Preferential Localization Research Articles

Statistical Survey of Interchange Events in the Jovian Magnetosphere Using Juno Observations

AbstractInterchange instability is known to drive fast radial transport of electrons and ions in Jupiter's inner and middle magnetosphere. In this study, we conduct a statistical survey to evaluate the properties of energetic particles and plasma waves during interchange events using Juno data from 2016 to 2023. We present representative examples of interchange events followed by a statistical analysis of the spatial distribution, duration and spatial extent. Our survey indicates that interchange instability is predominant at M‐shells from 6 to 26, peaking near 17 with an average duration of minutes and a corresponding M‐shell width of <∼0.05. During interchange events, the associated plasma waves, such as whistler‐mode, Z‐mode, and electron cyclotron harmonic waves exhibit a distinct preferential location. These findings provide valuable insights into particle transport and the source region of plasma waves in the Jovian magnetosphere, as well as in other magnetized planets within and beyond our solar system.

Assessment of Vegetable Species for Microgreen Production in Unheated Greenhouses: Yield, Nutritional Composition, and Sensory Perception.

Cultivating microgreens in central-southern Chile in unheated greenhouses offers a viable and productive alternative to growers. In 2023, two experiments were conducted in autumn and spring. These experiments involved the production of microgreens of eleven vegetable species. The tray system with the substrate was employed. Subsequently, agronomic, nutritional, and sensory perception variables were assessed. Despite notable fluctuations in external temperatures between these seasons, a diverse array of microgreens can be successfully cultivated, meeting local consumer preferences. Research indicates that microgreens grown under these conditions exhibit high nutritional quality, serving as a rich source of essential nutrients and bioactive compounds beneficial to human health. This nutritional value remains consistent across autumn and spring, establishing microgreens as a reliable and valuable food option. The observed acceptance and purchasing intentions among the surveyed population suggest a promising market opportunity for introducing these products regionally. Consumers appreciate microgreens' quality and nutritional advantages, underscoring their potential.

Electoral Systems and the Autocrat’s Trade-Off: Evidence from the Russian Duma

abstract: Legislative elections sustain authoritarian regimes, but distinct electoral systems simultaneously benefit and hurt the political prospects of those regimes. The author theorizes about a trade-off between electoral systems that facilitate information on local elite preferences, and systems that maintain legislative control. An electoral system can achieve either, but not at the same time. The author undertakes an empirical study of Russian federal deputies, half of whom are elected in single-member districts, the other half on a nationwide closed-party list. Candidates can register on both lists (N = 515), and district results determine final list affiliation. Electoral incentives change abruptly for deputies who are barely winning or losing their district, a fact that the author exploits to identify the effects of local representation on pro- and antiregime parliamentary behavior. The results support a trade-off: district-list deputies convey more information on local preferences in their speeches than party-list deputies do, but they oppose law proposals more frequently. How autocrats weigh this trade-off determines the electoral system and illuminates electoral reform in autocracies.

How does food neophobia effect local food preferences?

The term "food neophobia" is used to describe the behaviour of individuals who exhibit a fear of new or unfamiliar foods. The phenomenon of food neophobia can influence the consumption of novel foods by tourists during their visits to unfamiliar destinations. This paper sets out to determine the moderating role of food neophobia in the effect of local food consumption value on attitudes and behavioral intentions towards local food. In this context, a questionnaire was used to measure the values, attitudes, behavioral intentions and food neophobia levels of 509 foreign tourists visiting Turkey (Istanbul province) towards Turkish food. The findings show that consumption values such as emotional, epistemic, health, taste/quality and price value the attitudes of foreign tourists towards local foods. In addition, food neophobia has a moderating role in the effects of health value and epistemic value on attitudes towards local foods.

Adaptation of WHO COVID-19 guidelines by Caribbean countries and territories.

