Rejection Behavior Research Articles

Developmental patterns and computational mechanisms of school-aged children’s fairness-related decision making under social comparison

The developmental patterns and computational mechanisms underlying the impact of unfair offers and social comparisons on school-aged children’s fairness-related decision making remain unclear. To address this, we recruited 190 children aged 8 to 12 years (52.1% female) in a multi-responder ultimatum game. Results revealed an age-related decline in children’s tendency to reject unfair offers, partially mediated by emotions, alongside a slight increase in rejecting inferior social comparisons. Computational modeling identified two distinct motivations guiding children’s rejection behavior: inequity aversion and inferior social comparison avoidance. Furthermore, there was significant variability in responses to superior social comparisons, with some children displaying aversion and others seeking. Our refined model enhances the explanatory power of inequity aversion theory in complex multi-player social scenarios, validating and refining existing theories. In addition, the exploration of superior social comparison tendencies reveals individual heterogeneity, enriching our understanding of children’s social comparisons. These findings contribute to elucidating the developmental patterns and internal mechanisms of children’s socialization processes, offering implications for promoting their social adaptation and mental health.

IgG-BSA separation and purification by internally staged ultrafiltration

Purification of IgG from residual host cell proteins (HCPs) in post-Protein A chromatography is important since some HCPs bind with Protein A and elute with the monoclonal antibody (mAb); removal of HCPs from CHO cell lines is essential. To that end, an advanced separation and purification technique in biopharmaceutical manufacturing, namely, internally staged ultrafiltration (ISUF), is investigated here. Choosing BSA as a model for HCPs in post-protein A eluate, separation of a binary mixture of IgG and BSA containing 1.0 mg/ml IgG and 0.1 mg/ml BSA is successfully demonstrated here using a modified ISUF technique: two Omega 100 kDa membranes on top followed by one Omega 70 kDa membrane at the bottom. This modified configuration demonstrated exceptional performance with almost complete rejection, 99 % purity, and 99.5 % retention of IgG, along with 96.5 % recovery of BSA over 10 diavolumes. This modified membrane stacking resulted from strategic considerations of membrane stacking and careful selection of molecular weight cutoffs and materials, and performance analysis of different membranes and stacking configurations using rejection behaviors, purity levels, and recovery rates under varying diavolume and pressure differential. The approach adopted here enhances flexibility in membrane choices in ISUF and provides valuable insights for optimizing membrane-based biopharmaceutical separation techniques.

Coping trauma with tolerance! A dyadic approach to investigate the relationship between social rejection and work-deviant behavior

PurposeBased on the conservation of resources and emotional regulation theories, this research seeks to examine the relationship between social rejection and work-deviant behavior with a moderated mediation effect of emotional tolerance and psychological trauma.Design/methodology/approachA three-wave multi-sourced (dyad) data were collected from the professionals and respective supervisors of state-managed services sector organizations operating in Pakistan (n1 = 252, n2 = 126) selected through snowball sampling technique.FindingsThe results reflected that socially excluded employees indulge in work-deviant behaviors and psychological trauma perform a partial transmitting link. Further, an ability to be emotionally tolerant buffers the detrimental aspects effects of social rejection on psychological trauma but might not be an effective tool while one moves to the trauma stage. Further, the conditional effect confirms that a high level of emotional tolerance weakens the moderated mediation relationship between social rejection and work-deviant behavior via psychological trauma.Practical implicationsThe present study provides guidelines to carefully identify and tackle the incidences of social rejection in the workplace and develop tolerance capabilities of employees to tackle the trauma and reduce work deviance.Originality/valueThis is a novel attempt to link the emotional regulation theory with the conservation of resources theory in order to minimize the deviance-related issues provoked by social rejection by introducing emotional tolerance as a coping mechanism which was paid less attention in the contemporary literature.

Being Perceived as a Vital Force or a Burden: The Social Utility-Based Acceptance/Rejection (SUBAR) Model.

