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Abstract With the rapid development of integrated energy system (IES), it has become a trend to form multiple integrated energy systems (MIESs) in a certain region. However, there is a lack of coordination and cooperation among MIESs. This paper proposes an optimal operation model of MIESs with four cost objectives, which focuses on energy interaction among MIESs. As a non‐linear and large optimization problem, it is difficult for conventional mathematical methods to solve. Hence, this paper proposes a hybrid Taguchi‐compact salp swarm algorithm (TCSSA). The compact technique can save the operation memory of model. Taguchi method can improve the convergence speed and solution accuracy of model. The proposed algorithm is tested on 28 benchmark functions and applied to optimal operation of MIESs. Results demonstrate that: (1) compared with other famous algorithms, TCSSA can provide more efficient execution and better solutions. (2) The optimal operation of MIESs based on TCSSA can achieve the complementary of energy advantages, which effectively reduces the total cost of MIESs (up to 9.67%).

With the rapid development of integrated energy system (IES), it has become a trend to form multiple integrated energy systems (MIESs) in a certain region. However, there is a lack of coordination and cooperation among MIESs. This paper proposes an optimal operation model of MIESs with four cost objectives, which focuses on energy interaction among MIESs. As a non‐linear and large optimization problem, it is difficult for conventional mathematical methods to solve. Hence, this paper proposes a hybrid Taguchi‐compact salp swarm algorithm (TCSSA). The compact technique can save the operation memory of model. Taguchi method can improve the convergence speed and solution accuracy of model. The proposed algorithm is tested on 28 benchmark functions and applied to optimal operation of MIESs. Results demonstrate that: (1) compared with other famous algorithms, TCSSA can provide more efficient execution and better solutions. (2) The optimal operation of MIESs based on TCSSA can achieve the complementary of energy advantages, which effectively reduces the total cost of MIESs (up to 9.67%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many rural communities are facing diverse and multiple stressors that require constant recovery, adaptation, and engagement in processes of transformation at multiple systemic levels to maintain their resilience. As economic, social, and environmental conditions changed, one factor associated with this resilience has been mobility into and out of rural areas. The objective of this scoping review is to map the existing literature on the relationship between human mobility and rural resilience, with attention to the range of systems that influence mobility patterns and the successful coping of rural populations under stress. The results show that climate exposure is the main stressor for rural populations, while leaving rural areas is a common adaptative strategy. Several co-occurring protective factors on individuals, households, and community resiliences were also identified. The interconnectedness of protective factors and the significance of each protective factor across time are crucial factors to policymakers considering strategies to improve the resilience of newcomers and rural populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ObjectivesThis study's goal was to assess the short-term effect on body weight and multiple systems following intravitreal injections of ranibizumab and aflibercept for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).MethodsWe retrospectively assessed infants with ROP who received intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor agents (VEGF) treatment at our hospital. They were classified into 2 groups based on the drugs administered: the intravitreal ranibizumab (IVR) group and the intravitreal aflibercept (IVA) group. The body weight (BW) gains for the pre-treatment week, the 1st week after treatment, and the 2nd week after treatment were compared for each group. Additionally, other parameters such as blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen concentration, volume of milk and output of urine at four time points were also measured. We used repeated measurement analysis of variance analyzed these data.ResultsIn total, 95 preterm infants were recruited, including 51 cases in the IVR group and 44 cases in the IVA group. The BW gain for the 1st week after treatment was significantly lower than the pre-treatment week in each group (P