The normative role of the World Health Organization (WHO) involves creating evidence-based, principled guidelines to guide its Member States in making well-informed public health decisions. While these guidelines often need to be adapted to ensure contextual relevance, foster better implementation and adherence, adapting existing guidelines is more efficient than creating new ones. Here we describe the adaptation of the WHO coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) living guideline on pharmacological interventions for the Caribbean using the grading of recommendations, assessment, development and evaluation (GRADE)-ADOLOPMENT method. The Caribbean Public Health Agency and the Pan American Health Organization led the effort, assembling a diverse panel of 16 experts from seven Caribbean countries and territories. The adaptation process, involving 15 steps, was guided by an experienced methodologist and included selecting relevant clinical questions and prioritizing them based on regional needs. The panel evaluated the latest WHO guidelines and integrated additional local data. They adjusted the direction and strength of several recommendations to better fit the Caribbean context, considering local values and preferences, resources, accessibility, feasibility and impact on health equity. Ultimately, we changed the direction of two recommendations and the strength of five, tailoring them to regional realities. This effort highlights the importance of adapting global guidelines to local settings, improving their applicability and effectiveness. The adaptation process also serves as a valuable opportunity for skill transfer and capacity-building in guideline development. Continued research is needed to assess the impact of these adaptations on health-care outcomes in the Caribbean.

Design and Preparation of Lifetime-Based Dual Fluorescent/Phosphorescent Sensor of pH and Oxygen and its Exploration in Model Physiological Solutions and Cells.

In the present report, a novel dual pH-O2 sensor based on covalent conjugate of rhodamine 6G and cyclometalated iridium complex with poly(vinylpyrrolidone-block-vinyltetrazole) copolymer is reported. In model physiological solutions the sensor chromophores display independent phosphorescent and fluorescent lifetime responses onto variations in oxygen concentration and pH, respectively. Colocalization studies on Chinese hamster ovary cells demonstrate the preferential localization in endosomes and lysosomes. The fluorescent lifetime imaging microscopy-phosphorescent lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM-PLIM) experiments show that the phosphorescent O2 sensor provides unambiguous information onto hypoxia versus normoxia cell status as well as semi-quantitative data on the oxygen concentration in cells in between these two states. However, the results of FLIM measurements indicate that dynamic lifetime interval of the sensor (≈0.5ns between pH values 5.0 and 8.0) is insufficient even for qualitative estimation of pH in living cells because half-width of lifetime distribution in the studied samples is higher than the sensor dynamic interval. Nevertheless, the variations in rhodamine emission intensity are much higher and allow rough discrimination of acidic and neutral cell conditions. Thus, the results of this study indicate that the suggested approach to the design of dual pH-O2 sensors makes possible to prepare the biocompatible and water-soluble conjugate with fast cellular uptake.

Language Attitudes toward Accented Speech in the Workplace in Switzerland

Purpose: The aim of the study was to analyze the language attitudes toward accented speech in the workplace in Switzerland. Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries. Findings: Language attitudes toward accented speech in the workplace in Switzerland reveals a nuanced perception influenced by the country's multilingual environment. Studies indicate that individuals with native Swiss German accents tend to receive higher professionalism ratings compared to those with foreign accents, reflecting a bias that aligns with local linguistic preferences. Additionally, accents from non-European languages often face stigmatization, leading to perceptions of reduced competence and credibility. However, some findings suggest that exposure to diverse accents can foster greater acceptance and appreciation over time, particularly in multicultural workplaces. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Social identity theory, linguistic accommodation theory & perception theory may be used to anchor future studies on the language attitudes toward accented speech in the workplace in Switzerland. Organizations should develop clear guidelines for performance evaluations that eliminate the subjective influence of accent bias. Organizations should establish policies that mandate participation in diversity training for all employees, including during onboarding and ongoing professional development.

