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AR, VR Headset for "metaverse" is one of candidates to widen human life experiences with virtual reality. Display requirement for headset is the high resolution as to 3000ppi that needs to enhance outcoupling efficiency of OLED (OLEDoS). We optimized 2D hole arrayed double anode structure for mass production with materials, thickness of anode and interlayer, process variation of etching top anode, and particles in double anodes. Outcoupling efficiency of optimized structure is improved to 1.377 folds than conventional TE‐OLEDs. We hope that this study promotes more approaches to excite SPPs of anode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetation phenology interacts strongly with climate through the exchange of carbon, water, momentum, and energy between terrestrial ecosystem and atmosphere. These vegetation dynamics in Northern Hemisphere permafrost regions have substantial uncertainties in previous studies, partly due to differences in datasets. Thus, reliable land surface phenology (LSP) retrievals are crucial for understanding the effects of climate change on ecosystems and biosphere‐atmosphere‐hydrosphere interactions. We assessed various LSP datasets at different spatial resolutions for 2001–2014, generated by different methods based on different satellite observations. We also assessed the accuracy of LSP by comparing with CO2 flux phenology. For start of growing season (SOS), the comprehensive evaluation indicated MODIS phenology showed better consistency and higher accuracy with flux‐derived phenology observations (R = 0.54, RMSE = 36.2 days, bias<5 days). For end of growing season (EOS), we cannot conclusively determine which LSP performs best. In the Northern Hemisphere permafrost regions, SOS occurred at 100–150 days (April–May), and EOS occurred at 260–320 days (September–November). During 2001–2014, SOS occurred earlier by 0.33 ± 0.30 days/yr. Significant trends were observed for 6.4%–27.6% of pixels, averaging −1.30 ± 1.16 days/yr. EOS occurred earlier by 0.25 ± 0.43 days/yr, with significant trends averaging −0.52 ± 0.94 days/yr. Among LSPs, variability in EOS trends was significant, with even the direction of trends differing. This study may provide insights into LSP data selection and further understanding of vegetation dynamics and its mechanisms in permafrost regions. Plain Language Summary: To better understand permafrost ecosystem dynamics associated with global change, the changes in vegetation and their spatial patterns in the Northern Hemisphere permafrost regions must be carefully evaluated. Thus, reliable land surface phenology (LSP) retrievals are very important. We therefore collected a total of 13 LSPs to understand how these products perform relative to each other and to ground observations and to quantify their uncertainties. MODIS and different GIMMS products are slightly more consistent overall. Considering different metrics, regions, and parameters, the temporal trends and spatial patterns of phenology indicate an earlier start to the growing season, but the end of the growing season is inconsistent. Bigger vegetation changes are found in the continuous permafrost region. These findings allow us to clarify the applicability of the LSP products, to provide a reference for data selection, and insights into the understanding of vegetation dynamics and their mechanisms in permafrost regions. Key Points: The average start and end of the growing season occurs on 131 ± 18 days and 291 ± 4 days in Northern Hemisphere permafrost regionsComparison of 13 land surface phenology products to CO2 flux phenology indicates that the RMSEs ranges from 27.25ays to 77.84 daysBoth the start and end of the growing season are earlier by 1.30 ± 1.16 and 0.52 ± 0.94 days/yr in Northern Hemisphere permafrost regions [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Two‐Out‐of‐Five method is one of the basic sensory discrimination methods. It is a special case of the 'M+N' method with M = 3 and N = 2. Three variants of the method are discussed in the paper: specified, unspecified, and unspecified with forgiveness. Analytical and simulation‐derived psychometric functions for all three variants of the Two‐Out‐of‐Five method are derived and produced. The performance of the method in both difference and similarity/equivalence tests are explored. It is shown that both difference and similarity/equivalence testing powers for the specified Two‐Out‐of‐Five are larger than those for the 2‐AFC and 3‐AFC. Both difference and similarity/equivalence testing powers for the unspecified Two‐Out‐of‐Five are larger than those for the Triangle and Duo‐trio. Both difference and similarity/equivalence testing powers for the unspecified with forgiveness Two‐Out‐of‐Five are larger than those for the conventional unspecified Two‐Out‐of‐Five and unspecified