Changes In Preferences Research Articles

Changes in food preferences after oral semaglutide administration in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes: KAMOGAWA-DM cohort.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of oral semaglutide on the changes in food preference of Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes. This retrospective multicenter study included 75 patients with type 2 diabetes who received oral semaglutide. The primary outcome was the change in the score of brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire (BDHQ) score 3months after the initiation of oral semaglutide treatment. The secondary outcome was the change in the Control of Eating Questionnaire (CoEQ), HbA1c, and body mass index (BMI) after 3months. The median age, BMI, and HbA1c of the 23 participants were 64.0years, 26.9kg/m2, and 7.6% (59mmol/mol). The BDHQ results showed total energy was significantly reduced. Among the individual nutrients, carbohydrates most decreased. The CoEQ results particularly showed declines in cravings for something sweet, chocolate or chocolate flavored foods, and starchy foods, satisfaction at meals, frequency and intensity of food craving, difficulty of resisting the craving for food, and frequency of eating in response to cravings for food were significantly lower after 3months. The mean HbA1c and BMI significantly decreased. In Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes, oral semaglutide treatment decreased total energy intake and changed food preferences.

Stable isotope ecology of Quaternary cervid and bovid species in Southeast Asia with implications for wildlife conservation

Southeast Asia, one of the major biodiversity hotspots, is experiencing substantial species loss, with predictions indicating that 13–85% of species are threatened to lose their original habitats. As herbivores play a crucial role in shaping the structure of environments and the ecosystem dynamics of the region, it is crucial to protect these endangered species. Here we measure stable carbon isotopic ratios (δ13C) of tooth enamel samples of eight extant Southeast Asian cervid and bovid taxa, mostly listed as either endangered or vulnerable species by the IUCN and compare the results with their Pleistocene counterparts, in order to investigate their dietary and preferred habitat changes through time. As a result, three distinct categories of ecological patterns among these ruminant taxa are observed: (1) species with dietary and habitat changes through time (i.e. Axis axis, Rucervus eldii, Bos javanicus, and Bos gaurus), (2) those with more restricted diets and habitats today than in the past (i.e. Rusa unicolor and Bubalus arnee), and (3) those with unchanged diets and habitats over time (i.e. Axis porcinus and Muntiacus muntjak). In the case of species with dietary and habitat changes, the Pleistocene C4-grazer enamel isotopes showed a shift towards greater reliance on C3 plants or more closed environments during the Holocene. The isotopic evidence raises the question of whether climatic and environmental changes and/or anthropogenic pressure have significantly driven the population decline of threatened species and can contribute to the understanding of future conservation outlooks of existing wildlife populations in Southeast Asia.

Changes in policy and consumer preferences create opportunity for substrate products based on Lake Erie dredged sediments

Abstract Dredging is a usual operation in waterways, often necessary to maintain navigability and economic activity of ports. A recent change in the policy governing dredging operations in Ohio, United States, has pressed the investigation on reuse applications of Lake Erie dredged sediments (LES). From a value chain management perspective, this article explores marketing opportunities for substrate products formulated with LES. A mixed-mode research approach departs from a discrete choice experiment (DCE) with Ohio residents to investigate consumer preferences for hypothetical products that claim to aid Lake Erie’s environmental pressure. It also uses a case study methodology and performs a content analysis of archival records and interviews with members of the regional mulch and substrate industry. Results indicate that consumers are willing to pay for verified sustainability claims involving Lake Erie, although significant preference heterogeneity reduces the accuracy of findings. Qualitative results underscore the need for an overarching value chain marketing program and favor the development of a short chain. Three macro strategies and eleven actionable projects of interest to stakeholders were designed and validated to support LES reutilization and value aggregation. This article demonstrates how DCE and the case study methodology can be combined to examine emerging market-oriented sustainable chains.

Impact of Phosphorylation and O-GlcNAcylation on the Binding Affinity of R4 Tau Peptide to Microtubule and Its Conformational Preference upon Dissociation.

