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The evaluation of multi-scale surface roughness parameters (SRPs) is important to solve many engineering problems (e.g. contact stress, sealing, friction) and is closely related to further fundamental problems (e.g. microbial contamination). Traditionally, surface roughness has been used as a standard for indicating process performance, such as tool wear, tool vibration etc. This paper also aims to find appropriate surface roughness parameters (SRPs) that can be used as process monitoring indices. Grade 304 stainless steel surfaces, generated by extrusion and grinding processes, were used in this study. The evaluation of different SRPs and their topography properties (such as fractal dimension) is discussed for extruded and ground surfaces. One problem with existing surface metrology is the availability of a multitude of disconnected roughness parameters. A statistical approach is presented in this paper that allows the most appropriate roughness parameters to monitor whether the intended surface quality converges to be found.

In this paper, we examine the scalar curvature of a 3-dimensional hyperbolic Kenmotsu manifold, admitting a ρ-Yamabe soliton is constant, and the manifold reduces to a ρ-Einstein manifold. We have also examined if a 3-dimensional hyperbolic Kenmotsu manifold admits a ρ-Yamabe soliton, then the manifold reduces to an Einstein under some conditions. Here, we have also studied some different types of curvature properties under certain conditions. Finally, we construct an example of 3-dimensional hyperbolic Kenmotsu manifold admitting ρ-Yamabe soliton. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports our progress in developing techniques for “parsing” raw gaze and force data from manual grinding tasks into a principled model. A grinding task, though simple, requires the practitioner to combine elements from the large repertoire of her skillset. Based on the joint, gaze, and force data collected from a series of experiments, and by extending existing scanpath methods, we develop a visualization method called Gaze-Motor Space-Time Cube (GMSTC), which can help us gain insight into the joint gaze-motor routine existing in complex manual tasks. For instance, there exists a strong correlation between the spectra of a subject's fixation and force distributions. Such insight might be hard to extract through an examination of either the gaze or the force data separately. Furthermore, by comparing data obtained from operators with different levels of skill, we are able to quantitatively describe characteristics of human manual skill. For instance, we find that an experienced subject exhibits longer fixation durations and smaller fixation variations than an intermediate one. A detailed understanding of gaze-motor behavior broadens our knowledge of how a manual task is executed. Our results help to provide this extra insight, and have implications in the way in which knowledge and manual expertise is transferred from one generation of practitioners to the next.

BackgroundWhile Indian studies have assessed care providers' knowledge and practices, there is no systematic review on the quality of tuberculosis (TB) care.MethodsWe searched multiple sources to identify studies (2000-2014) on providers' knowledge and practices. We used the International Standards for TB Care to benchmark quality of care.ResultsOf the 47 studies included, 35 were questionnaire surveys and 12 used chart abstraction. None assessed actual practice using standardised patients. Heterogeneity in the findings precluded meta-analysis. Of 22 studies evaluating provider knowledge about using sputum smears for diagnosis, 10 found that less than half of providers had correct knowledge; 3 of 4 studies assessing self-reported practices by providers found that less than a quarter reported ordering smears for patients with chest symptoms. In 11 of 14 studies that assessed treatment, less than one third of providers knew the standard regimen for drug-susceptible TB. Adherence to standards in practice was generally lower than correct knowledge of those standards. Eleven studies with both public and private providers found higher levels of appropriate knowledge/practice in the public sector.ConclusionsAvailable evidence suggests suboptimal quality of TB care, particularly in the private sector. Improvement of quality of care should be a priority for India.

The purpose of this study was to examine what components of executive function (EF)--inhibition, shifting and updating/working memory--predict reading comprehension in young adults. Ninety university students (65 females, 25 males; mean age = 21.82 years) were assessed on shifting (Planned Connections and Colour/Shape Shifting), inhibition (Colour-Word Stroop and Number Stroop), updating/working memory (Digit Memory and Listening Span), reading fluency (Word Reading Efficiency), vocabulary (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test), and reading comprehension (Nelson-Denny Reading Test). The results of path analysis indicated that only shifting predicted directly reading comprehension. These findings extend those of previous studies showing that different EF components predict different reading outcomes and suggest that EF has a place in reading comprehension models over and above traditional predictors of reading comprehension such as reading fluency and vocabulary.

Although the role of cognitive processes, such as planning, attention, simultaneous, and successive (PASS) processing in reading ability has been examined in samples of typically developing children and children with reading difficulties, it remains unclear if these processes also contribute to superior reading performance. Thus, in this study we examined (a) which PASS processes differentiate superior readers from average readers and (b) what is the individual profile of the superior readers. Thirty-six children with superior reading performance (standard score in Broad Reading equal to or higher than 130) and 43 average readers (standard score in Broad Reading between 85 and 115) were assessed on measures of general intelligence, planning, attention, simultaneous, and successive processing. The results of multivariate analyses indicated that the superior readers performed significantly better than the average readers only in simultaneous and successive processing. However, the superior readers exhibited diverse individual profiles of cognitive assets. The psychoeducational implications of these findings are discussed.

In this article, the author reminisces about his 40 years with the J.P. Das Developmental Disabilities Centre. He begins by recalling his early years with the Centre. He follows it up with his middle years, as well as his later years with the Centre. The author ends his flashback by "bragging" about some of the extraordinary scholars who have visited the Centre.

Math difficulties share many common features with reading difficulties. In as much as they do so, the general approach to reading disability overlaps with math disability. Both math and learning to read share several domain-general features such as long-term and short- term memory, successive and simultaneous processing, flexibility in strategies, attention to details and knowledge-base. The paper reviews the foundational concepts for learning math--magnitude, value, procedure, and estimation. Math disability, therefore, can be identified in terms of the domain-general cognitive processes as well as difficulties in mathematical operations involving Magnitude, Value, Procedure, and Estimation. The review, in its final section, presents some empirical studies of math learning and cognitive intervention from contemporary literature. The authors conclude that there are many different kinds of learning difficulties, and many varieties of math learning disabilities. It should be recognized that many areas of the brain contribute to the successful learning and application of math skills.