Masking Effect Research Articles

The masking mechanism of catechin to the sweet taste of phloridzin

Our previous study speculated that decreased levels of catechin were associated with heightened sweetness in Camellia nanchuanica black tea (NCBT). In this study, we found that catechin has the capacity to obscure the sweet taste of phloridzin and verified the above speculation. To delve deeper into this masking effect, we examined various concentrations of catechin (cat-10cat) and phloridzin (phl-10phl), and revealed catechin (cat-10cat) significantly reduced the sweetness of 10phl. Therefore, catechin (cat-10cat) and 10phl combinations were selected to investigate the impact on sweet taste receptor cells. The results showed increasing concentrations of catechin inhibited the calcium signal of the phloridzin-catechin solution, attributing to lower stability of phloridzin and Taste 1 Receptor Member 3 (one subunit of sweet taste receptor proteins) after addition catechin. Finally, 10phl/10cat significantly activated the central and prefrontal regions generating more bitter tastes and negative emotions which also probably contributed to mask sweet tastes of phloridzin.

A Study of the Mechanisms of Government Embedment and Organizational Environment Related to Supervisory Effectiveness in the Collective Governance of Rural Residential Land

Rural Residential Land is a kind of public pond resource, and the implementation of the collective governance of Rural Residential Land is a response to the dilemma of utilizing the land. This paper takes the attribute of using Rural Residential Land as a public pond resource as an entry point, draws on Autonomous Governance Theory, and utilizes the OLS model and the mediated effect model to explore the influence of Government Embedment on supervisory effectiveness in the collective governance of Rural Residential Land, based on the fieldwork data of 450 farming households in three districts (cities and counties) in Sichuan Province. This study shows that Government Embedment, the Technological Environment and the Cultural Environment can significantly enhance supervisory effectiveness in the collective governance of Rural Residential Land, while the Resource Environment has a negative effect on it. The Resource Environment has a masking effect on the influence of Government Embedment on supervisory effectiveness in the collective governance of Rural Residential Land, while the Technological Environment and the Cultural Environment play a part in the mediating effect. The anonymous whistleblowing mechanism positively moderates the influence of the Technological and Cultural Environments on supervisory effectiveness. Additionally, there is obvious locational heterogeneity in the influence of Government Embedment and the Organizational Environment on supervisory effectiveness. Therefore, a coordinated supervision and sanctioning mechanism should be constructed in towns and villages to promote the integration and complementarity of formal and informal systems; a sound mechanism for anonymous reporting of illegal and irregular use of Rural Residential Land should be established; and the effective implementation of the collective governance of Rural Residential Land should be promoted in accordance with the differences in the location of the villages.

Affection and Responsibility: Driving Mechanism of Local Tourism Employment of Farmers in Ethnic Villages

In tourism employment, the participation of farmers is closely linked to the development of ethnic villages. Existing literature often overlooks the role of farmers’ non-economic rationality factors in their employment behavior. This study investigated the mechanism of farmers’ livelihood capital, place attachment, and family care on their local tourism employment behavior. The research found: First, livelihood capital facilitates farmers’ participation in local tourism employment, with place attachment mediating the correlation between livelihood capital and participation of farmers in local tourism employment, and family care positively moderating their participation in local tourism employment. Second, three distinct configurations drive farmers’ participation in local tourism employment. Third, complementary and substitution effects exist between livelihood capitals. Fourth, place attachment and family care demonstrate a masking effect. The government should actively maintain farmers’ place attachment, address farmers’ family care difficulties, guide farmers to utilize the substitution and complementary influences of livelihood capital and select appropriate paths to promote farmers’ participation in local tourism employment.

