Search Results (1,412)

Large language models (LLMs) have demonstrated remarkable capabilities in various natural language processing (NLP) tasks, but their effectiveness in real-world consumer complaint classification without fine-tuning remains uncertain. Zero-shot classification offers a promising solution by enabling models to categorize consumer complaints without prior exposure to labeled training data, making it valuable for handling emerging issues and dynamic complaint categories in finance. However, this task is particularly challenging, as financial complaint categories often overlap, requiring a deep understanding of nuanced language. In this study, we evaluate the zero-shot classification performance of leading LLMs and reasoning models, totaling 14 models. Specifically, we assess DeepSeek-V3, Gemini-2.0-Flash, Gemini-1.5-Pro, Anthropic’s Claude 3.5 and 3.7 Sonnet, Claude 3.5 Haiku, and OpenAI’s GPT-4o, GPT-4.5, and GPT-4o Mini, alongside reasoning models such as DeepSeek-R1, o1, and o3. Unlike traditional LLMs, reasoning models are specifically trained with reinforcement learning to exhibit advanced inferential capabilities, structured decision-making, and complex reasoning, making their application to text classification a groundbreaking advancement. The models were tasked with classifying consumer complaints submitted to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) into five predefined financial classes based solely on complaint text. Performance was measured using accuracy, precision, recall, F1-score, and heatmaps to identify classification patterns. The findings highlight the strengths and limitations of both standard LLMs and reasoning models in financial text processing, providing valuable insights into their practical applications. By integrating reasoning models into classification workflows, organizations may enhance complaint resolution automation and improve customer service efficiency, marking a significant step forward in AI-driven financial text analysis. Full article

Genetically modified (GM) foods have existed for decades, and governments internationally have legislated packaging disclosure statement language that typically incorporates the words genetic, modified, and organism. In 2018, the United States implemented the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard (NBFDS) and introduced the term Bioengineered (BE) into GM disclosure language to help clarify consumer uncertainty regarding GM foods. Since then, the US consumer attitudes, perceptions, and knowledge of genetically modified foods remain negative, reflecting a contaminated interaction. Current mandated disclosure labels, utilizing engineering and science-based signifiers, are associated with this negative interaction. This research assesses whether food disclosure labels based on the signifier Design, unassociated with current contaminations, can positively impact the consumer perception of GM foods compared to the negatively contaminated science and engineering signifiers currently used. Two online studies of 1931 participants analyzed GM/BE food disclosure labels comparing four existing and six newly created engineering and science-based signifiers against four new design-based signifiers across fifteen attributes, including Price, Purchase Likelihood, Environmental Impact, Fair Trade, Safety, Nutrition, Healthfulness, Quality, Eating Experience, Comforting, Inviting, Frightening, Understandable, Ethical, and Sustainable. Across both studies, design-related labels consistently outperformed traditional engineering/science-based terms in fostering positive perceptions. However, even the best-performing labels did not fully overcome the entrenched skepticism associated with GM foods, underscoring the need for complementary strategies beyond linguistic changes. Full article

The residues of the herbicides aminopyralid and iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium are phytotoxic to rotational crops. Their behaviour therefore needs to be studied under different agronomic practises and climatic conditions. The objective of this work was to use controlled laboratory conditions to study the effect of the following: (i) the application of green compost (GC) to agricultural soil, (ii) herbicide dose, (iii) soil moisture, and (iv) soil microbial activity on the degradation rate of aminopyralid and iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium. Moreover, the formation of two iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium metabolites (metsulfuron-methyl and 2-amino-4-methyl-4-methoxy methyl-triazine) and the dissipation mechanism of labelled ¹⁴C-iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium under the same conditions were also studied. Aminopyralid and iodosulfuron-methyl showed slower degradation and half-life values (DT₅₀) that were up to 4.6 and 1.4 times higher, respectively, in soil amended with GC, as the higher organic carbon (OC) content of this soil increased herbicide adsorption. The DT₅₀ values were up to 2.6 and 1.9 times higher for aminopyralid and iodosulfuron-methyl sodium, respectively, in soils treated with the double herbicide dose compared to soils treated with the agronomic dose. The DT₅₀ values for aminopyralid were up to 2.3 times higher in soils with moisture equal to 25% (H25%) of their water-holding capacity (WHC) than in soils with H50%. However, the DT₅₀ values for iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium were slightly lower in soils with H25% than in soils with H50%, due to the formation of bound residues. A biodegradation process significantly contributes to the dissipation of both herbicides. Higher amounts of metabolite metsulfuron-methyl were formed in the GC-amended soil in all cases. The percentages of ¹⁴C extractable in soils treated with both doses of herbicide under H25% were slightly higher than in soils under higher soil moisture (H50%) over time, due to the slower degradation of ¹⁴C-(iodosulfuron-methyl+metabolites). The higher persistence of the herbicides and their metabolites when the doses were applied at a high rate in soil amended with GC and under low moisture content may have negative consequences for the rotational crop. In the case of adverse conditions leading to the persistence of herbicides in the soil during the primary crop, the intervals for crop rotation should be increased. Full article

