Empirical Evidence Research Articles

Myrtus communisleaves:source of bio-actives, traditional use, their biological properties, and prospects

Myrtus communisL., commonly known as true myrtle, is a medicinal plant native to the Mediterranean area. Since ancient times, the inhabitants of this area have been using it for its cultural and medicinal properties. Because of the vast diversity of biomolecules in its aerial parts, it exhibits several biological properties, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anticancer properties. Thisreview retrospect the research on the source, biological activities with empirical evidence, chemical composition, applications, and cellular targets of extracts and essential oils obtained from M. communisleaves, which provides a perspective for furtherstudies on the applications and formulations of extract and EO of M. communisleaves. The efficacy of constituents' individually, in association with other bioactive constituents, or in combination with available commercial drugs would provide insights into the development of these bio-actives as future drugs and their evolving future potential applications in the pharmaceutical, food, and aroma industries.

Integration of Technology in Chemistry Education at University Level

Technology integration in chemistry education at the university level is increasingly recognized as a transformative approach to enhance teaching methodologies and improve student learning outcomes. This abstract provides a concise overview of the impact, challenges, and future directions of technology integration based on recent studies and empirical evidence. This study aims to explore the effectiveness of integrating technology, such as virtual laboratories, simulation software, and multimedia resources, in enhancing student engagement and learning in university-level chemistry education. A mixed-methods approach was employed, including surveys and interviews with students and faculty members from multiple universities. Quantitative data from pre- and post-assessments were analyzed to assess learning outcomes, while qualitative insights were gathered to explore perceptions, challenges, and recommendations related to technology integration. Findings indicate that technology-enhanced tools significantly enhance student understanding of chemistry concepts and improve problem-solving skills. Students and faculty members perceive technology as beneficial for creating interactive and dynamic learning environments. However, challenges such as technical issues and faculty resistance require institutional support and professional development initiatives to overcome. The integration of technology in chemistry education holds promise for transforming traditional teaching practices and preparing students for careers in scientific research and industry. Future research should focus on exploring emerging technologies and innovative pedagogical strategies to further optimize technology integration in higher education.

Unpacking expert teachers’ theory construction experiences: a case study

ABSTRACT This case study uses qualitative data generated over three years to explore how a Chinese expert teacher constructs her personal practical theory (PPT) about teaching. The data analysis showed that the teacher successfully constructed a personally relevant, institutionally expected, and socio-culturally embedded PPT that manifested her teaching beliefs. The teacher constructed the PPT through five essential and interrelated steps: (a) identifying effective teaching practice; (b) crystalising a core concept from effective teaching; (c) proposing theoretical tenets around the core concept; (d) configuring the theoretical tenets into a preliminary PPT; (e) refining the PPT in relevant communities. The theory construction experience deepened the teacher’s understanding of teaching and enhanced her confidence in engaging with educational theories and university-based scholars. However, the teacher’s lack of knowledge about educational theories and hands-on tools for theory construction posed significant challenges to the teacher. This study generates new empirical evidence and conceptual insights into teacher theory construction, enriching international discussions on the theory-practice gap in education. The research findings also suggest practical implications for frontline teachers, facilitating their engagement with theories to close the theory-practice divide in their situated contexts.

Carbon and Nutrient Limitations of Microbial Metabolism in Xingkai Lake, China: Abiotic and Biotic Drivers.