We consider the peculiarity of unique events, such as those of a natural, evolutionary, and social nature. In particular, we consider unique social events that have had either the claim or the vocation of being salvific for humanity, such as the introduction over time of the Torah, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam. We question how the claimed, general salvific vocation contrasts, or is inconsistent with, the non-retroactive temporality and locality of such events, which could not have happened otherwise. This undeclared and philosophically unsolved inconsistency then reappears in subsequent cultural contradictions and inadequacies, political and social allowances such as, for instance, homo-centrism and a pathological relation with Nature. In the case of Christianity, this inconsistency is represented by the painting reproduced in the article, a work in which the excluded humans and other living beings are represented as astonished by the occurrence in this moment, and in such an unnatural context. Furthermore, we consider the original understanding as related to concepts of classical physics, or of such concepts naively adopted within the texts considered sacred. However, in some religions, such as Christianity, the inconsistency is theologically solved. We stress the need to update the ancient original elementary, naïve, pre-classic philosophical and conceptual frameworks used so that these alleged inconsistencies and contradictions may be not only theologically solved, but also conceptually solved in more complex understandings of the world, for example, considering relativistic time, long-range interdependence, quantum entanglement, and theories of the universe. Without this update, the unique saving events can affect only religiously, that is, optionally, on the scientific and philosophical conceptions used. Without this adjustment, homo-centrist illusion and egoism prevail as the natural, linear consequential attitude without raising these questions. It rather assumes that the intervention is for involved human beings, and moreover for those who have had and are lucky enough to receive and practice it, ignoring the enormous inconsistency within the message itself, and its presumed general and available salvific nature. This requires theological, philosophical, and scientific interdisciplinarity. The theme concerns inconsistencies within and superficiality of the narratives and their treatment of the unique, salvific events, without any reference to possible general and retroactive effects of how these events are represented in the painting. We conclude that the subject should be debated by taking into account contemporary understandings, such as relativistic space and time, quantum physics, and of the universe, with new philosophical and anthropological approaches. This should be a matter of responsible philosophical and theological interdisciplinary debate involving science, suitable to establish new understandings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and Importance: Human echinococcosis, also known as 'hydatid cyst,' constitutes a zoonotic parasitic disease attributed to Echinococcus granulosus or Echinococcus multilocularis . Primary afflictions occur in the liver and lungs, whilst the implication of alternative organs remains infrequent. The clinical presentation can vary, and large cysts may cause compression symptoms and complications. This case involved a 21-year-old Palestinian female with three large hydatid cysts in the liver, causing compression of adjacent structures and unique clinical manifestations., Case Presentation: A female aged 21 arrived with signs of heart palpitations, shortness of breath, tiredness, and pain in the right upper abdomen, alongside a background of infertility. During routine pre-IVF ultrasound, three liver hydatid cysts were unexpectedly found, leading to a referral to the surgical department. Laboratory tests and imaging confirmed this diagnosis. The surgery involved cyst aspiration, hypertonic saline injection, and marsupialization. Post-surgical complications were managed as they occurred. The symptoms lessened afterward, and a successful pregnancy was achieved 9 months post-surgery., Clinical Discussion: Zoonotic infection by cystic echinococcosis (CE) primarily engages the liver and lungs. The progression of symptoms is contingent upon cyst placement and resultant pressure on adjacent tissues. Diagnosis requires imaging alongside serological assays, while large cysts necessitate surgical intervention., Conclusion: The presented case underscores the complexity of managing multiple extensive liver hydatid cysts, highlighting the necessity to consider hydatid disease amidst patients presenting with indeterminate symptoms, particularly within endemic zones. An extensive surgical strategy produced positive outcomes, illustrating the significance of prompt intervention for symptom alleviation and sustained patient health., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.Sponsorships or competing interests that may be relevant to content are disclosed at the end of this article., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

