Effects Of Exclusion Research Articles

Advances in Graphene-Based Materials for Metal Ion Sensing and Wastewater Treatment: A Review

Graphene-based materials, including graphene oxide (GO) and functionalized derivatives, have demonstrated exceptional potential in addressing environmental challenges related to heavy metal detection and wastewater treatment. This review presents the latest advancements in graphene-based electrochemical and fluorescence sensors, emphasizing their superior sensitivity and selectivity in detecting metal ions, such as Pb2⁺, Cd2⁺, and Hg2⁺, even in complex matrices. The key focus of this review is on the use of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to understand and predict ion transport through graphene membranes, offering insights into their mechanisms and efficiency in removing contaminants. Particularly, this article reviews the effects of external conditions, pore radius, functionalization, and multilayers on water purification to provide comprehensive insights into filtration membrane design. Functionalized graphene membranes exhibit enhanced ion rejection through tailored electrostatic interactions and size exclusion effects, achieving up to 100% rejection rates for selected heavy metals. Multilayered and hybrid graphene composites further improve filtration performance and structural stability, enabling sustainable, large-scale water purification. However, challenges related to fabrication scalability, environmental impact, and cost remain. This review also highlights the importance of computational approaches and innovative material designs in overcoming these barriers, paving the way for future breakthroughs in graphene-based filtration technologies.

Effect of Insect Exclusion and Microbial Perturbation on Piglet Mass Loss and Total Body Score

Recent conceptual and empirical developments in decomposition research have highlighted the intricate dynamics within necrobiome communities and the roles of various decay drivers. Yet the interactions between these factors and their regulatory mechanisms remain relatively unexplored. A comprehensive understanding of this facet of decomposition science is important, given its broad applicability across ecological and forensic disciplines, and current lack of research which investigates the inter-dependencies between two critical components of the necrobiome (the microbiome and insect activity), and the consequences of this interdependency on mass loss and total body score. Here we investigated the relationships among these key aspects of the decay process. We experimentally manipulated these variables by physically excluding insects and chemically perturbing the external microbiome of piglet (Sus scrofa) carcasses and quantified the effects on mass loss and total body score, as well as insect pre-appearance interval and colonisation. We found that piglets in the insect excluded and microbially perturbed treatment groups exhibited a significant delay in reaching 50+% of mass loss compared with control piglets with insect access and intact microbiome. However, only remains with insects excluded displayed a significantly slower rate of total mass loss throughout the majority of the experiment and remained a significantly higher mass at the endpoint of 11,000 accumulative degree hours. Additionally, all insect excluded and microbially perturbed treatment groups displayed significantly lower total body scores compared to control piglets at corresponding time points. We also observed a significant delay in insect pre-appearance interval and colonisation for piglets with perturbed microbiomes compared to control piglets. Our findings demonstrate the significance of interacting components of the necrobiome, and the power of manipulative experiments in revealing causal relationships between biota and decomposition rates. These considerations are paramount for developing accurate post-mortem interval estimations and a comprehensive understanding of ecological processes during decomposition.

Enhanced solid-liquid synergistic microextraction of nine bisphenols in serum using polyaniline functionalized metal-organic framework nanocomposites/methyl tert-butyl ether.

Bisphenols, as a new class of environmental endocrine disruptors (EED), can interfere with the endocrine system of the human body and lead to various diseases. In this study, a novel polyaniline functionalized metal-organic framework (PANI@MIL-101@HF) was synthesized by utilizing hollow fibers (HF) as the the immobilization carrier, and combined with methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) for solid-liquid cooperative adsorption to determine bisphenols (BPs) in serum samples.The immobilized adsorbent exhibited excellent high stability and hydrophobicity. Furthermore, the inclusion of amino and benzene rings in PANI enhanced the adsorption efficiency of BPs through π-π and hydrogen bond interactions. Surprisingly, owing to the synergies of size exclusion effect of the MIL-101 and HF, the exclusion rate of protein reached as high as 99.2-99.9%. Based on its excellent adsorption properties and protein exclusion effect, the immobilized adsorbent PANI@MIL-101@HF was successfully used as a new restricted material for the high extraction performance with solid-liquid synergy of nine bisphenols (BPs) in serum samples. The operation process has also become more convenient without centrifuging. Integrated with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS), the nine BPs in serum samples have a wide linear range (2-200ngmL-1) with low quantitative limits of 0.02ngmL-1, and the recoveries ranged from 84.65 to 112.56%. The proposed method could be widely applied in convenient, green, and sensitive detection of endocrine disruptors from serum samples.

