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Copyright of International Journal of Clinical & Experimental Hypnosis is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study examines the transformation of the urban fabric by analyzing changes in both structural and numerical parameters of spatial organization, with a particular emphasis on the hierarchical relationships between streets, blocks, and buildings. The research utilizes Bursa, the former Ottoman capital in Turkey, as a case study to explore these dynamics. The elements of streets, blocks, and buildings are posited as fundamental components in conceptualizing cities as layered palimpsests, where successive historical layers coexist within the urban fabric. The research establishes a conceptual parallel between the methodologies and analytical tools of urban morphology, particularly through the shared notion of the palimpsest. In the case of Bursa, the architectural remains and urban form of the Early, Classical, and Late Ottoman periods and of the Republican period are superimposed. In particular, the late Ottoman reform era, the Tanzimat period of the 19th century, brought great change. Historical maps from this era serve as primary sources for comprehending the evolving character and spatial configuration of the city. This research presents a novel methodological contribution by extending the analytical framework of urban morphology to integrate both qualitative and quantitative data. It employs Geographic Information Systems (GISs) and statistical methods to quantify changes in the urban fabric, assessing both pre-modernization and post-modernization phases. Historical maps from the 19th century are utilized as primary sources to trace and compare transformations within the urban fabric, with clustering techniques further aiding this analysis. The findings provide a deeper understanding of the dynamic processes that shape the historic structure of cities, offering a dual approach to urban transformation that harmonizes historical continuity with modern development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The printing process parameters are important in producing coconut polypropylene (CcPP) products by filament composite in the additive manufacturing industry. Fused deposition modeling techniques in 3D printing applications have considered multiple parameters to meet good finishing parts. This study uses comprehensive measurements to identify the best printing parameter for evaluating the composite properties. Complete deposition, unwrapping, good finishing, and adequate heat are the qualitative printing process parameters used to finalize the optimum nozzle and bed temperature of the CcPP filament composite. The range between 50°C to 80°C and 225°C to 245°C for bed and nozzle temperatures were used to achieve a well surface and successful production. After multiple trials of printing the CcPP filament composite, the optimal bed and nozzle temperatures were found to be 80°C and 230°C, respectively. Two types of infill density were used to analyze the effect on the tensile properties of CcPP filament composite. The result showed that 50% infill density was higher for both 1% and 5% fiber loading than 25% infill density for tensile strength with 15.65 and 22.87 MPa compared to 12.93 and 16.59 MPa. The same pattern as the score of Young's moduli of 50% infill density was higher than 25% infill density for 1% and 5% fiber loadings with 479.52 and 641.23 MPa compared to 400.17 and 493 MPa. Qualitative and quantitative measurements of printing process parameters and properties help reduce the time and cost and benefit 3D printer users in the industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fermentation is an indispensable link in wine brewing, and mathematical modeling is an effective means to study fermentation process, which can reveal the characteristics of state variables and help to optimize the control of fermentation process. In this paper, a new model with fractional derivative of the wine fermentation is proposed. The basic properties of the solution and the stability at the equilibrium point of the new model are proved. Then the numerical simulation of the fractional wine fermentation model is given by the generalized Euler method. Compared with the classical integer order wine fermentation model, the new fractional wine fermentation model proposed in the article is more responsive and reflects more comprehensive trends through qualitative and quantitative analysis. We expect that this fractional wine fermentation model can be applied to wine production in real world, which is beneficial for oenologists to grasp all kinds of data more accurately, thus improving the quality of wine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fast and accurate identification of mine water source is the key condition to prevent and control mine water damage. This study takes Mindong No.1 Mine in grassland mining area of east China as the research area, collects a variety of mine water source samples, and analyzes the hydro-chemical characteristics of different types of water samples by drawing Piper three-line diagram and Gibbs diagram and ionic proportional coefficients diagram, and qualitatively identifies several types of mine water source. In addition, the proportion of mine water source is quantitatively analyzed by the calculation of hydrogen and oxygen isotopes. The hydro-chemical type of mine indirect water sources (atmospheric precipitation, surface water, quaternary diving and aquifer water I) is HCO3-Ca, and the hydro-chemical type of aquifer water II is HCO3-Ca mixed with HCO3-Na. The hydro-chemical types of aquifer III water and mine gushing water are both HCO3-Na type, and aquifer III water is the main recharge source of mine gushing water. The formation of Ca2+, Na+ and HCO3− in groundwater and mine water is controlled by rock weathering, and mainly comes from the dissolution of silicate minerals such as potassium feldspar, albite and calcium feldspar. Combined with the calculation of isotope tritium content, the relative average age of water in the Quaternary, I aquifer, II aquifer and III aquifer is 18.48, 57.88, 69.24, 69.24 years, respectively. The average age of mine water gushing is 69.24 years, and the average values of δD and δ18O of mine water are closest to aquifer II and aquifer III water. Mine water gushing is mainly a mixture of aquifer II and III water, accounting for 11.1% and 89.9% of the total mine water gushing, respectively. The mixing ratio is about 1∶9.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a spectroscopic analytic technique with great application potential because of its unique advantages for online/in-situ detection. However, due to the spatially inhomogeneity and drastically temporal varying nature of its emission source, the laser-induced plasma, it is difficult to find or hard to generate an appropriate spatiotemporal window for high repeatable signal collection with lower matrix effects. The quantification results of traditional physical principle based calibration model are unsatisfactory since these models were not able to compensate for complicate matrix effects as well as signal fluctuation. Machine learning is an emerging approach, which can intelligently correlated the complex LIBS spectral data with its qualitative or/and quantitative composition by establishing multivariate regression models with greater potential to reduce the impacts of signal fluctuation and matrix effects, therefore achieving relatively better qualitative and quantitative performance. In this review, the progress of machine learning application in LIBS is summarized from two main aspects: i) Pre-processing data for machine learning model, including spectral selection, variable reconstruction, and denoising to improve qualitative/quantitative performance; ii) Machine learning methods for better quantification performance with reduction of the impact of matrix effect as well as LIBS spectra fluctuations. The review also points out the issues that researchers need to address in their future research on improving the performance of LIBS analysis using machine learning algorithms, such as restrictions on training data, the