Stages Of Process Research Articles

Neural mechanisms for secondary suppression of emotional distractors: Evidence from concurrent electroencephalography-magnetoencephalography data.

Distractor suppression allows us to remain on-task in the presence of distractions by filtering task-irrelevant information from ongoing cognitive processing and responding. Electrophysiological studies have revealed that this key feature of selective attention is a dynamic process that involves at least two distinct stages of processing. Two important aspects of these processing stages remain unclear: Whether the processing of emotional distractors at an earlier stage is automatic, as reflected in the N2/early posterior negativity (EPN) component; and what functional-anatomical brain systems are recruited in each stage. The present study addresses these issues by measuring brain activity with concurrent electroencephalography-magnetoencephalography (MEG) recordings while participants performed a combined rapid serial visual presentation and motion tracking task. Event-related potentials (ERP) showed significant effects of attentional capture and attentional modulation during two time windows marked by the N2/EPN and P3b ERP components. Source reconstruction of concurrent MEG measurements revealed activation of the left visual association cortex and anterior cingulate cortex during the N2/EPN time window, activation of the insula during the early phase of the P3b and anterior cingulate cortex activity during the later phase of the P3b. The findings provide novel evidence establishing a connection between the increased N2 response to negative pictures and the activation of the cingulate gyrus, which facilitates the suppression of distractions during demanding cognitive tasks. In addition, distinct activation patterns were observed in the insula and anterior cingulate cortex during the P3b time window, indicating that attentional control mediated by the anterior cingulate cortex operates to suppress the processing of distracting emotional stimuli. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

"This whole journey was sacred": Latter-day Saint parents' process in coming to accept a transgender child.

This constructivist grounded theory (CGT) study examines Latter-day Saint (LDS) parents' process in coming to accept a transgender or gender diverse (TGD) child and the factors that impact acceptance. Data come from interviews with 38 LDS parents of TGD children and 130 Facebook posts from the same population. Data were analyzed using CGT methodology in coding and theory construction. A model of LDS parents' process in accepting a TGD child and the factors that impact that process are presented. The results indicate that coming to accept a TGD child tends to engage LDS parents cognitively, emotionally, socially, and spiritually, and is a developmental process. We identified four stages of parents' process: assimilation of new information, deconstruction and disequilibrium, reconstruction and accommodation, and acceptance; as well as typical emotional responses in each stage. We found that factors thatimpacted parents' process included parents' pre-process characteristics and contexts, religiously defined meaning making, social embeddedness, external resources, community building, and spiritual autonomy. Additionally, we found that parents' commitment to their child's wellbeing and connection with their child (i.e., attachment) motivates their process and that their personal spiritual experiences tend to guide it. Parents in the study who reached a state of acceptance expressed that their process had been both deeply challenging and profoundly, personally meaningful. This study strengthens the case for using attachment-based therapies with this population and indicates the value of incorporating spirituality into the therapeutic work.

Intelligent process monitoring of smart polymer composites using large area graphene coated fabric sensor.

Herein, we report the development of an online process monitoring system for vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) process using large area graphene coated in-situ fabric sensor. Besides imparting excellent mechanical properties to the final composites, these sensors provide critical information during the composite processing including detecting defects and evaluating processing parameters. The obtained information can be used to create a digital passport of the manufacturing phase to develop a cost-effective production technique and fabricate high-quality composites. The fabric sensor was produced using a scalable dip-coating process by coating 1-, 3- or 5-layers of thermally reduced graphene oxide (rGO) onto glass fabric surface according to the number of dips of the fabrics into GO solution. The electrical resistances from all electrode pairs were simultaneously and continuously recorded during distinct stages of the VARTM process to determine the relative conductance. During the vacuum cycle, the range of relative conductance increased with the number of coated rGO layers, with the 5-layer rGO-coated sensor showing the highest conductance range of 16.9 %. Additionally, it was observed that the 5-layer coated sensor showed a consistent decrease in conductance during the infusion phase due to the fluid flow pressure dominating the resin electrical conductivity.

Multifunctional Glycopeptide-Based Hydrogel via Dual-Modulation for the Prevention and Repair of Radiation-Induced Skin Injury.

