Partial Support Research Articles

Autonomic nervous system function before and after trauma-focused psychotherapy in youth with (partial) posttraumatic stress disorder

While trauma-focused psychotherapies have been shown effective in youth with PTSD, the relationship between treatment response and alterations in the autonomic nervous system (ANS) associated with PTSD, remains incompletely understood. During neutral and personalized trauma script imagery heart rate (HR), pre-ejection period (PEP) and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) were recorded in youth aged 8–18 with PTSD or partial PTSD (n = 76) and trauma-exposed controls (TEC) (n = 27) to determine ANS activity and stress reactivity. Within the patient group, 77.6% met the full DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for PTSD, the remaining 22.4% met the criteria for partial PTSD. Youth with (partial) PTSD were subsequently treated with eight sessions of either trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy or eye movement desensitization and reprocessing. PTSD severity was assessed using the Clinician-Administered PTSD scale for Children and Adolescents to divide patients into responders and non-responders. Youth with (partial) PTSD relative to TEC had higher overall HR during both neutral and trauma imagery (p = .05). Youth with (partial) PTSD showed RSA decrease during trauma imagery relative to neutral imagery, the reverse of TEC (p = .01). Relative to non-responders, responders demonstrated a significant baseline to posttreatment increase of RSA response to stress only when employing a ≥ 50% response criterion (p = .05) and not with the primary ≥ 30% criterion (p = .12). Our results suggest overall higher HR and sympathetic nervous system activity as well as vagal withdrawal in response to stress in youth with (partial) PTSD and only provide partial support for normalization of the latter with successful trauma-focused psychotherapy.

Electro-Catalytic Nitrogen Reduction by Metal Oxynitride Thin Films: Effect of Metal Oxophilicity, and Role of Lattice Nitrogen

The electrocatalytic reduction of molecular nitrogen to ammonia—the nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR)—is of broad interest as an environmentally- and energy-friendly alternative to the Haber-Bosch process for agricultural and emerging energy applications. Herein, we present our recent findings from collaborative electrochemistry/surface science/theoretical studies that counter several commonly held assumptions regarding transition metal oxynitrides and oxides as NRR catalysts. Specifically, we demonstrate that for the vanadium oxide, vanadium oxynitride, and cobalt oxynitride systems, (a) there is no Mars-van Krevelen mechanism and that the reduction of lattice nitrogen and N2 to NH3 occurs by parallel reaction mechanisms at O-ligated metal sites without incorporation of N into the oxide lattice, and (b) that NRR and the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) do occur in concert under the conditions studied for Co oxynitride, but not for V oxynitride. Additionally, these results highlight the importance of both O-ligation of the V or Co center for the metal-binding of dinitrogen, and the importance of N in stabilizing the transition metal cation in an intermediate oxidation state for effective N≡N bond activation.1-3 Acknowledgment: This work was supported by the National Science Foundation through grants DMR-2112864 (to JAK, TRC, and FD) and partial support by CHE-1953547 (to TRC). Additional NSF support for the UNT CASCaM HPC cluster via Grant CHE-1531468 is also gratefully acknowledged. Ganesan, A. Osonkie, P. Chukwunenye, T. Cundari, F. D'Souza, J. Kelber. Electrochemical Reduction of N2 to ammonia by vanadium oxide thin films at neutral pH, J. Electrochem. Soc., 2021, 168, 026504.Osonkie, A. Ganesan, P. Chukwunenye, F. Anwar, K. Balogun, M. Gharee, I. Rashed, T. R. Cundari, F. D’Souza, and J. A. Kelber, Electro-catalytic reduction of nitrogen to ammonia: The roles of lattice O and N in reduction at vanadium oxynitride surfaces, ACS Adv. Mater & Interface, 2022, 14, 531-542.Chukwunenye, A. Ganesan, M. Gharaee, K. Balogun, F. Anwar, Q. Adesope, T. R. Cundari, F. D’Souza, and J. A. Kelber, ‘Electrocatalytic Selectivity for Nitrogen Reduction vs. Hydrogen Evolution: A Comparison of Vanadium and Cobalt Oxynitrides at Different pH Values.’ J. Mater. Chem. A, 2022, 10, 21401-21415.