Tetrads. Tables and R codes are presented and provided for estimations of the probability of correct response, Pc, Thurstonian discriminal distance δ or d', and the B value for estimating the variance of d' for the three variants of the Two‐Out‐of‐Five method. Practical Applications: The Two‐Out‐of‐Five method is a powerful sensory discrimination method. However, this method has not been used widely in sensory and consumer research, partly since the method has not been explored adequately in the literature. This paper explores the Two‐Out‐of‐Five method and shows that the method has potential for wide application. The Two‐Out‐of‐Five method involves a larger number of samples (5) and sensory fatigue may be of concern. Hence, the method may not be suitable for taste and smell tests with strong stimuli. The method is particularly suitable for manual and visual inspection testing where sensory fatigue is of a lesser concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 12‐week longitudinal study with 247 US menopausal women was undertaken to investigate the perceptual efficacy of a tablet formulated with an extract of Siberian rhubarb to provide relief from menopausal symptoms. The 5‐point menopause rating scale (MRS) (0 = none; 1 = mild; 2 = moderate; 3 = severe; 4 = extremely severe) was used to measure symptom intensity. The MRS scale, an ordinal categorical scale, was transformed into an R‐index, a ratio scale, using the frequencies of the MRS categories. Symptom relief was compared to an initial week baseline measure; defined as R‐index = 0.5. An index, A.RDEX, which is based on area under the R‐index curve (AUC) in the range of 0–84 days was used to measure percentage efficacy of symptom relief. Results show that symptom relief occurs through the first 17 days in terms of R‐index = 0.64 for the total score and improves with continued use, reaching an A.RDEX = 0.42 by 84 days, suggesting about 42% relief considering all 11 MRS attributes. Practical Applications: MRS ratings data can be transformed into an R‐index using MRS category frequencies at an initial week and a subsequent week. Functional data analysis for R‐index values provides an advanced statistical model for analysis of perceptual differences throughout longitudinal studies that can examine MRS attribute effects over time. R codes are developed and provided in the paper to transform MRS data into R‐index measures and to conduct functional data analysis for R‐index measures obtained from different time points (weeks or days). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quadruped robots working in jungles, mountains or factories should be able to move through challenging scenarios. In this paper, we present a control framework for quadruped robots walking over rough terrain. The planner plans the trajectory of the robot's center of gravity by using the normalized energy stability criterion, which ensures that the robot is in the most stable state. A contact detection algorithm based on the probabilistic contact model is presented, which implements event‐based state switching of the quadruped robot legs. And an on‐line detection of contact force based on generalized momentum is also showed, which improves the accuracy of proprioceptive force estimation. A controller combining whole body control and virtual model control is proposed to achieve precise trajectory tracking and active compliance with environment interaction. Without any knowledge of the environment, the experiments of the quadruped robot SDUQuad‐144 climbs over significant obstacles such as 38 cm high steps and 22.5 cm high stairs are designed to verify the feasibility of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the piezo‐catalysis is promising for the environmental remediation and biomedicine, the piezo‐catalytic properties of various piezoelectric materials are limited by low carrier concentrations and mobility, and rapid electron‐hole pair recombination, and reported regulating strategies are quite complex and difficult. Herein, a new and simple strategy, integrating phase boundary engineering and defect engineering, to boost the piezo‐catalytic activity of potassium sodium niobate ((K, Na)NbO3, KNN) based materials is innovatively proposed. Tur strategy is validated by exampling 0.96(K0.48Na0.52)Nb0.955Sb0.045O3‐0.04(BixNa4‐3x)0.5ZrO3‐0.3%Fe2O3 material having phase boundary engineering and conducted the defect engineering via the high‐energy sand‐grinding. A high reaction rate constant k of 92.49 × 10−3 min−1 in the sand‐grinding sample is obtained, which is 2.40 times than that of non‐sand‐grinding one and superior to those of other representative lead‐free perovskite piezoelectric materials. Meanwhile, the sand‐grinding sample has remarkable bactericidal properties against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Superior piezo‐catalytic activities originate