Journal articles on the topic 'Similar Place Avoidance'

The main finding of these experiments was a positive contrast effect in one-way avoidance learning. Experiment 1 showed that increasing safety time during one-way avoidance training led to improved performance, surpassing that of a control group that had received the high reward (safe time) from the beginning of training. Experiment 2 showed that a similar positive contrast effect occurred when the time spent in the danger compartment before the onset of the warning signal was shortened. These results suggest that time spent in a safe context acts as a reinforcer of the avoidance response; however, its incentive value depends not only on its duration, but also on the length of the time spent in the danger compartment before the onset of the signal. Overall, results also suggest that the avoidance response is a mixture of flight (motivated by fear) and approach (to a safe place) behaviour. The specific weight of the flight or approach component may be a function of the time and the amount of activation of each emotional state (fear or relief) due to opponent homeostatic compensatory processes that occur in the danger and safe compartments during one-way avoidance learning.

(1) Background: A central subject in clonal plant ecology is to elucidate the mechanism by which clones forage resources in heterogeneous environments. Compared with studies conducted in laboratories or experimental gardens, studies on light foraging of forest woody clonal plants in their natural habitats are limited. (2) Methods: We investigated wild populations of an evergreen clonal understory shrub, Japanese pachysandra (Pachysandra terminalis Siebold & Zucc.), in two cool-temperate forests in Japan. (3) Results: Similar to the results of herbaceous clonal species, this species formed a dense stand in a relatively well-lit place, and a sparse stand in a shaded place. Higher specific rhizome length (i.e., length per unit mass) in shade resulted in lower ramet population density in shade. The individual leaf area, whole-ramet leaf area, or ramet height did not increase with increased light availability. The number of flower buds per flowering ramet increased as the canopy openness or population density increased. (4) Conclusions: Our results provide the first empirical evidence of shade avoidance and light foraging with morphological plasticity for a clonal woody species.

Abstract This article investigates consonant gemination in late Nineteenth- and early Twentieth-century haketía, a now moribund, regional dialect of Judeo-Spanish spoken in northern Morocco since the late fifteenth century. Some, but not all, consonant clusters arising across a word boundary undergo regressive total assimilation, e.g. [n.n] siudad ninguna ‘no city’ but [z.n] laz niñas ‘the girls’. We present novel descriptive generalizations to show that regressive gemination is sensitive to the degree of sonority distance between the coda and the onset. Evidence of parasitic harmony comes from lateral+consonant clusters, which undergo gemination only if the target and trigger consonants are already similar in some respect. In the framework of Optimality Theory, we formalize syllable contact as a relational hierarchy of *Distance constraints and capture parasitic harmony effects by similarity avoidance, or Obligatory Contour Principle, constraints against adjacent consonants with identical manner and/or place features. These markedness constraints interact with other universal faithfulness and markedness constraints in a language-specific ranking that predicts the attested patterns of regressive gemination. This study lends further support to sonority distance effects and gradient syllable contact in phonological theory and shows that similarity avoidance is also necessary to give a full account of regressive gemination in Moroccan Judeo-Spanish.

In this article, the authors discuss triangular situations similar to Saint-Gobain. The focus is on the interaction between double tax convention law and EC law. The position of the permanent establishment state, the residence state, and the source state will be studied. Central in this article Company X established in state R with a PE situated in state P that acts as a ‘recipient’ of passive income paid by company Y from state S. The authors conclude that, in the first place, state R has been designated to prevent double taxation by means of an exemption or a credit. Secondly, if state R uses the exemption method, the responsibility switches over to state P and state S together. Not only must state P (as a Member State) treat a PE as a resident for treaty application, but also state S (as a Member State) has this obligation if a remaining juridical double taxation is caused by neither state R nor state P. This conclusion is not negatively affected by Damseaux. Thirdly, if state R uses the credit method both for PE profits and for passive income, it is obliged to apply the credit method in accordance with both the R-P Double Tax Convention (DTC) and the R-S DTC. Then, there is no European obligation for state S to mitigate the source state taxation.

The presence of extremist thought or avoidance moderate thought in human life brought about natural outgrowths of extremes of human thought. Recent studies proved that extremism is a social disease. This article attempts to shed the light of Qur’anic illuminations upon the subject as much as possible in order to indicate Qur’anic perspective of extremism. Thus, a comprehensive and rigorous study has to take place very carefully, professionally and objectively to determine the features of this disease, which may vary from an environment to another possible similar name. Today, extremism of thought or vice versa is a controversial issue among the societies which it has an impact on the human life. Hereby, this Arabic study is going to evaluate the extremism of thought and thought of extremism from a Qur’anic perspective.

This study explores the phonotactics of Wan (Mande, Côte d’Ivoire) using an extended version of the lexical statistical method introduced in Pozdniakov & Segerer (2007). A lexical dataset was prepared for analysis based on nouns and verbs extracted from a dictionary. Disyllabic nouns and verbs were analyzed for correlations between the initial and the intervocalic consonant and for correlations between the two vowels. The analysis has confirmed the Similar Place Avoidance generalization proposed as a universal by Pozdniakov & Segerer. It has also revealed significant correlations between the two vowels on two parameters: in height, and in backness. Initial syllables of all nouns and verbs were analyzed for correlations between consonants and vowels and correlations between consonants and tone. The consonant’s place of articulation has been revealed to correlate with the vowel’s backness, and the consonant’s voicing has been revealed to correlate with the vowel’s tone. The results suggest that Pozdniakov & Segerer’s method can be useful not only when applied to a typological sample but also in the study of phonotatics of individual languages. The specific findings can potentially shed light on the history of Wan and related languages.

Some view religious fundamentalism as inclusive of fear of the world as a dangerous place. Fundamentalists are known to have extensive taboo lists, but research concerning their reactions to taboo stimuli is sparse. If fear is a basic component of fundamentalism, then reactions to taboo stimuli should be somewhat similar to common fear reactions, including subjective appraisal of discomfort, psychophysiological arousal, cognitive interference, and behavioral avoidance. The current research addressed some of these questions with three studies to examine subjective discomfort to religiously-taboo and religiously-neutral words and photographs ( N = 160), physiological arousal to these same photographs ( N = 129), and attentional bias on a modified Stroop test of these same words ( N = 182). Although subjective appraisals of discomfort to taboo words and photographs among fundamentalists were confirmed, this research did not find that physiological responses or cognitive interference to taboo stimuli were elevated in those scoring high in religious fundamentalism.

Recent years have witnessed a re-evaluation of the cognitive capabilities of fishes, including with respect to social learning. Indeed, some of the best experimental evidence for animal traditions can be found in fishes. Laboratory experimental studies reveal that many fishes acquire dietary, food site and mating preferences, predator recognition and avoidance behaviour, and learn pathways, through copying 1 other fishes. Concentrating on foraging behaviour, we will present the findings of laboratory experiments that reveal social learning, behavioural innovation, the diffusion of novel behaviour through populations and traditional use of food sites. Further studies reveal surprisingly complex social learning strategies deployed by sticklebacks. We will go on to place these observations of fish in a phylogenetic context, describing in which respects the learning and traditionality of fish are similar to, and differ from, that observed in other animals. We end by drawing on theoretical insights to suggest processes that may have played important roles in the evolution of the human cultural capability.

This paper reports the findings from a study to investigate health care professionals’ views regarding the use and acceptability of two similar paper-based advance care planning (ACP) documents designed for older adults in their last year of life to inform end-of-life care provision. Participants’ views of using PEACE (Proactive Elderly Persons Advisory Care), a nurse led model with community geriatrician oversight, and PACe (proactive anticipatory care plan), a general practitioner (GP) led model implemented by two clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) as part of a wider pilot to determine their ability to improve end-of-life care provision, were explored. Hospital admission avoidance matrons took part in face to face interviews and care staff employed in private residential care homes took part in individual telephone interviews to explore their views of using the PEACE tool. Telephone interviews were conducted with GPs to explore their views of PACe. GPs and admission avoidance matrons were employed by CCGs and all study participants were recruited from the South East of England, where data collection took place in 2015. The data were analysed thematically. Findings from the study demonstrate how both tools provide a focus to ACP discussions to inform individual end-of-life care preferences. The importance of relationships was a pivotal theme established, trusting inter-professional relationships to enable multidisciplinary teamwork and a prior relationship with the older person (or their proxy in the case of cognitive impairment) to enable such conversations in the first place. Both tools enabled participants to think critically and reflect on their own practice. Notwithstanding participants’ views to improve their layout, using a paper-based approach to deliver streamlined ACP and end-of-life care was a theme to emerge as a potential barrier, and highlighted problems with accessing paper-based documentation, accuracy and care co-ordination in the context of multidisciplinary team working. The value of technology in overcoming this barrier and underpinning ACP as a means to help simplify service provision, promote integrated professional practice and provide seamless care, was put forward as a way forward.

Introduction: The clinical use of kappa-opioid agonists, despite their lack of significant drug potential, is limited by the development of severe sedation, dysphoria, depression, and anhedonia. To this date, there are kappa-opioid receptor agonists lacking these side effects due to the selective activation of intracellular signal transmission pathways without p38-MAPK-kinase activation. Materials and methods: We analyzed assessment of the docking energy of compound RU-1205 to the p38-MAPK active center by the method of similarity to SB203580. The study of possible aversive properties of RU-1205 (0.01–1 mg/kg s.c.) conducted in the tests of the intravenous self-administration and drug differentiation with butorphanol (0.01–0.3 mg/kg). The study of p38 MAPK-inhibitory activity was studied by the ability of RU-1205 to change the aversive properties of U50488 (10 mg/kg i.p.) compared to MAPK-kinase inhibitor SB203580 in the conditioned place avoidance test. Results: The spatial similarity coefficient of the RU-1205 molecule with SB203580 by the molecular conformation method was 1.14 (high similarity), and the docking energy was -8.7 Kcal/mol. RU-1205 did not possess any properties similar to those of butorphanol and did not demonstrate any primary reinforcing aversive properties in the development of intravenous self-administration reaction. Compound RU-1205 did not demonstrate any aversive properties in the conditioned place avoidance test, and reduced the development of aversion caused by U-50488, when they were used together. Discussion: The in silico analysis suggested that, in addition to agonism towards the kappa-opioid receptor, RU-1205 compound exhibits the properties of a p38 MAPK kinase inhibitor, which means it may have a double pharmacological activity. Conclusion: Kappa agonist – compound RU-1205 – is not a trigger of the development of behavioral patterns in animals corresponding to the development of addiction/dysphoria. The mechanism of such an activity may be associated with an inhibitory effect of compound RU-1205 on neuronal p38-MAPK-kinase.

This article analyses the increasing use of UK partnerships for criminal purposes, often in other jurisdictions, and argues that the regulatory responses are inadequate, and must be supplemented by a comprehensive ethical framework. I first argue that partnerships offer substantial benefits for a variety of businesses, but that they also have vulnerabilities which have led to their misuse and even abuse through criminal activities, which I also discuss. I then analyse the deficiencies of the regulatory measures designed to tackle the abuses, including requirements to disclose participant identity and accounts, and anti-money laundering and tax evasion measures. Finally, I evaluate the use of a supplementary ethical framework to reduce the abuses, and examine how such a framework could be created. My analysis provides an understanding of the causes and consequences of partnership abuses and of how they can be overcome. This advances the ongoing debate in the UK over the abuse of partnerships and the wider issue of business transparency, and has implications for the many other jurisdictions in which UK partnerships operate and in which the abuses take place, as well as for jurisdictions which have similar partnership vehicles to those in the UK. General partnerships, limited partnerships, LLPs, money laundering, tax evasion, tax avoidance, regulation, ethics, transparency, accounts

Capital flows to emerging markets are generally volatile, resulting in periodic "sudden stop” episodes – when capital inflows dry up abruptly, with significant negative effects on the economy and on financial variables. This paper reviews India’s experience with capital flows. The relative volatility of different kinds of capital flows in India is similar to that in other emerging markets. Our analyses suggest putting in place a medium-term policy framework that includes sound fiscal balance, a sustainable current account deficit, an environment conducive to investment, an appropriate level of reserves, avoidance of excessive appreciation or volatility of the exchange rate (through the use of reserves and macroprudential policy) and prepares the banks and firms to handle greater exchange rate volatility. In addition, it would be good for India to change the capital flow mix toward FDI flows and find ways to diversify the investor base toward investors with a longer-term view. It would also be useful to eventually graduate from the emerging market asset class. Finally, adopting a clear communication strategy to interact smoothly and transparently with market participants – involving regularly reasserting the commitment to sound policies, and reminders of the resilient underlying fundamentals – are likely to be helpful in risk-off times.

Objectives:This pilot study aimed to investigate whether Cognitive Behavioural Coaching (CBC) can be used with A-level students in order to reduce procrastination and avoidance behaviours. Group coaching was used to promote more adaptive thinking patterns, leading to enhanced performance and well-being.Design:A qualitative approach was taken, using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) in order to explore the meaning making and personal experiences of CBC. A quantitative measure in the form of a 12-item procrastination questionnaire assessed pre- and post-coaching was also used.Methods:The study took place at a Further Education college in London with one Sixth-Form Psychology class consisting of seven students. Based upon levels of procrastination, students were selected for four one-hour long coaching sessions. Students receiving coaching were compared to students with similar levels of procrastination, not receiving coaching.Results:The study found four main themes emerging as based upon the experience of coaching. These were Feeling Supported, Raising Awareness, Increased Motivation, and Improved Performance. Quantitative measures showed a reduction in procrastination levels for students receiving CBC. This did not occur for procrastinators not receiving coaching.Conclusion:This study suggests that coaching can be a time and cost-effective tool to use with low performing A-level students, to increase performance and well-being. This is an important finding, as there is a strong demand to reduce procrastination in a situation where resources are limited. Consideration is given to future research, including larger samples, and to training teachers in how to deliver group-coaching with students.