Complex factors combinations driving tea growers to adopt ecological agricultural practices in tea gardens

IntroductionThe implementation of ecological agriculture practices in Chinese tea gardens plays a vital role in mitigating N2O emissions and addressing environmental degradation. Nevertheless, a dearth of discourse exists regarding the intricacies surrounding farmers' adoption of tea garden ecological agriculture practices (TGEAP), particularly the complex interplay between adoption factors and outcomes.MethodsUsing data of 310 farmers, this study employed complexity theories and Stimulus-Organism-Response theories, and integrated Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling and fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis to explore the complex relationships between farmer characteristics, internal and external factors, and adoption of farmer.ResultsThe results show three influential paths in the Stimulus-Organism-Response model, and environmental protection attitude (EPA) and production expectation (PE) act as intermediaries. Notably, EPA exhibits a masking effect in one pathway. These paths linked closely to three farmer characteristics. Beyond the Stimulus-Organism-Response model, nine combinations lead to farmers' adoption, and four to non-adoption.DiscussionWe discover scenarios where opposing environmental states or age lead to adoption, explaining the masking effect. These combinations highlight how a favorable environment influences both adoption and non-adoption. We also discuss other combinations that lead to adoption or non-adoption. The study suggests that governments employ targeted incentives to facilitate tea farmers' transition in agriculture.

Unraveling the key cooked off-flavor compounds in thermally sterilized green tea beverages, and masking effect of tea raw material baking

The occurrence of the cooked off-flavor during the thermal sterilization of green tea beverages negatively impacts their quality. This study aimed to identify the key cooked off-flavor compounds by molecular sensory science. The increase of 12 compounds, including malty (e.g., 3-methylbutanal), floral (e.g., linalool), sweet (e.g., methional), and smoky (2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol) compounds, contributed to the development of the cooked off-flavor. Additionally, the loss of five aroma compounds—dimethyl sulfide, (E)-β-ionone, 2-methylbutanal, 1-penten-3-one, and (E,Z)-2,6-nonadienal—also caused the emergence this undesirable flavor. One potential solution to reduce the cooked off-flavor was the baking of tea raw materials. While baking did not significantly reduce the concentration of off-flavor compounds, it led to an increase in eight roasty aroma compounds, such as pyrazines and pyrroles, which helped partially mask the cooked off-flavor in green tea beverages.

Reducing spatial heterogeneity in coverage improves the effectiveness of dog vaccination against rabies.

Vaccination programs are the mainstay of control for many infectious diseases. Heterogeneous coverage is hypothesised to reduce vaccination effectiveness, but this impact has not been quantified in real systems. We address this gap using fine-scale data from two decades of rabies contact tracing and dog vaccination campaigns in Serengeti district, Tanzania. Using generalised linear mixed models, we find that current local (village-level) dog rabies incidence decreases with increasing recent local vaccination coverage. However, current local incidence is most dependent on recent incidence, both locally and in the wider district, consistent with high population connectivity. Removing the masking effects of prior non-local incidence shows that, for the same average prior vaccination coverage beyond the focal village, more spatial variation increases local incidence. These effects led to outbreaks following years when vaccination campaigns missed many villages, whereas when heterogeneity in coverage was reduced, incidence declined to low levels (<0.4 cases/1,000 dogs annually and no human deaths), such that short vaccination lapses thereafter did not lead to resurgence. We inferred ongoing rabies incursions into the district, suggesting regional connectivity as an important source of residual transmission. Overall, we provide an empirical demonstration of how the same average vaccination coverage can lead to differing outcomes based on its spatial distribution, highlighting the importance of fine-scale monitoring in managing vaccination programs.

Impact of China’s environmental protection tax on green total factor productivity: based on the perspective of digital transformation

Greening and digital transformation have become the new driving forces of China’s economic development. The environmental protection tax (EPT) represents a significant economic measure for environmental protection in China, with the primary objective of safeguarding the environment. Using a 2012–2021 sample of Shanghai and Shenzhen A-share listed companies and the difference-in-differences (DID) method, we empirically investigate the effect of the implementation of China’s EPT on green total factor productivity (GTFP) of heavily polluting enterprises. The results show a significant increase in firms’ GTFP after the implementation of the tax. A mechanism test reveals that firms’ digital transformation has a masking effect, which inhibits the growth of firms’ GTFP. Further analyses investigate the variations in effects based on ownership type, firm size, and market concentration. The positive effect is more pronounced for state-owned enterprises, large enterprises, and those operating in highly concentrated markets. This paper provides theoretical support and empirical evidence for the digital transformation and green development of heavily polluting enterprises, the rational optimization of EPT policies, and the promotion of sustainable economic development.

