Basic Hypothesis Research Articles

Effects of changes in climatic means, variability, and agro-technologies on future wheat and maize yields at 10 sites across the globe

To address the rising global food demand in a changing climate, yield gaps (YG), the difference between potential yields under irrigated (YP) or rainfed conditions (YWL) and actual farmers’ yields (Ya), must be significantly narrowed whilst raising potential yields. Here, we examined the likely impacts of climate change (including changes in climatic variability) and improvements in agricultural technologies on crop yields and yield gaps. Eight rigorously tested crop simulation models were calibrated for wheat and maize and run at 10 different sites around the world. Simulations were performed to estimate YP, YWL and yields achievable under three locally defined technology packages: TP0 represents average farmer's practice, while TP1 and TP2 are increasingly advanced technologies. Simulations were run for the baseline (1981–2010) and twelve future climate scenarios for 2050, representing changes in the means of climate variables and in the variability of daily temperature and dry/wet spell durations. Our basic hypotheses were that (H1) mean climate changes combined with increased weather variability lead to more negative yield impacts than mean climate changes alone, and (H2) advanced technologies would serve as effective adaptations under future climatic conditions. We found that crop responses were dependent on site characteristics, climate scenarios and adopted technologies. Our findings did not support H1. As for H2, the improved technology packages increased wheat and maize yields at all sites, but yield gap reduction varied substantially among sites. Future studies should consider a broader range of climate scenarios and methods for analysing potential shifts in climate variability. Moreover, it is recommended to co-create and evaluate climate zone-specific climate-smart crop production technologies in interaction with a wide range of local stakeholders.

Sustainability scientists’ critique of neoclassical economics

Abstract Non-technical summary Neoclassical economics (NCE) theory and neoliberal economics practice together form one of the principal driving forces of environmental destruction and social injustice. We critically examine ten key hypotheses that form the foundations of NCE, and four other claims. Each fails to satisfy one or more of the basic requirements of scientific practice. Hence, NCE is fundamentally flawed, is irrational in the common meaning of the word, and should not be used as a guide for government policies. Because NCE is socially constructed, it can be replaced with an interdisciplinary conceptual framework that is compatible with ecological sustainability and social justice. Technical summary Neoclassical economics (NCE) is widely regarded as providing theoretical justification for neoliberal notions such as ‘governments should minimize regulation and spending, and hence leave major socioeconomic and environmental decisions to the market’. A large body of literature finds that NCE is largely responsible for environmental destruction and social inequality. As NCE is claimed to be a science and has appropriated terminology (without the content) from physics, we examine critically its basic hypotheses and four other claims from a viewpoint of natural scientists and an ecological economist, each a sustainability researcher. This paper defines NCE in two ways: as a theoretical structure for economics based on (1) the hypotheses of methodological individualism, methodological instrumentalism and methodological equilibration, and (2) the three hypotheses named above together with seven other common hypotheses of NCE. We find that each hypothesis and claim fails to satisfy one or more basic requirements of scientific practice such as empirical confirmation, underlying credible or empirical assumptions, consistency with Earth system science, and internal consistency. Sensitivity analysis is rare and ability to predict is lacking. Therefore, we recommend that neoclassical microeconomics be reformed and neoclassical macroeconomics be abandoned and replaced with a transdisciplinary field such as social ecological economics. Social media summary Conventional economics, a driver of environmental damage and social inequality, fails examination by sustainability scientists.

Isolating a culture of son preference among Armenian, Georgian and Azeri Parents in Soviet-era Russia.