Background and Purpose: Shelter-in-place (SIP) orders implemented to mitigate severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 spread may inadvertently discourage patient care-seeking behavior for critical conditions like acute ischemic stroke. We aimed to compare temporal trends in volume of acute stroke alerts, patient characteristics, telestroke care, and short-term outcomes pre- and post-SIP orders. Methods: We conducted a cohort study in 21 stroke centers of an integrated healthcare system serving 4.4+ million members across Northern California. We included adult patients who presented with suspected acute stroke and were evaluated by telestroke between January 1, 2019, and May 9, 2020. SIP orders announced the week of March 15, 2020, created pre (January 1, 2019, to March 14, 2020) and post (March 15, 2020, to May 9, 2020) cohort for comparison. Main outcomes were stroke alert volumes and inpatient mortality for stroke. Results: Stroke alert weekly volume post-SIP (mean, 98 [95% CI, 92–104]) decreased significantly compared with pre-SIP (mean, 132 [95% CI, 130–136]; P <0.001). Stroke discharges also dropped, in concordance with acute stroke alerts decrease. In total, 9120 patients were included: 8337 in pre- and 783 in post-SIP cohorts. There were no differences in patient demographics. Compared with pre-SIP, post-SIP patients had higher National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores ( P =0.003), lower comorbidity score ( P <0.001), and arrived more often by ambulance ( P <0.001). Post-SIP, more patients had large vessel occlusions ( P =0.03), and there were fewer stroke mimics ( P =0.001). Discharge outcomes were similar for post-SIP and pre-SIP cohorts. Conclusions: In this cohort study, regional stroke alert and ischemic stroke discharge volumes decreased significantly in the early COVID-19 pandemic. Compared with pre-SIP, the post-SIP population showed no significant demographic differences but had lower comorbidity scores, more severe strokes, and more large vessel occlusions. The inpatient mortality was similar in both cohorts. Further studies are needed to understand the causes and implications of care avoidance to patients and healthcare systems.

Objectives: To demonstrate the efficacy of EMDR in complex multiplepsychological trauma after failed drug treatment from selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor(SSRI) in a diagnosed case of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Method: Singleparticipant of this case study, a sitting session judge of judicial governmental scaffold reportedto this mental health tertiary care facility at his own accord with features of intense anxiety,depression, maladjustment issues and post- traumatic stress for a duration of several months.As a partial responder to full trial of SSRI he was enrolled for EMDR therapy to address hissymptoms of intense anxiety, panic attacks, being overwhelmingly fearful, depressed, low selfesteem,inappropriate feelings of guilt, flashbacks, avoidance, nightmares, hyper-arousal andinability to perform as a judicial head in active war stricken area of northern Pakistan. Completepsychiatric evaluation was carried out and after the discontinuation of SSRIs he was scoredon Impact of Event Scale (IES). He fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for PTSD as evaluated by theEnglish version of the PTSD module of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV administeredonce before commencement of EMDR. Safe place of the client was established and 8 stagedprotocol of EMDR was started with him. Multiple EMDR sessions were conducted. Result:The case presented in this paper had multiple psychological trauma forms and failed drugtreatment and yet it was observed that EMDR provided marked improvement in all the domainsof his deficits and this was at a prompt speed as compared to cognitive behavioural therapy(CBT) which usually takes longer duration of therapy to achieve similar results. Conclusions:EMDR provides marked improvement in all domains of complex mental trauma and traumaticmemories. Improvement attained was prompt and enduring as compared to other formsof established therapies and drug treatment indicating permanent changes happening atneurobiological levels of brain.

Property tax has remained a subject of recurrent debate amongst policy makers, scholars, public officials, real estate valuers, and other stakeholders, virtually everywhere over the years. The contention centres on issues such as the tax base, tax incidence, efficiency, and particularly, equity or fairness, among others. Qualities like ease of collection, difficulty of avoidance, accountability, and transparency etc., that ordinarily mark out property tax as a good tax in principle, are often compromised by controversial policies and mal-administration, particularly the latter. The new Lagos State Land Use Charge2018 (LUC, 2018) came into force effective January, 2018. Ina similar version that its immediate predecessor, the Land Use Charge2001 (LUC, 2001), attracted spontaneous and widespread protests on promulgation, the criticisms and protests that greeted the passage LUC (2018)has been vehement and remained unabated until the government was forced, like it did with the erstwhile law, to succumb to substantial but arbitrary reductions in rates and allowances across board (at two different times to date) but without a formal amendment to the law; an exact replica of what transpired under the erstwhile law and which opened it to abuse and arbitrary implementation with its compliance and revenue yields implications. The last of these reductions which took place in August saw a whopping 50%, and 25% cut in assessed rates on commercial properties and industrial properties, respectively. This study employed the doctrinal research methodology whereby the valuation or assessment aspect of the LUC (2018) was diagnosed with a view to finding amicable resolutions to the equity problem that virtually crippled the effectiveness of LUC (2001) over its seventeen years of existence and is already threatening the survival of the new LUC (2018). Keywords: assessment criteria, equity and fairness, Land Use Charge (2018), property tax.

8601 Background: Routine sun protection is recommended to prevent skin cancer. Our aims were to examine and compare, in an observational survey, modalities of sun protection in parents and their children. Methods: This French nationwide observational survey, EDIFICE melanoma, was conducted through phone interviews among a representative sample of 1502 subjects aged ≥ 18 years old, using the quota method. The survey took place shortly after summer, from 28 Sep 2011 to 20 Oct 2011. Results: 1502 subjects were interviewed. Among them 1067 reported that they were sun-exposed (SE) at least ten days per year, 748 were parents, and 319 had no children. Sun protection measures seemed well done both in “parents” and “nonparents” groups: 74% used clothing; 43% used sunscreen, which was regularly renewed in 57% of cases. Sun protection measures used by SE parents for SE children were superior, both qualitatively and quantitatively to those used for themselves, ie 50% of parents reported using clothing, sunglasses and hat for their children vs 23% for themselves. In 87% of cases, parents reported regular re-application of sunscreen for their children vs 44% for themselves. The sunscreen SPF (Sun Protection Factor) was significantly lower for parents than for their children. Such data are in accordance with Buller et al. (Oncol Nurs Forum 1995), but contrast with the findings of Riordan et al. (J Pediatr 2003) with children being significantly less likely to wear sunglasses and to adopt sun avoidance habits than their parents. Conclusions: Sun protection awareness seems globally satisfying in the French population, with no difference between adult parents and nonparents, and is similar to that reported in Germany (Gambicher JEADV 2010), but seems better than in the US (Buller et al. JAAD 2011). Furthermore, French parents use sun protective measures qualitatively and quantitatively more efficiently for their children than for themselves.

SUMMARYGuinea worm disease, dracunculiasis or dracontiasis, is an ancient disease with records going back over 4500 years, but until the beginning of the 20th century, little was known about its life cycle, particularly how humans became infected. In 1905, Robert Thomas Leiper was sent by the British colonial authorities to West Africa to investigate the spread of Guinea worm disease and to recommend measures to prevent it. While carrying out his investigations, he made important contributions to the aetiology, epidemiology and public health aspects of Guinea worm disease and provided definitive answers to many outstanding questions. First, he tested the validity of previous theories; second, he confirmed the role of water fleas, which he identified as Cyclops, as the intermediate hosts in the life cycle; third, he investigated the development of the parasite in its intermediate host; and fourth, he recommended measures to prevent the disease.[The crustacean Order Cyclopoida in the Family Cyclopidae contains 25 genera, including Cyclops which itself contains over 400 species and may not even be a valid taxon. It is not known how many of these species (or indeed species belonging to related genera) can act as intermediate hosts of Dracunculus medinensis nor do we know which species Fedchenko, Leiper and other workers used in their experiments. It is, therefore, best to use the terms copepod, or copopoid crustacean rather than Cyclops in scientific texts. In this paper, these crustaceans are referred to as copepods except when referring to an original text.]Leiper described the remarkable changes that took place when an infected copepod was placed in a dilute solution of hydrochloric acid; the copepod was immediately killed, but the Dracunculus larvae survived and were released into the surrounding water. From this, he concluded that if a person swallowed an infected copepod, their gastric juice would produce similar results. He next infected monkeys by feeding them copepods infected with Guinea worm larvae, and thus conclusively demonstrated that humans became infected by accidentally ingesting infected crustaceans. Based on these conclusions, he advocated a number of control policies, including avoidance of contaminated drinking water or filtering it, and these preventive measures paved the way for further research. The challenge to eradicate Guinea worm disease was not taken up until about seven decades later since when, with the support of a number of governmental and non-governmental organizations, the number of cases has been reduced from an estimated 3·5 million in 1986 to 25 in 2016 with the expectation that this will eventually lead to the eradication of the disease.

This paper presents a novel Z-axis interconnect approach for extending performance beyond the limits imposed by traditional approaches. Specifically, metal-to-metal z-axis electrical interconnection among substrates (subcomposites) of the same or varying size, or among flexible and rigid elements (rigid-flex), to form a single structure is described. The structure employs an electrically conductive medium to interconnect thin coreless substrates. The substrates are built in parallel, aligned, and laminated to form a variety of multilayer high density structures including rigid, rigid-rigid, rigid-flex, stacked packages, or RF substrates. The z-interconnect based structures offer many advantages over more conventional build-up technologies. For example, it enables designs having increased wiring density, leading to greatly reduced layer counts. When an increase in metal layer counts is required, z-interconnect avoids the cumulative yield loss of sequential (build up) processing. The parallel processing of cores and/or subcomposites leads to reduced fabrication cycle time. Avoidance of through hole drilling allows for reduction or elimination of via stubs that cause signal attenuation at high frequencies. In addition, multilayer rigid-flex packages for a variety of applications are being developed. For these applications, z-interconnect allows for placement of flex elements into any layer of the substrate, the opportunity for multiple flex layers within a rigid-flex substrate, the ability to connect multiple multilayer substrates of varying size, and the ability to connect between any two arbitrary metal layers within the rigid region without the use of plated through holes (PTHs). The process allows fabrication of z-interconnect conductive joints having diameters in the range of 55–500 microns. Via or component pitches down to 150 microns have been demonstrated. A number of RF structures have been designed and built with z-interconnect technology, affording the flexibility to place wide signals, narrow signals and grounds and clearances only where needed. Electrically, S-parameter measurements revealed low loss at multi-gigahertz frequencies and the insertion loss for narrow, short lines and wide, long lines are similar. The electrically conductive adhesive used to form z-interconnects shows good signal transmission to 25GHz. Z-interconnect technology provides unique solutions for next generation complex packaging products.

SUMMARYThis paper presents a vision-based obstacle avoidance design using a monocular camera onboard a mobile robot. A novel image processing procedure is developed to estimate the distance between the robot and obstacles based-on inverse perspective transformation (IPT) in an image plane. A robust image processing solution is proposed to detect and segment a drivable ground area within the camera view. The proposed method integrates robust feature matching with adaptive color segmentation for plane estimation and tracking to cope with variations in illumination and camera view. After IPT and ground region segmentation, distance measurement results are obtained similar to those of a laser range finder for mobile robot obstacle avoidance and navigation. The merit of this algorithm is that the mobile robot can have the capacity of path finding and obstacle avoidance by using a single monocular camera. Practical experimental results on a wheeled mobile robot show that the proposed imaging system successfully obtains distances of surrounding objects for reactive navigation in an indoor environment.

The paper discusses a study on a real-time collision avoidance algorithm for collaborative robotics applications. Within the work it is considered that a vision system detects the position of an obstacle and defines an ellipsoid which completely includes it. A similar virtual ellipsoid is considered to include the end effector, and its pose is computed based on the robot configuration. The distance between ellipsoids is input into the collision avoidance algorithm based on the method of artificial potentials. The tuning of the algorithm is described herein, along with an analysis of its performance under different operating conditions. The results of two collision avoidance tests are also presented. For the first test, the end-effector must avoid a fixed obstacle placed along a planned path. For the second test, the obstacle is moving, following a trajectory that intersects that of the end-effector. Finally, the behavior of the algorithm with increasing velocities of the end-effector and obstacle is analyzed.

The question of whether a single leader type will emerge as one of the possible effects of globalization has required research on the subject. In the context of culture, Hofsthede, Brodbeck et al, and GLOBE studies, revealing that different leadership characteristics come to the fore in different geographies with cultural influences, refuting the claim that a uniform leader model will emerge with globalization. Among the aforementioned studies, GLOBE studies went a little further and claimed that leadership is actually a function of culture. Leadership research in the Balkans, which is a tangle of cultures with its complex ethnic structure, is relatively less included in the literature. The main purpose of this article is; Despite this problem arising from the Cold War period, how the leadership styles are in the Balkans is to examine the relationship between Balkan style leadership and culture. At the same time, the article has a secondary purpose that questions whether the claim that “there is not a single Balkans” is also valid for leadership practices when it comes to culture. Literature review and observation method were used in the research. The observations mainly include the observations made in Albania between the years of 2012-2015. On the other hand,the literature review is based on the data obtained primarily from local studies about each country in the Balkans. The results obtained emphasize that when it comes to leadership in the Balkan countries, the first thing is that political leadership is understood, which draws attention to autocratic leadership from the socialist administration period. In the context of business leadership, it shows that autocratic leadership was effective in the 10-year transition period after the Cold War, and that transformational leadership began to come to the fore in the 2000s at varying speed and rate according to institutions and countries. As a result of the investigations, the article shows that quite similar leadership characteristics stand out for the Balkans, the culture of democracy has not yet fully settled in this context, the avoidance of uncertainty in social codes, the autocratic administration still has an important place as a reflection of cultural dimensions such as the distance of power, on the other hand, willingness to change with new generations, more democratic leadership expectations increase and transformational leadership comes to the fore with the change in geography. Although the article has limitations in terms of containing observations specific to one country, it supports the claims in terms of including the local research results of the countries and is considered to contribute to the literature for the Balkans where limited research is available.