Emerging Roles of Gossypol in Therapy: Innovations in Prodrug Design and Nanoformulation Frontiers.

Stimuli activatable systems have the potential to deliver drugs to targeted areas by releasing therapeutic agents in response to diseased specific microenvironments such as the acidic environment commonly found in diseased tissues. This review article focuses on gossypol, a bioactive compound with inherent toxicity attributed to various factors, including the presence of its formyl groups. It highlights the potential of imine-linked gossypol-based prodrugs and nanoparticle formulations for targeted delivery and controlled release. The unique presence of polyphenolic cores on gossypol can be utilized to prepare nanoparticles. This review offers valuable insights into designing safer and more effective drug delivery systems by elucidating the masking effect and stimuli-responsive release mechanisms. Numerous examples demonstrate the conversion of formyl groups to imines, creating prodrugs that mask reactive functionalities and offer pH-responsive release. This insight can guide the design of combination therapeutics, where a second drug with an amine terminal group can form imine-linked prodrugs. Additionally, the second part discusses the use of polyphenolic moieties to create stable nanoparticles from infinite polymeric networks. Through a comprehensive examination of gossypol's properties and applications, this review emphasizes the broader implications of such a masking strategy for optimizing the therapeutic benefits of many similar bioactive compounds while minimizing adverse effects.

The ocean wave noise masking effect on wind turbine noise audibility

In Denmark and several other countries noise is regulated as absolute levels, hence the audibility of the noise source is not directly handled. In most countries, including Denmark, wind turbines are often set up in rural areas. Denmark is a flat, windy and in general densely populated country, but the rural areas are less populated and has longer distances between dwellings, and so it is easier to comply with the setback distances and noise demands. Coincidently some of the windiest parts of Denmark are also rural areas. In the rural areas some of the common sources of noise is vegetation or waves, which masks other environmental noise sources. The effect of masking from vegetation and/or waves has not been studied in much detail in Denmark. The aim of this article is to gather meteorological, wave and sound data from waves at the Danish west coast and compare this data to estimated offshore wind turbine noise.

Feasibility of an acoustic liner applied to a Fenestron: experimentation

A helicopter's anti-torque system is a significant contributor to radiated noise. The Fenestron, used on Airbus Helicopters, allows to mitigate the anti-torque noise by masking effect and modulation of the blade distribution. However, unlike aircraft engine nacelles, it does not contain acoustic liners inside the duct to absorb the noise radiated by the rotor blades. This paper describes: first, the (aero-)acoustic tests applied to different acoustic liners optimised to be integrated into a 1/3-scale fenestron mock-up, in order to provide a specific impedance (measurement in impedance tube and aeroacoustic bench); second, the configuration of a mock-up installed in an anechoic room, with an acoustic antenna; third, the acoustic pressure mitigation obtained for several diffusers equiped with liners (variation of RPM and pitch for the purpose of the experiment). It appears that the tested liners are likely to provide a high absorption coefficient in a large frequency range and a significant attenuation when installed in the Fenestron mock-up, in accordance with preliminary simulations. Another paper completes the study with a preliminary numerical assessment of the effect of an absorbing treatment introduced inside the collector or the diffuser, and a design optimization applied to different acoustic liner types, adapted to the mock-up.

