of the RNC reveal an anticlockwise P-T path attributed to the effects of early Silurian heating followed by thrusting. An early Caledonian S1 foliation in the Nordmannvik Nappe records kyanite-grade partial melting at ~ 760–790 °C and ~ 9.4–11 kbar. Leucosomes formed at 439 ± 2 Ma (U-Pb zircon) in fold axial planes in the Nordmannvik Nappe indicate that compressional deformation initiated while the rocks were still partially molten. This stage was followed by pervasive solid-state shearing as the rocks cooled and solidified, forming the S2 foliation at 680–730 °C and 9.5–10.9 kbar. Multistage titanite growth in the Nordmannvik Nappe records this extended metamorphism between 444 and 427 Ma. In the underlying Kåfjord Nappe, garnet cores record lower P-T (590–610 °C and 5.5–6.8 kbar) but a similar geothermal gradient as the S1 migmatitic event in the Nordmannvik Nappe, indicating formation at a higher relative position in the crust. S2 shearing in the Kåfjord Nappe occurred at 580–605 °C and 9.2–10.1 kbar, indicating a considerable pressure increase during nappe stacking. Gabbro intruded in the Vaddas Nappe at 439 ± 1 Ma, synchronously with migmatization in the Nordmannvik Nappe. In the Vaddas Nappe S2 shearing occurred at 630–640 ºC and 11.7–13 kbar. Titanite growth along the lower RNC boundary records S2-shearing at 432 ± 6 Ma. It emerges that early Silurian heating (~ 440 Ma), probably resulting from large-scale magma underplating, initiated partial melting that weakened the lower crust, which facilitated dismembering of the crust into individual nappe units. This tectonic style contrasts subduction of mechanically strong continental crust to great depths.


With an advantage of "single-sided welding and double-sided forming," plasma arc welding (PAW) has a great application potential in modern industrial production. The welding quality can be guaranteed by sensing and controlling of the keyhole. However, it is difficult to make an on-line observation on the back of base metal, and realize a dynamic registration of the visual sensor and welding torch. In this study, it has investigated the relationship between the welding condition and image feature of keyhole. Image processing is designed to obtain the weld pool image and conduct a template matching of the keyhole. The target feature of weld zone will be extracted and processed in real time. Besides, it has designed a digital controller for the welding robot and power source in this study and discussed control method to stabilize the keyhole and achieve good welding quality. Eventually, experiments are conducted to inspect the comprehensive performance of the welding control system with varying disturbance. This study is of important significance for the visual sensing and controlling of the keyhole in PAW. It will provide technical support for the weld quality control, and promote the development of welding technology based on machine vision in intelligent manufacturing field.


BACKGROUND/AIMS
Suicide is one of the most serious public health challenges; yet determining optimal methods for preventing suicide in adolescents continues to be an elusive goal. The aim of this study was to investigate possible benefits and untoward effects of suicide-prevention public service announcements (PSAs) for adolescents.

METHODS
Adolescent participants (N = 426; 56% female) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (a) a billboard simulation, (b) a 30-s TV ad simulation, and (c) a no-information condition.

RESULTS
The results of this study suggest some benefits for the information conveyed by the TV ad (e.g., more knowledgeable about depression). Few benefits were noted for adolescents who were exposed to billboard simulation, and the results raised substantial concerns about possible untoward effects, particularly in adolescents who were exhibiting depressive or suicidal symptoms. Billboard viewers were less likely to favor help-seeking attitudes, perceived PSAs as being less useful, and endorsed more maladaptive coping.

CONCLUSIONS
More research is urgently needed so that well-intended efforts to prevent suicide can more optimally serve the desired goals.


Financial reporting around the time of IPOs is consistent with listed firms reporting more conservatively than previously as private firms, consistent with the results in Ball and Shivakumar (2005). We hypothesize that IPO firms supply the higher quality financial reports demanded by public investors, who face higher information asymmetry than private investors. The market mechanisms for enforcing this demand include monitoring by internal and external auditors, boards, analysts, rating agencies, the press and other parties. Once public, firms are subject to greater regulatory scrutiny and penalties. From the point of releasing the public prospectus document onwards, IPO firms face a greater threat of shareholder litigation and regulatory action if they do not meet higher reporting standards. The evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of this hypothesis. We show that the evidence reported by Teoh, Welch and Wong (1998) in support of the alternative hypothesis, that IPO firms opportunistically inflate earnings to influence the IPO price, is unreliable for a variety of reasons. We provide cleaner evidence, from samples of U.K. and U.S. IPOs, that IPO prospectus financials are conservative by several standards. We conjecture that the types of bias we observe in conventional estimates of "discretionary" accruals occur in a broad genre of studies on earnings management around large transactions and events.


Abstract 3308

Gas6 is the ligand for the TAM family of receptors, which are composed of three members namely Tyro3, Axl and Mer. These receptors belong to the large family of type I transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinases. Our laboratory has identified important intracellular signaling pathways important in gas6-Axl mediated protection of endothelial cells from apoptosis. However, as both gas6 and Axl null mice are protected from lethal thromboembolism, we sought to explore novel gas6-Axl intracellular signaling pathways regulating thrombosis. Caveolae have been shown to play a crucial role in the activation of signaling cascades following ligand binding to receptor tyrosine kinases. Caveolae are formed from lipid rafts by polymerization of caveolins. Caveolin-1 is the most abundant protein found in caveolae. Caveolin-1-enriched microdomains are well known to play a role as a docking platform for receptor tyrosine kinases and intracellular adaptor signaling proteins. Axl association with these highly specialized domains of the plasma membrane has not been previously elucidated. In the present study, we investigated the role of caveolin-1-enriched microdomains in gas6/Axl signaling in endothelial cells. First, we demonstrated that gas6-induced Akt and Erk1/2 phosphorylation required the presence of a functional Axl receptor as shown by Axl siRNA knockdown experiments in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Then, caveolin-1 fractions, enriched by a detergent-free cell lysis followed by sucrose gradient ultra centrifugation, were studied by western blot analysis. After 5 and 10 min of gas6 treatment, Axl colocalized with caveolin-1 suggesting Axl recruitment into caveolin-1-enriched cell fractions. We found that c-Src, a signaling molecule known to behave as a transient docking platform in lipid rafts, also moved in caveolin-1-enriched cell fractions after gas6 stimulation. Caveolin-1 siRNA abolished gas6-induced Akt, Erk1/2 and c-Src phosphorylation suggesting that caveolin-1 enriched fractions are required for gas6-Axl signaling. Interestingly, we have shown that gas6-induced Akt phosphorylation required c-Src activation using c-Src siRNA and the pharmacological inhibitor (PP2). However, gas6-induced Erk1/2 phosphorylation was independent of c-Src. Finally, we found that gas6 increased tissue factor expression through the Axl-c-Src-Akt signaling cascade. Taken together, our results demonstrate that caveolin-1-enriched domains are required for gas6-Axl signaling and lead to the upregulation of tissue factor expression by gas6 in endothelial cells. These results highlight new insights of gas6-Axl signaling and function in endothelial cells.

Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


A modular parallel robotic system consists of a collection of individual standard units that can be assembled into various robot configurations for a diversity of task requirements. This paper is focused on the design and kinematic analysis of modular reconfigurable parallel robots. A set of fundamental modules is considered. A local frame representation of the product-of-exponentials (POE) formula, i.e., the local POE formula, is employed for the kinematic analysis of modular parallel robots. Two forward displacement analysis algorithms and a workspace visualization scheme are presented for a class of 3-leg modular parallel robots. Computation examples are also given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms. The kinematic formulation shows that the local POE formula is a systematic and well-structured method for the kinematic analysis of parallel robots.


Summary We review the current literature relating to mental health following terrorist attacks. Studies assessing symptoms of stress in the general population and those assessing the mental health of direct victims are considered. Use of mental health services following an attack is reviewed and recommendations are offered.


We introduce a discriminative approach to vocabulary independent term frequency estimation. Using two separate corpora and recognition systems, we show that our model can perform significantly better than a previously established generative model at this task.


This study intends to propose a combination of systems thinking and policy networks perspective in developing network accountability of contracting out social services. Both systems thinking and policy networks have been applied to public policy analysis for many years. As a perspective that emphasizes the whole rather than fragmented parts, systems thinking has been considered effective in uncovering structural flaws that limit system performance and explaining why a well-intended policy intervention fails to produce expected results. The strength of systems thinking is to offer system actors: 1) an active perspective of their own role in the system, 2) a holistic view of the system, and furthermore, 3) the leverage solutions for improving system performance. On the other hand, the concept of policy networks emphasizes interdependent relations among network participants and their resource exchanges. This concept can help network participants identify themselves as resource holders rather than passive actors merely responding to reality. This paper attempts to examine the similarities and differences between systems thinking and policy networks. This study believes that a system of accountability can be constructed more completely by altering self-recognition of network actors, thus improving system performance.