The mattering citizen: young adults with mental illness and complex needs’ experiences and perceived opportunities of social inclusion

The negative effects of social exclusion are well known, as are the effects of social inclusion on quality of life and well-being. Young adults with mental illness and complex needs are among the most marginalized people in the community. There is a pressing need to better define and promote social inclusion in mental health and substance use services, addressing both objective and subjective factors. The aim of this qualitative study was to examine the experiences and perceived opportunities of social inclusion among young adults with mental illness and complex needs. This was done to develop a comprehensive understanding of social inclusion that can be applied by providers in the fields of welfare, mental health, and substance use. Seven young adults (three males/four females, aged 22–29) were recruited through Flexible Assertive Community Treatment teams and participated in the study through qualitative semi-structured interviews. The material was analyzed employing an abductive thematic analysis. The findings show the interconnection between the elements of Citizenship and Mattering and underline the need for a framework including both the psychological and sociological perspectives. Developing the Citizenship framework and incorporating the Mattering approach is suggested as a multifaceted approach to promote social inclusion in practice, calling for further research on this.

Recasting agent exclusivity in passive nominals

This paper studies the thematic restrictions on by-phrases in passive nominals, focusing on Spanish. I argue that Spanish passive nominals are not subject to the agent exclusivity effect, as such nominals can have by-phrases introducing experiencers and possessors. The real requirement, I contend, is that the external argument denotes a human entity. I further show that Romanian passive nominals behave in the same fashion. I discuss apparent cases of inanimate by-phrases in Spanish and argue that they are actually instances of causal adjuncts, and thus are not true external arguments. My account makes the prediction that, crosslinguistically, passive nominalizations do not discriminate against non-agents: rather, agent exclusivity, when found, is a side effect of the interplay between aspectual restrictions and the requirement that the external argument denote a human entity.

Relationships between online social interaction, social exclusion, and self-esteem: moderating role of familiarity

PurposeSocial interaction is an essential determinant of self-esteem. However, studies have rarely examined the psychological mechanisms underlying social interaction and self-esteem or variations in the relationship between these factors under different levels of familiarity between interactants. Therefore, the present study filled this research gap by investigating the relationships between online social interaction, social exclusion, self-esteem, and familiarity as well as the mediating effect of social exclusion and the moderation effect of familiarity on the relationship between social interaction and self-esteem.Design/methodology/approachWe employed snowball sampling for conveniently and efficiently sampling a broad range of social media users to investigate how online social interaction affected their self-esteem through the mediating effect of social exclusion and the moderation effect of familiarity.FindingsAn analysis of 390 valid questionnaires indicated that online social interaction was positively related to self-esteem. Moreover, the results indicated that this relationship was mediated by social exclusion and moderated by familiarity.Originality/valueWe recommend that social media developers avoid including a “read” mark in their applications because such a mark can result in negative emotions, negative behaviors, and social problems in users.

Cross-sectional study of cybervictimisation and non-suicidal self-injury among college students in China: a chain mediation effect of emotion dysregulation and social exclusion

ObjectivesThis study aimed to elucidate the relationship between cybervictimisation and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) behaviours among college students in China, with a particular focus on the mediating roles of emotion dysregulation...

Differential impacts of water diversion and environmental factors on bacterial, archaeal, and fungal communities in the eastern route of the South-to-North water diversion project.