In the metro-access optical network, a two-stage bandwidth-allocated algorithm is proposed for the multi-subsystem-based virtual passive optical network (VPON) that can achieve the syncretism of multiple systems such as time division multiplexing-PON, wavelength division multiplexing-PON and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing-PON. In this paper, the bandwidth is allocated in two stages. The first-stage allocation is designed to improve the admission probability of new VPONs by allocating bandwidth to all new VPONs followed by original VPONs. Meanwhile, to avoid the bandwidth being monopolized by the new VPONs, the bandwidth allocated to each VPON is no more than its guaranteed bandwidth. Therefore, the whole fairness can be guaranteed. The second-stage allocation is used to promote the bandwidth-utilized ratio by assigning the remaining bandwidth to VPONs whose demand is not fully met in the first stage. With the two-stage allocation, not only the admission probability can be improved, but also the bandwidth-utilized ratio can be promoted. MATLAB is used to evaluate the performance of proposed algorithm according to admission probability of new VPONs and bandwidth-utilized ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: China has achieved universal health insurance coverage. This study examined how patients and hospitals react to the different designs of the plans and to monitoring of patients by the local authority in the Chinese multiple health security schemes. Methods: The sample for analysis consisted of 1006 orthopedic inpatients who were admitted between January and December 2011 at a tertiary teaching hospital located in Beijing. We conducted general linear regression analyses to investigate whether medical expenditure and length of stay differed according to the different incentives. Results: Patients under plans with lower copayment rates consumed significantly more medication compared with those under plans with higher copayment rates. Under plans with an annual ceiling for insurance coverage, patients spent significantly more in the second half of the year than in the first half of the year. The length of stay was shorter among patients when there were government monitoring and a penalty to the hospital service provider. Conclusions: Our results indicate that the different designs and monitoring of the health security systems in China cause opportunistic behavior by patients and providers. Reformation is necessary to reduce those incentives, and improve equity and efficiency in healthcare use.

This article offers a description of dialectical thinking as a psychological phenomenon that reflects adult intellectual development. While relating this psychological phenomenon to the various dialectical philosophical perspectives from which the description is derived, the article conceptualizes dialectical thinking as a form of organization of thought, various aspects of which can be identified in individual adults’ approaches to conceptualizing a range of problems, rather than as one particular stream of intellectual history. The article provides a range of examples of dialectical analyses, contrasting them with more formalistic analyses, in order to convey the power, adequacy, and significance of dialectical thinking for the sorts of challenges that this journal embraces. It suggests that events in all areas of life demand recognition of the limitations of closed-system approaches to analysis. Approaches based instead on the organizing principle of dialectic integrate dimensions of contradiction, change and system-transformation over time in a way that supports people’s adaptation when structures under girding their sense of self/world coherence are challenged. Higher education and psychotherapy are considered as examples of potential contexts for adult intellectual development, and the conditions that foster such development in these contexts are discussed. The article as a whole makes the case for consciously attempting to foster such development in all our work as an approach to integration.

Considerable research on category learning has suggested that many cognitive and environmental factors can have a differential effect on the learning of rule-defined categories as opposed to the learning of non-rule-defined categories. Prior research has also suggested that ego depletion can temporarily reduce the capacity for executive functioning and cognitive flexibility. The present study examined whether temporarily reducing participants’ executive functioning via a resource depletion manipulation would differentially impact rule-defined and non-rule-defined category learning. Participants were either asked to write a story with no restrictions (the control condition), or without using two common letters (the ego depletion condition). Participants were then asked to learn either a set of rule-defined categories or a set of non-rule-defined categories. Resource depleted participants performed more poorly than controls on the rule-defined task, but did not differ from controls on the non-rule-defined task, suggesting that self regulatory resources are required for successful rule-defined category learning. These results lend support to multiple systems theories and clarify the role of self-regulatory resources within this theory.