disconnect between physical principles and algorithms, the low generalization ability and massive data processing ability of the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Talking Mats® is a visual communication tool which can support people to express their views. Talking Mats has been used in research as a more inclusive data collection tool, however, analysing the varied data produced by Talking Mats is challenging, and there is a lack of guidance on how to analyse and report these data. OBJECTIVE: We sought to provide an overview of ways in which Talking Mats data have been analysed and reported. METHODS: We conducted a narrative review of studies that reported using Talking Mats to collect empirical data, to examine how these studies analysed and reported these data. RESULTS: Studies used qualitative analysis techniques, such as: thematic, content, conversation, and framework analysis. Studies also reported clinical and research case studies and observations of non-verbal communication. Quantitative analyses were used less often, and involved transforming qualitative data into quantitative data (e.g., observing symbol placements). Many studies did not describe their methods in sufficient depth. CONCLUSIONS: We developed the Talking Mats Reporting Criteria to support researchers and practitioners to describe their Talking Mats protocols. These Reporting Criteria were developed iteratively and collaboratively between Talking Mats experts and members of the Talking Mats Research Network. Researchers and practitioners should describe their analytical approach in further detail and report the Talking Mats Effectiveness Framework of Functional Communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Images, texts, voices, and signals can be synthesized by latent spaces in a multidimensional vector, which can be explored without the hurdles of noise or other interfering factors. In this paper, we present a practical use case that demonstrates the power of latent space in exploring complex realities such as image space. We focus on DaVinciFace, an AI-based system that explores the StyleGAN2 space to create a high-quality portrait for anyone in the style of the Renaissance genius Leonardo da Vinci. The user enters one of their portraits and receives the corresponding Da Vinci-style portrait as an output. Since most of Da Vinci's artworks depict young and beautiful women (e.g., "La Belle Ferroniere", "Beatrice de' Benci"), we investigate the ability of DaVinciFace to account for other social categorizations, including gender, race, and age. The experimental results evaluate the effectiveness of our methodology on 1158 portraits acting on the vector representations of the latent space to produce high-quality portraits that retain the facial features of the subject's social categories, and conclude that sparser vectors have a greater effect on these features. To objectively evaluate and quantify our results, we solicited human feedback via a crowd-sourcing campaign. Analysis of the human feedback showed a high tolerance for the loss of important identity features in the resulting portraits when the Da Vinci style is more pronounced, with some exceptions, including Africanized individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Food Safety & Quality is the property of Journal of Food Safety & Quality Editorial Department and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Performance measurement for a unit or an organization is a concrete step in maintaining the quality of services provided by the organization and should be done periodically to assess the strengths and weaknesses of an organization or to assess its efficiency. The assessment of performance depends on several criteria and can therefore be modeled as a multi-criterion decision-making (MCDM) problem. In the present study, the objective is to measure the performance of hostels and mess facilities of a Higher Educational Institute (HEI) through MCDM methods. The study was initiated by conducting a survey, on the basis of which a total of 13 criteria, which affect the performance of the hostel and mess, were identified and were used for qualitative as well as quantitative analysis. While analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is used for qualitative analysis, data envelopment analysis (DEA) is used for quantitative analysis. Further, the relevant performing factors for hostels and mess are identified through AHP and DEA-sensitivity analysis (DEA-SA). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Computer Measurement & Control is the property of Magazine Agency of Computer Measurement & Control and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

mono-p-toluenesulfonyl-α-cyclodextrin ester(mono-OTs-α-CD) is an important intermediate for the preparation of other mono-derivatives of α-CD. In this paper, a new liquid chromatography method for the determination of toluenesulfonylation products of α-cyclodextrin was established. Mono-OTs-α-CD on three different carbon sites (C3,C2 and C6) was completely separated on ODS column, and the retention time was 7.70.10.08 and 12.18 min, respectively. The linear regression equations were y-89.176.x-559.19(R²-0.9990).y=87.917x-430.16(R²=0.9996), and y 70.529x-24.259(R²=0.999 0) over concentration range from 5 to 500 mg L-1, respectively. The recovery was 92.5~102.3% with RSDs(<1.8%), and the LOD was less than 0.5 mg L-1, which indicated that high accuracy and precision of this method could meet the monitoring requirements of the above products. The effects of raw material ratio, temperature, time and pH value of the reaction system on the mono-substitution reaction were preliminarily investigated. The optimized conditions(molar ratio of 1: 2. reaction temperature of 15 °C. reaction time of 15 min) were obtained with a yield of 34.84% (n=3) for mono-3-OTs-α-CD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Barito Kuala Regency is one of the districts located in South Kalimantan, with tidal land that has great potential in developing farming, especially for Siamese Banjar citrus plants. In 2021, both the number of planting area, harvest area and production of Siamese Banjar citrus plants in Barito Kuala Regency decreased considerably. From 2020 to 2021, the planting area of Siamese Banjar oranges decreased by 913.19 ha, the harvest area of Siamese Banjar oranges decreased by 1,142.57 ha and the production of Siamese Banjar oranges by 31,592.9 tons. The decrease in planting area, harvest area and also production of Siamese oranges in Barito Kuala Regency was caused by floods that soaked citrus plants for months due to increased rainfall. This study aims to (1) identify the impact of flooding on the risk level of Siamese Banjar citrus farming resources, (2) identify adaptation options made by Siamese Banjar orange farmers in facing floods, (3) analyze factors that affect the cost of recovery of Siamese Banjar orange farmers in facing floods, and (4) analyze the impact of floods on household incomes of Siamese Banjar orange farmers in Cerbon District. The number of samples used in this study was 60 orange farmers. This research uses two data analysis methods, namely descriptive or qualitative analysis methods and quantitative analysis. The results showed that most citrus farmers in Cerbon sub-district were at moderate risk as much as 60% of orange farmers, the remaining 5% low risk and 35% high risk. The adaptation choices made by orange farmers sequentially from the largest to the smallest are (i) preparing seeds for embroidery (ii) regulating water management (iii) increasing the height of the reservoir / baluran (iv) pruning twigs (v) carrying out mulching techniques (vi) adding pesticide types and (vii) increase the intensity of pesticide spraying. There are three independent variables that have a real influence on the cost of recovering citrus farming, namely non-Siamese Banjar household income, the level of damage to Siamese Banjar Orange Farming, and the area of agricultural land. household income of Siamese Banjar orange farmers. The household income structure of orange farmers in 2022 after the flood consists of on-farm at 61.28%, non-farm activities at 29.65%, and off-farm at 9.06%.