from the enhanced electron‐hole pair separation and the increased carrier concentration. This study provides a novel method for improving the piezo‐catalytic activities of lead‐free piezoelectric materials and holds great promise for harnessing natural energy and disease treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sparse hierarchical clustering (SHC) method and the R package "sparcl" are used for consumer segmentation with 247 perimenopausal and postmenopausal US women. The data includes 11 menopause rating scale (MRS) attributes measuring severity of symptoms collected in the first week of a 12‐week extended use menopause tablet perceptual efficacy study. SHC is one of the advanced statistical clustering approaches for high‐dimensional data with potential noise variables. Sparse clustering is an important topic of the actively developing field of statistical learning with sparsity. An advantage of the SHC method is that it simultaneously finds the clusters of subjects and the important clustering variables. It allows clustering the data in low‐dimensional subspaces without dimension reduction of the data before clustering. The SHC method is particularly applicable to consumer segmentation based on high‐dimensional consumer data. Practical Applications: Sparse hierarchical clustering (SHC) provides advantages in consumer segmentation based on high‐dimensional consumer data with potential noise variables. This advanced clustering method finds the relative importance of attributes in clustering, helping to identify homogeneous clusters and enhance understanding of how consumer responses/needs vary among clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) organic molecules are considered the most suitable for blue organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs) after extensive research; however, they are plagued by issues of internally guided light and the roll‐off characteristics contributed by triplet exciton‐utilized emission. Thus, this study leverages exciton diffusion guidance and energy extraction to simultaneously achieve optical efficiency enhancement and roll‐off characteristic suppression of mixed‐host blue TADF OLEDs. The array of nanopixels, defined by the inserted nanoscale pixel‐defining layer (nPDL), spatially separates the excitons and polarons, resulting in the exacerbation of triplet quenching by securing exciton diffusion. Furthermore, through the formation of a metal cathode with a corrugated profile, nonradiative energy transfer to the surface plasmon polaritons is capitalized via Bragg diffraction, thereby boosting the emission efficiency. The structure of the nPDL is judiciously determined by finite‐difference time‐domain computational analysis. Consequently, the device with the optimized nPDL demonstrates 88.4%, 118.8%, and 108.8% improvements in external quantum, current, and power efficiencies, respectively, compared to the reference. Moreover, the critical luminance, which quantifies the degree of roll‐off, is improved by 83.7%. This pioneering demonstration of hybridizing the material combination and nanopatterning techniques is expected to provide new insights for designing high‐performance OLEDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crafting spatially controllable charge transfer channels at the nanoscale level remains an enduring challenge in solar‐to‐chemical conversion technology. Despite the advancements, it still suffers from sluggish interfacial charge transport kinetics and scarcity of strategies to finely modulate charge transport pathways. Herein, this article demonstrates the unexpected charge modulation property of non‐conjugated insulating polymer assisted by a universal layer‐by‐layer self‐assembly tactic. Oppositely charged poly(dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride) (PDDA) and Ti3C2 MXene quantum dots (MQDs) are periodically attached to the wide bandgap metal oxides (WMOs) to design multilayered heterostructured photoanodes. The intermediate PDDA layer acts as an efficacious charge relay medium to access directional electron flow from WMOs to Ti3C2 MQDs, while Ti3C2 MQDs serve as the electron extractor. Charge transfer cascade is thus stimulated on account of the simultaneous electron‐trapping capabilities of interim PDDA layer and Ti3C2 MQDs, which synergistically favors the conspicuously boosted charge separation over WMOs, affording the WMOs/(PDDA/MQDs)n photoanodes with considerably enhanced photoelectrochemical (PEC) water oxidation performances. Moreover, PEC performances of such photoanodes can be tuned by interface configuration via assembly number and sequence. This work will provide an insightful perspective to craft a directional charge transfer pathway through insulating polymer for solar energy conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the two‐interval, two‐alternative forced‐choice (2I2AFC) paradigm in signal detection theory (SDT), which can also be called the paired A‐Not A with AB and BA pairs in the sensory and consumer fields. The article describes how to estimate the parameters and their variances from the psychometric function of the method. Tables and R codes were developed and are provided for the estimations. The performance of the method is evaluated. It shows that the paired A‐Not A with AB and BA pairs is more effective and powerful than the conventional A‐Not A and the A‐Not A with reminder (A‐Not AR) tests. An extension of the method, that is, the ratings of the paired A‐Not A with AB and BA pairs is also explored. A facial shine case study applying this method is provided. Practical applications: As one of the paired versions of sensory discrimination methods, the paired A‐Not A with AB and BA pairs has wide potential applications to detect and measure sensory difference, especially to detect and measure before‐after treatment effects of products. The method can be used to detect both product effects and serving order effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Satellite‐derived normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data are increasingly relied on to reveal the growth responses of vegetation to climate change, yet the vegetation growth tracking accuracy of these data remains unclear due to a lack of long‐term field data. Here, we adopted a unique field‐measured seasonal aboveground biomass dataset from 1982–2014 to assess the potential of using satellite‐derived NDVI data to match field data in regard to the interannual variability in seasonal vegetation growth in a Tibetan alpine grassland. We revealed that Global Inventory Monitoring and Modeling System (GIMMS) NDVI data captured the advancement of field‐measured vegetation growth throughout the entire study period but not from 2000–2014, while MODIS NDVI data still observed this advancing trend after 2000 to a limited extent. However, satellite‐derived NDVI data consistently underestimated the advancement degree of field‐measured vegetation growth, regardless of whether GIMMS or MODIS NDVI data were considered. We tentatively attribute this underestimation to an increased ratio of grass biomass to forb biomass, which could delay the advancement of NDVI development but not affect that of field‐measured biomass development. Our results suggest that satellite‐derived NDVI data may miss critical responses of vegetation growth to global climate change, potentially due to long‐term shifts in plant community composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a refractory disease with unclear etiology. Studies have shown that UC is closely associated with gut microbiota dysbiosis. Adsorptive granulomonocytapheresis (GMA) using an Adacolumn has been found to treat UC effectively, but its underlying mechanism of treatment has not been fully elucidated. In this study, we aimed to investigate the influence of GMA on the gut microbiota in patients with active UC. Methods: We conducted a single‐center prospective analysis of patients with active UC who received GMA therapy and ultimately achieved clinical remission. Stool samples of healthy controls and patients before and after 5 or 10 sessions of GMA therapy were collected. Subsequently, high‐throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA V3 and V4 gene region of the stool was conducted and clustering of operational taxonomic units and species annotation were performed. Results: Gut microbial profiles in patients with UC were characterized by low bacterial diversity. After 5 or 10 sessions of GMA therapy, the gut microbiota diversity in patients with UC increased and was similar to that of healthy controls. UC was further characterized by increased abundances of Proteobacteria and Bacteroides, as well as decreased abundances of Faecalibacterium, Roseburia, Firmicutes, and Dialister; however, after GMA therapy, the abundance of Bacteroides decreased, whereas those of Faecalibacterium, Roseburia, and Firmicutes increased. Conclusions: Active UC is associated with gut microbiota dysbiosis. GMA therapy exerts a strong regulatory effect on the gut microbiota in patients with UC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unspecified tetrad is a powerful non‐attribute‐specified sensory discrimination method widely used for sensory analysis and consumer research. A paired version of the method is proposed and explored in this article. It is the paired unspecified tetrad with different order (AB and BA) pairs. An analytical and a simulation‐derived psychometric function of the new method are produced. The paired unspecified tetrad with AB and BA pairs is more powerful than the conventional unspecified tetrad and the paired versions of the triangle and duo‐trio methods. A weakness of the paired version of the unspecified tetrad versus the