Description Of Behavior Research Articles

Description of control measures, attitudes, and behaviours at a scientific conference with a confirmed COVID-19 case but no reported onward transmission, November 2021 England

BackgroundCOVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) outbreaks in workplace settings have been investigated to understand how transmission occurred. However, there is limited data looking at COVID-19 transmission in conference settings in England, particularly where an outbreak did not occur. The aim of this work was to investigate COVID-19 infection risk factors and control measures at a large conference, with a known case but no reported onward transmission to inform prevention of future outbreaks of respiratory infections in conferences and similar settings. MethodsThis cross-sectional study was part of a wider COVID-19 Outbreak Investigation to Understand Transmission (COVID-OUT) study. A two-day in-person conference on SARS-CoV-2 transmission and environment was held at a university conference centre on 17–November 18, 2021, in England, with about 100 delegates. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 50 conference attendees to identify any confirmed cases and understand transmission, history of COVID-19 symptoms, testing and vaccination. ResultsOne person met the definition of a confirmed case at the conference. This case was most likely infectious when attending the conference, however there were no known secondary cases. All respondents reported receiving at least two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine before the conference and an increased frequency of handwashing/sanitising hands during the study period in comparison to before the pandemic. Prior to the conference, a COVID-19 risk assessment including a review of the ventilation at the site was completed. All attendees were advised to take an LFD test before travelling to the conference, wear face coverings, and maintain 1-m distance during the conference. ConclusionA multipronged approach, encouraging attendee behaviours (regular hand washing, mask wearing, being vaccinated against COVID-19) and introducing control measures at the conference site (ventilation, sufficient spacing capacity, combined with prior knowledge of COVID-19 transmission, were effective in limiting the spread of COVID-19 in this setting.

About a “Certain-uncertain” Inconsistency within the Generally Accepted Experimental Procedures of Behavioral Economics

Old problems of the mathematical description of the economic behavior of a man are briefly reviewed. They are the comparison of choices of a man between uncertain and sure games and the radically different behavior of a man in different domains. The proposed solution of the problems consists of purely mathematical methods and models. They are briefly reviewed in the Appendix. In the present article, the main attention is paid to the analysis of the experimental support of this possible solution. The generally accepted random incentive experimental procedures are discussed. A “certain-uncertain” inconsistency between the certain type of choices and the uncertain type of incentives is revealed and analyzed.

Experimental Analysis and Numerical Modelling of the Mechanical Behavior of a Sisal-Fiber-Reinforced Geopolymer

The present paper is devoted to the proposal of appropriate numerical modelling able to provide a suitable description of the mechanical behavior of a composite geopolymer. Reference is made to a natural sisal-fiber-reinforced geopolymer. The study is based on the results of appropriate experimental investigations for compressive, flexural and splitting loadings, taking into account different weight percentages of fibers to evidence their role in the mechanical behavior. The main objective of the paper is to calibrate the microplane constitutive model, available in ANSYS software version 18.1, where the numerical analyses are performed. Therefore, the present study is structured in two different steps. Firstly, the mechanical behavior of geopolymers reinforced with sisal fibers is experimentally investigated, and subsequently, the gathered test data are interpreted and utilized to calibrate the relevant constitutive model to be used in the numerical stage. The obtained results are compared with experimental data, yielding good correlations. The paper’s results supply the parameters required to obtain an affordable numerical model of the reinforced geopolymer for different percentages of fibers to be adopted for material design with assigned mechanical properties.

Modelling of water injection-induced shear stimulation and heat extraction in hot fractured reservoirs

Hydroshearing has been proposed as an effective technique for enhancing the permeability of fractured geothermal reservoirs. This approach involves complicated thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) coupling, but the shear behaviour and its effect on flow and heat transfer are often simplified. In this study, Barton–Bandis (BB) joint behaviour is extended to include nonlinear rock joint deformation, shear dilation and post peak softening and healing behaviours. Two models of field-scale fractured geothermal reservoirs are considered. In addition, the widely used Mohr-Coulomb (MC) model is also incorporated into the THM coupled model for comparison. The results show that cold water injection-induced high-temperature rock contraction and fluid pressure increase, reducing the effective stress and promoting fracture shear deformation and irreversible slip. Moreover, shear dilation, shear softening, and nonlinear fracture opening notably alter reservoir permeability. The two models exhibit entirely different behaviours due to different pathway evolutions and consequent pressure build-up. The BB model displays a larger shear disturbance zone than the MC model, significantly enhancing the permeability and heat extraction within the fractured reservoirs. Accurate descriptions of the mechanical behaviour of rock fractures in hydroshearing models are crucial, suggesting the potential of these models to enhance fractured reservoirs and regulate fracturing for improved geothermal heat extraction.