Water diversion projects effectively mitigate the uneven distribution of water resources but can also influence aquatic biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Despite their importance, the impacts of such projects on multi-domain microbial community dynamics and the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Utilizing high-throughput sequencing, we investigated bacterial, archaeal, and fungal community dynamics along the eastern route of the South-to-North water diversion project during both non-water diversion period (NWDP) and water diversion period (WDP). Our findings revealed competitive exclusion effects among bacterial and archaeal communities during the WDP, characterized by decreased species richness and increased biomass, while fungal biomass significantly declined. Distance-decay relationships suggested microbial homogenization during the WDP. Robustness analyses revealed reduced community stability during the WDP, with water diversion primarily influencing bacterial stability, while environmental factors had a greater impact on archaeal and fungal communities. Stochastic processes, primarily homogenizing dispersal and drift, intensified for bacterial and fungal communities during the WDP. Notably, only bacterial functional diversity decreased during the WDP, with increased relative abundance of chemoheterotrophic and organic compound catabolic bacteria and declined photoautotrophic bacteria. PLS-PM indicated that water diversion primarily shaped bacterial assembly processes and functional guilds, whereas environmental factors had a greater influence on archaeal communities. This study enhances our understanding of microbial dynamics during the WDP and underscores the importance of assessing both direct impacts and resulting environmental fluctuations.

Effect of excluding fractured or abnormal vertebrae on the trabecular bone score measurement

SummaryBrief rationale: The use of L1–L4 vertebrae, without exclusions, has been recommended for trabecular bone score (TBS) measurements.Main result: Excluding abnormal and fractured vertebrae affected the TBS.Significance of the paper: Fracture or degenerative abnormality may not affect TBS. The preferred action may involve including all levels without exclusions.PurposeThe use of L1–L4 vertebrae, without exclusions, has been recommended for trabecular bone score (TBS) measurements. We aimed to investigate the effect of excluding fractured or abnormal vertebrae from TBS.MethodsDual-energy X-ray absorptiometry images of 2767 participants, including 1080 without excluded vertebrae, 556 with fractured vertebrae, and 1131 with abnormal vertebrae showing a 1.0 T-score difference compared to the adjacent vertebrae, were retrospectively reviewed. Differences between TBS measurements with and without fractured or abnormal vertebrae were evaluated.ResultsAmong 1080 participants without excluded vertebrae, TBS was 1.234 at L1, 1.296 at L2, 1.308 at L3, and 1.301 at L4. A significantly higher mean TBS was seen after excluding L1, whereas a significantly lower mean TBS was seen after excluding L2–L4. In the 556 participants with fractured vertebrae, excluding the involved level from the TBS calculation led to a significant difference in the total sample, women, ≥ 70 years old, and overweight subgroups. A significantly higher mean TBS was seen after excluding the fractured L1, whereas a significantly lower mean TBS was seen after excluding fractures at L2–L4. Among the 1131 participants with abnormal vertebrae, excluding the involved level from the TBS led to a significant difference in age, sex, and body mass index subgroups. Excluding abnormal L1 and L4 vertebrae led to a significantly higher and lower mean TBS, respectively.ConclusionExcluding fractured or abnormal vertebrae led to differences in TBS across various subgroups. Regarding the effect of vertebral level exclusion, the observed differences may be attributed to the systematic intervertebral variation, which is unrelated to any effect from fractures or degenerative abnormalities.

Small Moments and Turning Points for Long-term Poor Families in Norway: The Lived Experience of Having a Family Coordinator

This article contributes to the growing research field investigating intensive intervention programmes aimed at families with complex needs, focusing on the experiences of long-term poor families in Norway. There is a growing public concern about social inequalities in Norway, especially regarding child poverty and the negative effects of social and economic exclusion. The innovation project New Patterns is a means to compensate for the present silo-organised social welfare system, opting to develop holistic services targeting poor families with diverse challenges. Based on interviews and observation, the article examines how parents experience being subjected to extensive but voluntary family intervention by a designated family coordinator. We analyse what forms of change they are identifying as happening after working with the family coordinator. We find that the changes they identify can be labelled both as small moments and turning points and argue that small moments can instigate decisive changes.

