bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Modeling and solving the fuel distribution problem with unloading precedence and loading sequence considerations
Authors: Androutsopoulos Konstantinos N. , Zografos Konstantinos G.
Published: December 2023

This paper presents a real-world liquid fuel distribution problem involving a heterogeneous fleet of multi-compartment vehicles servicing a set of orders of different fuels. Two new features are introduced that affect significantly the performance of the fuel distribution process in terms of safety and efficiency: (i) loading trucks so that the payload remains balanced throughout each phase of a delivery route, and (ii) sequencing the requests for loading trucks at the depot loading facilities. A Mixed Integer Programming formulation is presented and an Adaptive Large Neighbourhood Search algorithm with various novel features is developed and benchmarked. A new loading model is formed and solved for allocating the ordered items (fuel) to vehicle compartments, as part of constructing/repairing delivery routes. The computational performance of the proposed solution approach has been tested on a series of benchmark problems. Moreover, a series of experiments were performed in order to assess the effect of the balanced loading constraints on the traveled distance. The results indicate that the effect of this type of constraint on the total traveled distance is kept at a reasonable level, reaching a maximum increase of 4.37%. The computational tools presented in this work may accommodate the dispatchers’ work in producing efficient and safe delivery routes while managing efficiently any potential bottleneck in the truck loading facilities.
Determining the best feature combination through text and probabilistic feature analysis for GPT-2-based mobile app review detection
Authors: Lee Seung-Cheol , Lee Dong-Gun , Seo Yeong-Seok
Published: December 2023

Mobile apps, used by many people worldwide, have become an essential part of life. Before using a mobile app, users judge the reliability of apps according to their reviews. Therefore, app reviews are essential components of management for companies. Unfortunately, some fake reviewers write negative reviews for competing apps. Moreover, artificial intelligence (AI)-based macro bot programs that generate app reviews have emerged and can create large numbers of reviews with malicious purposes in a short time. One notable AI technology that can generate such reviews is Generative Pre-trained Transformer-2 (GPT-2). The reviews generated by GPT-2 use human-like grammar; therefore, it is difficult to detect them with only text mining techniques, which use tools like part-of-speech (POS) tagging and sentiment scores. Thus, probability-based sampling techniques in GPT-2 must be used. In this study, we identified features to detect reviews generated by GPT-2 and determined the optimal feature combination for improving detection performance. To achieve this, based on the analysis results, we built a training dataset to find the best feature combination for detecting the generated reviews. Various machine learning models were then trained and evaluated using this dataset. As a result, the model that used both text mining and probability-based sampling techniques detected generated reviews more effectively than the model that used only text mining techniques. This model achieved a top classification accuracy of 90% and a macro F1 of 0.90. We expect the results of this study to help app developers maintain a more stable mobile app ecosystem.

Graphical abstract
Reproductive Strategies and Romantic Love in Early Modern Europe
Authors: Dias Martins Mauricio de Jesus , Baumard Nicolas
Published: December 2023

In Western Europe, the Early Modern Period is characterized by the rise of tenderness in romantic relationships and the emergence of companionate marriage. Despite a long research tradition, the origins of these social changes remain elusive. In this paper, we build on recent advances in behavioral sciences, showing that romantic emotional investment, which is more culturally variable than sexual attraction, enhances the cohesion of long-term relationships and increases investment in children. Importantly, this long-term strategy is considered especially advantageous when living standards are high. Here, we investigate the relationship between living standards, the emotional components of love expressed in fiction work, and behavioral outcomes related to pair bonding, such as nuptial and fertility rates. We developed natural language processing measures of “emotional investment” (tenderness) and “attraction” (passion) and computed romantic love in English plays (N = 847) as a ratio between the two. We found that living standards generally predicted and temporally preceded variations of romantic love in the Early Modern Period. Furthermore, romantic love preceded an increase in nuptial rates and a decrease in births per marriage. This suggests that increasing living standards in the Early Modern Period may have contributed to the emergence of modern romantic culture.
Acceptance of Low-Carbon School Meals with and without Information—A Controlled Intervention Study
Authors: André E. , Eustachio Colombo P. , Schäfer Elinder L. , Larsson J. , Hunsberger M.
Published: December 2023

This controlled intervention study focused on optimizing a school lunch menu to achieve a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The objective was to evaluate the impact of introducing a low-carbon menu on pupils’ acceptance of school meals, as well as to assess whether providing information about the menu change independently influenced pupils’ acceptance. The study was conducted across six compulsory schools in a Swedish municipality, divided into three groups: schools implementing a menu change only (Menu), schools implementing a menu change with clear information provided to pupils (Menu + Info), and control schools serving the standard menu (Control). During a seven-week baseline period, all schools served the standard menu. Subsequently, for seven weeks, Menu and Menu + Info schools transitioned to a low-carbon menu achieved through the utilization of low-carbon recipes—reducing the proportion of food items with significant climate footprints while maintaining the recommended nutritional standards. In Menu + Info schools, pupils were presented with an informative video about the menu change during class. The acceptance of the low-carbon menu was evaluated through daily measurements of food consumption, plate waste, and meal satisfaction surveys. The study’s findings revealed that neither the menu change nor the information significantly affected the pupils’ acceptance of the new menu. These results align with prior studies, reinforcing the viability of employing low-carbon recipes to reduce the climate footprint of school meals. Moreover, this study demonstrates that providing supplemental information for transparency or educational purposes can be implemented without adversely affecting menu acceptance.
Industrial data sharing and data readiness: a law and economics perspective
Authors: Jorzik Nathalie , Kirchhof Paula Johanna , Mueller-Langer Frank
Published: December 2023