This study examines the transformation of the urban fabric by analyzing changes in both structural and numerical parameters of spatial organization, with a particular emphasis on the hierarchical relationships between streets, blocks, and buildings. The research utilizes Bursa, the former Ottoman capital in Turkey, as a case study to explore these dynamics. The elements of streets, blocks, and buildings are posited as fundamental components in conceptualizing cities as layered palimpsests, where successive historical layers coexist within the urban fabric. The research establishes a conceptual parallel between the methodologies and analytical tools of urban morphology, particularly through the shared notion of the palimpsest. In the case of Bursa, the architectural remains and urban form of the Early, Classical, and Late Ottoman periods and of the Republican period are superimposed. In particular, the late Ottoman reform era, the Tanzimat period of the 19th century, brought great change. Historical maps from this era serve as primary sources for comprehending the evolving character and spatial configuration of the city. This research presents a novel methodological contribution by extending the analytical framework of urban morphology to integrate both qualitative and quantitative data. It employs Geographic Information Systems (GISs) and statistical methods to quantify changes in the urban fabric, assessing both pre-modernization and post-modernization phases. Historical maps from the 19th century are utilized as primary sources to trace and compare transformations within the urban fabric, with clustering techniques further aiding this analysis. The findings provide a deeper understanding of the dynamic processes that shape the historic structure of cities, offering a dual approach to urban transformation that harmonizes historical continuity with modern development.

Copyright of Revista Brasileira de Direito Processual Penal is the property of Instituto Brasileiro de Direito Processual Penal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Images, texts, voices, and signals can be synthesized by latent spaces in a multidimensional vector, which can be explored without the hurdles of noise or other interfering factors. In this paper, we present a practical use case that demonstrates the power of latent space in exploring complex realities such as image space. We focus on DaVinciFace, an AI-based system that explores the StyleGAN2 space to create a high-quality portrait for anyone in the style of the Renaissance genius Leonardo da Vinci. The user enters one of their portraits and receives the corresponding Da Vinci-style portrait as an output. Since most of Da Vinci’s artworks depict young and beautiful women (e.g., “La Belle Ferroniere”, “Beatrice de’ Benci”), we investigate the ability of DaVinciFace to account for other social categorizations, including gender, race, and age. The experimental results evaluate the effectiveness of our methodology on 1158 portraits acting on the vector representations of the latent space to produce high-quality portraits that retain the facial features of the subject’s social categories, and conclude that sparser vectors have a greater effect on these features. To objectively evaluate and quantify our results, we solicited human feedback via a crowd-sourcing campaign. Analysis of the human feedback showed a high tolerance for the loss of important identity features in the resulting portraits when the Da Vinci style is more pronounced, with some exceptions, including Africanized individuals.