The circadian clock located in the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) of the hypothalamus regulates daily temporal organization in behaviour and neuroendocrine function. The molecular basis for circadian rhythm generation is an interacting transcriptional/translational feedback loop comprised of several 'clock genes' and their respective protein products. Clock genes are expressed not only in the SCN but also in numerous other locations throughout the brain, including regions rich in neuroendocrine cells. In order to investigate whether neuroendocrine cells function as autonomous oscillators, we used female transgenic mice in which an unstable, degradable jellyfish green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene is driven by a mouse Period 1 (Per1) gene promoter. Mice were injected (s.c.) with fluorogold (FG) in order to label neuroendocrine cells and brain sections were double‐labelled for either FG and Per1 mRNA (labelled by GFP immunostaining) or FG and PER1 protein using fluorescence immunocytochemistry. Mice were killed during either the day or night. Neuroendocrine cells contained Per1 mRNA and PER1 protein in several brain regions with the greatest proportion of double‐labelled cells occurring in the arcuate nucleus (Arc). The number of neuroendocrine cells labelled was not affected by the stage of the estrous cycle. Fewer FG‐labelled cells expressed Per1 message and protein during the night compared to the day. In the Arc, staining for tyrosine hydroxylase revealed that neuroendocrine cells expressing Per1 message and protein were dopaminergic. Together, these findings suggest that neuroendocrine cells contain the molecular machinery necessary to oscillate independently. It remains to be determined whether these cells actually function as autonomous oscillators or whether these rhythms are driven by signals from the SCN. These findings also indicate that the endocrine system represents an opportunity to study the interactions between central (SCN and neuroendocrine cells) and peripheral circadian (endocrine gland) oscillators.


Background A recent national review of English ambulance services, Taking Healthcare to the Patient: Transforming NHS Ambulance Services, 1 published by the Department of Health, recommended that pre-hospital care research topics should be prioritised to ensure that service provision and development are evidence based wherever possible and that limited available funds are targeted to the most pressing needs. Study objectives To identify gaps in research evidence related to delivery of pre-hospital care; and to rank topics in order of priority for research. Methods Research priorities were initially identified by delegates at the UK Ambulance Service Association's annual conference, AMBEX 2006. An examination of research reviews in pre-hospital care identified other research evidence gaps. Relevant websites, databases and review bibliographies were also searched. Management, service delivery and treatment recommendations in UK policy/guidance documents published since 2000 were matched to research evidence. A list of evidence gaps was circulated in a Delphi-style three-round consultation to experts in pre-hospital care, including clinicians, managers and researchers. Round 1 confirmed/identified research gaps; Round 2 focussed on ranking topics; and Round 3 reviewed the scores and provided an option to rescore. Scores were analysed using SPSS. Results Ninety-six research issues were identified for circulation and prioritisation from 52 reviews and expert consultation and these were matched against 30 policy and guidance documents. Forty people participated in the Delphi exercise. The subject receiving highest priority for research was the development of new performance measures other than emergency ambulance response times. Other highly ranked priorities included treatment of stroke, cardiac conditions, children and people who self-harm; alternatives to Accident and Emergency (A&E) treatment; patient information sharing across care providers; access issues; decision support systems; and demand management systems for pre-hospital care. These priorities reflect three key issues: measuring activity to benefit patients; development of safe non-A&E care; and providing appropriate evidence-based clinical care in the pre-hospital environment. Implications There are many evidence gaps related to current pre-hospital policy and practice including management, clinical and service delivery issues. This Delphi consultation combines expertise of clinicians, managers and researchers to generate consensus on future research priorities in pre-hospital care. The need to develop meaningful performance measures plus alternative methods of patient management illustrates the synergistic relationship between service delivery and performance measurement. It suggests an opportunity to identify alternatives to response times as indicators of quality of pre-hospital care. The final results from this study will be useful to commissioners when developing their strategic approach to decision making about which research should be funded to facilitate continued development of quality patient care in the pre-hospital setting.


ABSTRACT A total of 11 parasitic endohelminth taxa were found in 7 fresh-water fish species of the subfamily Goodeinae in Zacapu Lake, Michoacan, Mexico. Six were adults ( Margotrema cf. bravoae , Phyllodistomum sp., Saccocoelioides sogandaresi, Rhabdochona lichtenfelsi , Bothriocephalus acheilognathi and Caryophillidae gen. sp.), while the remaining 5 taxa ( Clinostomum complanatum , Posthodiplostomum minimum , Tylodelphis sp., Eustrongylides sp. and Polymorphus brevis ) were larvae. The taxa S. sogandaresi , Tylodelphis sp., and R. lichtenfelsi reached the highest levels of prevalence and mean abundance among all hosts, while the ces-todes B. acheilognathi and Caryophillidae gen. sp. showed the lowest values. This study contributes with the inventory of the freshwater fish helminth fauna in Central Mexico Plateau, and particularly with the previous work that has been done with Goo-deinae, a subfamily of freshwater fishes endemic to that part of the country. Key words: Central Mexico Plateau, Goodeinae, helminth para-sites.


l-Lactate dehydrogenase (l-LDH) of Lactobacillus casei (LCLDH) is a typical bacterial allosteric l-LDH that requires fructose 1,6-bisphosphate (FBP) for its enzyme activity. A mutant LCLDH was designed to introduce an inter-subunit salt bridge network at the Q-axis subunit interface, mimicking Lactobacillus pentosus non-allosteric l-LDH (LPLDH). The mutant LCLDH exhibited high catalytic activity with hyperbolic pyruvate saturation curves independently of FBP, and virtually the equivalent K(m) and V(m) values at pH 5.0 to those of the fully activated wild-type enzyme with FBP, although the K(m) value was slightly improved with FBP or Mn(2+) at pH 7.0. The mutant enzyme exhibited a markedly higher apparent denaturating temperature (T(1/2)) than the wild-type enzyme in the presence of FBP, but showed an even lower T(1/2) without FBP, where it exhibited higher activation enthalpy of inactivation (ΔH(‡)). This result is consistent with the fact that the active state is more unstable than the inactive state in allosteric equilibrium of LCLDH. The LPLDH-like network appears to be conserved in many bacterial non-allosteric l-LDHs and dimeric l-malate dehydrogenases, and thus to be a key for the functional divergence of bacterial l-LDHs during evolution.


Ni based super alloys have been used for blades and vanes of the aeroengine hardware. The main purpose of these alloys is to provide the high temperature strength under aggressive environments. However, the alloying elements used donor yield the desired resistance against oxidation to the components. In order to provide optimum oxidation resistance and enhance engine working efficiency, a system of the coating is applied which is usually called thermal barrier coating or TBC system typically comprising of two films or layers i.e. ceramic one which is topcoat (TC) and an underlying metallic layer as a bond coat (BC). One of the crucial parts of the TBC system is the nickel aluminides (βNiAl) that are used as BC material. This research involves the preparation of the nickel aluminide coatings onto CMSX-4 superalloy using pack or in-situ chemical vapour deposition (CVD) method. Coating quality produced is dependent on the processing parameters or conditions consequently influencing the TBC lifetimes. Therefore, this research investigates the influence of (in-situ CVD) processing parameters i.e. Al contents, time, temperature, and activator contents on the βNiAl coatings. The coating characterisation was carried out by utilising field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) equipped with EDS and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results demonstrated that all of these parameters affect the coating thickness and micro structural evolutions significantly except activator which has mild effect. In particular, coating time was observed to be more pronounced i.e. coating thickness was found to be increased proportionally as the time. The discussion is presented on the deposition mechanisms and micro structural features of the coatings.


The world has transitioned into a new phase of online learning in response to the recent Covid19 pandemic. Now more than ever, it has become paramount to push the limits of online learning in every manner to keep flourishing the education system. One crucial component of online learning is Knowledge Tracing (KT). The aim of KT is to model student's knowledge level based on their answers to a sequence of exercises referred as interactions. Students acquire their skills while solving exercises and each such interaction has a distinct impact on student ability to solve a future exercise. This impact is characterized by 1) the relation between exercises involved in the interactions and 2) student forget behavior. Traditional studies on knowledge tracing do not explicitly model both the components jointly to estimate the impact of these interactions. In this paper, we propose a novel Relation-aware self-attention model for Knowledge Tracing (RKT). We introduce a relation-aware self-attention layer that incorporates the contextual information. This contextual information integrates both the exercise relation information through their textual content as well as student performance data and the forget behavior information through modeling an exponentially decaying kernel function. Extensive experiments on three real-world datasets, among which two new collections are released to the public, show that our model outperforms state-of-the-art knowledge tracing methods. Furthermore, the interpretable attention weights help visualize the relation between interactions and temporal patterns in the human learning process.