We study the incentives and welfare properties of industrial data sharing taking into account the data (economy) readiness of companies. We differentiate between two regulatory settings. First, there is no compulsion for companies to provide data. Companies, which also use the data for other corporate purposes, decide whether to share their data voluntarily. Second, there is a regulatory requirement on the minimum amount of data to be shared by the data provider. We assume that data sharing affects the data provider’s value of the data. The magnitude and sign of this effect have an impact on the optimal investment level of data generation and overall welfare in the different cases under study. Our results suggest that the implementation of a data-sharing policy has ambiguous welfare properties. It has positive welfare properties if (a) the data receiving firm does not pay too much for the data, (b) the data receiving firm benefits enough from the data provider’s data generating effort, and (c) the intensified competition due to data sharing is not too harmful to the data provider. In contrast, it will always have negative welfare properties if the data provider’s minimum amount of data to be shared under the policy is prohibitively high such that no data is created in the first place. Our results also suggest that a positive effect of data sharing on the data-generating company’s value of the data and its data economy readiness positively affect the incentives to share data. Finally, we find that data sharing under a data-sharing policy leads to a lower data quality if the data economy readiness of the data-generating company is too low.
Regular moderate physical exercise decreases Glycan Age index of biological age and reduces inflammatory potential of Immunoglobulin G
Authors: Šimunić-Briški Nina , Dukarić Vedran , Očić Mateja , Madžar Tomislav , Vinicki Martina , Frkatović-Hodžić Azra , Knjaz Damir , Lauc Gordan
Published: December 2023

Physical inactivity and obesity are growing concerns, negatively impacting the general population. Moderate physical activity is known to have a beneficial anti-inflammatory effect. N-glycosylation of immunoglobulin G (IgG) reflects changes in the inflammatory potential of IgG. In this study, GlycanAge index of biological age (GlycanAge), one of the first commercially used biomarkers of aging, was employed to assess effects of exercise intensity in three different groups of athletes: professional competing athletes, regularly moderate active individuals and newly involved recreational individuals, compared to the group of inactive individuals. GlycanAge was significantly lower in the active group compared to the inactive group (β = -7.437, p.adj = 7.85E-03), and nominally significant and increased in professional athletes compared to the active group (β = 7.546, p = 3.20E-02). Competing female athletes had significantly higher GlycanAge comparing to active females exercising moderately (β = 20.206, p.adj = 2.71E-02), while the latter had significantly lower GlycanAge when compared with the inactive counterparts (β = -9.762, p.adj = 4.68E-02). Regular, life-long moderate exercise has an anti-inflammatory effect in both female and male population, demonstrated by lower GlycanAge index, and it has great potential to mitigate growing issues related to obesity and a sedentary lifestyle, which are relentlessly increasing world-wide.
The Rough with the Smooth of the Light Cone String
Authors: Dragon Norbert , Oppermann Florian
Published: December 2023

The polynomials in the generators of a unitary representation of the Poincaré group constitute an algebra which maps the dense subspace $$\mathcal D$$
D
of smooth, rapidly decreasing wavefunctions to itself. This mathematical result is highly welcome to physicists, who previously just assumed their algebraic treatment of unbounded operators be justified. The smoothness, however, has the side effect that a rough operator R, which does not map a dense subspace of $$\mathcal D$$
D
to itself, has to be shown to allow for some other dense domain which is mapped to itself both by R and all generators. Otherwise their algebraic product, their concatenation, is not defined. Canonical quantization of the light cone string postulates operators $$-\textrm{i}X^1$$

-
i

X
1

and $$P^-=(P^0 - P^z)/2$$

P
-

=

(

P
0

-

P
z

)

/
2

and as their commutator the multiplicative operator $$R=P^1/(P^0 + P^z)$$

R
=

P
1

/

(

P
0

+

P
z

)

. This is not smooth but rough on the negative $$z-$$

z
-

axis of massless momentum. Using only the commutation relations of $$P^m$$

P
m

with the generators $$-\textrm{i}M_{iz}$$

-
i

M

iz

of rotations in the $$P^i$$

P
i

-$$P^{z}$$

P
z

-plane we show that on massless states the operator R is inconsistent with a unitary representation of SO$$(D-1)$$

(
D
-
1
)

. This makes the algebraic determination of the critical dimension, $$D=26$$

D
=
26

, of the bosonic string meaningless: if the massless states of the light cone string admit R then they do not admit a unitary representation of the subgroup SO$$(D-1)$$