This paper proposes a new theoretical model to explain the acceptance/rejection of agents (co-workers) and various social groups (people with mental disorders or disabilities, the elderly, the unemployed/poor, ethnic minorities) in a given social system: the social utility-based acceptance/rejection (SUBAR) Model. Based on a social utility approach, it is proposed that human social cognition evaluates and reacts to agents/groups in a social system on the basis of the perceived strengths and significant contributions they bring to the system (upward forces; e.g., skills, resources, willingness) and the perceived weaknesses that may harm the system (downward forces; e.g., use of social benefits, dependence). While the perception of upward forces for the system (i.e., vital forces) is accompanied by acceptance (positive attitudes and behaviors), the perception of downward forces (i.e., burdens on the system) promotes rejection (negative attitudes and behaviors). The combination of the two indicators predicts that low vital forces/high burden targets will be the most rejected and high vital forces/low burden targets will be the most accepted. The high burden/high vital forces and low vital forces/low burden targets should be evaluated at an intermediate level between the other two. This naive calculation of the forces exerted by agents/groups in a social system is moderated by various variables (scarcity of economic resources, values) and responds to a functional attempt to regulate individual and collective interests, themselves dependent on the efficiency of given systems. Finally, the relationship of the SUBAR model to other relevant theories will also be discussed.

Ghosting: Social rejection without explanation, but not without care.

Many social ties end when one side rejects the other, but rejection does not need to happen directly. Ghosting-the act of ending a relationship by ignoring another person's attempts to connect-is a common way of ending social ties. The present experiments first establish the key characteristics of ghosting and distinguish it from other rejection behaviors (Pilot Studies 1a-1c). The experiments then proceed to explore the relational and motivational implications of this behavior, finding that ghosters (those who ghost) care about the well-being of ghostees (those who are ghosted) more than ghostees realize. This result occurs in recalled instances of ghosting (Experiment 1), when ghosting in real time (Experiment 2), and when refraining from ghosting is monetarily costly (Experiment 3). We find that this occurs partly because ghostees underestimate the other-oriented motives involved in ghosting, misunderstanding that ghosters ghost partly as a way to end a tie while avoiding hurting ghostees' feelings (Experiments 4-6). Indeed, greater other-oriented motives lead to a higher likelihood of ghosting others (Experiment 7). A final experiment finds relational consequences whereby ghostees miss out on opportunities for future help exchange due to their underestimation of the extent to which ghosters care about them (Experiment 8). Ghosting is social rejection without explanation or feedback, but not without care. This study highlights how prosocial motives can drive rejection behaviors and the role of interpersonal accuracy in mitigating the negative effects of social rejection. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Early Conceptual Knowledge About Food

AbstractRecent research suggests that preschool (three- to six-years-old) children’s food cognition involves much more than the nutritional information usually conveyed by traditional food education programs. This review aims at collecting the empirical evidence documenting the richness of preschoolers’ conceptual knowledge about food. After introducing the relevance of the topic in the context of the research in early food rejection dispositions (Sect. 1), we draw from empirical contributions to propose the first classification of food knowledge in the field, which includes taxonomic (2.1.), relational (2.2.), and value-laden food knowledge (2.3.). Finally, in Sect. 3, we highlight some theoretical shortcomings of extant literature, suggesting that the account of food knowledge we propose could be employed to develop more effective educational strategies that mitigate early food rejection behaviors (e.g., food neophobia).Early conceptual knowledge about food.

A comparative study on PI-PD controller design using stability region centroid methods for unstable, integrating and resonant systems with time delay

In this paper, controller tuning methods based on stability region centroid methods reported in the literature are used to design PI-PD controllers for unstable, integrating and resonant systems with time delay. By analyzing the stability boundary locus (SBL) for the PD controller, which is utilized in the inner loop of this structure, the controller parameters are obtained using three methods which are the Weighted Geometric Center (WGC), Centroid of Convex Stability Region (CCSR), and Stability Triangle Approach (STA). These techniques were applied analytically, step by step. For the closed loop transfer function obtained in the inner loop of the controlled system, these three methods were utilized to design the PI controller in the outer loop, individually. Unit step responses of the controlled system, using PI-PD gains determined by each method, have been obtained. Furthermore, a disturbance of a certain time and amplitude was added to the systems to test the disturbance rejection behavior and the robustness performance of the methods. Perturbed responses were obtained through changing the model parameters at a certain rate. Time domain performance metrics were analyzed to compare the responses. The simulations were evaluated using settling time, rise time, and percentage overshoot as the assessment criteria. As a result of this study, the effectiveness of three methods, namely WGC, CCSR, and STA, in controller design for unstable, integrating, and resonant time-delay systems has been demonstrated. In addition, a comparison of time domain performance metrics is presented for the nominal and perturbed systems. Based on these comparisons, it is concluded that the methods outperform each other only in some time response performance measures. The presented results showed the advantages of these methods over each other in terms of some performance criteria. The contribution of this study to the literature is the comparative analysis of these three analytical methods.