Annotation. Purpose: study the effect of various features on the structure and orientation of exercise routines on the level of development of force capabilities bodybuilders on stage specialized basic training. Material: studies participated 60 athletes (age 18-19 years, the experience of training 5 years). The study used a method of determining the index of the training load for the power sports. Level security features athletes determined by control testing. Control of the studied parameters was carried out for 4 months training at intervals of 1 month. Results: it was found that under conditions similar level of fitness athletes and structure your workout performance power load and the nature of their changes depend on the particular mode of training (in this study from the application of the basic sequence variative and isolation exercises). Conclusions: the use of pilot training in integrated mode with alternating motor activity using the basic priority and isolation exercises for no more than 2 microcycles have the most significant positive impact on the increase in power performance parameters of athletes (on average by 26.5% p <0.05)) .


On September 22nd, 2011 the Italian Competition Authority (hereinafter, ICA) fined four local associations of companies, artisans and cooperatives for concerted practices aimed at fixing the…


Background: Vitamin D is essential for the gastrointestinal absorption of calcium and mechanical integrity of the musculoskeletal system. It can be ingested and is also produced in the skin by the action of ultraviolet (UV) sunlight on 7-dehydro-cholesterol, converting it to cholecalciferol. Given the risks of exposure to sunlight and convenient availability of sunblock lotions, many people tend to rely on the oral intake of vitamin D. In the United States milk is routinely fortified with vitamin D and is one of the primary dietary sources of the vitamin. Hypovitaminosis D is nevertheless quite prevalent and has been associated with a number of pathologies. Objective: The purpose of our study is to determine whether the rate of cholecalciferol biodegradation in fortified milk is accelerated by exposure to direct sunlight. Methods: This study was conducted on a sunny day when the temperature was 72°F. Commercially available skim milk was used. Three clear glass containers of milk were placed under direct sunlight, 3 in an adjacent shaded area, and 3 in a refrigerator. Samples from each container were obtained at 0, 5, 10, 30, 60, and 90 minutes. The modified AOAC Official Method 992.26 and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were utilized to extract and analyze cholecalciferol, and the Vitamin D content (mg/L) was calculated using the BeerLambert law. Results: Our data show that the vitamin D content of fortified milk decreases significantly (to about 80% of its original value) over a period of 60 minutes when exposed to direct sunlight. The vitamin D content of fortified milk kept unrefrigerated in shade also decreases over a period of 60 minutes (by about 10%), but the vitamin D content of samples kept refrigerated remains largely unchanged. Conclusions: Vitamin D degradation in milk exposed to sunshine occurs steadily over a period of 10 minutes to 60 minutes, leveling off between 60 and 90 minutes. Vitamin D content of fortified milk stored in a refrigerator remains consistent throughout the time period tested.


In humans, trisomy 21 results in a specific phenotype known as Down syndrome (DS). The mechanism by which an extra copy of normal genes leads to the DS phenotype is unknown. Most studies in DS and other aneuploid organisms have shown that gene dose is proportional to gene expression. To date, most genes examined have encoded either metabolic enzymes or constitutively expressed products. In the trisomy 16 mouse, an animal model of DS, we found marked dysregulation of two developmentally regulated genes, App and Prn‐p. Dysregulation varied from tissue to tissue and during development in the same tissue. We conclude that abnormal phenotypes seen in aneuploid conditions may result in part from disordered expression of developmentally regulated genes.


Emerging infectious diseases are one of the multiple factors contributing to the current "biodiversity crisis". As part of the worldwide biodiversity crisis, amphibian populations are declining globally. Chytridiomycosis, an emerging infectious disease, caused by the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), is a major cause of amphibian population declines. This fungus primarily affects keratinized structures in larval, juvenile, and adult amphibians as well as heart function. However, we know little about how Bd can impact embryos as well as potential latent effects of Bd exposure over ontogeny. Using two different Bd strains and multiple exposure times, we examined the effects of Bd exposure in Pacific chorus frog (Pseudacris regilla), Western toad (Anaxyrus boreas) and American bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus) life stages. Using a factorial experimental design, embryos of these three species were exposed to Bd at early and late embryonic stages, with some individuals re-exposed after hatching. Embryonic Bd exposure resulted in differential survival as a function of host species, Bd strain and timing of exposure. P. regilla experienced embryonic mortality when exposed during later developmental stages to one Bd strain. There were no differences across the treatments in embryonic mortality of A. boreas and embryonic mortality of L. catesbeianus occurred in all Bd exposure treatments. We detected latent effects in A. boreas and L. catesbeianus larvae, as mortality increased when individuals had been exposed to any of the Bd strains during the embryonic stage. We also detected direct effects on larval mortality in all three anuran species as a function of Bd strain, and when individuals were double exposed (late in the embryonic stage and again as larvae). Our results suggest that exposure to Bd can directly affect embryo survival and has direct and latent effects on larvae survival of both native and invasive species. However, these impacts were highly context dependent, with timing of exposure and Bd strain influencing the severity of the effects.


This paper examines the relation between cash-flow availability and investment spending in the Netherlands. In particular, we are interested whether managerial discretion and/or asymmetric information drive the positive relation between cash-flow and investment spending. This relation is positive for both firms with low and high investment opportunities. It is however significantly larger for firms with low investment opportunities suggesting that the managerial-discretion problem is most important in the Dutch setting. Effective corporate-governance may reduce this agency problem. Specific to the Netherlands, firms with low shareholder influence posit a higher cash-flow-investment sensitivity. The relevance of asymmetric information is confirmed as smaller firms and firms from information-sensitive industries show a larger cash-flow-investment sensitivity.


As fiscal restraints tighten around the Canadian health care sector, new graduates find it increasingly difficult to find full-time work. Even experienced nurses who have lost their jobs may find they have to take casual or part-time work.


This paper presents a quick group search optimizer with passive congregation (QGSOPC) for optimum design of pin connected structure. The algorithm is based on the quick group search optimizer (QGSO). The QGSOPC algorithm is verified and compared with the HPSO, GSO and QGSO algorithm used for the designs of two planar and spatial truss structures. The results show that the QGSOPC algorithm not only has preferable convergence rate and accuracy, but also it has the best stability of convergence rate and accuracy. It is desired for QGSOPC to be used more effectively for practical structural optimal design problems.


We report on new hosts and new localities of pseudoscorpions of the genus Epichernes Muchmore, 1982. The three known species of this genus have been found on rodents of the family Heteromyidae. This is the first time that E. aztecus Hentschel, 1982, has been collected on Liomys irroratus Gary, 1868, and L. pictus Thomas, 1893, from the states of Nuevo Leon and Durango, respectively. We found E. navarroi Muchmore, 1990, on Heteromys gaumeri Allen, 1897, in Yucatan; this is a new locality for this pseudoscorpion previously known only from Quintana Roo on the same rodent species.


Ageing affects a wide range of phenotypes at all scales, but an objective measure of ageing remains challenging, even in simple model organisms. We assumed that a wide range of phenotypes at the organismal scale rather than a limited number of biomarkers of ageing would best describe the ageing process. Hundreds of morphological, postural and behavioural features are extracted at once from high resolutions videos. A quantitative model using this multi-parametric dataset can predict the biological age and lifespan of individual C. elegans. We show that the quality of predictions on a held-out data set increases with the number of features added to the model, supporting our initial hypothesis. Despite the large diversity of ageing mechanisms, including stochastic insults, our results highlight a robust ageing trajectory, but variable ageing rates along that trajectory. We show that healthspan, which we defined as the range of abilities of the animals, is correlated to lifespan in wild-type worms.


In a German company polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB)-containing transformers and capacitors were recycled on a large scale. Human biomonitoring revealed a high PCB body burden in workers of the recycling company, in surrounding locations of this plant, in companies in the neighborhood of this plant, and in family members of these employees. In order to clarify whether possible adverse health effects occurred or may occur in the future, a prospective surveillance program was initiated. After an extensive literature search, an interdisciplinary group of experts developed a surveillance program based on current knowledge with respect to possible adverse health effects that might occur in the recycling process of transformers and capacitors. Exposure to various hazardous substances (PCB, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzo-furans [PCDD/F], metals, solvents) was considered. Criteria derived from human biomonitoring results of PCB were used for admission to the program. Participants in the surveillance program are first informed about risks and aims of the program. Subsequently, physicians started a detailed documentation of participants' general and occupational history, with their complaints, diseases, and nutritional habits, as well as information regarding their living areas, by means of a standardized questionnaire. In addition, separate examinations were performed to detect possible neurological, immunological, (neuro)psychological, hormonal, and skin effects. Moreover, DNA exposure as assessed by the comet assay and antioxidative status were determined. The program will be offered at yearly intervals for 3 years, and then at 5 and 10 years after program onset. Until now the program has proved to be feasible, and acceptance among workers and their families has been high. Based on the results, criteria will be developed to define adverse health effects that might be attributable to a hazardous substance exposure.