Feasibility of an acoustic liner applied to a Fenestron: simulation

A helicopter's anti-torque system is a significant contributor to radiated noise. The Fenestron, used on Airbus Helicopters, allows to mitigate the anti-torque noise by masking effect and modulation of the blade distribution. However, unlike aircraft engine nacelles, it does not contain acoustic liners inside the duct to absorb the noise radiated by the rotor blades. This paper describes: first, the FEM modelization of the noise radiation for a 1/3-scale fenestron mock-up at the 1st BPFs, in static conditions; second, the assessment of the effect of an absorbing treatment introduced inside the collector or the diffuser and defined by its acoustic specific impedance; third, the design optimization applied to different acoustic liner types, adapted to the diffuser of the mock-up. Because of the limited duct length, forward and afterward radiations interact, generating interference pressure patterns. Several types of liners (conventional and unconventional), designed to deliver a high absorption, appear adapted to dimensional constraints: SDOF or DDOF type, with a perforated plate above cavities or based on the concept LEONAR ("Long Elastic Open Neck Acoustic Resonator"). Another paper completes the study with (aero-)acoustic tests, applied to elementary samples to validate the impedance target, and performed in an anechoic room with the mock-up.

Family Socioeconomic Status and Adolescents’ Academic Shame: The Chain Mediator Effect of Self-Control and Gratitude

Academic shame has been found to interfere with motivation and, in turn, affect students’ academic goals and achievements. This study explored the factors that influence academic shame and the underlying mechanisms among high school students by investigating the influence of family socioeconomic status on academic shame and the mediating roles of self-control and gratitude. A total of 957 high school students participated in this study and completed the Family Socioeconomic Status Questionnaire, Self-Control Scale, Adolescents’ Gratitude Scale, and Academic Shame Scale. Descriptive statistics consisted of means and standard deviations. Pearson’s correlations were used to test the strength of relationships among the research variables. A structural equation model was constructed, and the significance of the mediating effects was tested by percentile bootstrap analysis with deviation correction. The results showed that family socioeconomic status was positively correlated with self-control and negatively correlated with academic shame; self-control was positively correlated with gratitude and negatively correlated with academic shame; and gratitude was positively correlated with academic shame. Self-control played a mediating role between family socioeconomic status and academic shame, and self-control and gratitude played a chain mediating role between family socioeconomic status and academic shame. The mediating effect was a masking effect. Therefore, family socioeconomic status directly and negatively affected academic shame among senior high school students, and indirectly affected their academic shame through self-control and gratitude.

The impact of active components wear on psychoacoustic parameters of noise in a car cabin

The automotive industry is undergoing an electromobility revolution. Changing a car's drive unit influences the vibroacoustics of a car's interior. Drive-train noise at low car speeds and in the low-frequency range is no longer dominant. There is no masking effect due to the noise of the combustion engine, and a passenger paradoxically may perceive the noise of a car as less pleasant. Moreover, existing vibroacoustic requirements have to some extent taken into account the change in the noise of components with the usage time, but there are still areas that require further research. This paper focuses on the study of electric adjustable seats, power windows and power exterior mirrors in different wear states, to determine the significant psychoacoustics changes of the selected car component's noises. The study is part of extensive research that aims to revise the current vibroacoustic requirements for new components and to determine how they could be tested and evaluated.

Target setting and practical Improvement for sound quality of electric vehicles

For electric vehicles, because there is no masking effect of combustion engine noise, the middle frequency and high frequency noise of electric components become distinct and annoying. Electric driven unit, electric compressor, electric pump, and motors of seat adjusting device are always major noise sources for electric vehicles. Some of those noise signals are steady, some are transient and some are time-variable. So only SPL is hard to reflect human's true perception. Psychoacoustic metrics, such as loudness, roughness, sharpness, and tonality, is hard to evaluate all complicated NVH phenomenon of electric vehicles using one metrics. In this paper, the author tested different operation noises of above-mentioned electric components of several popular EVs, and finalized proper psychoacoustic metrics for different operations based on loudness, modulation, tonality and objective evaluation. Furthermore, the author studied target setting for dedicated metrics, and effective improving methods for sound quality of EVs from the point of source and path. For example, effective designing for acoustic encapsulation of EDU and electric compressor, and good insulation performance designing for dash inner and trunk floor trim. Keywords: Sound quality, Psychoacoustic metrics, electric vehicle, objective evaluation, target setting

Visual realism and character identification in science comics: an empirical study testing McCloud’s ‘masking effect’ theory

Visual realism and character identification in science comics: an empirical study testing McCloud’s ‘masking effect’ theory

The relationship between visual health and influencing factors among primary and secondary school students: a survey based in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of China.

