Theoretical Mechanisms Research Articles

Progress of organic wastewater degradation by atmospheric pressure gliding arc plasma technology: A review

The prevention and treatment of organic pollutants in wastewater have attracted extensive attention because they threaten ecological balance and human health. Traditional wastewater treatment technologies, such as physical, chemical, biological methods, etc., are still limiting and challenging due to some factors, such as high energy consumption, chemical agents, low efficiency, and secondary pollution. At present, gliding arc plasma, based on equilibrium/non-equilibrium in plasma temperature, demonstrates itself to be one of the most promising technologies for the degradation of refractory organics with its fast degradation rates, no secondary contamination, high efficiency, and so on. The theoretical mechanisms and typical applications of gliding arc plasma degradation of wastewater are introduced in detail in this paper. The physical and chemical characteristics of gliding arc plasma and the role of the reactive species in the plasma are reviewed.

The interplay of rational evaluation and motivated reasoning in privacy helplessness: An integrative approach

This study investigated the factors that influence individuals’ privacy helplessness in the context of social media and mobile application use. An integrative research model was proposed, simultaneously examining both rational evaluation processes and directional motivated reasoning. The integrative research model was tested using national survey data collected from Facebook users (Study 1, n = 660) and mobile application users (Study 2, n = 385) in the US. The findings demonstrated significant associations between privacy helplessness and factors related to directional motivated reasoning (e.g. perceived rewards, costs, and benefits) as well as the rational evaluation model (e.g. perceived privacy control, trust in the provider, and response efficacy). Moreover, the interaction effects observed in the studies suggest that the two mechanisms either reinforced or attenuated each other's influence. In conclusion, the results emphasize that privacy research should explore both theoretical mechanisms concurrently, as opposed to independently, since they not only operate in conjunction but also interact to define boundary conditions for one another.

A Scientific Method for Startups

Recent scholarship has sought to develop a “scientific method” for startups. In this paper we contrast two approaches: lean startup and the theory-based view of startups. The lean startup movement has served an important function in calling for a normative and scientific approach to startups and venture creation. The theory-based view shares this agenda. But there are differences in the underlying theoretical mechanisms and practical prescriptions suggested by each approach. We highlight these differences and their implications for both research and practice. For example, we contrast lean startup’s emphasis on bounded rationality and entrepreneur–customer information asymmetry with the theory-based view’s emphasis on generative rationality and belief asymmetry. The theory-based view focuses on contrarian beliefs, associated problem formulation, and the development of a startup-specific causal logic for experimentation, resource acquisition, and problem solving. The right mix of entrepreneurial actions is contingent and startup-specific—guided by a startup’s unique theory. After pointing out differences between the lean and theory-based view of startups, we discuss opportunities for partial reconciliation, as well as opportunities for empirically comparing perspectives. Overall, we emphasize that a scientific method for startups needs to recognize the importance of contingent, discriminating alignment between entrepreneurial theories and the actions they prescribe (including different types of experimentation and validation, search, and forms of organization).

The power of the “weak” and international organizations

By nearly every measure, power in the international system is concentrated, meaning that most states lack significant power resources. And yet international relations theory tends to focus on the behavior of great powers. This special issue instead explores the strategies that “weak” states use in the context of international organizations both to advance their interests and to resist pressure from stronger states. We define weakness as a relative lack of power across one or more dimensions. While the literature, to the extent it has focused on weak actors, has too often defined weakness solely in material terms, we adopt a broader conception that builds on the influential typology of power by Barnett and Duvall (Barnett and Duvall, 2005a, Barnett and Duvall, International Organization59, 39–75, 2005b). A multidimensional conceptualization of power allows analysts to show how actors that are weak in one dimension (often material power) may be stronger on other dimensions, giving them greater capacity for action than is often recognized. From this framework we create a typology of “strategies of the weak” that emphasizes the agency of weaker actors to make the most of their positions. The contributions to the special issue, summarized here, illuminate and substantiate many of these strategies across a diverse range of international organizations, understood as both forums and actors. As the articles show, these alternative theoretical mechanisms help explain how and why seemingly weak states sometimes fare better than a simplistic assessment of their material capabilities might suggest. By deepening our understanding of weakness and how it influences state behavior, the volume advances our theoretical understanding of how power is built, wielded, and resisted in and through international organization.