A basic hypothesis is that cultural evolutionary processes sustain differences between groups, these differences have evolutionary relevance and they would not otherwise occur in a system without cultural transmission. The empirical challenge is that groups vary for many reasons, and isolating the causal effects of culture often requires appropriate data and a quasi-experimental approach to analysis. We address this challenge with historical data from the final Soviet census of 1989, and our analysis is an example of the epidemiological approach to identifying cultural variation. We find that the fertility decisions of Armenian, Georgian and Azeri parents living in Soviet-era Russia were significantly more son-biased than those of other ethnic groups in Russia. This bias for sons took the form of differential stopping rules; families with sons stopped having children sooner than families without sons. This finding suggests that the increase in sex ratios at birth in the Caucasus, which began in the 1990s, reflects a cultural preference for sons that predates the end of the Soviet Union. This result also supports one of the key hypotheses of gene-culture coevolution, namely that cultural evolutionary processes can support group-level differences in selection pressures that would not otherwise occur in a system without culture.

My voyage in the enchanted world of sleep.

In this paper, I describe my 45-year career in sleep research. I started my undergraduate studies at Tel Aviv University, where I was first introduced to the enchanted world of sleep, continued to my graduate studies with Wilse B. Webb at the University of Florida, and then to post-doctoral training with Dan Kripke at the University of California at San Diego. Then, I describe the evolution of my academic career at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, where I started in 1975 as an Assistant Professor and retired in 2019 as the President of the Institute. I describe the areas of research that I pursued and how the research developed, emphasizing unexpected results that guided me and my lab team in new directions. This includes my early studies on ultradian rhythms, inspired by Nathaniel Kleitman's Basic Rest Activity Cyle hypothesis, utilizing the ultrashort sleep-wake paradigm to chart the 24-hour sleep propensity function, and how these studies led us to explore the role of melatonin in sleep regulation. I also explain why we directed our attention to sleep apnea, and how clinical observations led to the provocative hypothesis that sleep apnea-typically seen as a disorder-may also play a protective role. Under the leadership of my research partner and wife, Lena, we confirmed this hypothesis. Also in this article, I describe my enthusiasm for the history of our field and, as derived from my experience as a Dean of Medicine and President of a university, I share my philosophy about the role of members of academia in society. I emphasize that none of my achievements could have been accomplished without the hard work and motivation of my students and research partners, who shared my enthusiasm and passion for the enchanted world of sleep. This paper is part of the Living Legends in Sleep Research series, which is sponsored by Idorsia Pharmaceuticals and Jazz Pharmaceuticals.

Data-driven modeling of capital liquidity changes during financial market crises

Abstract Against the backdrop of the ongoing global financial crisis, clarifying the mechanism of the role of the drivers of capital liquidity changes is the basis for maintaining financial stability during financial market crises. This paper proposes the basic hypothesis of capital liquidity changes during a financial market crisis, with reference to related studies. Subsequently, a data-driven model of capital liquidity changes during the financial market crisis is constructed based on the vector autoregressive model, and the main nodes of capital liquidity changes during the financial market crisis are obtained according to the changes in the degrees of freedom of the model. The MCMC method is utilized to assess the model’s smoothness and ensure the stability of the data-driven model of capital liquidity changes. The empirical analysis of the model finds that the positive shock of capital liquidity change on stock growth rate exhibits a positive response, and the stock growth rate explains 0.527% and 1.292% of the capital liquidity change on average during one year of financial market crisis. It has also been found that the arbitrage motive drives capital liquidity more strongly during a financial market crisis compared to the hedging motives. The model proposed in this paper helps to prompt policymakers to monitor the changes in capital mobility and make useful decisions in a timely manner, which in turn maintains the stable operation of the financial market.

Exploring the relationship between willingness to communicate and cultural capital in a language learning context - a qualitative investigation

The qualitative study is intended to determine if there is a potential relationship between willingness to communicate and cultural capital in young learners of English and whether it may be possible to assess levels of cultural capital and cultural participation in a quantitative fashion, which would then open the way for a broader range of studies that would allow for regressive analysis of the relationship between cultural capital and a broad range of individual differences to determine the extent to which this may be a key factor in language acquisition and learning. The qualitative investigation was conducted on five participants who were willing to give interviews during a language camp in the UK in the summer of 2022. All five of the participants scored highly on a WTC assessment scale and also showed confidence in communicating in a non-classroom environment. The tentative findings of the study would appear to indicate that there is a firm basis for further research on a quantitative scale in order to validate the basic hypothesis.