Mixed Ionic Electronic Conduction Caused by Phase Transformation and Interfacial Segregation in an Entropy Stabilized Oxide

Research on entropy-stabilized oxides (ESO) [1] has primarily focused on exploring new single-phase structures with diverse chemistries, or unique properties, such as high Li-ion conductivity, high dielectric constant, low thermal conductivity, good electrochemical cycling stability, and high storage capacity retention [2]. However, few studies discuss the impact of secondary phase formation on functionality such as electrical conductivity [3] despite the fact that annealing this single-phase ESO causes it to undergo a phase transformation leading to the formation of Cu-rich and Co-rich secondary phases [4]. To address this gap, this work [5] investigates the electrical transport mechanisms in the canonical entropy-stabilized oxide (Co,Cu,Mg,Ni,Zn)O as a function of secondary phase content. Here, the structure and composition of single-phase and multiphase ESOs, and their GBs and HIs are probed using atomic-resolution imaging by scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) coupled with nanoscale spectroscopy by electron energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS). Our findings suggest that when single-phase, the oxide is an oxygen ion conductor. After 2 h of heat treatment, Cu-rich tenorite particles form at some grain boundaries, turning the grain interior rocksalt oxide into a mixed ionic-electronic conductor via oxygen ions and small hole polaron Co2+/Co3+ and Cu2+/Cu+ pairs. 24 h of heat treatment leads to the full coverage of Cu-rich tenorite particles at all grain boundaries and the formation of anisotropic Cu-rich tenorite and equiaxed Co-rich spinel particles in the grains. While the grain interiors exhibit similar mixed ionic-electronic conduction, Cu-rich tenorite grain boundary phases create a pathway for Cu2+/Cu3+ small hole polarons. The ability to selectively grow secondary phases nucleated at grain boundaries enables tuning of electrical properties in entropy-stabilized and complex concentrated oxides using microstructure design, nanoscale engineering, and heat treatment, paving the way to develop many novel materials.[1] C. M. Rost, J.-P. Maria, Nat Commun, 2015.[2] A. Salian, S. Mandal, Critical Reviews in Solid State and Materials Sciences, 2022.[3] M. Moździerz, K. Świerczek, Acta Materialia, 2021.[4] A. D. Dupuy, J. M. Schoenung, Journal of the European Ceramic Society, 2021.[5] H. Vahidi...W. J. Bowman (submitted). Acknowledgments This research was primarily supported by the National Science Foundation Materials Research Science and Engineering Center program through the UC Irvine Center for Complex and Active Materials (DMR-2011967). WJB and HV acknowledge partial support from the UCI new faculty startup funding. The authors acknowledge the use of facilities and instrumentation at the UC Irvine Materials Research Institute (IMRI) supported in part by the National Science Foundation Materials Research Science and Engineering Center program through the UC Irvine Center for Complex and Active Materials (DMR-2011967).

AGE DIFFERENCES IN AFFECT DYNAMICS: APPLYING A FORMALIZED THEORETICAL APPROACH

Abstract Emotional aging research is dominated by the idea of age-related improvements that result from shifts in motivation. Socioemotional selectivity theory (SST) proposes that as individuals age, they increasingly favor emotion-related goals and savor positive but avoid negative emotions. Previous age-comparative studies on everyday emotional experience typically were descriptive or studied the processes underlying emotional experience in isolation. We aimed at a more holistic approach to test hypotheses derived from SST regarding age-related differences in general emotional dispositions (i.e., anchoring), emotional reactivity, and emotion regulation by using a comprehensive computational approach. We applied our Model of Intraindividual Variability in Affect (MIVA) to data on everyday emotional experiences in an age-diverse sample (N = 378, age range 14 – 86 years). Parameter estimations were carried out within a Bayesian framework. Our results provide partial support for predictions derived from SST. Consistent with SST, affect elicited by pleasant events was down-regulated less by older adults and affect elicited by unpleasant events was down-regulated more by older compared to younger adults. Inconsistent with SST, anchoring showed a negative age-related trend, indicating a more positive general affect disposition in younger, not older adults. Reactions to pleasant events showed no age-related differences. Reactivity to unpleasant events was highest in midlife and lower for younger and older adults. We discuss the broader implications of our approach for understanding emotional development across the lifespan.