Multi-spectroscopies and molecular docking insights into the interaction mechanism and antioxidant activity of isoquercetin and zein nanoparticles

The purpose of this study was to compare and characterize the theoretical properties and interaction mechanisms of zein and isoquercetin (ISO) from experimental and theoretical perspectives. Zein nanoparticles with different ISO concentrations (ZINPs) were prepared by the antisolvent precipitation method. The experimental results indicated all particles appeared spherical. When the mass ratio of zein to ISO was 10:1, the encapsulation efficiency of ZINPs reached 88.19 % with an average diameter of 126.67 nm. The multispectral method and molecular docking results confirmed that hydrogen bonding and van der Waals force played a dominant role for the binding of ISO to zein, and the primary fluorescence quenching mechanism for zein by ISO was static quenching. Furthermore, ZINPs had greater solubility and antioxidant activity, as well as inhibited the release of ISO during simulated gastrointestinal digestion processes. This research contributes to the understanding of the non-covalent binding mechanism between zein and ISO, providing a theoretical basis for the construction of ISO active carriers.

Introduction to the special issue of the International Journal of Comparative Sociology on “National identity, nationalism, patriotism, and globalization”

This editors’ introduction into the themed issue of IJCS dedicated to the analysis of comparative survey work on national identity and globalization presents a very brief overview of core hypotheses from the five articles collected in the issue. The articles offer a variety of new, rather differentiated insights into how individual-level national identity attitudes and sibling concepts like national pride, patriotism, and nationalist chauvinism are related to societal-level variables that tend to vary with exposure to aspects of globalization, such as migrant influx and economic competition. Aside from the focus on those new contributions, the introduction also offers a few observations on the challenges that the wider national identity research field still faces. Given that the field is dealing with several overlapping attitude concepts, this centrally concerns a partial lack of conceptual clarity, which sometimes translates into ambiguous operationalizations and incomplete or imprecise explication of theoretical mechanisms. We conclude that the contributions of the themed issue, with their careful attention to particular aspects of measures and multi-level processes, may serve as another stepping stone for overcoming at least some of those challenges in the future.

A tumor on a chip for studying immune-cell infiltration into tumor under chemo/immunotherapy treatments

The combo treatment of chemo/immunotherapy is a promising method in treating cancer patients. The results of Keynote-189 phase III clinical trial showed that chemotherapy drug plus immunotherapy drug reduced mortality compared with chemotherapy drug alone, in which the underlying mechanism has not been well demonstrated. The treatment combination also needs to be tuned for each patient, i.e., personalized medicine. Tumor-on-a-chip aims to mimic the tumor microenvironment (TME) with an in-vitro lung cancer-immune model to provide a potential solution for this application. Gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA)-cancer cells were driven on the ITO electrode track using liquid dielectrophoresis (LDEP) to form the tumor-like hydrogel. Jurkat T cells surrounded the solidified GelMA-A549 cells, resembling the cancer-immune microenvironment. The immune-cell infiltration phenomena of Jurkat T cells into the tumor were activated and enhanced via either IL-1β-treated A549 cells or atezolizumab (immune drugs) on the tumor lab chip. The death of cancer cells significantly increased ∼35% after chemo/immunotherapy combination treatment compared with the single treatment. The distribution of dead cancer cells treated with chemo/immunotherapy revealed their distinct theoretical mechanisms, indicating the promising application of this tumor lab chip for cancer patients in personalized medicine treatments.

Air temperature and sovereign bond returns

AbstractThe relationship between air temperature and sovereign bond returns is founded on competing paradigms: macroeconomic, behavioral and energy demand‐based. Which of these theoretical mechanisms receives support from data? To answer this, we examined four decades of bond data from 31 countries. Overall, daily temperature positively affects government bond returns. A 10°F rise leads to an increase in sovereign bond returns between 0.22 and 0.85 basis points. We also document evidence of asymmetric and nonlinear price responses to both temperature levels and shocks. Our results survive a battery of robustness checks and lend support to the macroeconomic and behavioral paradigms, albeit not the energy demand‐based view.