Kunstwerk und Titel.

At first glance, the relationship between work and title appears to be exhausted: for works of art are unique specimens that exist unchanged over long periods of time, just like their titles. They offer unchanged models for interpretation, and extensive elucidations – in particular of classical – works are available. But experience shows that the view of a work changes during social developments. Linguistic expressions in titles are also subject to constant change of meaning. Any clarification of the relationship between the work and the title must therefore be made subject to modifications in both the interpretation of the work and the interpretive resources of the title. For this purpose, it is not surprising that a semiotic theory is used. With Rudi Keller’s “pragmatic sign theory”, a construct was chosen through which both sign systems, the visual and the textual language, become explicable and which ties the emergence of a sign to the (type of) interpretation (see chapter 2). Individual considerations of both areas of analysis reveal that interpretations of the work and the title proceed semioticaloay on different levels. They interact and merge to form a unit called “impression”. This article is about the formation of such art impressions, more precisely: about the interplay between the interpretations of artworks and their titles. The basic hypothesis is that viewers of artworks use the titles as a resource for interpretation, and furthermore that artists (can) also use this experience to achieve or prevent possible impressions. In the form of selected case studies (see chapters 3 and 4 below), different interrelationships between works and their titles are illustrated to arrive at a synthesis of their manifold interactions.

Lower social class, better social skills? A registered report testing diverging predictions from the rank and cultural approaches to social class

Are people with lower socioeconomic status (SES) better than those with higher SES at empathic accuracy, or recognizing others' thoughts and feelings? Two psychological approaches to the study of SES say they are, but emphasize different reasons. The rank approach argues that because individuals with lower SES experience low rank, they feel less in control and more threatened by others, so it is more valuable for them to understand others' mental states. The cultural approach argues that because lower SES cultures foster more interdependent values, people steeped in those cultures focus more on others, leading them to better understand others' mental states. Previous tests of the basic hypothesis these two approaches share have yielded mixed evidence. This registered report uses a large-scale, nationally representative sample to accomplish two goals. First, it tests the basic shared hypothesis, finding that lower subjective rank, social class cultural group, and income—but not education—all predict better empathic accuracy. Second, it explores additional research questions, finding that subjective rank more strongly predicts empathic accuracy compared to SES cultural group (consistent with the rank approach), but childhood SES more strongly predicts empathic accuracy than adulthood SES (consistent with the cultural approach). Results regarding the moderating role of the valence of the mental state being recognized were not consistent. We conclude there is indeed a negative association between social class and empathic accuracy, and discuss the degree to which this is due to the psychology of rank and childhood cultural socialization.

Sovereignty-based euroscepticism

As globalisation trends have broadened, the problem of sovereignty has arisen to what extent can a state be free to shape its own policies when, as a member of international organisations, it has surrendered part of its sovereignty in favor of certain benefits. The aim of my presentation is to introduce the Eurosceptic position and to try to outline the extent to which objections to the Union can be considered legitimate in terms of the sovereignty issue. To examine this, I will mainly use examples from Hungary, while I will mainly try to support the pro-EU position with international literature. My basic hypothesis is that the rise in anti-EU sentiment today is mainly since those different social groups and institutions, such as the state, civil society and individuals, interpret EU policy through different dimensions of the concept of sovereignty, which significantly distorts the information communicated by EU institutions.