(
D
-
1
)

of the Poincaré group. With analogous arguments we show: Massless multiplets are inconsistent with a translation group of the spatial momentum which is generated by a self-adjoint spatial position operator $$\textbf{X}$$
X
.
Personality Traits Characterizing a New Type of Depression Lead to Stress Generation in Japanese University Students
Authors: Fujiwara Rika , Hasegawa Akira , Oura Shin-ichi , Matsuda Yuko
Published: December 2023

Japanese psychiatrists have proposed a new type of depression characterized by passing blame and irritability, which worsens on working days. This new type of depression is assumed to be closely associated with two personality traits: Interpersonal sensitivity, which reflects the tendency to be excessively concerned about or overreact to others’ negative evaluations, and privileged self, which reflects the tendency to pursue own pleasures at the expense of maintaining harmony with others. Although a previous longitudinal study showed that these traits can lead to interpersonal stress generation among university students, it did not control for the influence of baseline negative events, nor use a scale that separately assessed negative dependent events caused by the participants’ behaviors and negative independent events occurring outside the participants’ control. The current study addressed these limitations and investigated whether interpersonal sensitivity and privileged self led to stress generation and increased depressive symptoms. Undergraduate and graduate students in Japan (N = 265) responded to self-report measures twice at an interval of four weeks. The results indicated that privileged self was related to an increase in subsequent experiences of negative dependent and independent events after controlling for either category of events experienced at the baseline. These findings suggest that privileged self can lead to stress generation or the perception that surrounding circumstances are worse than they are. Furthermore, privileged self was associated with an increase in subsequent depressive symptoms via experiences of negative interpersonal dependent events.
Active learning algorithm through the lens of rejection arguments
Authors: Denis Christophe , Hebiri Mohamed , Ndjia Njike Boris , Siebert Xavier
Published: December 2023

Active learning is a paradigm of machine learning which aims at reducing the amount of labeled data needed to train a classifier. Its overall principle is to sequentially select the most informative data points, which amounts to determining the uncertainty of regions of the input space. The main challenge lies in building a procedure that is computationally efficient and that offers appealing theoretical properties; most of the current methods satisfy only one or the other. In this paper, we use the classification with rejection in a novel way to estimate the uncertain regions. We provide an active learning algorithm and prove its theoretical benefits under classical assumptions. In addition to the theoretical results, numerical experiments are carried out on synthetic and non-synthetic datasets. These experiments provide empirical evidence that the use of rejection arguments in our active learning algorithm is beneficial and allows good performance in various statistical situations.
Spatial distribution, temporal trends and impact of landslides on São Miguel Island from 1900 to 2020 based on an analysis of the Azores historical natural hazards database
Authors: Silva Rui Fagundes , Marques Rui , Zêzere José Luís
Published: December 2023

Landslides are the most frequent type of natural hazard in the Azores archipelago, primarily due to the volcanic nature and geomorphologic features of the islands. The NATHA (Natural Hazards in Azores) database is a repository of documents reporting those natural disaster events that have occurred on the Azores since their settlement in the mid-fifteenth century. This work presents and explores the landslide events that have occurred on São Miguel Island in the period 1900–2020. A total of 236 landslide events were catalogued. The temporal distribution of the landslide events reveals a higher concentration of events after 1996, which is related to a change in the rainfall regime but also to the increasing dissemination of information. The influence of climate change on landslide occurrence is demonstrated for the first time in the Azores. The landslide events catalogued in the NATHA database were responsible for 82 fatalities, 41 injuries and 305 people made homeless, while 66 buildings were partially or completely destroyed. The spatial distribution of landslide events shows that Povoação is the municipality most prone to landslide occurrence as well as to landslide impact. Rainfall was the triggering factor of most landslide events (70%) on São Miguel Island, and landslide events have been most frequent during the wettest months of the year from November to March. The obtained results demonstrate the need of landslides prevention and preparedness programs in specific areas of São Miguel Island.
Coupled nonlinear Schrödinger (CNLS) equations for two interacting electrostatic wavepackets in a non-Maxwellian fluid plasma model
Authors: Lazarides N. , Kourakis Ioannis
Published: December 2023

The nonlinear dynamics of two co-propagating electrostatic wavepackets in a one-dimensional non-magnetized plasma fluid model is considered, from first principles. The coupled waves are characterized by different (carrier) wavenumbers and amplitudes. A plasma consisting of non-thermalized ($$\kappa $$
κ
-distributed) electrons evolving against a cold (stationary) ion background is considered. The original model is reduced, by means of a multiple-scale perturbation method, to a pair of coupled nonlinear Schrödinger (CNLS) equations for the dynamics of the wavepacket envelopes. For arbitrary wavenumbers, the resulting CNLS equations exhibit no known symmetry and thus intrinsically differ from the Manakov system, in general. Exact analytical expressions have been derived for the dispersion, self-modulation (nonlinearity) and cross-modulation (coupling) coefficients involved in the CNLS equations, as functions of the wavenumbers ($$k_1$$