Sexual jokes and conversations at the workplace and their relation to employee well‐being: Results from a longitudinal study

AbstractAmbient social sexual behaviour at work refers to sexual jokes and conversations at the workplace. Prior cross‐sectional studies indicate that this behaviour is relatively widespread and tends to be associated with negative well‐being. We revisit this research by investigating the outcomes of sexual jokes and conversations at work after 1 year in a comparatively large employee sample. The perceived frequency of sexual jokes and conversations at work was negatively related to job satisfaction and positively related to sick days and anger 1 year later, controlling for baseline levels. Moderating effects of gender and age were not significant. Half of the sample reported that such jokes and conversations were relatively common in their workplace, both before and after the onset of the MeToo movement. We discuss implications and propose ideas for studying the theoretical mechanisms of this phenomenon.

The potential of Future Event Specificity Training (FEST) to decrease anhedonia and dampening of positive emotions: A randomised controlled trial.

Impaired episodic future thinking (EFT), as reflected in reduced specificity, low levels of detail and less use of mental imagery, has been associated with depressive symptomatology. The beneficial impact of Future Event Specificity Training (FEST) on impaired EFT has recently been demonstrated, as well as on anhedonia, the core symptom of depression reflecting low positive affect. The current study aimed to replicate these previous findings. In addition, this study is the first to examine the potential of FEST to reduce engagement in dampening, a maladaptive response style characterised by reducing the intensity and/or frequency of positive emotional states, which is linked to depressive symptoms and anhedonia. An RCT (FEST vs. waitlist control) was conducted in a large sample of Dutch-speaking undergraduate students (N = 155). In line with prior research, FEST resulted in significant improvements in EFT features. However, likely related to limited room for change detection, no significant changes were found in anhedonia and dampening. In the light of the positive impact of FEST on several EFT features, future studies should address methodological issues to create optimal conditions for potential change detection. Finally, further examination of the proposed theoretical change mechanisms aimed to reduce anhedonia and dampening is warranted.

Boosting the Performance of PEDOT:PSS Based Electronics Via Ionic Liquids.

The conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) offers superior advantages in electronics due to its remarkable combination of high electrical conductivity, excellent biocompatibility, and mechanical flexibility, making it an ideal material among electronic skin, health monitoring, and energy harvesting and storage. Nevertheless, pristine PEDOT:PSS films exhibit limitations in terms of both low conductivity and stretchability; while, conventional processing techniques cannot enhance these properties simultaneously, facing the dilemma that highly conductive interconnected PEDOT:PSS domains are susceptible to tensile strain. Via modifying PEDOT:PSS with ionic liquids (ILs), not only a synergistic enhancement of the electrical and mechanical properties can be achieved but also the requirements for the printable bioelectronic are satisfied. In this comprehensive review, the task of providing a thorough examination of the mechanisms and applications of ILs as modifiers for PEDOT:PSS is undertaken. First, the theoretical mechanisms governing the interactions between ILs and PEDOT:PSS are discussed in detail. Then, the enhanced properties and the elucidation of the underlying mechanisms achieved through the incorporation of ILs are reviewed. Next, specific applications of ILs-modified PEDOT:PSS relevant to bioelectronic devices are presented. Last, there is a concise summary and a discussion regarding the opportunities and challenges in this exciting field.

Negative poisson’s ratio behavior of Al4Li9 alloy

The negative Poisson’s ratio behavior in three-dimensional crystalline materials is a novel phenomenon. Deepening the research into the theoretical mechanisms that govern the negative Poisson’s ratio behavior offers valuable insights for the design and application of advanced auxetic materials. In this study, we construct the atomic model of Al4Li9 alloy based on experimental results and investigate the direction-dependent mechanical properties using the molecular statics simulations and density functional theory calculations. Our theoretical investigation reveals that a unique charge response within the analogous honeycomb structural unit in the Al4Li9 alloy results in a distinct exhibit of the significant negative Poisson’s ratio property during deformation.