Discrepancy between structured matrices in the power analysis of a separability test

An important task in the analysis of multivariate data is testing of the covariance matrix structure. In particular, for assessing separability, various tests have been proposed. However, the development of a method of measuring discrepancy between two covariance matrix structures, in relation to the study of the power of the test, remains an open problem. Therefore, a discrepancy measure is proposed such that for two arbitrary alternative hypotheses with the same value of discrepancy, the power of tests remains stable, while for increasing discrepancy the power increases. The basic hypothesis is related to the separable structure of the observation matrix under a doubly multivariate normal model, as assessed by the likelihood ratio and Rao score tests. It is shown that the particular one-parameter method and the Frobenius norm fail in the power analysis of tests, while the entropy and quadratic loss functions can be efficiently used to measure the discrepancy between separable and non-separable covariance structures for a multivariate normal distribution.

Graph machine learning framework for depicting wavefunction on interface

The wavefunction, as the basic hypothesis of quantum mechanics, describes the motion of particles and plays a pivotal role in determining physical properties at the atomic scale. However, its conventional acquisition method, such as density functional theory, requires a considerable amount of calculation, which brings numerous problems to wide application. Here, we propose an algorithmic framework based on graph neural network to machine-learn the wavefunction of electrons. This framework primarily generates atomic features containing information about chemical environment and geometric structure and subsequently constructs a scalable distribution map. For the first time, the visualization of wavefunction of interface is realized by machine learning methods, bypassing complex calculation and obscure comprehension. In this way, we vividly illustrate quantum mechanics, which can inspire theoretical exploration. As an intriguing case to verify the ability of our method, a novel quantum confinement phenomenon on interfaces based on graphene nanoribbon is uncovered. We believe that the versatility of this framework paves the way for swiftly linking quantum physics and atom-level structures.

Efficient leaching of manganese from electrolytic manganese residue and recovery of the leaching solution: Reuse and purification

Electrolytic manganese residue (EMR) is a hazardous solid waste, while it also contains resources of Mn over 7 %. In this study, sulfuric acid with high concentration was used to leach Mn from EMR, and the leaching solution was reused and purified to produce battery-grade manganese sulfate. The optimal leaching conditions for EMR were determined through single-factor experiments and response surface methodology. Under the conditions of H2SO4 concentration at 5.4 mol/L, liquid–solid ratio at 4.8 mL/g, and temperature at 80 °C, the highest Mn leaching efficiency of 99.12 % was achieved. The kinetics of leaching Mn from EMR follows the Avrami model. The leaching characteristics were described according to the basic hypothesis made by the Avrami equation and the fitted Avrami index. The kinetic process is macroscopically regarded as the inverse process of non-equilibrium crystallization. According to the Arrhenius equation, the leaching of Mn is controlled by the mixture of diffusion and reaction with an apparent activation energy of 19.8 kJ/mol. The EMR leaching solution was then reused for the leaching step of rhodochrosite ore to simulate actual production. The secondary leaching solution was purified using neutralization, sulfide precipitation, and fluoride precipitation, and manganese sulfate with high purity was produced from it by evaporative crystallization. This study provides a low-cost and high-efficiency process for leaching and recovering Mn from EMR, which can also reduce the environmental risk.

