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Sensitivity to the fixed ordering of actions and events, or deterministic sequence learning, is an important skill throughout adulthood. Yet, it remains unclear whether age deficits in sequencing exist, and we lack a firm understanding of which factors might contribute to age-related impairments when they arise. Though debated, executive functioning, governed by the frontal lobe, may underlie age-related sequence learning deficits in older adults. The present study asked if age predicts errors in deterministic sequence learning across the older adult lifespan (ages 55–89), and whether executive functioning accounts for any age-related declines. Healthy older adults completed a comprehensive measure of frontal-based executive abilities as well as a deterministic sequence learning task that required the step-by-step acquisition of associations through trial-and-error feedback. Among those who met a performance-based criterion, increasing age was positively correlated with higher sequencing errors; however, this relationship was no longer significant after controlling for executive functioning. Moreover, frontal-based executive abilities mediated the relationship between age and sequence learning performance. These findings suggest that executive or frontal functioning may underlie age deficits in learning judgment-based, deterministic serial operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We address four issues in response to Osth and Hurlstone's (2022) commentary on the context retrieval and updating (CRU) theory of serial order (Logan, 2021). First, we clarify the relations between CRU, chains, and associations. We show that CRU is not equivalent to a chaining theory and uses similarity rather than association to retrieve contexts. Second, we fix an error Logan (2021) made in accounting for the tendency to recall ACB instead of ACD in recalling ABCDEF (fill-in vs. in-fill errors, respectively). When implemented correctly, the idea that subjects mix the current context with an initial list cue after the first order error correctly predicts that fill-in errors are more frequent than in-fill errors. Third, we address position-specific prior-list intrusions, suggesting modifications to CRU and introducing a position-coding model based on CRU representations to account for them. We suggest that position-specific prior-list intrusions are evidence for position coding on some proportion of the trials but are not evidence against item coding on other trials. Finally, we address position-specific between-group intrusions in structured lists, agreeing with Osth and Hurlstone that reasonable modifications to CRU cannot account for them. We suggest that such intrusions support position coding on some proportion of the trials but do not rule out CRU-like item-based codes. We conclude by suggesting that item-independent and item-dependent coding are alternative strategies for serial recall and we stress the importance of accounting for immediate performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discussion of appropriateness in the ancient interpretation, order and coherence in the later interpretation, and chaining and intertextuality in the contemporary text-oriented linguistics dictionary are among the topics that have been the focus of the old and new Muslim and non-Muslim Quran scholars from the beginning of the revelation of the Qur'an to the present age. Today, some orientalists believe that the Qur'an is a mixed and incoherent mass. Also, the repetition of verses in Quranic stories is due to the incoherence of the verses. Considering the importance of the discussion, it is necessary to examine the coherence and chaining of the verses related to the Quranic stories. The results of the research, which was carried out by the analytical-descriptive method, show that: a. In the early Meccan surahs, the reader is not faced with complete stories and only their main events are mentioned; b. The goals in the first surahs are moral and educational, and the way of telling stories is sharp and striking, and monotonous music dominates the surahs; c. Narrative parts and in a first way, retribution-oriented stories with the verses before and after them on the one hand, and with other retribution-oriented stories of other surahs, as well as on a macro level, with the life of the prophet (PBUH), have inter-surah and intertextual relationships; d. The narrative beginnings of these stories follow one or more common and formulated patterns; e. The middle part of the stories contains structural events, and in fact, the narration of the stories is directly related to this part; f. The endings of narrations of the stories usually end with a verse that refers to a lesson or a moral message; g. retribution-oriented stories of the first Makkah surahs are considered to be the bearers of the first verbal communication of Islam through the prophet (PBUH), and they present a miniature of the entire Quranic stories and prepare the mental background of the Quran's audience