Proteins can act as suitable biomarkers for the prognosis and diagnosis of certain conditions and can help us gain an understanding of the fundamental processes that occur inside an organism. In this work, we present a fully automated machine learning-assisted label-free method for the electrical detection of proteins in an integrated microfluidic chip using multi-frequency impedance cytometry and off-the-shelf components for realizing an automated and programmable fluid control system. We verify the robustness of our mixing method on our custom microfluidic mixer composed of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) serpentine channels optically using a fluorescent sandwich immunoassay and comparing the results with a commercial benchtop mixer. Salivary IL-6 is a biomarker for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), and we have demonstrated that our system can be used for the detection of quantification of Interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels in a solution using the impedance response of beads conjugated with the protein of interest, which passes through the microfluidic chip with reasonable accuracy (96%). Although we have demonstrated the detection and quantification of IL-6, our system can be adapted to any protein of interest with slight modification in the reagents and bead-binding protocols. Full article

The Patient Rule Induction Method is a data mining technique used for identifying patterns in datasets, particularly focusing on discovering regions of the chosen input space where the response variable is unusually high or low. It falls in the subgroup discovery field, where finding small groups is more relevant for the explainability of the results, although it is not a classification technique, per se. In this paper, we introduce a new framework for breast cancer classification based on the PRIM. This new method involves, first, the random choice of different input spaces for each class label; second, the organization and pruning of the rules using metarules; and finally, it also includes the proposition of a way to handle the class overlapping and, hence, define the final classifier. The framework is tested on five real-life breast cancer datasets compared to three often-used algorithms for breast cancer classification: XG Boost, Logistic Regression, and Random Forest. Across the four metrics and datasets, both our PRIM-based framework and Random Forest demonstrate robust performance, with our framework showing notable accuracy and recall. XGBoost maintains strong F1-scores across the board, indicating balanced precision and recall. On the other hand, Logistic Regression, while competent, generally underperforms compared to the other algorithms, especially in terms of accuracy and recall, achieving 94.1% accuracy against 96.8% and 85.4% recall against 94.2% for the PRIM-based framework on the Wisconsin dataset. Full article

The demand for healthier, more natural, and sustainable foods has increased, which drives the development of clean label food products. The clean label trend is associated with developing food products with as few ingredients as possible, free of synthetic additives, and with ingredients that customers understand and consider healthy. Yogurt is a fermented food with numerous health benefits, and is an excellent source of proteins, vitamins, and minerals. However, yogurt may contain chemical additives (including preservatives) that concern consumers as they are associated with potential health risks. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are Gram-positive, non-spore-forming, catalase-negative, and non-motile, with antimicrobial activity due to metabolites produced during fermentation. These metabolites include bacteriocins, organic acids, and exopolysaccharides, among others. Thus, in addition to its use in several technological and industrial processes in the food field, LAB present good potential for application as a clean label component for preserving foods, including yogurts. This review article provides an overview of the potential use of LAB and its compounds obtained from fermentation to act as a clean label ingredient in the preservation of yogurts. Full article

Each living organism thrives best in a habitat that provides optimal conditions for flourishing, reproduction, and distribution within a certain area. This study aims to investigate the seasonal variation in insect biodiversity across different sites of the King Abdulaziz Royal Reserve (KARR), located between E 45.19–46.57 and N 25.15–27.41, with a focus on assessing biodiversity, density and seasonal variation using active and passive methods, over the period from January to November 2023. A total of 68 sites within the study area were randomly selected for trap placement. The trapped specimens were labeled and transferred to plastic bottles half filled with 70% ethanol and then taken to the laboratory for counting and identification. Identification was based on morphological characteristics and appropriate identification keys, with the assistance of entomological expertise, and a list of local species. Simpson’s diversity index (D) was also calculated. The results revealed that, out of 6320 trapped insects, species were identified across six orders: Blattodea (termites), represented by 2 families and 2 species; Coleoptera, comprising 12 families and 38 species, of which 11 belonged to the family Tenebrionidae; Hemiptera, comprising 7 families and 9 species, 3 of which belonged to the family Lygaeidae; Hymenoptera, comprising 5 families and 15 species, 9 of which were from Formicidae; Lepidoptera, comprising 2 families and 3 species; and Orthoptera, comprising 3 families and 7 species, 4 of which were from family Acrididae. Insect biodiversity and abundance were observed to be relatively low during the winter (January–March) and autumn (October–November) seasons, while relatively higher densities were recorded during spring (May) and summer (August–September). Full article