Membrane-bound chemoreception of bitter bile acids and peptides is mediated by the same subset of bitter taste receptors

The vertebrate sense of taste allows rapid assessment of the nutritional quality and potential presence of harmful substances prior to ingestion. Among the five basic taste qualities, salty, sour, sweet, umami, and bitter, bitterness is associated with the presence of putative toxic substances and elicits rejection behaviors in a wide range of animals including humans. However, not all bitter substances are harmful, some are thought to be health-beneficial and nutritious. Among those compound classes that elicit a bitter taste although being non-toxic and partly even essential for humans are bitter peptides and l-amino acids. Using functional heterologous expression assays, we observed that the 5 dominant human bitter taste receptors responsive to bitter peptides and amino acids are activated by bile acids, which are notorious for their extreme bitterness. We further demonstrate that the cross-reactivity of bitter taste receptors for these two different compound classes is evolutionary conserved and can be traced back to the amphibian lineage. Moreover, we show that the cross-detection by some receptors relies on “structural mimicry” between the very bitter peptide l-Trp-Trp-Trp and bile acids, whereas other receptors exhibit a phylogenetic conservation of this trait. As some bile acid-sensitive bitter taste receptor genes fulfill dual-roles in gustatory and non-gustatory systems, we suggest that the phylogenetic conservation of the rather surprising cross-detection of the two substance classes could rely on a gene-sharing-like mechanism in which the non-gustatory function accounts for the bitter taste response to amino acids and peptides.

Exploring the resistance to e-health services in Nigeria: an integrative model based upon the theory of planned behavior and stimulus-organism-response

Despite the evident advantages of electronic health services (eHS), there is a noticeable opposition to their acceptance, which has raised a crucial question about why people, particularly in developing nations, oppose the acceptance of eHS. This study was designed to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the factors that influence the rigid opposition to eHS by integrating two theoretical models: the Stimulus-Organism-Response theory and the Theory of Planned Behavior. In our detailed survey, 543 respondents over 18 years old from various regions of Nigeria participated. We evaluated the proposed model using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings indicated that lower health literacy was associated with a greater opposition to using eHS. In addition, communication and choice overload and perceived risk contributed to a negative attitude toward eHS. Subjective norms played a significant role in influencing the intention not to use eHS, which highlights social pressure’s effect. Further, a greater perception of behavioral control reduced the intention not to use eHS. Ultimately, the intention not to use eHS affected eHS rejection behavior significantly, which makes resistance to it a substantial problem. This research unveils factors that contribute to this behavior and provides insights for policymakers in the health field, with the goal to improve people’s acceptance of eHS. Further research is recommended in different geographical samples and contexts to gain a better understanding of the factors related to eHS rejection behavior.

Exploring Affective Experiences of Queer Individuals Navigating Relationships with Evangelical Parents

An abundance of scholarship explores and discusses the process of queer identity development, including the experience of disclosing one’s queer identity, often referred to as coming out. Coming out to one’s parent(s) can be a challenging and complex experience for queer individuals, particularly for children from religious families. In this study, I explored the nuanced relationships between queer individuals and their Evangelical parents. I conducted qualitative interviews with nine participants. Using thematic analysis and Ahmed’s theory of affect and happy objects, I constructed four themes: (a) learning the affect queer carries, (b) feeling the affects of being queer, (c) how parental appraisals affect parent-child relationships, and (d) being the killjoy. Results suggest the belief alone that “queer is bad’’ is harmful, regardless of outward acceptance or rejection behaviors from parents. This work compels the field to look beyond and before reactions from parents toward their queer children and to also consider how conceptualizations of queer as bad or good affect queer individuals. While much is known about the challenges faced by queer individuals, this work reveals the importance of examining the systems and structures causing these challenges rather than perpetuating the idea that being queer is inherently painful.