Delayed neutron library analysis using dynamic control rod calibration method based on results from the VR-1 reactor experiment and Serpent transient calculation

This study is focused on a comparison of experimental neutron flux data from the VR-1 reactor with results from Serpent calculation. Serpent data were calculated by the dynamic part of the code and the steady-state criticality calculation. The Serpent calculation was performed with the JEFF 3.3 and ENDF/B-VIII.0 nuclear data library. This paper expands previous work and focuses on the integral control rod worth. Comparison of the ENDF/B-VIII.0 and JEFF 3.3 nuclear data libraries with experimental data is especially valuable. The comparison shows better performance of JEFF 3.3 nuclear data instead of ENDF/B-VIII.0 for the transient calculation of the cases presented in this article. In addition, the comparison of static and dynamic reactivity provided an interesting difference, especially for small rod insertion. Moreover, the study confirms that the Serpent dynamic external source simulation mode provides an accurate description of reactor behavior, and that the shape of the integral control rod worth is close to one experimentally measured.

Density functional theory‐based rapid and accurate estimation of reduction potentials of acridinium derivatives in ground and excited state

AbstractWe devised a quantum chemical simulation protocol that can rapidly and accurately predict ground and excited state reduction potentials (E0 and E*, respectively) of acridinium photoredox catalysts (PCs). To bypass time‐consuming excited state geometry optimizations, we used ground state equilibrium geometries to compute the electronic energy of excited states, which provides reasonable E0 and E* estimates. The contribution of Hartree‐Fock exchange (HFX) in density functionals was systematically varied to estimate E0 and E*. In addition to reproducing experimental results, physically sensible models, such as correct descriptions of exciton behavior, are highly necessary. Based on the exciton correlation values, the appropriate amount of HFX in the B3LYP functional was determined to be 30 % to yield physically sensible bound electron‐hole pairs for small organic molecules. We also investigated the impact of basis sets on the predictability of E0 and E*. Geometry optimizations with B3LYP‐D2(HFX 20 %)/6‐31G and single point energy refinement with (TD‐)B3LYP‐D2(HFX 30%)/6‐311++G(d,p) yielded the best results. The transferability of the suggested protocol was confirmed with a test set consisting of eight acridinium derivatives. This study can provide reasonably accurate results with relatively small amounts of computational resources, and it is therefore expected to greatly contribute to the development of new acridinium PCs.

Biomechanical characterization of cadaveric brachial plexus regions using uniaxial tensile tests

IntroductionThe proximal regions of the brachial plexus (roots, trunks) are more susceptible to permanent damage due to stretch injuries than the distal regions (cords, terminal branches). A better description of brachial plexus mechanical behavior is necessary to better understand deformation mechanisms in stretch injury.The purpose of this study was to model the biomechanical behavior of each portion of the brachial plexus (roots, trunks, cords, peripheral nerves) in a cadaveric model and report differences in elastic modulus, maximum stress and maximum strain. MethodsEight cadaveric plexi, divided into 47 segments according to regions of interest, underwent cyclical uniaxial tensile tests, using a BOSE® Electroforce® 3330 and INSTRON® 5969 material testing machines, to obtain the stress and strain histories of each specimen.Maximum stress, maximum strain and elastic modulus were extracted from the load–displacement and stress–strain curves.Statistical analyses used 1-way ANOVA with post-hoc Tukey HSD (Honestly Significant Difference) and Mann-Whitney tests. ResultsMean elastic modulus was 8.65 MPa for roots, 8.82 MPa for trunks, 22.44 MPa for cords, and 26.43 MPa for peripheral nerves. Differences in elastic modulus and in maximum stress were statistically significant (p < 0.001) between proximal (roots, trunks) and distal (cords, peripheral nerves) specimens. ConclusionsProximal structures demonstrated significantly smaller elastic modulus and maximum stress than distal structures. These data confirm the greater fragility of proximal regions of the brachial plexus.