conventional unspecified tetrad is that the new method involves in more adaption, fatigue, or memory factors. Practical Applications: The paired unspecified tetrad with different order (AB and BA) pairs has wide potential applications, especially for visual or manual inspection of food or nonfood products to detect before–after treatment effects, but may not be suitable for food tasting considering the adaption, fatigue, or memory factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Myeloid‐derived leucocytes, a major source of inflammatory cytokines, play an important role in the exacerbation of ulcerative colitis (UC). Selective depletion of myeloid leucocytes by adsorptive granulomonocytapheresis (GMA) with an Adacolumn should alleviate inflammation and promote remission. However, there are discrepancies among the reported efficacy outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of GMA in UC patients with a focus on factors affecting clinical efficacy. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of 50 patients with active UC who had received GMA therapy. GMA efficacy was evaluated based on the Rachmilewitz's clinical activity index (CAI) and Mayo endoscopic score for mucosal healing. Laboratory findings were analyzed to demonstrate any relationship with the GMA‐responder or nonresponder feature. Adverse events were recorded during and after GMA therapy. Results: The overall clinical remission rate (CAI ≤4) was 79.2%, and among these, the mucosal healing rate was 59.2%. The clinical remission rate was 69.2% in patients who received 5 GMA sessions and 82.3% in patients who received 10 sessions. Significantly higher baseline CAIs and lower albumin and hemoglobin levels were observed in nonremission cases compared with those who achieved remission. Four patients (8%) experienced transient adverse events, but none were severe. Conclusions: GMA was favored by patients because of its safety and nonpharmacological treatment options. Accordingly, UC patients were spared from pharmaceuticals after applying GMA therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are two main objectives of this paper. One is to review the current Thurstonian models for the conventional and modified triangle and duo‐trio methods. Another objective is to develop Thurstonian models for, and assess the performances of the paired triangle and paired duo‐trio methods with AB and BA pairs. Bradley's models based on the noncentral F distribution for the triangle and duo‐trio methods are revisited and are used to derive the psychometric functions for the paired versions of the triangle and duo‐trio methods. The simulation‐derived psychometric functions for the new methods are also produced. The performances of the new methods in both difference and similarity/equivalence tests are explored and show that the new methods are more powerful than most of the conventional unspecified forced‐choice methods and are similar to the unspecified tetrad. Practical applications: The triangle and the duo‐trio methods are popular sensory discrimination methods used widely in sensory and consumer research. One weakness of the methods is relatively lower testing power. The paired triangle and paired duo‐trio methods proposed and explored in this paper overcome this weakness of the conventional methods. The paired versions of the methods are more powerful than most of the conventional unspecified discrimination methods in difference and similarity tests for products. The new methods are particularly suitable for assessment of before–after treatment effects of products. The methods have wide potential application for visual and manual inspection testing of food or non‐food products where less sensory fatigue is of concern. R codes were developed and provided in the paper for the Thurstonian models of both the conventional versions and the paired versions of the triangle and the duo‐trio methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxygen vacancies which are generally present in ferrite oxide may significantly affect their magnetic properties. A comprehensive understanding of the relationship between oxygen vacancies and magnetism is of great importance. In this work, we report an oxygen vacancy concentration dependence of magnetism in a single‐phase multiferroic BiFeO3 (BFO)‐based system. The BiFeO3‐DyFeO3 (BDFO) solid solution is synthesized with controlled oxygen vacancies and is characterized by X‐ray powder diffraction (XRD), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and AC impedance spectroscopy. The magnetic properties, especially magnetic pole inversion, are found to be highly dependent on oxygen vacancy concentration. The oxygen vacancies generate a Weiss molecular field on the Dy3+ ions in the magnetic field range of 570‐1000 Oe depending on the oxygen vacancy concentration, and result in a residual net magnetization