Search Results (765)

Methods examining eyewitness testimony and its identification of suspects have not received sufficient analysis internationally. In the face of growing empirical evidence of methodologic and judicial errors, Greece’s judicial process nonetheless prioritizes eyewitness testimony in gathering evidence and preparing cases for trial. Due to its pluralistic geographical and cultural position uniting European, Balkan, and Mediterranean influences, and its alignment with non-Napoleonic code nations, Greece is a useful example for studying witness interviewing in evolving judicial systems. Drawing on 87 semi-structured interviews with Greek legal professionals, this study identifies systemic variables affecting eyewitness interviews and suspect identification. Prominent barriers to robust witness interviewing included inappropriate questioning techniques and wording, frequent interruptions, scripted questions, and failure to develop a sense of trust. In identifying suspects, participants highlighted inadequate compliance with defined protocols, inadequate management of negative emotions, pressure on witnesses to make positive identifications, and introduction of improper guidance about the alleged perpetrator. Lengthy delays before the eyewitness interview and a lack of infrastructure were core influences alongside a lack of familiarity with best practices. The findings signal the need for authorities to adopt reliable methods and specific guidance for utilizing eyewitness testimony. Full article

The widespread dissemination of fake news across different domains exerts a negative impact on social order. Current fake news detection models face two major challenges. First, the issue of domain shift constrains the generalization capability of models in cross-domain scenarios. Second, general neural networks struggle to extract features between distant words in text, resulting in poor quality of original features and adversely affecting the final detection outcomes. In response to the aforementioned issues, this paper proposes a multi-domain fake news detection framework based on multi-view hybrid attention enhancement. Firstly, superior original feature extraction is achieved through Recurrent Convolutional Neural Networks (RCNN) and Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (BiLSTM). Secondly, a hybrid attention mechanism is established between features and domains across multiple views—including news semantics, sentiment, and style—thereby forming domain-specific memory. This enables the model to achieve more precise classification of news within specific, subdivided domains. Finally, experiments conducted on the public dataset Weibo21 demonstrate that the proposed method attains F1 scores of 93.26% and 85.31% on Chinese and English datasets. Full article

Edible insects (EIs) have been suggested as a sustainable alternative to meat from traditional sources. However, despite EIs being consumed by humans since time immemorial, it is also true that, in many areas, especially in Western countries, there is some resistance and even neophobia to their acceptance as food. This work aimed to investigate the perceptions about EIs and validate a corresponding scale. This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out by means of a questionnaire survey on a sample of 3711 participants in six countries (Croatia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Mexico, Portugal and Romania). Data were analysed by factor and cluster analyses, as well as other statistical tools. The results showed that, out of the initial 36 items in the questionnaire, 24 were validated in the scale of perceptions, distributed across six factors. Cluster analysis showed that the participants could be grouped according to three clusters (Traditionalists, Shoppers and Innovators). Statistical tests revealed significant differences (p < 0.05) between the clusters in practically all sociodemographic and consumption variables studied. Finally, a word analysis of the 2263 words indicated by the participants when thinking about EIs revealed that the most frequent words were ‘disgusting’, ‘protein’, and ‘nutritive’ in all three clusters. However, differences were observed after the fourth position in the list of most frequent words. In conclusion, these results indicate that perceptions of EIs were highly variable across countries of origin and other sociodemographic groups, and that, globally, participants exhibited some neophobia towards EIs. However, they recognised their value in terms of nutrition, particularly protein. This work evidences some relevant aspects that can be useful to adapt and define targeted policies to demystify the negative perceptions about EIs and improve consumer acceptance, thus contributing to more sustainable food systems. Full article