The radiation-induced skin injury (RISI) remains a great challenge for clinical wound management and care after radiotherapy, as patients will suffer from the acute radiation injury and long-term chronic inflammatory damage during the treatment. The excessive ROS in the early acute stage and prolonged inflammatory response in the late healing process always hinder therapeutic efficiency. Herein, we developed an extracellular matrix (ECM)-mimetic multifunctional glycopeptide hydrogel (oCP@As) to promote and accelerate RISI repair via a dual-modulation strategy in different healing stages. The oCP@As hydrogel not only can form an ECM-like nanofiber structure through the Schiff base reaction but also exhibits ROS scavenging and DNA double-strand break repair abilities, which can effectively reduce the acute radiation damage. Meanwhile, the introduction of oxidized chondroitin sulfate, which is the ECM polysaccharide-like component, enables regulation of the inflammatory response by adsorption of inflammatory factors, accelerating the repair of chronic inflammatory injury. The animal experiments demonstrated that oCP@As can significantly weaken RISI symptoms, promote epidermal tissue regeneration and angiogenesis, and reduce pro-inflammatory cytokine expression. Therefore, this multifunctional glycopeptide hydrogel dressing can effectively attenuate RISI symptoms and promote RISI healing, showing great potential for clinical applications in radiotherapy protection and repair.

Separation of nickel and iron from ferronickel via sulfuric acid leaching and hydrothermal precipitation

ABSTRACT Here, a hydrometallurgical process was proposed to separate nickel (Ni) and iron (Fe) from ferronickel. The effects of different factors, namely hydrothermal temperature, initial Fe2+ concentration, and Ni2+ concentration, on the hematite precipitation process, were detail investigated. Ferronickel powders were leached using a 120 g/L H2SO4 solution at 85 °C for 8 h. The final pH of the leaching solution was controlled at 3.0−4.5, and the Fe2+ concentration was maintained at 50−60 g/L. Copper from the ferronickel powder was first leached in the early stage of the leaching process, and then it was reduced by an excess of ferronickel powder, leading to its enrichment in the leaching residue. Approximately 50 g/L of Fe ions was successfully removed and precipitated as hematite containing 60% Fe, 0.3% Ni, and 1.5% S during hydrothermal precipitation at 200 °C for 3 h. Through evaporation crystallization at 90 °C for 8 h, large particles of nickel sulfate hexahydrate (NiSO4·6H2O) containing 19.4% Ni, 0.074% Fe, and 10.69% S were obtained. Moreover, through freezing crystallization at −8 °C for 1 h, smaller particles of NiSO4·6H2O product containing 20.3% Ni, 0.014% Fe, and 11.13% S were synthesised.

Experimental parameter identification of scalable white and grey box jounce bumper models for ride comfort simulation

The design of a passenger car’s ride and handling goals requires an enormous amount of hardware and prototypes. To avoid time-consuming testing activities, one crucial trend is the virtualisation of suspension development. Another goal of the virtualisation is the determination of vehicle properties at an early stage of the development process. Highly accurate suspension models are required to transfer the full vehicle’s characteristics into simulation tools. Since the jounce bumper is an important component of the suspension system, modelling its functional behaviour is essential for virtualised chassis development. Therefore, two dynamic modelling approaches are derived and compared in this contribution. One approach is based on local linear model networks and thus can be seen as a grey box model. The other approach consists of white box rheological elements, which allow the physical interpretability of the model parameters. The comparison of the approaches is based on experimental parameter identification, which includes synthetic and real excitations recorded on representative roads. The advantages of the proposed approaches will be discussed in terms of their suitability for the virtual design of the driving behaviour.