by breaking the balance between the two nearly antiparallel spin lattices of Fe3+ ions. This work demonstrates an effective way to control oxygen vacancies and thereby the magnetic properties and sheds light on the relationship between oxygen vacancies and magnetism in BFO‐based multiferroics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DAPK, a transcriptional target of the p53 protein, has long been characterized as a tumor suppressor that acts as a negative regulator in multiple cellular processes. However, increasing studies have suggested that the role of DAPK may vary depending on cell type and cellular context. Thus far, the expression and function of DAPK in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) remain ambiguous. Since ccRCC behaves in an atypical way with respect to p53, whether the p53‐DAPK axis functions normally in ccRCC is also an intriguing question. Here, tissue specimens from 61 ccRCC patients were examined for DAPK expression. Functional studies regarding apoptosis, growth, and migration were used to determine the role of DAPK in renal cancer cells. The validity of the p53‐DAPK axis in ccRCC was also determined. Our study identified DAPK as a negative regulator of ccRCC, and its expression was reduced in certain subgroups. However, the p53‐DAPK axis was disrupted due to upregulation of miR‐34a‐5p under stressed conditions. miR‐34a‐5p was identified as a novel repressor of DAPK acting downstream of p53. Inhibition of miR‐34a‐5p can correct the p53‐DAPK axis disruption by upregulating DAPK protein and may have potential to be used as a therapeutic target to improve outcomes for ccRCC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis of ultrafine and well‐distributed rhodium nanoparticles (NPs) with high efficiency toward methanolysis of ammonia borane (AB) is crucially important but challenging. A facile approach has been developed for synthesizing ultrafine and uniform Rh NPs deposited on carbon by using the small soluble organic molecule (SOM) of l‐proline (PRO) as capping agent (Rh‐PRO/C). The enrichment of N,O‐coordination sites for the metal precursor by using PRO was found to be the key to the synthesis Rh‐PRO/C. The as‐prepared Rh‐PRO/C showed high catalytic activity for ammonia borane methanolysis with the highest total turnover frequency (TOF) of 1035 molH2  (molRh min)−1 under basic conditions, which was three times higher than that of the state‐of‐the‐art Rh‐based catalysts. The excellent catalytic performance of Rh‐PRO/C was ascribed to the well‐dispersed Rh NPs and the PRO‐functionalized metal surface, which can provide more active sites for the reaction. The merit of size‐controlled synthesis combined with metal NP surface modification by SOMs is likely to be beneficial in various catalytic fields. Go PRO: l‐Proline with intrinsically enriched N,O‐coordination sites was employed as a size controller and bound ligand for the synthesis of ultrasmall and uniform functionalized Rh nanoparticles (NPs). The ultrafine functionalized Rh NPs were supported on carbon and showed high catalytic activity for the methanolysis of ammonia borane with a turnover frequency of 1035 molH2 (molRh min)−1 under basic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The R‐index is a sound methodology, which has been introduced, developed, and used in the sensory and consumer fields for several decades. The R‐index methodology can be used both to measure and to test sensory difference and consumer preference. This paper provides an R code for calculation of the R‐index critical value for difference testing, which is a supplement to or an alternative for the published table in Bi & O'Mahony (2007) (Journal of Sensory Studies, 22, 713–720). Practical applications: The R code provided in the short contributions overcomes the limitation of the previously published table of R‐index critical values in Bi & O'Mahony (2007) (Journal of Sensory Studies, 22, 713–720) with its limited number of sample sizes and required equal size for the control sample and test sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Rh‐based materials have emerged as potential candidates for hydrogen revolution from electrolyzing water or ammonia borane (AB) hydrolysis. Nevertheless, most of the catalysts still suffer from the complex synthetic procedures combined with limited catalytic activity. Additionally, the facile syntheses of Rh catalysts with high efficiencies for both electrochemical water splitting and AB hydrolysis are still challenging. Herein, we develop a simple, green, and mass‐producible ion‐adsorption strategy to produce a Rh/C pre‐catalyst (pre‐Rh/C). The ultrafine and clean Rh nanoclusters immobilized on carbon are achieved via the in situ reduction of the pre‐Rh/C during the hydrogen‐evolution process. The resulting in situ Rh/C catalyst presents an outstanding electrocatalytic performance