Microbial communities are crucial for water quality and biogeochemical cycling in freshwaters. Microbes secrete extracellular enzymes to decompose organic matter for their needs of nutrients and scarce elements. Yet, there is a lack of knowledge on microbial metabolic limitations in freshwaters, especially in lake sediments. Here, we examined the carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus-acquiring extracellular enzyme activities and the bacterial and fungal communities of 30 sediments across Xingkai Lake, the largest freshwater lake in Northeast Asia. We further analyzed the microbial metabolic limitations via extracellular enzyme stoichiometry and explored the direct and indirect effects of abiotic and biotic factors on the limitations. We found that microbial metabolisms were primarily limited by phosphorus in Xingkai Lake. For instance, microbial carbon and phosphorus limitations were closely correlated to abiotic factors like water depth, total dissolved solids, sediment total carbon, and conductivity. The metabolic limitations were also affected by biotic factors, such as showing positive relationships with the alpha and beta diversity of bacteria, and with the beta diversity of fungi. In addition, community compositions of bacteria and fungi were mainly correlated to abiotic factors such as total carbon and dissolved organic carbon, respectively. Collectively, microbial metabolic limitations were affected directly or indirectly by abiotic factors and microbial communities. Our findings indicate that microbial metabolic limitations are not only driven by bacteria and fungi but also by abiotic factors such as water depth and total nitrogen, and thus provide empirical evidence for effective management of freshwater lakes under climate warming and intensified human activities.

Unveiling the linkages between entrepreneurial culture, innovation capability, digital marketing capability and sustainable competitive performance of manufacturing SMEs: evidence from emerging countries

Purpose Although the importance of entrepreneurial culture (EC) has been recognized, it remains unclear how EC affects sustainable competitive performance (SCP). This study aims to explore how EC affects SCP via the mediating role of innovation capability (IC) and the moderating role of digital marketing capability (DMC). Design/methodology/approach Based on data gathered from manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia, the proposed model was tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling via SmartPLS software. Findings The analysis results indicate that EC affects IC, which in turn has a positive effect on SCP. In addition, IC mediates the EC-SCP relationship. Importantly, DMC positively moderates the EC–SCP relationship. Research limitations/implications This study combines IC, DMC and SCP under resource-based view and dynamic capabilities theory into a single framework. Results confirm EC's impact on SMEs' manufacturing sector SCP, with IC mediating this link. However, the cross-sectional design restricts deeper respondent analysis. Practical implications This study offers SME managers/owners and decision-makers insights on enhancing EC for better performance and competitive edge. It highlights IC's crucial role in translating EC into innovation and value creation. Policymakers can also use these findings to design programs for SMEs in emerging markets. Social implications This study underscores the significance of EC adoption not only to generate a sustainable competitive advantage for the firm but also to increase the social as well as economic well-being of the firm, especially in the context of emerging economies, such as Malaysia; which are characterized by diverse ethnic groups contributing to their unique social fabric. Originality/value This work fills the knowledge gap by providing empirical evidence for the mediating and moderating role of IC and DMC, respectively, in the link between EC and SCP, thus significantly contributing to emerging markets, where managers seek to enhance their understanding of using EC for fostering SCP.

Voluntary food safety information disclosure and corporate financing structure: based on the perspective of trade credit

ABSTRACT The voluntary disclosure of food safety information by companies has attracted significant attention. We empirically examine the impact of voluntary food safety information disclosure (VFSID) on corporate financing structure from the perspective of trade credit. We discover that VFSID reduces corporations’ reliance on trade credit. We find that VFSID reduces corporations’ reliance on trade credit by facilitating additional bank credit. We also observe that the impact of VFSID on corporate trade credit is particularly pronounced for enterprises that disclose more material information and possess stronger motivation for financing structure adjustments. We further explore the economic consequences and find a significant reduction in the cost of corporate financing when corporate trade credit decreases due to VFSID. Our findings enrich the literature on VFSID and financing structure, verify the substitution relationship between bank credit and trade credit, and provide empirical evidence to optimize the financing structure of corporations, reduce the cost of corporate financing, and promote the smooth flow of the supply chain cycle.