k
1

, $$k_2$$

k
2

) and of the spectral index $$\kappa $$
κ
characterizing the electron profile. An analytical investigation has thus been carried out of the modulational instability (MI) properties of this pair of wavepackets, focusing on the role of the intrinsic (variable) parameters. Modulational instability is shown to occur in most parts of the parameter space. The instability window(s) and the corresponding growth rate are calculated numerically in a number of case studies. Two-wave interaction favors MI by extending its range of occurrence and by enhancing its growth rate. Growth rate patterns obtained for different $$\kappa $$
κ
index (values) suggest that deviation from thermal (Maxwellian) equilibrium, for low $$\kappa $$
κ
values, leads to enhance MI of the interacting wave pair. To the best of our knowledge, the dynamics of two co-propagating wavepackets in a plasma described by a fluid model with $$\kappa $$
κ
-distributed electrons is investigated thoroughly with respect to their MI properties as a function of $$\kappa $$
κ
for the first time, in the framework of an asymmetric CNLS system whose coefficients present no obvious symmetries for arbitrary $$k_1$$

k
1

and $$k_2$$

k
2

. Although we have focused on electrostatic wavepacket propagation in non-thermal (non-Maxwellian) plasma, the results of this study are generic and may be used as basis to model energy localization in nonlinear optics, in hydrodynamics or in dispersive media with Kerr-type nonlinearities where MI is relevant.
An In Silico Platform to Predict Cardiotoxicity Risk of Anti-tumor Drug Combination with hiPSC-CMs Based In Vitro Study
Authors: Sang Lan , Zhou Zhengying , Luo Shizheng , Zhang Yicui , Qian Hongjie , Zhou Ying , He Hua , Hao Kun
Published: December 2023

Objective

Antineoplastic agent-induced systolic dysfunction is a major reason for interruption of anticancer treatment. Although targeted anticancer agents infrequently cause systolic dysfunction, their combinations with chemotherapies remarkably increase the incidence. Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) provide a potent in vitro model to assess cardiovascular safety. However, quantitatively predicting the reduction of ejection fraction based on hiPSC-CMs is challenging due to the absence of the body's regulatory response to cardiomyocyte injury.

Methods

Here, we developed and validated an in vitro-in vivo translational platform to assess the reduction of ejection fraction induced by antineoplastic drugs based on hiPSC-CMs. The translational platform integrates drug exposure, drug-cardiomyocyte interaction, and systemic response. The drug-cardiomyocyte interaction was implemented as a mechanism-based toxicodynamic (TD) model, which was then integrated into a quantitative system pharmacology-physiological-based pharmacokinetics (QSP-PBPK) model to form a complete translational platform. The platform was validated by comparing the model-predicted and clinically observed incidence of doxorubicin and trastuzumab-induced systolic dysfunction.

Results

A total of 33,418 virtual patients were incorporated to receive doxorubicin and trastuzumab alone or in combination. For doxorubicin, the QSP-PBPK-TD model successfully captured the overall trend of systolic dysfunction incidences against the cumulative doses. For trastuzumab, the predicted incidence interval was 0.31–2.7% for single-agent treatment and 0.15–10% for trastuzumab-doxorubicin sequential treatment, covering the observations in clinical reports (0.50–1.0% and 1.5–8.3%, respectively).

Conclusions

In conclusion, the in vitro-in vivo translational platform is capable of predicting systolic dysfunction incidence almost merely depend on hiPSC-CMs, which could facilitate optimizing the treatment protocol of antineoplastic agents.
Going complex or going easy? The impact of research questions on citations
Authors: Solarino Angelo M. , Rose Elizabeth L. , Luise Cristian
Published: December 2023

The growing need for academic impact requires researchers to develop and address important ideas. In this paper, we analyze how theory has been framed and operationalized within international business scholarship, which has a long tradition of producing research that accounts jointly for multiple research contexts and levels of analysis. We focus on two key aspects of published articles: the complexity of their research questions and how the research questions are translated into testable hypotheses. We further assess how the complexity and operationalization of research questions have been received by business/management, interdisciplinary, and practice-oriented research audiences. To achieve this, we examine a sample of 423 quantitative articles published in the Journal of International Business Studies between 2005 and 2015, and consider the articles’ citations during 2010–2020. Our paper provides suggestions about how authors might better frame research questions that are both important and impactful.
Enhancing bitcoin transaction confirmation prediction: a hybrid model combining neural networks and XGBoost
Authors: Zhang Limeng , Zhou Rui , Liu Qing , Xu Jiajie , Liu Chengfei , Babar Muhammad Ali
Published: December 2023