[Display omitted] • Facile preparation of opposite wettability in air, under water and under oil. • Achievement of on-demand liquid diodes in multiple systems. • Experimental and theoretical exploration in unidirectional liquid penetration. • Versatile liquid diodes used in fog collection, droplet capture and immiscible liquids' separation. To achieve smart control of liquid penetration, liquid diodes have been widely studied in the recent years. However, most liquid diodes can only achieve opposite wettability in one or two systems, resulting in the loss of unidirectional liquid transportation property after they are wetted by immiscible liquids. This shortcoming will highly restrain the application areas of liquid diodes. Herein, a two-step single-side etching strategy have been adopted to develop opposite wettability on reverse sides of single-layered meshes. Opposite wettability forms not only in air but also under various liquids such as water and oil to realize unidirectional liquid penetration in these systems. More importantly, varied thickness of lyophobic layer was found to be crucial in liquid transportation in different systems, which was further demonstrated by the analysis of Laplace pressure on various meshes. Besides, the obtained liquid diodes were also competent in fog collection, liquid capture and oil/water separation, exhibiting great versatility. Thus, our findings not only propose on-demand and versatile liquid diodes but can also enlighten further study in smart valves in different systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some argue the common practice of inferring multiple processes or systems from a dissociation is flawed (Dunn, 2003). One proposed solution is state-trace analysis (Bamber, 1979), which involves plotting, across two or more conditions of interest, performance measured by either two dependent variables, or two conditions of the same dependent measure. The resulting analysis is considered to provide evidence that either (a) a single process underlies performance (one function is produced) or (b) there is evidence for more than one process (more than one function is produced). This article reports simulations using the simple recurrent network ( SRN; Elman, 1990) in which changes to the learning rate produced state-trace plots with multiple functions. We also report simulations using a single-layer error-correcting network that generate plots with a single function. We argue that the presence of different functions on a state-trace plot does not necessarily support a dual-system account, at least as typically defined (e.g. two separate autonomous systems competing to control responding); it can also indicate variation in a single parameter within theories generally considered to be single-system accounts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two experiments explored the different strategies used by children and adults when learning new perceptual categories. Participants were asked to learn a set of categories for which both a single-feature rule and overall similarity would allow for perfect performance. Other rules allowed for suboptimal performance. Transfer stimuli (Experiments 1 and 2) and single features (Experiment 2) were presented after training to help determine how the categories were learned. In both experiments, we found that adults made significantly more optimal rule-based responses to the test stimuli than children. Children showed a variety of categorization styles, with a few relying on the optimal rules, many relying on suboptimal single-feature rules, and only a few relying on overall family resemblance. We interpret these results within a multiple systems framework, and we argue that children show the pattern they do because they lack the necessary cognitive resources to fully engage in hypothesis testing, rule selection, and verbally mediated category learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To ensure riding comfort, vibration generated by engine, drive system and ground need to be considered in designing an agricultural vehicle. This study examines multi-body dynamics model of an agricultural vehicle, and focuses on the distributed electric-drive agricultural vehicle. To simulate the response of an electric-drive agricultural vehicle to vibrations excited by the drive motors, engine and road roughness, this study proposes a vibration model of a distributed electric-drive agricultural vehicle that has 11 degrees of freedom and coupled excitation sources. The model was derived from vehicle dynamics equations and solved numerically employing fast Fourier transform. The model was validated in experiments on a real distributed electric-drive agricultural vehicle. Simulations and experiments showed that the amplitude of low-frequency vibration of the cab was increased by simultaneous excitations, which could not be ignored. This result is useful for the design of the suspension component and overall design of agricultural machinery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Bayesian network model was developed to assess the combined influence of nutrient conditions and climate on the occurrence of cyanobacterial blooms within lakes of diverse hydrology and nutrient supply. Physicochemical, biological, and meteorological observations were collated from 20 lakes located at different latitudes and characterized by a range of sizes and trophic states. Using these data, we built a Bayesian network to (1) analyze the sensitivity of cyanobacterial bloom development to different environmental factors and (2) determine the probability that cyanobacterial blooms