We consider a change-point test based on the Hill estimator to test for structural changes in the tail index of long memory stochastic volatility time series. In order to determine the asymptotic distribution of the corresponding test statistic, we prove a uniform reduction principle for the tail empirical process in a two-parameter Skorohod space. It is shown that such a process displays a dichotomous behavior according to an interplay between the Hurst parameter, that is, a parameter characterizing the dependence in the data, and the tail index. Our theoretical results are accompanied by simulation studies and an analysis of financial time series with regard to structural changes in the tail index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literacy movement is not only the responsibility of the government, but the responsibility of all stakeholders such as the business world, universities, social organizations, literacy activists, parents, and the community. The spirit of literacy culture is very active in its implementation in schools from elementary to high school. Various school programs are implemented, starting from reading corners, various places, and media created by schools to support these programs. Likewise, for special schools, literacy for children with special needs is also carried out to support a literacy culture for children with disabilities. There is one special school in Indonesia with disabilities that are included in the autistic category. Several studies have shown that schools are very enthusiastic about implementing the Literacy Movement program. However, it focuses a lot on how to implement it with the right method and does not consider what materials are needed for autistic children. Meanwhile, autistic children need independent literacy in their lives, such as independence in bathing, dressing, using socks, toilet training, and so on. Interesting reading material about self-reliance is hardly available in shops, libraries, and schools. In this article, we convey that making interesting reading materials for autistic students related to independent living is a challenge to make teachers, literacy activists, and communities concerned with literacy. Autistic students need regularity, discipline, and interesting reading with basic material content such as the chaining method. The chaining method, for example, is used to train dental skills in children with intellectual disabilities. The chaining method used is the chaining method used in the next steps of chaining, namely the initial steps of the behavior are taught first,, the steps taught are related to the second steps, and so on until the stage is complete. The type of research used is a case study. Meanwhile, data collection was by observation and by looking at the literacy cases of children with special needs. Research analysis was done using qualitative description. The results showed that the significantly autistic used literacy materials by reading series books in the form of chains which were simpler to read and also useful for their independence in everyday life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A scientist’s academic pursuit can follow a winding path.Starting with one topic of research in earlier career, one maylater pursue topics that relate remotely to the initial point.Philosophers and cognitive scientists have proposed theoriesabout how science has developed, but their emphasis is typi-cally not on explaining the processes of innovation in individ-ual scientists. We examine regularity in the emerging order of ascientist’s publications over time. Our basic premise is that sci-entific papers should emerge in non-arbitrary ways that tend tofollow a process of chaining, whereby novel papers are linkedto existing papers with closely related ideas. We evaluate thisproposal with a set of probabilistic models on the historicalpublications from 70 Turing Award winners. We show that anexemplar model of chaining best explains the data among thealternative models, mirroring recent findings on chaining in thegrowth of linguistic meaning.

A hallmark of natural language is the innovative reuse of ex-isting words. We examine how adjectives extend over timeto describe nouns and form previously unattested adjective-noun pairings. Our approach is based on the idea of chainingthat postulates word meaning to extend by linking novel ref-erents to existing ones that are close in semantic space. Wetest this proposal by exploring a set of models that learn toinfer adjective-noun pairings from historical text corpora fora period of 150 years. Our findings across three diverse setsof adjectives support a chaining mechanism that is sensitiveto semantic neighbourhood density, best captured by an exem-plar model of category extension. This work sheds light on thegenerative cognitive mechanisms of word usage extension.