Russia has been an important player in International Relations already for more than a thousand years. After the collapse of Soviet Union and creation of modern Russia, relations between the West and Russia once again are becoming a main concern for media correspondence and IR analysts. Parties disagree in crucial topics such as Kosovo, Iran, human rights, energy supplies and weapon control. In 2008 Great Brittan's Foreign Ministry has announced that Russia is undemocratic. Do these late events indicate a beginning of New Cold War? Or it is just misconception of the West regarding Russia's democratization process? One thing is clear: there are changes in Russia, and the West should consider having appropriate foreign policy in response. This book will look to modern Russia from a historical perspective in order to better understand its future, as well as suggest way how the west should react to this reappearing power. It is based on four questions constructed into four chapters: Who Russians are?; Where Russia is now?; Where Russia is going?; What does it mean for rest of the west? This analysis will help any interested party to understand why Russia is the way it is.


We probed the "dark" state involved in the protein-quantum dot (QD) interaction using a relaxation-based solution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) approach. We examined the dynamics and exchange kinetics of the ubiquitin-CdTe model system, which undergoes a fast exchange in the transverse relaxation time scale. We applied the recently developed dark-state exchange saturation transfer (DEST), lifetime line broadening (ΔR2), and exchange-induced chemical shift (δex) solution NMR techniques to obtain a residue-specific binding behavior of the protein on the QD surface. The variation in the estimated 15N-R2bound values clearly shows the dynamic nature of bound Ub. Upon mapping the amino acid residues showing a faster relaxation rate on the electrostatic potential surface of the protein, we have determined that the interaction is preferably electrostatic, and the amino acid residues involved in binding lie on the positively charged surface of the protein. We believe that our experimental approach should provide more in-depth knowledge to engineer new hybrid protein-QD systems in the future.


We propose an algorithm for comparative study of plastic smoking mixtures containing synthetic cannabinoids using gas chromatography in the following configuration: a Crystal 5000.2 chromatograph (Russia) with a quartz capillary column ( L = 50 m,  = 0.32 mm) with a grafted phase based on polyethylene glycol modified with nitroterephthalic acid and a flame ionization detector. Plastic smoking mixtures (40 samples) seized from illegal circulation by officers of the Transport Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in the Siberian Federal District were used as test samples. Mathematical processing of chromatograms was performed using Chromatek Analytic 2.5 and Unscrambler 11.0 programs. It is shown that profiles of the volatile polar components of the fillers of plastic smoking mixtures containing synthetic cannabinoids are quite well manifested and reproduced, which gives them a very high identification value. To compare the profiles of impurities, 44 target compounds were selected, which provided the best reproducibility of the areas of chromatographic peaks during repeated measurements. The chromatographic peak areas of the target compounds were normalized, and the Pearson correlation coefficients and the Euclidean distances were calculated. A hierarchical clustering of the obtained data was carried out with construction of the dendrograms demonstrating the levels of the similarity of samples from different lots. It is shown that samples could be assigned to a single batch (recipe) if the Euclidean distances between the corresponding profiles do not exceed 0.14, and the Pearson distances — 0.12 rel.u. An algorithm procedure for the comparative study of plastic smoking mixtures containing synthetic cannabinoids using gas chromatography has been developed. This procedure includes profiling of the impurities, selection of the target compounds, normalization of the areas of their chromatographic peaks and subsequent mathematical processing using cluster analysis and calculation of Pearson correlation coefficients and Euclidean distances. The obtained results allow us to recommend the developed procedure for use in expert studies of smoking mixtures containing synthetic cannabinoids.


Body size is a quantitative trait that is closely associated to fitness and under the control of both genetic and environmental factors. While developmental plasticity for this and other traits is heritable and under selection, little is known about the genetic basis for variation in plasticity that can provide the raw material for its evolution. We quantified genetic variation for body size plasticity in Drosophila melanogaster by measuring thorax and abdomen length of females reared at two temperatures from a panel representing naturally segregating alleles, the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel (DGRP). We found variation between genotypes for the levels and direction of thermal plasticity in size of both body parts. We then used a Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) approach to unravel the genetic basis of inter-genotype variation in body size plasticity, and used different approaches to validate selected QTLs and to explore potential pleiotropic effects. We found mostly "private QTLs", with little overlap between the candidate loci underlying variation in plasticity for thorax versus abdomen size, for different properties of the plastic response, and for size versus size plasticity. We also found that the putative functions of plasticity QTLs were diverse and that alleles for higher plasticity were found at lower frequencies in the target population. Importantly, a number of our plasticity QTLs have been targets of selection in other populations. Our data sheds light onto the genetic basis of inter-genotype variation in size plasticity that is necessary for its evolution. Significance Statement The environmental conditions under which development takes place can affect developmental outcomes and lead to the production of phenotypes adjusted to the environment adults will live in. This developmental plasticity, which can help organisms cope with environmental heterogeneity, is heritable and under selection. Plasticity can itself evolve, a process that will be partly dependent on the available genetic variation for this trait. Using a wild-derived D. melanogaster panel, we identified DNA sequence variants associated to variation in thermal plasticity for body size. We found that these variants correspond to a diverse set of gene functions. Furthermore, their effects differ between body parts and properties of the thermal response, which can, therefore, evolve independently. Our results shed new light onto a number of key questions about the long discussed genes for plasticity.


The behavior of ANNNI (axial next-nearest neighbor Ising) model with the third nearest neighbor interaction in the presence of an external field is studied to clarify the mechanism of phase transitions occurring in antiferroelectric smectic liquid crystals. The continuous transitions driven by the external field are shown to occur from the ferrielectric phases to the ferroelectric one. By applying the results to the V-shaped response of the transmittance of light to the electric field observed by Seomun et al. [Mol. Cryst., Liq. Cryst. 303 (1997) 181], this phemonenon isconcluded to be attributed to the competition between ferroelectric and antiferroelectric interactions assisted by the weakened interlayercoupling of smectics.


Background The rapid and extensive spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has become a major cause of concern for both general public and healthcare profession. Aim of this study is to analyze and evaluate the awareness of both the general public and healthcare providers in Qassim region in Saudi Arabia. Method A cross-sectional study was conducted randomly in different shopping malls in the Qassim region from 10th of February to 10th of March, 2020. The structured questionnaire was used to gather information from participants.Result 130 participants have answered the designed questionnaire, out of which 67participants were males(58.5% ) and 54 were females(41.5% ).Overall, 129 (99%) out of the 130 participants are aware of COVID-19, and 116 (90%) have recognize it as a respiratory disease and all of them (100 %) have recognized it as a contagious disease. Participants of the age group 20-40 showed higher awareness level than other age groups (P = 0.005). Significant positive correlation between high risk groups recognition, reliable source of information, infection symptoms, disease spread prevention and COVID_19 available treatments. While the reliable source of information awareness was positively correlated with all other questions, except for the long-term complications..Conclusion General public and health care professionals from Qassim Region showed adequate awareness of COVID-19. However, there is a strong need to implement periodic educational interventions and training programs on infection control practices .


Introduction: Alpha 1 -Antitrypsin Deficiency (AATD) is a hereditary condition characterized by low serum levels of alpha 1 -proteinase inhibitor (alpha 1 -PI) and an increased risk of emphysema. The approved dose for augmentation therapy is 60 mg/kg/wk, associated with raising trough levels to approximately 11 µM. However, the normal lower limit in the nondeficient population is 20 µM. To date, no prospective randomized controlled trial has conclusively proven the clinical efficacy of augmentation therapy. Goal: To assess the effect of augmentation therapy on emphysema progression in AATD assessed by lung computed tomography (CT) densitometry, dosed to approximate trough levels of 11 µM or 20 µM, vs placebo. SPARTA will be the largest randomized trial with the longest duration of exposure, and the first to compare two active augmentation arms. Design: Prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled Discussion: SPARTA will be the first prospective, randomized controlled trial of augmentation to assess two active doses, including one designed to achieve population based normal trough levels, vs placebo.Enrollment is anticipated to commence in September 2013 and should allow analyses of a number of secondary endpoints and subject subpopulations.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the various surgical approaches in removing the jugular foramen region tumors in order to obtain the maximal functional preservation.