Uncertainty-aware single-cell annotation with a hierarchical reject option.

Automatic cell type annotation methods assign cell type labels to new datasets by extracting relationships from a reference RNA-seq dataset. However, due to the limited resolution of gene expression features, there is always uncertainty present in the label assignment. To enhance the reliability and robustness of annotation, most machine learning methods address this uncertainty by providing a full reject option, i.e. when the predicted confidence score of a cell type label falls below a user-defined threshold, no label is assigned and no prediction is made. As a better alternative, some methods deploy hierarchical models and consider a so-called partial rejection by returning internal nodes of the hierarchy as label assignment. However, because a detailed experimental analysis of various rejection approaches is missing in the literature, there is currently no consensus on best practices. We evaluate three annotation approaches (i) full rejection, (ii) partial rejection, and (iii) no rejection for both flat and hierarchical probabilistic classifiers. Our findings indicate that hierarchical classifiers are superior when rejection is applied, with partial rejection being the preferred rejection approach, as it preserves a significant amount of label information. For optimal rejection implementation, the rejection threshold should be determined through careful examination of a method's rejection behavior. Without rejection, flat and hierarchical annotation perform equally well, as long as the cell type hierarchy accurately captures transcriptomic relationships. Code is freely available at https://github.com/Latheuni/Hierarchical_reject and https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10697468.

Developmental remodeling repurposes larval neurons for sexual behaviors in adult Drosophila

Most larval neurons in Drosophila are repurposed during metamorphosis for functions in adult life, but their contribution to the neural circuits for sexually dimorphic behaviors is unknown. Here, we identify two interneurons in the nerve cord of adult Drosophila females that control ovipositor extrusion, a courtship rejection behavior performed by mated females. We show that these two neurons are present in the nerve cord of larvae as mature, sexually monomorphic interneurons. During pupal development, they acquire the expression of the sexual differentiation gene, doublesex; undergo doublesex-dependent programmed cell death in males; and are remodeled in females for functions in female mating behavior. Our results demonstrate that the neural circuits for courtship in Drosophila are built in part using neurons that are sexually reprogrammed from former sex-shared activities in larval life.

Physics-informed deep learning for multi-species membrane separations

Conventional continuum models for ion transport across polyamide membranes require solving partial differential equations (PDEs). These models typically introduce a host of assumptions and simplifications to improve the computational tractability of existing solvers. As a consequence of these constraints, conventional models struggle to generalize predictive performance to new unseen conditions. Deep learning has recently shown promise in alleviating many of these concerns, making it a promising avenue for surrogate models that can replace conventional PDE-based approaches. In this work, we develop a physics-informed deep learning model to predict ion transport across diverse membrane types. The proposed architecture leverages neural differential equations in conjunction with classical closure models as inductive biases directly encoded into the neural framework. The neural methods are pre-trained on simulated data from continuum models and fine-tuned on independent experiments to learn multi-ionic rejection behaviour. We also harness the attention mechanism, commonly observed in language modelling, to learn and infer key paired transport relationships. Gaussian noise augmentations from experimental uncertainty estimates are also introduced into the measured data to improve robustness and generalization. We study the neural framework’s performance relative to conventional PDE-based methods, and also compare the use of hard/soft inductive bias constraints on prediction accuracy. Lastly, we compare our approach to other competitive deep learning architectures and illustrate strong agreement with experimental measurements across all studied datasets.

Engineering PVDF omniphobic membranes with flower-like micro-nano structures for robust membrane distillation