With Bitcoin being universally recognized as the most popular cryptocurrency, more Bitcoin transactions are expected to be populated to the Bitcoin blockchain system. As a result, many transactions can encounter different confirmation delays. Concerned about this, it becomes vital to help a user understand (if possible) how long it may take for a transaction to be confirmed in the Bitcoin blockchain. In this work, we address the issue of predicting confirmation time within a block interval rather than pinpointing a specific timestamp. After dividing the future into a set of block intervals (i.e., classes), the prediction of a transaction’s confirmation is treated as a classification problem. To solve it, we propose a framework, Hybrid Confirmation Time Estimation Network (Hybrid-CTEN), based on neural networks and XGBoost to predict transaction confirmation time in the Bitcoin blockchain system using three different sources of information: historical transactions in the blockchain, unconfirmed transactions in the mempool, as well as the estimated transaction itself. Finally, experiments on real-world blockchain data demonstrate that, other than XGBoost excelling in the binary classification case (to predict whether a transaction will be confirmed in the next generated block), our proposed framework Hybrid-CTEN outperforms state-of-the-art methods on precision, recall and f1-score on all the multiclass classification cases (4-class, 6-class and 8-class) to predict in which future block interval a transaction will be confirmed.
Implication of noise exposure on hearing with emphasis to hOGG1 and GPx-1 polymorphisms and HO-1 protein among textile workers
Authors: Taha Mona Mohamed , Samir Ellaithy Lamia , Abd El-Aziz Nermeeen Said , Mahdy-Abdallah Heba , Adel Helmy Mona
Published: December 2023

Noise exposure is a health hazard in the textile industry. In cochlear hair cells, DNA damage caused by 8-oxoguanine (8-oxo G) can result in noise-induced hearing loss. Human 8-hydroxyguanine glycosylase (hOGG1) is a DNA repair enzyme that excises (8-oxo G) in the DNA and repairs DNA damage. Glutathione peroxidase-1 (GPx) is a crucial antioxidant enzyme that aids in limiting cochlear damages. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is a stress-inducible protein with a high fold change in the hair cells of the cochlea. The study aimed to investigate the association of either hOGG1 and GPx-1 polymorphisms with audiometric notches and HO-1 protein among textile workers. hOGG1 and GPx genotypes were analyzed by PCR–RFLP, and HO-1 levels were measured by ELISA in 115 male textile workers. Blood pressure and audiogram were performed. Results recorded the relation between audiometric notches and ear complaints among workers. Older age workers showed audiometric notches at > 25 dB with a significant decrease in HO-1 levels and higher levels in workers with normal audiogram. Ser/Cys genotype of hOGG1 gene was associated with age and work duration while CC genotype of GPx is associated with HO-1 levels and diastolic pressure. Ser/Cys genotype of hOGG1 gene was associated with age while Cys/Cys genotype was associated with work duration among workers. CC genotype of GPx gene was associated with higher HO-1 levels and TT genotype was associated with high diastolic pressure. Finally, hearing impairment was dependent on the duration of exposure to noise, older age, and the presence of heterozygote TC genotype of GPx gene among textile workers.
Selenium Nanoparticles Ameliorate Adverse Impacts of Aflatoxin in Nile Tilapia with Special Reference to Streptococcus agalactiae Infection
Authors: Sherif Ahmed H. , Zommara Mohsen A.
Published: December 2023

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a plant-origin toxin that could induce oxidative stress in fish. The micromineral selenium (Se) possesses well-documented antioxidant properties. To assess the ameliorative effects of SeNPs (1 mg/kg fish feed) on oxidative stress induced by AFB1 (500 μg/kg fish feed), Nile tilapia (32.2±1.7 g body weight) were distributed randomly and even in six groups for 8-week feeding trial. Live enzymes, AST, ALT, and ALP levels were increased in the serum of fish fed AFB1-contaminated diet, and the addition of SeNPs could restore normal values compared to the control. The gene expression of antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzyme and catalase (CAT) enzyme, and DNA fragmentation were significantly increased in response to aflatoxin exposure, while dietary SeNPs could mitigate the generated oxidative stress. The innate immunity, serum antibacterial activity (SAA), oxidative burst activity (OBA), phagocytic activities (PA and PI), and gene expression of cytokines (interleukin (IL)-1β, heat shock protein70 (Hsp), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α) revealed a status of immunosuppression in Nile tilapia fed on AFB1-contaminated diet. These findings showed that fish became more vulnerable to Streptococcus agalactiae infection with a high mortality rate while dietary SeNPs provided a high relative protection level (RPL). From the obtained findings, SeNPs could mitigate the oxidative stress induced by feeding the AFB1 diet and could boost the immunity of stressed Nile tilapia.
Assessing emotion beliefs with the Polish version of the Emotion Beliefs Questionnaire (EBQ): psychometric properties, norms, and links with emotional reactivity and psychopathology
Authors: Larionow Paweł , Preece David A. , Mudło-Głagolska Karolina
Published: December 2023