Porous polylactide membranes with high piezo-catalytic efficiency for organic wastewater treatment

Piezo-catalysis has been emerged as a green and promising wastewater treatment technology for efficient removal of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), such as 4-nitrophenol (4-NP). However, it remains challenging to achieve advanced materials with combined advantages of high piezo-catalytic efficiency, good hydrophilicity, and environmental friendliness. In this work, highly crystalline porous polylactide (PLA) membranes possessing such exceptional advantages have been successfully prepared from biodegradable poly(L-lactide)/poly(D-lactide)/polyethylene glycol/polyoxyethylene-polyoxypropylene block copolymer (PLLA/PDLA/PEG/PEO-PPO-PEO) blends by melt processing and subsequent water etching. During the melt-processing, the two PLA enantiomers co-crystallize into stereocomplex (SC) crystals and simultaneously the PEG used as a porogen is expelled from the crystalline regions. The results show that the prepared PLA membranes have not only abundant micro-porous structures but also good hydrophilicity due to the preferential localization of PEO-PPO-PEO copolymer on the pore walls, thus giving rise to an extremely high water flux of 2400 L/m2h. More interestingly, the PLA membranes exhibit remarkable piezoelectric activity and the piezo-catalytic degradation efficiency of 4-NP can reach as high as 96 % under the triggering of water flow involved in vacuum filtration. In addition, the membranes show excellent reusability and the high catalytic efficiency can be well-maintained after five repeated uses. These findings suggest broad application prospects of our porous SC-PLA membranes in organic wastewater treatment.

Ecogeographic Study of Ipomoea Species in Mauritius, Indian Ocean.

The wild relatives of crops play a critical role in enhancing agricultural resilience and sustainability by contributing valuable traits for crop improvement. Shifts in climatic conditions and human activities threaten plant genetic resources for food and agriculture (PGRFA), jeopardizing contributions to future food production and security. Studies and inventories of the extant agrobiodiversity, in terms of numbers and distribution patterns of species and their genetic diversity, are primordial for developing effective and comprehensive conservation strategies. We conducted an ecogeographic study on Ipomoea species and assessed their diversity, distribution, and ecological preferences across different topographic, altitudinal, geographical, and climatic gradients, at a total of 450 sites across Mauritius. Species distribution maps overlaid with climatic data highlighted specific ecological distribution. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed species distribution was influenced by geographical factors. Regional richness analyses indicated varying densities, with some species exhibiting localized distributions and specific ecological preferences while the other species showed diverse distribution patterns. Field surveys identified 14 species and 2 subspecies out of 21 species and 2 subspecies of Ipomoea reported in Mauritius. A gap in ex situ germplasm collections was observed and several species were identified as threatened. Further investigations and a more long-term monitoring effort to better guide conservation decisions are proposed.

Themes and Language Style in Advertising Slogans of Vietnamese Banks and American Banks

Advertising slogans are important in branding companies and attracting customers. Businesses emphasize global thinking but tailor actions to local preferences, initiating advertisers to consider local culture when crafting advertising slogans. However, studies on advertising slogans are not abundant. This study used a qualitative approach to analyze and compare 50 Vietnamese and 69 American banks' advertising slogans in three aspects: themes, vocabulary, and syntax. Unlike previous multimodal studies on advertisements, this research highlighted the impact of culture on advertising, namely the influence of collectivism/individualism and high/low-context culture on advertising themes, vocabulary, and syntaxes. The study identified one similarity and three differences in the themes and pinpointed distinct words and syntax in these two groups of advertising slogans. Hopefully, the research will provide a deeper understanding of cultural influence on advertising so that advertising professionals can avoid potential cultural crashes in multi–national working environments.