Background: While there is good evidence that reward learning is underpinned by two distinct decision control systems – a cognitive ‘model-based’ and a habitbased ‘model-free’ system, a comparable distinction for punishment avoidance has been much less clear. Methods: We implemented a pain avoidance task that placed differential emphasis on putative model-based and model-free processing, mirroring a paradigm and modelling approach recently developed for reward-based decision-making. Subjects performed a two-step decision-making task with probabilistic pain outcomes of different quantities. The delivery of outcomes was sometimes contingent on a rule signalled at the beginning of each trial, emulating a form of outcome devaluation. Results: The behavioural data showed that subjects tended to use a mixed strategy – favouring the simpler model-free learning strategy when outcomes did not depend on the rule, and favouring a model-based when they did. Furthermore, the data were well described by a dynamic transition model between the two controllers. When compared with data from a reward-based task (albeit tested in the context of the scanner), we observed that avoidance involved a significantly greater tendency for subjects to switch between model-free and model-based systems in the face of changes in uncertainty. Conclusion: Our study suggests a dual-system model of pain avoidance, similar to but possibly more dynamically flexible than reward-based decision-making.

In the near future, robots would be seen in almost every area of our life, in different shapes and with different objectives such as entertainment, surveillance, rescue, and navigation. In any shape and with any objective, it is necessary for them to be capable of successful exploration. They should be able to explore efficiently and be able to adapt themselves with changes in their environment. For successful navigation, it is necessary to recognize the difference between similar places of an environment. In order to achieve this goal without increasing the capability of sensors, having a memory is crucial. In this article, an algorithm for autonomous exploration and obstacle avoidance in an unknown environment is proposed. In order to make our self-learner algorithm, a memory-based reinforcement learning method using multilayer neural network is used with the aim of creating an agent having an efficient exploration and obstacle avoidance policy. Furthermore, this agent can automatically adapt itself to the changes of its environment. Finally, in order to test the capability of our algorithm, we have implemented it in a robot similar to a real model, simulated in the robust physics engine simulator of Gazebo.

PurposeA significant amount of research has shown that drivers of employee attitudes, and behaviors leading to outcome variables such as turnover intentions, are strongly influenced by national culture. This study focuses on the difference in relationships among some critical variables between two emerging economies with similar cultural indices.Design/methodology/approachSurvey questionnaire was used to collect responses from salespeople in two countries. Correlation analysis and structural equation modeling were used to provide support for the stated hypotheses.FindingsResults indicate that Mexican and Indian salespeople differ in how their level of trust in supervisor, regulation of emotion, interpersonal conflict and felt stress related to drive turnover intention. Findings also confirm a strong positive relationship between felt stress and turnover intention.Research limitations/implicationsThis study is based on survey responses and should be interpreted with the associated limitations of method bias. The hypothesized model of relationships among constructs was based on theory and prior research, but researchers understand that there could be other statistically equivalent models with equal fit. Moreover, stress can result from numerous other combinations of variables in addition to those used in this model. The relationships among constructs as presented could also be due to the absence of other key variables. This study looked at turnover intentions from an employee perspective using responses made when economic conditions worldwide were robust. This is not the case today because of the global pandemic. Economic conditions wield substantial influence on employee responses as well as on turnover intentions. In addition, economic downturn lowers turnover potential and heightens stress level.Practical implicationsFindings confirm a strong positive relationship between felt stress and turnover intention. Efforts to keep stress within a productive range should be encouraged, because while the direct costs of turnover can be substantial, indirect costs may be even greater. For example, when salespeople leave an organization, the customer relationships they formed and developed may be at risk, exposing their companies to potential reduction in revenue. Sales organizations that pay inadequate attention to high turnover rate among their salespeople become susceptible to a phenomenon Dudley and Goodson (1988) identified as “low sales recruiting ceiling syndrome.”Social implicationsMost of the current studies results from developing countries have been compared to those from developed countries where the theories and seminal research originated. The outcome of the authors' research lends yet another argument in favor of more comparative studies on East versus East or developing economies versus developing economies. Such effort could further delineate the applicability of “foreign” theories and inform the development of “local” theories for richer insight on local management practice. The current drive to inject diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace should be reflected in the development of theory and the conduct of research. No one country or individual or group of individuals can claim ownership of theory development and standards for assessing theories originating elsewhere. Diversity, equity and inclusion have a place in academic research and should be encouraged. Second, the results obtained in this paper offer a cautionary note against over-generalization. Just as small details matter in life, likewise, small differences in variables that explain a phenomenon can make a big difference. Third, the findings confirm a strong positive relationship between felt stress and turnover intention. This is true for the two countries examined in this research.Originality/valueThis study seeks to understand why potential drivers of turnover intention might manifest differently in countries that have a similar cultural outlook. The current research leverages the contingency theory and zeroed in on turnover intention. In addition, two additional cultural dimensions (long-term orientation and uncertainty avoidance) were incorporated, and the model was tested using salespeople (rather than plant workers).

Background Early experience with the COVID-19 pandemic showed disproportionately high morbidity and mortality among individuals with certain chronic medical conditions. Individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD) are at high risk for pulmonary and other complications including acute chest syndrome (ACS) and have high rates of hospitalization from other viral respiratory infections, raising concern that COVID-19 would be associated with higher morbidity, mortality and health care utilization among those with SCD. Public health interventions such as social distancing, avoidance of large group activities, and widespread use of masks have been shown to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 in the general population but have been inconsistently implemented. In Georgia, COVID-19 restrictions, including school closures, were implemented in mid-March, and on-site school instruction was replaced by virtual instruction for the remainder of the school year. At our institution, most routine, non-urgent outpatient clinic visits were cancelled or postponed from mid-March through May in order to minimize COVID-19 exposure risk. Efforts to initiate the use of telemedicine as an alternative to in-person office visits were rapidly instituted. We hypothesized that adherence to public health restrictions, especially sheltering in place, would be high among patients and families with SCD, and sought to measure the impact of COVID pandemic on healthcare utilization in children and adolescents with SCD in the Atlanta area. Methods The SCD Program at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) provides comprehensive outpatient, emergency and inpatient services at 3 locations in metropolitan Atlanta. CHOA's Sickle Cell Clinical Database (SCCD) contains prospectively collected demographic, diagnostic, treatment and other clinical information on all patients with SCD beginning in 2010, including all outpatient clinic, emergency department (ED) and inpatient hospital utilization. To assess the impact of COVID-19 on healthcare utilization, we tracked clinic, ED and inpatient utilization for the 4-month period (March through June) 2020 compared with the same 4-month period in 2018 and 2019. Results The figure shows utilization patterns for each four-month period from 2018-2020. As expected, face to face outpatient clinic visits fell dramatically from February to April 2020 (-25% in March, -64% in April) and then returned to pre-COVID levels by June. The addition of telemedicine visits raised total outpatient visits in June 2020 to above pre-COVID levels. Total utilization during the 4-month period in 2020 were compared to the mean for the same periods in 2018 and 2019. Face to face clinic visits decreased from 2971.5 to 2023 (-32%), ED visits from 1,217 to 687 (-44%), and total inpatient admissions from 699 to 410 (-41%). Admissions with a primary discharge diagnosis of pain decreased from a mean of 407 in 2018-2019 to 173 (-57%), fever/infection from 67.5 to 40 (-41%), and ACS from 101 to 75 (-26%). Patients with chronic pain and/or history of high utilization (&gt;5 admissions in a given year) showed decreases in utilization similar to all other patients. Summary These data describe the significant changes in utilization among pediatric patients with SCD during the COVID-19 pandemic. Face to face outpatient clinic visits decreased during March and April but returned to pre-COVID levels in June. Unexpectedly, ED and inpatient hospital utilization for acute illness decreased dramatically through April and remained low through June. In March there was a significant decrease in the clinic setting due to a large number of cancelled or rescheduled outpatient visits, despite many being rescheduled as telemedicine visits. However, the largest unexpected decrease was seen in emergency department visits and hospitalizations for acute events, specifically fever and pain events. It is also important to note the decreased utilization of patients with chronic pain who are typically high utilizers. During clinic encounters, families mentioned that less stress from school, reduced respiratory infections, and better medication adherence with parents at home, were possible contributors to reduced sickle cell symptoms while sheltering in place. These observations will guide the development of a patient survey with the goal of obtaining qualitative data to explain the reasons for decreased utilization during the pandemic. Figure Disclosures Lane: FORMA Therapeutics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Global Blood Therapeutics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

46 Background: Hospitalization is a major contributor to cost in oncology. Minimizing avoidable admissions can lead to substantial savings. Methods: We studied Medicare claims data from 160 admissions for prostate cancer (PCa) patients from 1/2012 to 5/2015. Admissions with the lowest 50th percentile of charges were assessed for being potentially avoidable by 2 independent chart reviews; remaining admissions were assumed to be unavoidable due to medical complexity. Common admitting diagnoses were targeted by theoretical care pathways designed to minimize avoidable admissions via expedited outpatient follow-up. We compared the cost of the avoidable admissions to that of implementing 3 such pathways then estimated the financial impact. Results: Total cost for all 160 admissions was $1,979,200. 25% of these admissions, accounting for $494,800, were deemed potentially avoidable. Our model exchanged each of these admissions for a routine clinic visit which led to an estimated $464,800 in savings, or a 23% improvement in total cost. The most common admitting diagnoses were fever (18%), pain (12%), and dehydration (8%). On review, 3/9 fever admissions in this set were deemed avoidable with 1 extra clinic visit, 3 with 3 visits, and 3 were unavoidable, yielding a 53% reduction in cost for this diagnosis. Similar analyses led to cost reductions of 75% and 66% for pain and dehydration admissions, respectively. Combining just these 3 theoretical interventions led to an estimated savings of $146,955, or a 7.4% improvement in total cost. Conclusions: A sizable portion of PCa admissions can be avoided, with ample savings, if a system is in place to provide the additional care that often exceeds the capabilities of a busy practice. [Table: see text]

In addition to top-down Health-Emergency and Disaster Risk Management (Health-EDRM) efforts, bottom-up individual and household measures are crucial for prevention and emergency response of the COVID-19 pandemic, a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). There is limited scientific evidence of the knowledge, perception, attitude and behavior patterns of the urban population. A computerized randomized digital dialing, cross-sectional, population landline-based telephone survey was conducted from 22 March to 1 April 2020 in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China. Data were collected for socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge, attitude and risk perception, and various self-reported Health-EDRM behavior patterns associated with COVID-19. The final study sample was 765. Although the respondents thought that individuals (68.6%) had similar responsibilities as government (67.5%) in infection control, less than 50% had sufficient health risk management knowledge to safeguard health and well-being. Among the examined Health-EDRM measures, significant differences were found between attitude and practice in regards to washing hands with soap, ordering takeaways, wearing masks, avoidance of visiting public places or using public transport, and travel avoidance to COVID-19-confirmed regions. Logistic regression indicated that the elderly were less likely to worry about infection with COVID-19. Compared to personal and household hygiene practices, lower compliance was found for public social distancing.

The Pantanal is one of the most conserved wetland ecosystems in Brazil and a hotspot for biodiversity. Over the last decades intensification of human activities has become a major threat to the stability of the unique landscape. To establish effective conservation actions, it is essential to understand how species respond to anthropogenic and environmental regional factors. Here, data from two multiannual camera trap studies, one in the northern Pantanal and one in the southern Pantanal, were used to investigate the effects of habitat characteristics, seasons, and human interactions on the spatial and temporal patterns of lowland tapirs (Tapirus terrestris). Between 2010 and 2017, camera traps were repeatedly placed in consistent grids covering protected areas and areas with cattle-ranching and tourism. Data were analyzed using generalized linear mixed models and circular statistics. Activity patterns were similar and predominantly nocturnal in both areas, but tapirs indicated avoidance toward settlements and cattle and indicated habitat preferences only in the northern study area with less anthropogenic activities. The present study suggests that both environmental and anthropogenic factors can affect the species’ spatial and temporal behavior, but tapirs show varying responses across regions and gradients of disturbance. The results indicate that adapting avoidance strategies might be more likely and effective in areas with low human pressure and sufficient protected areas as alternatives.

Abstract Avoidance of habitat edges may be contributing to reduced densities of grass-land birds in small habitat patches. Nest densities for grassland-nesting Bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) were much lower than expected within 25 m of forest edges at three sites in New York, and that pattern (“edge avoidance”) extended to 100 m at one site. Nests located within 50 m of forest or wooded hedgerow edges had lower daily survival rates, compared with nests ≥100 m from any habitat edge. Bobolinks tended to move away from forest edges when renesting after nest failure; that pattern was especially evident in females that placed their first nest within 50 m of a forest or wooded hedgerow edge. Second nests of all seven of those females were farther from that edge type than their first nests. However, nest placement in relation to wooded edges did not vary significantly between years for those philopatric females nesting at our study sites for more than one year. Bobolinks also avoided nesting near road edges, even though nest survival rates were not lower near that edge type. However, Bobolinks did not appear to avoid nesting near edges adjacent to old fields or pastures. Nest survival near those edge types was higher than near wooded edges and similar to or higher than survival of nests ≥100 m from any edge. Thus, responses of Bobolinks to habitat edges were inconsistent, and nest success was dependent on type of edge.

