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A method for studying the contextual similarity of characters in Cyrillic, Devanagari, and Latin scripts and exploration of the effects of typeface design and expertise
Get PDFAlthough perceptual similarity is highly contextual, visual similarity of characters (letters) is typically investigated using stimuli that do not control for contextual effects, e.g., comparison of pairs, identification of single characters. Moreover, most character similarity studies focus on a single typeface (font) or study under conditions that are detrimental to the quality of the designs (e.g., low resolution or low contrast), which makes it challenging to generalize their findings. To obtain data that permit a more detailed and realistic enquiry of character similarity relationships, the study reported in this paper used a contextual similarity task. Participants were presented with character triplets and asked to pick the odd one out, thus judging the remaining characters as more similar. To demonstrate the method’s robustness and transferability across scripts, this cognitively simple yet challenging task was used with a diverse selection of typefaces, world scripts, and participants (n = 1721). The results showed that the contextual similarity task is sensitive to the effects of typeface design and elicits similarity judgements that are hard to predict using pairwise data. Comparisons across groups of participants showed effects of design expertise, nativity, and fluency in relevant scripts
Collaborating with ‘blue food’ system stakeholders to achieve optimal nutritional health and wellbeing in less affluent communities
No full textUK food system transformation is urgently needed, but to date, minimal research has investigated ‘blue foods’ probably because they are ethically nuanced. There exists a paradox whereby materially deprived communities should be eating more fish to meet nutritional requirements, yet there is a global ‘red flag’ around global overfishing. New collaborative and creative solutions are, therefore, needed to tackle such food system inequities. By working together, all voices can be equally heard when decisions are being made to improve the system. Similarly, innovation and disruption of established supply chains will enable better access to healthy, affordable and tasty food that will support better nutrition, health and wellbeing.
This review paper will present a critique of the ‘The Plymouth Fish Finger’ as a collaborative social innovation case study. Part of the FoodSEqual research project, this exploratory pilot project championed ‘co-production’ approaches to achieve multiple (potential) impacts. This review will critically explore how this social innovation case study has exemplified the complex interplay between factors driving distortions in access to and availability of fish within the local food system. Through collaborative multi-stakeholder (transdisciplinary) processes, using participatory creative methods, new strategies and recommendations for research, practice, action and policy are informed, all of which offer great potential for progressive and transformative systemic (blue) food system change
Identification and categorization of defects in construction specifications utilizing natural language processing
No full textDefective specification statements cause not only a faulty outcome but also disputes among project stakeholders, claims for project budget and time, project disruptions, and even litigation. Identifying defects in technical sections of construction specifications is challenging. This research aims to develop a structured defect framework and implement supervised natural language processing methods for identifying and categorizing defects in specifications. The dataset includes 175 specifications related to 21 different architectural works collected from 16 construction projects. Eight machine learning (ML) models, ranging from shallow to transformer-based, were trained and tested with combinations of different text representation techniques. Subsequently, a study using ChatGPT-4o, a GenAI tool, was conducted. The pretrained RoBERTa model outperformed the recognition of defects in construction specifications with a macro F1 score of 91.2% and 98% accuracy. This research offers a data-driven methodology with practical tools to enhance the quality of specifications and decrease disputes by reducing the defective specification statements during design, bidding, and preconstruction
Enhancing the safety and shelf life of beef and plant-based burgers by combining High Hydrostatic Pressure (HHP) with nisin or a blueberry-derived product