Abstract Background Adolescents and young adults (AYA) with a chronic somatic disease (CD) have a 3-fold higher risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than healthy controls. In addition, elevated post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) have a negative impact on CD severity, treatment adherence, health problems and functional impairment. However, a more detailed understanding of this comorbidity is lacking. Methods AYA with type 1 diabetes mellitus, juvenile idiopathic arthritis or cystic fibrosis (12–21 years of age) and elevated anxiety and/or depression symptoms, as well as their reference persons (≥ 18 years of age), completed online questionnaires in self- or observer report. The most stressful event related to the CD was reported descriptively. Questionnaires were used to assess PTSS, anxious and depressive symptoms, actual overall health, coping, personal growth and social support. Qualitative content analysis, linear regression models and correlations were used for mixed methods analysis. Results According to the reports of n = 235 AYA (mean age 15.61; 73% girls) and n = 70 reference persons, four categories were identified as the most stressful events due to CD: (1) psychological burden (40% of AYA / 50% of reference persons); (2) CD self-management (32% / 43%); (3) social burden (30% / 27%); and (4) physical impairment (23% / 16%). 37% of AYA reported clinically relevant PTSS due to CD. The best predictors of PTSS severity were anxious-depressive symptoms, emotional coping, personal growth and current overall health (F(4, 224) = 59.404, R² = 0.515, p

From the perspective of positive psychology, this paper attempts to explore the effect of happiness class group intervention counseling on the happiness intervention of first-year college students through the form of group counseling and the design of appropriate group activity programs using the training methods advocated by positive psychology. Taking first-year college students as the research object, designing group activities with happiness as the theme, carrying out group psychological counseling, and utilizing a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to explore the differences in changes in the dimensions of happiness of first-year college students before and after the happiness class group intervention. The differences between the two happiness scores in demographic variables were compared, and a t-value test was conducted for the two happiness scores. Combined with members’ evaluation of the happiness class group intervention, the effect of the happiness class group intervention on the happiness of first-year college students was verified. The results show that there is no significant difference between the experimental group and the control group in the dimension of family satisfaction, p>0.05. There are substantial differences between the experimental group and the control group in the dimensions of school satisfaction, academic satisfaction, friendship satisfaction, freedom satisfaction, and environment satisfaction, p

Urban decline refers to the sustained deterioration of cities in terms of their economy, population, and social aspects. The outbreak of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in 2019 objectively affected the trajectory of this phenomenon. A comprehensive analysis of scientific research on urban decline and its practical implications was conducted using bibliometric methods, data acquired from 2019 to 2023 and the Web of Science. Since COVID-19, research on urban decline has been predominantly led by traditional developed countries such as the United States and England, with a high degree of regional collaboration. Keyword clusters have focused on urban regeneration, growth, decay, family planning, resource dependency theory, public art, etc. Keyword co-occurrence has focused on shrinking cities, gentrification policy, land use, etc. Based on previous analyses and the contemporary context, the intrinsic logic behind the urban decline in recent years can be summarized as inadequate economic development, lagging infrastructure construction, the siphoning effect of core regional cities, and unique institutional factors leading to specific urban decline patterns. Comprehensive urban recovery plans have been proposed, including reshaping urban spatial layouts and planning and strengthening strategies for social and economic revival, with correspondence-specific samples. Studying the impact of COVID-19 on urban decline from the perspectives of city development and strategies can help us better understand the repercussions of global health crises on cities, providing a more scientific basis for urban planning and management to build resilient, sustainable, and equitable cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports optimization of Hibiscus sabdariffa natural dye extraction process parameters with response surface methodology, which is aimed at developing a more suitable and standardized technique to extract active components from plant materials. Hibiscus sabdariffa dye extraction process parameters (temperature, time and feed materials) were optimized for high yield. The dye was extracted using locally fabricated combined dye extractor and dryer machine with throughput capacity of 4 g/min machine and extraction efficiencies of 78.61% and 63.77% respectively using solvent as the medium. Central Composite Design (CCD) of Response Surface Methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize the process parameters that resulted in optimal yield. Liquid chromatography revealed components typical of natural dye extracts. The equations and models generated from RSM revealed experimental correlation between the dependent and independent variables. The fitted quadratic model's analysis of variance (ANOVA) with F-value of 14.78 for the model indicates its significance as there is only a 0.01% probability that such a big F -value is attributable to noise. Additionally, this analysis shows significant model terms as P-values less than 0.05 was obtained. The FTIR result showed a characteristic plant dye absorption pattern with wavenumbers that ranged from 3377 to 1032 cm−1. Optimal extract yield of 68% was attained at the temperature of 100 °C for 60 min and 1 kg feed material through RSM. This study revealed that extraction temperature and time had a significant effect, while the amount of feed material had a slight effect on the yield. Therefore, natural dyes can be extracted from Hibiscus sabdariffa for a sustainable natural color dyeing approach practiced in the textile industries. The study created a sustainable method of using bioresources for economic growth and development. The findings on this study provided a foundation for the use of Hibiscus sabdariffa dye extract as alternative to conventional dyes that can serve as functional colors for the textile, food and pharmaceutical industries.

Dissolved black carbon (DBC), the particular component of black carbon that can be dissolved in the water, which accounts for ~10% of the organic carbon cycle in the earth's water body, is an essential member of the dissolved organic matter (DOM) pool. In contrast to DOM, DBC has a higher proportion of conjugated benzene rings, which can more efficiently encourage the degradation of organic micropollutants in the aquatic environment or more rapidly generate reactive oxygen species to photodegrade the organic micropollutants. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the changes and mechanisms of DBC photochemical activity affected by different factors in the water environment. Our work reviewed the main influencing factors and mechanisms of the photochemical activity of DBC. It focuses on the methodologies for the quantitative and qualitative investigation of the photochemical activity of DBC, the impact of the biomass source, the pyrolysis temperature of biochar, and the primary water environmental parameters on the photochemical activity of DBC and the indirect photodegradation of pollutants. Based on this, a potential future study of DBC photochemical activity has been prospected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite decades of research and thought on the meaning and identification of revolutions in science, there is no generally accepted definition for this concept. This paper presents 13 different characteristics that have been used by philosophers and historians of science to characterize revolutions in science, in general, and in chemistry, in particular. These 13 characteristics were clustered into six independent factors. Suggestions are provided as to the use of these characteristics and factors to evaluate historical events as to their possible categorization as revolutions in chemistry. Challenges to the goal of creating a consensus definition of "revolutions in science" are also presented in this publication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adolescents and young adults (AYA) with a chronic somatic disease (CD) have a 3-fold higher risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than healthy controls. In addition, elevated post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) have a negative impact on CD severity, treatment adherence, health problems and functional impairment. However, a more detailed understanding of this comorbidity is lacking. Methods: AYA with type 1 diabetes mellitus, juvenile idiopathic arthritis or cystic fibrosis (12–21 years of age) and elevated anxiety and/or depression symptoms, as well as their reference persons (≥ 18 years of age), completed online questionnaires in self- or observer report. The most stressful event related to the CD was reported descriptively. Questionnaires were used to assess PTSS, anxious and depressive symptoms, actual overall health, coping, personal growth and social support. Qualitative content analysis, linear regression models and correlations were used for mixed methods analysis. Results: According to the reports of n = 235 AYA (mean age 15.61; 73% girls) and n = 70 reference persons, four categories were identified as the most stressful events due to CD: (1) psychological burden (40% of AYA / 50% of reference persons); (2) CD self-management (32% / 43%); (3) social burden (30% / 27%); and (4) physical impairment (23% / 16%). 37% of AYA reported clinically relevant PTSS due to CD. The best predictors of PTSS severity were anxious-depressive symptoms, emotional coping, personal growth and current overall health (F(4, 224) = 59.404, R² = 0.515, p <.001). Of all categories, psychological (β = 0.216, p =.002) and social burden (β = 0.143, p =.031) showed significant association with the severity of PTSS (F(4, 230) = 4.489, R² = 0.072, p =.002). The more categories the most stressful event addressed, the higher was the PTSS symptom severity (r =.168, p =.010). Conclusions: Many AYA showed clinically relevant PTSS and reported experiencing stressful events in several areas of life through their CD. The association between the stressful event categories and other variables could help identify AYA with CD who need psychological interventions the most. Trial registration: : German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS): DRKS00016714, registered on 25/03/2019 and DRKS00017161, registered on 17/09/201. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the mechanisms driving variation in ET0 (reference evapotranspiration) in an arid inland region of Northwest China, daily meteorological data from 1960 to 2019 from 19 meteorological stations in the Taohe River basin and its surrounding areas were used to analyze the temporal and spatial distributions of ET0 and meteorological variables. Various qualitative and quantitative analysis methods were used to reveal the correlation between ET0 and meteorological variables. The degree of sensitivity of ET0 variations to meteorological variables and the contribution from each meteorological variable were clarified, and the mechanisms driving variation in ET0 were fully revealed. These are the results: (1) ET0 in the Taohe River basin presented a significant upward trend with a linear change rate of 0.93 mm/a, and a sudden change occurred in 1994. The spatial variation in ET0 ranged from 779.8 to 927.6 mm/a, with low values in the upper and middle reaches and high values in the lower reaches. The ET0 at 14 stations (73.68% of the total) was significantly increased (p < 0.05), and that at 5 stations (26.32% of the total) was not significantly increased (p > 0.05). (2) RH, Rn, and u2 did not change significantly, while Tmax and Tmin showed a significant upward trend. (3) Rn is a meteorological variable closely related to variations in ET0, and is the most sensitive variable for variations in ET0, followed by Tmax and u2. (4) Tmax is the meteorological variable that contributes most to the variation in ET0 (30.98%), followed by Tmin (29.11%), u2 (6.57%), Rn (2.22%), and RH (0.05%). The research results provide a scientific basis for the rational and efficient utilization of water resources and the maintenance of ecosystem health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, we confirmed that the 95% ethanol‐extracted fraction of Codonopsis Radix, which contains several triterpenoids and sterols, possesses pharmacological activities. However, due to the low content and diverse types of triterpenoids and sterols, their similar structures, lack of ultraviolet absorption, and difficulty in obtaining controls, few studies have so far assessed their contents in Codonopsis Radix. We accordingly constructed an ultra‐high‐performance liquid chromatography‐quadrupole‐time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry technique for the simultaneous quantitative determination of 14 terpenoids and sterols. Separation was performed on the Waters Acquity UPLC HSS T3 C18 column (100 × 2.1 mm, 1.8 μm) with 0.1% formic acid (A) and 0.1% formic acid in methanol (B) as mobile phase under gradient elution. The determination coefficients for each of the matrix calibration curves were ≥0.9925. The average recovery ranged from 81.25% to 118.05%, with relative standard deviations of <4%. The contents of 14 components in 23 batches were quantified and further analyzed through chemometrics. Linear discriminant analysis can distinguish sample varieties. The quantitative analysis method can accurately determine the contents of 14 components and thereby provide the chemical basis for the quality control of Codonopsis Radix. It also could be a valuable approach for the classification of different Codonopsis Radix varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(10S,11S)-(--)-epi-pyriculol is a phytotoxic metabolite produced by Pyricularia grisea, a fungus identified as a foliar pathogen on the invasive weed species buffelgrass (Cenchrus ciliaris) in North America. The effective control of buffelgrass has not yet been achieved, and there is a need to develop effective and green solutions. Herbicides based on natural products and the use of phytopathogenic organisms could provide the most suitable tools for the control of weeds such as buffelgrass. Thus, one of the most relevant points to study about potential suitable phytotoxins such as (10S,11S)-(--)-epi-pyriculol is its production on a large scale, either by isolation from fungal fermentations or by synthesis. For these purposes, rapid and sensitive methods for the quantification of (10S,11S)-(--)-epi-pyriculol in complex mixtures are required. In this study, a high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for its quantification was developed and applied to organic extracts from twelve P. grisea isolates obtained from diseased buffelgrass leaves and grown in potato dextrose broth (PDB) liquid cultures. The analysis proved that the production of (10S,11S)-(--)-epi-pyriculol is fungal-isolate dependent and strongly correlated with phytotoxic activity, shown by the P. grisea organic extracts in a buffelgrass radicle elongation test. The HPLC method reported herein allowed us to select the best strain for the production of (10S,11S)-(--)-epi-pyriculol and could be useful for selecting the best cultural conditions for its mass production, providing a tool for the use of this promising metabolite as a new bioherbicide for the control of buffelgrass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Anthocyanins, as a kind of natural pigment, have a broad development prospect in the field of human production and life due to its safety, nontoxic, rich resources, and rich pharmacological effects. However, due to the structure instability of anthocyanins, anthocyanins are susceptible to physical and chemical factors during food processing, such as light, temperature, pH, metal ions, food additives, oxidation reductants, and cochromatic factors. This review summarized the experimental methods for these factors affecting anthocyanin content, structural transformation, and degradation dynamics, which lays the foundation for further studies of anthocyanins in plants. Meanwhile, we expounded the methods for obtaining accurate quantitative and qualitative data of anthocyanin by UV‐vis, HPLC, LC‐MS, and NMR, which can provide a basis for further development and utilization of anthocyanin resources.