Determining the geographical origin and glycogen content of oysters using portable near-infrared spectroscopy: Comparison of classification and regression approaches

Oysters are extensively cultivated worldwide. However, significant variations in chemical composition, quality, and price exist between oysters from different geographical origins. This study employed portable near-infrared spectroscopy in conjunction with chemometric analysis to determine the geographical origin and glycogen content of oysters. Pretreatment methods (multiplicative scattering correction, first derivative, and second derivative) were used to preprocess the raw spectra. Partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), and support vector machine (SVM) were then adopted to establish the qualitative models. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) and support vector machine regression (SVMR) were compared for predicting the glycogen content. The results revealed that the PLS-DA, OPLS-DA, and SVM models classified the geographical origin of oysters with 100% accuracy. For quantitative analysis, the regression equations displayed high predictive ability. The SVMR model was superior to the PLSR model for glycogen content prediction, with a coefficient of determination of prediction (R2P) of 0.9253 and a residual prediction deviation (RPD) of 3.62. Therefore, the proposed approach is suitable for the accurate and environmentally friendly determination of the geographical origin and glycogen content of oysters, thus representing an attractive alternative method for the traceability supervision and quantitative analysis of seafood products.

Can fusion of vis-NIR and MIR spectra at three levels improve the prediction accuracy of soil nutrients?

Soil nutrients are an important component of soil fertility, and having accurate and timely soil nutrients information is conducive to scientifically guided agricultural fertilization and improved crop yields. Traditional soil nutrient measurement methods are accurate but time-consuming and costly. Visible near-infrared (vis-NIR) and mid-infrared (MIR) as techniques of spectroscopy measurements are cheap, fast, and non-destructive, and, after training, have been used separately to predict soil nutrients. They can give complementary information, so using them separately may not be optimal. This study investigated whether the fusion of vis-NIR and MIR spectra would improve the prediction of six soil nutrients: total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), total potassium (TK), alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP) and available potassium (AK). The sample set was 501 tillage (0 ∼ 20 cm) soil samples from Guizhou Province (China). Three different sensor fusion techniques were compared: (1) direct fusion of spectra (low-level fusion; SF1); (2) fusion of spectral features selected by the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithm (middle-level fusion; SF2); and (3) fusion using the Granger-Ramanathan averaging (GRA) method of the separate vis-NIR and MIR results (high-level fusion; SF3). Prediction models were built using partial least squares regression (PLSR) and support vector machine (SVM), and evaluated using leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV), coefficient of determination (R2), and ratio of performance to interquartile (RPIQ), defined as Rcv2 and RPIQCV. All three sensor fusion methods were more accurate than single-sensor methods in predicting TN, TK and AN (0.60 ≤ Rcv2 ≤ 0.92, 1.86 ≤ RPIQCV ≤ 5.08), but were less accurate for TP, AP and AK (Rcv2 ≤ 0.34, RPIQCV ≤ 1.55). Compared to the best prediction using each single sensor model, low-level fusion improved the prediction of TN and AN; middle-level fusion improved the prediction of TN, TP, AN, AP and AK; and high-level fusion improved the prediction of all soil nutrients. Moreover, the SF2-PLSR model provided the best prediction for TN (Rcv2 = 0.83, RPIQCV = 3.18), the SF2-SVM model for AN (Rcv2 = 0.67, RPIQCV = 2.06), and the SF3-PLSR model for TK (Rcv2 = 0.92, RPIQCV = 5.08). The SF2 and SF3 methods are recommended to predict TN and AN, and MIR spectra are recommended to predict TK (Rcv2 = 0.92, RPIQCV = 5.02) since using only a single sensor is cost-effective. The SF2 and SF3 methods improved the prediction accuracy of AP and AK, but the prediction accuracy was still low. This study only covered one area with its set of soil landscapes, and only used well-established modelling methods. The results can motivate research on new spectra techniques and advanced modelling methods, as well as transferability to other soil landscapes.

The Role of Emotional Processes in Explaining the Link Between Severity of Childhood Maltreatment and Relationship Difficulties.