Get PDFThe growing demand for sustainable and healthy dietary options has led to significant interest in plant-based meat alternatives though traditional meats, such as beef, remain dominant in the protein market. High Hydrostatic Pressure (HHP) stands out as a promising technology improving food safety and extending shelf life, while combining HHP with clean-label additives offers potential for process optimization. This study investigates the synergistic effect of HHP combined with nisin (500 IU/g) or blueberry-derived product (4 %) in beef and plant-based burgers to control L. monocytogenes and extend shelf life under slight temperature abuse. In plant-based burgers, HHP (600 MPa, 3 min) combined with additives, effectively delayed L. monocytogenes growth for 104 days during storage, outperforming HHP alone. At lower pressures (300–500 MPa), HHP combined with nisin or blueberry product significantly enhanced pathogen reduction in both matrices, achieving a synergistic effect of up to 1.4 log reduction. HHP (600 MPa), with or without the additives, also extended the storage period of non-inoculated plant-based burgers, maintaining the natural microflora below 3 log CFU/g for 83 days. The blueberry product notably influenced the physicochemical properties (e.g. pH, color) of both matrices, while HHP significantly affected the color of beef burgers. This study provides novel insights into the potential applications of HHP combined with natural antimicrobials, highlighting its effectiveness in plant-based meat alternatives and the significant role of the matrix in the synergistic effect. Future research should focus on sensory analysis and consumer acceptance to align these advancements with market demands
Language models for environmental, social, and governance analysis: a review
No full textLanguage models, particularly Large Language Models (LLMs), have revolutionized information processing, elevating it to new levels and generating opportunities to positively impact our society, e.g., in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) domains. This article surveys the current use of language models for ESG analysis, focusing on their applicable scope, effectiveness, and transformative impact. It highlights how these models facilitate a deeper understanding of ESG practices and impacts by integrating unstructured data while acknowledging existing limitations and challenges. Specifically, based on a review of over ninety ESG studies published since the introduction of Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) in 2018, we discovered that the potential of language models is particularly notable in four primary themes: (1) ESG Frameworks and Standards, which involve the classification of ESG-related texts into binary categories, coarse-grained ESG factors, or fine-grained ESG topics. This theme also includes identifying ESG topic trends and assessing the alignment of corporate ESG disclosures with sustainable development goals; (2) ESG Reporting and Disclosure, which include ESG narrative processing, ESG reporting assurance and ESG report generation; (3) ESG Measurement and Evaluation, which involves calculating ESG ratings, extracting key performance indicators (KPIs), assessing ESG risks, detecting ESG controversy categories, analyzing ESG impact and duration, and assessing the effects of ESG on sustainable growth and corporate financial performance, among other functions; (4) ESG Integration and Application, aiming to incorporate ESG factors into broader financial applications and thereby innovate financial tasks, including ESG sentiment analysis, ESG chatbots and AI assistants, ESG-based financial risk and credit analysis, and ESG investing strategies. We conclude by emphasizing the significance of language models in advancing ESG studies and discussing future research directions
Nitrogen cycling under conifer‐to‐broadleaf forest conversion in Eastern England
Get PDFIn the early 20th century, political focus on timber production in Europe led to extensive afforestation and replacement of broadleaves with often non-native coniferous species. Recent interest in the reverse has risen due to recognition of the wider ecosystem services delivered by forests, such as water quality improvement. Concurrently, recognition of nitrogen saturation in forest soils driven by historically elevated atmospheric deposition has stimulated interest in management interventions aimed at mitigating deposition effects. This study investigated a pseudochronosequence of stands undergoing such conifer-to-broadleaf conversion to capture its effects on soil N cycling in Thetford Forest, UK. The pseudochronosequence covered (1) mature broadleaf stands (n = 5), (2) mature Pinus sylvestris stands (n = 5), (2) sites felled during the monitoring period (n = 3) and clearfell sites planted with broadleaves: (3) 0–2 years ago (n = 3), (4) 5–8 years ago (n = 5) and (5) 10–13 years ago (n = 5). The soil C:N ratio at 0–10 cm depth was significantly higher in mature pine sites than in all broadleaf stages. The mean total deep soil NO3-N leaching fluxes during the study period were lower in young (14.53–16.11 kg-N ha−1) and mature broadleaved stands (10.72 kg-N ha−1) than in mature conifers (23.81 kg-N ha−1 year−1). However, soil NO3-N leaching fluxes were not significantly different between forest management stages. Net nitrification rates at 10–30 cm depth were higher under low pH conditions, but soil pH and nitrification rates were not linked to soil NO3-N leaching fluxes or forest management stages. Although no significant effects of management on NO3-N leaching were found, this study suggests the need to explore the interactive effects of site characteristics, deposition and forest management impacts on soil processes. Long-term studies complementing observations such as those presented here are needed to capture the effects of conifer-to-broadleaf conversion on forest soil nitrogen dynamics