Originally developed in English, the Emotion Beliefs Questionnaire (EBQ) is a self-report measure of beliefs about the controllability and usefulness of negative and positive emotions. In this study, we introduce the Polish version and examine its psychometric properties and links with emotional outcomes. Our sample was 914 Polish adults aged 18–70 from the general population. Confirmatory factor analysis was applied to verify the factor structure. Convergent and divergent validity were assessed based on the relationship between the EBQ and emotional reactivity traits as well as markers of anxiety, depression, and stress. We assessed internal consistency reliability. We also examined discriminant validity by conducting exploratory factor analyses of EBQ scores and emotional reactivity traits and psychopathology symptoms. We evaluated criterion validity by conducting a set of multiple regression analyses, examining whether EBQ scores could predict significant variance in psychopathology symptoms. Our factor analyses supported the EBQ’s factorial validity, conforming to the intended 4-factor structure (subscales: negative-controllability, positive-controllability, negative-usefulness, positive-usefulness), with support also found for a higher-order general factor (e.g., CFI = 0.941, RMSEA = 0.063). This structure was invariant across gender and age categories. The EBQ subscales correlated in expected directions with emotional reactivity traits and psychopathology symptoms. The EBQ showed good internal consistency reliability (α = 0.77–0.88) and discriminant validity. Beliefs about the uncontrollability of negative emotions were the strongest unique predictor of psychopathology symptoms. We also presented percentile rank norms for Polish adults. The Polish version of the EBQ appears to have strong psychometric properties and good clinical relevance.
Knowledge and Food Sustainability: the Metaverse as a New Economic-Environmental Paradigm
Authors: Boccia Flavio , Covino Daniela
Published: December 2023

Nowadays the metaverse may represent the line between the most avant-garde innovations of the present and the possible development potential of the next years. The present article aims to show for the first time the potential that this innovative technological opportunity offers in the coming years. By looking at the current state of knowledge and, above all, with the help of empirical evidence from the metaverse’s main application business cases in the food sector, it is possible to understand how food companies can survive in the increasingly fierce world competition. The considerations that derive from the observation of these corporate excellent examples highlight that it is increasingly necessary to strategically invest in all three dimensions of sustainability, but also in novel new technological innovations. So, from the analysis of the most important available case studies, it is clear that metaverse is definitely a very particular innovation capable of opening up new and sustainable economic opportunities for companies in the food industry. At the current state of research, there are no comparable studies on this topic, especially in agri-food systems. Yet, this is only a starting point for further research in the future. Nonetheless, we can already recognize the strategic potential of virtual universes.
Image-based Appraisal of Woody Starch Reserves in Grapevine
Authors: Dinu Daniel Grigorie , Nuzzo Vitale , Gestri Giulia , Montanaro Giuseppe , Rustioni Laura
Published: December 2023

Maintaining stable yield in a climate change scenario requires the implementation of adaptive strategies for vine and vineyard management. Knowing the level of starch stored in perennial vine organs may help to reduce the risk of environmental constraints. Therefore, the development of decision support tools is important to assist winegrowers. The aim of this work was to test the possibility of estimating the starch content in grapevine woody tissues using digital imaging analysis. A colorimetric index (CI) based on red (R), green (G), and blue (B) mean pixel values was proposed and compared with an existing spectrophotometric index (SI). Shoots of three grapevine cultivars were collected during the 2020 dormant season and forced to produce new rooted cuttings. From these cuttings, a total of 73 internodes were sampled and their woody sections stained with Lugol’s iodine solution and CI and SI determined. In the three varieties, the CI well correlated with the SI (Spearman’s test ranged from − 0.84 to − 0.93, p < 0.0001). The resulting CI-based model developed can accurately (R2 = 0.84) predict the SI confirming it is a reliable method for the digital determination of woody reserves in grapevine, supporting management decisions in viticulture.
From Bacteria to Host: Deciphering the Impact of Sphingolipid Metabolism on Food Allergic Reactions
Authors: Zubeldia-Varela Elisa , Macías-Camero Andrea , Pérez-Gordo Marina
Published: December 2023

Purpose of Review

Allergic diseases have become a burden in industrialized societies. Among children, food allergy (FA) constitutes a major impairment of quality of life. FA is partly due to a lack or loss of tolerance to food antigens at the level of the intestinal mucosa, where the microbiota plays a crucial role. Early changes in the composition of the gut microbiota may influence the development of the immune system and can be related to the risk of allergic diseases, including FA. This review will focus on the role of sphingolipids and the major bacteria involved in their metabolism, in the development of food antigen sensitization and FA.

Recent Findings

Numerous studies have identified different patterns of microbial composition between individuals with and without FA, pointing to an interaction between gut microbiota, enterocytes, and immune cells. When this interaction is lost and an imbalance in the composition of the intestinal microbiota occurs, the integrity of the epithelial barrier may be altered, leading to intestinal permeability and sensitization to food antigens and the development of FA. Gram-negative bacteria, especially those of the Proteobacteria phylum, have been associated with the development of FA. Investigating the interactions between the intestinal microbiota and the immune system, their influence on intestinal barrier function, and their production of metabolites and signaling molecules may contribute to understanding the pathogenesis of FA.