The myopia rate of young people around the world, especially in China, has continued to rise, and the vision health of primary and secondary school students has gradually become a global concern. It was to explore the current characteristics of vision status and their intrinsic links to influencing factors of the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region primary and secondary school students under regional characteristics. 1,670 primary and secondary school students in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region were surveyed using Vision examination, International Physical Activity Scale, Lifestyle Behavior Scale. The data were analyzed using SPSS 25.0 and AMOS 23.0. The prevalence of myopia among primary and secondary school students in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region was 27.3%, with rates of 31.5% for girls and 23.4% for boys. There was a significant negative correlation between lifestyle behaviors (r = -0.36, p < 0.01) and physical activity level (r = -0.06, p < 0.05) with vision status. The physical activity level played a significant masking effect between lifestyle behaviors and vision status (a*b = 0.002, c' = -0.044). Gender moderated the effects of lifestyle behaviors on physical activity level and vision status, as well as the effects of physical activity level on vision status. These factors constituted a mixed model with mediating and moderation. The model fitted well (RMSEA = 0.028, CFI = 0.951, NFI = 0.918). The prevalence of myopia among primary and secondary school students in this region is lower than the national average in China, and it is associated with lifestyle behaviors, physical activity level, and gender. When effectively controlled, the physical activity level significantly will reduce the prevalence of myopia as a masking variable. Gender, as a moderating variable, provides theoretical support for the classification and prevention of myopia. Regional surveys enriched the global database on adolescent myopia research, revealing the characteristics and common factors of visual problems in adolescents. Relevant departments and schools should integrate eye care into the national health security system, implement policies related to myopia prevention and control and safeguard the visual health of primary and secondary school students.

Multi-Stage Evolution of the Oceanic Lithosphere beneath Heard Island, Southern Indian Ocean

Abstract The Kerguelen Plateau is the second biggest submarine large igneous province (LIP) on Earth, however, the nature of the lithospheric mantle source underlying it remains poorly constrained. In this contribution, we provide novel insights into the oceanic lithospheric mantle underlying Heard Island (southern Indian Ocean), which represents the most recent and active phase of volcanic activity (&amp;lt;1 Ma) in the Kerguelen Plateau. We present petrographic and geochemical data for a suite of spinel-bearing harzburgite xenoliths hosted in basanite lavas and provide detailed constraints for distinguishing in situ mantle metasomatism from post-entrapment modification of the xenoliths following interaction with the host magma. We demonstrate that the xenolith mineral compositions and textures preserve a complex multistage history of different modal and cryptic transformations that occurred in the mantle due to: i) high degrees of partial melting that produced highly refractory whole-rock Mg# (Mg# = (Mg + Fe)/Mg × 100; 88–92), major element (FeO/MgO = 0.17) and mineral compositions (e.g. highly forsteritic olivine; Fo = (Mg + Fe)/Mg × 100; 91–92 mol %); ii) solid-state re-equilibration reactions during decompression that caused exsolution of clinopyroxene and Cr-spinel from xenolith orthopyroxene to form symplectite intergrowths; iii) cryptic metasomatism affecting the composition of xenolith clinopyroxene (i.e. enrichment in Na, Th, U and light rare earth elements, and depletion in Rb, Nb, Zr, Hf and Ti) due to interaction with carbonatitic melts in the mantle. Mantle fragments, entrapped by ascending basanite magmas as xenoliths were further modified by reactions with the host magma. This resulted in the partial dissolution of mantle orthopyroxene and replacement by newly formed and compositionally distinct assemblages of clinopyroxene (Mg# 87–91), olivine (Fo: 81–88 mol %) and Cr-spinel (i.e. ‘wehrlitisation’ of the xenoliths). This study highlights the utility of combining petrography and mineral chemistry to decipher the complex and sometimes overprinting and masking effects that different processes (e.g. melting events, metasomatism) exert on the lithospheric mantle, as well as constrain the processes that modify the xenoliths during transport towards the surface.

