Diet composition and feeding habits of Acetes japonicus (Decapoda: Sergestidae) in estuarine waters of Tanjung Dawai, Kedah, Malaysia

This study describes the diet composition and feeding habits of sergestid shrimps Acetes japonicas. The stomach contents of 330 specimens, captured from the Estuary of Tanjung Dawai, Kedah from June 2008 - May 2009 were analysed. Analysis on the percentage of numerical abundance (Ci) showed that plant matter (28.18%) and crustacean appendages (18.70%) as the two highest values amongst the eight categories of feeding items. In addition, percentage frequency of occurrence (Fpi) values of phytoplankton, zooplankton, algae, plant matter, appendages of crustacean, debris, unidentified items and sand-mud were 3.54%, 7.05%, 5.07%, 27.44%, 17.42%, 15.80%, 8.94% and 19.81% respectively. Based on the food composition found in the stomach, it could be concluded that A. japonicus is a bottom feeder omnivorous

Helical Packings and Phase Transformations of Soft Spheres in Cylinders

The phase behavior of helical packings of thermoresponsive microspheres inside glass capillaries is studied as a function of volume fraction. Stable packings with long-range orientational order appear to evolve abruptly to disordered states as particle volume fraction is reduced, consistent with recent hard sphere simulations. We quantify this transition using correlations and susceptibilities of the orientational order parameter psi_6. The emergence of coexisting metastable packings, as well as coexisting ordered and disordered states, is also observed. These findings support the notion of phase transition-like behavior in quasi-1D systems.Comment: 5 pages, with additional 4 pages of supplemental material, accepted to Physical Review E: Rapid Communication

Extended Reality Language Research: Data Sources, Taxonomy and the Documentation of Embodied Corpora

This article introduces extended reality linguistics, an emerging interdisciplinary field that explores the use of extended reality technologies in the scientific study of language. It delves into a variety of data sources for language study accessible through extended reality and showcases the advancements in data collection, visualization and analysis that this technology and its unique properties offer linguistic researchers. A comprehensive taxonomy of extended reality data is also presented, along with a survey of its applications in recent linguistic studies, offering further insights into the potential implications for future work. The article culminates in a pilot report on CEERR, an ongoing extended reality corpus linguistic project. This report highlights the innovative concepts of virtual linguistic fieldwork, communicative event reconstruction and embodied linguistic corpora. The CEERR pilot corpus demonstrates the powerful potential of extended reality for language documentation, prompting consideration of new grounds that traverse previous boundaries of language research data

A Machine-Learning-Based Approach to Predict the Health Impacts of Commuting in Large Cities: Case Study of London

The daily commute represents a source of chronic stress that is positively correlated with physiological consequences, including increased blood pressure, heart rate, fatigue, and other negative mental and physical health effects. The purpose of this research is to investigate and predict the physiological effects of commuting in Greater London on the human body based on machine-learning approaches. For each participant, the data were collected for five consecutive working days, before and after the commute, using non-invasive wearable biosensor technology. Multimodal behaviour, analysis and synthesis are the subjects of major efforts in computing field to realise the successful human–human and human–agent interactions, especially for developing future intuitive technologies. Current analysis approaches still focus on individuals, while we are considering methodologies addressing groups as a whole. This research paper employs a pool of machine-learning approaches to predict and analyse the effect of commuting objectively. Comprehensive experimentation has been carried out to choose the best algorithmic structure that suit the problem in question. The results from this study suggest that whether the commuting period was short or long, all objective bio-signals (heat rate and blood pressure) were higher post-commute than pre-commute. In addition, the results match both the subjective evaluation obtained from the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule and the proposed objective evaluation of this study in relation to the correlation between the effect of commuting on bio-signals. Our findings provide further support for shorter commutes and using the healthier or active modes of transportation

A Research Study in the Synthesis and the Applications of Coumarin Derivatives

Many organic and medicinal chemists are interested in the coumarin compounds because of their potential for use in pharmaceuticals and other industries. Coumarin compounds are a significant class of biologically active chemicals. Here, we outline the steps for producing coumarin derivatives quickly and effectively from commercially accessible substrates via multicomponent condensation processes involving pyrone and benzene derivatives. These substances were examined for their potential anti-tumor effects, including their ability to block carbonic anhydrase, activate the cell apoptosis protein, and coumarin and its derivatives are the primary oral anticoagulants. Candida albicans, Aspergillus fumigatus, and Fusarium solani are three distinct fungus species that are resistant to the antifungal properties of synthetic coumarins. Long known are the coumarins' antibacterial, antifilarial, antiulcerogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects. Coumarin has long been valued as a major raw element in the fragrance sector due to its distinct sweet aroma and stability. When mixed with organic essential oils like lavender, citrus, rosemary, and oak moss, it is used as an odour-enhancer to produce a long-lasting impact. It has been utilized as a bleaching or brightening agent in detergents. Materials such as liquid crystalline, organic/inorganic composites, as well as light harvesting, energy transferring compounds, and electro-optics materials are all employed as a dye in organic photo-redox catalysis and as potent photo-sensitizers reagent. These materials polymerize epoxy-silicones, under near-UV and visible light. Coumarin has also found useful as metal-free sensitizers for solar cells

Psychometric Characteristics of Tool for Assessing Eating Problems among Autistic Students

The present study aims to develop a tool for assessing eating problems among autistic students and identify its psychometric characteristics on a sample in the Saudi environment. The final sample of the study consisted of (122) eight-to-twelve students (age average 10.28., S.D. = 1.439), (85) of them enrolled in Eastern Riyadh Intellectual Education Institute, and (37) of them enrolled in Western Riyadh Intellectual Education Institute. The study found that the eating problems among autistic students scale is highly valid and reliable in the Saudi environment, and therefore can be used in discovering and diagnosing Saudi autistic students with eating problems

Length-weight relationships and relative condition factor of Parapenaeopsis sculptilis (Heller, 1862) from the coastal waters of Perak, Peninsular Malaysia

Length-weight relationship (LWR) parameters and relative condition factor (K n) of marine shrimp, Parapenaeopsis sculptilis (Heller, 1862) were estimated using length-weight data collected between February 2012 and January 2013 from the coastal waters of Terong, Perak, Peninsular Malaysia. The estimated length-weight relationship of P. sculptilis for both sexes was W = 0.00027TL2.80. Meanwhile, the estimated relative growth coefficient (b) was 2.80 for both sexes, indicating a negative allometric growth pattern of P. sculptilis in the investigated area. Relative condition factor (Kn) values ranged from 0.99 to 1.064 (1.013±0.005, mean ±SD). Kn value changes in various months: the highest peak was in March-April, indicating the spawning period and the trough and small peaks indicating the cycle gonadal development