Methods Used to Estimate Reservoir Pressure Performance: A Review

Reservoir pressure plays a significant role in all reservoir and production engineering studies. It is crucial to characterize petroleum reservoirs: by detecting fluid movement, computing oil in place, and calculating the recovery factor. Knowledge of reservoir pressure is essential for predicting future production rates, optimizing well performance, or planning enhanced oil recovery strategies. However, applying the methods to investigate reservoir pressure performance is challenging because reservoirs are large, complex systems with irregular geometries in subsurface formations with numerous uncertainties and limited information about the reservoir's structure and behavior. Furthermore, many computational techniques, both numerical and analytical, have been utilized to examine reservoir pressure performance. This paper summarizes the concepts and applications of traditional and novel ways to investigate reservoir pressure changes over time. It provides a comprehensive review that assists the reader in recognizing and distinguishing between various techniques for obtaining an accurate description of reservoir pressure behavior during production, such as the reservoir simulation method, material balance equation approach, time-lapse seismic data, and modern artificial intelligence methods. Thus, the central concept of these procedures and a list of the authors' research are discussed.

Online Identification of Nonlinear Systems With Separable Structure.

Separable nonlinear models (SNLMs) are of great importance in system modeling, signal processing, and machine learning because of their flexible structure and excellent description of nonlinear behaviors. The online identification of such models is quite challenging, and previous related work usually ignores the special structure where the estimated parameters can be partitioned into a linear and a nonlinear part. In this brief, we propose an efficient first-order recursive algorithm for SNLMs by introducing the variable projection (VP) step. The proposed algorithm utilizes the recursive least-squares method to eliminate the linear parameters, resulting in a reduced function. Then, the stochastic gradient descent (SGD) algorithm is employed to update the parameters of the reduced function. By considering the tight coupling relationship between linear parameters and nonlinear parameters, the proposed first-order VP algorithm is more efficient and robust than the traditional SGD algorithm and alternating optimization algorithm. More importantly, since the proposed algorithm just uses the first-order information, it is easier to apply it to large-scale models. Numerical results on examples of different sizes confirm the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed algorithm.

Removal of phenol from aqueous solution using montmorillonite-Fe3O4-humic acid (MFH) nanocomposite

Abstract Phenol is a highly toxic pollutant commonly found in industrial wastewater. Its removal is crucial to protect the environment and human health. Various methods are available for phenol removal, but adsorption is the most widely used and effective approach. Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NP) have emerged as a promising adsorbent due to their cost-effectiveness, high surface area, and exceptional adsorption capabilities. However, its small size can lead to issues such as oxidation, aggregation, and difficulty in separation. This study introduces a new approach for phenol removal using a montmorillonite-Fe3O4-humic acid (MFH) nanocomposite. The synthesis of the MFH nanocomposite involved dispersing Fe3O4 nanoparticles onto montmorillonite clay and coating the surface with humic acid to enhance stability and adsorption efficiency. The prepared MFH nanocomposite was thoroughly characterized to find the morphology, composition and functional group. FTIR spectroscopy revealed the presence of Fe-O, O-Si and C=O vibrations which confirmed the successful formation of the nanocomposite. The average crystal size of the synthesized nanoparticles is obtained from XRD analysis as 10.99 nm. The Fe3O4: montmorillonite ratio was found to influence the adsorption performance, with a Fe3O4:montmorillonite ratio of 1:4 exhibiting the highest removal efficiency. Batch experiments were performed to assess the phenol removal effectiveness of the MFH nanocomposite. At optimum operating conditions of pH 4 and contact time 150 minutes, the phenol removal efficiency was found to decrease from 98% to 87% when the concentration of phenol in influent increased from 10 to 100 mg/L. The adsorption kinetics of phenol on MFH followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, indicating a chemisorption process with strong correlation and agreement between experimental and predicted results. The Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models both provided suitable descriptions of the adsorption behaviour. The maximum adsorption capacity (qm) was determined to be 11.14 mg/g. The presence of carbonyl groups(C=O), Hydroxyl groups (-OH) and silanol groups (Si-O) in MFH offers a significant advantage for enhancing the removal efficiency of phenol. The phenol sorption capacity of MFH nanocomposites was found to be significantly greater compared to that of magnetite. The results showed that the developed MFH nanocomposite offers a promising solution for the efficient removal of phenol from wastewater.