With urbanization transforming from scale expansion to high-quality development and the increasing prominence of the ecological environment constraints of drainage basins, systematically identifying the mechanism of action of non-point source pollution from a high-quality development perspective is significant for coordinating urban development and environmental protection. Based on remote sensing data on atmospheric pollution and multi-source spatial big data such as nighttime light (NTL), LandScan population, point of interest (POI), and land use data from 2013 to 2025, this study applies methods including deposition flux analysis, deep learning fusion, bivariate spatial autocorrelation, and geographically weighted regression (GWR) to empirically analyze the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics, spatial correlation, and local impacts of high-quality urban development on non-point source pollution in the Chenghai drainage basin. We find that, firstly, non-point source pollution and high-quality urban development in the Chenghai drainage basin both present significant stage-specific and spatial heterogeneity. In other words, the two are not mutually independent spatial elements in space; instead, they are closely and significantly correlated, with their correlation types showing obvious spatial agglomeration characteristics. Secondly, the impact of high-quality urban development on non-point source pollution evolves in stages. It gradually shifts from a whole-region, homogeneous, strongly positive driving force to spatial differentiation. Specifically, from 2013 to 2017, the whole-region regression coefficients are generally greater than 0.5, meaning that urban development represents a strong, whole-region driving force promoting pollution. However, after 2017, this impact evolves into a stable spatial differentiation pattern. It mainly shows that the northern urban core area, where coefficients are greater than 0.5, maintains a continuous strong positive driving force. Meanwhile, the peripheral area, where coefficients are generally lower than 0, creates a negative inhibition effect. Based on the above rules, further analysis shows that the impact of high-quality urban development on non-point source pollution is absolutely not a simple linear relationship. Instead, it is a result of the coupling effect of multiple factors, including development stage, spatial location, and governance level. Therefore, to positively affect the ecological environment through high-quality development, model transformation and precise governance are essential. The findings of this study deepen our understanding of the transformation of urban development models and the response mechanism of non-point source pollution. They also provide a scientific basis and decision support for promoting the coordinated governance of high-quality urban development and non-point source pollution by region and stage in plateau lake drainage basins, as well as for improving the sustainable development of drainage basins. Full article

Background/Objectives: Frequency-to-place mismatch between cochlear implant (CI) electrodes and cochlear tonotopy has been suggested to affect postoperative speech perception. This study aimed to examine the associations between frequency-to-place mismatch and speech perception outcomes across multiple linguistic levels in patients with CI and to assess how these associations change over time using postoperative computed tomography. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 44 postlingually deafened adults who underwent unilateral cochlear implantation with a Flex28 electrode by a single surgeon at a tertiary care hospital. Speech perception was assessed using CI-2004, a Japanese speech perception test consisting of monosyllables, consonants, words, and sentences, in quiet settings at 3, 6, and 12 months after CI activation. Partial correlation analyses between frequency-to-place mismatch and postoperative speech perception scores were performed in 35 of the 44 patients, controlling for age and mean preoperative pure-tone thresholds. Results: Negative associations were observed between frequency-to-place mismatch and CI-2004 scores, particularly for monosyllable and consonant perception in uncorrected analyses. After correction for multiple comparisons, only consonant perception at 3 months after CI activation remained significant (r = −0.52, p = 0.002). Similar patterns were observed for other speech measures and at later time points, although these did not remain significant after correction. Conclusions: Frequency-to-place mismatch was associated with postoperative speech perception outcomes, particularly those involving phoneme-level recognition. After correction for multiple comparisons, only consonant perception at 3 months after CI activation remained significant. Full article

The expansion and ongoing refinement of control solutions for three-phase microgrids are key enablers in the transition from conventional distribution networks to smart microgrids. By integrating distributed generation, a microgrid can operate in either grid-connected or island mode. One of the major technical challenges in microgrid operation is mitigating or eliminating phase power unbalances. Unbalanced single-phase loads, combined with unbalanced and intermittent single-phase generation, can produce adverse effects on both energy efficiency and power quality. Unlike conventional distribution networks, microgrids may exhibit bidirectional power flows, which can occur simultaneously on all phases or differ from phase to phase. This paper introduces new analytical expressions for sizing a balancing capacitive compensator (BCC) for three-phase four-wire systems and derives a simplified sizing algorithm. The approach is validated through a numerical study using a Matlab/Simulink model of a low-voltage three-phase microgrid with high penetration of single-phase loads and single-phase distributed sources. The BCC is installed at the point of common coupling (PCC) between the microgrid and the main grid. Three operating regimes (cases) of the microgrid were analyzed, considering three compensation scenarios (sub-cases) for each: 1—without compensation, 2—with balanced capacitive compensation (classical), and 3—with unbalanced capacitive compensation (with BCC). For each of the three regimes (cases), the use of the BCC determines, at the PCC, in addition to the cancellation of the reactive component of the positive sequence current, the cancellation of the negative- and zero-sequence currents. In other words, the BCC–microgrid assembly is seen from the main grid either as a perfectly balanced active power load or as a perfectly balanced active power source. Thus, the BCC prevents the propagation of the unbalance disturbance in the main grid; in the considered case study, this also results from the cancellation of the negative- and zero-sequence components of the phase voltages measured at the PCC. The results show that the load-balancing capability of the BCC can be extended to power-flow balancing in any network section, including cases where the phase power directions differ. Implemented as a BCC-type SVC or as an automatically adjustable variant (ABCC), the proposed unbalanced shunt capacitive compensation method is effective for mitigating or eliminating bidirectional phase power-flow unbalances. Full article