Effects of Defects on the Properties of Polymer Nanocomposites: A Brief Review

AbstractPolymer nanocomposites are promising materials for various applications in the electronics, biomedicine, and aerospace industries. However, the fabrication errors or defects, e.g., induced porosity, significantly impact the performance and the reliability of devices fabricated from polymer nanocomposites. Hence, this study has comprehensively carried out an investigation into the effects of defects on the properties of photovoltaic active cells, biomimetic scaffold, and aircraft structures that are fabricated by using polymer nanocomposites. Agglomeration is another defect that degrades the intended properties of polymer nanocomposite devices. For photovoltaic devices, defects can be controlled by the selective modification of organic semiconductor molecular structures. In addition, proper optimization of the process parameters and the material selection, are effective approaches for obtaining excellent photovoltaic cells. Furthermore, the presence of impurities, a non-homogeneous mixture of organic and inorganic materials, and the incomplete solubility of nanoparticles, are detrimental factors that affect the cell proliferation performance of biomimetic scaffolds. These technological imperfections must be also avoided when producing parts for aircraft structures. In other words, impurities introduced during the synthesis or processing stages can lead to irregularities in the material structure, which often affect its mechanical, electrical, biomedical, and optical properties. The understanding and mitigating of these factors are crucial for the optimization of the properties and performance of polymer nanocomposites in various applications.

The use of business and technology management (BTM) integrated practice in business development initiatives – an ADR cycle

PurposeThe paper reports a study that evaluated the effectiveness and usefulness of Business and Technology Management (BTM), a management practice for formulating business digital strategies that address organization, processes and technology in an integrative way.Design/methodology/approachThe research followed action design research guidelines that combine the methodological principles of design science research and action research.FindingsEvidence from the study confirmed the adequacy and usefulness of BTM as a solution to an old management problem of internal fit, synergies, alignment or strategic integration. It also led to an improvement in its way of working, namely, a management practice with four process stages: (1) define trade objectives, (2) design an integrated business model, (3) manage the business transformation and execution and (4) evaluate the results obtained.Research limitations/implicationsThe study exemplifies how practice research can be used within a long-term research pursuit to provide empirical evidence that permits evaluating and improving a research-originated management approach.Practical implicationsBeing a theory-for-action, BTM has direct relevance for managers engaged in defining organizational and technological strategies connected with business results. The paper discloses an improved version of BTM together with a description of its application in a medium-sized company operating in the tourism sector.Originality/valueBTM addresses a recurrent issue raised by researchers and practitioners concerning a failure to bring different management perspectives together when formulating a strategy. Therefore, its value lies in its ability to assist in the integration of management perspectives into business development initiatives.

RETRACTION:Immunomodulatory effects of nanocurcumin on Th17 cell responses in mild and severe COVID-19 patients.

S. Tahmasebi, M. A. El-Esawi, Z. H. Mahmoud, A. Timoshin, H. Valizadeh, L. Roshangar, M. Varshoch, A. Vaez, S. Aslani, J. G. Navashenaq, L. Aghebati-Maleki, M. Ahmadi, "Immunomodulatory Effects of Nanocurcumin on Th17 Cell Responses in Mild and Severe COVID-19 Patients," Journal of Cellular Physiology 236, no. 7 (2021): 5325-5338, https://doi.org/10.1002/jcp.30233. The above article, published online on 28 December 2020 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com), has been retracted by agreement between the journal Editor-in-Chief, Alexander Hutchison; and Wiley Periodicals LLC. The decision to retract this article follows concerns raised by third parties over the legitimacy of authorship positions. Some listed authors, lacking prior collaboration history with the submitting author group, were added at later stages of the revision process. Subsequent investigation by the publisher has revealed that the article has been published solely on the basis of a compromised peer review process. The retraction is warranted due to the compromised integrity of the article's peer review and the concerns over authorship positions. The corresponding author M. Ahmadi, the first author S. Tahmasebi, and co-authors H. Valizadeh, L. Roshangar and L. Aghebati-Maleki disagree with the decision of retraction. Final confirmation could not be obtained by the remaining co-authors.

Simulation of non‐Newtonian biopolymer extrusion and fall in the centrifugal microencapsulation process

AbstractWe present high‐fidelity numerical simulations of the centrifugal microencapsulation process, that is of interest for biomedical applications as cell therapy. We provide first a comprehensive rheological characterization of high‐molecular‐weight calcium alginate, a commonly used material in microencapsulation. Building upon this, we employ a fluid model that accurately replicates the relevant non‐Newtonian properties of the fluid. This model is applied to numerical simulations of the first three stages of the centrifugal microencapsulation process: capillary flow, ejection from the capillary, and fall through the air. The results are successfully compared with experiments. Furthermore, this model, which can be adapted to various centrifugal microencapsulation devices, effectively elucidates the physical factors contributing to different capsule shapes that can be achieved at the end of the process. This breakthrough opens the door to precise control of capsule shapes and production rates.