Conventional PVDF membranes are easily wetted and contaminated in membrane distillation (MD) process, especially when used in separating high-salinity water and oil-contained saline water. To address these issues, an omniphobic membrane was fabricated in this work. ZnO micro-flowers with a rough structure were successfully deposited onto the PVDF membrane with the assistance of polydopamine assistance. After undergoing a fluorination process, the omniphobic membranes were prepared by the synergistic effect of surface microstructure and free energy. The effects of varying Zn(NO3)2 concentrations and deposition times on morphology, pore size and separation efficiency were comprehensively examined. It was demonstrated that at a Zn(NO3)2 concentration of 50 mM and a deposition time of 0.5 h, the resulting PVDF composite membrane exhibited high liquid repellency towards all the test liquids, such as water, ethanol solution, paraffin oil, and etc. Furthermore, the membrane consistently exhibited impressive salt rejection behavior (99.99%) and maintained an average flux (15.54 kg·m−2·h−1) when exposed to high-salinity solution (up to 20 wt%-NaCl). Meanwhile, during treating an oil-contained saline water emulsion with the oil content of 200 ppm, the membrane also displayed high resistance to wetting and fouling during the continuously 24 h tests. The membrane displayed a rejection rate of 99.99 % with an average vapor flux of 18.60 kg·m−2·h−1. In summary, this omniphobic membranes demonstrated a great potential in MD for practical challenging wastewater treatment.

The effect of alfalfa supplementation during the peripartum period on udder oedema and fertility in dairy sheep

AbstractIn recent years, there has been a trend towards hyperoestrogenic feeding methods in field conditions, particularly in dairy small ruminants. This study aimed to investigate the effect of alfalfa supplemented ration in the prepartum period on the occurrence of udder oedema in dairy ewes and its impact on fertility problems (dystocia, vaginal prolapse, uterine prolapse, retained placenta) and diseases (mastitis, udder dermatitis) occurring in the postpartum period. In addition, it aimed to follow up the data on maternal rejection behaviours and litter viability, which are believed to affect the future productivity and fertility of the herd. The ewes were divided into two groups: the oedema group (n = 20) and the control group (n = 23). For trial purposes in the oedema group, primiparous animals were provided with alfalfa supplementation. The control group consisted of ewes fed the same ration but without alfalfa supplementation. Ingredient analysis of the rations was performed in the groups. In biochemical analyses, the oedema group demonstrated significantly higher levels of serum urea (p < .05), Ca (p < .000) and Ca/P ratio (p < .01) compared to the control group. Clinical mastitis (0–7 days, p = .051) and (8–30 days, p = .149) were reported at a higher rate in the oedema group compared to the control group. Udder dermatitis cases were more common in the oedema group (p = .005). The mother's rejection of the lamb was higher in the oedema group. Dystocia was determined to be 30% in the oedema group (p = .023). In conclusion, applying hyperoestrogenic feeding strategies during the periparturient period firstly exacerbates physiological udder oedema in ewes, thus predisposing them to various herd fertility problems. This feeding strategy, frequently encountered in field conditions, seriously harms the physiological fertility process.

Recent Advancement in Solar‐Driven Interfacial Steam Generation for Desalination: A State‐of‐the‐Art Review

Solar energy is one of the most efficient origins of energy for a wide range of environmentally beneficial purposes. Water desalination by steam generation with the help of solar energy is not only an economical and straightforward approach, but it also utilizes free energy sources to solve the problem of increasing freshwater scarcity. Solar water evaporation is an essential component of the low‐energy method for generating fresh water, which is required for economic development and human health. Freshwater productivity determines how effectively the system captures incoming solar energy and transforms it into usable heat. Effective water distillation has recently gained a lot of attention. The photothermal conversion process is built on the performance of the evaporator. This review thoroughly examines the most recent developments in photothermal materials, structure design, and engineering strategies, including design principles for highly efficient photothermal conversion, thermal management, water transport phenomena, salt rejection behavior, and improved evaporation rate. The prospective applications of this technique in saline water desalination, waste water purification, and energy generation are highlighted. Furthermore, the most recent scientific advancements are utilized to demonstrate the potential, prospects, and challenges of solar‐driven evaporation in energy conversion.

JUJUNCAO-Stem-Based Interfacial Solar-Driven Evaporator with Natural Two-Phase Composite Structures of Functional Partition and Inherent Ultralow Vaporization Enthalpy of Water for Stable and Efficient Steam Production.

