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Urban air pollution, a combination of industry, traffic, forest burning, and agriculture pollutants, significantly impacts human health, plants, and economic growth. Ozone exposure can lead to mortality, heart attacks, and lung damage, necessitating the creation of complex environmental safety regulations by forecasting ozone concentrations and associated pollutants. This study proposes a hybrid method, RFNN-GOA, combining recurrent fuzzy neural network (RFNN) and grasshopper optimization algorithm (GOA) to estimate and forecast the daily ozone (O3) in specific urban areas, specifically Kopački Rit and Osijek city in Croatia, aiming to improve air quality, human health, and ecosystems. Due to the intricate structure of atmospheric particles, modeling of O3 likely poses the biggest challenge in air pollution today. The dataset used by the proposed RFNN-GOA model for the prediction of O3 concentrations in each explored area consists of the following air pollutants, NO, NO2, CO, SO2, O3, PM10, and PM2.5; and five meteorological elements, including temperature, relative humidity, wind direction, speed, and pressure. The RFNN-GOA method optimizes membership functions’ parameters and the rule premise, demonstrating robustness and reliability compared to other identifiers and indicating its superiority over competing methods. The RFNN-GOA method demonstrated superior accuracy in Osijek city and Kopački Rit area, with variance-accounted for (VAF) values of 91.135%, 83.676%, 87.807%, 79.673% compared to the RFNN method’s corresponding values of 85.682%, 80.687%, 80.808%, 74.202% in both training and testing phases, respectively. This reveals that RFNN-GOA increased the average VAF in Osijek city and Kopački Rit area by over 5% and 8%, respectively. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024.

Symbolic regression techniques are promising approaches to learning mathematical models that fit experimental data. One of the most powerful techniques for symbolic regression is Grammatical Evolution (GE). This evolutionary computation technique explores a space of candidate models that are ensured to be syntactically correct expressions built from a set of arbitrary building blocks and operators. In GE the syntax for these expressions is defined by a problem-specific formal grammar. Therefore, GE can produce an explainable solution (e.g. a formula), not a black-box model. The current contribution assesses the viability of GE for PSF characterization, using real datasets from HST/WFPC2. Our experiments show that our method is able to find the most likely candidate mathematical expression for the PSF shape, and can also model combinations of shapes taken from a predefined family of functions commonly used in astronomy (Gaussian and Moffat PSFs). These results support the hypothesis that the expressive power of GE can be used to tackle the problem of characterization of complex PSF functions, for example, as a necessary step in the prediction of intra-pixel position of stars. © 2024 SPIE.

At the origin of the Universe, an asymmetry between the amount of created matter and antimatter led to the matter-dominated Universe as we know it today. The origins of this asymmetry remain unknown so far. High-energy nuclear collisions create conditions similar to the Universe microseconds after the Big Bang, with comparable amounts of matter and antimatter1–6. Much of the created antimatter escapes the rapidly expanding fireball without annihilating, making such collisions an effective experimental tool to create heavy antimatter nuclear objects and to study their properties7–14, hoping to shed some light on the existing questions on the asymmetry between matter and antimatter. Here we report the observation of the antimatter hypernucleus $${}_{\bar{\Lambda }}{}^{4}\bar{{\rm{H}}}$$, composed of a $$\bar{\Lambda }$$, an antiproton and two antineutrons. The discovery was made through its two-body decay after production in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions by the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider15,16. In total, 15.6 candidate $${}_{\bar{\Lambda }}{}^{4}\bar{{\rm{H}}}$$antimatter hypernuclei are obtained with an estimated background count of 6.4. The lifetimes of the antihypernuclei $${}_{\bar{\Lambda }}{}^{3}\bar{{\rm{H}}}$$and $${}_{\bar{\Lambda }}{}^{4}\bar{{\rm{H}}}$$are measured and compared with the lifetimes of their corresponding hypernuclei, testing the symmetry between matter and antimatter. Various production yield ratios among (anti)hypernuclei (hypernuclei and/or antihypernuclei) and (anti)nuclei (nuclei and/or antinuclei) are also measured and compared with theoretical model predictions, shedding light on their production mechanisms.