Scarification and germination of wild olive stones from Jabal Akhdar, Oman
No full textWild olive (Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata (Wall. & G. Don) Cif.), a dominant tree of the mountains of Oman, may be vulnerable. Different scarification treatments were applied to stones collected from five wild olive trees at Jabal Akhdar, Oman. Germination was slow and poor: after 154 days in test, it ranged from nil to 11% in controls and from nil to 30% with scarification. The most effective scarification treatment to promote germination varied amongst trees, whilst scarification had little or no effect on stones from three trees. Further studies are required before propagation by seed can be used to support the conservation of wild olive in Oman
Biological mistakes: what they are and what they mean for the experimental biologist
No full textOrganisms and other biological entities are mistake-prone: they get things wrong. The entities of pure physics, such as atoms and inorganic molecules, do not make mistakes: they do what they do according to physical law, with no room for error except on the part of the physicist or their theory. We set out a novel framework for understanding biology and its demarcation from physics – that of mistake-making. We distinguish biological mistakes from mere failures. We then propose a rigorous definition of mistakes that, although invoking the concept of function, is compatible with various views about what functions are. The definition of mistake-making is agential, since mistakes do not just happen ¬– at least in the sense analysed here – but are made. This requires, then, a notion of biological agency which we set out as a definition of the Minimal Biological Agent. The paper then considers a series of objections to the theory presented here, along with our replies. Two key features of our theory of mistakes are, first, that it is a supplement to, not a replacement for, existing general frameworks within which biology is understood and practised. Secondly, it is designed to be experimentally productive. Hence we end with a series of case studies where mistake theory can be shown to be useful in the potential generation of research questions and novel hypotheses of interest to the working biologist
Crop rotation phase has a greater impact on soil biology than crop rotation diversity
No full textThe effect of plant diversity on the belowground soil food web remains poorly understood. In this study the soil microbial community structure and biomass, and the abundance of microfauna, mesofauna, and macrofauna were assessed at three levels of crop rotation diversity: A Simple rotation (2 plant species), a Moderate rotation (4 plant species), and a Diverse rotation (10 plant species). Soils subjected to more diverse crop rotations did not differ in their microbial community structure, were lower in soil total C, and exhibited a smaller microbial biomass, but a higher crop yield. The mean abundance of Collembola and mites exhibited a trend of Simple > Moderate > Diverse. These observations may be associated with higher levels of disturbance in soils of more diverse rotations due to more frequent tillage operations to establish a greater diversity of crops. The lack of a significant positive effect of crop rotation diversity on soil biology was observed despite the field experiment being established three to four years prior to these measurements. We did observe effects due to the phase of the crop rotation. Within the Simple rotation, we found a significant effect of crop rotation phase on collembolan and mite abundances, and within the Diverse rotation on earthworm biomass. These observations suggest that the crop rotation phase, and perhaps the identity of the individual plants used in a crop rotation, affect soil biology more than the diversity of the crop rotation per se
Snapshots of women at the Athenian feast
No full textThis chapter analyses the evidence provided by Athenian figure-decorated pottery for female participation in all aspects of the feast: sacrifice, libation, bread and meat preparation, and commensality. Aligning this evidence with epigraphic and other textual sources, e.g. comic references, it rejects the stereotype of all-female festivals held in the dark of night and rather asserts participation in feasting, in the context of festivals, as a fundamental aspect of female ritual participation in ancient Athens. Communal feasting therefore highlights the essential role women played as mediators between oikos and polis. It analyses also how and why the evidence, particularly on late black-figure decorated vases from the late Archaic to Classical periods, has been hitherto overlooked or misunderstood