would occur. Blooms were classified in three categories of hazard (low, moderate, and high) based on cell abundances. The most important factors determining cyanobacterial bloom occurrence were water temperature, nutrient availability, and the ratio of mixing depth to euphotic depth. The probability of cyanobacterial blooms was evaluated under different combinations of total phosphorus and water temperature. The Bayesian network was then applied to quantify the probability of blooms under a future climate warming scenario. The probability of the "high hazardous'' category of cyanobacterial blooms increased 5% in response to either an increase in water temperature of 0.8°C (initial water temperature above 24°C) or an increase in total phosphorus from 0.01 mg/L to 0.02 mg/L. Mesotrophic lakes were particularly vulnerable to warming. Reducing nutrient concentrations counteracts the increased cyanobacterial risk associated with higher temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ashby () has argued that state-trace analysis (STA) is not an appropriate tool for assessing the number of cognitive systems, because it fails in its primary goal of distinguishing single-parameter and multiple-parameter models. We show that this is based on a misunderstanding of the logic of STA, which depends solely on nearly universal assumptions about psychological measurement and clearly supersedes inferences based on functional dissociation and the analysis of interactions in analyses of variance. We demonstrate that STA can be used to draw inferences concerning the number of latent variables mediating the effects of a set of independent variables on a set of dependent variables. We suggest that STA is an appropriate tool to use when making arguments about the number of cognitive systems that must be posited to explain behavior. However, no statistical or inferential procedure is able to provide definitive answers to questions about the number of cognitive systems, simply because the concept of a 'system' is not defined in an appropriate way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Classification based on multiple dimensions of stimuli is usually associated with similarity-based representations, whereas uni-dimensional classifications are associated with rule-based representations. This paper studies classification of stimuli and category representations in school-aged children and adults when learning to categorize compound, multidimensional stimuli. Stimuli were such that both similarity-based and rule-based representations would lead to correct classification. This allows testing whether children have a bias for formation of similarity-based representations. The results are at odds with this expectation. Children use both uni-dimensional and multidimensional classification, and the use of both strategies increases with age. Multidimensional classification is best characterized as resulting from an analytic strategy rather than from procedural processing of overall-similarity. The conclusion is that children are capable of using complex rule-based categorization strategies that involve the use of multiple features of the stimuli.

Abstract: GAIA will provide observations of some multiple asteroid and dwarf systems. These observations are a way to determine and improve the quantification of dynamical parameters, such as the masses and the gravity fields, in these multiple systems. Here we investigate this problem in the cases of Pluto''s and Eugenia''s system. We simulate observations reproducing an approximate planning of the GAIA observations for both systems, as well as the New Horizons observations of Pluto. We have developed a numerical model reproducing the specific behavior of multiple asteroid system around the Sun and fit it to the simulated observations using least-square method, giving the uncertainties on the fitted parameters. We found that GAIA will improve significantly the precision of Pluto''s and Charon''s mass, as well as Petit Prince''s orbital elements and Eugenia''s polar oblateness. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Current theories of category learning posit separate verbal and nonverbal learning systems. Past research suggests that the verbal system relies on verbal working memory and executive functioning and learns rule-defined categories: the nonverbal system does not rely on verbal working memory and learns non-rule-defined categories (E. M. Waldron & F. G. Ashby, 2001; D. Zeithamova & W. T. Maddox, 2(X)6). However, relatively little research has explored the importance of visual working memory or visual processing for either system. The authors investigated the role of working memory (Experiment 1a and 1b), visual processing (Experiment 2), and executive functioning for each system, using a concurrent task methodology. It was found that visual tasks with high executive functioning demands and verbal tasks with high or low executive demands disrupted rule-defined learning, whereas any visual task, regardless of executive functioning demand, disrupted non-rule-defined learning. Taken together, these results confirm the importance of verbal working memory and executive functioning for the verbal system and provide new evidence for the importance of visual processing for the nonverbal system. These results help to clarify understanding of the nonverbal system and have implications for multiple systems theories of category learning (F. G. Ashby, L. A. Alfonso-Reese, A. U. Turken, & E. M. Waldron, 1998). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examined the impact of engaging frontal-mediated working memory processes on implicit and explicit category learning. Two stimulus dimensions were relevant to categorization, but in some conditions, a third, irrelevant dimension was also presented. Results indicated that in both implicit and explicit conditions, the inclusion of the irrelevant dimension impaired performance by increasing the reliance on suboptimal unidimensional strategies. With three-dimensional stimuli, a striking dissociation was observed between implicit and explicit category learning when participants performed a sequential working memory task. With explicit category learning, performance was impaired further, and there was an increased use of suboptimal unidimensional strategies. However, with implicit category learning, the performance impairment decreased, and there was an increased use of optimal strategies. These findings demonstrate the paradoxical situation in which learning can be improved under sequential-task conditions and have important implications for training, decision making, and understanding interactive memory systems. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Three experiments investigated the ability of 3-, 5-, and 8-year-old children as well as adults to learn sets of perceptual categories. Adults and children performed comparably on categories that could be learned by either a single-dimensional rule or by associative learning mechanisms. However, children showed poorer performance relative to adults in learning categories defined by a disjunctive rule and categories that were nonlinearly separable. Increasing the task demands for adults resulted in child-like performance on the disjunctive categories. Decreasing the task demands for children resulted in more adult-like performance on the disjunctive categories. The authors interpret these results within a multiple-systems approach to category learning and suggest that children have not fully developed the same explicit category learning system as adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuroeconomics seeks to gain a greater understanding of decision making by combining theoretical and methodological principles from the fields of psychology, economics, and neuroscience. Initial studies using this multidisciplinary approach have found evidence suggesting that the brain may be employing multiple levels of processing when making decisions, and this notion is consistent with dual-processing theories that have received extensive theoretical consideration in the field of cognitive psychology, with these theories arguing for the dissociation between automatic and controlled components of processing. While behavioral studies provide compelling support for the distinction between automatic and controlled processing in judgment and decision making, less is known if these components have a corresponding neural substrate, with some researchers arguing that there is no evidence suggesting a distinct neural basis. This chapter will discuss the behavioral evidence supporting the dissociation between automatic and controlled processing in decision making and review recent literature suggesting potential neural systems that may underlie these processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two computational models have now been extended to deal with the kinematics of triple systems via combined light-time and radial velocity variations of eclipsing binary mass centres. Applications to binaries known or suspected to be accompanied by third bodies can improve knowledge of multiple-system statistics. A neglected area is the measurement of polarization curves for Algol-type binaries, which pose instrumental and observational challenges. Algols should show polarization due to scattering in mass transfer streams and circumstellar discs, as well as Thomson scattering in the photospheres of their hot stars and Rayleigh scattering due to irradiation of their cooler stars. Polarization data need to be extended to sufficiently faint stars so as to observe these phenomena in a reasonable number of systems, which will require excellent polarimeters, large telescopes and good observing strategies. A third project is the measurement of distances, with standard errors, to many eclipsing binaries by direct distance estimation (DDE), for which the computer model will soon be made public. Accurate distances now can be found routinely by DDE. A fourth project is to establish photometric calibrations, by eclipsing binary observations, in standard physical units (say, erg s-1 cm-3 for a magnitude-zero star) in standard bands other than the modest number that have already been calibrated. Several of these projects will be made easier if journal regulations require that observation tables are always published and that times are given for all observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A test of the predicted interaction between within-category discontinuity and verbal rule complexity on information-integration and rule-based category learning was conducted. Within-category discontinuity adversely affected information-integration category learning but not rule-based category learning. Model- based analyses suggested that some information-integration participants improved performance by recruiting more "units" in the discontinuous condition. Verbal rule complexity adversely affected rule-based category learning but not information-integration category learning. Model-based analyses suggested that the rule based effect was on both decision criterion learning and variability in decision criterion placement. These results suggest that within-category discontinuity and decision rule