ПРОГНОЗНО-АНАЛІТИЧНІ ІНСТРУМЕНТИ ЗМІЦНЕННЯ ЕКОНОМІЧНОЇ БЕЗПЕКИ В ПРОЦЕСІ ВІДНОВЛЕННЯ ПРОМИСЛОВОГО ПОТЕНЦІАЛУ

A requirement in the foresight of economic security stipulates the necessity of development and perfection of economic prognostication. Correctly chosen prognosis and analytical tools give information for the acceptance of the self-weighted decisions in relation to renewal and development of present industrial potential. A research aim is a choice of the most expedient prognosis and analytical tool the strengthening of economic security in relation to renewal of industrial potential on the different levels of management: the states, the region and subject of entrepreneurial activity. The methodological basis of research became the methods of dialectics, methods and principles of scientific cognition, tools of economic analysis in relation to forming of certain methodologies of analysis and evaluation of prognosis and analytical tool the strengthening of economic security, that allow to accept correct administrative decisions in war and post-war periods with the aim of proceeding in industrial potential. The basic hypothesis of research is supposition in relation to the choice of the most expedient prognosis and analytical tool the strengthening of economic security that will allow picking up thread industrial potential and extending the spheres of entrepreneurial activity. Exposition of basic material of research. It is well-proven that to the prognosis and analytical tools the strengthening of economic security it is possible to take different models that can be described by any types of equalizations. However these methods can get out arbitrarily, its must answer the objective features the realization of prognoses, experience of activity of front-rank subjects of management in relation to renewal of industrial potentials and got positive results on tactical and strategic levels. World experience testifies that an ideal set of tools is not for realization of prognosis and analytical calculations. Exactly that must be used in every case that answers concrete terms and possibilities of its use. The considered expediency of multivariable application and abstract models, foresight technologies and necessity the structuring of co-operation spheres are in the process of renewal the industrial potential and the strengthening of economic security. Originality and practical meaningfulness of research are confirmed by offered for the choice of prognosis and analytical tools the most expedient methods of prognostication and evaluation the strengthening of economic security and proceeding in industrial potential. Conclusions and prospects of further researches. The conducted research allowed to establish that in the modern terms of renewal the industrial potential there is a requirement in the choice of the most expedient prognosis and analytical tools of acceptance the correct administrative decisions in relation to the strengthening of economic security. The value of prognosis and analytical tools not always is determined by its authenticity, and that, like got results allow accepting correct decisions in relation to renewal of industrial potential and evaluation of its safety and durability. Further researches will be sent to the evaluation of effectiveness the realization of prognosis and analytical tools the strengthening of economic security and renewal of industrial potential with the use of technologies of artificial intelligence.

Отражение концепции устойчивого развития в нормативно-правовых актах РФ

The article is devoted to the way the domestic legislator at the federal and regional level approaches the issues of sustainable development. The article provides a brief analysis of the concept of sustainable development, its isolation and transformation into specific goals – Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) proposed by the UN. The article analyses federal normative legal acts affecting sustainable development. Based on the results of the analysis of federal regulatory legal acts, it is concluded that despite the correct basic premise in Article 75.1 of the Constitution, which may well become the basis for the implementation of sustainable development in other regulatory legal acts, the regulation remains abstract and archaic. In addition, the legal acts regulating sustainable development are of a methodological nature rather than prescriptive. The basic hypothesis that sustainable development regulation can be characterised as chaotic and unsystematic was confirmed. As a possible solution to this situation, the author proposes the development of a roadmap for the introduction of the concept of sustainable development in regulatory and legal acts.

Dimensions of the Interrelationship Between Poverty and Financial Corruption and Their Impact on Sustainable Economic Development in Iraq for The Period 2005-2019

Financial corruption is a global concern, especially in developing countries, an obstacle to sustainable development, and an obstacle to poverty eradication. This study examines the relationship between financial corruption and poverty, and attempts to follow up its effects on some indicators of sustainable development in Iraq. This study aims to; Explore and clarify the relationship between corruption and poverty. The economic analysis of the study indicated that there is a link between the variables that form this relationship. The basic hypothesis of this study is: ‘There is a strong and positive relationship between the spread of financial and administrative corruption and the increase in poverty levels in Iraq." This study indicates some conclusions and recommendations in order to develop policies against financial crimes.

Evaluation of Usefulness of Yeast-Based Biological Phantom and Preliminary Study for Verification of Hypoxic Effect of Flash Radiotherapy