Logan (2021) presented an impressive unification of serial order tasks including whole report, typing, and serial recall in the form of the context retrieval and updating (CRU) model. Despite the wide breadth of the model's coverage, its reliance on encoding and retrieving context representations that consist of the previous items may prevent it from being able to address a number of critical benchmark findings in the serial order literature that have shaped and constrained existing theories. In this commentary, we highlight three major challenges that motivated the development of a rival class of models of serial order, namely positional models. These challenges include the mixed-list phonological similarity effect, the protrusion effect, and interposition errors in temporal grouping. Simulations indicated that CRU can address the mixed-list phonological similarity effect if phonological confusions can occur during its output stage, suggesting that the serial position curves from this paradigm do not rule out models that rely on interitem associations, as has been previously been suggested. The other two challenges are more consequential for the model's representations, and simulations indicated the model was not able to provide a complete account of them. We highlight and discuss how revisions to CRU's representations or retrieval mechanisms can address these phenomena and emphasize that a fruitful direction forward would be to either incorporate positional representations or approximate them with its existing representations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Land managers in western North America often reverse succession by removing pinyon (Pinus spp.) and juniper (Juniperus spp.) trees to reduce fire risk and increase forage for wildlife and livestock. Because prescribed fire carries inherent risks, mechanical methods such as chaining, roller‐chopping, and mastication are often used. Mechanical methods differ in cost and the size of woody debris produced, and may differentially impact plant and animal responses. We implemented a randomized, complete‐block, split‐plot experiment in December 2011 in the Piceance Basin, northwestern Colorado, USA, to compare mechanical methods and to explore seeding (subplot) interactions. We assessed vegetation 1‐, 2‐, 5‐, and 6‐years post‐treatment, and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) response via GPS locations 3–8 years post‐treatment. By 2016, treated plots had 3–5 times higher perennial grass cover and ~10 times higher cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) cover than untreated control plots. Roller‐chopped plots had both the highest non‐native annual forb cover, and when seeded, the highest density of bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata), a nutritious shrub used by mule deer. Masticated plots had higher bitterbrush use during summer and fall, leaving less forage available for winter. Days of winter mule deer use from GPS point locations in chained and roller‐chopped plots was ~70% higher than in control plots, while winter use in masticated plots was similar to control plots. Mule deer use appears related to a combination of hiding cover, resulting from residual woody debris, and winter forage availability. Roller‐chopped plots provide the best combination of hiding cover and winter forage, but mastication or chaining, applied leaving dispersed security cover, may be better options at large scales or when invasive species concerns exist.

Young children often stretch terms to novel objects when theylack the proper adult words—a phenomenon known as overex-tension. Psychologists have proposed that overextension relieson the formation of a chain complex, such that new objectsmay be linked to existing referents of a word based on a diverseset of relations including taxonomic, analogical, and predicate-based knowledge. We build on these ideas by proposing a com-putational framework that creates chain complexes by multi-modal fusion of resources from linguistics, deep learning net-works, and psychological experiments. We test our models ina communicative scenario that simulates linguistic productionand comprehension between a child and a caretaker. Our re-sults show that the multimodal semantic space accounts forsubstantial variation in children’s overextension in the liter-ature, and our framework predicts overextension strategies.This work provides a formal approach to characterizing lin-guistic creativity of word sense extension in early childhood.

Sample surveys are often affected by missing observations and non-response caused by the respondents' refusal or unwillingness to provide the requested information or due to their memory failure. In order to substitute the missing data, a procedure called imputation is applied, which uses the available data as a tool for the replacement of the missing values. Two auxiliary variables create a chain which is used to substitute the missing part of the sample. The aim of the paper is to present the application of the Chain-type factor estimator as a means of source imputation for the non-response units in an incomplete sample. The proposed strategies were found to be more efficient and bias-controllable than similar estimation procedures described in the relevant literature. These techniques could also be made nearly unbiased in relation to other selected parametric values. The findings are supported by a numerical study involving the use of a dataset, proving that the proposed techniques outperform other similar ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering an uncertain demand, this study evaluates the potential benefits of using a multiskilled workforce through a k-chaining policy with k≥2. For the service sector and, particularly for the retail industry, we initially propose a deterministic mixed-integer linear programming model that determines how many employees should be multiskilled, in which and how many departments they should be trained, and how their weekly working hours will be assigned. Then, the deterministic model is reformulated using a two-stage stochastic optimization (TSSO) model to explicitly incorporate the uncertain personnel demand. The methodology is tested for a case study using real and simulated data derived from a Chilean retail store. We also compare the TSSO approach solutions with the myopic approaches' solutions (i.e., zero and total multiskilling). The case study is oriented to answer two key questions: how much multiskilling to add and how to add it. Results show that TSSO approach solutions always report maximum reliability for all levels of demand variability considered. It was also observed that, for high levels of demand variability, a k-chaining policy with k≥2 is more cost-effective than a 2-chaining policy. Finally, to evaluate the conservatism level in the solutions reported by the TSSO approach, two truncation types in the probability density function (pdf) associated with the personnel demand were considered. Results show that, if the pdf is only truncated at zero (more conservative truncation) the levels of required multiskilling are higher than when the pdf is truncated at 5th and 95th percentiles (less conservative truncation).