Inferiority Complex in Adolescent Users of The Tiktok Application

In today's digital era, the role of social media such as TikTok can influence the formation of adolescent self concepts. If it is not accompanied by a positive attitude, the various content seen can create a stimulus that forms a negative self-concept for adolescents. Inferiority complex is a condition in which individuals cannot compensate for feelings of inferiority so they tend to view their self-concepts negatively and feel powerless to face the environment. This study aims to determine the description of inferiority complex behavior in adolescent users of the TikTok application. This research is a mix method with purposive sampling technique. Quantitative data collection using an inferiority feeling scale. Qualitative data collection using interviews to 6 respondents with low, medium, and high inferiority complex categories. The results of the study describe that the inferiority complex behavior of adolescent users of the TikTok application is related to aspects of social confidence, school abilities, self-regard, physical appearance, and physical abilities. The survey results also found that 8.82% of teenagers using the TikTok application had a low level of inferiority complex; 85.30% at moderate level; and 5.88% at high levels.

Acoustic behavior of humpback whale calves on the feeding ground: Comparisons across age and implications for vocal development.

Studying sound production at different developmental stages can provide insight into the processes involved in vocal ontogeny. Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) are a known vocal learning species, but their vocal development is poorly understood. While studies of humpback whale calves in the early stages of their lives on the breeding grounds and migration routes exist, little is known about the behavior of these immature, dependent animals by the time they reach the feeding grounds. In this study, we used data from groups of North Atlantic humpback whales in the Gulf of Maine in which all members were simultaneously carrying acoustic recording tags attached with suction cups. This allowed for assignment of likely caller identity using the relative received levels of calls across tags. We analyzed data from 3 calves and 13 adults. There were high levels of call rate variation among these individuals and the results represent preliminary descriptions of calf behavior. Our analysis suggests that, in contrast to the breeding grounds or on migration, calves are no longer acoustically cryptic by the time they reach their feeding ground. Calves and adults both produce calls in bouts, but there may be some differences in bout parameters like inter-call intervals and bout durations. Calves were able to produce most of the adult vocal repertoire but used different call types in different proportions. Finally, we found evidence of immature call types in calves, akin to protosyllables used in babbling in other mammals, including humans. Overall, the sound production of humpback whale calves on the feeding grounds appears to be already similar to that of adults, but with differences in line with ontogenetic changes observed in other vocal learning species.

Investigating Task-Oriented Leader’ Behavior in Public and Private Universities to Establish the Structure of Quality Improvement

This study aimed to ascertain if task-oriented leaders' behavior and the establishment of structures to improve the caliber of universities are correlated. Furthermore, this research also assessed the disparity in the quality improvement framework between public and private universities and the variation in task-oriented leadership behavior shown by leaders in these universities. The survey comprised 369 participants, including Punjab's heads of departments, faculty deans, and directors of quality improvement cells drawn from public and private universities, as well as those accredited by the Higher Education Commission (HEC). Task-oriented leaders' behavior was assessed using the Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire (LBDQ), while universities' quality improvement progress was gauged using the Institutional Performance Questionnaire (IPQ). The independent sample t-test and Pearson Correlation Coefficient were used to examine the data. According to the research, leaders at public universities are more task-oriented than private ones. Furthermore, the study showed that private universities had better quality improvement structures than public universities. The results of this study indicate that enhancing the quality of universities may benefit from a task-oriented leadership style.