with low overpotentials of 8 and 30 mV at 10 mA cm−2 in 1.0  m KOH and 0.5  m H2SO4, respectively, outperforming the state‐of‐the‐art Pt catalysts. Furthermore, the in situ Rh/C is also highly active for AB hydrolysis to produce hydrogen with a high turnover frequency of 1246 mol H 2  molRh−1 min−1 at 25 °C. The in situ‐formed ultrafine Rh nanoclusters are responsible for the observed superior catalytic performance. This facile in situ strategy to realize a highly active catalyst shows promise for practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent sensory literature, Bi and Kuesten (2015a. Food Quality and Preference, 43, 47-52; 2015b. Journal of Sensory Studies, 30, 461-471) have proposed the 'M + N' classification method with larger M and N (>3) for discrimination testing based on Fisher's exact test. Industry studies using the method are shared in this article to illustrate application of the method. The tests and measures are taken for non-fatiguing visual and manual inspections conducted across a variety of product categories. Further, within the examples provided, a validation between labs is documented and results of the method are compared to results from other methods (2-Alternative Choice and 2-Alternative Forced Choice) based on common conventional sensory measurement Thurstonian d′. Estimations are given of Intraclass Correlation Coefficient and Cronbach's coefficient alpha for evaluation of panel performance in the test using the 'M + N' classification method with larger M and N (only for M = N > 3). Practical applications Sorting methods are popular and often used for rapid investigation of product quality, product differences, or consumer perception and are used to help guide product maintenance and/or development efforts. The 'M + N' classification method with larger M and N, a type of sorting technique, can be applied for sensory discrimination and perceptual tests with generation of various indices, including Thurstonian discriminal distance delta (or d′) thereby offering the ability to compare results with other sensory discrimination methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The m-Alternative Forced Choice ( mAFC), including the 2AFC, 3AFC, and mAFC where m > 3, are a type of widely used sensory discrimination method. This article offers an interesting finding for the psychometric function for the mAFC. The conventional general psychometric function for the mAFC, which is based on m independent normal distributions with one signal and m−1 noise observations, can be expressed as an elegant simplified form, i.e., a single cumulative distribution function (cdf) of the standard ( m−1)-variate normal distribution. This finding provides not only an alternative approach to calculate the probability of correct responses ( Pc) and Thurstonian discriminal distance ( δ) for the mAFC, but also an intuitive geometric interpretation for Pc in the mAFC. Moreover, the simplified form of the psychometric function for the mAFC may provide some insight for the decision strategies used in the mAFC. Practical Applications The simplified form of the psychometric function for the mAFC derived originally in this paper can be expressed in a built-in S-Plus program ' pmvnorm' (for 3AFC) and R program ' pmvnorm' (for mAFC where m > 2) in the R package 'mvtnorm.' Two R codes 'mAFCp' and 'mAFCq,' which are based on the simplified form and the R package, were developed in the article. The codes can be used for calculations of Pc and δ for the mAFC easily. A table for Pc values in the mAFC is produced for m = 2 to 8, and δ from 0 to 4 with a step of 0.1. A table for δ values in the mAFC is produced for m = 2 to 8, and Pc from 0.01 to 0.99 with a step of 0.01. A table for the B values for calculation of variance of d-prime obtained from the mAFC is also produced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The carmine spider mite, Tetranychus cinnabarinus (Boisduval) and the twospotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch, are serious pests of strawberries and many other horticultural crops. Control of these pests has been heavily dependent upon chemical acaricides. Objectives of this study were to determine the resistance status of these two pest species to commonly used acaricides on strawberries in a year-round intensive horticultural production region. LC90 of abamectin for adult carmine spider mites was 4% whereas that for adult twospotted spider mites was 24% of the top label rate. LC90s of spiromesifen, etoxazole, hexythiazox and bifenazate were 0.5%, 0.5%, 1.4% and 83% of their respective highest label rates for carmine spider mite eggs, 0.7%, 2.7%, 12.1% and 347% of their respective highest label rates for the nymphs. LC90s of spiromesifen, etoxazole, hexythiazox and bifenazate were 4.6%, 11.1%, 310% and 62% of their respective highest label rates for twospotted spider