Given the ongoing strain that the obesity epidemic has placed on public health outcomes, new and effective approaches to weight control are needed. One approach to improving weight and metabolic outcomes is intermittent fasting, which consists of multiple different timing schedules for temporary food avoidance, including alternate-day fasting, other similar full-day fasting patterns, and time-restricted feeding (where the day’s food is consumed over a 6-h period, allowing for 18 h of fasting). These feeding schedules have favorable metabolic effects by intermittently inducing the metabolism of fatty acids to ketones. The regimens overall lead to a decrease in weight and have been linked to improvements in dyslipidemia and blood pressure. While more research is needed on longer-term outcomes and this approach should be avoided in particular health conditions, intermittent fasting should be considered as an option for individuals who have a pattern of unhealthy weight gain using standard eating patterns.

This paper firstly describes Bei Dao’s life and the general characteristics of his poems, and focuses on Bei Dao himself. Bei Dao said that “poetry is not something to be talked about”, and he did not talk about any of his poems on any public occasions. Due to the particularity of poetry style, and the intentional avoidance of the author, Scholars, and critics can only rely on the author’s life and other similar interviews, journals, theories, and so on to study the various images in Bei Dao’s poetry. The real ideological awakening of Bei Dao was his life in exile after he was deprived of Chinese nationality and political rights after Tiananmen square Crackdown. Bei Dao went to Europe, Africa, America, and other places, and lived for a long time or a short time., so the subject tone of “ Foreignness “ was highlighted in his poetry after the exile. The metaphor and transformation of metal image and nature image is the most personal characteristic.

In 2011, Hong Kong SAR government announced an unprecedented policy of cash handouts of 6,000 HKD to all permanent residents at the age of 18 or above as a means of defusing public discontent with economic policy and poor governance. Macau SAR has also been distributing similar cash handouts since 2008 to temper public dissatisfaction and widespread demonstrations. Initially, both SAR governments were very reluctant to initiate universal cash handouts. Unlike standard welfare programmes that are budgeted for annually, the cash payment scheme in Hong Kong SAR was a one-off handout. In Macau SAR, however, the payment scheme went from being a short-term policy to a long-term policy, while other welfare programmes were also allocated more public money. This paper argues that although such cash handout policies are avoidable, they are still being adopted by politicians who place self-interest above the public interest.

AbstractChemical cues released from injured fish skin during a predator attack provide reliable information about the presence of predation risk. Here, I report estimates of the area avoided by littoral fishes after experimental release of chemical alarm cues in two small lakes in northern Minnesota. Minnow traps were labeled chemically with either water (control) or skin extract (chemical alarm cue) made from 2 cm2 of cyprinid skin (redbelly dace in experiment 1, fathead minnows in experiment 2). Traps labeled with water were placed 1, 2, or 8 m from traps labeled with alarm cue. After 2 h, water-traps that were either 1 or 2 m distant from an alarm-trap caught significantly fewer fish than water-traps 8 m distant from alarm-traps. Conspecific and heterospecific skin extract produced similar area avoidance by fathead minnows. Redbelly dace showed a larger active space in response to conspecific than heterospecific alarm cues. Brook stickleback showed reduced catches within 2 m of skin extract of fathead minnows. Overall, the radius of active space was between 2 and 8 m under lake conditions with average subsurface currents of 0.82 cm/s. These data are the first field estimates of active space of ostariophysan chemical alarm cues.

The Indigenous tribe called the Wiwa lives retracted in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia. Little is known about their health status and whether the health care system in place covers their needs. In 2017 and 2018, a permanent physician was in charge for the Wiwa. Diseases and complaints were registered, ranked, and classified with the ICD-10 coding. Datasets from the Indigenous health care provider Dusakawi, collected from local health points and health brigades travelling sporadically into the fields for short visits, were compared. Furthermore, a list of provided medication was evaluated regarding the recorded needs. The most common complaints found were respiratory, infectious and parasitic, and digestive diseases. The top ten diagnoses collected in the health points and in the health brigade datasets were similar, although with a different ranking. The available medication showed a basic coverage only, with a critical lack of treatment for many severe, chronic, and life-threatening diseases. Most of the detected diseases in the Indigenous population are avoidable by an improvement in health care access, an expansion of the provided medication, and an increase in knowledge, hygiene, and life standards.

ObjectivesTo investigate mortality in adults with intellectual disabilities: rates, causes, place, demographic and clinical predictors.DesignCohort study with record linkage to death data.SettingGeneral community.Participants961/1023 (94%) adults (16–83 years; mean=44.1 years; 54.6% male) with intellectual disabilities, clinically examined in 2001–2004; subsequently record-linked to their National Health Service number, allowing linkage to death certificate data, 2018.Outcome measuresStandardised mortality ratios (SMRs), underlying and all contributing causes of death, avoidable deaths, place, and demographic and clinical predictors of death.Results294/961 (30.6%) had died; 64/179 (35.8%) with Down syndrome, 230/783 (29.4%) without Down syndrome. SMR overall=2.24 (1.98, 2.49); Down syndrome adults=5.28 (3.98, 6.57), adults without Down syndrome=1.93 (1.68, 2.18); male=1.69 (1.42, 1.95), female=3.48 (2.90, 4.06). SMRs decreased as age increased. More severe intellectual disabilities increased SMR, but ability was not retained in the multivariable model. SMRs were higher for most International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision chapters. For adults without Down syndrome, aspiration/reflux/choking and respiratory infection were the the most common underlying causes of mortality; for Down syndrome adults ‘Down syndrome’, and dementia were most common. Amenable deaths (29.8%) were double that in the general population (14%); 60.3% died in hospital. Mortality risk related to percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy/tube fed, Down syndrome, diabetes, lower respiratory tract infection at cohort-entry, smoking, epilepsy, hearing impairment, increasing number of prescribed drugs, increasing age. Bowel incontinence reduced mortality risk.ConclusionsAdults with intellectual disabilities with and without Down syndrome have different SMRs and causes of death which should be separately reported. Both die younger, from different causes than other people. Some mortality risks are similar to other people, with earlier mortality reflecting more multimorbidity; amenable deaths are also common. This should inform actions to reduce early mortality, for example, training to avoid aspiration/choking, pain identification to address problems before they are advanced, and reasonable adjustments to improve healthcare quality.

Objectives Health information technology (HIT) can help coordinate health and social actors involved in patients’ pathways. We assess five regional HIT-based programmes (‘ Territoires de Soins Numériques’ or TSN) introduced in France, covering the period 2012–2018. Methods This was a quasi-experimental controlled before/after mixed design. We used data from the French National Health Insurance database, qualitative and quantitative surveys, and information extracted from project documents and databases. We assessed the impact of TSN using four main impact indicators: emergency room visits, unplanned hospitalizations, avoidable hospitalizations and rehospitalization within 30 days. We also collected qualitative and secondary quantitative data covering perceived needs, knowledge, use, satisfaction, adoption and understanding of projects, pathway experience, impact on professional practices and appropriateness of hospitalizations. Results TSN implemented a heterogeneous mix of HIT. Implementation was slower than expected and was not well documented. Users perceived the HIT as having a positive but weak overall effect. There were no significant differences in trends for the main impact indicators, nor on the appropriateness of hospitalizations, but favourable trends on secondary polypharmacy indicators. Conclusions If similar innovations take place in future, they should be based on a logical framework that defines causal, measurable links between services provided and expected impacts.

We investigated the effects of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis Longcore, Pessier & Nichols, a pathogen implicated in global amphibian population declines, on antipredator behavior of northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens Schreber, 1782) tadpoles in response to visual and chemical cues of a fish predator, bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus Rafinesque, 1819). We placed infected and uninfected tadpoles in containers partitioned with a transparent divider and measured tadpole activity and distance from the center. Infected tadpoles had significantly lower activity levels across all treatments. When exposed to only visual cues, uninfected tadpoles positioned themselves farther from the center divider (and thus the predator) than infected animals. All tadpoles were at similar distances from the center when exposed to chemical cues only, likely because chemical cues alone do not provide spatial information on the location of predators. Infected tadpoles were significantly farther from the center divider than uninfected ones when exposed to visual and chemical cues together, suggesting that, although the mechanism is unknown, both cues are necessary to stimulate predator avoidance behavior for infected animals. In a second experiment, infected tadpoles experienced lower mortality than uninfected ones in the lethal presence of fish. Thus, effects of infection on behavioral antipredator responses are complex, but lower host susceptibility to predation, low activity, and greater distance from predators when both chemical and visual predator cues are present likely benefits B. dendrobatidis, which relies on host survival for transmission.

Abstract Movement is a fundamental characteristic of animals, but challenging to measure noninvasively. Noninvasive methods for measuring travel have different weaknesses, so multiple techniques need to be applied multiple techniques for reliable inferences. We used two methods, direct tracking and camera trapping, to examine the variation in time and seasonal differences in movement rates of mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx), an elusive primate that lives in large groups in central Africa. In a 400-km2 rainforest area in Moukalaba-Doudou National Park, Gabon, we tracked unidentified groups 46 times from 2009 to 2013. We systematically placed 157 terrestrial camera traps in the same area from 2012 to 2014 and recorded groups 309 times. Generalized additive mixed models (GAMMs) of the tracking data indicated that the group travel speed varied with time and season. In the fruiting season, the movement rate fluctuated with time in a bimodal pattern, whereas in the nonfruiting season, it increased monotonously with time. The predicted day range was longer in the fruiting season (6.98 km) than in the nonfruiting season (6.06 km). These seasonal differences suggest responses to changes in food resources and temperature. Camera-trap detection rates showed similar temporal and seasonal patterns to the tracking data, allowing us to generalize our findings to the population level. Moreover, cameras never detected mandrills at night, and we observed that they slept high in trees and hardly moved until the next morning, all suggesting their strict avoidance of nighttime movement. This study demonstrated the significance of the multiple-method approach in drawing robust conclusions on temporal patterns of animal movement.

El estudio de la felicidad y el bienestar está recibiendo cada vez más atención en diferentes campos. Las investigaciones recientes sobre el bienestar se han centrado en profundizar en la concepción del individuo sobre la experiencia del bienestar. McMahan y Estes (2011a) crearon una escala que evalúa las concepciones legas del bienestar en base a cuatro dimensiones: la experiencia de placer, la evitación de la experiencia negativa, el autodesarrollo y la contribución a los demás. El objetivo de este estudio fue adaptar esta escala, Beliefs about Well-Being Scale (BWBS), a la población española. La muestra estuvo formada por 1.024 participantes de la población general con un intervalo de edad entre 17 y 87 años. El análisis factorial confirmatorio da como resultado una estructura de cuatro dimensiones, similar a la escala original, aunque en la adaptación de la escala los ítems disminuyen de 16 a 12. Los resultados del análisis de fiabilidad revelan índices similares a los de la escala original. Estos resultados confirman la validez de la Escala de Creencias sobre el Bienestar con población general en un contexto cultural diferente al del estudio original. Esto permitirá realizar estudios transculturales para analizar la influencia de la cultura en la percepción del bienestar The study of happiness and well-being is receiving increased attention in different fields. Recent research into well-being has focused on delving deeper into the individual’s conception about the experience of well-being. McMahan and Estes (2011a) created a scale that assesses lay conceptions of well-being (BWBS) based on four dimensions: the experience of pleasure, avoidance of negative experience, self-development and contribution to others. The goal of this study was to adapt this scale, the Beliefs about Well-Being Scale, to the Spanish population. The sample consisted of 1,024 participants from the general population ranging in age interval from 17 to 87 years old. The confirmatory factorial analysis results in a structure of four dimensions, similar to the original scale, although in the adaptation of the scale the items decrease from 16 to 12. The results of the reliability analysis reveal indexes similar to those of the original scale. These results confirm the validity of Beliefs about Well-Being Scale with general population in a cultural context different from the original study. This will allow cross-cultural studies to analyze the influence of culture in the perception of well-being.

Background: An unique never before public health challenge faces the world with threat of impending disaster. Prevention remains the mainstay as there is no available vaccine or medicine. To interruption transmission social distancing and nationwide lockdown have been imposed. Nevertheless, hooded warriors the health care worker despite odds are working round the clock to save lives risking their own and their immediate families’. Since human perceptions and not medicine determine behaviour the widely utilized health belief model was applied. Objectives: To assess risk perception, precautionary behaviour and vaccination intent among study participants and assess them according to constructs of time-tested health belief model. Methods: 70 eligible family members were studied by telephonic interview and email recorded responses from 14th March to 14th April 2020. Questionnaire was based on HBM. Requisite permission was taken. Results: 67% were females and 42% spouses. Their risk perception and precautionary behaviour was very high. Few had panic attacks. They stopped their related health care workers to attend duties and even isolated them in family settings. Perceived severity, susceptibility was high as was perceived barriers. Perceived benefit was average though unhappy with the given working conditions. Self-efficacy was high after periodic reassurance. Family members practiced effective health communication with their neighbourhood. Discussion: Various studies reiterated similar findings and found avoidance of public places was practiced earlier during outbreaks. Conclusion: Risk perception and precautionary behaviour was very high among family members. Applied model revealed perceived threats to be higher than perceived benefits leading to stress reactions in family. Fears of increased vulnerability was addressed with reassurance from their respective health care workers in family increasing self-efficacy.However a larger study is recommended with special ment

Abstract. Droplet freezing techniques (DFTs) have been used for half a century to measure the concentration of ice-nucleating particles (INPs) in the atmosphere and determine their freezing properties to understand the effects of INPs on mixed-phase clouds. The ice nucleation community has recently adopted droplet freezing assays as a commonplace experimental approach. These droplet freezing experiments are often limited by contamination that causes nonhomogeneous freezing of the “pure” water used to generate the droplets in the heterogeneous freezing temperature regime that is being measured. Interference from the early freezing of water is often overlooked and not fully reported, or measurements are restricted to analyzing the more ice-active INPs that freeze well above the temperature of the background water. However, this avoidance is not viable for analyzing the freezing behavior of less active INPs in the atmosphere that still have potentially important effects on cold-cloud microphysics. In this work we review a number of recent droplet freezing techniques that show great promise in reducing these interferences, and we report our own extensive series of measurements using similar methodologies. By characterizing the performance of different substrates on which the droplets are placed and of different pure water generation techniques, we recommend best practices to reduce these interferences. We tested different substrates, water sources, droplet matrixes, and droplet sizes to provide deeper insight into what methodologies are best suited for DFTs. Approaches for analyzing droplet freezing temperature spectra and accounting and correcting for the background “pure” water control spectrum are also presented. Finally, we propose experimental and data analysis procedures for future homogeneous and heterogeneous ice nucleation studies to promote a more uniform and reliable methodology that facilitates the ready intercomparison of ice-nucleating particles measured by DFTs.