Pupillometry is sensitive to speech masking during story listening: A commentary on the critical role of modeling temporal trends

An increase in pupil size is an important index of listening effort, for example, when listening to speech masked by noise. Specifically, the pupil dilates as the signal-to-noise ratio decreases. A growing body of work aims to assess listening effort under naturalistic conditions using continuous speech, such as spoken stories. However, a recent study found that pupil size was sensitive to speech masking only when listening to sentences but not under naturalistic conditions when listening to stories. The pupil typically constricts with increasing time on task during an experimental block or session, and it may be necessary to account for this temporal trend in experimental design and data analysis in paradigms using longer, continuous stimuli. In the current work, we re-analyze the previously published pupil data, taking into account a problematic constraint of randomization and time-on-task, and use the data to outline methodological solutions for accounting for temporal trends in physiological data using linear mixed models. The results show that, in contrast to the previous work, pupil size is indeed sensitive to speech masking even during continuous story listening. Furthermore, accounting for the temporal trend allowed modeling the dynamic changes in the speech masking effect on pupil size over time as the continuous story unfolded. After demonstrating the importance of accounting for temporal trends in the analysis of empirical data, we provide simulations, methodological considerations, and user recommendations for the analysis of temporal trends in experimental data using linear mixed models.

Environmental chamber analysis of objective volatile organic compounds emissions and subjective olfactory perception from main automotive interior components

This study examined the emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and their associated odors from five key automotive interior components: door panels, weatherstrips, seats, headliners, and carpets. Objective VOC emissions and subjective odor evaluations were conducted in an environmental chamber with controlled temperature, humidity, and ventilation rates. VOC analysis revealed that alkanes and aromatic compounds were the predominant emissions, together accounting for 43 %–61 % of the total number of emission types. Other notable emissions included aldehydes and ketones. The overlap in the emitted compounds was substantial, with 13 % of the compounds being universally emitted, 42 % emitted by two or more components, and 45 % unique to individual components. Subjective odor evaluations identified distinct odor fingerprints for each component, with weatherstrips having the highest odor intensity and headliners having the lowest. Perceived pleasantness (PP) ratings were generally negative, indicating the unappealing nature of the odors. Odor activity value (OAV) analysis showed a weak linear relationship with odor intensity, particularly because of the negative correlation in weatherstrips, suggesting significant masking or enhancement effects among odor molecules. Aldehydes and acids were the major contributors to OAV, whereas alkanes, which are often overlooked, were also significant because of their high emission levels.

A Study on the Catch Losses and Mesh Selectivity Related to the Attachment of Marine Mammal Bycatch Reduction Devices on Midwater Trawl Gear

The National Institute of Fisheries Science in Korea is developing marine mammal bycatch reduction devices (BRDs) for high-risk fishing gear, such as trawls. We experimented with two BRD types (guiding nets) attached in front of codend at 30° and 45° angles, and catch losses and mesh size selectivity were investigated. Experimental fishing operations were conducted along the East Coast of South Korea where whales and dolphins are commonly sighted. The catch was classified according to fishing location, BRD type, codend, and covernet, with measurements recorded for body length, maximum girth, and weight. The average selectivity for each haul was analyzed using the ‘selfisher’ package. The catch loss rates with the BRD attached at tilt angles of 30° and 45° were 11% and 29% for common flying squid, 6% and 28% for sailfin sandfish, and 5% and 8% for pearlside. While the mesh selectivity rates for common flying squid and pearlside remained at 0.2–0.5 across all lengths and tilt angles, the mesh selectivity curve for sailfin sandfish was estimated. There were significant differences in catch loss between 30° and 45° angles, with the 30° angle being more effective in catch loss. We observed a masking effect in the codend.