Existing research on green transformation predominantly emphasizes “hard constraints” such as carbon taxes and environmental regulations, while neglecting “soft constraints” shaped by environmental sentiment expressions from key actors such as the public, financial institutions, media, and government. In particular, the collective influence of these multi-actor environmental sentiments remains insufficiently explored. This study fills that gap by constructing a collaborative governance framework using multi-source heterogeneous data from China spanning 2013–2023, including 330 provincial government work reports, 1862 bank annual reports, 2472 newspaper articles, and 68,519 Weibo posts, matched to 4708 firm-year observations of Chinese A-share energy companies. We quantify environmental sentiment tendencies through natural language processing, calculating the index as (negative word frequency − positive word frequency)/total word frequency at the province-year level, thus higher index value indicates more negative sentiment tendency, while green transformation is proxied by ln(green patent applications + 1). The results reveal the following: (1) More negative environmental sentiment tendencies from financial institutions, media, public, and government significantly promote green transformation in energy enterprises, with stronger effects observed from financial institutions and government. (2) Economic and climate policy uncertainty selectively weaken the impact of financial institutions’ sentiment, while the moderating effects for other actors are statistically insignificant. (3) The effect of multi-actor environmental sentiment is more pronounced for firms located in eastern China, operating under high competition or stricter environmental regulations. This study provides a novel, quantified approach to assessing multi-actor environmental sentiment tendencies, affirms the effectiveness of informal governance, and highlights the importance of stable policy in guiding corporate green transformation in emerging economies. Full article

Background: Radiotherapy (RT) combined with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is a standard treatment for non-metastatic high-risk (HR) prostate cancer (PC). However, the benefit of elective nodal irradiation (ENI) in clinically node-negative (cN0) patients, although suggested, remains controversial, particularly in the elderly. We report the outcomes of elderly HR PC patients treated with prostate-only RT (PORT) and ADT in a “real-word” setting. Methods: Between 2016 and 2022, 43 consecutive elderly patients (median age 76 years) with HR- or very HR-PC according to NCCN criteria version 1.2026 (cN0, cT3-cT4 and/or ISUP Grade Group 4–5 and/or PSA serum levels at diagnosis ≥ 20 ng/mL) were treated at our institution. All patients were staged with abdominal MRI or CT and bone scan; nineteen patients (44.2%) also underwent 68Ga-PSMA-11 or 18F-fluorocholine PET/CT. All patients received PORT (predominantly moderate hypofractionation, 67.5–70 Gy in 25–28 fractions) and ADT (median duration 24 months). To ensure consistency, all oncological endpoints—Biochemical Failure-Free Survival (BFFS; Phoenix criteria), Disease-Free Survival (DFS), Metastasis-Free Survival (MFS), Prostate Cancer-Specific Survival (PCSS), and Overall Survival (OS)—were calculated from a unified time-zero (initiation of first oncological treatment). DFS was defined as a composite endpoint including biochemical failure, radiological recurrence, or initiation of salvage therapy. Results: at a median follow-up of 60 months, no patient reached the Phoenix threshold, resulting in a 100% 5- and 7-year BFFS. However, 4 patients (9.3%) experienced radiological recurrence detected via PET/CT before reaching the nadir + 2 threshold, yielding an estimated 5-year and 7-year DFS of 94.7% and 71.8%, respectively. The 5- and 7-year MFS was of 97.6% and 88.7%, respectively. Seven deaths occurred, all non-PC related, resulting in a 5-year OS of 86.7% and a Prostate Cancer-Specific Survival of 100%. Gastrointestinal toxicity was notably low (no acute or late G3-G4 events). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that PORT, when combined with long-term ADT and modern staging, provides excellent disease control and a favorable safety profile in elderly HR PC patients. Given the high rate of competing mortality in this population, treatment de-escalation via PORT appears to be a clinically reasonable strategy. These results are hypothesis-generating and warrant validation in prospective randomized trials. Full article