Tau is a microtubule (MT)-associated protein that binds to and stabilizes the MTs of neurons. Due to its intrinsically disordered nature, it undergoes several post-translational modifications (PTMs) that are intricately linked to both the physiological and pathophysiological roles of Tau. Prior research has shown phosphorylation and O-GlcNAcylation to have contrasting effects on Tau aggregation; however, the precise molecular mechanisms and potential synergistic effects of these modifications remain elusive. In this article, we study the impact of phosphorylation at S352, and S356, as well as the phosphorylation of O-GlcNAcylation at S356, individually and in combination, on the binding of the R4 (336-367) peptide with MTs by performing classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. By analyzing the binding free energies of the Tau-MT complex, we found that both individual and combined phosphorylation at S352 and S356 sites decreased the affinity of the R4 peptide toward MT. Surprisingly, O-GlcNAcylation, a likely neuroprotective modification, at S356 also decreased the binding affinity of Tau to MT similar to the single phosphorylation systems (pS352 or pS356) but was observed to maintain major interactions with MT comparable to unmodified R4. Additionally, we investigated the impact of phosphorylation at both sites and the interplay between phosphorylation at S352 and O-GlcNAcylation at S356, which showed that the latter preserved the interactions and affinity of the Tau with MT better than dual phosphorylation, though still not as effectively as single phosphorylation. These findings suggest that O-GlcNAcylation at residue S356 has a moderate destabilizing effect. We also performed replica-exchange MD simulations of the R4 peptide to understand the changes in conformational preferences upon phosphorylation, O-GlcNAcylation, and a combination of both modifications. Both individual and combined phosphorylation of R4 peptide at S352, and S356, sites induced salt-bridge interactions with positively charged side chains of lysine and arginine amino acids. However, O-GlcNAcylation at S356 induced secondary structural changes on the R4 peptide, leading to the formation of a β-sheet structure, consistent with previous experimental observations. Interestingly, simultaneous phosphorylation at S352 and the phosphorylation of O-GlcNAcylation at S356 resulted in conformations promoting salt-bridges and β-sheets. Thus, our study provides atomistic insights into the impact of PTMs on the binding of Tau peptide to MT and its conformational preferences upon dissociation.

Optimization Strategies in Consumer Choice Behavior for Personalized Recommendation Systems Based on Deep Reinforcement Learning

In domains such as e-commerce and media recommendations, personalized recommendation systems effectively alleviate the issue of information overload. However, existing systems still face challenges in multimodal data processing, data sparsity, and dynamic changes in user preferences. This paper proposes a Hierarchical Generative Reinforcement Learning Recommendation Optimization framework (HG-RLRO) that addresses these issues by integrating multimodal data, Generative Adversarial Networks (GAN), Inverse Reinforcement Learning (IRL), and Hierarchical Temporal Difference Learning (HTD). HG-RLRO employs a multi-agent architecture to handle textual and image data and utilizes GAN to generate simulated user behavior data to mitigate data sparsity. IRL dynamically infers user preferences across multiple time scales.

Temporal Tendencies: Exploring the Impact of Chronotype Timing on Youth Depression Risk.

Developmental changes in youth sleep preferences (chronotype) and pubertal development are consequential for youth risk for depression. Previous research has identified individual differences in chronotype in risk for psychopathology. However, little is known regarding how the timing of chronotype may confer risk in youth. This study addressed this gap by examining associations between chronotypal timing and symptoms of depression in youth. Community youth (N = 155; =12.7) completed self-report measures of chronotype, pubertal status and depression every six months for a period of one year (three assessment points). Regression analyses showed that chronotypal timing predicted change in depressive symptoms across six months (b = -0.66, p = 0.019), but not across any other timeframe. Findings suggested that youth experiencing more of a morning preference compared to same-aged peers were at increased risk for later depression across six months. Chronotypal timing continued to predict changes in symptoms of depression controlling for gender (b = -0.63, p = 0.023) and pubertal timing (b = -0.72, p = 0.012). These findings suggest that chronotypal timing is prospectively related to changes in youth symptoms of depression. Results indicate that attention to the timing of normative changes in chronotype is warranted, in addition to mean-level differences.