As a basic hypothesis for the effectiveness of flash radiation therapy, the effect of preserving normal tissue during flash radiation is due to the instantaneous chemical depletion of oxygen. A yeast-based biological phantom was created to verify the hypoxic effect of flash radiation therapy. A study to upgrade the previously developed X-Band LINAC to a flash irradiation mode is in progress, and a preceding study is conducted to evaluate the usefulness of a yeast-based biological phantom manufactured by analyzing the change in oxygen by irradiating a high dose in a general radiation therapy device. Freeze-dried yeast sample (Saccharomyces cerevisiae, S288C) is activated and sub-cultured. For mass production of yeast samples, yeast culture medium is prepared by adding yeast colonies to the ypd medium. This study was conducted to verify the hypoxic effect among the biological mechanisms that occur during flash radiation therapy at the basic stage, and the oxygen concentration change during general radiation irradiation was measured in real time using a DO (Dissolved oxygen) meter and fiber optic sensor designed to do that. To prevent scatter, which is a concern during flash irradiation, the fiber form was used, and precise experiments are possible as a non-invasive oxygen concentration measurement method. Based on 10MV of general radiation therapy device, high-dose radiation of 500-10,000 cGy is irradiated to measure real-time oxygen concentration change. As a result of irradiation with high-dose (500-10,000 cGy) radiation of general LINAC, it was confirmed that the oxygen concentration of the yeast culture medium decreased by 5.7-63.2%, and the usefulness of the biological phantom fabricated based on the yeast culture medium was evaluated. Prior to the analysis of oxygen concentration change in yeast cells during X-Band LINAC flash irradiation, a preliminary study was conducted at a high dose in a general LINAC to obtain a significant result of oxygen concentration change and confirm the usefulness of the yeast-based biological phantom. Prior research was conducted and verified as a general irradiation experiment using a yeast-based biological phantom manufactured based on a DO meter and a fiber optic oxygen sensor. After irradiation with high-dose radiation, the oxygen concentration of the yeast culture medium was measured 5 times, and it was confirmed that there was a change in oxygen concentration of 5.7-63.2%, verifying the usefulness and stability of the biological phantom. The usefulness of the yeast-based biological phantom for high doses was confirmed, and it is expected that the usefulness of the biological phantom for flash radiation can be verified by additionally measuring the change in oxygen concentration of the biological phantom according to the high dose rate in the future.

Identification of an oncological clinical pathway through questionnaires to health professionals

BackgroundClinical Pathways in Oncology can benefit patients using organized interventions to standardize and increase care efficiency. Healthcare systems should have tools to identify their oncological clinical pathways for a better institutional organization to reduce mortality rates and contain costs without compromising quality. Our objective is to determine the regional Oncology Clinical Pathway from a first basic hypothesis using questionnaires directed to healthcare professionals considered key deciders within the Pathway.MethodsStudy design consisted of data analysis of two structured region-wide questionnaires; built using available literature on Oncology Clinical Pathways, in a Portuguese Healthcare context and pre-tested in a focus group of key deciders (Physicians and nurses with management functions) from which a design was created. Queries analyzed the patients: tumor staging at service arrival; time intervals on tumor suspicion/diagnosis confirmation and diagnosis/first treatment; referral pathway; diagnostic networks and patient Follow-up. One questionnaire was sent to key deciders directly involved with Oncology patients at a Regional Hospital. 15 physicians and 18 nurses of this sample answered the questionnaire (approx. response rate = 67%). Another questionnaire sent to healthcare professionals in Primary Healthcare Centers yielded response rate 19.2%, N = 29 physicians and 46 nurses. Finally, we performed a descriptive analysis and a Cronbach Alpha reliability analysis.ResultsOur findings reveal: different appreciations of tumor staging at arrival in Primary Healthcare Centers and Regional Hospitals (the latter receiving more metastatic cases); approximately 4 weeks between tumor suspicion-diagnostic and divided opinions regarding diagnostic-treatment time intervals. Primary Healthcare Centers depend on private laboratories for diagnostics confirmation, while the Hospitals resolve this locally. Referral pathways indicate almost half of the patients being sent from primary healthcare centers to National Reference Hospitals instead of a Regional Hospital. Patient follow-up is developed throughout the institutions, however, is more established at Regional Hospitals. As patients advance through the Oncology Clinical Pathway and toward treatment stages the number of healthcare professionals involved reduce.ConclusionOur questionnaires enable us to understand the real pathway between the different institutions involved and the main entry points of the patients into the Oncology Clinical Pathway.