For more than a decade, since the US Supreme Court ruled in Citizen’s United (2010), individuals and groups interested in the outcome of elections have increasingly donated to outside groups that avoid the restrictions imposed on candidates and traditional political action committees (PACs). As a result, total election spending more than doubled in the first five years and has continued to increase since then. Although American political advocacy groups refrain from formal electioneering, much of the increase in spending since Citizen’s United has been directed toward election campaigns under the guise of issue-advocacy ads. This raises the question of whether voters perceive a difference between candidate-sponsored ads and campaign-focused issue-advocacy ads. Unexamined is the impact that advertising by outside groups has on voters and whether voters are even aware of the sponsors of the ads they view. This study addresses whether voters can differentiate between ads sponsored by candidates or outside groups. Using an experimental design, we find that viewers cannot determine the sponsor of campaign ads, despite federal requirements for sponsor disclaimers. © 2024 Common Ground Research Networks. All rights reserved.

An important reason for the success of the Venetian Paolo Sarpi’s ideas in England is found in the ‘Englishing’ of his printed works, that is, their adaptation and appropriation by printers and translators. During the Venetian interdict (c. 1606–1608), Sarpi’s tracts were treated as timely, informative, and politically useful news. Englishing consisted of re-writing titles by adding bombastic phrases, changing printers’ ornaments, and adding marginalia to help readers unfamiliar with Italy. In the History of the Council of Trent, published in 1619 (Italian) and 1620 (English), the Englishing became more substantive – adding lengthy prefaces, inserting words into Sarpi’s text, and including the translator’s name. The prefaces framed the book’s contents, while the translator’s name provided authority. The additional words made the English History even more partisan than the Italian Historia. Publishers and translators modified Sarpi’s works to produce aggressive readings that diverged from his own political and religious goals.

The 30 yr orbit of the Cepheid Polaris has been followed with observations by the Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) Array from 2016 through 2021. An additional measurement has been made with speckle interferometry at the Apache Point Observatory. Detection of the companion is complicated by its comparative faintness—an extreme flux ratio. Angular diameter measurements appear to show some variation with pulsation phase. Astrometric positions of the companion were measured with a custom grid-based model-fitting procedure and confirmed with the CANDID software. These positions were combined with the extensive radial velocities (RVs) discussed by Torres to fit an orbit. Because of the imbalance of the sizes of the astrometry and RV data sets, several methods of weighting are discussed. The resulting mass of the Cepheid is 5.13 ± 0.28 M ⊙. Because of the comparatively large eccentricity of the orbit (0.63), the mass derived is sensitive to the value found for the eccentricity. The mass combined with the distance shows that the Cepheid is more luminous than predicted for this mass from evolutionary tracks. The identification of surface spots is discussed. This would give credence to the identification of a radial velocity variation with a period of approximately 120 days as a rotation period. Polaris has some unusual properties (rapid period change, a phase jump, variable amplitude, and unusual polarization). However, a pulsation scenario involving pulsation mode, orbital periastron passage, and low pulsation amplitude can explain these characteristics within the framework of pulsation seen in Cepheids.