Flavoromics Analysis of Passion Fruit-Roasted Chicken

Currently, research on the flavor components and their dynamic changes in roasted chicken with a special flavor is rare. In this study, a passion fruit-roasted chicken was prepared, its characteristic flavor components were profiled by flavoromics, and their evolution patterns and precursors were determined. The results showed that the characteristic flavor component with the highest contribution rate was ethyl butyrate (50.44%). In particular, some unique flavor compounds were identified compared with other roasted chicken products available. The main volatile flavor components in all stages of processing were alcohols, esters, and hydrocarbons, 15 to 30 min of roasting is an important stage for establishing the aroma system, and at the end, hydrocarbons were the main volatile compounds. During the 30-day storage period, the characteristic flavor components included ethyl butyrate, ethyl maltol, β-caryophyllene, and guaiacene. In conclusion, passion fruit-roasted chicken contained many characteristic flavor components, which were mainly formed within 15 to 30 min of roasting and were basically stable during the 30-day storage period. In a word, this work prepared a novel roasted chicken and revealed its mechanism of flavor formation at different baking stages and storage periods, which provided references for industrial production.

Research on Ozone-Enhanced Oxidation of Industrial Zinc Sulfite from Flue Gas Desulfurization

ABSTRACT This study investigates the air oxidation and ozone-enhanced oxidation of zinc sulfite. Zinc sulfite was prepared by reacting pure or industrial zinc oxide with SO2 in water. The oxidation experiments were conducted under constant temperature conditions, with slurry, oxygen, and ozone concentrations in the ranges of 0.5–4%, 10–60%, and 1100–1920 ppm, respectively. The experiments involved determining the zinc ion concentration, sulfite concentration, dissolved oxygen, ozone concentration in the exhaust gas, and total organic carbon value for analysis of the oxidation process. The findings revealed that the mass transfer rate of O2 and/or O3 determined the reaction rate in the main stage of the oxidation process, while ozone affected the non-mass transfer control stage, resulting in an average enhancement of 15% in the oxidation rate. Furthermore, ozone causes organic matter attached to industrial zinc sulfite particles to fall off into the solution, significantly improving the oxidation ratio of industrial zinc sulfite.

Exploring the Therapeutic Potential of Benfotiamine in a Sporadic Alzheimer's-Like Disease Rat Model: Insights into Insulin Signaling and Cognitive function.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative process, also considered a metabolic condition due to alterations in glucose metabolism and insulin signaling pathways in the brain, which share similarities with diabetes. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of benfotiamine (BFT), a vitamin B1 analog, in the early stages of the neurodegenerative process in a sporadic model of Alzheimer's-like disease induced by intracerebroventricular injection of streptozotocin (STZ). Supplementation with 150 mg/kg of BFT for 7 days reversed the cognitive impairment in short- and long-term memories caused by STZ in rodents. We attribute these effects to BFT's ability to modulate glucose transporters type 1 and 3 (GLUT1 and GLUT3) in the hippocampus, inhibit GSK3 activity in the hippocampus, and modulate the insulin signaling in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex, as well as reduce the activation of apoptotic pathways (BAX) in the hippocampus. Therefore, BFT emerges as a promising and accessible intervention in the initial treatment of conditions similar to AD.