Although HyFlex teaching has been studied for decades and has become part of the teaching norm since the 2020 pandemic, studies have generally not investigated the learning experiences of students with disabilities in HyFlex classrooms. This study compared the basic psychological needs (BPN) and engagement of undergraduate students who did (SwA) and did not (SwoA) request academic disability accommodations in an introductory, active learning, human-centered design thinking course, a core component of engineering technology education. Data were collected from 3748 primarily first-year undergraduate engineering technology students between fall 2021 and spring 2024, 126 of whom requested disability accommodation through the disability office. The data sources consisted of an end-of-course survey, in which students reported their basic psychological satisfaction level on a Likert scale and described their BPN experiences and engagement in response to open-ended survey questions. As a novel contribution, this study integrates the descriptive analysis of Likert-scale measures with textual- and word-level sentiment analysis, advancing conceptual understanding of reported BPN satisfaction and engagement and revealing divergent patterns across analytic approaches. While the SwA group reported lower scores across all BPN constructs compared to their counterparts, the highest number of them provided positive feedback statements across all BPN domains. Conversely, the SwoA group reported higher BPN scores across all constructs, yet the highest number of them used negative sentiments in their responses across all BPN constructs. The majority of SwA provided positive feedback on autonomy satisfaction, while the majority of SwoA’s positive feedback was on relatedness to the instructor. Future directions for advancing engineering technology education and disability data collection in higher education are provided. Full article

This study examined self-defining memories (SDMs) in relation to well-being in European American and Chinese emerging adults. European American (N = 118) and Chinese participants (N = 122) each generated two SDMs; rated the emotionality, importance, and clarity of the memories; and completed well-being measures. Memory narratives were coded for meaning integration, affect, specificity, and content. Chinese participants made more references to others in their narratives than did European Americans, who recalled more specific events. European American participants reported both higher depression and higher flourishing than Chinese participants. Furthermore, while meaning integration, positive emotion words, memory clarity, and achievement content were related to psychological well-being in European Americans, positive emotion words and personal importance were related to well-being in Chinese. Regressions further showed that positive emotional intensity of SDMs was associated with greater positive affect states only among Chinese, whereas meaning integration was associated with reduced negative affect states only among European Americans. These original findings highlight the important role of autobiographical memory in well-being in specific cultural contexts. Full article

Curbing pornography consumption is the subject of keen debate and the object of numerous social efforts. The methods of structuring the discourse on combatting pornography use reveal a wide range of sociocultural views. This study utilizes semiotic and textual analyses of videos and advertisements (ads) dedicated to preventing pornography use in the secular and religious sectors of the Israeli Jewish public, which illuminates the differing perceptions and social norms among these groups. To this end, we conducted a comparative study of ads aimed at both audiences. By analyzing their symbolic representations and the rhetoric emerging from their content, we discovered that, while the prohibition narrative for the observant religious public centers on pornography use negatively impact the individual’s environment (their relationship family and community), the ads designed for viewing by the secular public focus on the individuals themselves. Thus, divergent socio ethical perspectives on the use of pornography emerge, illuminating how individuals relate to both their environment and their sense of self. The present study teaches us how different communities adapt words and symbols to convey social messages, particularly those associated with charged issues such as sexuality. Full article

Introduction: It is estimated that up to 75% of pregnant women complain of dyspnea at some point during pregnancy. Asthma is the most common chronic pulmonary disease complicating pregnancy. Well controlled asthma does not affect pregnancy negatively. However, asthma exacerbations are linked with several adverse perinatal outcomes. As diligent treatment of asthma significantly reduces the number of asthma exacerbations, it is important to properly detect asthmatic patients among pregnant women in order to provide them with better care. The most efficient way to diagnose asthma is to perform spirometry with a reversibility test. There are no studies that have examined the safety of performing spirometry and, more specifically, a reversibility test, during pregnancy. Objectives: In this systematic review we aimed to review current available data regarding the safety of performing spirometry and a reversibility test during pregnancy. Patients and methods: For this systematic review, we searched PubMed, Scopus and Cochrane databases. We used the following search terms: (pregnancy); (spirometry); (lung function test); (pulmonary function test); (reversibility test); (post-bronchodilator challenge); (safety). Results: We collected reports of spirometry performed on pregnant women and analyzed them for complications that occurred during the procedure. Out of 13,594 records identified for the aforementioned search words, we included 78 documents that met the inclusion criteria. In total, the studies consisted of over 33,405 spirometry attempts performed by 10,617 pregnant women. Additionally, the reversibility test was conducted in nine studies. In all of the selected articles, there were no reports of adverse events occurring while performing spirometry. Conclusions: In this systematic review we aimed to summarize the current available data about the safety of performing spirometry during pregnancy. Several studies have investigated pulmonary function tests during pregnancy. No studies reported any adverse events that occurred while performing the procedure. In order to better characterize the safety profile of spirometry, including during pregnancy, further prospective studies systematically reporting on adverse symptoms during spirometry are required. Full article