complexity differentially impact information-integration and rule-based category learning and provide information regarding the detailed processing characteristics of these two proposed category learning systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Behavioral and neuropsychological data suggest that multiple systems are involved in category-learning. In this paper, the existence and the development of multiple modes of learning of a rule-based category structure was examined, and features of different learning processes were identified. Data were obtained in a cross-sectional study by Raijmakers et al. [Raijmakers, M. E. J., Dolan, C. V., & Molenaar, P. C. M. (2001). Finite mixture distribution models of simple discrimination learning. Memory and Cognition, 29, 659–677], in which subjects aged 4–20 years carried out a rule-based category-learning task. Learning models were employed to investigate the development of the learning processes in the sample. The results support the hypothesis of two distinct learning modes, rather than a single general mode of learning with a continuum of appearances. One mode represents sudden rational learning by means of hypothesis testing. In the second, slow learning mode, learning also occurs suddenly as opposed to incrementally. The probability of rational learning increases with age, and seems to be related to dimension preference in the younger age groups. However, the finding of distinct learning modes does not necessarily imply that distinct learning systems are involved. Implications for the interpretation and clinical use of tasks with a category-learning component, such as the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST [Heaton, R. K., Chelune, G. J., Talley, J. L., Kay, G. G., & Curtis, G. (Eds.). (1993). Wisconsin card sorting test manual: Revised and expanded. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources]), are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Three experiments were conducted that provide a direct examination of within-category discontinuity manipulations on the implicit, procedural-based learning and the explicit, hypothesis-testing systems proposed in F. G. Ashby, L. A. Alfonso-Reese, A. U. Turken, and E. M. Waldron's (1998) competition between verbal and implicit systems model. Discontinuous categories adversely affected information-integration but not rule-based category learning. Increasing the magnitude of the discontinuity did not lead to a significant decline in performance. The distance to the bound provides a reasonable description of the generalization profile associated with the hypothesis-testing system, whereas the distance to the bound plus the distance to the trained response region provides a reasonable description of the generalization profile associated with the procedural-based learning system. These results suggest that within-category discontinuity differentially impacts information-integration but not rule-based category learning and provides information regarding the detailed processing characteristics of each category learning system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much recent evidence suggests some dramatic differences in the way people learn perceptual categories, depending on exactly how the categories were constructed. Four different kinds of category-learning tasks are currently popular--rule-based tasks, information-integration tasks, prototype distortion tasks, and the weather prediction task. The cognitive, neuropsychological, and neuroimaging results obtained using these four tasks are qualitatively different. Success in rule-based (explicit reasoning) tasks depends on frontal-striatal circuits and requires working memory and executive attention. Success in information-integration tasks requires a form of procedural learning and is sensitive to the nature and timing of feedback. Prototype distortion tasks induce perceptual (visual cortical) learning. A variety of different strategies can lead to success in the weather prediction task. Collectively, results from these four tasks provide strong evidence that human category learning is mediated by multiple, qualitatively distinct systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From 1986 to 1991, based on AMSAA model, Zhou Yuan-quan and Weng Zhao-xi presented AMSAA-BISE model to estimate reliability growth for multiple systems development, for the case that more than one system of the same type is put into reliability growth test, once a Type B failure mode is seen during test, corrective action will be taken to all systems. It is shown that there is something wrong with AMSAA-BISE model. According to AMSAA-BISE model, the maximum likelihood estimation of MTBF for multiple systems reliability growth test is much larger than that according to AMSAA model for a single system; The more systems is put into test, the larger the estimation of MTBF. An example is given, and an approximate method is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conceptual modeling is a fundamental concept in information management. Although originated in the theory and practice of databases, its significance as a guiding principle reaches all areas of information integration efforts dealing with heterogeneous uses. In the field of knowledge-based systems, an emerging need is for expert system shells to be able to manage triggers that change frequently and to support heterogeneous applications which use the same rulebase simultaneously but in different ways. A conceptual schema is clearly in order for this new capability. In addition, it is central to integrating databases with