The communities of behavior analysts and animal trainers remain relatively disconnected despite potentially beneficial links between behavioral principles and the practices of animal training. Describing existing links between research by behavior analysts and practices used by animal trainers may foster connections. In this paper, we describe an approach used by many clicker trainers, referred to as loopy training. Loopy training is a teaching process built around the concept of movement cycles. Interactions between the animal learner and the handler are refined into predictable, cyclical patterns that can be expanded into complex sequences. These sequences include cues, target responses, conditioned reinforcers, and consummatory responses. We link the foundations of loopy training to existing work in the experimental analysis of behavior, compare loopy training to other shaping approaches, and describe areas for future research. We conclude with a series of recommendations for further developing connections between behavior analysts and animal trainers, using loopy training as the foundation for our suggestions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biological or biomimetic membranes are examples within the larger material class of flexible ultrathin lamellae and contoured fluid sheets that require work or energy to impose bending deformations. Bending elasticity also dictates the interactions and assembly of integrated phases or molecular clusters within fluid lamellae, for instance enabling critical cell functions in biomembranes. More broadly, lamella and other thin fluids that integrate dispersed objects, inclusions, and phases behave as contoured 2D colloidal suspensions governed by elastic interactions. To elucidate the breadth of interactions and assembled patterns accessible through elastic interactions, we consider the bending elasticity-driven assembly of 1-10 μm solid plate-shaped Brownian domains (the 2D colloids), integrated into a fluid phospholipid membrane (the 2D fluid). Here, the fluid membranes of giant unilamellar vesicles, 20-50 μm in diameter, each contain 4-100 monodisperse plate-domains at an overall solid area fraction of 17 ± 3%. Three types of reversible plate arrangements are found: persistent vesicle-encompassing quasi-hexagonal lattices, persistent closely associated chains or concentrated lattices, and a dynamic disordered state. The interdomain distances evidence combined attractive and repulsive elastic interactions up to 10 μm, far exceeding the ranges of physio-chemical interactions. Bending contributions are controlled through membrane slack (excess area) producing, for a fixed composition, a sharp cooperative multibody transition in plate arrangement, while domain size and number contribute intricacy., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of National Academy of Sciences.)