Mutual Shaping: A Study of Political Party Behaviour and Voter Preference Changes in Malaysia's General Elections from 2018 to 2022

ABSTRACT In November 2022, Malaysian parliamentary elections marked a significant shift as Malaysia experienced its first ‘hung parliament’ since independence. The dominant Perikatan Nasional (PN) was compelled to form a ‘Unity Government’ with its rival Barisan Nasional (BN) and other political parties. Interpretations of the outcome varied, largely attributed to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and the participation of millions of first-time voters. This paper examines the 15th Malaysian elections and trends in party politics from 2018 to 2022. It argues that the dynamic interaction between Malaysian parties, alliances, and voters significantly shapes voter preferences, influencing party agendas and image construction, thus impacting election outcomes. Through analysis of the 2018 and 2022 elections and introducing the ‘two-tier, two-way’ framework, it elucidates the intricate relationship between party-voter interaction and changes in voter preferences amidst evolving political-economic factors. The socio-economic and political landscape in Malaysia during this period exhibited distinctive characteristics. Varied party responses to these changes led to diverse campaign strategies. Consequently, the interaction between parties and voters, and the resulting voter responses, played a pivotal role in shaping campaign practices and influencing the 15th Malaysian parliamentary.

The preference for surprise in reinforcement learning underlies the differences in developmental changes in risk preference between autistic and neurotypical youth

BackgroundRisk preference changes nonlinearly across development. Although extensive developmental research on the neurotypical (NTP) population has shown that risk preference is highest during adolescence, developmental changes in risk preference in autistic (AUT) people, who tend to prefer predictable behaviors, have not been investigated. Here, we aimed to investigate these changes and underlying computational mechanisms.MethodWe ran a game-like risk-sensitive reinforcement learning task on 75 participants aged 6–30 years (AUT group, n = 31; NTP group, n = 44). Focusing on choices between alternatives with the same objective value but different risks, we calculated the risk preference and stay probability of a risky choice after a rewarding or non-rewarding outcome. Analyses using t-tests and multiple regression analyses were conducted. Using the choice-related data of each participant, we fit four reinforcement learning models and compared the fit of each model to the data. Furthermore, we validated the results of model fitting with multiple methods, model recovery, parameter recovery, and posterior predictive check.ResultsWe found a significant difference in nonlinear developmental changes in risk preference between the AUT and NTP groups. The computational modeling approach with reinforcement learning models revealed that individual preferences for surprise modulated such preferences.ConclusionsThese findings indicate that for NTP people, adolescence is a developmental period involving risk preference, possibly due to lower surprise aversion. Conversely, for AUT people, who show opposite developmental change of risk preference, adolescence could be a developmental period involving risk avoidance because of low surprise preference.

The evolution of preferred male traits, female preference and the G matrix: "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore".

Female preference exerts selection on male traits. How such preferences affect male traits, how female preferences change and the genetic correlation between male traits and female preference were examined by an experiment in which females were either mated to males they preferred (S lines) or to males chosen at random from the population (R lines). Female preference was predicted to increase the time spent calling by males. Thirteen other song components were measured. Preference for individual traits was greatest for time spent calling(CALL), volume(VOL) and chirp rate(CHIRP) but the major contributors in the multivariate function were CALL and CHIRP, the univariate influence of VOL arising from correlations to these traits. Estimation of β, the standardized selection differential, for CALL resulting from female preference showed that it was under strong direct selection. However, contrary to prediction, CALL did not change over the course of the experiment whereas VOL, CHIRP and other song components did. Simulation of the experiment using the estimated G matrix showed that lack of change in CALL resulted from indirect genetic effects negating direct effects. Changes in song components were largely due to indirect effects. This experiment showed that female preference may exert strong selection on traits but how they respond to such selection will depend greatly upon the G matrix. As predicted, female preference declined in the R lines. The genetic correlations between preference and preferred traits did not decline significantly more in the R lines, suggesting correlations resulted from both linkage disequilibrium and pleiotropy.