The effect of fly exclusion on scavenger community and carrion decomposition varies with carrion type in a Tibetan alpine meadow

Abstract Animal carrion, an ephemeral but nutritional resource, supports diverse invertebrate species involved in the decomposition process. Necrophagous flies, as the primary colonisers on carrion, can largely affect the invertebrate community and associated carrion decomposition rates; however, field data integrating different carrion types to examine the effect of fly exclusion are evidently lacking. We conducted a field experiment to investigate the responses of arthropod scavengers and the carrion decomposition rate to fly exclusion using yak carrion and chicken carrion in a Tibetan alpine meadow. Results show that flies (maggots) and necrophagous beetles (Coleoptera: Silphidae) were the predominant scavengers on both yak carrion and chicken carrion in the Tibetan alpine meadow. The responses of maggots, necrophagous beetles and predatory beetles varied with carrion types. Specifically, during the early stage of decomposition, maggots were more abundant on chicken carrion compared to yak carrion, while necrophagous beetles and predatory beetles dominated yak carrion during the late stage. The exclusion of flies significantly decreased the richness and the abundance of arthropods on yak carrion, as well as the decomposition rate of yak carrion. Fly exclusion significantly decreased the abundance of arthropods on chicken carrion but not affected the decomposition rate of chicken carrion. Our findings clearly demonstrate that excluding flies can modify temporal successional traits and structure of scavenger community, as well as decomposition rates of both chicken carrion and yak carrion, albeit with varying effect degrees. This study represents a comprehensive investigation into the influences of necrophagous flies and carrion type on carrion decomposition on the Tibetan Plateau, which holds important implications for understanding necrophilous assemblages.

The effect of social exclusion on pain perception and heart rate variability in healthy controls and somatoform pain patients.

The overlapping neural networks of social and physical pain have been investigated intensively in recent years. It was postulated that triggering social pain might result in greater physical pain. Nonetheless, how this affects somatoform pain disorder has not yet been considered. Since an increased pain processing activity is reported in these patients, the investigation of social exclusion and its effect on this group seems interesting. Hence, the aim of this study was to compare the influence of social exclusion on healthy controls and patients with somatoform pain disorder. Nineteen patients with somatoform pain disorder and 19 healthy controls were examined. Cyberball, a virtual ball-tossing paradigm, was used to experimentally induce social exclusion and inclusion. To measure effects on pain perception, pressure pain thresholds and heart rate variability (HRV) were recorded after each round of cyberball. Demographic data, pain medication, and potential psychosocial moderators were collected by questionnaires. After social exclusion, pressure pain thresholds were significantly reduced in healthy controls (p < 0.01) as well as somatoform pain patients (p < 0.05), while HRV increased only in patients with somatoform pain disorder (p < 0.05) indicating increased parasympathetic activity. This study is the first to analyse the effects of social exclusion on pain perception in somatoform pain disorder. While the reduction in pressure pain thresholds is in line with the social pain literature, the effects on HRV could be interpreted as a form of pain regulation mechanism. However, further research is needed to investigate the role of parasympathetic activity in socially excluded somatoform pain patients.

Predictors of the inclusion of people with disabilities in small and medium-sized enterprises

Background During the last decades, studies addressing the persistently large labor-market participation gap of people with disabilities have increasingly focused attention to the role of employers and their organizations. Relatively little attention has been paid to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Objective The objective of this article is to deepen our understanding of predictors of the inclusion of people with disabilities in SMEs. Methods A survey was conducted among SMEs in the Netherlands. The survey focused on three groups of predictors of employing people with disabilities: general organizational characteristics, human resource practices, and capabilities, opportunities and motivations to employ people with disabilities. Results The most important positive predictors of employing people with disabilities in SMEs were size, capabilities and opportunities. HR recruitment and selection was negatively related to employing people with disabilities. Comparing small with larger enterprises we found that predictors for employing people with disabilities are not completely similar. Conclusion Given the role of SMEs as a resource of employment, and the notion that SMEs are not simply ‘small’ large organizations but have their own unique characteristics which may create specific challenges and opportunities for inclusion, future research of SMEs is recommended. Concerning HR practices our findings are inconclusive. The role of general versus disability-specific HR practices, the issue of inclusive versus exclusive effects of HR practices and the effects of individual versus bundles of HR practices are interesting topics for future research.