Emmanuel Levinas in a brief text from 1934 entitled Some Reflections on the Philosophy of Hitlerism analyzes the possibility of elemental evil from a phenomenological interpretation. He considers that Hitlerism is an awakening of elementary feelings, feelings are an intersection of specific intentional acts. Thus, the philosophy of Hitlerism would be an expression of the modes of being-there-in-the-world, it is a mode of existence. Elemental evil establishes a relationship in which the subject is chained to himself. In later writings elemental evil seems to be linked with a complex development of Western metaphysics. This article intends to study how Levinasian phenomenological criticism is capable of suspending elemental evil, trying to dismantle Western politics through the foundation of a phenomenological politics that conceives another relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on entropic regularization and its multiscale extension in neural network learning. We leverage established results that characterize the optimizer of entropic regularization methods and their connection with generalization bounds. To avoid the significant computational complexity involved in sampling from the optimal multiscale Gibbs distributions, we describe how to make measured concessions in optimality by using self-similar approximating distributions. We study such scale-invariant approximations for linear neural networks and further extend the approximations to neural networks with nonlinear activation functions. We then illustrate the application of our proposed approach through empirical simulation. By navigating the interplay between optimization and computational efficiency, our research contributes to entropic regularization theory, proposing a practical method that embraces symmetry across scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Words frequently acquire new senses, but the mental processthat underlies the historical emergence of these senses is oftenopaque. Many have suggested that word meanings develop innon-arbitrary ways, but no attempt has been made to formalizethese proposals and test them against historical data at scale.We propose that word meaning extension should reflect a drivetowards cognitive economy. We test this proposal by exploringa family of computational models that predict the evolution ofword senses, evaluated against a large digitized lexicon thatdates back 1000 years in English language history. Our find-ings suggest that word meanings not only extend in predictableways, but also that they do so following an historical path thattends to minimize cognitive cost - through a process of nearest-neighbor chaining. Our work contributes a formal approach toreverse-engineering mental algorithms of the human lexicon.

Fraud and data tampering is one of the key security risks of computer systems in general and in particular, sophisticated architecture that involves a wide array of heavily interdependent systems that communicate data using microservices, as well as simple normal user-facing systems. The evolving risks of security threats as well as regulatory compliance are important driving forces for achieving better integrity and detecting any possible data tampering by either internal or external malicious perpetrators. We present the architecture for a multi-modal tamper detection solution with a primary goal of being easily retrofittable into existing systems with minimal intervention required from system developers or system administrators in large organizations. Our focus in this work is append-only databases like financial transactions, auditing systems, as well as technical system logs. We also pay attention to data confidentiality by making sure that the data never leaves the organization's premises. We leverage designs like chains of record hashes to achieve the target solution. After illustrating different ways of integrating DBKnot into existing architecture, we then go through how to leverage existing web service configuration and definition standards to increase the seamlessness and ease of retrofitting into existing applications by automatically detecting and learning about the target web service semantics without much need for manual human intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The translation of nanoparticles to useful applications is often hindered by the reliability of synthetic methodologies to reproducibly generate larger particles of uniform size (diameter > 20 nm). The inability to precisely control nanoparticle crystallinity, size, and shape has significant implications on observed properties and therefore applications. A series of iron oxide particles have been synthesised and the impact of size as they agglomerate in aqueous media undergoing flow through a capillary tube has been studied. Reaction conditions for the production of large (side length > 40 nm) cubic magnetite (Fe3O4) have been optimised to produce particles with different diameters up to 150 nm. We have focussed on reproducibility in synthesis rather than dispersity of the size distribution. A simple oxidative cleavage of the as-synthesised particles surfactant coating transforms the hydrophobic oleic acid coated Fe3O4 to a hydrophilic system based on azelaic acid. The hydrophilic coating can be further functionalised, in this case we have used a simple biocompatible polyethylene glycol (PEG) coating. The ability of particles to either chain, flow, and fully/or partially aggregate in aqueous media has been tested in a simple in-house system made from commercial components. Fe3O4 nanoparticles (60–85 nm) with a simple PEG coating were found to freely flow at a 2 mm distance from a magnet over 3 min at a rate of 1 mL min−1. Larger particles with side lengths of ~150 nm, or those without a PEG coating were not able to fully block the tube. Simple calculations have been performed to support these observations of magnetic agglomeration. Polyethylene