Marine sediment core OC1706B-02J ( 46° 15.4178 N, 125° 42.4543 W, at water depth 2263m), was collected on the lower continental slope near the base of the Willapa Canyon. It is a rapidly accumulating site (~30cm/kyr) located near the thrust front of the Cascadia Subduction Zone. The site is also...
The Sweet Roll is a podcast centered around discussion of the latest video and tabletop games. It includes news briefs, game reviews, and interviews with industry professionals and gaming celebrities. The target audience is men and women aged 14-35 who play virtual and tabletop games as a hobby. This audience...
This study investigates whether existing interventions in USDA-defined food deserts have been effective in improving access to healthy foods and improving dietary quality. A systematic literature review was conducted using articles from MEDLINE database using “food desert” and “intervention” as search terms. Exclusion and inclusion criteria resulted in selection of...
Global human population are growing at a very high rate. By the year 2050, food demand is expected to increase by 70%. World wide 805 million people are malnourished. Entomophagy has the potential to provide a solution to impending hunger problems while taking pressure off of our current cropping systems....
Microfinance boomed as a development trend in the early 2000s as it was appealing to varying political perspectives and was also seen as a major innovation in poverty reduction policy. Starting with the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh in 1976, microfinance spread to Latin America in the 1980s, and later to...
This review aimed to identify the factors that influence human papillomavirus (HPV) immunization initiation and completion among adolescents and young adults. A review of literature pertaining to HPV vaccination was performed that used data published after 2012. It was found that the average HPV vaccination rate in the United States...
Advancements in neurological data capturing and mapping have provided scientists with exponentially more information, allowing for more detailed analysis of neurological behaviors and their translations to cognitive, emotional, and physical function. Inspired by the diffculty in diagnosing brain damage, this project seeks to leverage statistical modeling with EEG data to...
This thesis – “The Sweet Roll: A Project in Podcasting Gaming News, Discussions and
Reviews” – assesses the current gaming scene, including games, gamers, news, and
reviews of gaming, and creates a pilot podcast The Sweet Roll as a demonstration and
discussion of what could be done better. Through a...
Background: This study investigated the relationship between gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and orofacial cleft (OFC). The association between GDM and OFC has been debated, therefore this systematic review focused on presenting a synthesis of the previous studies in this field.
Methods: PubMed was searched using MeSH terms for articles published...
Climate change is occurring at an increasingly rapid rate, with impacts heightened in the cold regions of the world including the Arctic. Warming effects are widespread, with one impacted process – freeze-thaw cycles – increasing in frequency and potentially triggering additional changes in permafrost soils that have previously acted as...
Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is recognized for its difficulty to diagnose and subjective symptomatology. There is no known cure nor a recommended therapeutic diet to aid in the multidisciplinary treatment for FMS. A systematic review was conducted to investigate if diets can improve the pain symptoms of fibromyalgia. A total of...
Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. While 90% of lung cancer is due to tobacco smoking, the next major risk factor is pre-existing disease. Cardiovascular disease is reported in 23% of patients diagnosed with lung cancer. A systematic review was conducted to...
At This Point, an undergraduate-focused science podcast, works to expand the accessibility of science by exploring topics that, at this point, may seem too complex to understand. This thesis project describes the process of creating At This Point and demonstrates how the podcast fulfills the criteria of effective science communication....
Over the past few decades, the ratio of women to men in many traditionally maledominated fields has become much more equal. However, in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields the ratio has not improved at the same rate. In computer science the ratio is still very uneven. Today women...
This literature review aims to discuss the safety and use of cannabidiol (CBD) products for dogs and cats. The most prominent issue with CBD products for pets is the limited amount of resources and information available to the veterinary community. Another consideration for the control of CBD on the market...
A literature review for a research project being done in partnership with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Columbia River Intertribal Fish Commission, which will look at non-breeding California sea lion males in the Columbia River Basin that have been preying on migratory salmon. This will be...
Athletic activities have always carried an inherent risk for injuries, and basketball is no
exception. Basketball is the second most popular team sport in the United States in
which 984,777 high school boys and girls participated during the 2010-2011 season.
Athletic trainers and strength and conditioning staff are pressured to...