Up to 32% of adults have experienced some form of childhood maltreatment (CM). Research has shown that these early childhood experiences are associated with a variety of interpersonal difficulties in adult sexual and romantic relationships. Polusny and Follette have suggested that these negative long-term effects are the result of emotional avoidance strategies that individuals use to cope with thoughts, feelings, and memories associated with CM. The present study tested this theorized mediational model with a sample of 150 participants, all of whom were currently in long-term relationships. Participants completed questionnaires designed to assess the severity of CM, fear of their own emotions, and a task designed to assess their accuracy at identifying emotions. Additionally, participants completed a variety of measures assessing the quality of their sexual and romantic relationships. These measures assessed their satisfaction, their communication, and the extent of problems in each domain. Our results showed that higher levels of CM were associated with lower satisfaction with communication and more problems in both the romantic and sexual domains. In regard to our mediational hypothesis, we found partial support showing that fear of one's own emotions and emotion recognition mediated some of these associations. Our findings suggest that treatments targeting affective processes may be particularly important for helping victims of CM.

Neuromodulation of choice-induced preference changes: the tDCS study of cognitive dissonance.

Difficult choices between two equally attractive options result in a cognitive discrepancy between dissonant cognitions such as preferences and actions often followed by a sense of psychological discomfort known as cognitive dissonance. It can lead to changes in the desirability of options: the chosen option becomes more desirable, whereas the rejected option is devalued. Despite the ample experimental evidence to show this effect, the neural mechanisms and timing of such choice-induced preference changes are not fully understood. In this study, we used transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to modulate the activity of the posterior medial frontal cortex (pMFC), which has been associated with conflict monitoring and choice-induced preference changes in neuroimaging studies. Prior to a revised version of Brehm's free-choice paradigm, participants in two experiments underwent cathodal (inhibitory) or anodal (excitatory) tDCS of the pMFC compared to sham (placebo) stimulation prior to the choice phase. Our results showed that cathodal tDCS significantly decreased the choice-induced preference change relative to a sham, but only in direct comparisons of rejected options. No significant effect of anodal tDCS in comparison with sham was observed. This study replicates the general behavioral effect of cognitive dissonance and provide partial support for the theory of the pMFC contribution to choice-related cognitive dissonance and subsequent preference changes, with possible limitations of an under-sampling for the obtained effect size and an asymmetry in the inhibitory-excitatory effects of non-invasive tDCS.

Environmental heterogeneity modifies the link between personality and survival in fluctuating small mammal populations.

Despite numerous studies examining the fitness consequences of animal personalities, predictions concerning the relationship between personality and survival are not consistent with empirical observations. Theory predicts that individuals who are risky (i.e. bold, active and aggressive) should have higher rates of mortality; however, empirical evidence shows high levels of variation in behaviour-survival relationships in wild populations. We suggest that this mismatch between predictions under theory and empirical observations results from environmental contingencies that drive heterogeneity in selection. This uncertainty may constrain any universal directional relationships between personality traits and survival. Specifically, we hypothesize that spatiotemporal fluctuations in perceived risk that arise from variability in refuge abundance and competitor density alter the relationship between personality traits and survival. In a large-scale manipulative experiment, we trapped four small mammal species in five subsequent years across six forest stands treated with different management practices in Maine, United States. Stands all occur within the same experimental forest but contain varying amounts of refuge and small mammal densities fluctuate over time and space. We quantified the effects of habitat structure and competitor density on the relationship between personality traits and survival to assess whether directional relationships differed depending on environmental contingencies. In the two most abundant species, deer mice and southern red-backed voles, risky behaviours (i.e. higher aggression and boldness) predicted apparent monthly survival probability. Mice that were more aggressive (less docile) had higher survival. Voles that were bolder (less timid) had higher survival, but in the risky forest stands only. Additionally, traits associated with stress coping and de-arousal increased survival probability in both species at high small mammal density but decreased survival at low density. In the two less abundant study species, there was no evidence for an effect of personality traits on survival. Our field experiment provides partial support for our hypothesis: that spatiotemporal fluctuations in refuge abundance and competitor density alter the relationship between personality traits and survival. Our findings also suggest that behaviours associated with stress coping and de-arousal may be subject to density-dependent selection and should be further assessed and incorporated into theory.