glycol coated magnetite nanoparticles have been optimised for aqueous flow experiments. Particles agglomerate in the capillary tube while under the influence of a rare earth magnet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), small noncoding RNAs with a length of about 22 nucleotides, harbor the potential to be powerful tools for the genetic engineering of production cell lines like Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Their ability to regulate multiple targets at once and their potential to fine-tune effect strengths contrast with classical engineering approaches. However, most studies of miRNAs rely on transiently flooding the cells with miRNA mimics. Since this approach is not suitable for long-term cultivation in a bioprocess, stable overexpression of miRNAs becomes more and more important for the biotech industry. Here, the user might be confronted with insufficient overexpression of the miRNA of interest. In this chapter, we present a method for the generation of stable CHO cell lines expressing a miRNA from a plasmid-based system containing multiple copies of the miRNA, allowing tuning of overexpression and regulation., (© 2025. The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

When reported, the methods for prompting functional communication responses (FCRs) following problem behavior during functional communication training (FCT) vary. Some researchers have prompted the FCR immediately following problem behavior but doing so may inadvertently strengthen problem behavior as the first link in an undesirable response chain. This study investigated the effects of prompting FCRs following problem behavior during FCT with 4 children who exhibited severe problem behavior. Problem behavior remained low and FCR rates were near optimal when prompts were delivered immediately following problem behavior for 2 participants. Delaying prompts following problem behavior was instrumental for FCR acquisition for 1 participant but led to escalation of problem behavior for a 2nd participant. The conditions under which immediate prompts following problem behavior may improve or worsen FCT are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, network functionalities are provided through dedicated hardware middleboxes. These hardware middleboxes are statically embedded with network topology to provide the network services. The types of middleboxes increase in the network, with an increased number of users and network services. The growth in multiple kinds of middleboxes creates an ossified network that is difficult for network management. Network Function Virtualization (NFV) deals with such problems by eliminating network functions from the piece of hardware and implement it as a software to execute in a commodity server. The network virtualization provides more flexibility and elasticity in the network to automatically manage and control the network functions. NFV internally implements the different algorithms to automate the on-demand service provisioning mechanism. In the service provisioning process, NFV allows to share the physical resources among the Virtual Network Functions (VNFs). In order to optimally allocate the physical resources to each VNF, there is a need to include some efficient resource sharing mechanisms in NFV infrastructure. These resource sharing mechanisms are the VNF placement, service chaining, VNFs scheduling, and VNF migration. Therefore, this survey discusses the solutions, implementation tools, and limitations with respect to these resource sharing mechanisms. Moreover, research challenges and current trends related to the resource sharing strategies are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At an overarching level this paper attempts to draw attention to emerging trends in the humanities where alternative ways of doing science reconfigure epistemological traditions and research methodologies, the role of intellectuals and their engagement with current conditions of the world, including ways in which scholars gazes are constituted. Drawing on what we call a Second Wave of Southern Perspectives (SWaSP), that sees the entanglements of two clusters – the first of which comprises contemporary ways of reading anticolonial, postcolonial and decolonial thinkers with offerings of Southern perspectives, and a second where contemporary theories about language and communication that considers their cultural and social dimensions, this paper calls for a mobile global-centric gazing. More specifically this paper actualises ontoepistemological trajectories that feed into the scholarship about multilingualism, looking at its different possible beings and becomings that enable a variety of ways of conceptualising multilingual practices. We do this by first presenting a brief review about recent discussions related to the concept of repertoires in the field of multilingualism and pathways that can move these debates in different directions. After this, we present possible ways to go beyond the sociolinguistics of multilingualism, by considering contemporary challenges in the knowledge production enterprise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feasibility for improving the efficiency of the tag identification phase in OSK (Ohkubo, Suzuki i Kinoshita) RFID protocol is analyzed in this paper. First, the basic identification technique is presented in general. Then, a procedure for speeding up the identification by employment of TMTO (Time Memory Trade Off) approach is explained. Balancing between memory and time requirements is achieved with the chaining technique and introduction of an off-line, preparatory phase. As an additional effort, a second TMTO-based level is proposed. It relies on a special look-up table which consists of the equidistant states generated during preparatory phase. The complexity of the proposed technique is discussed along with some numerical evaluation results obtained through experiments.