Why nanny statism matters: evidence from the first wave of COVID-19

BackgroundA nanny state imposes restrictions on people’s liberty and freedom of action in order to advance their interest and welfare. The extent to which this is desirable, or even ethically acceptable, is debated in the literature. This paper formulates and tests the following hypothesis: the more of a nanny a state has been in the past, the more likely it is that the incumbent government will respond to a new, unknown threat with interventions of a paternalist nature, irrespective of other factors that might contribute to shaping government’s response. This hypothesis is then taken to the data using the first wave of COVID-19 as an empirical test.MethodsData are collected from secondary sources for a sample of 99 countries. Nanny statism is measured by the number of paternalist laws and regulations adopted by a country in the past. The response to COVID is proxied by the time of adoption of control and containment measures and their stringency. The public health outcome is measured by the COVID-19 death toll at the end of June 2020. These variables, plus several controls, are then used to estimate a set of linear and probit regressions and a proportional hazard model of the timing of adoption of control and containment measures.ResultsAn increase in nanny statism by 0.1 (on a scale from 0 to 10) on average increases the probability of adoption of control and containment measures by 0.077 (i.e. 7.7 percentage points). The central tenement of the hypothesis is therefore consistent with the empirical evidence. The linear and probit regressions also show that there is no evidence of a significant effect of nanny statism on the stringency of the measures adopted. Irrespective of stringency, however, early adoption of control and containment measures is found to reduce the death toll of COVID-19 in the first half of 2020: an increase in nanny statism by 0.1 reduces the COVID death toll by approximately 7%.ConclusionsA tradition of nanny statism potentially leads to a more timely and effective public policy response to a new, unknown crisis. Further tests of the hypothesis should look at the relationship between nanny statism and public health outcomes from natural disasters.

How to study psychological mechanisms of mania? Asystematic review on the methodology of experimental studies on manic mood dysregulation of leading theories on bipolar disorder.

Although there are several psychological theories on bipolar disorders (BD), the empirical evidence on these theories through experimental studies is still limited. The current study systematically reviews experimental methods used in studies on the main theories of BD: Reward Hypersensitivity Theory (RST) or Behavioral Activation System (BAS), Integrative Cognitive Model (ICM), Positive Emotion Persistence (PEP), Manic Defense theory (MD), and Mental Imagery (MI). The primary aim is to provide an overview of the used methods and to identify limitations and suggest areas of improvement. A systematic search of six databases until October 2023 was conducted. Study selection involved two independent reviewers extracting data on experimental study design and methodology. A total of 84 experimental studies were reviewed. BAS and RST were the most frequently studied theories. The majority of these experimental studies focus on mechanisms of reward sensitivity. Other important elements of the reviewed theories, such as goal setting and-attainment, situation selection (avoidance or approach), activation, affective/emotional reactivity, and regulatory strategies, are understudied. Self-report and neuropsychological tasks are most often used, while mood induction and physiological measures are rarely used. There is a need for more consensus on the operationalization of psychological theories of mania. Standardization of test batteries could improve comparability among studies and foster a more systematic approach to experimental research. Research on affective (activated) states is still underrepresented in comparison with studies on trait vulnerabilities.

Data sovereignty and data transfers as fundamental elements of digital transformation: Lessons from the BRICS countries

When talking about digital transformation, data sovereignty considerations and data transfers cannot be excluded from the discussion, given the considerable likelihood that digital technologies deployed along the process collect, process and transfer (personal) data in multiple jurisdictions. An increasing number of nations, especially those within the BRICS grouping (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) are developing their data governance and digital transformation approaches based on data sovereignty considerations, deeming specific types of data as key strategic and economic resources, which deserve particular protection and that must be leveraged for national development. From this perspective, this paper will try to shed light on how data sovereignty and data transfers interplay in the context of digital transformations. Particularly, we will consider the various dimensions that compose the concept of data sovereignty and will utilise a range of examples from the BRICS grouping to back some of the key considerations developed with empirical evidence. We define data sovereignty as the capacity to understand how and why (personal) data are processed and by whom, develop data processing capabilities, and effectively regulate data processing, thus retaining self-determination and control. We have chosen the BRICS grouping for three reasons. First, research on the grouping's data policies and digital transformation is still minimal despite their leading role. Second, BRICS account for over 40 % of the global population, or 3.2 billion people (which can be seen as 3.2 billion “data subjects” or data producers, depending on perspective, thus making them key players in data governance and digital transformation. Third, the BRICS members have realised that digital transformation is essential for the future of their economies and societies and have shaped specific data governance visions which must be considered by other countries, especially from the global majority, to understand why data governance is instrumental to foster thriving digital environments.