PurposeThe factors affecting housing rent and take-up had been largely examined in a cluster. This leaves a dearth of knowledge on the influences of other disparate factors, such as the aesthetics of the building facade. This paper examines the effects of a deteriorated external wall paint on the tenants, rent and take-up of housing located in a high-end housing estate in Akure, Nigeria. The logic is to examine the place of aesthetics among the general factors affecting take-up and rental prices.Design/methodology/approachData were collected through census from 133 respondents residing in houses with deteriorated external wall paint. It applied both descriptive and multinomial logistic regression (MLR) to analyse the data.FindingsFindings reveal that close to 60% of the respondents were psychologically affected by the visible deterioration of external wall paint. This translated to a significance reduction in rent compared with the rental prices of similar houses the appearance of which was not deteriorated. Generally, this study found that aesthetics paled into insignificance in the analysis of the general factors affecting housing take-up and rent. However, it ranked first when these were analysed on the structural characteristics of the house only. This is consistent with findings from the MLR parameter estimate, which shows that those who were psychologically affected are more likely to pay a 15% increase in their current rent to take up a similar house without paint deterioration.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study have implications on practice and theory. First, while the location mantra is a key determinant of rental prices in theory, in practice, rent on comparable houses could differ if the aesthetics of the external wall paint is compromised. This implies an avoidable loss of rent to the owner of a property who compromises the aesthetic quality of the external wall paint in a high-end location where affordability is arguably high. The implication on public authority is that a lower rent may have a negative implication on government revenue and specifically property tax which is normally based on market rent of a property.Originality/valueA novel quality of the study is that it separates the structural characteristics of a house from the general factors in order to examine the specific effect of deteriorated aesthetics of external wall paint on take-up and rent.

Abstract Background: Studies in the dental literature and guidelines from the American Dental Association (ADA) and American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) suggest that oral anticoagulants do not need to be discontinued prior to dental extraction. Despite this, anticoagulants are routinely discontinued due to perceived risks in bleeding. This practice may place patients at avoidable risk of thromboembolic complications. Objectives: To compare how oral surgeons and hematologists manage patients receiving long-term vitamin K antagonists (warfarin) who also require dental extraction. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Methods: Pre-tested surveys were mailed to 168 oral and maxillofacial surgeons and 123 hematologists/thromboembolism specialists licensed to practice in Ontario, Canada. The survey consisted of 3 parts: an assessment of bleeding and thrombotic risk factors that influence practioners’ decision to discontinue anticoagulants, individual scenarios assessing practice patterns, and clinical scenarios with varying risks of bleeding and thrombosis. For the clinical scenarios, respondents were asked to rate their risk perception on a 10-point scale, and the means and standard deviations of the responses between oral surgeons and hematologists were compared using unpaired t-tests, SPSS Version 12.0. Results: A total of 291 surveys were mailed with a response rate of 47% (136 surveys). 82 (60%) of the respondents were oral surgeons (75% community-based, 25% academic) and 54 (40%) were hematologists (28% community-based, 72% academic). Warfarin is routinely discontinued at least 50% of the time by 37% of dental surgeons, compared to 71% of hematologists; 29% of hematologists reported always discontinuing warfarin. The 3 main factors that influence oral surgeons’ and hematologists’ decision to discontinue warfarin are complicated procedures, multiple extractions and patients with a prior history of bleeding; 20% of hematologists discontinue anticoagulants because of specific referral to manage anticoagulants around the time of extraction. The maximum international normalized ratio (INR) that hematologists consider acceptable for extraction is 2.0, with no hematologists recommending extraction above this level; 86% of oral surgeons would proceed with extraction with an INR up to 3.0. In the individual scenarios, oral surgeons are more likely to continue warfarin and use local measures (sutures, gelfoam) to control bleeding. Hematologists are more likely to discontinue warfarin, use bridging anticoagulant therapy and recommend antifibrinolytic agents. In the clinical scenarios assessing thrombotic risk, oral surgeons are more likely to perceive that the risk of thrombosis is higher than hematologists (p &lt; 0.01). In contrast, in the clinical scenarios assessing bleeding risk, the risk of bleeding was rated to be similar by both groups. Conclusions: Despite ADA and ACCP recommendations to continue anticoagulant therapy in most patients undergoing dental procedures, over 70% of hematologists, and 37% of dental surgeons in our survey frequently discontinue anticoagulants. Although the cited reasons for discontinuation are similar between the 2 groups, the frequency of discontinuation is significantly lower in oral surgeons and may be related to the perception that thromboembolic risks are high compared to hematologists’ risk assessments.

Objectives: Patellar instability requiring medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction (MPFL) in the pediatric population poses a challenge in that the isometric point of femoral fixation (Schottle’s point) is in close proximity to the distal physis. As a result, various alternative fixation techniques have been described to avoid physeal damage, however the consequences of this are unclear. Continued growth and altered graft mechanics in the growing child are areas of concern. The objective of the current study was to evaluate short to midterm outcomes, including redislocation rates, following MPFL reconstruction in skeletally immature versus mature pediatric patients. Methods: Patients under age 18 with recurrent patellar instability that underwent primary MPFL reconstruction by a single surgeon from 2013 to 2019 were identified using current procedural terminology (CPT) codes. Patients who were a minimum of 1 year from surgery were contacted to complete questionnaires. Questions pertained to knee pain and function, including International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score, as well as further injury or surgery. Further data included chart and imaging review. Based on radiographic appearance of the distal physis, patients were placed into either the skeletally mature or immature cohort for comparison. Statistical analysis included chi-square, fisher’s exact, and Mann-Whitney U tests. Significance was determined by p-value <0.05. Results: There were 103 primary MPFL reconstructions in 94 patients: 70 skeletally mature and 24 immature. As expected, the skeletally mature group was older (15.5 vs. 13.1 years). Skeletally immature patients had a higher incidence of trochlear dysplasia (88 vs. 63%, p=0.04). No other baseline differences were identified. Average follow-up was similar at 4.1 years for the mature group and 3.5 years in the immature. Skeletally immature patients were more likely to sustain a subsequent dislocation or any ipsilateral knee injury (15 vs. 3%, p=0.03; 35 vs. 16%, p=0.04 respectively). Skeletally immature patients underwent more revision instability procedures, which trended towards but did not reach significance (23 vs. 9%, p=0.06). No significant difference was observed in IKDC score (80 each), perceived percent of normal for that knee (85% each), frequency of instability events, current sport participation (42 vs. 31%), sport avoidance (46 vs. 35%), or subjective stiffness (38 vs. 41%). Visual analog scale pain scores for skeletally immature compared to mature patients were not different at rest, with activities of daily living, or with sport (0.9 vs. 0.8, 1.5 vs. 1.7, 2.5 vs. 3 respectively). Significantly fewer patients in the skeletally immature group were satisfied (79 vs. 97%, p<0.05) and would undergo the surgery again (68 vs. 100%, p<0.05). Conclusions: In pediatric patients undergoing MPFL reconstruction, both skeletally immature and mature patients have good and comparable outcomes. However, those that are skeletally immature are more likely to have a subsequent ipsilateral injury or dislocation. These patients are also less likely to be satisfied with their results. Of note, there was a higher incidence of trochlear dysplasia in skeletally immature patients which may predispose them to subsequent injury.

Despite the advances in antifungal drugs, the number of invasive fusariosis (IF) has been increasing in patients with hematological disorders, especially hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) patients. IF is still a severe infection and refractory to treat because Fusarium is naturally resistant to most of the antifungal drugs. Therefore, prior to infection, avoidance of contact with Fusarium would be critical in immunocompromised patients. However, little is known about the source of Fusarium infection. The purpose of this study is to investigate the epidemiology of IF in patients with hematological disorders in Japan and to find out the infectious source of Fusarium and the relationship between Fusarium species isolated from clinical samples and the ones from environment using culture-based and metagenomic methods. In our center, a total of 99 clinically isolated Fusarium were stored and maintained. They were obtained from hospitals in 33 prefectures in Japan. 50 and 49 strains were recovered from IF patients and superficial fusariosis (SF) patients, respectively. In this study, we analyzed 42 IF cases which developed in patients with hematological disorders. The most common underlying disease was AML (35.7%), followed by ALL (23.8%). About 60% of the patients received HSCT, and most of them became infected with Fusarium in the early phase after HSCT (within eight weeks). This result indicated that IF infection mostly occurred in indoor environments. As the next step, we performed the surveys in indoor environments such as air and plumbing drains in medical institutions and residences to figure out the source of infection. Few Fusarium species were collected from air samples. From the indoor air, we collected 142 filamentous fungi isolates. Only 2/142 strains (1.4%) were Fusarium species (Fusarium fujikuroi species complex 1, F. nisikadoi 1). In contrast, among the 72 drain port samples collected from 6 medical institutions (hematology wards, including bone marrow transplantation units, and ICU/NICU) and 15 residences, Fusarium species were positive at 26 (36.1%) sampling points. One hundred and eight filamentous fungi were isolated from the drain samples, and 29/108 isolates (27%) were Fusarium species. In details, 20 strains were Fusarium solani species complex (F. petroliphilum 7, F. keratoplasticum 4, F. sensu stricto 4, F. falciforme 1, others 4) and nine strains were Fusarium oxysporum species complex. Interestingly, the FSSC compositions of drain port samples were similar to those of IF samples from patients with hematological disorders and different from those of SF samples. In contrast, no Fusarium strains were detected in the places where the regular sink-cleaning was performed. Likewise, the samples for the metagenomic analysis were obtained in the places where the culture samples were collected. DNA extraction from samples was performed by the PowerLyzer Powersoil Kit (QIAGEN, Hilden, Germany). Fungal ITS regions were amplified with modified ITS1F and ITS2 primer set and sequenced with Illumina Miseq platform. After filtering and denoising, we were able to analyze 8 air samples and 23 drain samples (10 culture-positive samples and 13 culture-negative samples). It is also revealed that a lot of Fusarium live indoor plumbing drains but few Fusarium spp. inhabit indoor air (less than 0.1%). In summary, we investigate the epidemiology of IF in patients with hematological disorders in Japan and the distribution of Fusarium species in indoor environments. Our survey has demonstrated that a lot of Fusarium inhabits the indoor plumbing drains, not the indoor air using the culture-based and metagenomic methods. The similarity of FSSC distribution between the drain samples and causative species of IF cases indicated that the indoor plumbing drains would be potential sources of IF infection. We suggested that regular sink-cleaning was critical to prevent patients with hematological disorders from Fusarium infection. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