Abstract The design of flexible and efficient mechanisms for proper placement and chaining of virtual network functions (VNFs) is key for the success of Network Function Virtualization (NFV). Most state-of-the-art solutions, however, consider fixed (and immutable) flow processing and bandwidth requirements when placing VNFs in the Network Points of Presence (N-PoPs). This limitation becomes critical in NFV-enabled networks having highly dynamic flow behavior, and in which flow processing requirements and available N-PoP resources change constantly. To bridge this gap, we present NFV-PEAR, a framework for adaptive VNF placement and chaining. In NFV-PEAR, network operators may periodically (re)arrange previously determined placement and chaining of VNFs, with the goal of maintaining acceptable end-to-end flow performance despite fluctuations of flow processing costs and requirements. In parallel, NFV-PEAR seeks to minimize network changes (e.g., reallocation of VNFs or network flows). The results obtained from an analytical and experimental evaluation provide evidence that NFV-PEAR has potential to deliver more stable operation of network services, while significantly reducing the number of network changes required to ensure end-to-end flow performance.

The increase in temperature in the last 50 years has had serious effects in the economy, so it is necessary to take mitigation policies to reduce its effects. In this paper, an estimation of the emission multipliers is carried out through the input-output technique, which serves as another instrument for the evaluation and analysis of the different mitigation policy alternatives. The estimated multipliers allow us to observe which sectors have the greatest impact on greenhouse gases emissions, in order to carry out a characterization of the most efficient policies in each sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Task analyses and chaining procedures are effective methods that behaviour analysts use for teaching skills to individuals on the autism spectrum. Breaking a skill into its individual components can help alleviate performance anxiety, teach skill acquisition and ensure long-term maintenance. We examined whether, after a training session, parents (n=7) were able to construct effective task-analyses. Videos were used to practice constructing a task-analysis for 16 skills. At baseline, parents used summary labels to describe the skills in the videos. After training, all were able to identify approbate numbers of steps for each skill in the videos. Participants, who had some previous experience with behaviour analysis (n=4) were able to identify more steps than participants with no experience (n=3). Findings suggest that a brief training event can be useful for teaching task analysis, albeit the effectiveness was narrow.

Group A Streptococcal (GAS) biofilm formation is an important pathological feature contributing to the antibiotic tolerance and progression of various GAS infections. Although a number of bacterial factors have been described to promote in vitro GAS biofilm formation, the relevance of in vitro biofilms to host-associated biofilms requires further understanding. In this study, we demonstrate how constituents of the host environment, such as lysozyme and NaCl, can modulate GAS bacterial chain length and, in turn, shape GAS biofilm morphology and structure. Disruption of GAS chains with lysozyme results in biofilms that are more stable. Based on confocal microscopy, we attribute the increase in biofilm stability to a dense and compact three-dimensional structure produced by de-chained cells. To show that changes in biofilm stability and structure are due to the shortening of bacterial chains and not specific to the activity of lysozyme, we demonstrate that augmented chaining induced by NaCl or deletion of the autolysin gene mur1.2 produced defects in biofilm formation characterized by a loose biofilm architecture. We conclude that GAS biofilm formation can be directly influenced by host and environmental factors through the modulation of bacterial chain length, potentially contributing to persistence and colonization within the host. Further studies of in vitro biofilm models incorporating physiological constituents such as lysozyme may uncover new insights into the physiology of in vivo GAS biofilms.