Properties evolution and deterioration mechanism of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) under the coupling effect of carbonation and chloride attack

Carbonation of concrete and chloride-induced corrosion of steel fiber are two potential threats to the durability of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC). In this study, the properties evolution of SFRC under the coupling effect of carbonation and chloride attack was investigated, and the deterioration mechanism was also explored. Results showed that the compressive strength of SFRC increased during the 360 days under the coupling effect of carbonation and chloride attack. However, the flexural properties exhibited an increasing trend before 120 days, with peak strength and flexural toughness rising by 60.8% and 43.9%, respectively, followed by a subsequent decline, which were lower than initial flexural properties after 360 days. Compared to the single chloride attack, the coupling effect of carbonation and chloride attack accelerated the corrosion process of SFRC. After 360 dry-wet cycles of chlorides, the inner steel fibers within approximately 10 mm from the SFRC surface were severely corroded, while steel fibers at the deeper depths remained uncorroded despite the chlorides ions penetration depth exceeding 40 mm. Furthermore, the deterioration process and potential mechanism of SFRC was elaborated upon, which provides empirical evidence and establishing a theoretical foundation for the development of highly corrosion-resistant SFRC.

Condition of linear landscape elements improves with contiguity to protected habitats: Empirical evidence useful for agroecosystem accounting and restoration

In Mediterranean Europe, both intensification and abandonment of traditional cultural practices represent main drivers for the loss of natural and semi-natural elements in agricultural settings. Once common in rural landscapes, these habitats have to be conserved or restored to ensure resilience and resistance of agroecosystems against biodiversity loss and socio-ecological changes. In particular, linear landscape elements (LE) fall among the high-biodiversity landscape features that require to be increased in agricultural lands to facilitate species mobility and provide a wide range of ecosystem services. However, within the framework of environmental accounting procedures, there is still a need for a thorough methodology to assess conditions of LE and, subsequently, of the hosting agroecosystems. The present research is therefore aimed at (i) proposing a method for a thorough assessment of LE conditions, with a special focus on biodiversity support capacity, (ii) investigating the potential effect of extrinsic determinants on LE conditions, such as contiguity to protected habitats and governance framework, and (iii) identifying useful parameters to guide LE ecological restoration actions. Based on different structural, compositional and landscape indicators, the proposed assessment method was tested in eight administrative units of two Mediterranean Europe countries. In the study sites, favorable LE conditions were found to be strongly associated with contiguity to protected habitats, by showing marked structural continuity, dominance of trees, active dynamics, and good quality of the surrounding landscape mosaic. Potential applications of the results have been finally explored in both ecosystem accounting and ecological restoration processes.

Impact and Assessment of Research Integrity Teaching: A Systematic Literature Review

Presented here is a systematic literature review of what the academic literature asserts about: (1) the stages of the ethical decision-making process (i.e. awareness, reasoning, motivation, and action) that are claimed to be improved or not improved by RI teaching and whether these claims are supported by evidence; (2) the measurements used to determine the effectiveness of RI teaching; and (3) the stage/s of the ethical decision-making process that are difficult to assess. Regarding (1), awareness was the stage most claimed to be amenable to improvement following RI teaching, and with motivation being the stage that is rarely addressed in the academic literature. While few, some sources claimed RI teaching cannot improve specific stages. With behaviour (action) being the stage referenced most, albeit in only 9% of the total sources, for not being amenable to improvement following RI teaching. Finally, most claims were supported by empirical evidence. Regarding (2), measures most frequently used are custom in-house surveys and some validated measures. Additionally, there is much debate in the literature regarding the adequacy of current assessment measures in RI teaching, and even their absence. Such debate warrants caution when we are considering the empirical evidence supplied to support that RI teaching does or does not improve a specific stage of the decision-making process. Regarding (3), only behaviour was discussed as being difficult to assess, if not impossible. In our discussion section we contextualise these results, and following this we derive some recommendations for relevant stakeholders in RI teaching.