Sphingolipids, a class of bioactive amphipathic lipids found in cell membranes, have emerged as critical regulators of inflammation. In this review, we will attempt to summarize the existing knowledge on the role of these molecules and the major bacteria involved in their metabolism in the mechanisms underlying sensitization to food antigens and the development of FA.
Resolving Barriers to Continence for Children with Disabilities: Steps Toward Evidence-Based Practice
Authors: Donnelly Maeve G. , Karsten Amanda M.
Published: December 2023

Behavior-analytic toilet training (BATT) methods to support urine continence have been reviewed and replicated in numerous studies. Despite empirical validations of BATT, children with disabilities may not experience successful toilet training nor access the associated health and social benefits of urinary continence. It is possible these outcomes are partially due to practical barriers that arise throughout urine training. In practice, barriers may interfere with toilet training to the extent that training is postponed or discontinued, resulting in long-term incontinence and other related problems. Examples of barriers include problem behavior, excessive urine retention, recurrent accidents, and excessive or insufficient independent self-initiations to toilet. Researchers have sometimes described strategies to address these types of barriers. However, practitioners may not be aware of these strategies because they are secondary to the purpose of an investigation and may only apply to a subset of participants. The purpose of this review article is to synthesize the collection of barrier solutions described in published research on urine training for children with developmental disabilities. Results may assist practitioners in modifying BATT according to an evidence-based practice framework until their clients overcome barriers to achieve urine continence.
Super-efficient Reduction of 4-nitrophenol Using Raw Pelagic Clays as Catalysts
Authors: Zhang Peiping , Liu Tongtong , Sun Xue , Liang Qing , Zhang Wei , Ning Weikun , Li Wenqing , Shi Xuefa , Miao Shiding
Published: December 2023

Natural clays are often employed as substrates for heterogeneous catalysts. However, the direct use of raw clays as catalysts has received less research attention. The objective of the present study was to help fill this gap by investigating catalytic properties of raw pelagic clays (PC) collected from the Indian Ocean. The raw PC were discovered to be efficient catalysts in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) in the presence of NaBH4. The effects of parameters including pH values, dosages of PC, and initial concentration of 4-NP and NaBH4 on the conversion or degradation rate of 4-NP have been investigated. The 4-NP was observed to be completely degraded within 480 s under conditions of 0.10 mM 4-NP, 25.0 mM NaBH4, and 0.20 g/L PC at an initial pH value of 7.0. The apparent rate constant was evaluated to be 27.53 × 10–3 s–1. Unlike previous pseudo-first order kinetics experiments, the induction period and degradation stages were observed to occur simultaneously during the PC catalysis. The S-shaped kinetics for 4-NP conversion was found to be perfectly matched by Fermi's function, and the enzyme-like catalysis by PC was appointed to describe the kinetics. Species of Fe(III), Mn(IV), and Mn(III) in PC were found to be essential, and were partly reduced to Fe(0) and Mn(II) by NaBH4 in our reaction, contributing to rapid conversion of 4-NP to 4-aminophenol (4-AP). The raw PC was converted to magnetic PC (m-PC) particles, which made PC particles separate easily for cycling use. This discovery would also have applications in continuous flow-fluid catalysis.
Assessing the Impact of Stratospheric Aerosol Injection on US Convective Weather Environments
Authors: Glade Ivy , Hurrell James W. , Sun Lantao , Rasmussen Kristen L.
Published: December 2023

Continued climate warming, together with the overall evaluation and implementation of a range of climate mitigation and adaptation approaches, has prompted increasing research into proposed solar climate intervention methods, such as stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI). SAI would use aerosols to reflect a small amount of incoming solar radiation away from Earth to stabilize or reduce future warming due to increasing greenhouse gas concentrations. Research into the possible risks and benefits of SAI relative to the risks from climate change is emerging. There is not yet, however, an adequate understanding of how SAI might impact human and natural systems. For instance, little to no research to date has examined how SAI might impact environmental conditions critical to the formation of severe convective weather over the United States (US). This study uses ensembles of Earth system model simulations of future climate change, with and without hypothetical SAI deployment, to examine possible future changes in thermodynamic and kinematic parameters critical to the formation of severe weather during convectively active seasons over the US Results show that simulated forced changes in thermodynamic parameters are significantly reduced under SAI relative to a climate change (SSP2‐4.5) world, while simulated changes in kinematic parameters are more difficult to distinguish. Also, unforced internal climate variability is likely to significantly modulate the projected forced climate changes over large regions of the US.
The Capability of Deep Learning Model to Predict Ozone Across Continents in China, the United States and Europe
Authors: Han Weichao , He Tai‐Long , Jiang Zhe , Zhu Rui , Jones Dylan , Miyazaki Kazuyuki , Shen Yanan
Published: December 2023

Data‐driven methods have been extensively applied to predict atmospheric compositions. Here, we explore the capability of a deep learning (DL) model to make ozone (O3) predictions across continents in China, the United States (US) and Europe. The DL model was trained and validated with surface O3 observations in China and the US in 2015–2018. The DL model was applied to predict hourly surface O3 over three continents in 2015–2022. Compared to baseline simulations using GEOS‐Chem (GC) model, our analysis exhibits mean biases of 2.6 and 4.8 μg/m3 with correlation coefficients of 0.94 and 0.93 (DL); and mean biases of 3.7 and 5.4 μg/m3 with correlation coefficients of 0.95 and 0.92 (GC) in Europe in 2015–2018 and 2019–2022, respectively. The comparable performances between DL and GC indicate the potential of DL to make reliable predictions over spatial and temporal domains where a wealth of local observations for training is not available.
Tropical Cyclone Modeling With the Inclusion of Wave‐Coupled Processes: Sea Spray and Wave Turbulence
Authors: Xu Xingkun , Voermans Joey J. , Zhang Wenqing , Zhao Biao , Qiao Fangli , Liu Qingxiang , Moon Il‐Ju , Janekovic Ivica , Waseda Takuji , Babanin Alexander V.
Published: December 2023

