Body appreciation around the world: Measurement invariance of the Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2) across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age

The Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2) is a widely used measure of a core facet of the positive body image construct. However, extant research concerning measurement invariance of the BAS-2 across a large number of nations remains limited. Here, we utilised the Body Image in Nature (BINS) dataset - with data collected between 2020 and 2022 - to assess measurement invariance of the BAS-2 across 65 nations, 40 languages, gender identities, and age groups. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis indicated that full scalar invariance was upheld across all nations, languages, gender identities, and age groups, suggesting that the unidimensional BAS-2 model has widespread applicability. There were large differences across nations and languages in latent body appreciation, while differences across gender identities and age groups were negligible-to-small. Additionally, greater body appreciation was significantly associated with higher life satisfaction, being single (versus being married or in a committed relationship), and greater rurality (versus urbanicity). Across a subset of nations where nation-level data were available, greater body appreciation was also significantly associated with greater cultural distance from the United States and greater relative income inequality. These findings suggest that the BAS-2 likely captures a near-universal conceptualisation of the body appreciation construct, which should facilitate further cross-cultural research

The characterization and pollution status of the surface sediment in the Boka Kotorska Bay, Montenegro

Surface sediments collected from twelve stations in the Boka Kotorska Bay were analyzed for the level and distribution of twenty-six elements and ten oxides, grain sizes, organic matter, and carbonate content. Potentially toxic elements (Al, Fe, Mn, Cr, Zn, Ni, Cu, Pb, As, Co, U) were determined to assess the contamination status and potential environmental risk according to the single-element indices (enrichment factor (EF), geoaccumulation index (Igeo), contamination factor (CF)), and combined index (pollution load index (PLI)). The single-element indices EF and CF revealed that the surface marine sediment was moderately polluted with Pb, Cu, and Cr, while Igeo indicated moderate pollution with Ni > Cr > Zn > Cu > As and moderate to heavy pollution with Pb, as a result of the anthropogenic factors. The method of the combined effect of toxic elements, PLI, showed the highest pollution rate at the shipyard location in the Bay of Tivat. Pearson's correlation coefficient (r), principal component analysis (PCA), and cluster analysis (CA) were applied to highlight similarities and differences in the distribution of the investigated elements in the Bay, confirming the claim obtained by the pollution indices. The sediment contamination with most heavy metals, such as Cr, Zn, Ni, Cu, Pb, and As, has been identified in the Tivat Bay area

Al,Fe,Ni-pillared bentonite in the catalytic wet peroxide oxidation of the textile dye Acid Yellow 99

The main goal of this work was to prove that nickel containing Al,Fe pillared bentonites have enhanced catalytic properties. The chosen test system was the catalytic wet peroxide oxidation (CWPO) the Acid Yellow 99 dye (AY99) with the initial concentration of 50 mg dm(-3), the amount of H2O2 that exceeded the stoichiometric one, 60 A degrees C, magnetic stirrer, atmospheric pressure. Bentonite was successfully pillared with AlFe and AlFeNi polyoxo cations. The chemical composition of the synthesized samples was: SiO2 56.5, Al2O3 31.3, Fe2O3 9.2; SiO2 56.4, Al2O3 31.9, Fe2O3 8.9 and NiO 0.1; SiO2 61.1, Al2O3 31.3, Fe2O3 4.8 and NiO LT 0.01 for AlFe10-PILC, AlFe10Ni5-PILC and AlFe5Ni5-PILC, respectively. The values of textural property parameters decreased in the following order AlFe10-PILC > AlFe10Ni5-PILC > AlFe5Ni5-PILC. Almost complete decolorization was achieved using all synthesized catalysts and followed first order kinetics. AlFe10Ni5-PILC induced the highest decolorization rate. Somewhat higher decolorization rate in the presence of AlFe10Ni5-PILC in comparison with AlFe5Ni5-PILC can probably be ascribed to one of the following properties or their combined effect: higher Fe content and more developed porous structure. Adsorption of AY99 on AlFe5Ni5-PILC and its degradation by H2O2 (without catalyst) were investigated in order for their influence on the decolorization of AY99, in comparison with that of CWPO using AlFe10Ni5-PILC, to be estimated. The adsorption was the least efficient, followed by degradation using H2O2 (without catalyst). CWPO was more efficient when compared to adsorption and degradation by H2O2 together. CWPO using Al,Fe,Ni-PILC can be regarded as promising method for degradation of azo dyes

Comparative analysis of phenolic profiles of ovipositional fluid of Rhinusa pilosa (Mecinini, Curculionidae) and its host plant Linaria vulgaris (Plantaginaceae)

Rhinusa pilosa (Gyllenhal) is a highly specific weevil that induces stem galls on the common toadflax Linaria vulgaris Mill. females oviposit the eggs near the apex of a growing shoot. The act of oviposition is accompanied by secretion of an ovipositional fluid, which is considered to be cecidogen, directly involved in gall induction. The remains of cecidogenic fluid were collected from the surface of the oviposition point on the stem. We performed a comparative analysis of the phenolics extracted from cecidogen, the stem and galls of L. vulgaris and adult and larva of R. pilosa by HPLC-DAD. One compound with A (max) at 273, 332 nm (R (t) 30.65 min) was exclusively found in the methanol extract of cecidogen. To further characterize the cecidogen and stem phenolic profiles, we used UHPLC coupled with an OrbiTrap mass analyzer. Among 49 phenolic compounds extracted from both the ovipositional fluid and the plant, protocatechuic acid and two phenolic glycosides were exclusively found in cecidogen: diosmetin-O-acetylrutinoside and an unidentified compound. The unknown compound produced an MS2 base peak at 387 and 327 and 267 m/z base peaks at MS3 and MS4 fragmentation, respectively, and had the molecular formula C32H31O18. The plausible role of phenolic compounds in the induction of gall formation on L. vulgaris is discussed