Effects and Thresholds of Young to Midlife Vascular Risks on Brain Health.

Vascular risk factors, particularly hypertension, are important contributors to accelerated brain aging. We sought to quantify vascular risk factor risks over adulthood and assess the empirical evidence for risk thresholds. We used SBP (systolic blood pressure) and diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, fasting blood glucose, and body mass index measurements collected from participants in the CARDIA study (Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults) at 2- to 5-year intervals through year 30. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment and domain-specific cognitive tests were performed at year 30. White matter hyperintensity volume was measured by magnetic resonance imaging. We used a 2-step method to fit longitudinal vascular risk factor exposures to optimized spline functions with mixed-effects models, then used the participant-specific random effects that characterized individual exposures over time in cross-sectional models adjusted for sex, race, age, and education to study effects on midlife brain health. Change in SBP up to 33 years of age was negatively associated with Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores (-0.29 Montreal Cognitive Assessment Z score per mm Hg/y change [95% CI, -0.49 to -0.09]; P=0.005), with similar effects for SBP changes from 33 to 49 years of age (-0.08 [95% CI, -0.16 to 0.01]; P=0.08). We observed comparable, significant associations between SBP exposure during those ages, midlife performance on specific cognitive domains, and volume of white matter hyperintensity (all P<0.05). SBP ≤111 mm Hg was the estimated threshold below which no harmful association with midlife cognitive performance was identified. SBP in early adulthood is the vascular risk factor most strongly associated with midlife cognitive performance and white matter hyperintensity burden, with SBP 111 mm Hg suggested as a harm threshold.

Assessing Trends in the Desire to Avoid Pregnancy: A Cautionary Note.

The desire to avoid pregnancy-to delay the next birth or have no further births-is a fundamental sexual and reproductive health indicator. We show that two readily available measures-prospective fertility preferences and the demand for contraception [Demand] construct-provide substantially different portraits of historical trends. They also yield correspondingly different assessments of the sources of contraceptive change. We argue, with supporting empirical evidence, that Demand enormously overstates the historical trend in the desire to avoid pregnancy because Demand as currently constructed is in part a function of contraceptive prevalence. This makes for "reverse causality" in decompositions of contraceptive change, producing an upward distortion on the order of 25 percentage points in the amount of contraceptive change attributed to a change in fertility desires. Decomposition of contraception change free of the distortion reveals that contraceptive change has been due almost entirely to more complete implementation of fertility preferences. This is explained in part by the surprisingly slight historical change in preferences, a fact we document and then show is a consequence of a historical shift in parity composition toward lower parities.

Probing the Role of Digital Payment Solutions in Gambling Behavior: Preliminary Results From an Exploratory Focus Group Session With Problem Gamblers.

Technology has significantly reshaped the landscape and accessibility of gambling, creating uncharted territory for researchers and policy makers involved in the responsible gambling (RG) agenda. Digital payment solutions (DPS) are the latest addition of technology-based services in gambling and are now prominently used for deposit and win withdrawal. The seamless collaboration between online gambling operators and DPS, however, has raised concerns regarding the potential role of DPS platforms in facilitating harmful behavior. Using a focus group session with problem gamblers, this study describes a preliminary investigation of the role of DPS in the online gambling context and its influence on players' gambling habits, financial behavior, choices of gambling environment, and the overall outcome of gambling subjective experiences. A total of 6 problem gamblers participated in a one-and-half-hour focus group session to discuss how DPSs are integrated into their everyday gambling habits, what motivates them to use DPS, and what shifts they observe in their gambling behavior. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the empirical evidence with a mix of inductive and deductive research approaches as a knowledge claim strategy. Our initial findings revealed that the influence of DPSs in online gambling is multifaced where, on the one hand, their ability to integrate with players' existing habits seamlessly underscores the facilitating role they play in potentially maximizing harm. On the other hand, we find preliminary evidence that DPSs can have a direct influence on gambling outcomes in both subtle and pervasive ways-nudging, institutionalizing, constraining, or triggering players' gambling activities. This study also highlights the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of online gambling, and it proposes a preliminary conceptual framework to illustrate the sociotechnical interplay between DPS and gambling habits that ultimately capture the outcome of gambling's subjective experience. Disguised as a passive payment enabler, the role of DPS has so far received scant attention; however, this exploratory qualitative study demonstrates that given the technological advantage and access to customer financial data, DPS can become a potent platform to enable and at times trigger harmful gambling. In addition, DPS's bird's-eye view of cross-operator gambling behavior can open up an opportunity for researchers and policy makers to explore harm reduction measures that can be implemented at the digital payment level for gambling customers. Finally, more interdisciplinary studies are needed to formulate the sociotechnical nature of online gambling and holistic harm minimization strategy.