Application of Plant Extracts Rich in Anthocyanins in the Development of Intelligent Biodegradable Packaging: An Overview

Consumers are increasingly opting for food with high quality, in addition to practicality, as there are changes in time, habits and preferences, demanding that the food and packaging industries adapt to a new lifestyle. Intelligent packaging provides consumers with real-time information about the quality and safety of packaged products. A critical analysis of the processes used to develop these packages was carried out. In this context, this review aims to analyze the concept of intelligent packaging, emphasizing the incorporation of extracts rich in anthocyanins, verifying its relationship with the development of new technologies and discussing current aspects of the scientific production process of the packaging. It was also highlighted that anthocyanin compounds are susceptible to pH variations. As an indicator of pH variation, a plant extract was necessary to incorporate into a solid matrix to immobilize the dye. The pH indicator film represents a simple and visual method to detect changes in food products. In this sense, technological processes and resources have been gaining prominence with the premise of offering quality, convenience and safety for consumers and companies.

Guidance for successful healthcare transformation: A systematic review of change management practices and outcomes

The increasing pace of healthcare transformation places emphasis on how to enact it. However, there is a difference between healthcare commentators and policymakers regarding preferred change management practice; policy guidance is rooted in diagnostic practices, whereas commentators suggest that dialogic is a more appropriate practice for ensuring success. What is missing from this debate is evidence to inform whether commentators’ suggestions will increase the likelihood of successful transformation outcomes. This study presents a systematic review of change management practices and outcomes, identifying 10 papers that report on 292 cases of transformation. It finds broad support that dialogic increases the likelihood of successful transformation, providing supporting evidence for updating healthcare policy and practice. JEL Classification: I18

Alternative splicing of modulatory immune receptors in T lymphocytes: a newly identified and targetable mechanism for anticancer immunotherapy.

Alternative splicing (AS) is a mechanism that generates translational diversity within a genome. Equally important is the dynamic adaptability of the splicing machinery, which can give preference to one isoform over others encoded by a single gene. These isoform preferences change in response to the cell's state and function. Particularly significant is the impact of physiological alternative splicing in T lymphocytes, where specific isoforms can enhance or reduce the cells' reactivity to stimuli. This process makes splicing isoforms defining features of cell states, exemplified by CD45 splice isoforms, which characterize the transition from naïve to memory states. Two developments have accelerated the use of AS dynamics for therapeutic interventions: advancements in long-read RNA sequencing and progress in nucleic acid chemical modifications. Improved oligonucleotide stability has enabled their use in directing splicing to specific sites or modifying sequences to enhance or silence particular splicing events. This review highlights immune regulatory splicing patterns with potential significance for enhancing anticancer immunotherapy.

Seasonal changes in mood and behaviors in individuals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder trait.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder often accompanied by mood disorders such as seasonal affective disorder (SAD), characterized by seasonal mood and behavioral changes. Although a genetic link between ADHD and SAD has been proposed, research on their relationship remains limited. An online questionnaire survey was conducted to explore the relationship between ADHD traits and seasonal mood changes. The Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) and the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ), measured by the General Seasonality Score (GSS), were used. From a sample of 3000 participants, a significant correlation was found between ASRS and GSS (r=0.42, p<0.001). Potential ADHD subjects had significantly higher GSS scores than non-ADHD subjects (mean 10.2 vs. 6.7, p<0.001). The prevalence of potential SAD during winter was higher among potential ADHD participants: 8.5% in potential ADHD participants, and 2.0% in non-ADHD participants (p<0.001). Further analyses indicated that possible ADHD participants experienced significant seasonal changes in body weight, sleep duration, and food preferences. Additional analyses using GSS as a covariate showed that changes in body weight and sleep duration were not solely due to GSS, whereas changes in food preference were significantly associated with GSS. This study demonstrated that individuals with ADHD traits are more susceptible to seasonal mood variations. Additionally, ADHD traits were significantly associated with seasonal changes in body weight, sleep patterns, and food preferences. These findings underscore the importance of considering seasonal factors in clinical settings to improve the quality of life for individuals with ADHD.