knowledge bases as well as providing interoperability to multiple (heterogeneous and distributed) knowledge-based systems. This paper presents a rulebase management system (RBMS) featuring a conceptual schema. The model of the conceptual schema is developed using the Two-Stage Entity-Relationship approach, which is compatible with most common methods and requires only standard data and rules processing technology to implement. The architecture and execution model of RBMS are discussed in details. Its specific implementation design is applicable to managing rules both in the usual rule-based systems and in the systems where rules are embedded into objects or entities. The processing methods are verified with a prototype, which is also discussed in this paper. The RBMS design is being implemented for Samsung Electronics Corporation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are three aspects of integration that a computerized enterprise using multiple systems must address: (1) data integration (among, e.g., product design databases, shop floor control databases, and production planning databases), (2) knowledge integration (across various knowledge-based systems that share common enterprise facts, operating rules, or decision logic), and (3) data and knowledge integration (as as to, at least, calibrate databases with factbases and data models with knowledge models). A key issue in this integration problem is the global representation of knowledge (including data semantic constraints and application processing logic) in a form compatible with that of data resources. This paper develops a rulebase model to address this need. In particular, the model combines production rule and relation into a structure that allows (1) full factbase management, (2) inclusion of complete logic (both condition and action), and (3) efficient rulebase processing. It contributes directly to the problem of trigger management (or more generally, rule and event management) in both single-site and multiple-site data and knowledge systems. The model is implemented as a part of the Metadatabase system at Rensselaer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis (PLCH) is a relatively rare type of lung disease, common in middle-aged smoking men. It is characterized by proliferation and infiltration of Langerhans cells, and the formation of multiple parabronchial mesenchymal nodules in lung tissue, and may lead to organ dysfunction. There are no typical symptoms and signs, and it is easily misdiagnosed or missed, and therefore deserves clinical attention and further discussion., Case Summary: We describe the case of a nonsmoking 46-year-old man with PLCH diagnosed based on clinical manifestations of fever and dry cough, with a history of hypothyroidism and diabetes insipidus for 9 years. Computed tomography (CT)- and CT-guided puncture examinations revealed no abnormalities, and he ultimately underwent thoracoscopic biopsy to confirm the diagnosis. The pathological diagnosis was PLCH. Thyroid function was maintained by medication. Pituitary magnetic resonance imaging showed that the pituitary stalk had become thinner., Conclusion: LCH often involves multiple systems. Moreover, the pathogenesis is not clear, clinical manifestations lack specificity, and diagnosis requires special attention. Diagnosis of PLCH can significantly benefit from comprehensive multidisciplinary analysis., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: There is no conflict-of-interest., (©The Author(s) 2021. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Magnetic mesoporous silica material was tested as adsorbent for removal of two usual colored compounds present in industrial wastewater. The magnetic mesoporous silica was synthesized by modified sol-gel method and characterized from the morpho-textural, structural and magnetic point of view. The specific surface area and the total pore volume indicate a good adsorption capacity of the material, and the obtained saturation magnetization strength value denotes a good magnetic separation from solution. The adsorption capacity of magnetic mesoporous silica increases with the increase of the initial dye concentration, and the removal efficiency of the dyes was dependent on the pH of the solution and decreased with increasing temperature. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model described best the adsorption mechanism, and the maximum adsorption capacities were determined from the Sips isotherm model, being 88.29 mg/g for Congo Red and 208.31 mg/g for Methylene Blue. A complete thermodynamic evaluation was performed, by determining the free energy, enthalpy and entropy, and the result showed a spontaneous and exothermic adsorption process. The recovery and reutilization of the adsorbent were estimated in five cycles of adsorption-desorption, and the results indicated a good stability and reusability of magnetic mesoporous silica. The new magnetic mesoporous silica can be easily separated from solution, via an external magnetic field, and may be effectively applied as adsorbent for elimination of dyes from colored polluted waters. Image 1 • New maghemite silica mesoporous material was synthesized and applied as adsorbent. • The material showed high removal efficiency dyes from single and binary systems. • Fe 2 O 3 @mSiO 2 provides a short adsorption equilibrium time and easy magnetic separation. • The material is easy regenerate and recycled with good efficiency in multiple cycles. • The kinetic and equilibrium parameters were obtained from pseudo-second order model and Sips model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]