Research on emergency decision quality evaluation and optimization basing on public sentiment big data analysis

The increasingly frequent occurrence of emergencies has led to significant losses, both human and economic. It is of the utmost importance to scientifically and effectively formulate emergency decision to prevent and reduce these losses. In this study, an evaluation model is developed for evaluating emergency decision quality based on fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method. The proposed model takes into consideration of the impact of public sentiment appeals on emergency decision in emergencies with the purpose of improving emergency decision quality. The “3·21” major explosion accident in Xiangshui County, Jiangsu Province, China, in March of 2019, is selected as a typical case, and the public sentiment big data is obtained from Weibo. The Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) model and the TF-IDF algorithm are utilized to develop an emergency decision quality evaluation index system, from which public sentiment appeals are extracted and quantified. Furthermore, this study explores the changes of public sentiment attitude towards emergency decision through static and dynamic public sentiment analysis. Based on this, the emergency decision quality for the case event is evaluated by the proposed model. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated with in-depth discussion and validation through this real case. The results indicate that the emergency decision quality of the Chinese government in this case is fairly good, yet exhibit room for further improvement. Optimization advice for emergency decision in emergencies is proposed accordingly. Empirical evidence suggests that the model proposed in this study can provide theoretical and methodological support for emergency response and government decision-making in the era of big data.

Environmental–Socioeconomic Factors and Technology Adoption: Empirical Evidence from Small-Scale Salt Farmers in Improving Technical Efficiency in the Madurese Coastal Area, East Java, Indonesia

Salt farming has been a hereditary occupation in the coastal communities of Madura Island; however, salt productivity in this area is still relatively low. The government has introduced a new production technology, called a geomembrane, as part of their efforts. The application of the latest technological innovations has been promoted worldwide to increase farm productivity, including in salt farming. This research aims to determine the determinants of adoption decisions for salt production technology and estimate the adoption impact on technical efficiency. The data in this study are cross-sectional from 215 small-scale salt farmers on Madura Island, East Java, Indonesia. The data were analyzed using logistic regression to identify which factors influenced farmers’ decisions to use geomembranes. The influence of adoption on farmers’ technical efficiency was then assessed using propensity score matching (PSM) and data envelopment analysis (DEA). The findings indicate that age and the dummy variables of gender, land ownership, profit-sharing involvement, and membership in the People’s Salt Business Group (KUGAR) all had a significant impact on adoption rates. The findings of controlling matched samples using the PSM process reveal that geomembrane application improves and greatly increases farmers’ technical efficiency. Those who used geomembranes displayed greater technical efficiency than those who did not. These findings imply that salt production technology should be promoted more to increase productivity, especially geomembrane adoption, through outreach and dissemination of information, including for landowners involved in the profit-sharing system. The government should keep supporting salt farmers and motivate them to adopt geomembrane technology to ensure the sustainability of salt production in the coastal communities on Madura Island.