Waves critically modulate the air‐sea fluxes, and upper‐ocean thermodynamics in a Tropical Cyclone (TC) system. This study improves the modeling of TC intensification by incorporating non‐breaking wave‐induced turbulence and sea spray from breaking waves into an atmosphere‐ocean‐wave coupled model. Notably, wind forecast error decreased by around 10% prior to TCs' peak intensity. The positive feedback of sea spray along with compensatory negative feedback from non‐breaking waves, overall enhanced TCs' intensity. These breaking and non‐breaking wave‐coupled processes consistently cool sea surface temperature, resulting in improvement of the modeled SST. Observed improvements in full‐year TC cases ranging from Categories I to IV in this study suggest that an accurate characterization of ocean wave‐coupled processes is crucial for improving TCs' intensity forecasts and advancing our understanding of severe weather events in both, the atmosphere and ocean.
Stream Interaction Regions in the Minimum of Solar Cycles 23 and 24
Authors: Sanchez‐Garcia E. , Gonzalez‐Esparza J. A. , Aguilar‐Rodriguez E. , Corona‐Romero P.
Published: December 2023

Stream interaction regions (SIRs) dominate the large‐scale solar wind dynamics during the minimum of the solar cycle. The interaction of SIRs with the magnetosphere causes most of geomagnetic storms during this epoch. We used in‐situ solar wind observations at 1 AU to study 62 SIRs detected in the interval 2007–2008 (minimum of cycle 23) and 61 SIRs in the interval 2018–2019 (minimum of cycle 24). We compared distinct characteristics of SIRs, such as the solar wind streams velocities, the presence of forward and/or reverse shocks (RS), SIR radial widths, the relative position of the stream interface within the SIRs, SIR latitudinal orientation, and the geoeffectiveness. There were more geomagnetic storms driven by SIRs in cycle 23 than in cycle 24. The pattern of fast solar wind streams in cycle 23 tended to be faster than in cycle 24. We found more SIRs with RS in cycle 23 than in cycle 24. For the geoeffective SIRs, the momentum flows from the fast solar wind to the slow solar wind, as well as their stream interface is closer to the SIR front. Coronal holes associated with SIRs registered in cycle 23 tended to be wider in longitude near the solar equator and/or at midlatitudes. We did not find a clear relation between the geoeffectiveness of the SIRs and their latitudinal inclinations.
Two‐Component Phase Scintillation Spectra in the Auroral Region: Observations and Model
Authors: Hamza A. M. , Song K. , Meziane K. , Jayachandran P. T.
Published: December 2023

The random amplitude and phase fluctuations observed in trans‐ionospheric radio signals are caused by the presence of electron density irregularities in the ionosphere. Ground‐based measurements of radio wave signals provide information about the medium through which these signals propagate. The Canadian High Arctic Ionospheric Network (CHAIN) Global Position System (GPS) receivers record radio signals emitted by the GPS satellites, enabling the study of their spectral characteristics. This study presents examples of phase spectra with two power‐law components. These components exhibit steeper spectral slopes at higher frequencies and shallower ones at lower frequencies. To be more specific, we conducted a spectral characterization of sixty one (61) events recorded by the CHAIN Churchill GPS receiver, which is located in the auroral oval. When fluctuations above the background level are only observed in the phase, the spectra tend to be systematically steeper. Conversely, the power increase in higher frequency fluctuations accompanying amplitude scintillation tends to result in shallower spectra. A basic yet powerful model of radio wave propagation through a turbulent ionosphere, characterized by a power law electron density spectrum, can help to explain the two power laws observed in the scintillation events presented in this study by identifying the role played by small‐scale ionospheric irregularities in diffraction.
Persistent Influence of Non‐Dipole Geomagnetic Field on East Asia Over the Past 4,000 Years
Authors: Li Hai , Tang Jianhui , Gai Congcong , Zhang Weijie , Humbert Fabien , Ni Youzhong , Chou Yu‐Min , Liu Qingsong
Published: December 2023

The observed variations in intense geomagnetic flux lobes have a significant impact on regional geomagnetic fields, and produce unique geomagnetic characteristics. To investigate the time‐dependent effect of the Siberian flux lobe on the geomagnetic field in East Asia, we reconstructed a stacked full‐vector paleomagnetic secular variation record (since 2000 BCE) from three sediment cores collected in the Bohai Sea, China. Age models of the studied cores were established through a combination of radiocarbon 14C dating and inter‐profile correlation of mass‐normalized magnetic susceptibility. Rock magnetic results indicate that fine‐grained magnetite is the primary remanent carrier. We found that the paleomagnetic field records in the Bohai Sea correspond more closely with those from the middle latitudes, rather than the low latitudes. This was primarily attributed to the variation of the Siberian flux lobe. This study provides a better understanding of the contrasting patterns of regional geomagnetic fields in East Asia, and emphasizes the significant role played by the Siberian flux intensity lobe in shaping their formation.