METHODS
Between March 1993 and May 2005, 32 patients with jugular foramen region tumors were operated. The mastoid and neck approach, the infratemporal fossa approach with and without rerouting the facial nerve, the combined transcochlear and infratemporal fossa approach were respectively used according to the tumor type, size, auditory, facial and lower cranial nerve functions. The cranial nerve monitoring was used and a postoperative CT or MRI scanning was taken in all cases.

RESULTS
In this series of 32 patients, 13 were paragangliomas, 10 schwannomas,2 meningiomas, 2 giant cell tumors, 1 chondrosarcoma, 1 mucochondrosarcoma, 1 adenoid cystic carcinoma, 1 rhabdomyosarcoma and 1 case cholesterol Granuloma. The follow-up period was 3-60 months. Total removals were achieved in 26 cases, near-total removal in 5 cases, and subtotal removal in one case. One patient died after surgery because of intracranial hemorrhage. Another patient died two year after operation because of recurrence. Postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage was occurred in 5 cases and meningitis in two cases. They were all treated conservatively. The facial function one week after operation was grade 1-2 in 13 cases, grade 3-4 in 12 cases and grade 5-6 in 7 cases. It changed into grade 1-2 in 23 cases, grade 3-4 in 7 cases and grade 5-6 in 2 cases. The postoperative hearing was improved in 4 cases, stable in 10 cases, deteriorated in 11 cases and totally lost in 7 cases. The lower cranial nerve function was normal in 9 cases, transient palsy in 11 cases, permanent paralysis with compensation in 10 cases and without compensation in 2 cases.

CONCLUSION
The jugular foramen region tumor could be removed with maximal function preservation by using various surgical approaches. The postoperative life quality was acceptable in most cases. Surgical techniques and postoperative complications management were fundamental in achieving a good result.


Background: Prosopis cineraria (P. cineraria) is an important mythological plant, popular in several indigenous systems of medicine including ayurveda, sidda and unani. Traditionally this plant is used for various ailments including anxiety, asthma, depression, epilepsy, hypertension, stress etc. Object: In the present study, macro and microscopic characters, physiochemical parameters, quantitave micros copy and phytochemical screening were done by using WHO guidelines. Anti-oxidant activity was assessed by DPPH method. HPTLC detec tion had been done to detect lupeol and urosolic acid and to quantify their relative levels. Result: Microscopy of the leaves showed the presence of different type of trichomes, stomata, calcium oxalate crystals, veins and epidermis. Total ash value, water soluble ash, acid soluble ash, water soluble extract, alcohol soluble extract, loss on drying, swelling index and foaming index were found to be 3.1±0.55, 2.1±0.43, 0.6±0.01 38.0±0.15, 37.8±1.50, 12.8±0.22, 1.4±0.02 and less than 100 respectively. Phytochemical analysis of different extracts showed the presence of alkaloids, glycosides, tannins, saponins, phenolic compounds etc. The IC50 values found to be 2.63 and 12.1for the ethanolic and aqueous extracts of P. cineraria respectively. HPTLC analysis showed the presence of both of the standards, the amount of ursolic acid and lupeol was found to be 0.017% and 0.02% for each extract respectively. Conclusion: The data generated would be useful for the preparation of monograph of the plant as no such work reported yet.


Abstract The overall stability of the Rovinari dry ash slurry impoundment is analyzed using a coupled seepage-stability analysis with the Finite Element Method in a bidimensional model. To better understand the behavior of such a complex structure, based on the material properties presented in Table 2, the hypotheses presented in Table 4 and described as such, a number of 9 general hypotheses were analyzed, at 178.00 m a.s.l. deposit elevation and final designed height of approximately 35.30 m which corresponds to 191.3 m a.s.l.. The results are presented in tabular form, only 8 diagrams are selected which show the Factor of Safety for hypothesis 0 and 3 which are considered to best describe the real-life conditions regarding the boundary conditions used. The results show that even at maximum designed height, the deposit is stable in the most realistic worst-case hypothesis 3, with a Factor of Safety of 1.177.


Background Thymol and piperine are two naturally occurring bioactive compounds with several pharmacological activities. In this study, their antibiofilm potential either alone or in combination with three aminoglycoside antibiotics was evaluated against a biofilm of Klebsiella pneumoniae. Methods Determination of antimicrobial susceptibility was performed using the broth microdilution method. Biofilm formation was evaluated by the microtiter plate method. Antibiofilm activity was determined using 3-(4, 5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2, 5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium-bromide (MTT) assay. The combination studies were performed by the checkerboard microdilution method. Results The minimum biofilm inhibitory concentration (MBIC) of streptomycin was reduced by 16- to 64-fold when used in combination with thymol, while the MBIC of kanamycin was reduced by 4-fold when combined with piperine. The minimum biofilm eradication concentration (MBEC) values of streptomycin, amikacin, and kanamycin were, respectively, 16- to 128-fold, 4- to 128-fold, and 8- to 256-fold higher than the planktonic minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). Thymol combined with streptomycin or kanamycin showed synergic effects against the preformed biofilm with 16- to 64-fold reduction in the minimum biofilm eradication concentration values of each antibiotic in combination. Piperine acted also synergically with kanamycin with an 8- to 16-fold reduction in the minimum biofilm eradication concentration values of kanamycin in combination. Conclusion The association of thymol with antibiotics showed a strong synergistic effect both in the inhibition of biofilm formation and the destruction of the preformed biofilm of K. pneumoniae. This study suggests that a combination of thymol with streptomycin, amikacin, or kanamycin could be a promising alternative therapy to overcome the problem of K. pneumoniae biofilm-associated infections.


Hereditary spherocytosis (HS) is an inherited hemolytic disease with clinical diversities. The aim of the present study was to examine the reasons for prolonged misdiagnosis and mistherapy of HS in a Chinese patient, and to summarize the laboratory screening and treatment methods for this disease in increasing the knowledge towards HS. Clinical data of the proband was reviewed. The proband was first screened by detection of eosin-5'-maleimide (EMA)-labeled red blood cells (RBCs) using flow cytometry. The type of protein defect in the extracted RBC membrane proteins was confirmed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Mutant fragments were verified using direct DNA sequencing and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectroscopy. The proband showed a significant hemolytic tendency and significant reduction in the number of EMA-labeled RBCs. DNA sequencing indicated three site mutations in the SPTA1 gene, including His54Pro, Leu1858Val and 6531-12C>T. Additional DNA analysis of the three mutations in the parents of the proband showed that both the Leu1858Val and 6531‑12C>T mutations were carried by the father and the His54Pro mutation was carried by the mother. Moreover, the mutated peptides were identified by MALDI-TOF mass spectroscopy. HS has diverse clinical manifestations and is easily missed, misdiagnosed and mistreated. Therefore, a comprehensive analysis involving a routine blood test, blood smear, EMA labeling (flow cytometry) and SDS-PAGE can effectively distinguish HS from thalassemia, glucose-6-phosphate deficiency, iron-deficiency anemia and autoimmune hemolytic anemia.


in fact this was the view of any zamindar with twin interests in land and commerce, it seems highly doubtful if the latter could by itself induce any such ideological notions in its participants. The fact that many of the successful Indian merchants and trading agents were buying land and setting up as wealthy zamindars can be explained simply on the ground that, in the absence of a wide range of outlets for investment, land provided a lucrative and stable source of employment for surplus capital.


The paper deals with the CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) application to optimise the indoor environment through using the integrated design process. Usually, CFD modelling in buildings is a difficult procedure, because of time consumption and high cost as a stand-alone process. Both the time consumption and the cost can be reduced by using already existing data generated in various stages of building project. The integrated design process is a method to systemise the building project in a way that earlier calculations and design process could promote the quality of CFD simulation. The earlier more primitive computations help to identify where the rather complicated CFD simulation is required. The integration of different software tools used in building design process can be achieved through IFC (Industrial Foundation Classes) file format. By performing the air flow and contaminant simulations based on reliable numerical BC-s (Boundary Conditions) creates a unique possibility to optimise the indoor environment by comparing different system configurations. This method helps the engineer to choose the best alternative ensuring certain design criteria's and target levels.


This paper investigates the construction, instrumentation, and dynamical modeling of a coupled three degrees of freedom compliant parallel arm mechanism. The compliant parallel arm, whose complete construction is carried out using 3D printing of polylactide (PLA) filaments, is a folded beam type mechanism, which is comprised of one primary and two secondary masses connected to two large deflecting beams. Dynamical model of the complete mechanism is obtained using Elastica Theory, where the large deflecting beams are considered as fixed-free cantilever beams subjected to a vertical tip load. Nonlinear load deflection curve, which is derived from the solutions of elliptical integrals, is approximated by a high-order polynomial function. Finally, the dynamics of the complete mechanism is derived using a classical lumped mass-spring-damper second order system. A linear actuator, PCB triaxial accelerometers, two laser displacement sensors and Arduino are utilized to gather acceleration and position information of each mass to identify the parameters of the lumped second order model using the offline Elastica Theory-based approach and polynomial fitting method. Numerical and experimental results verify the effectiveness of the proposed parameter identification schemes. Since system is nonlinear, state feedback linearization approach is adapted to linearize system equations at all operating points to control the trajectory of primary mass using a PID controller.