Network function virtualization concept has recently merged to solve network operators and service provider's problems related to the non-flexibility of the traditional network and the increase of capital and operational expenditures (CAPEX and OPEX). ETSI has standardized an architectural framework to serve as a springboard for reflection to the application and the setup of the concept. However, that architecture presents many shortcomings and several challenges that have to be addressed. In this paper, we propose a new original framework that aims at satisfying the subscriber's Service Level Agreement and optimizes Telecom Service Provider fees under the scope of pay as you go concept. Based on the proposed framework, the end to end service execution process is presented. We afterward address the dynamic scheduling problem to minimize service execution time in the network by meant of the makespan. The dynamic scheduling problem is modeled as a mixed-integer linear programming one, and an Event-Driven Upward Ranking-Based Dynamic Scheduling Heuristic (EDURBaDySH) is proposed to solve large instances of the problem. Simulation results show that our approach performs better than Round Robin, Min Min and HEFT approaches in terms of makespan for different workflow configurations, considering a small, middle and large number of VNFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent advancement in intelligent transportation system makes it crucial to equip vehicles with intelligent onboard system (IOS). With the help of IOSs, vehicles can obtain varieties of convenient services from both remote service centers and other vehicles. However, the deficiency of the existing IOS makes the upgrade process complex and costly for the reason of its closed architecture. In order to solve this problem, network function virtualization (NFV) is introduced to make the IOS open by virtualizing services as software applications that can be executed on standard IT platforms. Furthermore, the NFV-based IOS can build an ordered service chain, consisting of virtualized network functions (VNFs), among different IOSs, and support VNF reuse. Thus, it is imperative to optimize the chaining scheme to obtain a shorter average service time (AST). In this paper, we propose a clustered VNF chaining scheme, which deploys VNFs in clusters according to the cluster head of each vehicle clusters, and derive the expression of the AST in a relative static scenario. Based on this scheme, the dynamic AST of a given cluster in a moving scenario is also analyzed on the grounds of both macroscopic mobility model and microscopic mobility model. The analyses show that both of the vehicle density and distance-headway variations have influence on the AST of one given cluster, which is verified by numerical results. In addition, the experiment results also show that the proposed scheme has a better performance compared with other two schemes, which reduces the AST 61% and 43%, respectively.

In this study, we piloted a teaching procedure to help a learner attend to group pronouns (calls), such as "Everyone," as precursors for cooperating with instructions. A student was first taught to attend to the teacher when a bell rang; the teacher then paired the bell with group call words and faded the bell out to transfer stimulus control to the calls. This antecedent intervention led to increased attending to group calls and cooperation with the instructions. We used a hybrid design of alternating treatments and multiple baselines to evaluate the effects of the intervention. We briefly assessed maintenance after the systematic fading of the intervention and again after 2 weeks. The results suggest that attending occurred through listener responding rather than through the traditional measures of eye gaze and orienting. We explore the effects in terms of stimulus control, behavioral classes, component skills, chaining, and high‐p and low‐p effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Telehealth uses electronic information and telecommunication technologies to deliver long‐distance clinical services. It has successfully been used by clinical professionals to teach family and staff members to provide evidence‐based assessment and treatment procedures. There is no research to date, however, evaluating the use of telehealth to directly teach individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Thus, we evaluated the efficacy of a telehealth intervention using total task chaining with least‐to‐most prompting delivered via videoconference to 2 adults with IDD. Both participants demonstrated low independent responding during baseline with enhanced written instructions present. During intervention, which included vocal and model prompting, both participants met the mastery criterion for each skill in fewer than 15 sessions, which maintained after 2 weeks. Finally, both participants expressed satisfaction with the goals, procedures, and effects of the intervention. We discuss the broader scope of the intervention for individuals with disabilities when face‐to‐face services may not be feasible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider elliptic second order partial differential operators with Lipschitz continuous leading order coefficients on finite cubes and the whole Euclidean space. We prove quantitative sampling and equidistribution theorems for eigenfunctions. The estimates are scale-free, in the sense that for a sequence of growing cubes we obtain uniform estimates. These results are applied to prove lifting of eigenvalues as well as the infimum of the essential spectrum, and an uncertainty relation (aka spectral inequality) for short energy interval spectral projectors. Several applications including random operators are discussed. In the proof we have to overcome several challenges posed by the variable coefficients of the leading term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]