The ocean provides many ecosystems services and yet humans have viewed the ocean as a black hole for trash since the 1950s. With recycling not getting to the source of the problem, smarter consumer choices are being targeted, specifically choices centered around the use of plastic. Thus efficient, useful communication...
With cannabis use increasing globally, it is important to understand its acute and chronic impacts on human physiology and behavior. It is proposed that cannabis use is linked to impairments in emotion processing, and brain regions that underlie these processes. The purpose of this review paper is to provide the...
In the United States, falls are the leading cause of fractures and accidental death in the elderly; 70% of these fractures are women. Hispanic women account for a large population in the US, however data on falls and fractures for these women is lacking. The purpose of this systematic review...
Purpose
To provide an update on the amount and type of physical activity education that occurs in medical education in the United States.
Methods
All accredited doctor of medicine (M.D., n = 141) and doctor of osteopathic medicine (D.O., n = 29) institutions were reviewed using their publicly accessible websites....
Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. In 2012, over 220,000 women were diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States. It has been hypothesized that dairy may play a role in breast cancer; however, the evidence has been inconsistent and limited. Proposed mechanisms linking dairy and...
Biosphere models predict the transport of radionuclides in the environment with an end goal of assessing the possible risk to humans. Little data exists to support these mathematical biosphere models. The objectives of this work were to verify foliar uptake in biosphere models using experimental data, compare existing biosphere models...
Political Polarization in the United States is at a level higher today than at any point in the past few decades. Possible causes of this rise in polarization have been provided from various sources, including explanations such as mass media and income inequality. Through historical analysis and a wide literature...
Objective: To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis on the prevalence rate of mental health disorders including anxiety, depression, and insomnia during the COVID-19 pandemic in Eastern Europe in the general population, as well as within select sub-populations (i.e., students, general healthcare workers, and frontline workers).
Data sources: Articles in PubMed,...
The purpose of this meta-synthesis was to investigate why students from the U.S. receive the scores they do on the international TIMSS and PISA science exams. This work sought to shed light on the perceived disparity between science performance of U.S. students and students from other countries. To do so,...
Females do not seek out pelvic exams routinely, which can lead to an increase in undetected pelvic cancers. While there are studies depicting women’s perspectives during gynecological exams, there are not many compilations of negative experiences during pelvic exams with individuals of other identities and recommendations for providers. This scoping...
Pediatricians and other physicians in the United States identify themselves with various religious or spiritual affiliations and use its practices and customary ways to influence their medical practice. Pediatricians and physicians affiliated in the pediatric medical field have an important role in monitoring the health of many children, teenagers, and...
Throughout a large portion of our planet, malaria has been nearly eradicated or reduced to levels that are highly manageable, and many countries possess the means to effectively treat the disease. However, many areas of the world, such as Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, are still heavily burdened by malaria....
BACKGROUND. Residues of pesticides on crops can result in mortality to foraging bees. The likelihood of mortality can be mitigated by applying pesticides in the evening so that their residues dissipate by the following morning when bees resume foraging. The dissipation rates of different pesticides, or their residual toxicity, is...
The foraging distance of bees has been intensely studied. In contrast, little is known about the factors that determine bee dispersal distance, especially on large spatial scales. Eucera (Peponapis) pruinosa is a wild ground nesting bee that exclusively collects pollen from squash in the genus Cucurbita. Although the bee occurs...
Oysters are a large part of the American aquaculture market, and the oyster farming industry was valued at over 1 billion dollars in 2021. However, oyster farmers often face issues surrounding the mortality rates of their stock. One cause of this is infections caused by Vibrio coralliilyticus (Vcor), a bacterium...
This study evaluated the memory and visual discrimination capabilities of Enteroctopus dofleini, the Giant Pacific Octopus. Octopuses have been known to have advance sensory capabilities and through this study we challenged our specimen to remember and actively choose a specific patterned jar based on a visual pattern and positive reinforcement....
Literature-based review on designing an experimental project regarding placement and orientation of artificial nest boxes related to successful nest box adoption and chick survival in Barn owls within the Willamette Valley.
Before discussing the American press of the day,
with its freedom and power, a brief historical review
of the development of journalism in its several functions
seems in place.