Development of Teaching Module for the Merdeka Curriculum with Nuances Critical Reasoning for Elementary School Students

This research aims to develop a teaching module for the Merdeka Curriculum with nuances of critical reasoning for elementary school students. It does this by outlining the validity level assessed from the teaching module's suitability aspect, language aspects, and empirical validity of the practicality level of the module. This study used the research and development method with the 4D model, which involved definition, design, development, and dissemination. The instruments used in this research included validation sheets, interviews, teacher and student questionnaires, field trials, and trial observation checklists. Data analysis techniques involved qualitative content analysis and descriptive statistics. The findings demonstrated that three of the four stages, define, design, and development, were completed to construct the teaching module. The curriculum analysis, teaching module needs analysis, learning outcomes analysis, and material analysis are completed during the define step. Designing instructional modules that satisfy requirements for viability, correctness, clarity, and attractive presentation is the design stage process. Teaching module products were put through testing, validation procedures, and practicality checks to complete the development stage. The average percentage of the language component and the appropriateness aspect in the validity of the teaching module were 4.87 and 4.81, respectively, with very valid criteria. Based on teacher answer questionnaires (4.6 with very practical criteria) and student response questionnaires (4.2 with very practical criteria), the practicality of the teaching module was determined. Based on these results, the teaching module is valid and practical, so it qualifies as a feasible and quality development product.

Analysis of the Fatty Acid Profile in Cream, Buttermilk Fractions, and Anhydrous Milk Fat: Influence of Physicochemical and Microbiological Parameters on the Fatty Acid Profile

This study analyzes the impact of physicochemical parameters on the microbiological and fatty acid profiles of cream, buttermilk, and anhydrous milk fat. Using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS), the fatty acids present in these dairy products were qualitatively determined, highlighting the differences associated with the processing stages. Specifically, the distribution of short-chain, medium-chain, and long-chain fatty acids, such as butyric, caproic, caprylic, capric, lauric, myristic, palmitic, stearic, oleic, and linoleic acids, were analyzed, assessing their nutritional implications. The microbiological composition of the samples was also analyzed using MALDI-ToF MS. The presence of lipolytic bacteria, such as Serratia monocytogenes, which can negatively impact the oxidative stability of fats, was detected. The results show that both environmental and processing conditions significantly affect the quantity and quality of fatty acids, thereby influencing the overall dietary value of dairy products. These findings offer insight into developing improved dairy product formulations that may lead to enhancement of their health benefits.

A Study on Challenges and Optimization of Last Mile Delivery and its Impact on Customer Satisfaction.

The last mile delivery, the final stage of the delivery process from a distribution center to the end user, plays a critical role in the supply chain, significantly influencing customer satisfaction. Against the backdrop of a rapidly growing e-commerce sector, the demand for swift and flexible delivery options has made last-mile delivery a vital determinant of overall customer satisfaction. This study analyzes the impact of optimizing last-mile delivery on customer satisfaction and loyalty, highlighting that efficient last-mile operations can lead to continued use of the delivery service. Key areas contributing to last-mile delivery challenges include timeliness, condition of delivered items, communication during delivery, flexibility of delivery options, and overall customer experience. The study concludes that addressing these challenges and implementing effective strategies is essential for meeting customer expectations and enhancing satisfaction in the competitive e-commerce landscape. The findings and recommendations provide a comprehensive roadmap for businesses aiming to improve their last-mile delivery operations and boost customer satisfaction.

Enhancing Software Architecture Adaptability: A Comprehensive Evaluation Method

The field of self-adaptive software is becoming increasingly crucial because software has to adapt its behavior at runtime to keep up with dynamic and constantly evolving environments. The ability of software to modify and adjust itself is known as adaptability, which has been acknowledged as an important quality attribute. As software architecture development represents the initial stage of the design process, architectural design has emerged as a critical development activity. The degree to which the architecture can adapt to changes will be the key factor in determining the adaptability of the software ultimately released to users. Existing metrics for software architectural adaptability typically view adaptability as a positive attribute, meaning that any possibility of change in architectural elements is perceived as an improvement in adaptability. However, the application of adaptability that leads to increased costs or complexity can only be seen as a negative attribute. In other words, the side effects brought about solely for the purpose of achieving adaptability are greatly overlooked; that is, the impacts caused by adaptability exhibit both symmetry and asymmetry for software architectural adaptability. On the other hand, the existing measures of adaptability only define it from the perspective of whether a module will change, without considering changes beyond the topological structure under multiple strategies. In this paper, we propose a comprehensive assessment approach to measure software architecture adaptability. Multiple factors are considered, including the number and types of strategies employed, the cost of completing the adaptation, the extent of changes made to the architectural elements, and the overall impact of the adaptation on the architecture. An extended UML (e-UML) component diagram is presented to model software architectural changes under various types of strategies. Finally, an experiment on the znn.com software is conducted to validate the practical feasibility of our proposed method. Our approach can assist software architects in making informed decisions regarding software architecture design options to improve the adaptability and longevity of their software systems.

