The game transfer phenomena scale: an instrument for investigating the nonvolitional effects of video game playing

A variety of instruments have been developed to assess different dimensions of playing videogames and its effects on cognitions, affect, and behaviors. The present study examined the psychometric properties of the Game Transfer Phenomena Scale (GTPS) that assesses non-volitional phenomena experienced after playing videogames (i.e., altered perceptions, automatic mental processes, and involuntary behaviors). A total of 1,736 gamers participated in an online survey used as the basis for the analysis. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to confirm the factorial structure of the GTPS. The five-factor structure using the 20 indicators based on the analysis of gamers’ self-reports fitted the data well. Population cross-validity was also achieved and the positive associations between the session length and overall scores indicate the GTPS warranted criterion-related validity. Although the understanding of GTP is still in its infancy, the GTPS appears to be a valid and reliable instrument for assessing non-volitional gaming-related phenomena. The GTPS can be used for understanding the phenomenology of post-effects of playing videogames

Improving the reliability of 3kV DC traction substations

This dissertation deals with the important issue of reliability management for 3kV DC Traction Substations. A general introduction explaining the changes that took place in the railway environment is followed by a description of the system. Understanding the components of the system is important but care must be taken not to go into too much detail. The level at which the system is broken down will be sufficient for this study. Some relevant reliability theory is discussed and applied to the 3kV DC system. An analysis of the failure modes and criticality helps to identify the components that need special focus during the inspections. With a good understanding of the above aspects a process for the inspection of substations is formulated. To design a process that can be used throughout an organisation, certain test must be done. The tests include determining the influence of expertise and experience of the person carrying out the inspections. The result of this study is an inspection process for 3kV DC traction substations that can be used to obtain a good idea of the condition of the system in order to make maintenance decisions that will improve the reliability of the system.Prof. J.H.C. Pretorius Prof. W.A. Cronj

EU Ecolabel for food and feed products – feasibility study

The environmental impacts of the production and processing of food, feed and drinks make up between 20% and 30% of the total environmental impacts of consumable goods in the EU. In the case of eutrophication (the accumulation of nutrients in water causing a reduction in oxygen availability) they account for as much as 58% of the total impacts. The EU Ecolabel is a voluntary scheme that forms part of overall EU policy to encourage more sustainable consumption and production. To date, the EU Ecolabel scheme has developed criteria for products in the non-food sector. The Regulation that governs the scheme (66/2010) aims to extend the EU Ecolabel into new product categories including food. However, the Regulation stipulates that before extending to the food sector, a feasibility study should be undertaken

Exotic Rickettsiae in Ixodes ricinus: fact or artifact?

Several pathogenic Rickettsia species can be transmitted via Ixodes ricinus ticks to humans and animals. Surveys of I. ricinus for the presence of Rickettsiae using part of its 16S rRNA gene yield a plethora of new and different Rickettsia sequences. Interpreting these data is sometimes difficult and presenting these findings as new or potentially pathogenic Rickettsiae should be done with caution: a recent report suggested presence of a known human pathogen, R. australis, in questing I. ricinus ticks in Europe. A refined analysis of these results revealed that R. helvetica was most likely to be misinterpreted as R. australis. Evidence in the literature is accumulating that rickettsial DNA sequences found in tick lysates can also be derived from other sources than viable, pathogenic Rickettsiae. For example, from endosymbionts, environmental contamination or even horizontal gene transfer

Biostratigraphy of the Danian/Selandian transition in the southern Tethys. Special reference to the Lowest Occurrence of planktic foraminifera Igorina albeari

The P3a/P3b subzonal boundary is delineated by the lowest occurrence of Igorina albeari. Using literature, identification of the first representatives of I. albeari appeared to be very confusing. In this study descriptions of I. albeari are compared and a consistent definition is proposed. Igorinid specimens with an incipient keel are considered to be I. albeari. Flattening of the last chambers and the fusion of muricae on the peripheral margin may indicate such a slight keel. This keel enables an unambiguous distinction between I. pusilla and the first form of I. albeari and is in keeping with the original descriptions without introducing an intermediate species. In the southern Tethys, the lowest occurrence of I. albeari occurs just prior to the pinkish-brown marl bed in Egypt and immediately overlies the glauconitic bed in Tunisia. Furthermore, the NTp7A/NTp7B subzonal boundary, delineated by the lowest occurrence of Chiasmolithus edentulus, is in close correlation with these marker beds. In Egypt C. edentulus appears 1 m below the entry of I. albeari, whereas in Tunisia they coappear. This implies significant erosion at the glauconitic bed in the studied parts of the Tunisian Trough and a more complete succession at the dark-brown marl bed in the Nile Valley. These marker beds can also be correlated to a level of minor lithologic change in the upper part of the Danian Limestone Formation in the Zumaia section through the lowest occurrence of Chiasmolithus edentulus. The distinct lithologic change in Zumaia, from the Danian Limestone to the Itzurun Formation, however, appears to be ~600 kyr younger than what we now call upper Danian event beds, in Tunisia and Egypt

Counselor Trainees’ Development of Self-Efficacy in an Online Skills Course

COVID-19 significantly changed the parameters and imaginations of those in higher education. Face-to-face courses swiftly transitioned to completely remote learning; though, that came with many anxieties in relation to students’ competency levels in practicing counseling skills. The results of this study found that students’ self-efficacy significantly increased after participating in an online skills course. A total of 39 graduate-level clinical mental health counseling students completed both the pre and post-test questionnaires, and findings showed that completing the online skills-based course was important in improving self-perception of increasing one’s skills, t(38) = -5.088, p \u3c .000

Red and fallow deer determine the density of Ixodes ricinus nymphs containing Anaplasma phagocytophilum

BackgroundThe density of Ixodes ricinus nymphs infected with Anaplasma phagocytophilum is one of the parameters that determines the risk for humans and domesticated animals to contract anaplasmosis. For this, I. ricinus larvae need to take a bloodmeal from free-ranging ungulates, which are competent hosts for A. phagocytophilum.MethodsHere, we compared the contribution of four free-ranging ungulate species, red deer (Cervus elaphus), fallow deer (Dama dama), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), and wild boar (Sus scrofa), to A. phagocytophilum infections in nymphs. We used a combination of camera and live trapping to quantify the relative availability of vertebrate hosts to questing ticks in 19 Dutch forest sites. Additionally, we collected questing I. ricinus nymphs and tested these for the presence of A. phagocytophilum. Furthermore, we explored two potential mechanisms that could explain differences between species: (i) differences in larval burden, which we based on data from published studies, and (ii) differences in associations with other, non-competent hosts.ResultsPrincipal component analysis indicated that the density of A. phagocytophilum-infected nymphs (DIN) was higher in forest sites with high availability of red and fallow deer, and to a lesser degree roe deer. Initial results suggest that these differences are not a result of differences in larval burden, but rather differences in associations with other species or other ecological factors.ConclusionsThese results indicate that the risk for contracting anaplasmosis in The Netherlands is likely highest in the few areas where red and fallow deer are present. Future studies are needed to explore the mechanisms behind this association