Effect of I-phase formation on hydrogen embrittlement behaviour of as-cast Mg-8 wt%Li based alloys

By performing microstructural characterization, tensile testing and failure analysis, the effects of electrochemical H-charging on microstructure and mechanical behaviour of two as-cast Mg-8Li (in wt%) based alloys were investigated and compared. Due to the in-situ formation of I-phase, the failure elongation ratio for Mg-8Li-6Zn-1Y alloy was 31.2 % and its hydrogen embrittlement (HE) susceptibility was about 1/4 that of Mg-8Li alloy after H-charging for 24 h. Moreover, the preferential location of H-induced pores transferred from two matrix phases to I-phase/matrix eutectic pockets due to the preferential H absorption of I-phase, resulting in the higher HE resistance of Mg-8Li-6Zn-1Y alloy.

An Examination of Digital Marketing as a Tool to Enhance Customer Engagement in the Hotel Industry: A Case Study of the Western Province, Sri Lanka

Purpose: In the digital age, marketing strategies are crucial for engaging customers. This study aims to evaluate how digital marketing enhances customer engagement in the hotel industry, focusing on Western Province in Sri Lanka. This study's primary objective is to assess the impact of digital marketing to enhance customer engagement in the hotel industry in Western Province, Sri Lanka. The study focuses on the influence of social media marketing, content marketing, and mobile marketing on customer engagement. Design/methodology/approach: This quantitative study analyzes digital marketing's impact on customer engagement using data collected through an online survey with a structured questionnaire. Multiple regression analysis was employed to test three hypotheses and identify key factors influencing customer engagement in the hotel industry. Findings: According to the findings, this research shows the relationship between digital marketing and customer engagement in the hotel industry. Therefore, from this study, social media marketing and customer engagement has positive relationships, Content marketing and customer engagement has positive relationships and finally Mobile marketing, and customer engagement have positive relationships. Originality: The findings offer valuable insights for Sri Lanka's hotel industry, aiding managerial decisions and optimizing digital marketing strategies. The study emphasizes effective marketing strategies, understanding local audience preferences, and the importance of feedback for continuous improvement. Implications: This study offers valuable insights into Sri Lanka's hotel industry, aiding managerial decisions and providing essential tools for digital marketing. It highlights effective strategies and local audience preferences, supports customer segmentation for personalized marketing, and underscores the significance of feedback for ongoing improvement in digital marketing strategies.

Establishing Literacy Foundations : Policies and Interventions for Indonesia's Future Excellence

This study explores the current condition of children's literacy in Indonesia focusing on several critical issues including the impact of inequality in literacy access, the factors influencing the quality of teaching languages, exploring the development of local literacy cultures and reading preferences in order to create a more inclusive literacy program, and the evaluation of current literacy policies. A policy analysis and document/library analysis method with qualitative research approach were used to gather data from documentation studies of literacy policies, reports on implementation and current literatures related to children's literacy in Indonesia. The data analysis technique of this research applied thematic analysis to review, identify, and analyze the data. The results showed that Indonesia still experiences a protracted learning crisis, particularly in relation to children's literacy. Factors like low literacy activities, Covid-19 pandemic and the results of national assessments indicate a serious challenge regarding the performance of children's literacy. Limited children's reading interest and availability of suitable book collections also pose a challenge to overcome. The study proposes several steps to improve children's literacy in Indonesia, including increasing accessibility and variety of book collections, enhancing collaboration between relevant authorities, harmonising with the global literacy standards, widening access to books, particularly in rural communities, involving the local community and establishing corporate partnerships with private sectors. The study hopefully provides a meaningful contribution to developing solutions to Indonesia's children's literacy challenges and strategies to improve children's literacy.