Effects of Deer Browsing on Soil Nutrients and Regeneration Dynamics in a Carolinian Old-Growth Forest of Ontario

Old growth forests are increasingly rare but important carbon sinks which harbour rich biodiversity. Chronic browsing by the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) is a threat to the sustainability of the services provided by these forests, particularly in northern temperate forests where deer numbers have increased in recent decades (driven by stricter hunting rules and reduced predation) and necessitating local monitoring of vegetation responses. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of deer exclusion on tree regeneration dynamics and soil nutrients in an old growth Carolinian forest. This was performed using exclusion fencing and tip-up mounds at McMaster Forest Nature Preserve and the Sheelah Dunn Dooley Nature Sanctuary in Hamilton Ontario. Tree regeneration was surveyed from thirty 1 m × 1 m quadrats within exclusion plots and another thirty quadrats from deer-browsed areas adjacent to the exclusion plots. Soil samples were taken from each quadrat to analyze browsing impacts on nitrate, phosphate and soil organic matter. Red oak (Quercus rubra) was planted at the top and base of tip-up mounds of varying heights and widths and monitored for deer access and browsing activity. Results show a significantly higher density of woody plants within exclosures compared to non-exclosures (p = 0.0089) and twice more abundance of highly palatable species within the exclosures. However, species richness (p &gt; 0.05) and diversity (p &gt; 0.05) were minimally impacted by deer browsing, showing a resilient old growth forest. Soil nitrate was consistently higher in the non-exclosures, while phosphate was consistently higher within deer exclosures. Finally, more seedlings survived at the top of mounds than the bases, showing the potential of tip-up mounds to be a natural method of deer exclusion and a critical avenue for restoring over-browsed forests.

The role of consumer attitude and attachment in determining the effect of advertiser credibility on brand loyalty

PurposeThe study investigates the exclusive effect of advertiser credibility (AC) on consumer’s attitude towards the brand’s genuinity and subsequent brand loyalty (BL). Additionally, the study examines the moderating role of brand attachment (BA) and usage on the direct and indirect relationships between AC, consumer attitude and BL.Design/methodology/approachFive advertisements identified through a dipstick study served as brand stimuli and along with previously established scales were administered to a representative sample of 582 urban adult brand users. The two-step empirical study investigated the eight hypothesized relationships using covariance-based structured equation modeling.FindingsResults indicated significant direct effects of AC on attitude towards brand genuinity and attitude towards brand genuinity on BL, respectively. The study established the pivotal role of consumer attitude towards brand genuinity in fully mediating the relationship between AC and BL. BA and usage (in years) were confirmed as significant moderators in the relationship between AC and consumer’s attitude towards brand genuinity.Practical implicationsThe interlinkages between AC, consumer attitude and BL form the premise of BL practice for sustained brand performance.Originality/valueThe study adopts a novel approach to examine and analyze the complex interplay of the less researched advertiser or corporate credibility with consumer attitude, pre-existing BA and usage in influencing BL outcomes.

The effect of social exclusion on the cognitive health of middle-aged and older adults: A systematic review.

This systematic review aimed to evaluate the independent and joint effects of social exclusion in three specific domains-economic, social relations, and civic participation-on the cognitive health of middle-aged and older adults. Longitudinal studies from January 2000 to October 2023 were identified via Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed, with sixty-five studies meeting inclusion criteria. The quality of the studies was assessed with Newcastle-Otawa Scale. Analysis revealed a strong association between economic exclusion and cognitive decline, with most studies indicating a significant negative impact. Ten studies found a positive link between volunteering and cognitive health for civic participation, while eight did not, showing mixed evidence. In social relations, most studies connected loneliness, social isolation, smaller social networks, reduced contact with family and friends, lower engagement in activities, and negative social interactions with cognitive decline. Notably, one study found that older adults experiencing social exclusion in multiple domains simultaneously face even greater cognitive decline. In summary, this review shows that social exclusion in economic, social relations, and civic participation and all together domains is associated with greater cognitive decline in older adults.

Combined effect of confinement and dielectric exclusion on ion adsorption in slits, pores, and cavities.

We present simulation results for the Donnan equilibrium between a homogeneous bulk reservoir and inhomogeneous confining geometries with varying number of restricted dimensions, d c. Planar slits (d c = 1), cylindrical pores (d c = 2), and spherical cavities (d c = 3) are considered. The walls have a negative surface charge density. Because different dielectric constants are used in the reservoir and confined system, we used the Donnan grand canonical Monte Carlo method [Boda and Gillespie, J. Mol. Liq. 391, 123372 (2023)] to simulate the equilibrium. The systems with larger confining dimensionality produce greater adsorption of counterions (cations) into the confinements, so cation selectivity increases with increasing dimensionality. The systems with smaller dielectric constants produce more effective coion (anion) exclusion, so cation selectivity increases with decreasing dielectric constant. The combined effect of a more confining space and solvation penalty produces even more efficient anion exclusion and cation selectivity than each separately.