Featured Application: This study contributes to a better understanding of the dynamics of GMA systems and provides a new perspective for controlling the stable operation of GMA systems in engineering practice. Since the structural mechanics of the super magnetostrictive actuator (GMA) system involves problems related to viscoelastic damping materials, the fractional order is more accurate than the integer order calculus to characterize the viscoelastic features in the structure. In order to further investigate the intrinsic mechanism and dynamical characteristics of the GMA dynamical system, the dynamical equations of the nonlinear GMA system containing fractional damping terms are established and the main resonance of the system is analyzed using the averaging method. The mechanism of the influence of some parameters on the GMA system is analyzed by MATLAB numerical simulation to study the bifurcation and chaotic motion phenomena of the system from the qualitative and quantitative perspectives. The results show that the fractional damping coefficient, external excitation amplitude and fractional order have significant effects on the amplitude-frequency characteristics of the system; the fractional order has a greater influence on the bifurcation and chaotic behavior of the system; the dynamic behavior of the system caused by the change of external excitation amplitude and fractional damping coefficient at different damping orders is similar but the chaotic region is different. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the results on work on the development and creation of electrophysical equipment designed for in-depth study of issues related to the qualitative and quantitative composition of the residual gaseous medium in electrovacuum devices, the study of gases during sorption/absorption, and the control of the tightness of the shells of electrovacuum devices shells with various methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Multiple choice questions (MCQs) are the most common questions in clinical tests. Content validity and appropriate structure of the questions are always outstanding issues for each education system. This study aimed to evaluate the role of providing quantitative and qualitative feedback on the quality of faculty members' MCQs. Methods: This analytical study was conductedonKermanshah University of Medical Sciences facultymembersusing the totalMCQs test at least two times from 2018 to 2021. The quantitative data, including the validity of the tests, difficulty, and discrimination indices, were collected using a computer algorithm by experts. Results: The second analysis revealed that 14 (27.5%) faculty members had credit scores below 0.4, which was within the acceptable range for the overall validity of the test. The results showed a higher difficulty index in the second feedback than the first (0.46 ± 0.21 vs 0.55 ± 0.21, P = 0.30). No significant difference was found in the discrimination index (0.24 ± 0.1.25 vs 0.24 ± 0.10, P = 0.006). Furthermore, there were no significant differences in terms of taxonomy I (61.29 ± 20.84 vs 59.32 ± 22.11, P = 0.54), II (29.71 ± 17.84 vs 32.76 ± 18.82 P = 0.39), and III (8.50 ± 16.60 vs 7.36 ± 14.48, P = 0 .44) before and after feedback. Conclusions: Based on the results, the questions were not ideal regarding Bloom's taxonomy standards and the difficulty and discrimination indexes. Furthermore, providing feedback alone is not enough, and proper planning by the educational and medical development centers' authorities is required to empower the faculty members in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban decline refers to the sustained deterioration of cities in terms of their economy, population, and social aspects. The outbreak of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in 2019 objectively affected the trajectory of this phenomenon. A comprehensive analysis of scientific research on urban decline and its practical implications was conducted using bibliometric methods, data acquired from 2019 to 2023 and the Web of Science. Since COVID-19, research on urban decline has been predominantly led by traditional developed countries such as the United States and England, with a high degree of regional collaboration. Keyword clusters have focused on urban regeneration, growth, decay, family planning, resource dependency theory, public art, etc. Keyword co-occurrence has focused on shrinking cities, gentrification policy, land use, etc. Based on previous analyses and the contemporary context, the intrinsic logic behind the urban decline in recent years can be summarized as inadequate economic development, lagging infrastructure construction, the siphoning effect of core regional cities, and unique institutional factors leading to specific urban decline patterns. Comprehensive urban recovery plans have been proposed, including reshaping urban spatial layouts and planning and strengthening strategies for social and economic revival, with correspondence-specific samples. Studying the impact of COVID-19 on urban decline from the perspectives of city development and strategies can help us better understand the repercussions of global health crises on cities, providing a more scientific basis for urban planning and management to build resilient, sustainable, and equitable cities.

Recently, many studies have widely dealt with data mining and Text classification, including sentiment analysis. Sentiment analysis (SA) is an application of Natural Language Processing (NLP) implemented to understand the public’s attitudes. The recent proliferation of social media has helped gauge the public’s mood. The current study aims to explore the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Yemeni community and generate indices assessing public sentiments and attitudes using lexicon and rule-based approach (VAEDR: Valence Aware Dictionary and Sentiment Reasoner) and qualitative and quantitative analysis methods. 8,830 Facebook and YouTube comments were analyzed before and after the declaration of COVID-19 on 10th April 2020 in Yemen. The results revealed that sentiment polarity with and without contextual reference differed significantly. Without contextual reference, neutrality was prevalent and reached 55%; negativity scored 24% while positivity reached 21% before 10th April, but after this date, negativity was dominant and reached 57%, neutrality scored 28%, and positivity scored 15%. With contextual reference, positivity was prevalent and scored 72% before 10th April, but after this date, negativity dominated the public’s mood and reached 78.23%; positivity highly decreased to 18.65%, while neutrality scored 3.12%. The study demonstrated the superiority of SA based on the contextual reference of words.