Endogenous green technology progress, green transition and carbon emissions

Green technological progress is crucial to sustainable development and the achievement of the “dual carbon” goal. However, the impact of green technological advances on carbon emissions differs. Furthermore, most studies on green technology progress have been based on static analyses and regard green technology progress as an exogenous factor and neglect its endogenisation and spillover. In order to study the theoretical mechanisms by which green technological advances affect the low-carbon transition as well as carbon emissions. Based on the theory of technological endogenisation and industrial upgrading, this paper proposes a theoretical analysis framework for the relationship between endogenised green technological progress, the degree of green transformation, and carbon emissions. Based on the benchmark model, this section predicts China's carbon emissions. And compared the impact of green technology on carbon emission trajectory under “no policy” and “implemented policy".The results show that: 1) In the early stage of economic growth, the green transition is in a steady state; when economic growth reaches a certain level, the level of green technology is endogenous to the economic growth and continues to improve, which promotes the green transition, the reduction of carbon emissions; 2)Due to the scale effect, carbon emissions increase as the economy grows; however, when economic growth reaches a certain level, carbon emissions first increase with the growth of the economy and then decrease, showing an inverted “U” trend, which is attributed to the emission reduction and green transition effects of green technology; 3)As can be seen from the prediction results. After carbon peaks, green technology advances play a dominant role in carbon emissions, contributing to a rapid reduction in carbon emissions. In addition, carbon emissions peak earlier after policy interventions.

Cataract surgery in AMD patients

Cataract and age‐related macular degeneration (AMD) are leading causes of visual loss and they occur in the similar age group, thus co‐existence of both diseases is real clinical problem and challenge. Theoretical mechanisms considered to be involved in possible relations between cataract surgery and AMD progression include blue light toxicity and the role of post‐operative inflammation. None of these mechanisms was found to play a role in clinical conditions. Some earlier a recent population‐based studies reported an increased risk of late AMD after cataract surgery; however, this was not confirmed by recent cross‐sectional studies (clinical‐based) from South Korea and Australia. Systematic reviews and meta‐analyses reported a moderate quality of evidence to suggest that VA was better by approximately 7 letters in eyes with AMD that underwent cataract surgery vs. eyes with AMD that did not undergo cataract surgery for up to 12 months after surgery and the same quality of evidence did not find an increased risk of progression to exudative AMD for at least 12 months after surgery. The risks and possible advantages of cataract surgery in visual rehabilitation of wet and dry AMD patients will be discussed.

How cyber operations can reduce escalation pressures: Evidence from an experimental wargame study

Cyber operations ranging from deception and espionage to disruption and high-end degradation have become a central feature of modern statecraft in the digital age, yet we lack a clear understanding of how decision-makers employ and respond to cyber operations in times of crisis. Our research provides theoretical mechanisms and empirical evidence for understanding how decision-makers react to cyber triggers and utilize cyber responses during crises. Specifically, we argue that the availability of cyber response creates off-ramps for non-escalatory engagement. Based on experimental wargames involving rival states with power parity in militarized disputes and randomized cyber triggers and response options, we find the availability of cyber response options reduces escalatory behavior via a substitution mechanism. In the absence of cyber response options, however, participants pursue more conventional, escalatory actions, regardless of the triggering mechanism. Our findings underscore how enhancing the availability of cyber response options might reduce strategic escalation risks and offer the space to bargain during periods of conflict.

Approaches to quantifying the conditions of national financial security

In modern conditions, all states of the world face the problem of ensuring national security. The importance of ensuring financial security is a priority for preserving the national integrity of any State. Security as a state of protection from possible threats, in violation of which negative events occur in the external environment and internal structures. Of course, the key component of economic security is the financial security of the financial system, which affects all spheres of economic activity through monetary, commodity-monetary and financial relations. The study reveals an approach to identifying the problems of ensuring the financial security of the state and the factors influencing it. Also, through an ontological approach, the content of financial security itself is considered and attention is paid to quantifying the level of national’s financial security; indicators and their limiting quotas are selected and justified. Theoretical and methodological provisions and mechanisms for ensuring the financial security of the state are being developed.