Previous investigations of glacier dynamics at Tioga Pass during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) have produced different conclusions. A map of the LGM ice extent and flow direction (Alpha et al., 1987) illustrates a south-to-north direction of ice flow across the pass with little evidence to support this inference. Since...
Nitrous oxide is an important greenhouse gas that has both natural and anthropogenic sources in the modern atmosphere (Ciais et al., 2013). This project expanded the knowledge of the history of atmospheric N2O in the geologic past by measuring N2O concentrations in air trapped in very old polar ice. A...
Variability in the terrigenous (land-derived) fraction of marine sediments,
including pollen and rock fragments, reflects the effects of regional climate change on
continentally derived runoff, ice extent, vegetation and ocean circulation. The transport of
this continental material to the seafloor must be understood in order to interpret the
terrigenous sediment...
Changes in glacier length reflect the integrated response to local fluctuations in temperature and precipitation, but when do such changes indicate forced climate change, and when do they indicate natural variability? In this study, we simulate the past ~1000 years of glacier length variability across the globe using the 3-stage...
The Pacific Walrus population that lives within the Chukchi Sea near Alaska and the Russian territory Siberia have traditionally held a diet composed of molluscs and benthic invertebrates, with the main dietary choice being clams or other bivalves. Due to global warming, the availability of stable ice resting surfaces has...
The 4.59-4.18 Ma Caspana ignimbrite, found within the Altiplano-Puna Volcanic Complex (APVC), is the result of an ~8km3 eruption that took place during the Neogene Ignimbrite Flare-up in the N. Chilean Andes. While most of the eruptions during this flare up are large, monogenetic eruptions, the Caspana that is characterized...
Understanding the relationships between land use, water quality, and groundwater is crucial for ecological, economic, and water management decisions. This study aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the land use activities and hydrologic processes influencing the water quality of Oak Creek watershed. Objectives of this study were: 1) to...
The frequency of devastating disasters has increased in the United States due to the presence of climate change. Human subject research is often conducted in these post-disaster areas to gain valuable data and insights. In recent years, discourse regarding the ethical nature of research conduct in these exposure areas has...
Weight bias has dramatically increased over the last 20 years
and is as prevalent as bias based on race and gender. The
media is a primary source of weight bias according to a review
of weight-related content within newspapers, popular press
books, television, and movies. Bias is perpetuated through
messages...
Cascadia’s 1700 earthquake generated a tsunami and widespread subsidence along Pacific Northwest coastline. The tsunami deposited sandy sediments in many Oregon coastal estuaries, such as Alsea Bay. Although the recurrence of subduction-generated megathrust earthquakes and tsunami events in this region are recorded in the stratigraphy, knowledge of the full inland...
A topic of concern for feminists, film critics, media researchers, and film scholars
alike who believe in a causal connection between film violence and real life violence have
found an enemy in the slasher film. Critics of slasher films, a subgenre of horror, often
charge these films are uniquely violent...
Purpose
In modern American society, educational television (ETV) plays an increasingly substantial role in the daily out-of-classroom education of the American youth and the decision to utilize youth based ETV is often in the hands of parents. However, many parents are unaware of the potential risks associated with early childhood...
In this thesis I examine the biocultural affects of nutrition and pregnancy on dental health throughout Ecuador. Factors such as diet, fertility rates, cultural practices and barriers to health care are investigated through a review of the existing literature. Three main regions of Ecuador were selected for examination -- the...
This review investigated the cognitive effects of intergenerational trauma. Through a literature review, 622 articles across two databases were examined using bibliography and literature review software to analyze such effects. Six articles were identified and discussed as well as their implications for future research. The supporting articles demonstrated clear cognitive...
The goal of this project was to write a children’s book featuring same-sex and interracial families for children to both see themselves represented as well as to expose others to diverse, and increasingly common, family types. The creation of the book was guided by an analysis of the books available...
More than twenty million people in the United States are estimated to have substance use disorders, and it is expected that the number will increase in the future. Physicians, especially general practitioners, play important roles in the treatment of substance use and other addiction disorders because they focus on overall...