Sustainable urbanism involves a wide range of issues, starting with the building unit and leading up to the city scale under the discourse of sustainability, including the four main dimensions of environmental, economic, cultural, and social. Universal design (UD) can be suggested as one of the significant catalyzers of urban design parameters, which are among the basic elements of social sustainability. UD is significant in terms of providing solutions that meet the common needs of all individuals in built environments. There is a strong relationship between social sustainability and UD. Thus, adopting the concept of UD in the planning of urban spaces is crucial. Within this framework, via the relevant theoretical evaluation, a conceptual framework is constructed in order to explain universal design as a concept within the context of urban design parameters and social sustainability. Alongside discussing universal design as a term, urban design parameters and social sustainability are also discussed in order to explain the development of the theoretical model. Later, in the methodology section of the study, northern Nicosia has been chosen as the study area. A qualitative evaluation regarding the seven dimensions of universal design and a quantitative assessment based on the TSI standards, prepared including European directives/regulations, were applied to the chosen nine urban space items on the avenue. Based on the findings at Şht. Kemal Ünal Avenue, it can be concluded that urban spaces in northern Nicosia do not achieve a convenient environment for all individuals to the greatest extent possible. Further, in the discussion section of the study, several suggestions are presented for the improvement of streets, taking into account UD principles. These suggestions refer to the stops, sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, urban furniture, and equipment on the avenue. In sum, it is expected that the qualitative and quantitative analyses undertaken and the literature review, including a theoretical model, will contribute to the existing knowledge on the terminology of universal design in the context of social sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional methods for detecting unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) pose challenges for rapid analyses due to the need for complex pretreatment and expensive instruments. Here, we developed an intelligent platform for facile and low-cost analysis of UFAs by combining a smartphone-assisted colorimetric sensor array (CSA) based on MnO 2 nanozymes with "image segmentation-feature extraction" deep learning (ISFE-DL). Density functional theory predictions were validated by doping experiments using Ag, Pd, and Pt, which enhanced the catalytic activity of the MnO 2 nanozymes. A CSA mimicking mammalian olfactory system was constructed with the principle that UFAs competitively inhibit the oxidization of the enzyme substrate, resulting in color changes in the nanozyme-ABTS substrate system. Through linear discriminant analysis coupled with the smartphone App "Quick Viewer" that utilizes multihole parallel acquisition technology, oleic acid (OA), linoleic acid (LA), α-linolenic acid (ALA), and their mixtures were clearly discriminated; various edible vegetable oils, different camellia oils (CAO), and adulterated CAOs were also successfully distinguished. Furthermore, the ISFE-DL method was combined in multicomponent quantitative analysis. The sensing elements of the CSA (3 × 4) were individually segmented for single-hole feature extraction containing information from 38,868 images of three UFAs, thereby allowing for the extraction of more features and augmenting sample size. After training with the MobileNetV3 small model, the determination coefficients of OA, LA, and ALA were 0.9969, 0.9668, and 0.7393, respectively. The model was embedded in the smartphone App "Intelligent Analysis Master" for one-click quantification. We provide an innovative approach for intelligent and efficient qualitative and quantitative analysis of UFAs and other compounds with similar characteristics.

Morphological changes induced by industrial noise have been experimentally observed in several organs. This study aims to characterize the effect of industrial noise on the pulp cell density of Wistar rats from a histological point of view, through qualitative and quantitative analysis. The histologic sections were observed over the optical microscope and photographed using 10x and 40x magnifications and analyzed using an image processing software. They refer to a group of animals exposed to industrial noise for 3 months and for 7 months (EG) and another group of animals kept in silence for control (CG) during the same periods. There was a significant decrease in pulp cell density in teeth of the animals exposed for 3 months when compared to control teeth group (p = 0.01). However, in the group exposed for 7 months, no statistically significant differences were found (p = 0.66). Even so, we found an evident relationship between exposure to industrial noise and teeth morphological changes. The observed changes are similar to the modifications found on aged teeth. Therefore, this study places industrial noise as an aggressive stimulus that can cause a reaction of the pulp-dentin complex with morphological changes compatible with premature aging of the tooth.

Dissolved black carbon (DBC), the particular component of black carbon that can be dissolved in the water, which accounts for ~10% of the organic carbon cycle in the earth’s water body, is an essential member of the dissolved organic matter (DOM) pool. In contrast to DOM, DBC has a higher proportion of conjugated benzene rings, which can more efficiently encourage the degradation of organic micropollutants in the aquatic environment or more rapidly generate reactive oxygen species to photodegrade the organic micropollutants. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the changes and mechanisms of DBC photochemical activity affected by different factors in the water environment. Our work reviewed the main influencing factors and mechanisms of the photochemical activity of DBC. It focuses on the methodologies for the quantitative and qualitative investigation of the photochemical activity of DBC, the impact of the biomass source, the pyrolysis temperature of biochar, and the primary water environmental parameters on the photochemical activity of DBC and the indirect photodegradation of pollutants. Based on this, a potential future study of DBC photochemical activity has been prospected.

To explore the mechanisms driving variation in ET0 (reference evapotranspiration) in an arid inland region of Northwest China, daily meteorological data from 1960 to 2019 from 19 meteorological stations in the Taohe River basin and its surrounding areas were used to analyze the temporal and spatial distributions of ET0 and meteorological variables. Various qualitative and quantitative analysis methods were used to reveal the correlation between ET0 and meteorological variables. The degree of sensitivity of ET0 variations to meteorological variables and the contribution from each meteorological variable were clarified, and the mechanisms driving variation in ET0 were fully revealed. These are the results: (1) ET0 in the Taohe River basin presented a significant upward trend with a linear change rate of 0.93 mm/a, and a sudden change occurred in 1994. The spatial variation in ET0 ranged from 779.8 to 927.6 mm/a, with low values in the upper and middle reaches and high values in the lower reaches. The ET0 at 14 stations (73.68% of the total) was significantly increased (p < 0.05), and that at 5 stations (26.32% of the total) was not significantly increased (p > 0.05). (2) RH, Rn, and u2 did not change significantly, while Tmax and Tmin showed a significant upward trend. (3) Rn is a meteorological variable closely related to variations in ET0, and is the most sensitive variable for variations in ET0, followed by Tmax and u2. (4) Tmax is the meteorological variable that contributes most to the variation in ET0 (30.98%), followed by Tmin (29.11%), u2 (6.57%), Rn (2.22%), and RH (0.05%). The research results provide a scientific basis for the rational and efficient utilization of water resources and the maintenance of ecosystem health.