The interfacial solar-driven evaporation has been deemed as an environmentally friendly approach for freshwater generation. Nevertheless, there is still a challenge to obtain solar evaporators with efficient vapor production from low-cost and renewable biomass through a simple preparation process. Herein, the JUJUNCAO stem was selected as the substrate material, and a kind of interfacial solar-driven evaporator with natural two-phase composite structures and inherent ultralow water vaporization enthalpy was constructed by a dip-coating process. The natural two-phase composite structures were utilized as independent functional partition: the low-tortuosity and hydrophilic vascular bundles served as hierarchical channels for rapid water transportation and continuous steam escape, and the honeycomb-like parenchyma cells were considered natural heat insulators for effective thermal management. Furthermore, the JUJUNCAO stem exhibited inherent ultralow water vaporization enthalpy which was only 1.15 kJ g-1. Benefiting from the natural two-phase composite structures of functional partition and inherent ultralow water vaporization enthalpy, the C-Js evaporator could achieve an evaporation rate of 2.77 kg m-2 h-1 with an efficiency of 85.6% under 1 sun illumination. Meanwhile, the C-Js exhibited a stable and ideal evaporation performance and metal ion rejection behavior in the actual brine desalination process. Owing to the cost-effective and simple pretreatment process, the C-Js evaporator has the potential for freshwater generation in undeveloped areas.

Seasonal increase in nest defense, but not egg rejection, in a cuckoo host

The interactions between avian brood parasites and their hosts provide an informative and easy-to-handle system for studying coevolution. Avian brood parasitism reduces the reproductive success of hosts, and thus, hosts have evolved anti-parasitic strategies, such as rejecting parasitic eggs and adopting aggressive nest defense strategies, to avoid the cost brought on by brood parasitism. To test whether host anti-parasitic strategies are adjusted with the risk of being parasitized when the breeding seasons of brood parasites and hosts are not synchronous, we conducted a field experiment assessing nest defense and egg recognition behaviors of the Isabelline Shrike (Lanius isabellinus), a host of the Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus). In the local area, the host Isabelline Shrike begins to breed in April, whereas the summer migratory Common Cuckoo migrates to the local area in May and begins to lay parasitic eggs. Results showed that nest defense behaviors of the Isabelline Shrike increases significantly after cuckoo arrival, showing higher aggressiveness to cuckoo dummies, with no significant difference in attack rates among cuckoo, sparrowhawk and dove dummies, but their egg rejection did not change significantly. These results imply that Isabelline Shrikes may adjust their nest defense behavior, but not egg rejection behavior, with seasonality.

Superhydrophilic carbon@halloysite nanotube decorated sponge composites for high efficiency solar steam generation and cleanup of crude oil

Three dimensional composite evaporators have now widely been used for solar driven steam generation. However, some issues such as weak interfacial interaction, moderate water transport ability and salt precipitation should be addressed for high efficiency solar driven interface evaporation. Here, carbon modified halloysite nanotubes (CHTs) are firmly anchored onto the skeleton of Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) sponges for preparation of compressible and superhydrophilic CHTs/PVA evaporators (CPEs). CHTs endow the evaporator with outstanding light absorption and photothermal conversion performance. In addition, the hierarchically porous and hollow structures inside CPEs ensure the evaporator powerful water transport capability and hence excellent salt rejection behavior. Benefiting from the strong interfacial interaction between CHTs and the PVA sponge, CPEs possess superior surface stability and durability. The synergy of the solar driven interface evaporation and natural evaporation from the side walls contributes to a high evaporation rate (up to 3.49 kg m−2 h−1). The evaporation rate is maintained when CPE is mechanically compressed. Also, the sponge composite can be used for cleanup of crude oil, based on the photothermally induced decrease of oil viscosity. This study can provide inspiration to develop solar evaporators for high performance desalination and water purification.

The Removal of Potassium Phosphate using Ceramic Nanofiltration

In the current study, the separation and rejection behavior of potassium phosphate salt using NF membrane was studied theoretically and experimentally. The extended Nernst Planck equation was used to describe the NF separation behavior by using silver frost programming language using the version FTN95 model. Besides the modeling; an experimental work was done by preparing K3PO4 solution at concentration of 0.1 and 0.4 M. Where the rejections of K1+ and PO43- ions were obtain at different TMP values ranging between 1 to 5 bars. From theoretical results, it was noticed that the best rejection of K1+ and PO43- ions where at a volumetric fluxes ranging between was 2.5E-06 to 5E-07 m³/m².sec. Experimental results should that the rejection value for of PO43- ions increased as the concentration decreased and TMP increased; which is supported by the theoretical results. In the case of K1+ ion; the higher rejection values as the concentration increased and TMP increased