In the thrust to shift away from fossil fuels towards renewable options, Ecuador produces African palm-based biodiesel, which is currently imported by the Unites States. An analysis of this specific interaction was done via personal contact with the industry in Ecuador and extensive literature review of the topic. The results...
Youth who are at-risk of homelessness are placed into jeopardizing situations because
they are often pushed toward the outer edges of society, disconnected from healthy support
networks, involved in illegal activities, and their chances of having successful futures are, in turn, diminished. The goals of this project were to: review...
Certificate of Need (CON) laws provide state level review of the need for additional health care resources in a given community. General CON regulations on medical services have been relatively well-documented. Little attention has been paid to state CON regulations for psychiatric and substance abuse care and their impacts on...
This paper critically examines the notion of citizenship and how its construction has evolved over time. As the world becomes increasingly more globalized and connected, it becomes even more important to consider forms of citizenship that are transnational and move beyond the traditional borders of the nation-state. This is especially...
This study investigates the evaluation of Return on Investment (ROI) in education from the perspective of high school students, introducing a theoretical model that encompasses both financial and non-financial aspects, with a primary focus on the unique insights provided by high school students. Drawing from a literature review and survey-based...
This study looked at the impacts of climate change on medicinal plants, and how these impacts are viewed and understood in the herbalism community. Two literature reviews were conducted, to look at each of these two ideas: the first was a review of peer-reviewed literature describing research on climate change...
The purpose of this collection is to piece together a series of events in Argentina's history that resulted in the present day workers movements. Upon completion of an internship in Rosario, Argentina, an interest was sparked in learning more about the movements of unemployed workers through social autonomy. The economic...
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights establishes the right to clean water, entitling everyone to “sufficient, safe, acceptable, physically accessible and affordable water for personal and domestic uses”. This rationale is the inspiration for comparing the effects of clean water strategies. A comparison between Tunisian and Egyptian approaches will evaluate...
Background: Patients with a beta-lactam allergy noted in their medical record (i.e., allergy label) receive different antibiotics, even when an allergy is not truly present. Our objective was to evaluate allergy labels and their influence on patient outcomes among bone marrow transplant (BMT) recipients.
Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort...
Objective: To explore the controversial issue of the safety and use of mercury in
amalgam dental fillings. Methods: Using a variety of scientifically oriented studies,
overall trends and conclusions were analyzed. Relevant articles include Children’s
exposure to Amalgam, fetal exposure, environmental mercury, occupational exposure,
and mercury and Multiple Sclerosis. Additional...
Fusarium proliferatum is a fungus found in soils which produces the mycotoxin group known as fumonisins. Of human concern due to hepato-, nephro- and neurotoxicity, the threat of fumonisins lies within several food items, including corn, wheat sorghum, asparagus and, more recently, garlic. Manifesting as ““garlic rot”,” F. proliferatum infection...
The largest source of uncertainty among climate models simulating the climate system response to increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations is the cloud feedback, the amplification or dampening of the warming from the carbon dioxide forcing by clouds. Refining our knowledge of the cloud feedback is therefore essential to gaining a...
As important ecological cornerstones, coral reefs face threats from a myriad of sources, such as global climate change, and importantly, disease, the latter often as a result of microbial pathogens. An understudied group of major corals, fire corals, and their even less understood microbiome present an opportunity to learn more...
The phosphoprotein (P protein) in viruses of the Mononegavirales order is known to play an essential role in the completion of viral replication mechanisms. The P protein is involved in stabilizing the viral polymerase and nucleoprotein during RNA transcription and replication, regulating nascent RNA encapsidation by the nucleoprotein, and mediation...
Background: The Wave~Ripples for Change: Obesity Prevention in High-School Soccer Players research project is a 5-Y USDA funded project focused on building healthy nutrition, physical activity and life skills for healthy weight maintenance. The intervention includes providing face-to-face sport nutrition, physical activity and life- skills lessons, assessments of body composition,...
One of the tasks that continues to prove difficult in robotics is the ability to grasp objects of varying shapes. It is time-consuming to acquire large amounts of real-world data in order to train accurate classifiers that can predict the success or failure of a grasp. To solve this issue,...
Introduction: In the US, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) affects 1 in 10 people. IBS is a chronic functional gastrointestinal disorder that consists of many gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, changes in bowel movement, differences in the appearance of stool, diarrhea, constipation, increased gas, and mucus in stool. IBS causes...