Research on Co-movement Between China and USA Stock Market under the Impact of COVID-19

The worldwide economic market has fluctuated wildly due to COVID-19, therefore revealing the co-movement of international stock markets should reduce its destructive force and shock. Based on the "Economic Basic Hypothesis" and "Market Contagion Hypothesis," this work uses VECM and GARCH models to examine international market volatility using the Shanghai Composite Index (SSEC), Shenzhen Composite Index (SZSE), and S&P 500 index. The total trading data of three indexes are divided into 2 periods, with September 01, 2019 as the cut-off point. The period 1 is from January 5, 2015 to August 30, 2019 and the period 2 is from September 3, 2019 to December 30, 2022. The study shows that: 1) During the COVID-19, the short-term return of both stock markets has declined and volatility has increased; 2) there is no reliable co-integration relationship between S&P 500, SSEC and SZSE which also declaims no long-run equilibrium between two markets; 3) before and during the COVID-19, the close to close return rate of America stock market guided the return rate of China stock market; 4) both S&P 500, SSEC shows an asymmetric effect and the leverage effect is distinct; 5) the co-movement was stronger when the rate of return was relatively high; 6) volatility spillover effect of China to USA stock market was significant.

Study on Carbon Emission Measurement and Influencing Factors for Prefabricated Buildings at the Materialization Stage Based on LCA

To conduct a more in-depth study on carbon emissions and influencing factors during the materialization stage of prefabricated buildings, this paper focused on a residential prefabricated building in Beijing. The LCA method, combined with BIM technology, was utilized to establish a process-based “LCA-BIM” carbon emission statistical platform and to propose a carbon emission calculation method. The carbon emissions during the materialization stage were calculated. The results revealed that the production of building materials contributed the highest proportion of carbon emissions, accounting for 85.73% of the total emissions during the materialization stage. Specifically, reinforcing steel and concrete dominated the overall carbon emissions from building materials, accounting for 97.44% of the total. Through a quantitative analysis in the process of carbon emissions calculation, the main factors influencing the carbon emissions during the production stage of building materials were identified. This study adopts a combined approach of empirical analysis and a literature review, establishing six basic hypotheses for four aspects: material selection, energy consumption, material storage, and carbon emissions in the production stage of building materials. A structural equation model was used to theoretically validate the influencing factors in the production stage of prefabricated building materials. SPSS27.0 and AMOS28 software were employed for data analysis. From the perspective of the overall impact, material selection had the strongest overall impact on the production stage of building materials, followed by energy consumption, while material storage had the smallest overall impact. From the perspective of direct impacts, energy consumption had the strongest direct impact on the carbon emissions in the production stage of the building materials. The findings of this study can provide a theoretical reference for national institutions and businesses for carbon emission evaluation and decision-making.

Specificity of quality of life assessment in people with mental disorders.

Quality of life is an integral element of a new perspective on health. Even though the definition and structure of the concept of quality of life are still being debated, researchers exploring the topic agree that it has both objective and subjective dimensions. When the quality of life of patients is examined somatically, the objectives formulated in the study procedure are usually easily achieved, particularly when the basic hypothesis is that good physical health generates a high quality of life. However, where mental diseases and dysfunctions are investigated, and the analysis involves a large number of variables constituting quality of life, the relationship is not so clear-cut. Consequently, in addition to methodological accuracy the researcher must put a major focus on the patients and their manifestations. The thesis stating that it is impossible to measure quality of life in this population, or worse still, that there is no need for such measurements, is indefensible, considering that people with mental disorders have the same right to a good life as healthy individuals, and achieving an improvement in their quality of life becomes an increasingly common target among anticipated therapeutic benefits. Looking at the issue from the perspective of findings obtained in multiple studies, it is evident that quality-of-life measurements are not easy, but a successful attempt may provide researchers with a source of valuable non-clinical data and even enhance their personal satisfaction.