mite eggs, 3%, 13%, 432,214% and 15% of their respective highest label rates for the nymphs. Our results suggest that T. cinnabarinus have developed resistance to bifenazate and that the T. urticae have developed resistance to hexythiazox. These results strongly emphasize the need to develop resistance management strategies in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a recent paper in the sensory literature, the method of "M + N" with larger M and N is proposed to be a new kind of sensory discrimination method. Fisher's exact test is used for the method for discrimination testing. The current article focuses on sensory measurements for the method. Five indices for sensory measurements and effect-sizes are derived, estimated, and proposed. The indices include log odds ratio, R-index, Thurstonian discriminal distance δ (or d'), Cohen's D (or d) and Gini-index. Variances of the estimators of the indices are also produced. With the proposed indices, the method of "M + N" with larger M and N can be connected to and compared with the conventional sensory discrimination methods based on common sensory measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Benchmark Dose ( BMD) methodology is a statistical tool for quantitative risk assessment. It has been developed as an alternative to the approach of 'no observed adverse effect level' or 'lowest observed adverse effect level' during the last decades in many scientific fields for risk assessment. Because risk is various and ubiquitous, the BMD methodology has potential applications in the food science field for risk assessment of negative sensory effects in product development and sensory and consumer research. This paper discusses the BMD analysis in a product development effort using ratings data and Thurstonian discriminal d′ data. Practical Applications Risk assessment of negative sensory effects in product development using the Benchmark Dose ( BMD) methodology has two major objectives. One objective is to determine an appropriate change of ingredient for a product at an allowed risk. The second objective is to assess the risk of negative sensory effects associated with a particular change. The well-developed U. S. Environmental Protection Agency's ( EPA) Benchmark Dose Modeling Software ( BMDS) and the R/ S-Plus codes developed and provided in the paper can be used for BMD analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Torgerson's complete method of triads is a famous and useful method for com-parison of multiple samples. However, this method has not been used widely in the sensory field. One possible reason is that the Thurstonian model of the method is complicated and there is no published tables and available computer software for applications of the method. This paper discusses a Thurstonian model for a special case of the method with one control sample and two test samples. A table for Thurstonian discriminal distances and proportions of responses is produced. A set of R/S-Plus codes was developed and provided for applications of the method including estimations of parameters and covariance matrix, difference and similarity tests. A case study is provided for illustration of applications of the methods. The main novel contributions of this paper to the method are (1) using a computer-intensive approach to produce a simulation-based psychological function for the special case of the method and (2) using a delta method to derive a covariance matrix of the estimators of the two Thurstonian discriminal distances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the paired difference or preference test applied to consumer research, the 2-Alternative Choice (2-AC) method that allows a "no difference" or "no preference" option is more suitable. For this method, using both test and placebo pairs is seful for estimating the degree of response bias among the consumers using the test and accurately estimating the degree of difference or preference between the test pairs. This paper proposes a Thurstonian model for the 2-AC for both test pairs and placebo pairs in a test method. Maximum likelihood estimations are used for the parameters: d', a perceived distance of difference or preference, and τ, a criterion and a decision parameter. Three methods are used for estimations of the covariance matrix for the parameter estimators: (1) using the built-in functions in the S-Plus and R packages, which are based on maximum likelihood and observed Fisher information; (2) the delta method, which is based on the Taylor series approximation; and (3) the bootstrap method, which is computer-intensive with resampling. Statistical tests are discussed for d' and vectors of responses for test pairs and placebo pairs in both a monadic design and a paired design. R/S-Plus codes are developed and provided for the calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]