Bees play a crucial role in pollinating crops, supporting biodiversity, and maintaining ecosystem health. Despite their importance, the decline in bee populations has become a global concern due to various factors including habitat loss, urbanization, and climate change. The purpose of this thesis is to write an article that highlights...
Studies have established that there is a greater risk for onset of adult metabolic syndrome disease such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and obesity in subjects born with low birth weight (LBW). Undernourished fetuses make adaptions that result in structurally, morphologically, and functionally altered organs. In terms of drug pharmacokinetics,...
Tooth decay in the form of dental caries and cavities is estimated to be among the most common health conditions globally, with treatment of these oral diseases resulting in a massive, world-wide economic burden. The cause of this demineralization of teeth is rooted in the action of complex microbial biofilms...
Self-regulation skills in children are an important indicator of positive life outcomes such as health and wealth. Techniques to improve self-regulation are important, as well as understanding what factors influence child development of self-regulation. This study investigates the connection between total minutes of physical activity per day, as well as...
As laws regarding medical and recreational cannabis use are changing across the United States, one must begin to understand the effects among individuals with chronic pain. Specifically, it is unclear how legalization may change their use of marijuana and opioids to self-medicate or for recreational use. To address these questions,...
In a big data day and age, there is an abundance of information and we now have the tools to understand it with data mining and machine learning algorithms. With the rise and fall and rise again of Bitcoin, the finance industry and society itself is caught in between. There...
Gazing behavior is a vital part of nonverbal communication, as it can provide information about attentional state, subtext, environment, and point of view. Both dogs and cats have previously been shown to display gazing behavior when presented with an unsolvable task, as well as follow nonverbal directional ques given by...
Maintenance of optimal nutrient supplies is fundamental to the functioning of
vertebrate, invertebrate, bacterial and plant physiology. Organisms on this planet compete
with each other primarily to fulfill nutritional needs in order to maximize their health,
wellbeing, and reproductive success. Here we examine nutrient concentrations in several
different grass species...
Osteosarcoma (OSA) is a primary malignant bone tumor sarcoma that occurs in dogs as well as people and has aggressive biologic behavior with devastating consequences. Because of the similarities in morphology and prognosis, OSA in dogs represents an effective model for the equivalent disease in humans. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)...
Koi herpesvirus (KHV) is a pathogen affecting common carp and ornamental koi with high morbidity and mortality. Currently, no effective treatment or vaccine is available against this virus. Cullin RING ubiquitin ligases (CRLs) are a class of host proteins that facilitate infection of DNA viruses, such as herpesviruses. Inhibitors of...
As a major biological model for biomedical research, maintaining healthy
zebrafish (Danio rerio) is imperative for accurate and consistent lab results. This
retrospective study focuses on Pseudoloma neurophilia, a microsporidium, because it is
the most common pathogen found in laboratory zebrafish. An online database maintained
by the Zebrafish International Resource...
Research paper for GEOG323 (Climatology) class describing the effects of physiographic setting, climate elements related to energy, moisture, and pressure and corresponding results on New Zealand's North Island Climate. The paper analyzes major circulation modes, weather patterns and extremes, climate change, and the overall climate type of the region.
Ovarian steroidogenesis is heavily controlled by the formation and function of the theca cells. A condition known as polycystic ovarian disease in humans and cystic ovarian disease in cattle is due to abnormal steroidogenesis. Knowing more about theca cell formation and function can aid in gaining further knowledge about polycystic...
Domesticated dogs can form attachment bonds with their owners and use them as a secure base to receive comfort during distress and confidence to explore novel environments. Owners often adopt multiple dog in hopes they will have ameliorative effects during periods of absence from their owner. The purpose of this...
The objective of this study was to identify the varying effects of altering the rumen fluid: substrate ratio on the outcomes of in vitro rumen fermentation. In vitro fermentation is a useful tool for evaluating the energy value of feedstuffs and the effect of feed additives on Volatile Fatty Acid...
Often, characters of entertainment works, such as movies, books, or video
games, display traits that people find relatable. In certain cases, a spectator of a work
will develop such a strong psychological bond with a character that they identify with
them. Identification with fictional characters is usually a subconscious act...