The optic disc appearance in the normal fellow eye of 126 patients with nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (n-AION) was compared with the discs in 23 patients with arteritic AION (a-AION) and 122 normal subjects. The number of discs with no cup was significantly greater (P less than 0.001) and the number of discs with a large cup was significantly fewer (P less than 0.001) in the n-AION group compared to the other two groups. No significant differences were found in cup size between the a-AION and normal groups. The pathogenesis of n-AION appears to be multifactorial. There is overwhelming evidence that ischemia is the primary factor. The size of the optic disc also plays a role, probably through a compressive effect at the level of the lamina cribrosa on axons subjected to ischemia. In contrast, a-AION occurs from posterior ciliary artery occlusion and disc size is not a factor.


One of the most important decisions regarding reverse logistics (RL) is whether to outsource such functions or not, due to the fact that RL does not represent a production or distribution firm's core activity. To explore the hypothesis that outsourcing RL functions is more suitable when returns are more variable, we formulate and analyse a Markov decision model of the outsourcing decision. The reward function includes capacity and operating costs of either performing RL functions internally or outsourcing them and the transitions among states reflect both the sequence of decisions taken and a simple characterization of the random pattern of returns over time. We identify sufficient conditions on the cost parameters and the return fraction that guarantee the existence of an optimal threshold policy for outsourcing. Under mild assumptions, this threshold is more likely to be crossed, the higher the uncertainty in returns. A numerical example illustrates the existence of an optimal threshold policy even when the sufficient conditions are not satisfied and shows how the threshold for outsourcing decreases while the probability of crossing any fixed threshold increases with the return fraction.


In this paper, a new workflow for data wrangling, cleansing, processing, automated identification and classification of drilling dysfunctions (e.g. bit balling, drillstring vibrations, etc.) for any number of wells is presented. Statistically-derived baseline rock strengths were used to improve drilling efficiency and transparency in completions design. The methodology leverages commonly available rig surface sensor data and mud motor parameters. Data handling and processing across multiple databases was automated. Time-series data was converted to depth-based data, and drilling dysfunction indicator metrics (mechanical specific energy - MSE, depth-of-cut, etc.) were computed. Subsequently, the combined data set was segmented based on formation tops, bottom hole assembly (BHA) used, and hole sections. A multivariate physics-based decision tree methodology was then applied for identification and classification of drilling dysfunction. A baseline MSE was statistically derived and a subsurface rock strength database was created for every formation in every well within a given prospect.
 Over 100 historical unconventional wells across two shale basins were analyzed using the new workflow, and 10 different dysfunction categories were classified. The most commonly encountered drilling dysfunctions were whirl, stick-slip, and bit balling. An algorithm generates a set of reports per well based on independent segments for individual drilling operations, including strip charts of drilling parameters and dysfunction indicators, with identification of potential (low/high) problem areas. Auto-generated scatter plots, identifying optimal control parameters for every geological formation at a given location, are used for planning future wells and improving drilling performance. The calculated MSE baselines were averaged to build a repository of baseline MSEs per formation, which in turn can be utilized as a diagnostic tool for real-time MSE surveillance. The MSE baseline information can also be used as a representation of unconfined compressive strength (UCS), and thus used to formulate a reliable rock hardness map to enhance completion design.
 Manual dysfunction analysis is time- and labor-intensive, and therefore often done either incompletely or bypassed altogether. Automating this process reduces time and effort significantly. The novelty of this work lies in the translation of the qualitative understanding of MSE to a reliable quantification of rock strength through the analysis of magnitudes and trends in drilling parameters and dysfunction indicators. Screening out drilling dysfunctions enables a much better rock strength approximation to aid completion optimization.


The aim of this paper is to assess the radial flux permanent magnet (RFPM) and transverse flux permanent magnet (TFPM) generators for large direct-drive wind turbines. For the assessment, the electromagnetic design of RFPM and TFPM generators is done. The analytical design result of a TFPM generator is compared with the experimental result. A RFPM machine concept and four different TFPM machine concepts are designed electromagnetically for 5 MW direct-drive wind turbines. These machines are assessed with criteria such as the cost, the mass, the copper loss, the power/mass ratio, the power/cost ratio, the cost/mass ratio and the mass/torque ratio.


The Body Worlds exhibition takes the visitor through a journey of more than 200 specimens. These various skinless full body plastinates are posed in different positions to display how the human body works; they vary from the chess player with his brain split open to display the brain "in action", the runner with his muscles falling off the bones to display the working of the muscles in athletics and the controversial pregnant woman with her womb cut open to show her eight month old foetus. Von Hagens the creator of Body Worlds believes his exhibition is educational - educating the masses. Since the first exhibition of Body Worlds there has been rigorous debate on whether the display is a violation of human dignity or not. This aspect is discussed in the article. In conclusion the process regarding donating a complete dead body in South Africa is highlighted and the question is answered whether a South African citizen could legally donate his or her body to a Body Worlds display.


This paper gives an overview of the evaluation campaign results of the International Workshop on Spoken Language Translation (IWSLT) 2006 1 . In this workshop, we focused on the translation of spontaneous speech. The translation directions were Arabic, Chinese, Italian, or Japanese into English. In total, 21 translation systems from 19 research groups participated in this year's evaluation campaign. Both automatic and subjective evaluations were carried out in order to investigate the impact of spontaneity aspects on automatic speech recognition (ASR) and machine translation (MT) system performance as well as the robustness of stateof-the-art MT systems towards speech recognition errors.


Exposed sandy beaches have been defined as physically stressful environments, so that benthic populations living there are thought to be regulated mainly by physical factors, biological interactions being minimal. However, recent long-term studies indicate that potential intra- and interspecific interactions should also play a role in structuring populations and communities. This paper evaluates the role of sediment characteristics and potential interactions in determining the abundance and distribution patterns of the cirolanid isopodsExcirolana armataandExcirolana braziliensisin sandy beaches of Uruguay. Results from concurrent field sampling and laboratory experiments showed that: (1) at a macroscale (between beaches),E. armataoccurred only in beaches with fine sands, whereasE. braziliensiswas observed in both fine and coarse sand beaches, reaching its highest density in the latter; (2) at a mesoscale (within beaches) and in sympatry (fine sands), both cirolanids showed maximum densities at different tidal heights, withE. braziliensisrestricted to the upper beach levels; (3) both isopods showed a clear preference for fine sands, when tested in isolation or combined; (4) survivorship ofE. armatawas higher when tested in the preferred sediment under co-occurrence withE. braziliensis, which in turn presented higher survivorship in coarse sand, either in isolation or combined withE. armata; and (5) individual mean length of both species was consistently higher in allopatry, and similar body lengths were observed in sympatric populations. A geographical analysis of the abundance ofE. braziliensisalong Pan-American beaches showed that this isopod is most abundant in fine sands; this overall pattern supports conclusions derived from sediment preference experiments, implicating a greater niche breadth than that observed in Uruguayan beaches. It was concluded thatE. armatacould be defined as a high substrate-specific species in which intraspecific interactions would be of utmost importance in population regulation. However, distribution patterns ofE. braziliensiscould not be explained by a simple animal-sediment relationship, and correlational evidence suggests that it is displaced byE. armatatowards coarse sands and upper beach levels. Thus, potential biotic interactions cannot be discarded as a structuring force in sandy beach communities.


The article is devoted to the exposure and description of value component of concept «Life» in V.Woolfs novel «To the Lighthouse», namely, to the study of linguistic tools expressing the novels characters attitude to life. This attitude reflects life concept of the author and society of that time.