The formation of foreign language competence of future teachers when working with flash cards

Problem statement . The modernization of higher education is a good ground for the use of electronic resources in ensuring accessibility, continuity and quality of teaching foreign languages. The use of interactive tools (simulators, flash cards, virtual whiteboards) meets the requirements to educational training programs for students of pedagogical directions and the challenges of modern society. A flash card is a card with a word, a concept, an image on one side and a translation on the other. The study aimed at substantiating the effectiveness of the use of flash cards for the formation of foreign language competence of future teachers. Methodology . Theoretical and methodological analysis and generalization were used to determine trends in the development of language education, the inclusion of informatization tools in foreign language activities and professional communication. The online platform Quizlet was chosen to work with ready-made flash cards and to create new thematic sets in digital format. The questions for the control work grouped into two blocks “Digital educational technologies” (50 points) and “Foreign language in professional communication” (50 points) were compiled. The study involved 54 students from Vyatka State University (the direction of 44.03.05 “Pedagogical education”, with two training profiles, bachelor's degree level). Pearson's chi-squared criterion was applied at the stage of statistical processing of the results. Results . The system of working with flash cards in the foreign language professional communication of future teachers is described: the study of the Quizlet functionality, working with ready-made sets of cards, automating and improving lexical units, developing their own thematic sets. In the course of independent work and network collaboration the students of the experimental group used Flashcards, Speller, Scatter, Quizlet Live modes. Statistically significant differences in the qualitative changes that occurred in the level of formation of foreign language competence were determined. Conclusion. The use of flash cards in the preparation of students of pedagogical specialties has a significant didactic potential for the development of their foreign language competence: the effect of immersion, competitiveness and obtaining positive emotions; resources for independent language learning in extracurricular time; overcoming the language barrier in the virtual gaming environment of information interaction. However, there are some drawbacks: monotony of forms for tests, lack of opportunity to practice pronunciation, partial support of operating modes in the mobile version.

Exploring the optimal model for assessing SOC and TN in Zanthoxylum bungeanum forest on the Loess Plateau using VNIR spectroscopy

Zanthoxylum bungeanum forest is an important economic forest on the Loess Plateau. The rapid assessment of its soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) concentrations is critical for the evaluation of soil quality. Soil samples of different forest ages and soil depths were collected for laboratory analyses and spectral measurements, and the visible and near-infrared reflectance (VNIR) spectral data were processed by mathematical transformations, such as first-order derivative (FD) and second-order derivative, multiple scattering correction, and logarithm of the reciprocal. The importance bands of SOC and TN were screened on the basis of competitive adaptive reweighted sampling. In addition, partial least squares regression and support vector machine regression models were constructed, and the applicability of SOC and TN to the models were compared. Results showed that forest age and soil depth remarkably affect SOC and TN concentrations. Among the calibration and validation models, the combination of the SVMR model with Savitzky–Golay smoothing and FD estimated SOC and TN with the highest accuracy, and the validation accuracy of the surface SOC and TN was higher than that of the bottom depths. Meanwhile, the importance bands involved in the modeling were mainly distributed in 400–600 nm and 1000–2400 nm. The combination of the FD transformation and the SVMR model is suitable for determining SOC and TN concentrations in Z. bungeanum forests, and the model has great potential for the quantitative evaluation of soil quality in the Loess Plateau.

Marital status, State policy environment and Foregone healthcare of same-sex families during the COVID-19 period

Sexual minorities in the United States have often reported a higher likelihood of forgoing healthcare than heterosexuals, but whether this occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic remains underexplored. This study applies and extends the Andersen model to examine different-sex and same-sex families’ likelihood of forgoing healthcare during the pandemic using nationally representative data from the 2020 (May–October) Current Population Survey (N = 139,636). Results are that during the early stage of the pandemic (1) same-sex families overall are more likely than different-sex families to forgo medical care, (2) cohabitating same-sex families were less likely to forgo healthcare than their married counterparts, and (3) state policy environments will moderate only some of the differences in healthcare utilization by family types. Findings provide partial support for hypotheses and suggest a more careful consideration of the role of partnership and state policy in the Andersen model. Policy implications are also discussed.

Dramatic storytelling and naming subjective experiences in psychodynamic treatments of depressed women: An exploratory study of assimilative functions of narrating

Objective: The present study aims to demonstrate how assimilation processes indicated by formal aspects of in-session narratives change in the course of psychodynamic therapy and how this differs by therapy outcome. Method: Two sessions each from the initial, the middle, and the termination phase of six successful and six unsuccessful psychodynamic treatments were compared. All narratives were identified and coded for dramatic narrating and naming of emotions and mental verbs. Results: Good outcome cases peaked in the use of direct speech and naming negative emotions in the middle phase of treatment. Poorer treatment outcome was associated with a high amount of narrating and a tendency to more dramatic narrating in the termination phase and with a use of more narrative clauses throughout treatment. Conclusions: Emotional remembering and naming of emotional states in the middle phase could provide partial support for the role of assimilation processes in good outcome cases. Narrative characteristics of less successful treatments are discussed.