Zinc is an important micronutrient involved in many cellular processes, including those part of immune function; however, about 15% of the US population is at risk for marginal zinc deficiency. This can lead to immune system complications including the generation of inflammatory cytokines. Aging is another factor that worsens the...
Although computer science (CS) education researchers and practitioners have found ways to improve CS classroom inclusivity, few researchers have considered inclusivity of online CS education. We have begun developing a new approach that we term “embedded inclusive design” to address inclusive CS. The essence of the approach is to integrate...
Ornithology is an exciting field with novel research emerging everyday. Researchers in bioacoustics often spend hours within the wilderness recording bird calls to analyze later in their lab. The burden of sifting through hours of audio recordings from the field continues to remain a time-consuming and manual task, despite the...
The medical system in healthcare facilities is characterized by its hierarchical nature. This hierarchy is demonstrated in the authority assumed by physicians. Professional respect and communication between doctors and the nurses are necessary for overall job satisfaction and the creation of an optimal environment for quality patient care. The significance...
Immature T cells, known as thymocytes, undergo development through successive stages in the thymus and the periphery to become functional mature T cells. These stages are regulated by sequence specific transcription factors (SSTFs). Two such SSTFs, BCL11B and TCF-1, are both known master regulators of thymopoiesis, which is also known...
The ever-increasing global population presents looming problems for the field of agriculture. Global food demand will, at some point, increase to the point where there is not enough crop-ready land to keep up. This creates an additional incentive, other than economics, for growers to increase their yield-per-acre and make sure...
Although assays have been done on the effects of vitamin E alpha-tocopherol (ɑ-tocopherol) on the lifespan of wildtype C. elegans, none have been done on the effects of the vitamin on mutant strains with mitochondrial mutations. By using a mev-1 genetic mutant strain of C. elegans with higher levels of...
This project studied how a user's handedness affects his or her ability to use a
special-purpose handheld digital device such as a digital camera or rangefinder. More
specifically, it sought to identify how handedness affects speed and accuracy when
navigating within a menu system. 24 participants were given 8 menu...
Heightened cortisol levels are a typical physiological response to stress. The many responsibilities of animal shelter workers can lead to increased stress levels and negative effects on their job satisfaction and overall wellness. As a result, workers are subject to burnout and compassion fatigue. While working in shelter environments may...
This study aims to evaluate the relationship between the social determinants of health and substance use disorder (SUD) in Oregon. Data was collected from various public databases to represent the social and environmental conditions of the 18 most populated counties in Oregon. Substance use disorder data was also collected for...
Background. The prevalence of pediatric dental caries (PDC) is 55.7% nationally, 52% in Oregon, and 73% in Southeastern Oregon. We examined prevention programs, clinical services, and water fluoride levels in Southeastern Oregon to understand the high PDC prevalence.
Methods. We conducted telephone surveys and used secondary data to assess water...
The widespread adoption of computerized systems around the turn of the century as a means of more efficiently conducting elections introduced more issues than these computer systems were intended to address. Though many of these flaws were not considered for years or decades after the introduction of digital election infrastructure,...
Childhood tooth decay is a prevalent and concerning public health issue that is often misunderstood or dismissed. In Oregon specifically, over 50% of children have experienced at least one instance of tooth decay and these rates are even higher for marginalized communities such as children living in poverty, children of...
Transcriptome gene expression studies of sperm RNA have been utilized in a variety of different species to investigate causes of male infertility. Previous research investigators have optimized cell separation and RNA isolation techniques for each species of interest. To date, no study has been completed for dogs. The objective of...
Flow cytometry is a highly-extensible technology for performing rapid multi-parametric particle analysis. The use of flow cytometry has proliferated with the advent of smaller, intuitive, and more affordable instruments, along with a perpetual increase in research and medical applications. However, the technology is still largely inaccessible due to cost and...
Most software systems today do not support cognitive diversity. Further, because of differences in problem-solving styles that cluster by gender, software that poorly supports cognitive diversity can also embed gender biases. To help software professionals fix gender bias “bugs” related to people’s problem-solving styles for information processing and learning of...