Proposal of See-saw model – overcoming LQM difficulty

We propose the See-Saw (SS) model, which provides a unified description of the biological effect caused by radiation. This can be directly applied to clinical plans in radiotherapy and further provides the basic formula for radioprotection since it correctly describes the effects caused by radiation exposure by taking account of the dose rate effect without any additional concept of dose and dose rate effectiveness factor (DDREF). This can be done by introducing the cell exclusion effect. The model is very simple and intuitively acceptable by expressing the dose-rate effect and can be easily extended to the radiation clinic cases and overcomes the difficulties of the standard method using LQM-based biological equivalent dose (BED). The calculated result of our model reproduces the existing data of the time dependence of the cancer volume during the cancer treatment measurement. We demonstrate that different initial volumes, namely for the cases where irradiation starts with a smaller initial volume are more effective than a larger volume. Especially if the cancer volume is almost full in the tissue, the radiation effect of the cancer treatment is found to be less effective. On the other hand, for the smaller initial volume, the cancer treatment is found to work more effectively to reduce the cancer volume. After explaining the essential difference between our See-saw (SS) model and traditional LQ treatment with the BED index, we report the results of the SS model by displaying the comparison of our prediction with the relevant data. We are arranging the collaboration with the members of the radiation therapy sectional group of Osaka International Cancer Institute and will report detailed results in near future. We can also consider continuous but time-dependent irradiation cases and got interesting outcomes on the time dependence of the tumour volume for various clinic plans. Especially by choosing the value of the dose rate to be balanced with the total growth rate, the tumour volume is kept constant. Finally, I would like to emphasise that our SS model leads us not only with a unified description of radiation therapy but also indicates the misleading principle based on the LNT or LQM hypothesis which is still adopted in the society of radiation protection.

Effects of artificial pollination and herbivore exclusion on the fruit set and seed production of the golden orchid Cephalanthera falcata in Japan

Effects of artificial pollination and herbivore exclusion on the fruit set and seed production of the golden orchid Cephalanthera falcata in Japan

Manipulating overcompensation of poly (allylamine hydrochloride) in layer-by-layer nanofiltration membranes for Mg2+/Li+ separation

Surface modification of the positive charges in the polyamide thin-film composite nanofiltration (NF) membranes has been explored for separation of Mg2+/Li+ via Donnan exclusion. However, manipulation of the surface charges in layer-by-layer (LBL) NF membranes presents significant challenges because the overall charge within the entire separation layer, rather than just the top surface, provides effective Donnan effect. In this work, we reported a facile approach to increase the positive charge within poly (styrene sulfonate) (PSS)/poly (allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) LBL NF membranes. A significant improvement in the permselectivity of (PSS/PAH)2.5 NF membranes was achieved by varying the PAH concentration from 0.001 M to 0.1 M. The increased PAH concentration led to overcompensation within the separation layer, resulting in a higher charge density and increase in the rejection of MgCl2, MgSO4 and LiCl, but decline in the rejection of Na2SO4. Although the pore size slightly reduced, the overall improvement in the permselectivty was mainly attributed to the Donnan exclusion effect. The optimal membrane, prepared using a PAH concentration of 0.1 M, showed a high pure water permeance of 10.9 L m−2 h−1 bar−1 with a MgCl2 rejection of 96.6 %, and the highest separation factor SMg,Li of 19.6 for mixed salt solutions. The assembly process of LBL membranes typically involved two stages during each coating cycle: polyelectrolyte (PE) adsorption and diffusion. PAH concentration primarily affected the adsorption process, while the diffusion process was influenced by NaCl concentration. Higher concentration of PAH and NaCl led to coiled conformation. This collectively led to the overcompensation of PAH. Among these, PAH concentration was identified as a more important factor for overcompensation. This study highlights the versatility of LBL NF membranes, demonstrating their potential for precise ion separation through tailored surface charge manipulation.