Faculty of color are constantly experiencing trauma and racial inequities in inherently Eurocentric educational spaces where their histories, knowledge, and experiences are delegitimized and marginalized. Employing critical race feminism (CRF) and White racial identity development model, this article details ways in which two Chinese international women instructors grappled with tensions and trauma and celebrated (small) joys and successes within Predominantly White Institutions (PWI) in the United States. We drew on duoethnography, a dialogic methodological approach grounded in social justice, to make meaning of, (re)construct, and advance racial equity in pedagogy. We examined and analyzed four sources of data: our personal narratives, transcripts of eight Zoom meetings, reflection journals, and informal conversational exchanges. We identified three strategies for navigating dissonance and conflicts: 1) being vulnerable, 2) recognizing shared and differing marginalization or privileges, and 3) building allies intentionally and strategically. © 2024 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Food insecurity is a detriment to the health and academic success of college students nationwide, increasing the need for innovative interventions. This cross-sectional study administered an online survey to 140 students attending a Northeastern public university to understand student interest in a student-sustained grocery program. The majority of students (53.6%) were food insecure (FI), measured with the USDA 6-item survey, as well as upperclassmen. Results identified that FI students may be most interested in a food pickup program that provides them with cooking classes, snack foods, and ingredients for 2–6 meals at a cost between $24.50 and $26.90 per week. © 2024 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the relation between product market competition and audit fees by using firm-level product market competition measures and mitigating the endogeneity issues. Design/methodology/approach This study uses 12,136 US firms from 2004 and 2019. To ensure the robustness of the main findings, this study uses three firm-level product market competition measures and import trade tariff rate reductions of the USA as a quasi-natural experiment. This study also performs three cross-sectional tests and validation tests. Findings This study demonstrates that there is a negative relation between product market competition and audit fees and establishes a causal relation. Moreover, it reveals that the findings become more pronounced when auditors possess industry-specific expertise, when client firms are younger, and when operating within more homogeneous industries. Additionally, a validation analysis supports the findings. Practical implications This study offers significant insights for regulators by highlighting how product market competition plays a constructive role in overseeing firm management. Originality/value The authors contribute to the existing literature by showing that there is a negative association between product market competition and audit fees after controlling external monitoring mechanisms. The authors also find the causal relation. These findings indicate that competitive pressures originating from product markets exert a significant influence on disciplining a client firm’s management.

How physical education teachers approach standards-based assessment of the new National Physical Education Standards is yet to be determined. But the use of technology for assessments may be one way to support and empower students in the education process toward physical literacy. This article focuses on the ways in which educators have adopted a particular technology, called Plickers, and how its use as an assessment tool can move physical education teachers’ practice forward. © 2024 SHAPE America.

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged lives globally in unprecedented ways. While numerous studies have discussed the impact of this pandemic on human lives, this descriptive study examined how this pandemic affected personal well-being (PW) for members of Indian higher education in the early phase of the pandemic in 2020 when there were no vaccines and remedies available. Research participants (n = 551) were faculty members, graduate students, and non-teaching staff in Indian higher education. At the time of data collection, when all campuses were closed, all participants were functioning in their roles in the academic communities via virtual platforms. This descriptive study, based on a mixed-methods research design with concurrent triangulation strategies, collected data from all regions of India. Resulting data identified and discussed the impact of the pandemic on six domains of PW in the life of participants: (a) self-care; (b) professional growth; (c) quality of interrelationship within the family; (d) relationships with significant others outside of the family; (e) process of experiencing/facing and addressing challenges; and, (f) relationship with spirituality/transcendental dimensions. The relevance of the last domain may be unique to Indian participants’ socio-cultural context and ethos. The findings and discussion explain how PW is a composite of all these six domains, and the pandemic expanded the notion of PW for the members of Indian higher education. Further, the findings also provided a general orientation on how educational leadership teams and institutions can enhance at least three specific dimensions of their community members and thus increase the likelihood of improving the quality of their professional and personal life. The findings may also have relevance for academic communities worldwide and inform clinicians working with members of academic communities, educational institutions, and policymakers. © Penerbit Universiti Sains Malaysia, 2024.

Measurements of exclusive J/ψ, ψ(2s), and electron-positron (e+e-) pair photoproduction in Au+Au ultraperipheral collisions are reported by the STAR experiment at sNN=200GeV. We report several first measurements at the BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, which are (i) J/ψ photoproduction with large momentum transfer up to 2.2(GeV/c)2, (ii) coherent J/ψ photoproduction associated with neutron emissions from nuclear breakup, (iii) the rapidity dependence of incoherent J/ψ photoproduction, (iv) the ψ(2s) photoproduction cross section at midrapidity, and (v) e+e- pair photoproduction up to high invariant mass of 6GeV/c2. For measurement (ii), the coherent J/ψ total cross section of γ+Au→J/ψ+Au as a function of the center-of-mass energy WγN has been obtained without photon energy ambiguities. The data are quantitatively compared with the Monte Carlo models STARlight, Sartre, BeAGLE, and theoretical calculations of gluon saturation with color glass condensate, nuclear shadowing with leading twist approximation, quantum electrodynamics, and the next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD. At the photon-nucleon center-of-mass energy of 25.0 GeV, the coherent and incoherent J/ψ cross sections of Au nuclei are found to be 71%±10% and 36%±7%, respectively, of that of free protons. These data provide an important experimental constraint for nuclear parton distribution functions and a unique opportunity to advance the understanding of the nuclear modification effect at the top RHIC energy. © 2024 American Physical Society.