Factors controlling the organ-specific T1 contrast effect of silica nanoparticles co-doped with both Mn2+ ions and oleate-coated iron oxides

The present work introduces the synergistic effect of co-doping of both oleate-coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) and Mn(NO3)2 into silica nanoparticles (SNs) on the T1-relaxivity of Mn2+ ions. The observed synergism can be attributed to the limited oxidation of Mn2+ ions when they are doped into the outer layer of SNs doped with SPIONs, despite the alkaline synthesis conditions. The electrochemical behaviour of the manganese ions inside co-doped SNs corroborates the predominance of their oxidation state +2. Moreover, the T1 relaxivities of co-doped SNs have been determined to be 20.0 mM−1s−1 and 30.0 mM−1s−1 at 0.47 T. The T2 relaxivity of co-doped SNs can be tuned by incorporating 6 or 13 nm SPIONs with different saturation magnetizations, which allows the T2/T1 relaxation ratios to be limited to 0.8–5.9. The incorporation of amino groups on the surface of co-doped SNs by substituting silanol groups with propylamino groups reduces T1 relaxivity to 9.0 mM−1s−1, which is nevertheless sufficient to provide a brightening of the abdominal organs and mouse brain in magnetic resonance imaging at 11.7 T. The preferential localisation of co-doped SNs in the kidneys and intestines compared to the liver is a consequence of the specificity of amino-substituted SNs compared to bare SNs.

Harvester selection and observed mercury levels in Eastern Beaufort Sea and Western Hudson Bay beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas)

Mercury in marine biota has been extensively studied across Inuit Nunaat because it bioaccumulates and biomagnifies in high trophic level species, such as the beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas), or qilalugaq in Inuktut. Qilalugaait (pl) are a staple in many coastal Inuit communities, including Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories and Arviat, Nunavut. We examine how total mercury (THg) concentrations in two beluga populations are influenced by biased sampling resulting from local harvester preferences. We examined historical THg in skin, muscle, and liver (1980's to 2022) together with local qualitative interviews from two beluga-harvesting communities. Age and length bins were used to compare similar sized and aged whales between locations, where males (350 - 400 cm, and 20–30 years) and females (330–400 cm, and 15–30 years) were segregated. The interviews revealed distinct preferences whereby harvesters in Tuktoyaktuk actively sought larger (length) male whales, whereas harvesters in Arviat, selected wide and even range across size and sex. These local preferences were also evident in the historical dataset, with the median age and lengths were 31 years and 389.0 cm in Tuktoyaktuk (n = 461) and 23 and 336.0 cm in Arviat (n = 146). For males, mean and median THg concentrations were higher in beluga harvested from Tuktoyaktuk than Arviat in all three tissues with age and lengths combined, yet in the selected age and length bins, there was no difference in mean and median THg in the muscle tissue, and in median liver THg. There were significant differences in mean and median skin THg and in mean liver THg concentrations between males. In female whales, THg concentrations did not differ between Tuktoyaktuk and Arviat (in ages and lengths combined and in selected age bins across all tissues), excluding median muscle THg concentration. This study indicated that differences in THg concentrations that were previously observed resulted from hunter preferences in these two communities.

Mapping Localization Preferences for Residential Buildings

In this study, we tried to gauge the trends of localization preferences for residential buildings among young adults. The pragmatic dimension of these studies is important in the process of real estate investment, where a location can be expressed using indicators and statistical data and then, using maps, indicate preferred areas for living in a small town. The aim of our research was to examine and visualize the preferences of young people for living locations in relation to access to services. We conducted an online survey using a Likert scale to determine which services and amenities are most important for young residents. Using multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) methods and their formulas, we calculated the attractiveness coefficient of the location of residential buildings, which we propose to call the RBLAF (Residential Building’s Localization Attractiveness Factor). The results of this research are maps: qualitative–quantitative with point symbols for the structure of services and quantitative isochromatics showing the preferences of potential future investors in real estate.

Mapping local green hydrogen cost-potentials by a multidisciplinary approach

For fast-tracking climate change response, green hydrogen is key for achieving greenhouse gas neutral energy systems. Especially Sub-Saharan Africa can benefit from it enabling an increased access to clean energy through utilizing its beneficial conditions for renewable energies. However, developing green hydrogen strategies for Sub-Saharan Africa requires highly detailed and consistent information ranging from technical, environmental, economic, and social dimensions, which is currently lacking in literature. Therefore, this paper provides a comprehensive novel approach embedding the required range of disciplines to analyze green hydrogen cost-potentials in Sub-Saharan Africa. This approach stretches from a dedicated land eligibility based on local preferences, a location specific renewable energy simulation, locally derived sustainable groundwater limitations under climate change, an optimization of local hydrogen energy systems, and a socio-economic indicator-based impact analysis. The capability of the approach is shown for case study regions in Sub-Saharan Africa highlighting the need for a unified, interdisciplinary approach.