Olive mill waste water (OMWW), a by-product created during the processing of olive oil, contains high amounts of polyphenolic compounds. If put to further use, these polyphenolic compounds could be a valuable resource for the speciality chemical industry. In order to achieve this, isolation of the polyphenolic compounds from OMWW is needed. Several techniques for this process already exist, the most widely used of which is adsorption beds. This research describes new ways of collecting polyphenolic compounds by using unmodified iron oxide (Fe3O4) particles and Fe3O4 modified with silica gel (Fe3O4@C18), citric acid (Fe3O4@CA), and sodium dodecyl sulphate (Fe3O4@SDS). This approach is superior to adsorption beds since it can be used in a continuous system without clogging, while the nano-sized shapes create a high surface area for adsorption. The results of this study show that, if used in a loop system of several adsorption and desorption cycles, (un)modified Fe3O4 has the potential to collect high concentrations of polyphenolic compounds. A combination of different modifications of the Fe3O4 particles is also beneficial, as these combinations can be tailored to allow for the removal of specific polyphenolic compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Aurantii Fructus Immaturus (Zhishi in Chinese) is the dried young fruit of Citrus aurantium L. (CA) and its cultivated varieties or Citrus sinensis Osbeck (CS). The content of flavonoids in different varieties of Zhishi may be significantly different. However, there is confusion about the botanical origin of Zhishi, and there is no reliable and systematic method to control Zhishi quality. Objectives: We aimed to establish an ultrahigh‐performance liquid chromatography method coupled with diode‐array detection and high‐resolution tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC‐DAD‐HRMS/MS) for the quantitative analysis of 10 flavonoids in Zhishi that could be used for quality control and botanical origin identification. Methodology: A UPLC‐DAD‐HRMS/MS method was established for simultaneous identification and quantification of 10 flavonoids. Separation was performed on a Waters Acquity UPLC HSS T3 column (100 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.8 μm) with 0.1% formic acid and acetonitrile as mobile phase under gradient elution. MS was performed in positive and negative ionisation modes. The flavonoids in 41 batches were isolated and quantified. Zhishi of different botanical origins were identified by chemometrics. Results: The results showed that the established method for the determination of 10 components was reliable and accurate. Chemometrics could be used to distinguish Zhishi of different botanical origins. There were significant differences in the contents of 10 flavonoids in samples of different botanical origins. Conclusions: The quantitative analysis method in this study can be used to accurately determine the content of 10 flavonoids and provide a chemical basis for quality control and botanical origin identification of Zhishi. Aurantii Fructus Immaturus (Zhishi in Chinese) is the dried young fruit of Citrus aurantium L. (CA) and its cultivated varieties or Citrus sinensis Osbeck (CS). We determined 10 bioactive flavonoids in Zhishi by ultrahigh‐performance liquid chromatography and high‐resolution tandem mass spectrometry. Through chemometric analysis, we found that the composition and content of chemical components in CA and CS of different botanical origins were completely different. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of the industrial process requires a temperature level below 250 °C which is easily achievable using solar energy. Pakistan is fortunate enough to have long sunlight hours and high intensity of solar insolation. The mean total irradiation falling on a horizontal plane is about 200-250 W/m2 per day. This precious source of natural energy has tremendous potential in the agro-based industry like the distillation of medicinal plants. The main objective of this study was to conduct a quantitative and qualitative analyses of solar distilled oil of the medicinal plant. Solar distillation systems had been installed at Agricultural Engineering Workshop, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, and Technology and Rosa Lab, Institute of Horticultural Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad. This distillation system was designed according to the latitude of Faisalabad. This system comprised of primary reflector, secondary reflector, condenser, and Florentine flask. In this study Eucalyptus Camaldulensis and Eucalyptus Citriodora, essential oils were distilled by solar distillation system and by a conventional distillation system for comparing the results. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of Eucalyptus Camaldulensis and Eucalyptus Citriodora essential oils were carried out at National Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Faisalabad. The results of quantitative and qualitative analyses of essential oils showed that the quantity and the quality of essential oils of same species of eucalyptus, distilled by solar distillation system and conventional controlled distillation system were same. So, it was concluded that the quality and quantity of essential oils of same species do not differ significantly either distilled by solar distillation system or by conventional controlled distillation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider a sample of about 700 people, interviewed on the streets, who are sorted into two groups by a self-report, screening questionnaire: namely, non-problematic gamblers/non-gamblers and problematic gamblers. Within each group, we compare both social (perceived) stigma and self-perceived (experienced) stigma, measured by means of other two self-report questionnaires, and we seek for relations between stigma and socio-demographic variables that can help targeting possible interventions to reduce gambling-related stigma. We, then, compare stigma between the two groups of non-(problematic) gamblers and problematic ones, and we also check the hypothesis that higher social stigma is related to higher self-perceived stigma, as well as higher stigma is related to lesser help-seeking. The latter hypothesis is of utmost importance, given that stigma is recognised to be one of the major causes for hindering help-seeking by problematic gamblers. The research is carried out in Italy, one of the first countries in the world for the money spent per capita in gambling activity every year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]