Pit Lake Slope Stability under Water Level Variations

This paper presents the results of a geotechnical investigation regarding the slope stability in a pit lake, emphasizing the impact of water level variations. Advanced analysis techniques were utilized for this study. The research was performed by using fully coupled flow-deformation analyses. For the fully coupled approach, Bishop’s effective-stress equation was used, and for the description of soil hydraulic behavior, the Van Genuchten’s model was applied. The analysis of slope stability associated with reservoir water level changes revealed that the slope tended to become unstable as the water level decreased; the stability factor was negatively related to the rate of water level reduction. Concerning the water level fluctuations, the analyses revealed that the soil mass seemed to become less stable as the rate of water level change increased. Under a specific range of rates of water level variation, the safety factor became higher as the number of fluctuations increased. Additionally, the simulation results concerning the water level rising indicate that the pressure due to the external water level acts on the slope surface with a positive impact on the stability factor. The results obtained reflect the effects under a specific site condition, but they can be used as a reference for evaluating slope stability in a pit lake design.

A modified Johnson–Cook model for the plastic behavior of metals in ultrasonic vibration-assisted upsetting processes

In this work, we present a constitutive description of the plastic behavior of the metals and alloys under Ultrasonic Vibration (UV). When UV is imposed, it induces a softening effect on the plastic deformation of metals and alloys, referred to as the acoustoplastic phenomenon. The volumetric softening mechanism of the acoustoplasticity must consider stress superposition and acoustic softening. Taking the Johnson–Cook (JC) constitutive model as the reference for metal thermo-plasticity, the flow stress reduction due to UV is introduced by three types of softening terms: subtractive, multiplicative, and coupled. Those different configurations will be quantified via physical and phenomenological assumptions. For the study and validation of the proposed constitutive models, we focus on a well-known material, 6063 aluminum alloy. The ultrasonic vibration is modeled by an assisted upsetting process of an aluminum billet and compared with experiments. The impact of variations of the strain rate, ultrasonic amplitude, and frequency on the softening behavior of the models are analyzed and compared with available experimental results. We find out that the subtractive and coupled models agreed well with the experimental results showing the errors ranging from 2.4–4.8% and 4.4%–8%, respectively. However, the predictive ability of the multiplicative model exhibits large discrepancies at the low stage of strains following the acceptable predictions at high stains. By understanding the impact of the UV on the acoustoplastic deformation of the metals and alloys we can establish a reliable theoretical framework for prospective numerical studies of the UV-assisted manufacturing processes which is the goal of the current research presented here.

Context matters: The influence of the social situation on source memory

AbstractPrevious research has demonstrated that people remember negative reputational information particularly well. However, most of these experiments manipulated the type of information associated with each face, rather than manipulating the circumstances under which people learn this information. The present experiment examines the effect of the social situation on memory for social-exchange relevant information. Faces were paired with descriptions of cheating, trustworthy, or neutral behavior. In addition, the importance of the social situation was manipulated: Participants had either to decide if they would want to work with the described person on a student project (socially relevant scenario) or if they would want to ask this person what time it is while waiting at an airport (socially irrelevant scenario). A multinomial processing tree model was used to measure old–new item discrimination and source memory. Only in the socially relevant scenario a source memory advantage for cheaters was found.

Attributes of leadership skill development in high-performance pre-hospital medical teams: results of an international multi-service prospective study

BackgroundsTeam leadership skills of physicians working in high-performing medical teams are directly related to outcome. It is currently unclear how these skills can best be developed. Therefore, in this multi-national cross-sectional prospective study, we explored the development of these skills in relation to physician-, organization- and training characteristics of Helicopter Emergency Medicine Service (HEMS) physicians from services in Europe, the United States of America and Australia.MethodsPhysicians were asked to complete a survey regarding their HEMS service, training, and background as well as a full Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire (LBDQ). Primary outcomes were the 12 leadership subdomain scores as described in the LBDQ. Secondary outcome measures were the association of LBDQ subdomain scores with specific physician-, organization- or training characteristics and self-reported ways to improve leadership skills in HEMS physicians.ResultsIn total, 120 HEMS physicians completed the questionnaire. Overall, leadership LBDQ subdomain scores were high (10 out of 12 subdomains exceeded 70% of the maximum score). Whereas physician characteristics such as experience or base-specialty were unrelated to leadership qualities, both organization- and training characteristics were important determinants of leadership skill development. Attention to leadership skills during service induction, ongoing leadership training, having standards in place to ensure (regular) scenario training and holding structured mission debriefs each correlated with multiple LBDQ subdomain scores.ConclusionsOngoing training of leadership skills should be stimulated and facilitated by organizations as it contributes to higher levels of proficiency, which may translate into a positive effect on patient outcomes.Trial registrationNot applicable.