Advancing explainability of adversarial trained Convolutional Neural Networks for robust engineering applications

The great success of Convolutional Neural Networks has driven their widespread use in Industry 5.0, especially in safety-critical applications where model robustness is essential. While adversarial training is commonly used to make models more robust, it often changes how the model fuses features, leading to complex trade-offs and making its behavior harder to understand. This lack of transparency contradicts the demand for interpretable and trustworthy artificial intelligence systems in modern industry, where applications like autonomous driving and intelligent medical systems require model interpretability to assign post-accident responsibility and support legal and liability decisions. Our work introduces an innovative approach to enhance the interpretability of adversarially trained Convolutional Neural Networks, providing detailed and quantifiable insights through a six-dimensional semantic framework. This framework, which examines objects, parts, scenes, materials, textures, and colors, offers fine-grained explanations that closely mirror human cognitive processes. We conduct extensive experiments across multiple classical models, and the results reveal that adversarial training induces structure-dependent changes in feature preferences, offering insights into the trade-off between standard and robust accuracy in adversarially trained Convolutional Neural Networks. These findings provide rational support for the use of artificial intelligence in real-world applications and promote the development and implementation of explainable artificial intelligence in modern industries.

Dominance, prestige, and intergroup conflict: How and why leadership preferences change in response to social context.

Dominance, prestige, and intergroup conflict: How and why leadership preferences change in response to social context.

Exogenous Shock, Time Preference, and Utility Curvature

This paper analyzes the interaction between change in time preference caused by exogenous shock and utility curvature using a model of behavioral economics. Time preference is an important factor for determining individuals’ intertemporal choices in their daily lives. In traditional economics, individuals’ time discount rates have been assumed to be constant over their lives. However, behavioral economists point out that some individuals follow a hyperbolic discounting rate. Especially, recent some empirical studies reveal that individual’s preferences change through exogenous shocks such as natural disaster. This study considers the case that individuals prefer present consumption to future consumption because their expected utility from consumption falls by exogenous shock and analyzes the effect of their utility curvature. Keywords: Time preference, Economic shock, Life-cycle model

‘I know I am caring’: fostering ethical care awareness and practice among pre-service early childhood teachers

ABSTRACT Ethical care in early childhood education [ECE] involves practices and principles that guide educators in nurturing young children with respect, empathy, and moral responsibility. As a dynamic field, learning how to care for young children using context-specific approaches in real-life situations can be challenging for pre-service early childhood teachers owing to insufficient training and opportunities for reflective practice that require ongoing adaptation and learning. We propose a practice-based learning approach that combines reflective practice, context-specific training, and collaborative learning designed to foster the practical wisdom needed for pre-service early childhood teachers to respond to ethical care. For navigating complex situations and context-specific decision making, the participants identified the roles and functions of sensing behaviour, empathising with needs, responsive interaction, being present, engaging in equal dialogue, using gentle tone and appropriate body language in different ethical care dilemmas, and effectively combining theoretical knowledge with practical application. This practice-based approach incorporates reflective exercises, mentorship, and peer feedback to promote changes in the learning preferences and professional identity development of pre-service early childhood teachers. It highlights the profound influence of a practice-based learning approach on both professional development and the development of ethical care competencies among pre-service early childhood educators.