Coupling and Coordinated Development of Carbon Emission Efficiency in Industrial Enterprises and the Digital Economy: Empirical Evidence from Anhui, China

To delve into the interrelationship between the green transformation of industry and the economy’s high-quality development, to promote the coordinated development of industrial carbon emission efficiency and digital economy, to expand the scope and research ideas related to economic and social sustainable development, and to provide scientific reference for the low-carbon sustainable development of regional economy, this article introduced a data-centric methodology for evaluating the collaborative advancement of both industrial enterprises’ carbon emission efficiency and the digital economy. To accurately gauge the carbon footprint of industrial enterprises, models focusing on carbon emissions as well as carbon emission intensity were employed. To enhance the precision of evaluation outcomes and mitigate biases stemming from subjective weighting factors, we employed the entropy weight method to objectively assign weights to each indicator. Furthermore, the super-efficient slack-based model (SBM) can solve the problem that the conclusions are biased, due to the different radial. Subsequently, a carbon-emission efficiency slack-based measure model, and models for coupling degree and coupling-coordination degree were formulated. Anhui, as a central province in China, is also an important province in the Yangtze River Delta integration development. Coordinated development of its carbon emission efficiency and digital economy has important implications for the sustainable economy advancements of other regions in China, and even other countries or regions in the world. Therefore, Anhui was selected to be the empirical research sample. The results showed that the comprehensive levels of these two systems followed an increasing trend, while the digital economy lagged. Their coupling degree fluctuated and reached its highest point in 2021, whereas their coupling-coordination degree increased, showing high coupling and low coordination overall. This study proposes specific countermeasures and suggestions for the relevant decision-makers.

Visualization and Quantification of Facemask Leakage Flows and Interpersonal Transmission with Varying Face Coverings

Although mask-wearing is now widespread, the knowledge of how to quantify or improve their performance remains surprisingly limited and is largely based on empirical evidence. The objective of this study was to visualize the expiratory airflows from facemasks and evaluate aerosol transmission between two persons. Different visualization methods were explored, including the Schlieren optical system, laser/LED-particle imaging system, thermal camera, and vapor–SarGel system. The leakage flows and escaped aerosols were quantified using a hotwire anemometer and a particle counter, respectively. The results show that mask-wearing reduces the exhaled flow velocity from 2~4 m/s (with no facemask) to around 0.1 m/s, thus decreasing droplet transmission speeds. Cloth, surgical, and KN95 masks showed varying leakage flows at the nose top, sides, and chin. The leakage rate also differed between inhalation and exhalation. The neck gaiter has low filtration efficiency and high leakage fractions, providing low protection efficiency. There was considerable deposition in the mouth–nose area, as well as the neck, chin, and jaw, which heightened the risk of self-inoculation through spontaneous face-touching. A face shield plus surgical mask greatly reduced droplets on the head, neck, and face, indicating that double face coverings can be highly effective when a single mask is insufficient. The vapor–SarGel system provided a practical approach to study interpersonal transmission under varying close contact scenarios or with different face coverings.

The Effects of Natural Insecticides on the Green Peach Aphid Myzus persicae (Sulzer) and Its Natural Enemies Propylea quatuordecimpunctata (L.) and Aphidius colemani Viereck

Botanical insecticides and soaps are frequently proposed as environmentally safer alternatives to synthetic insecticides. However, the efficacy and selectivity of these products are often only partially supported by empirical evidence. Here, we tested the effectiveness of five botanical insecticides, belonging to different categories, on the green peach aphid Myzus persicae (Sulzer) and their selectivity towards two natural enemies, the ladybird beetle Propylea quatuordecimpunctata (L.) and the parasitoid Aphidius colemani (Dalman). White thyme essential oil (EO), sweet orange EO, crude garlic extract and Marseille soap were tested and compared with a pyrethrin-based commercial product. Both direct spray assays and residual contact assays on treated cabbage leaf disks were carried out. The tested products had low efficacy against aphids when compared to pyrethrins but were in general less detrimental to ladybird beetle larvae, meaning that if applied against other pests, they have a lower chance of harming this agent of aphid biocontrol. Some of the products (soap, orange EO) did, however, show direct exposure toxicity toward ladybird larvae, and thyme EO had extensive phytotoxic effects on cabbage leaves, possibly indirectly leading to higher mortality in ladybird adults. These results underline the necessity for case-by-case evaluations of botanical insecticides.