Purpose: This research used a temporal approach to operationalize employee engagement, capturing subjective/objective time of the day and day of the week to analyze the dynamic patterns of employees’ daily/weekly well-being, basic needs satisfaction, and situational work motivation under the integrated framework of self-determination theory. Design/methodology/approach: Multi-level data was collected using the survey structure outlined under the day reconstruction methodology (DRM) with samples of Canadian part-time working undergraduate students and full-time US corporate employees (1980 work episodes reported by 321 participants). Findings: Multi-level confirmatory factorial analysis results supported the measurement invariance for within-person variables in all the working episodes across the US and Canada samples. Structural equation modeling path analysis results, using the within-person variables, captured the daily temporal patterns that employees’ well-being (vitality and positive affect), basic psychological needs (autonomy and relatedness), and situational autonomous motivation started at a high level and decreased with both subjective and objective time of the day. Negative affect showed asymmetric daily and weekly temporal patterns compared to positive affect. A few indirect paths were found, including one from the subjective time of the day to employee well-being (vitality and affect) via situational autonomous motivation and another one from the day of the week to vitality and positive affect via relatedness needs satisfaction and situational autonomous motivation. Research limitations/implications: The socio-cultural and business impacts of work scheduling practices and implications for theory-driven, evidence-based organizational development practices were discussed together with the research limitations. Practical implications: Results on how the variations in self-regulation during the performance of different work tasks in a single work event help practitioners to connect repeated situational motivational change patterns to effective supervision. HR business partner can also utilize such findings to shape evidence-based practice to improve employee engagement. Originality/value: This research is one of the few pioneer studies to look into how temporal factors, such as work scheduling, affect employees' well-being through the dynamic understanding of the mediated path model from time to employee well-being via psychological engagement conditions such as motivation and needs satisfaction. © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited.

While students of color’s experiences of academic bullying from their advisors have been documented in the literature (e.g., Moss & Mahmoudi, 2021), little is known regarding the role that race plays in the normalization and perpetuation of academic bullying within higher education. Utilizing Asian critical theory (AsianCrit) as both the theoretical and analytical lens, this phenomenological study centers five STEM Asian international doctoral students’ experiences of academic bullying through semi-structured interviews. It is found that racialized academic bullying is operationalized by a) legitimizing exploitation through racializing discourses; b) maintaining White supremacy across transnational contexts; and c) intersecting systems of oppression. Implications and recommendations are offered as to what stakeholders can do collectively to address racialized academic bullying towards minoritized students and to combat systemic inequities and oppression.

Lisa Vitale discusses the intellectual contribution of historian and apologist Margherita Marchione in redefining the role of Pius XII during the atrocities of the Nazi Holocaust by means of personal narratives of the Sisters of St Lucy Filippini (of which Marchione was a member) and the Jewish refugees they sheltered, including the prominent Roman Di Veroli family. The chapter paints a multi-faceted, and sometimes contradictory, picture of Catholic charity during those turbulent and confusing times. Despite Marchione’s defense of Vatican (in-)action during the mass extermination of the Jews, she brings a message of hope to today’s Jewish Italian citizens. © 2023 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.

This chapter focuses on the figure of Ada Gobetti and her humble, yet crucial contribution, as a partisan collaborator and leader who helped dismantle the Nazi-Fascist political system in the aftermath of the 1943 Armistice. The author aims at shedding new light on Gobetti’s work that has long been ignored, highlighting how women regained visibility because of their role in support of the Resistance. © 2023 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.