Building share identities through food: a qualitative analysis of social representations of typical food during early adolescence

ABSTRACT Food is an essential aspect of human culture, but industrialization and social change have led to changes in dietary preferences, resulting in what is now known as food modernity. The intertwining of different cultures through creolization has shaped new culinary traditions, highlighting the importance of typical foods. This study examines the social representations of typical food among young adolescents during early adolescence, a crucial period for the preservation of culinary traditions. A qualitative analysis was carried out on 79 students from a secondary school in the city of Venice, identifying four influential dimensions: territorial, temporal, intimate and collective. The study showed that food representations are influenced by a complex interplay of social, cultural and emotional factors. This information can be used to target interventions and promote critical cultural awareness. Further research is needed to understand the influence of social transitions and multicultural environments on dietary choices during early adolescence in order to promote holistic well-being.

Changes in Risk Tolerance for Ovarian Cancer Prevention Strategies during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results of a Discrete Choice Experiment.

Prior to COVID-19, little was known about how risks associated with such a pandemic would compete with and influence patient decision making regarding cancer risk reducing medical decision making. We investigated how the pandemic affected preferences for medical risk-reducing strategies among women at elevated risk of breast or ovarian cancer. We conducted a discrete choice experiment. Women about to undergo genetic testing and counseling at 2 medical centers participated. Enrollment occurred between 2019 and 2022, allowing us to investigate changes in preferences from before the pandemic to after the pandemic. Women chose from permuted scenarios that specified type of surgery, age of menopause, quality of menopausal symptoms, and risk of ovarian cancer, heart disease, or osteoporosis. A total of 355 women, with a median age of 36 y, participated. In 2019, women were less likely to choose prevention scenarios with higher ovarian cancer risk (odds ratio [OR] = 0.42 per 10-point increase in risk, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.22-0.61). In June 2020, the effect of higher ovarian cancer risk scenarios on choice was attenuated (OR = 0.86, 95% CI 0.68-1.04), with the effect becoming more salient again by July 2021 (OR = 0.59, 95% CI 0.52-0.67) (P = 0.039 for test of temporal interaction). No other attribute demonstrated a temporal trend. The risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic may have attenuated the impact of risk of ovarian cancer on choice of risk-reducing prevention strategies for ovarian cancer. The maximum attenuation occurred at the beginning of the pandemic when access to risk-reducing surgery was most restricted. Our findings highlight how individuals evaluate competing health risks and adjust their uptake of cancer prevention strategies when faced with a future pandemic or similar global crisis. In this discrete choice experiment, women were much less likely to choose prevention scenarios that had higher ovarian cancer risk prior to the COVID-19 pandemic than after the pandemic.The attenuation of preferences may have persisted through 2022.COVID-19 may have altered the relative importance of factors that motivate women to undergo risk-reducing surgeries.

Determination of noise levels and effects in noise sensitive areas case study: Sakarya province Serdivan district of Turkey.

Noise pollution has become an important type of environmental pollution, especially in populated areas, due to changes in transportation preferences and industry development. The World Health Organization reports that noise, along with air and water pollution, poses one of the most dangerous pollution threats in big cities. In this study, noise pollution measurements were carried in two different regions of a major city, focusing on sensitive points such as hospitals and schools. Surveys were administered to local residents in these areas to assess levels of annoyance due to traffic noise and awareness of noise pollution. The results show that the measured noise levels exceed the 55dB(A) limit set by the Turkish Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change, as well as WHO noise guideline values. According to the survey findings, it was determined that a majority of respondents in both regions demonstrated awareness of noise pollution. The study further revealed that while 19% of respondents reported high levels of annoyance due to traffic noise, they were more disturbed by industrial machinery and construction activities. Concerning the health effects of noise pollution, a greater number of participants in both regions reported experiencing headaches. Based on these findings, the study identifies sources of noise pollution beyond traffic noise that contribute to discomfort in sensitive areas, highlights the significant health impacts of noise pollution on individuals, and proposes potential solutions.