Strategic directions of state support of agriculture in the Republic of Kazakhstan

Agriculture in the context of geopolitical challenges faced by the economies of many countries, including Kazakhstan, needs state support. The state implements a number of measures aimed at regulating the development of agriculture, information centers are opened, grants and subsidies are allocated to support beginning farmers. However, new conditions require not only financial and economic measures, but also the revision of existing theoretical and methodological mechanisms for the implementation of state aid both at the national and regional levels. The article studies the mechanisms of agricultural support through the application of both direct and indirect methods of economic impact of the state. The state support of agriculture covers various directions and the results of the study may be interesting for representatives of both republican and regional levels of government, whose activities are related to the allocation of funds in the form of state support. The need for state support of agriculture is objective, and this objectivity lies in the economic nature of the difference between the position of the agricultural producer and the position of all other market participants, because due to objective reasons agriculture in the free market is not competitive in comparison with other sectors of the economy.

Personality and public sector employment in Finland

AbstractUsing long‐term Finnish register data on labor market outcomes, we examine how personality traits predict the sorting of individuals into public and private sector employment. Our findings suggest that personality‐based sectoral sorting primarily occurs during the selection of educational fields. Once education and occupation are controlled for, public sector employment is negatively related to self‐confidence among males and extraversion among females. We also find that pecuniary incentives and shifts between the sectors may partly explain these relationships. Overall, our empirical results, combined with values that we use as theoretical mechanisms, suggest that values may serve as mediators explaining our results.

Microwave-assisted exploration of the electron configuration-dependent electrocatalytic urea oxidation activity of 2D porous NiCo2O4 spinel

Urea holds promise as an alternative water-oxidation substrate in electrolytic cells. High-valence nickel-based spinel, especially after heteroatom doping, excels in urea oxidation reactions (UOR). However, traditional spinel synthesis methods with prolonged high-temperature reactions lack kinetic precision, hindering the balance between controlled doping and highly active two-dimensional (2D) porous structures design. This significantly impedes the identification of electron configuration-dependent active sites in doped 2D nickel-based spinels. Herein, we present a microwave shock method for the preparation of 2D porous NiCo2O4 spinel. Utilizing the transient on-off property of microwave pulses for precise heteroatom doping and 2D porous structural design, non-metal doping (boron, phosphorus, and sulfur) with distinct extranuclear electron disparities serves as straightforward examples for investigation. Precise tuning of lattice parameter reveals the impact of covalent bond strength on NiCo2O4 structural stability. The introduced defect levels induce unpaired d-electrons in transition metals, enhancing the adsorption of electron-donating amino groups in urea molecules. Simultaneously, Bode plots confirm the impact mechanism of rapid electron migration caused by reduced band gaps on UOR activity. The prepared phosphorus-doped 2D porous NiCo2O4, with optimal electron configuration control, outperforms most reported spinels. This controlled modification strategy advances understanding theoretical structure-activity mechanisms of high-performance 2D spinels in UOR.

How does climate policy uncertainty affect the carbon market?

Treating carbon emission rights as tradable commodities is a major institutional innovation in the carbon market's response to climate change. The level of carbon emissions from production activities is inextricably linked to climate policy adjustments. Thus, this article applies wavelet-based quantile-on-quantile regression to study the impact of climate policy uncertainty (CPU) on the carbon trading price (CTP) in the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). Short-term results show a mixed effect of CPU on CTP. In the medium to long term, there is a positive correlation between the two at the high quantiles of CPU. The results are supported by the theoretical mechanisms of CPU on CTP. The CTP represents the economic cost of carbon emissions, which can significantly influence the level of carbon emissions and is critical to achieving carbon neutrality. Governments should strive to reduce CPU and manage market expectations to minimise the impact of CPU on CTP. In addition, this paper can also inspire carbon market participants to help them make sound and scientific investment decisions.