Replicating and Digesting Anomalies in the Chinese A-Share Market

We replicate 469 anomaly variables similar to those studied by Hou et al. (2020) using Chinese A-share data and a reliable testing procedure with mainboard breakpoints and value-weighted returns. We find that 83.37% of the anomaly variables do not generate significant high-minus-low quintile raw return spreads. Further adjusting risk increases the failure rate slightly to 84.22% based on CAPM alphas and 86.99% based on Fama–French three-factor alphas. We show that the conventional procedure using all A-share breakpoints with equal-weighted returns for the anomaly test is indeed problematic as it assigns too much weight to microcaps and has a very limited investment capacity. The CH3-factor, CH4-factor, and q-factor models show the best performance over the whole sample period. The q-factor model is the best performer in the post-2007 subsample period after significant improvements occurred in China’s financial market environment, such as the completion of the split-share structure reform and the implementation of new accounting standards conforming to the International Financial Reporting Standards. The non–state-owned enterprise subsample in the post-2007 period is a cleaner sample in which the CH4-factor and q-factor models are the best performers. This paper was accepted by Lukas Schmid, finance. Funding: Z. Li acknowledges financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant 72103043] and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities in UIBE [Grants 19QN01 and 22PY053-72103043]. L. X. Liu acknowledges financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grants 71872006 and 72273006]. L. X. Liu and X. Liu acknowledge financial support from the Guanghua Thought Leadership Platform of Peking University. K. C. J. Wei acknowledges partial financial support from the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China [Grant 15507320]. The authors acknowledge financial support from the Guanghua School of Management, Peking University; the School of Banking and Finance, University of International Business and Economics; and the Non-PAIR Research Centre “Research Centre for Quantitative Finance” at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Supplemental Material: The online appendix and data are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.4904 .

The effect of perceptions of justice in returns on satisfaction and attitudes toward the retailer

PurposeIn the competitive retailing environment, retailers who provide service experiences that stand out from the competition can gain a competitive advantage. Increasingly, an important aspect of the service experience involves product returns, in particular, the fairness of returns policies and procedures. Previous research studies support that interpersonal justice and informational justice relate positively to consumer attitudes and behaviors. In this paper, the authors examine the relative effects of interpersonal justice and informational justice on return satisfaction, positive word-of-mouth (PWOM) and trust. Additionally, the authors examine the moderating effects of returns process convenience and returns policy restrictiveness as indicators of procedural justice.Design/methodology/approachA scenario-based experiment methodology was used to test the relationships of interest.FindingsResults support that the effects of interpersonal justice on the outcome variables are stronger than the effects of informational justice. There is also support for a moderating effect of returns process convenience on the relationships between interpersonal justice and each outcome variable, as well as partial support for the moderating effect of returns policy restrictiveness on the relationship between interpersonal justice and PWOM.Originality/valueThe research extends previous work on the effects of justice on customer outcomes. Results support the importance of retailers treating customers with fairness during the returns experience and further support the benefits of providing a convenient returns experience.

The Road Less Traveled: Another Path for the Energy Transition

Broad consensus calls for more US transmission infrastructure to speed the entry of new renewable generation into the resource mix. Many types of possible transmission projects vie for a role in pursuing that goal, including the three selected for partial support with $1.3 billion in recent commitments from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).1 These projects reflect the DOE’s stated goal of promoting “clean energy” in diverse forms—onshore wind and solar electricity in the West and Southwest regions of the United States and the entry of new offshore wind in New England. These projects are “bi‐directional”—transmission that can handle new wind and solar generating sources moving electricity one way when available, with more traditional “dispatchable” moving the other way when not.