A behavioural description of meaningful moments of interaction between people with profound intellectual disabilities and support staff.

It can be challenging for support staff to develop meaningful moments of interaction with people with profound intellectual disabilities. Gathering information on observable behaviour characterising such meaningful moments is expected to be beneficial. Three staff-client dyadic interactions were videotaped for 30 min. During reviewing the recording, staff members indicated which moments of interaction they experienced as meaningful. Per dyad, one meaningful moment was microanalytically coded via a developed coding system, and behaviourally described. The coding system reliably coded behaviour at the micro level. Exploratory results indicated that looking, movement and touching were most shown, and that staff displayed this behaviour more frequently than their clients. Both exhibited behaviours substantially more often during meaningful moments than at their onset. People with profound intellectual disabilities are more engaged during meaningful moments of interaction compared to at their onset. In daily practice, cultivating circumstances increasing their involvement is important.

Phase-sensitive optical coherence tomography reveals droplet penetration into a powder bed

Understanding the mixing behavior that unfolds when liquid droplets impact on powder beds requires a sub-surface dynamic imaging method that provides high spatial and temporal resolution. In this study, a high-resolution phase-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PhS-OCT) technique was introduced to provide in-depth insights into the interaction of droplets and powder beds. A theoretical model correlating changes in the optical path differences (OPD) of the OCT signal with physical properties of the powder bed was presented. Experiments were conducted on three powders with median particle diameters, i.e., the size corresponding to the 50th percentile of the cumulative volume distribution, of 3 µm (mannitol), 4 µm (mannitol) and 109 µm (SV010). Water and ethanol droplets were used to illustrate the technique. The results demonstrated that OPD maps can qualitatively resolve the liquid-powder mixture region, both temporally and spatially, as the droplet diffuses into the powder bed, allowing for a quantitative description of diffusion behavior. A comparison of lactose and mannitol powder samples revealed varying diffusion rates, potentially attributed to differences in porosity, particle size, and agglomeration. Additionally, water and ethanol droplets exhibited significantly different (p = 0.005) diffusion profiles for the same powder properties. In general, the findings indicate the potential of the proposed PhS-OCT technique for evaluating the mixing behavior of multi-phase mixtures, holding promise in applications such as pharmaceutical drug formulations and additive manufacturing.

Thermodynamic modeling of CsF with LiF-NaF-KF for molten fluoride-fueled reactors

Gibbs energy models were developed to describe the thermochemical behavior of CsF in molten FLiNaK (46.5LiF-11.5NaF-42KF mol%), a proposed molten salt reactor (MSR) fuel solvent and coolant, as cesium is of concern due to its high radiotoxicity and volatility. Initially, it was necessary to obtain a more accurate Gibbs energy function for CsF which required fitting parameters to reported vapor pressures over condensed phase CsF. The pseudo-binary systems CsF-LiF, CsF-NaF and CsF-KF were then evaluated utilizing phase equilibria and enthalpy of mixing (ΔmixH) values, together with original differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurements performed for the CsF-LiF and CsF-KF systems. The CsF-LiF-NaF, CsF-LiF-KF and CsF-NaF-KF pseudo-ternary system representations were obtained by interpolation of the constituent pseudo-binary systems, with DSC measurements performed for the CsF-LiF-NaF system to corroborate the calculated liquidus temperature. Ultimately, the pseudo-ternary systems were interpolated to obtain Gibbs energy models for the pseudo-quaternary CsF-LiF-NaF-KF system, supported by DSC measurements at low CsF compositions (1–10 mol%), yielding computed equilibria and cesium-containing vapor pressures that compare favorably with reported values. The Molten Salt Thermal Properties Database – Thermochemical (MSTDB-TC) was subsequently expanded to include these Gibbs energy models allowing description of the thermochemical behavior of the CsF-LiF-NaF-KF system.