In 2013 the Editor of Journal of Vibration and Control and SAGE became aware of a peer review ring involving assumed and fabricated identities that appeared to centre around Peter Chen at National Pingtung University of Education, Taiwan (NPUE). SAGE and the Editor then began a complex investigation into the case during the rest of 2013 and 2014. Following an unsatisfactory response from Peter Chen, NPUE was notified. NPUE were serious in addressing the Journal and SAGE’s concerns. NPUE confirmed that the institution was investigating Peter Chen. SAGE subsequently uncovered a citation ring involving the above mentioned author and others. We regret that individual authors have compromised the academic record by perverting the peer review process and apologise to readers. On uncovering problems with peer review and citation SAGE immediately put steps in place to avoid similar vulnerability of the Journal to exploitation in the future. More information may be found at www.sagepub.co.uk/JVC_Statement_2014 . The Journal and SAGE understand from NPUE that Peter Chen has resigned his post at NPUE. The following articles are retracted because after thorough investigation evidence points towards them having at least one author or being reviewed by at least one reviewer who has been implicated in the peer review ring and/or citation ring. All authors have had an opportunity to respond to the allegations and proposed actions. OnlineFirst articles (these articles will not be published in an issue) Chen CY, Chen T-H, Chen Y-H, Yu S-E and Chung P-Y (2013) Information technology system modeling an integrated C-TAM-TPB model to the validation of ocean tidal analyses Journal of Vibration and Control Epub ahead of print 7 May 2013. doi: 10.1177/1077546312472924 Chang R-F, Chen CY, Su F-P and Lin H-C (2013) A two-step approach for broadband digital signal processing technique Journal of Vibration and Control Epub ahead of print 26 April 2013. doi: 10.1177/1077546312472925 Chen TH, Chang CJ, Yu SE, Chung PY and Liu C-K (2013) Nonlinear information analysis and system management technique: the influence of design experience and control complexity Journal of Vibration and Control Epub ahead of print 12 April 2013. doi: 10.1177/1077546312473321 Chen CY, Shih BY, Chen YH, Yu SE and Liu YC (2013) The exploration of a 3T flow model using vibrating NXT: II. Model validation Journal of Vibration and Control Epub ahead of print 10 April 2013. doi: 10.1177/1077546312470481 Chen CY, Shih BY, Chen YH, Yu SE and Liu YC (2013) The exploration of 3T flow model using vibrating NXT: I. model formulation Journal of Vibration and Control Epub ahead of print 6 February 2013. doi: 10.1177/1077546312467360 Lin M-L and Chen C-W (2013) Stability analysis of fuzzy-based NN modeling for ecosystems using fuzzy Lyapunov methods Journal of Vibration and Control Epub ahead of print 6 February 2013. doi: 10.1177/1077546312466687 Chen CY, Chen TH, Chen YH and Chiu J (2012) A multi-stage method for deterministic-statistical analysis: a mathematical case and measurement studies Journal of Vibration and Control Epub ahead of print 20 December 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312466579 Shih BY, Lin MC and Chen CY (2012) Autonomous navigation system for radiofrequency identification mobile robot e-book reader Journal of Vibration and Control Epub ahead of print 13 December 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312466578 Chang RF, Chen CY, Su FP, Lin HC and Lu C-K (2012) Multiphase SUMO robot based on an agile modeling-driven process for a small mobile robot Journal of Vibration and Control Epub ahead of print 13 December 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312464993 Shih B-Y, Lin Y-K, Cheng M-H, Chen C-Y and Chiu C-P (2012) The development of an application program interactive game-based information system Journal of Vibration and Control Epub ahead of print 12 December 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312464682 Chen C-Y, Chang C-J and Lin C-H (2012) On dynamic access control in web 2.0 and cloud interactive information hub: technologies Journal of Vibration and Control Epub ahead of print 12 December 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312464992 Shin BY, Chen CY and Hsu KH (2012) Robot cross platform system using innovative interactive theory and selection algorithms for Android application Journal of Vibration and Control Epub ahead of print 13 November 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312463757 Articles published in an issue Chen C-W (2014) Applications of neural-network-based fuzzy logic control to a nonlinear time-delay chaotic system Journal of Vibration and Control 20 (4): 589-605. Epub ahead of print 5 November 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312461370 Chen C-W (2014) A review of intelligent algorithm approaches and neural-fuzzy stability criteria for time-delay tension leg platform systems Journal of Vibration and Control 20 (4): 561-575. Epub ahead of print 5 November 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312463759 Chen C-Y, Chang C-J and Lin C-H (2014) On dynamic access control in web 2.0 and cloud interactive information hub: trends and theories Journal of Vibration and Control 20 (4): 548-560. Epub ahead of print 5 November 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312463762 Lin M-L and Chen C-W (2014) Stability conditions for ecosystem modeling using the fuzzy Lyapunov method Journal of Vibration and Control 20 (2): 290-302. Epub ahead of print 23 October 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312451301 Chen C-H, Kuo C-M, Hsieh S-H and Chen C-Y (2014) Highly efficient very-large-scale integration (VLSI) implementation of probabilistic neural network image interpolator Journal of Vibration and Control 20 (2): 218-224. Epub ahead of print 22 October 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312458822 Chen C-Y (2014) Wave vibration and simulation in dissipative media described by irregular boundary surfaces: a mathematical formulation Journal of Vibration and Control 20 (2): 191-203. Epub ahead of print 22 October 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312464258 Chen C-H, Yao T-K, Dai J-H and Chen C-Y (2014) A pipelined multiprocessor system- on-a-chip (SoC) design methodology for streaming signal processing Journal of Vibration and Control 20 (2): 163-178. Epub ahead of print 16 October 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312458821 Lin M-L and Chen C-W (2014) Fuzzy neural modeling for n-degree ecosystems using the linear matrix inequality approach Journal of Vibration and Control 20 (1): 82-93. Epub ahead of print 8 October 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312458533 Chen C-H, Wu W-X and Chen C-Y (2013) Ant-inspired collective problem-solving systems Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (16): 2481-2490. Epub ahead of print 18 September 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312456231 Chen C-H, Yao T-K, Kuo C-M and Chen C-Y (2013) Evolutionary design of constructive multilayer feedforward neural network Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (16): 2413-2420. Epub ahead of print 12 September 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312456726 Chen C-W (2013) Applications of the fuzzy-neural Lyapunov criterion to multiple time-delay systems Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (13): 2054-2067. Epub ahead of print 16 August 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312451034 Chung P-Y, Chen Y-H, Walter L and Chen C-Y (2013) Influence and dynamics of a mobile robot control on mechanical components Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (13): 1923-1935. Epub ahead of print 20 July 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312452184 Chen C-W (2013) Neural network-based fuzzy logic parallel distributed compensation controller for structural system Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (11): 1709-1727. Epub ahead of print 22 June 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312442233 Chen C-W, Yeh K, Yang H-C, Liu KFR and Liu C-C (2013) A critical review of structural system control by the large-scaled neural network linear-deferential-inclusion-based criterion Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (11): 1658-1673. Epub ahead of print 18 June 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312443377 Chen C-H, Kuo C-M, Chen C-Y and Dai J-H (2013) The design and synthesis using hierarchical robotic discrete-event modeling Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (11): 1603-1613. Epub ahead of print 27 June 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312449645 Chang CJ, Chen CY and Chou I-T (2013) The design of information and communication technologies: telecom MOD strength machines Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (10): 1499-1513. Epub ahead of print 27 June 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312449644 Shih B-Y, Chen C-Y, Li K-H, Wu T-Y, Chen G-Y (2013) A novel NXT control method for implementing force sensing and recycling in a training robot Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (10): 1443-1459. Epub ahead of print 1 June 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312446361 Chen C-W, Chen P-C and Chiang W-L (2013) Modified intelligent genetic algorithm-based adaptive neural network control for uncertain structural systems Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (9): 1333-1347. Epub ahead of print 31 May 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312442232 Chen C-Y, Shih B-Y, Shih C-H and Wang L-H (2013) Enhancing robust and stability control of a humanoid biped robot: system identification approach. Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (8): 1199-1207. Epub ahead of print 26 April 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312442947 Chang C-J, Chen C-Y and Huang C-W (2013) Applications for medical recovery using wireless control of a bluetooth ball with a hybrid G-sensor and human-computer interface technology Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (8): 1139-1151. Epub ahead of print 24 April 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312442948 Hsu W-K, Chiou D-J, Chen C-W, Liu M-Y, Chiang W-L and Huang P-C (2013) Sensitivity of initial damage detection for steel structures using the Hilbert-Huang transform method Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (6): 857-878. Epub ahead of print 29 February 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546311434794 Chen C-Y, Shih B-Y, Shih C-H and Wang L-H (2013) Human–machine interface for the motion control of humanoid biped robots using a graphical user interface Motion Editor Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (6): 814-820. Epub ahead of print 23 February 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312437804 Chen C-Y (2013) Internal wave transport, nonlinear manifestation, and mixing in a stratified shear layer - technical briefs Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (3): 429-438. Epub ahead of print 18 January 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546311429337 Chen C-W (2013) Delay independent criterion for multiple time-delay systems and its application in building structure control systems Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (3): 395-414. Epub ahead of print 17 January 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546311429341 Chen C-Y, Shih B-Y, Shih C-H and Wang L-H (2013) Design, modeling and stability control for an actuated dynamic walking planar bipedal robot Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (3): 376-384. Epub ahead of print 17 January 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546311429476 Liu K-C, Liu Y-W, Chen C-Y and Huang W-C (2013) Nonlinear vibration of structural deterioration in reinforced concrete columns: experimental and theoretical investigation Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (3): 323-335. Epub ahead of print 17 January 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546311429477 Chen C-Y, Shih B-Y and Ma J-m (2013) Development for low-cost and cross-platform robot control environment Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (2): 228-233. Epub ahead of print 11 January 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546311430107 Shih B-Y, Chang H and Chen C-Y (2013) Path planning for autonomous robots – a comprehensive analysis by a greedy algorithm Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (1): 130-142. Epub ahead of print 17 January 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546311429841 Liu T-Y, Chiang W-L, Chen C-W, Hsu W-K, Lin C-W, Chiou D-J and Huang P-C (2012) Structural system identification for vibration bridges using the Hilbert–Huang transform Journal of Vibration and Control 18 (13): 1939-1956. Epub ahead of print 14 December 2011. doi: 10.1177/1077546311428347 Chen C-W (2012) Applications of the fuzzy Lyapunov linear matrix inequality criterion to a chaotic structural system Journal of Vibration and Control 18 (13): 1925-1938. Epub ahead of print 14 December 2011. doi: 10.1177/1077546311428346 Chen C-W (2012) Applications of linear differential inclusion-based criterion to a nonlinear chaotic system: a critical review Journal of Vibration and Control 18 (12): 1886-1899. Epub ahead of print 14 December 2011. doi: 10.1177/1077546311428345 Shih B-Y, Chen C-Y and Chou W (2012) An enhanced obstacle avoidance and path correction mechanism for an autonomous intelligent robot with multiple sensors Journal of Vibration and Control 18 (12): 1855-1864. Epub ahead of print 14 December 2011. doi: 10.1177/1077546311426734 Chen C-W, Yeh K, Liu KFR and Lin M-L (2012) Applications of fuzzy control to nonlinear time-delay systems using the linear matrix inequality fuzzy Lyapunov method Journal of Vibration and Control 18 (10): 1561-1574. Epub ahead of print 18 October 2011. doi: 10.1177/1077546311410765 Chen C-Y (2012) A critical review of internal wave dynamics. Part 2 – Laboratory experiments and theoretical physics Journal of Vibration and Control 18 (7): 983-1008. Epub ahead of print 21 September 2011. doi: 10.1177/1077546310397561 Chen C-Y and Huang P-H (2012) Review of an autonomous humanoid robot and its mechanical control Journal of Vibration and Control 18 (7): 973-982. Epub ahead of print 21 September 2011. doi: 10.1177/1077546310395974 Shih B-Y, Chen C-Y, Chang H and Ma J-m (2012) Dynamics and control for robotic manipulators using a greedy algorithm approach Journal of Vibration and Control 18 (6): 859-866. Epub ahead of print 25 August 2011. doi: 10.1177/1077546311407649 Yeh K, Chen C-W, Lo DC and Liu KFR (2012) Neural-network fuzzy control for chaotic tuned mass damper systems with time delays Journal of Vibration and Control 18 (6): 785-795. Epub ahead of print 15 August 2011. doi: 10.1177/1077546311407538 Chen C-Y, Shih B-Y, Shih C-H and Chou W-C (2012) The development of autonomous low-cost biped mobile surveillance robot by intelligent bricks Journal of Vibration and Control 18 (5): 577-586. Epub ahead of print 21 April 2011. doi: 10.1177/1077546310371349 Chen C-Y (2012) A critical review of internal wave dynamics. Part 1 – Remote sensing and in-situ observations Journal of Vibration and Control 18 (3): 417-436. Epub ahead of print 13 July 2011. doi: 10.1177/1077546310395971 Tseng C-P, Chen C-W and Liu KFR (2012) Risk control allocation model for pressure vessels and piping project Journal of Vibration and Control 18 (3): 385-394. Epub ahead of print 13 July 2011. doi: 10.1177/1077546311403182 Lin M-L and Chen C-W (2011) Stability analysis of community and ecosystem hierarchies using the Lyapunov method Journal of Vibration and Control 17 (13): 1930-1937. Epub ahead of print 9 December 2010. doi: 10.1177/1077546310385737 Chen C-Y, Shih B-Y, Chou W-C, Li Y-J and Chen Y-H (2011) Obstacle avoidance design for a humanoid intelligent robot with ultrasonic sensors Journal of Vibration and Control 17 (12): 1798-1804. Epub ahead of print 26 November 2010. doi: 10.1177/1077546310381101 Chen C-W (2011) Fuzzy control of interconnected structural systems using the fuzzy Lyapunov method Journal of Vibration and Control 17 (11): 1693-1702. Epub ahead of print 23 November 2010. doi: 10.1177/1077546310379625 Shih B-Y, Chen C-Y and Chou W-C (2011) Obstacle avoidance using a path correction method for autonomous control of a biped intelligent robot Journal of Vibration and Control 17 (10): 1567-1573. Epub ahead of print 22 November 2010. doi: 10.1177/1077546310372004 Tang J-P, Chiou D-J, Chen C-W, Chiang W-L, Hsu W-K, Chen C-Y and Liu T-Y (2011) A case study of damage detection in benchmark buildings using a Hilbert-Huang Transform-based method Journal of Vibration and Control 17 (4): 623-636. Epub ahead of print 8 November 2010. doi: 10.1177/1077546309360053 Liu TY, Chiang WL, Chen CW, Hsu WK, Lu LC and Chu TJ (2011) Identification and monitoring of bridge health from ambient vibration data Journal of Vibration and Control 17 (4): 589-603. Epub ahead of print 12 November 2010. doi: 10.1177/1077546309360049 Lin JW, Huang CW, Shih CH and Chen CY (2011) Fuzzy Lyapunov Stability Analysis and NN Modeling for Tension Leg Platform Systems Journal of Vibration and Control 17 (1): 151-158. Epub ahead of print 25 August 2010. doi: 10.1177/1077546309350477 Lee WI, Chen CY, Kuo HM and Sui YC (2010) The Development of Half-circle Fuzzy Numbers and Application in Fuzzy Control Journal of Vibration and Control 16 (13): 1977-1987. Epub ahead of print 22 April 2010. doi: 10.1177/1077546309349849