Background: Previous studies associated night-shift work with melatonin disruption, with mixed evidence regarding the modulating effects of chronotype (i.e., diurnal preference). Methods: One hundred and thirty active nurses (84 rotating-shift and 46 day-shift workers) in the Nurses' Health Study II wore a head-mounted light meter and collected spontaneous urine voids over 3 days. 6-Sulfatoxymelatonin (aMT6s), the major urinary metabolite of melatonin, was assessed. Results: Rotating-shift workers on night shifts had more light exposure and lower urinary melatonin levels during the night, and urinary melatonin rhythms with smaller peaks [11.81 ng/mg-creatinine/h, 95% confidence interval (CI), 9.49–14.71 vs. 14.83 ng/mg-creatinine/h, 95% CI, 11.72–18.75] and later peak onset (5.71 hours, 95% CI, 4.76–6.85 vs. 4.10 hours, 95% CI, 3.37–4.99), compared with day-shift workers. Furthermore, evening chronotypes' melatonin rhythms had later peak onset compared with morning types (4.90 hours, 95% CI, 3.94–6.09 vs. 3.64 hours, 95% CI, 2.99–4.43). However, among day-shift workers, morning chronotypes had melatonin rhythms with greater mean levels, larger peaks, and earlier peak onset compared with evening chronotypes; patterns were similar comparing evening versus morning chronotypes among rotating-shift workers on night shifts. The interaction of rotating-shift work and chronotype was significant across all parameters (P < 0.05). Conclusions: As expected, rotating-shift workers on night shifts had greater light exposure and lower urinary melatonin levels during the night compared with day-shift workers. Intriguingly, melatonin rhythms were dependent on both chronotype and rotating-shift work type, and better alignment of rotating-shift work and chronotype appeared to produce less disrupted melatonin rhythms. Impact: The joint effects of shift-work type and chronotype require attention in future studies.


.Keywords: Rabies, canine, human, distribution, control, Cameroon.
This paper is a retrospective review of recorded rabies and antirabies activities in Cameroon from 1990 to 1999 to determine the current state of rabies in both dogs and humans. Rabies and antirabies activities were recorded every year in Cameroon through out the 10-year study period with the highest values observed in the Centre, Littoral and West provinces which are the most urban places. A total of 38,784 suspected rabid dogs were quarantined and 129,266 pets were vaccinated against rabies. About 1.86% of the quarantined dogs died during observation while 0.85% of them were confirmed positive for rabies. The mean annual numbers of quarantined dogs and dogs that died during quarantine in the country were 3933 + 1503 and 73 + 74 respectively. However, mean annual values of 1293 + 2173, 33 + 22 and 43 + 13 were also obtained for canine antirabies vaccination, confirmed canine rabies cases and human deaths due to rabies respectively. Although, the distributions of these follow the urban/rural nature of the country, human rabies seem to be more in the rural areas contrary to canine rabies which is more urban in nature. Also, poor accessibility to the main diagnostic laboratories affected the number of confirmed canine rabies cases recorded from the various provinces. Other factors which are obstacles to effective antirabies activities in Cameroon were also discussed
Trop. Vet. Vol. 20(3) 2002: 162-168


In this study, the light-frame wood shear walls according to the sheathing materials was carried out to investigate the shear load performance. Most common sheathing materials are the structural OSB and gypsum board used to consist wall of wood-frame house. Seven different type of specimens are composed of several sheathing materials and shear test was taken to evaluate shear performance by KS F 2154. As a result, shear walls(G12.5/G12.5 and G12.5/OSB) show that maximum shear strength and shear rigidity modulus are 7316N/mm118.25 N/mm and 11129 N/mm184.66 N/mm respectively. The shear wall using gypsum board 15mm improve maximum shear strength and shear rigidity modulus about 30%. The shear wall using 15mm gypsum board showed intermediate value in one side specimens. Different types of shear walls could be compared with the shear load performance. Also, nailed joint failure aspects are different to sheathing material and installing method.


Indirect effects occur when two species interact through one or more intermediate species. Theoretical studies indicate that indirect interactions between two prey types that share common predators can be positive, neutral or negative. We document a positive indirect interaction between different types of prey fish on coral reefs in Australia. A high abundance of one type of prey fish (cardinalfishes: Apogonidae) resulted in higher recruitment, abundance and species richness of other prey fish. Our evidence indicates that these effects were not due to differential settlement but were instead due to differential post-settlement predation. We hypothesize that resident piscivores altered their foraging behaviour by concentrating on highly abundant cardinal-fish when they were present, leaving recruits of other species relatively unmolested. Indirect effects were evident within 48 h of settlement and persisted throughout the 42-day experiment, highlighting the importance of early post-settlement processes in these communities.


Generally, the tracking performance of optical disk drive(ODD) system can be improved using a disturbance observer(DOB). However, a DOB is not easily applied in an ODD system because an additional microprocessor, such as a digital signal processor(DSP), is needed. This paper shows how a DOB system can be replaced by the error-based modified disturbance observer(EM-DOB) when two mathematical conditions are satisfied. Due to the simplified structure of EM-DOB, the algorithm is easily implemented as an analog circuit, which is suitable for the ODD servo system. Additionally, in these algorithms, disturbances rejection performances can be tuned as Q filter parameters. Similar to a DOB system, three design guidelines of a Q filter can be applied. Experimental results of DOB and EM-DOB are evaluated under forced disturbances.


Cholecystoduodenal fistula (CDF) is a rare complication of gallbladder disease. Clinical presentation is variable, and preoperative diagnosis is challenging due to the non-specific symptoms of CDF. We discuss a 61-year-old male with a history of atrial fibrillation who presented with severe abdominal pain out of proportion to exam. The patient was diagnosed promptly and successfully managed non-operatively. This case presentation emphasizes the need to maintain a broad differential diagnosis for abdominal pain out of proportion to exam, with the possibility of a biliary-enteric fistula as a possible cause. It also stresses the importance of a multimodality imaging approach to arrive at a final diagnosis.


Objective: To detect the arthropathies on no bleeding history joints in pre-school hemophilia A children in order to provide evidence for further prevention and control of joint disease in children with hemophilia A. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study based on China Hemophilia Individualized prophylaxis study (CHIPS). The basic data of outpatients with hemophilia in Beijing Children's Hospital and Chengdu Women's and Children's Central Hospital between August 2016 and June 2017 were collected and a three-month follow-up was conducted. The target joints (six joints of bilateral elbows, knees and ankles) of thirty-four children aged 1-7 years old with severe hemophilia A were examined by ultrasound, X-ray and joint function examination (4-7 years old, hemophilia joint health score (HJHS)). To find out whether there are arthropathies in patient's joints with no bleeding history and analyze the relevant factors by chi-square test, rank sum test and other statistical methods. Results: There were 32 analyzable cases with 112 no-bleeding history target joints, 42.9% (48/112) were elbow joints. Arthropathies were revealed in 34.8% (39/112) of them by joint structural and functional examination and 46.2% (18/39) were ankles (χ(2)=8.379, P=0.015) . Ultrasound showed abnormalities in 18.3% (20/109) joints, X-ray showed abnormalities in 3.8% (3/79) joints and HJHS showed abnormalities in 25.3% (20/79) joints. There was no correlation between ultrasound and HJHS (r=0.015, P=0.895), no correlation was found between X-ray and HJHS (r=-0.101, P=0.390) either, which suggested that joint structural and functional examination could not replace each other. The related risk factors of arthropathies in this group were >4.91 years old (OR=3.917, 95%CI:1.610-9.528) and combining with target joint (OR=3.530, 95%CI:1.316-9.465). Conclusions: Detecting the joint structure and function on no bleeding history joints in pre-school hemophilia A children could reveal the arthropathies and majority of them were ankle arthropathies. Joint structural and functional examinations could not replace each other. For patients more than 5 years old and those with target joints, the joints with no complaint of bleeding should be examined regularly to reveal the arthropathies in time.


Canavan disease is an autosomal recessively inherited severe progressive leukodystrophy and is rarely seen in non-Jewish communities. It results from the deficiency of the aspartoacylase enzyme. The most common findings are macrocephaly, hypotonia, and neuromotor retardation. Psychomotor development ceases and hyperextension attacks follow in the sixth month. Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) is of high value in the diagnosis of this disease because of its high sensitivity and specificity. Although the disease has no treatment, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and MRS are important for confirming the diagnosis and eliminating other disorders.


Hierarchical porous architectures assembled by ultrathin mesoporous nanosheets are attractive for electrochemical energy storage. Herein, we present a facile and scalable strategy where two ultrathin mesoporous NiCoO2 sheets (∼2 nm) are anchored on both sides of a rGO sheet to form an ultrathin sandwich nanosheet (∼6 nm) using a chemical co-precipitation method. The sandwich nanosheets are randomly wrinkled, thus the framework built up by such sheets is porous and has a high specific surface area. The high quality rGO endows the composite with excellent conductivity. And the firm adhesion between the NiCoO2 sheet and flexible rGO also guarantees the integration of the electrode during electrochemical cycling. The electrochemical tests on the electrode made by such ultrathin sandwich nanosheets validate that the strategy is effective to obtain high performance electrodes for supercapacitors and lithium ion batteries. As an electrode of a lithium ion battery, it shows excellent cycling performance with a specific capacity close to 998 mA h g−1 at a current density of 0.1 A g−1; and as an electrode of a supercapacitor, capacitance retention of 87.6% is achieved over 2000 cycles at a constant current density of 20 A g−1.