Grassland Chlorophyll Content Estimation from Drone Hyperspectral Images Combined with Fractional-Order Derivative

Chlorophyll plays a critical role in assessing the photosynthetic capacity and health of grasslands. However, existing studies on the hyperspectral inversion of chlorophyll have mainly focused on field crops, leading to limited accuracy when applied to natural grasslands due to their complex canopy structures and species diversity. This study aims to address this challenge by extrapolating the measured leaf chlorophyll to the canopy level using the green vegetation coverage approach. Additionally, fractional-order derivative (FOD) methods are employed to enhance the sensitivity of hyperspectral data to chlorophyll. Several FOD spectral indices are developed to minimize interference from factors such as bare soil and hay, resulting in improved chlorophyll estimation accuracy. The study utilizes partial least squares regression (PLSR) and support vector machine regression (SVR) to construct inversion models based on full-band FOD, two-band FOD spectral indices, and their combination. Through comparative analysis, the optimal model for estimating grassland chlorophyll content is determined, yielding an R2 value of 0.808, RMSE value of 1.720, and RPD value of 2.347.

Graduated sanctioning, endogenous institutions and sustainable cooperation in common-pool resources: An experimental test

To encourage long-term cooperation in social dilemmas such as common-pool resources, the importance of sanctioning is often stressed. Elinor Ostrom advocates graduated sanctioning: the severity of a defector’s punishment is dependent on the extent of their history of deviant behaviour. In addition, endogenously chosen sanctioning is argued to induce cooperation due to a higher legitimacy. This study compares the effect of graduated and strict mutual sanctioning on cooperation in common-pool resources at the micro and macro level. In addition, we distinguish whether the type of mutual sanction is exogenously determined or endogenously chosen. A Common-Pool Resource game is used in a laboratory experiment, integrating crucial elements of social structure and rule-making mechanisms within a common. Results support the effectiveness of graduated sanctioning compared to strict sanctioning in the long term and partial support using endogenously chosen sanctioning mechanisms versus imposed sanctioning mechanisms.

Estimating soil organic carbon content at variable moisture contents using a low-cost spectrometer

Research-grade spectrometers such as ASD are widely used in the lab to estimate soil properties, but they are bulky, heavy, and not easily deployable to measure field soils. The newer FT-NIR spectrometers are compact, lightweight, and robust, suitable for developing portable sensors for emerging applications such as field-based soil carbon stock assessment. In this study, we investigated the usefulness of an FT-NIR spectrometer (NanoQuest) for estimating SOC content while correcting for the effect of soil moisture using External Parameter Orthogonalization (EPO), and its performance was compared to that of ASD. To develop EPO transformation, five levels of soil moisture were used at 0, 0.07, 0.13, 0.18, 0.24, and 0.30 g g−1. We tested two modeling approaches: Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR) and Support Vector Regression (SVR). The results showed that EPO was more effective in correcting for the moisture effect as samples became drier. ASD gave a better performance in estimating SOC with SVR (R2: 0.17 to 0.84, RMSE: 6.1 to 3.9 g C kg−1, bias: −0.3 to 0.1 g C kg−1) after EPO transformation. NanoQuest gave slightly lower, but still satisfactory performance in SOC estimation (R2: 0.17 to 0.70, RMSE: 9.2 to 5 g C kg−1, bias: −0.3 to 0.1 g C kg−1). EPO substantially reduced the bias of the SOC models for both ASD and NanoQuest. This study demonstrates the usefulness of low-cost FT-NIR spectrometers for SOC measurement at varying moisture contents and their great potential for field-deployable soil sensor development.

Inequalities in Resources for Preschool-Age Children by Parental Education: Evidence from Six Advanced Industrialized Countries

This paper provides new evidence on inequalities in resources for children age 3–4 by parental education using harmonized data from six advanced industrialized countries—United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Netherlands, and Japan—that represent different social welfare regime types. We analyze inequalities in two types of resources for young children—family income, and center-based child care—applying two alternative measures of parental education—highest parental education, and maternal education. We hypothesize that inequalities in resources by parental education will be less pronounced in countries where social policies are designed to be more equalizing. The results provide partial support for this hypothesis: the influence of parental education on resources for children does vary by the social policy context, although not in all cases. We also find that the measurement of parental education matters: income disparities are smaller under a maternal-only definition whereas child care disparities are larger. Moreover, the degree of divergence between the two sets of estimates differs across countries. We provide some of the first systematic evidence about how resources for young children vary depending on parents’ education and the extent to which such inequalities are buffered by social policies. We find that while early inequalities are a fact of life in all six countries, the extent of those inequalities varies considerably. Moreover, the results suggest that social policy plays a role in moderating the influence of parental education on resources for children.