In 2013 the Editor of Journal of Vibration and Control and SAGE became aware of a peer review ring involving assumed and fabricated identities that appeared to centre around Peter Chen at National Pingtung University of Education, Taiwan (NPUE). SAGE and the Editor then began a complex investigation into the case during the rest of 2013 and 2014. Following an unsatisfactory response from Peter Chen, NPUE was notified. NPUE were serious in addressing the Journal and SAGE’s concerns. NPUE confirmed that the institution was investigating Peter Chen. SAGE subsequently uncovered a citation ring involving the above mentioned author and others. We regret that individual authors have compromised the academic record by perverting the peer review process and apologise to readers. On uncovering problems with peer review and citation SAGE immediately put steps in place to avoid similar vulnerability of the Journal to exploitation in the future. More information may be found at www.sagepub.co.uk/JVC_Statement_2014 . The Journal and SAGE understand from NPUE that Peter Chen has resigned his post at NPUE. The following articles are retracted because after thorough investigation evidence points towards them having at least one author or being reviewed by at least one reviewer who has been implicated in the peer review ring and/or citation ring. All authors have had an opportunity to respond to the allegations and proposed actions. OnlineFirst articles (these articles will not be published in an issue) Chen CY, Chen T-H, Chen Y-H, Yu S-E and Chung P-Y (2013) Information technology system modeling an integrated C-TAM-TPB model to the validation of ocean tidal analyses Journal of Vibration and Control Epub ahead of print 7 May 2013. doi: 10.1177/1077546312472924 Chang R-F, Chen CY, Su F-P and Lin H-C (2013) A two-step approach for broadband digital signal processing technique Journal of Vibration and Control Epub ahead of print 26 April 2013. doi: 10.1177/1077546312472925 Chen TH, Chang CJ, Yu SE, Chung PY and Liu C-K (2013) Nonlinear information analysis and system management technique: the influence of design experience and control complexity Journal of Vibration and Control Epub ahead of print 12 April 2013. doi: 10.1177/1077546312473321 Chen CY, Shih BY, Chen YH, Yu SE and Liu YC (2013) The exploration of a 3T flow model using vibrating NXT: II. Model validation Journal of Vibration and Control Epub ahead of print 10 April 2013. doi: 10.1177/1077546312470481 Chen CY, Shih BY, Chen YH, Yu SE and Liu YC (2013) The exploration of 3T flow model using vibrating NXT: I. model formulation Journal of Vibration and Control Epub ahead of print 6 February 2013. doi: 10.1177/1077546312467360 Lin M-L and Chen C-W (2013) Stability analysis of fuzzy-based NN modeling for ecosystems using fuzzy Lyapunov methods Journal of Vibration and Control Epub ahead of print 6 February 2013. doi: 10.1177/1077546312466687 Chen CY, Chen TH, Chen YH and Chiu J (2012) A multi-stage method for deterministic-statistical analysis: a mathematical case and measurement studies Journal of Vibration and Control Epub ahead of print 20 December 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312466579 Shih BY, Lin MC and Chen CY (2012) Autonomous navigation system for radiofrequency identification mobile robot e-book reader Journal of Vibration and Control Epub ahead of print 13 December 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312466578 Chang RF, Chen CY, Su FP, Lin HC and Lu C-K (2012) Multiphase SUMO robot based on an agile modeling-driven process for a small mobile robot Journal of Vibration and Control Epub ahead of print 13 December 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312464993 Shih B-Y, Lin Y-K, Cheng M-H, Chen C-Y and Chiu C-P (2012) The development of an application program interactive game-based information system Journal of Vibration and Control Epub ahead of print 12 December 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312464682 Chen C-Y, Chang C-J and Lin C-H (2012) On dynamic access control in web 2.0 and cloud interactive information hub: technologies Journal of Vibration and Control Epub ahead of print 12 December 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312464992 Shin BY, Chen CY and Hsu KH (2012) Robot cross platform system using innovative interactive theory and selection algorithms for Android application Journal of Vibration and Control Epub ahead of print 13 November 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312463757 Articles published in an issue Chen C-W (2014) Applications of neural-network-based fuzzy logic control to a nonlinear time-delay chaotic system Journal of Vibration and Control 20 (4): 589-605. Epub ahead of print 5 November 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312461370 Chen C-W (2014) A review of intelligent algorithm approaches and neural-fuzzy stability criteria for time-delay tension leg platform systems Journal of Vibration and Control 20 (4): 561-575. Epub ahead of print 5 November 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312463759 Chen C-Y, Chang C-J and Lin C-H (2014) On dynamic access control in web 2.0 and cloud interactive information hub: trends and theories Journal of Vibration and Control 20 (4): 548-560. Epub ahead of print 5 November 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312463762 Lin M-L and Chen C-W (2014) Stability conditions for ecosystem modeling using the fuzzy Lyapunov method Journal of Vibration and Control 20 (2): 290-302. Epub ahead of print 23 October 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312451301 Chen C-H, Kuo C-M, Hsieh S-H and Chen C-Y (2014) Highly efficient very-large-scale integration (VLSI) implementation of probabilistic neural network image interpolator Journal of Vibration and Control 20 (2): 218-224. Epub ahead of print 22 October 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312458822 Chen C-Y (2014) Wave vibration and simulation in dissipative media described by irregular boundary surfaces: a mathematical formulation Journal of Vibration and Control 20 (2): 191-203. Epub ahead of print 22 October 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312464258 Chen C-H, Yao T-K, Dai J-H and Chen C-Y (2014) A pipelined multiprocessor system- on-a-chip (SoC) design methodology for streaming signal processing Journal of Vibration and Control 20 (2): 163-178. Epub ahead of print 16 October 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312458821 Lin M-L and Chen C-W (2014) Fuzzy neural modeling for n-degree ecosystems using the linear matrix inequality approach Journal of Vibration and Control 20 (1): 82-93. Epub ahead of print 8 October 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312458533 Chen C-H, Wu W-X and Chen C-Y (2013) Ant-inspired collective problem-solving systems Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (16): 2481-2490. Epub ahead of print 18 September 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312456231 Chen C-H, Yao T-K, Kuo C-M and Chen C-Y (2013) Evolutionary design of constructive multilayer feedforward neural network Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (16): 2413-2420. Epub ahead of print 12 September 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312456726 Chen C-W (2013) Applications of the fuzzy-neural Lyapunov criterion to multiple time-delay systems Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (13): 2054-2067. Epub ahead of print 16 August 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312451034 Chung P-Y, Chen Y-H, Walter L and Chen C-Y (2013) Influence and dynamics of a mobile robot control on mechanical components Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (13): 1923-1935. Epub ahead of print 20 July 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312452184 Chen C-W (2013) Neural network-based fuzzy logic parallel distributed compensation controller for structural system Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (11): 1709-1727. Epub ahead of print 22 June 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312442233 Chen C-W, Yeh K, Yang H-C, Liu KFR and Liu C-C (2013) A critical review of structural system control by the large-scaled neural network linear-deferential-inclusion-based criterion Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (11): 1658-1673. Epub ahead of print 18 June 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312443377 Chen C-H, Kuo C-M, Chen C-Y and Dai J-H (2013) The design and synthesis using hierarchical robotic discrete-event modeling Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (11): 1603-1613. Epub ahead of print 27 June 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312449645 Chang CJ, Chen CY and Chou I-T (2013) The design of information and communication technologies: telecom MOD strength machines Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (10): 1499-1513. Epub ahead of print 27 June 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312449644 Shih B-Y, Chen C-Y, Li K-H, Wu T-Y, Chen G-Y (2013) A novel NXT control method for implementing force sensing and recycling in a training robot Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (10): 1443-1459. Epub ahead of print 1 June 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312446361 Chen C-W, Chen P-C and Chiang W-L (2013) Modified intelligent genetic algorithm-based adaptive neural network control for uncertain structural systems Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (9): 1333-1347. Epub ahead of print 31 May 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312442232 Chen C-Y, Shih B-Y, Shih C-H and Wang L-H (2013) Enhancing robust and stability control of a humanoid biped robot: system identification approach. Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (8): 1199-1207. Epub ahead of print 26 April 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312442947 Chang C-J, Chen C-Y and Huang C-W (2013) Applications for medical recovery using wireless control of a bluetooth ball with a hybrid G-sensor and human-computer interface technology Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (8): 1139-1151. Epub ahead of print 24 April 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312442948 Hsu W-K, Chiou D-J, Chen C-W, Liu M-Y, Chiang W-L and Huang P-C (2013) Sensitivity of initial damage detection for steel structures using the Hilbert-Huang transform method Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (6): 857-878. Epub ahead of print 29 February 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546311434794 Chen C-Y, Shih B-Y, Shih C-H and Wang L-H (2013) Human–machine interface for the motion control of humanoid biped robots using a graphical user interface Motion Editor Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (6): 814-820. Epub ahead of print 23 February 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546312437804 Chen C-Y (2013) Internal wave transport, nonlinear manifestation, and mixing in a stratified shear layer - technical briefs Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (3): 429-438. Epub ahead of print 18 January 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546311429337 Chen C-W (2013) Delay independent criterion for multiple time-delay systems and its application in building structure control systems Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (3): 395-414. Epub ahead of print 17 January 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546311429341 Chen C-Y, Shih B-Y, Shih C-H and Wang L-H (2013) Design, modeling and stability control for an actuated dynamic walking planar bipedal robot Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (3): 376-384. Epub ahead of print 17 January 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546311429476 Liu K-C, Liu Y-W, Chen C-Y and Huang W-C (2013) Nonlinear vibration of structural deterioration in reinforced concrete columns: experimental and theoretical investigation Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (3): 323-335. Epub ahead of print 17 January 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546311429477 Chen C-Y, Shih B-Y and Ma J-m (2013) Development for low-cost and cross-platform robot control environment Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (2): 228-233. Epub ahead of print 11 January 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546311430107 Shih B-Y, Chang H and Chen C-Y (2013) Path planning for autonomous robots – a comprehensive analysis by a greedy algorithm Journal of Vibration and Control 19 (1): 130-142. Epub ahead of print 17 January 2012. doi: 10.1177/1077546311429841 Liu T-Y, Chiang W-L, Chen C-W, Hsu W-K, Lin C-W, Chiou D-J and Huang P-C (2012) Structural system identification for vibration bridges using the Hilbert–Huang transform Journal of Vibration and Control 18 (13): 1939-1956. Epub ahead of print 14 December 2011. doi: 10.1177/1077546311428347 Chen C-W (2012) Applications of the fuzzy Lyapunov linear matrix inequality criterion to a chaotic structural system Journal of Vibration and Control 18 (13): 1925-1938. Epub ahead of print 14 December 2011. doi: 10.1177/1077546311428346 Chen C-W (2012) Applications of linear differential inclusion-based criterion to a nonlinear chaotic system: a critical review Journal of Vibration and Control 18 (12): 1886-1899. Epub ahead of print 14 December 2011. doi: 10.1177/1077546311428345 Shih B-Y, Chen C-Y and Chou W (2012) An enhanced obstacle avoidance and path correction mechanism for an autonomous intelligent robot with multiple sensors Journal of Vibration and Control 18 (12): 1855-1864. Epub ahead of print 14 December 2011. doi: 10.1177/1077546311426734 Chen C-W, Yeh K, Liu KFR and Lin M-L (2012) Applications of fuzzy control to nonlinear time-delay systems using the linear matrix inequality fuzzy Lyapunov method Journal of Vibration and Control 18 (10): 1561-1574. Epub ahead of print 18 October 2011. doi: 10.1177/1077546311410765 Chen C-Y (2012) A critical review of internal wave dynamics. Part 2 – Laboratory experiments and theoretical physics Journal of Vibration and Control 18 (7): 983-1008. Epub ahead of print 21 September 2011. doi: 10.1177/1077546310397561 Chen C-Y and Huang P-H (2012) Review of an autonomous humanoid robot and its mechanical control Journal of Vibration and Control 18 (7): 973-982. Epub ahead of print 21 September 2011. doi: 10.1177/1077546310395974 Shih B-Y, Chen C-Y, Chang H and Ma J-m (2012) Dynamics and control for robotic manipulators using a greedy algorithm approach Journal of Vibration and Control 18 (6): 859-866. Epub ahead of print 25 August 2011. doi: 10.1177/1077546311407649 Yeh K, Chen C-W, Lo DC and Liu KFR (2012) Neural-network fuzzy control for chaotic tuned mass damper systems with time delays Journal of Vibration and Control 18 (6): 785-795. Epub ahead of print 15 August 2011. doi: 10.1177/1077546311407538 Chen C-Y, Shih B-Y, Shih C-H and Chou W-C (2012) The development of autonomous low-cost biped mobile surveillance robot by intelligent bricks Journal of Vibration and Control 18 (5): 577-586. Epub ahead of print 21 April 2011. doi: 10.1177/1077546310371349 Chen C-Y (2012) A critical review of internal wave dynamics. Part 1 – Remote sensing and in-situ observations Journal of Vibration and Control 18 (3): 417-436. Epub ahead of print 13 July 2011. doi: 10.1177/1077546310395971 Tseng C-P, Chen C-W and Liu KFR (2012) Risk control allocation model for pressure vessels and piping project Journal of Vibration and Control 18 (3): 385-394. Epub ahead of print 13 July 2011. doi: 10.1177/1077546311403182 Lin M-L and Chen C-W (2011) Stability analysis of community and ecosystem hierarchies using the Lyapunov method Journal of Vibration and Control 17 (13): 1930-1937. Epub ahead of print 9 December 2010. doi: 10.1177/1077546310385737 Chen C-Y, Shih B-Y, Chou W-C, Li Y-J and Chen Y-H (2011) Obstacle avoidance design for a humanoid intelligent robot with ultrasonic sensors Journal of Vibration and Control 17 (12): 1798-1804. Epub ahead of print 26 November 2010. doi: 10.1177/1077546310381101 Chen C-W (2011) Fuzzy control of interconnected structural systems using the fuzzy Lyapunov method Journal of Vibration and Control 17 (11): 1693-1702. Epub ahead of print 23 November 2010. doi: 10.1177/1077546310379625 Shih B-Y, Chen C-Y and Chou W-C (2011) Obstacle avoidance using a path correction method for autonomous control of a biped intelligent robot Journal of Vibration and Control 17 (10): 1567-1573. Epub ahead of print 22 November 2010. doi: 10.1177/1077546310372004 Tang J-P, Chiou D-J, Chen C-W, Chiang W-L, Hsu W-K, Chen C-Y and Liu T-Y (2011) A case study of damage detection in benchmark buildings using a Hilbert-Huang Transform-based method Journal of Vibration and Control 17 (4): 623-636. Epub ahead of print 8 November 2010. doi: 10.1177/1077546309360053 Liu TY, Chiang WL, Chen CW, Hsu WK, Lu LC and Chu TJ (2011) Identification and monitoring of bridge health from ambient vibration data Journal of Vibration and Control 17 (4): 589-603. Epub ahead of print 12 November 2010. doi: 10.1177/1077546309360049 Lin JW, Huang CW, Shih CH and Chen CY (2011) Fuzzy Lyapunov Stability Analysis and NN Modeling for Tension Leg Platform Systems Journal of Vibration and Control 17 (1): 151-158. Epub ahead of print 25 August 2010. doi: 10.1177/1077546309350477 Lee WI, Chen CY, Kuo HM and Sui YC (2010) The Development of Half-circle Fuzzy Numbers and Application in Fuzzy Control Journal of Vibration and Control 16 (13): 1977-1987. Epub ahead of print 22 April 2010. doi: 10.1177/1077546309349849