In order to effectively separate the target region of the microscopic image of Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM), and lay the foundation for the subsequent image recognition processing, a microscopic image segmentation method of CHM by using region growing (RG) algorithm is put forward based on the characteristics of the plant microscopic images. Firstly, the CHM microscopic images with different cell structure are regarded as a multi-dimensional matrix to process and established seed label matrix. Secondly, in a given region threshold conditions, the different seed growth points are selected to segmented the different images. Finally, given a fixed growth points, the microscopic images are processed by choosing a different threshold. The experimental results show that CHM image segmentation threshold and seed selection decide the image target extraction. For different CHM images, according to a certain method, the better image segmentation results can be achieved in the case to obtain a suitable threshold value using image information and the seed point adjustment.


The authors studied the natural evolution of cervical soft disc herniations in 21 patients with cervical radiculopathy that was successfully treated with conservative therapy only. The first computed tomography (CT) examination was performed during the acute phase of the radiculopathy, and the second performed from 1 to 30 months after healing. The initial CT allowed classification of the herniations according to size: nine were considered small, seven medium, and five large. Comparison with follow-up scans showed that five of the herniations decreased between 0 and 35%, six decreased between 35 and 75% and ten decreased between 75 and 100%. The largest herniations were those that had the greatest tendency to decrease in size. This tendency could be secondary to the herniation breaking through the outer fibers of the anulus and entering the epidural space.


We investigate the polarization singularities in the metal-insulator-metal (MIM) plasmonic waveguide structure. It turns out that there exist L-line and C-point polarization singularities for the antisymmetric plasmonic mode in the MIM plasmonic waveguide. These polarization singularities have unique properties because they exist on a subwavelength plane parallel to the direction of propagation of light along the core. We believe that our findings can expand the understanding of polarization distributions in nanoscale plasmonic structures.


Magnetic clouds (MCs) represent a subset of interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) that exhibit a magnetic flux rope structure. They are primarily identified by smooth, large-scale rotations of the magnetic field. However, both small- and large-scale fluctuations of the magnetic field are observed within some magnetic clouds. We analyzed the magnetic field in the frames of the flux ropes, approximated using a minimum variance analysis (MVA), and have identified a small number of MCs within which multiple reversals of the gradient of the azimuthal magnetic field are observed. We herein use the term "substructure" to refer to regions that exhibit this signature. We examine, in detail, one such MC observed on 13 April 2006 by the ACE and WIND spacecraft and show that substructure has distinct signatures in both the magnetic field and plasma observations. We identify two thin current sheets within the substructure and find that they bound the region in which the observations deviate most significantly from those typically expected in MCs. The majority of these clouds are followed by fast solar wind streams, and a comparison of the properties of this magnetic cloud with five similar events reveals that they have lower nondimensional expansion rates than nonovertaken magnetic clouds. We discuss and evaluate several possible explanations for this type of substructure, including the presence of multiple flux ropes and warping of the MC structure, but we conclude that none of these scenarios is able to fully explain all of the aspects of the substructure observations.


My work looks at the legal complexity of determining the duration of copyright, and presents through a case study the odd results of our current system. Using British writer Vera Brittain (1893-1970), my work uses her 40 works to show inconsistencies in the system within an international context. In particular it looks at the national origin requirements for unpublished works and copyright retroactivity for foreign works. The paper then calls for and discusses the first stage of a tool for determining copyright duration within an international context.


We present a rare case of Amyloid (AL) deposition in the gallbladder as an initial presentation of MM. The patient was a 92-year-old female who was admitted to the hospital with right upper quadrant pain. Computed Tomography (CT) abdomen and pelvis showed stone in the distal common bile duct and mildly distended gallbladder with wall thickening, she underwent ERCP for stone extraction followed by cholecystectomy. A postoperative histological examination revealed congo red stain positive for amyloidosis, positive apple-green birefringence under polarized light, and was typed as AL. Further workup, showed a lytic bone lesion on the skeletal survey and bone marrow core biopsy showed hypercellular bone marrow with increased plasma cells confirming the diagnosis of MM.


Chapter 1: Where Learning Fits Into the Big Picture What Is Knowledge? How Can We Study Something We Cannot See? Defining Various Kinds of Learning by Procedures and Phenomena The Evolution of Learning Learning Is an Adaptive Specialization Learning Is Part of an Integrated System of Psychological Processes Part I: Learning to Predict Important Events Chapter 2: The Procedure and Phenomena We Call Pavlovian Conditioning Procedures, Phenomena, and Processes Why We Call It Pavlovian Conditioning Conditioned Emotional Responses Conditioned Drug Reactions Conditioned Food Aversions Sign-Tracking (Autoshaping) Chapter 3: Pavlovian Conditioning Is an Inference Task The Elements of Causal Inference The Effects of CS-US Consistency in Pavlovian Conditioning The Effects of Temporal and Spatial Contiguity on Pavlovian Conditioning The Effects of Temporal Precedence on Pavlovian Conditioning Chapter 4: Identifying the Predictors of Significant Events The Salience of Stimuli Salience and Prior Experience With Potential Conditioned Stimuli Relative Validity in Pavlovian Conditioning Surprise and Pavlovian Conditioning A Mathematical Model of Pavlovian Conditioning Based on Both Salience and Surprise Overshadowing, Relative Validty, and Blocking: Learning About the Other Stimulus Chapter 5: The Representations of Knowledge in Pavlovian Conditioning CS-US Associations: The Representation of Relationships in Pavlovian Conditioning Transitive Inference and the Linking of Associations in Second-Order Conditioning Conditioned Inhibition: Learning to Predict the Absence of the Unconditioned Stimulus The Role of the Environmental Context in Pavlovian Conditioning Representing the Temporal Relationships Between Events Extinction Revisited Chapter 6: From Knowledge to Behavior: The Forms and Functions of Conditioned Responses Conditioned Responses: Deciding What to Measure The Relationship Between Conditioned and Unconditioned Responses Behavior Systems and Pavlovian Conditioning The Functions of Pavlovian Conditioned Responses Pavlovian Conditioning as an Adaptive Specialization Part II: Learning About the Consequences of One's Behavior Chapter 7: The Procedures and Phenomena We Call Operant Conditioning Procedures, Phenomena, and Processes B. F. Skinner and Operant Conditioning The Various Events That Can Serve as Reinforcers The Various Events That Can Serve as Reinforcers The Four Varieties of Operant Conditioning Behavior Modification The Differences Between Pavlovian Conditioning and Operant Conditioning Chapter 8: How Individuals Adjust Their Behavior to Meet the Demands of the Situation Operant Conditioning From Two Different Perspectives The Functions of Reinforcers in Operant Conditioning Adaptive Behavior by Hill-Climbing Identifying the Operant in Operant Conditioning Chapter 9: Adjusting to Schedules of Partial Reinforcement Classifying Schedules of Reinforcement Ratio Schedules Interval Schedules Explaining the Differences in Performance on Ratio and Interval Schedules of Reinforcement The Effects of Prior Experience on How Individuals Adjust to Schedules of Reinforcement Behavioral Persistence Chapter 10: Life Is About Making Choices Choice and the Empirical Matching Law The Generalized Theoretical Matching Law Why Matching Occurs The Significance of the Matching Laws Chapter 11: Inference and the Representations of Knowledge in Operant Conditioning Operant Conditioning Is Also an Inference Task The Representations of Knowledge in Operant Conditioning The Role of the Stimulus in Operant Conditioning Operant Behavior as Procedural Knowledge Extinction Revisited Chapter 12: The Similarities Between Operant Conditioning and Natural Selection Sources of Behavioral Variation The Mechanism of Selection in Operant Conditioning Operant Conditioning as an Adaptive Specialization Part III: The Social Transmission of Knowledge Chapter 13: Social Learning Learning Food Preferences From Others Learning What to Fear Through Observational Conditioning Learning What to Do by Observing Others Transmission of Information About What to Do Through Directed Instruction The Effects of Verbal Instructions on Human Behavior


The program for implementing Islamic religious development at the Sidoarjo Prison is one method for fostering and educating inmates. So in this prison the coaching is carried out every day with good management and aims to add diversity in students or prisoners if their bad deeds are very detrimental and create a sense of Inconvenient for the community. And from this explanation, the author takes 2 problem formulations, including: How are the programs and implementations in the implementation of Islamic religious development for prisoners at the Sidoarjo Prison and What are the obstacles and supporters in the implementation of Islamic religious development for prisoners at the Sidoarjo Prison? This research uses descriptive qualitative research. After that, the next result is the thing that becomes an obstacle or obstacle and supporting aspect in the coaching process is the lack of human resources in the implementation of Islamic religious development programs and by cooperating with mass organizations and other institutions in order to assist the process of implementing prisoner development.