Thermodynamics analysis of recovering heat for refrigeration system of a fishing vessel

With the huge quantum of energy that is often wasted from the diesel engine exhaust of a typical fishing vessel, this research was conducted. It focuses on the potential of harnessing the exhaust heat from the engine in vapour absorption refrigeration system (VARS) of the vessel. The VARS considered here employs ammonia as refrigerant with water as the absorbent which are environmentally-friendly. The system was considered integral to a diesel engine which provides the heat energy needed. The system was analyzed theoretically by calculating the performance using thermodynamics analysis developed and applied to the various components of the VARS. The results show that with 349.69 kW heat energy from the exhaust gas, 314.50 kW accounting for about 90 % was utilized to vapourize the ammonia from its solution. Also, with a generator temperature of 1300C the coefficient of performance (COP) was obtained as 29.67 % which is low when compared to the COPs of vapour compression refrigeration system (VCRS). However, the work shows that the twin benefits of environmental pollution reduction as well as waste energy utilization were achieved.Keywords: Diesel Engine, Heat Energy, VARS, Refrigerant, VCRS, CO

A multi-country test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased negative emotions and decreased positive emotions globally. Left unchecked, these emotional changes might have a wide array of adverse impacts. To reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions, we tested the effectiveness of reappraisal, an emotion-regulation strategy that modifies how one thinks about a situation. Participants from 87 countries and regions (n = 21,644) were randomly assigned to one of two brief reappraisal interventions (reconstrual or repurposing) or one of two control conditions (active or passive). Results revealed that both reappraisal interventions (vesus both control conditions) consistently reduced negative emotions and increased positive emotions across different measures. Reconstrual and repurposing interventions had similar effects. Importantly, planned exploratory analyses indicated that reappraisal interventions did not reduce intentions to practice preventive health behaviours. The findings demonstrate the viability of creating scalable, low-cost interventions for use around the world

Phytochemical, inorganic and proximate composition-guided screening of maize cob, African pear seed and avocado bark, leaves and seed

Objective: The phytochemical composition of Zea mays (Maize) cob, Dacryodes edulis (African Pear) seed, and Persia americana (Avocado) bark, leaves and seed were determined. The inorganic composition of the bark, leaves and seed of Persia americana (Avocado) was investigated and the proximate composition of the Avocado seed also determined.Methods: Dried and pulverized Maize cob, African Pear seeds and Avocado bark, leaves and seeds were subjected to phytochemical analysis using standard procedures. Inorganic composition was determined by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS) and Proximate composition by method of A.O.A.C.Results: The phytochemical analysis showed a trace concentration of alkaloids, flavonoids, and crude proteins in the maize cob. The African pear seed contained very high concentrations of flavonoid and crude protein and moderately high amounts of tannin, saponin and carbohydrate; alkaloids were low in concentration and terpenes, absent. Avocado leaves showed moderately high concentration of flavonoid and protein and trace amounts of alkaloid, terpenes and tannins. Also, moderately high concentrations of alkaloid, flavonoid and saponin were observed for Avocado bark and a trace amount of protein. While the Avocado seed contained moderately high concentration of flavonoid and protein, alkaloid and carbohydrate were present in trace amount. Sterols, glycosides and anthraquinone were absent in all samples. The inorganic composition result showed relatively high concentration of potassium (very high for seed), calcium (for bark and leaf), magnesium and sulphur in Avocado samples. The Avocado seed contained relatively high content of moisture, carbohydrate and protease inhibitor.Conclusion: While the maize cob may not possess nutritive and pharmacological properties, the African pear seed may possess both, in addition to anti-nutritional factors. The Avocado seed may possess some pharmacological properties.Keywords:  Zea mays,  Dacryodes edulis, Persia Americana, phytochemicals, proximate compositio

A multi-country test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has increased negative emotions and decreased positive emotions globally. Left unchecked, these emotional changes might have a wide array of adverse impacts. To reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions, we tested the effectiveness of reappraisal, an emotion-regulation strategy that modifies how one thinks about a situation. Participants from 87 countries and regions (n = 21,644) were randomly assigned to one of two brief reappraisal interventions (reconstrual or repurposing) or one of two control conditions (active or passive). Results revealed that both reappraisal interventions (vesus both control conditions) consistently reduced negative emotions and increased positive emotions across different measures. Reconstrual and repurposing interventions had similar effects. Importantly, planned exploratory analyses indicated that reappraisal interventions did not reduce intentions to practice preventive health behaviours. The findings demonstrate the viability of creating scalable, low-cost interventions for use around the world. Protocol registration: The stage 1 protocol for this Registered Report was accepted in principle on 12 May 2020. The protocol, as accepted by the journal, can be found at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.4878591.v1 © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited

Author Correction: A multi-country test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic

Correction to: Nature Human Behaviour https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-021-01173-x, published online 2 August 2021. In the version of this article initially published, the following authors were omitted from the author list and the Author contributions section for “investigation” and “writing and editing”: Nandor Hajdu (Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary), Jordane Boudesseul (Facultad de Psicología, Instituto de Investigación Científica, Universidad de Lima, Lima, Perú), Rafał Muda (Faculty of Economics, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Lublin, Poland) and Sandersan Onie (Black Dog Institute, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, Australia & Emotional Health for All Foundation, Jakarta, Indonesia). In addition, Saeideh FatahModares’ name was originally misspelled as Saiedeh FatahModarres in the author list. Further, affiliations have been corrected for Maria Terskova (National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia), Susana Ruiz Fernandez (FOM University of Applied Sciences, Essen; Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien, Tübingen, and LEAD Research Network, Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen, Germany), Hendrik Godbersen (FOM University of Applied Sciences, Essen, Germany), Gulnaz Anjum (Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada, and Department of Economics & Social Sciences, Institute of Business Administration, Karachi, Pakistan). The changes have been made to the HTML and PDF versions of the article

In COVID-19 health messaging, loss framing increases anxiety with Little-to-No concomitant benefits: Experimental evidence from 84 countries

The COVID-19 pandemic (and its aftermath) highlights a critical need to communicate health information effectively to the global public. Given that subtle differences in information framing can have meaningful effects on behavior, behavioral science research highlights a pressing question: Is it more effective to frame COVID-19 health messages in terms of potential losses (e.g., “If you do not practice these steps, you can endanger yourself and others”) or potential gains (e.g., “If you practice these steps, you can protect yourself and others”)? Collecting data in 48 languages from 15,929 participants in 84 countries, we experimentally tested the effects of message framing on COVID-19-related judgments, intentions, and feelings. Loss- (vs. gain-) framed messages increased self-reported anxiety among participants cross-nationally with little-to-no impact on policy attitudes, behavioral intentions, or information seeking relevant to pandemic risks. These results were consistent across 84 countries, three variations of the message framing wording, and 560 data processing and analytic choices. Thus, results provide an empirical answer to a global communication question and highlight the emotional toll of loss-framed messages. Critically, this work demonstrates the importance of considering unintended affective consequences when evaluating nudge-style interventions