Background and Objectives During the COVID-19 Pandemic, political elites in Iran have tried to use social media to express their views, influence public opinion or criticize the government's performance in managing Covid-19 disease. The aim of this study was to investigate and analyze the tweets related to this Pandemic that were tweeted by Iranian political elites. Material and Methods This qualitative study is conducted based on the method of content analysis. A list of political elites likely to run for presidency in 1400 presidential election was selected by referring to public and specialized political news websites, their Twitter accounts were identified and all their Persian and English tweets about COVID-19 until the end of 2020 were collected and reviewed. Content analysis method was used for analyzing the tweets. Results More than 2,800 tweets from 27 political elites were reviewed. About 18% of the total tweets during this period were related to health and about 84% of the health tweets had COVID-19 content. All tweets related to COVID-19 were categorized under six main themes; notices; policy recommendation; criticism of government performance; situation analysis and future forecasting; warnings and Macroeconomic, social and political issues. Conclusion In recent years, the use of Twitter among Iran's political elites has increased significantly. It seems that the tweets of the political elites can influence the public’s views and behaviors as well as the government performance in a major way, leading the government to be more accountable in responsible management of the COVID-19 pandemic. The health system can also make more use of the social network's capacity to inform programs, attract support and disseminate health and prevention perspectives Extended Abstract Background and Objectives In the field of health care, the views of political elites greatly influence the opinions of citizens and their health-related behaviors. Political leaders can use their influence on public opinion to address public health issues by disseminating evidence-based public health information. Social networks like Twitter play an important role in enabling people to stay in touch even in times of crisis. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, political elites in Iran have tried to use social media to express their views or influence public opinion or criticize the government's performance in managing COVID-19 disease. This study aims to investigate and analyze the Iranian political elites’ tweets related to this pandemic. Material and Methods This qualitative study is conducted based on the method of content analysis. According to public and specialized political news websites, we made a list of political elites who were likely to run for presidency in 1400 presidential election. The research population of this list was finalized, and all members of the research population were surveyed. The Twitter accounts of these people were identified and all the main tweets of these people -both in Persian and English about COVID-19 were collected and reviewed, starting from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in late 2019 to the end of 2020. The names and positions of individuals, the number of followers, the number of health and COVID-19-related tweets, and finally the content of COVID19-related tweets were collected in tables. Content analysis method was used to theme and analyze tweets. Because all data (tweets) were retrieved from the open-access public domain, no ethical approval was required. Results More than 2,800 tweets from 27 political elites were reviewed. About 18% of all the tweets during this period were related to health and about 84% of the health tweets had COVID-19 content. All tweets related to COVID-19 were categorized under six main themes; Notices; Policy recommendations; Criticism of government performance; Status analysis and future forecasting; Warning; and macroeconomic, social, and political issues. The main topics of information included sub-topics of morbidity and mortality trends, production or purchase of vaccines, planning of national and local actions, status or sacrifice of medical staff, preparation and distribution of masks and other protective equipment, disease status in other countries, job closures, the economic, social and psychological damage caused by the covid-19 outbreak. Policy recommendations also included support for medical staff, prioritization of health to the economy, distribution of protection or vaccination equipment, self-care and attention to health advice, temporary closure of infected cities and areas, development of virtual communications and new business platforms, international cooperation and regional, avoidance of unnecessary travel, cooperation between government agencies, people's livelihood and the improvement of monitoring systems.Criticism of the government's performance, excessive inconsistency in decision-making and information, inadequate distribution of protective equipment, absence of the president in the parliament, hasty and contradictory comments, preference of the economy over public health, internal and inter-sectoral inconsistencies, indecision in decision-making, Lack of use of successful internal and external experiences in dealing with the disease and impossibility of social and physical distance in public places were classified. Situation analysis and forecasting also include the doubling of economic problems along with the COVID-19 outbreak, the lack of impact of restrictions on traffic reduction, resilience to crisis due to previous experiences, and the synergy of military devices and facilities for the present and the future.We also categorized other sub-themes, including aggravation of poverty and economic and social harms, reduction of observance of health protocols, congestion and gatherings, trips and excessive presence of travelers in tourist areas, failure of health system, security, political and religious issues and profiteering and abuses. Finally, the themes of macroeconomic, social, and political issues included themes such as political sanctions, assistance to families affected by the corona, the impact of the corona on sustainable development, and new lifestyles in the corona and post-COVID-19 eras. Conclusion In recent years, the use of Twitter among Iranian political elites has increased significantly. It seems that political elites tweets can have a dramatic effect on the attitudes and behaviors of the people or obliging the government to be more accountable and do better in the management of COVID -19 pandemic. The health system can also make more use of the social network's capacity to inform programs, attract support and disseminate health and prevention perspectives. Practical Implications of Research The present study helps to create a more comprehensive analysis of the views of political elites, and familiarizes us with their thoughts and attitudes on current issues of the health system and even the extent of their attention to health. This study helps health researchers and analysts while designing a reliable source for the analysis of attitude of officials and political elites, we might, in so doing , provide a basis for them on which to design and implement similar studies. This study helps health researchers and analysts to design and implement similar studies while obtaining a reliable source for their analysis of the attitudes of officials and political elites. This research is the first study of its kind in the Iran that can affect future studies in this regard. Ethical Considerations This study was conducted using public data on the Internet and does not require ethical approval due to public and open access to the data used. The names of the people and their tweets are openly available to the public. Conflict of Interest There is no conflict of interest in this study. Aknowledgment None declared.

A Review of: Julien, Heidi and Cameron Hoffman. “Information Literacy Training in Canada’s Public Libraries.” Library Quarterly 78.1 (2008): 19-41. Objective – To examine the role of Canada’s public libraries in information literacy skills training, and to ascertain the perspectives of public library Internet users with regard to their experiences of information literacy. Design – Qualitative research using semi-structured interviews and observations. Setting – Five public libraries in Canada. Subjects – Twenty-eight public library staff members and twenty-five customers. Methods – This study constituted the second phase of a detailed examination of information literacy (IL) training in Canadian public libraries. Five public libraries located throughout Canada were selected for participation. These comprised a large central branch of a public library located in a town with a population of approximately two million, a main branch of a public library in an urban city of about one million people, a public library in a town with a population of about 75,000, a library in a town of 900 people and a public library located in the community center of a Canadian First Nations reserve that housed a population of less than 100 persons. After notifying customers via signage posted in the vicinity of computers and Internet access areas, the researchers observed each patron as they accessed the Internet via library computers. Observations focused on the general physical environment of the Internet access stations, customer activities and use of the Internet, as well as the nature and degree of customer interactions with each other and with staff. Photographs were also taken and observations were recorded via field notes. The former were analyzed via qualitative content analysis while quantitative analysis was applied to the observations. Additionally, each observed participant was interviewed immediately following Internet use. Interview questions focused on a range of issues including the reasons why customers used the Internet in public libraries, customers’ perceptions about their level of information literacy and their feelings with regard to being information literate, the nature of their exposure to IL training, the benefits they derived from such training, and their desire for further training. Public service librarians and other staff were also interviewed in a similar manner. These questions sought to ascertain staff views on the role of the public library with regard to IL training; perceptions of the need for and expected outcomes of such training; as well as the current situation pertinent to the provision of IL skills training in their respective libraries in terms of staff competencies, resource allocation, and the forms of training and evaluation. Interviews were recorded and transcribed. Data were interpreted via qualitative content analysis through the use of NVivo software. Main Results – Men were more frequent users of public library computers than women, outnumbering them by a ratio ranging from 2:1 to 3.4:1. Customers appeared to be mostly under the age of 30 and of diverse ethnicities. The average income of interviewed customers was less than the Canadian average. The site observations revealed that customers were seen using the Internet mainly for the purposes of communication (e.g., e-mail, instant messaging, online dating services). Such use was observed 78 times in four of the libraries. Entertainment accounted for 43 observations in all five sites and comprised activities such as online games, music videos, and movie listings. Twenty-eight observations involved business/financial uses (e.g., online shopping, exploration of investment sites, online banking). The use of search engines (25 observations), news information (23), foreign language and forum websites (21), and word processing were less frequently observed. Notably, there were only 20 observed library-specific uses (e.g., searching online catalogues, online database and library websites). Customers reported that they used the Internet mainly for general web searching and for e-mail. It was also observed that in general the physical environment was not conducive to computer use due to uncomfortable or absent seating and a lack of privacy. Additionally, only two sites had areas specifically designated for IL instruction. Of the 25 respondents, 19 reported at least five years experience with the Internet, 9 of whom cited experience of 10 years or more. Self-reported confidence with the Internet was high: 16 individuals claimed to be very confident, 7 somewhat confident, and only 2 lacking in confidence. There was a weak positive correlation between years of use and individuals’ reported levels of confidence. Customers reported interest in improving computer literacy (e.g., keyboarding ability) and IL skills (ability to use more sources of information). Some expressed a desire “to improve certain personal attitudes” (30), such as patience when conducting Internet searches. When presented with the Association of College and Research Libraries’ definition of IL, 13 (52%) of those interviewed claimed to be information literate, 8 were ambivalent, and 4 admitted to being information illiterate. Those who professed to be information literate had no particular feeling about this state of being, however 10 interviewees admitted feeling positive about being able to use the Internet to retrieve information. Most of those interviewed (15) disagreed that a paucity of IL skills is a deterrent to “accessing online information efficiently and effectively” (30). Eleven reported development of information skills through self teaching, while 8 cited secondary schools or tertiary educational institutions. However, such training was more in terms of computer technology education than IL. Eleven of the participants expressed a desire for additional IL training, 5 of whom indicated a preference for the public library to supply such training. Customers identified face-to-face, rather than online, as the ideal training format. Four interviewees identified time as the main barrier to Internet use and online access. As regards library staff, 22 (78.6%) of those interviewed posited IL training as an important role for public libraries. Many stated that customers had been asking for formal IL sessions with interest in training related to use of the catalogue, databases, and productivity software, as well as searching the web. Two roles were identified in the context of the public librarian as a provider of IL: “library staff as teachers/agents of empowerment and library staff as ‘public parents’” (32). The former was defined as supporting independent, lifelong learning through the provision of IL skills, and the latter encompassing assistance, guidance, problem solving, and filtering of unsuitable content. Staff identified challenges to IL training as societal challenges (e.g., need for customers to be able to evaluate information provided by the media, the public library’s role in reducing the digital divide), institutional (e.g., marketing of IL programs, staff constraints, lack of budget for IL training), infrastructural (e.g., limited space, poor Internet access in library buildings) and pedagogical challenges, such as differing views pertinent to the philosophy of IL, as well as the low levels of IL training to which Canadian students at all levels had been previously exposed. Despite these challenges library staff acknowledged positive outcomes resulting from IL training in terms of customers achieving a higher level of computer literacy, becoming more skillful at searching, and being able to use a variety of information sources. Affective benefits were also apparent such as increased independence and willingness to learn. Library staff also identified life expanding outcomes, such as the use of IL skills to procure employment. In contrast to customer self-perception, library staff expressed that customers’ IL skills were low, and that this resulted in their avoidance of “higher-level online research” and the inability to “determine appropriate information sources” (36). Several librarians highlighted customers’ incapacity to perform simple activities such as opening an email account. Library staff also alluded to customer’s reluctance to ask them for help. Libraries in the study offered a wide range of training. All provided informal, personalized training as needed. Formal IL sessions on searching the catalogue, online searching, and basic computer skills were conducted by the three bigger libraries. A mix of librarians and paraprofessional staff provided the training in these libraries. However, due to a lack of professional staff, the two smaller libraries offered periodic workshops facilitated by regional librarians. All the libraries lacked a defined training budget. Nonetheless, the largest urban library was well-positioned to offer IL training as it had a training coordinator, a training of trainers program, as well as technologically-equipped training spaces. The other libraries in this study provided no training of trainers programs and varied in terms of the adequacy of spaces allocated for the purpose of training. The libraries also varied in terms of the importance placed on the evaluation of IL training. At the largest library evaluation forms were used to improve training initiatives, while at the small town library “evaluations were done anecdotally” (38). Conclusion – While Internet access is available and utilized by a wide cross section of the population, IL skills are being developed informally and not through formal training offered by public libraries. Canadian public libraries need to work to improve information literacy skills by offering and promoting formal IL training programs.