From E-Commerce to the Metaverse: A Neuroscientific Analysis of Digital Consumer Behavior

The growing interest in consumer behavior in the digital environment is leading scholars and companies to focus on consumer behavior and choices on digital platforms, such as the metaverse. On this immersive digital shopping platform, consumer neuroscience provides an optimal opportunity to explore consumers’ emotions and cognitions. In this study, neuroscience techniques (EEG, SC, BVP) were used to compare emotional and cognitive aspects of shopping between metaverse and traditional e-commerce platforms. Participants were asked to purchase the same product once on a metaverse platform (Second Life, SL) and once via an e-commerce website (EC). After each task, questionnaires were administered to measure perceived enjoyment, informativeness, ease of use, cognitive effort, and flow. Statistical analyses were conducted to examine differences between SL and EC at the neurophysiological and self-report levels, as well as between different stages of the purchase process. The results show that SL elicits greater cognitive engagement than EC, but it is also more mentally demanding, with a higher workload and more memorization, and fails to elicit a strong positive emotional response, leading to a poorer shopping experience. These findings provide insights not only for digital-related consumer research but also for companies to improve their metaverse shopping experience. Before investing in the platform or creating a digital retail space, companies should thoroughly analyze it, focusing on how to enhance users’ cognition and emotions, ultimately promoting a better consumer experience. Despite its limitations, this pilot study sheds light on the emotional and cognitive aspects of metaverse shopping and suggests potential for further research with a consumer neuroscience approach in the metaverse field.

Analogy among electrical potential difference and gravitational dotencial difference on the teaching physics

The current research proposes to create a strategy that enables solid learning of the topicof electrical potential, through an analogy between electrical and gravitational potentials. The proposed activity conceives the use of low-cost materials with the objective of bringing physical knowledge closer to the students’ daily lives. This is because a certain lack of interest in Physics has been perceived in the focus population of this study, which in some way is contradictory, since thepresence of this science in our daily lives is manifested in the various activities that we carry out.in the context in which we are inserted. As well as, in the widespread use of new information andcommunication technologies to which the human species has been having access in recent years. For its part, for the creation of the aforementioned strategy, the use. The methodology includes a review of the available literature on the subject and has a qualitative-quantitative tendency, referring to the collected data’s analysis during the experience. The results shows that there were better students performances during the second stage of the research process. Which allows us to conclude that teaching Physics through analogies developed by the teachers of this subject enables better learning of this science to the extent that scientific and everyday knowledge are linked.

The Future Process of Japan’s Population Aging: A Cluster Analysis Using Small Area Population Projection Data

Japan’s population aging is the most advanced in the world today. No nationwide study has been conducted using small area population projection data on Japan’s aging population. This is because such projection data was unavailable for Japan before the 2016 launch of the website ‘The Web System of Small Area Population Projections for the Whole Japan’ (SAPP for Japan). SAPP for Japan opened the small-area and long-term projected population of Japan for the first time on the World Wide Web. The purpose of this study is to quantitatively analyze the future aging process using data from the SAPP for Japan and, based on this analysis, to attempt to present the standard aging process that developed countries will experience after the demographic transition, taking advantage of the fact that Japan has the most aged population in the world. Subsequently, a non-hierarchical cluster analysis was performed using two statistics on aging: the elderly population proportion and the elderly population change index, and the small areas were classified into seven clusters. Furthermore, this study examined the demographic and geographical features of the clusters, introduced a new concept of the stage in the population aging process, and analyzed the relationship between the features and the stages. To conclude, the following findings were obtained regarding the future process of Japan’s population aging. In each area of Japan, first, the total population begins to decline, second, the elderly population begins to decrease, and finally, its proportion begins to decrease. These stage shifts generally proceed earlier in areas with a higher elderly population proportion and are attributed to the reduced size of younger cohorts owing to long-term fertility decline. This process would be the norm in many developed countries after the demographic transition.