The image of the journalist in popular culture has increasingly added value to metajournalistic discourse. These portrayals have the power to influence the audience’s perception of real-world journalists and the industry. However, most research analyzes portrayals in film and television. Using Terry Pratchett’s fantasy novel “The Truth,” this study explored how journalism, the media industry, and the journalist are portrayed in fantasy literature. Through a textual analysis of the novel, it was found that the work was a celebratory portrayal of journalism that shared a variety of themes found in film and television portrayals. Though its ethics were challenged throughout the novel, the Ankh-Morpork Times was devoted to the truth, served the watchdog role, and practiced social responsibility. Additionally, the novel’s historical rendition of the penny press highlighted the competitiveness of the media industry, how the public interest was challenged by political and corporate influence, and offered a portrayal of naïve news consumers. Lastly, it was found that William de Worde portrayed an ethical journalist and followed the common investigative journalist trope, but his character strayed from the usual editor, publisher, and male reporter tropes found in film and television. This study also suggests the possibility of looking at negative portrayals of journalism in fiction as a series of critical incidents in which journalism has difficulty fully repairing its paradigm. Full article

This study investigates the emotional tone in international news coverage of Saudi women’s empowerment, with a focus on their recruitment into the military as a milestone reform. The analysis is based on 22 news articles published between 2018 and 2023 across Western, regional Saudi and Arab, and non-Western international media outlets, including coverage from Asian media contexts such as China and India. Drawing on sentiment analysis; the study employed lexicon-based tools (LIWC; Bing; and AFINN) alongside thematic analysis using Speak AI to capture both polarity and narrative framing. This triangulated approach addressed the limitations of word-level sentiment tools by integrating contextual and thematic interpretation. The findings reveal clear regional contrasts: Western media predominantly employed negative framings, emphasizing human rights concerns and ongoing gender inequality. In contrast, regional Saudi and Arab outlets highlighted empowerment, modernization, and Vision 2030 alignment, while non-Western international outlets tended to mirror these positive narratives with limited rights-based critique. Asian media presented mixed framings. These results complicate assumptions of a simple East–West divide by showing convergence between regional and non-Western portrayals. The study contributes methodologically by demonstrating how combining polarity-based sentiment tools with thematic analysis provides a more nuanced account of media sentiment, and substantively by revealing how empowerment narratives are unevenly distributed across global media systems. Full article

This study aims to construct a nattokinase (NK) high-yielding strain using the multiple-scale breeding method. First, an NK-producing strain Bacillus subtilis A-1 was isolated from fermented soybean, which produces 254 FU/mL of NK. Subsequently, ARTP mutagenesis was employed to screen high-yield mutants with resistance to rifampicin (i.e., strain R-F7), kanamycin (i.e., strain K-E11), and gentamicin (i.e., strain G-D5), and the resulted strains showed NK activity increases of 113.78%, 76.38%, and 62.99%, respectively. Moreover, a fusion strain C-D7 with resistant to the above three antibiotics (i.e., rifampicin, kanamycin, and gentamicin) was obtained by protoplast fusion, which produced 610 FU/mL of NK and represents a 140.16% higher that of strain A-1. The fermenting property of strain C-D7 was also done in a 5-L bioreactor, and results indicated that strain C-D7 produced 1020 ± 35 FU/mL of NK under a two-stage pH control strategy and a two-step feeding strategy. To elucidate the genetic basis for the high-yield phenotype of C-D7. comparative whole-genome analysis was performed between C-D7 and the parental strain A-1. The results revealed that C-D7 harbors specific mutations across multiple functional categories, primarily in genes related to transcription, translation, global regulation, as well as metabolism and secretion. The biological processes affected by these mutations show a strong correlation with the high-yield trait, suggesting their potential collective role in contributing to the observed increase in nattokinase production. Lastly, ituD and srfAC were knocked out to reduce foam during fermentation, thus reducing the use of antifoaming agents and mitigating the negative effects on cell growth. In a word, a genetically stable, high-yield, and low-foaming Bacillus subtilis strain C-D7-ΔDouble was constructed in this study, which provides a core microbial resource and process foundation for the low-cost industrial production of nattokinase. Full article