Local preferences for the adoption and modification of climate policy instruments under a radical left government: unveiling the impact and legacy of Barcelona in Common

ABSTRACT This study aims to uncover how shifting towards a radical left ideology affects a city’s climate policy. Using semi-structured interviews with stakeholders and an analysis of local action plans and laws enacted in Barcelona between 1984 and May 2023, we find that the period of local government led by the radical left, embodied by Barcelona in Common, saw a significant increase in the adoption of climate-related policy instruments, with a preference for ‘soft’ over ‘hard’ measures. Likewise, this administration more actively raised the ambition of pre-existing policy instruments, though evidence suggests that this trend is driven by other, non-ideological factors. The results further show that ‘hard’ policy instruments especially were more prone to changes, both in terms of raising or reducing policy ambition. Overall, these findings enhance our understanding of local climate policymaking and how it is affected by partisan politics.

Substitution Effects on Subcellular Organelle Localization in Live-cell Imaging.

A series of D-π-A indole-containing fluorescent probes were developed, followed by an investigation of their photophysical properties and compounds' suitability for subcellular imaging in living cells. We demonstrate that the preference for mitochondrial localization was lost when morpholine was substituted, resulting in the accumulation of the molecule in the lysosomes. However, interestingly, the presence of a nitro group led to their localization within the lipid droplets despite the presence of the morpholine pendant. We also showcase the probes' sensitivity to pH, the influence of added chloroquine, and the temperature response on the changes in fluorescence intensity within lysosomes. The design of the probes with strong intramolecular charge transfer and substantial Stokes shift could facilitate extensive application in various cellular lysosomal models and contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in stimuli-responsive diseases.

Anatomical and subcortical invasiveness in diffuse low-grade astrocytomas differ between IDH status and provide prognostic information.

Diffuse astrocytomas preferentially infiltrate eloquent areas affecting the outcome. A preoperative understanding of isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) status may offer opportunities for specific targeted therapies impacting treatment management. The aim of this study was to analyze clinical, topographical, radiological in WHO 2 astrocytomas with different IDH status and the long-term patient's outcome. A series of confirmed WHO 2 astrocytoma patients (between 2005 and 2015) were retrospectively analyzed. MRI sequences (FLAIR) were used for tumor volume segmentation and to create a frequency map of their locations into the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) space. The Brain-Grid (BG) system (standardized radiological tool of intersected lines according to anatomical landmarks) was used as an overlay for infiltration analysis of each tumor. Long-term follow-up was used to perform a survival analysis. Forty patients with confirmed IDH status (26 IDH-mutant, IDHm/14 IDH-wild type, IDHwt) according to WHO 2021 classification were included with a mean follow-up of 7.8 years. IDHm astrocytomas displayed a lower number of BG-voxels (P < 0.05) and were preferentially located in the anterior insular region. IDHwt group displayed a posterior insular and peritrigonal location. IDHwt group displayed a shorter OS compared with IDHm (P < 0.05), with the infiltration of 7 or more BG-voxels as an independent factor predicting a shorter OS. IDHm and IDHwt astrocytomas differed in preferential location, number of BG-voxels and OS at long follow-up time. The number of BG-voxels affected the OS in IDHwt was possibly reflecting higher tumor invasiveness. We encourage the systematic use of alternative observational tools, such as gradient maps and the Brain-Grid analysis, to better detect differences of tumor invasiveness in diffuse low-grade gliomas subtypes.