Background/Objectives: Deoxynivalenol (DON), known as vomitoxin, is one of the most common mycotoxins produced by Fusarium graminearum, with high detection rates in feed worldwide. Ferroptosis is a novel mode of cell death characterized by lipid peroxidation and the accumulation of reactive oxygen species. Although it has been demonstrated that DON can induce ferroptosis in the liver, the specific mechanisms and pathways are still unknown. The aim of this experiment was to investigate that DON can induce iron metabolism disorders in the livers of mice, thereby triggering ferroptosis and causing toxic damage to the liver. Methods: Male C57 mice were treated with DON at a 5 mg/kg BW concentration as an in vivo model. After sampling, organ coefficient monitoring, liver function test, histopathological analysis, liver Fe²⁺ content test, and oxidative stress-related indexes were performed. The mRNA and protein expression of Nrf2 and its downstream genes were also detected using a series of methods including quantitative real-time PCR, immunofluorescence double-labeling, and Western blotting analysis. Results: DON can cause damage to the liver of a mouse. Specifically, we found that mouse livers in the DON group exhibited pathological damage in cell necrosis, inflammatory infiltration, cytoplasmic vacuolization, elevated relative liver weight, and significant changes in liver function indexes. Meanwhile, the substantial reduction in the levels of glutathione (GSH), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) in the DON group indicated that DON also caused oxidative stress in the liver. Notably, DON exposure increased the levels of Fe²⁺ and Malondialdehyde (MDA) in the liver, which provides strong evidence for the occurrence of iron metabolism and ferroptosis disorders. Most importantly, mRNA and protein expression of Nrf2, an important pathway for iron metabolism and ferroptosis, along with its downstream genes, heme oxygenase (HO-1), quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1), glutathione peroxidase (GPX4), and solute carrier gene (SLC7a11), were significantly inhibited in the DON group. Conclusions: Based on our results, the Nrf2 pathway is closely associated with DON-induced iron metabolism disorders and ferroptosis in mouse livers, suggesting that maintaining hepatic iron homeostasis and activating the Nrf2 pathway may be a potential target for mitigating DON hepatotoxicity in the future. Full article

Three-dimensional genome organization reveals that gene regulatory elements, which are linearly distant on the genome, can spatially interact with target genes to regulate their expression. DNA fluorescence in situ hybridization (DNA-FISH) is an efficient method for studying the spatial proximity of genomic loci. In this study, we developed an optimized Tn5 transposome-based DNA-FISH method, termed Tn5-labeled DNA-FISH. This approach amplifies the target region and uses a self-assembled Tn5 transposome to simultaneously fragment the DNA into ~100 bp segments and label it with fluorescent oligonucleotides in a single step. This method enables the preparation of probes for regions as small as 4 kb and visualizes both endogenous and exogenous genomic loci at kb resolution. Tn5-labeled DNA-FISH provides a streamlined and cost-effective tool for probe generation, facilitating the investigation of chromatin spatial conformations, gene interactions, and genome architecture. Full article

Diseases and pests have a significant impact on rice production, affecting both yield and quality. Therefore, their effective management and control are crucial for successful rice cultivation. However, current research based on rice diseases and pests (RDPs) encounters challenges such as data scarcity, the integration of multi-source heterogeneous data and usability issues related to knowledge graphs. To tackle these issues, this paper proposes a novel entity and relationship extraction model called Multi-head Attention RoBERTa BiLSTM CRF (MARBC). Specifically, the MARBC model utilizes RoBERTa to obtain related word vector representations, and then employs BiLSTM to extract features from within the input sequences. By integrating a multi-head attention mechanism, the model retrieves contextual information and relevance from the text, enhancing the accuracy and depth of the knowledge graph. Additionally, Conditional Random Fields are used to model sequence labeling for entities and relationships. Experimental results demonstrate the model’s impressive performance, achieving precision, recall, and F1 scores of 95.31%, 93.58%, and 94.44%, respectively. Furthermore, this paper constructs a dedicated knowledge graph for RDPs from both ontology and data layers. By effectively integrating and organizing multi-source heterogeneous RDP data, this paper provides valuable resources and decision support for agricultural researchers and farmers. Full article

The growing global focus on the adverse health conditions associated with excessive sugar consumption has prompted health and policy organizations as well as the public to take a more mindful approach to health and wellness. In response, food and beverage companies have proactively innovated and reformulated their product portfolios to incorporate low and no-calorie sweeteners (LNCSs) as viable alternatives to sugar. LNCSs offer an effective and safe approach to delivering sweetness to foods and beverages and reducing calories and sugar intake while contributing to the enjoyment of eating. The objective of this paper is to enhance the understanding of LNCSs segmentation and definitions, dietary consumption and reduction guidance, front-of-package labeling, taste and sensory perception and physiology, metabolic efficacy and impact, as well as the overall safety of LNCSs and sugar. Full article

This study aimed to clarify the scientific quantification of fertilizer nitrogen (N) uptake and utilization, its destination, and its residual distribution in the soil at a depth of 0–30 cm after biochar application using ¹⁵N tracer technology. The purpose was to provide a theoretical basis for developing a scientific application strategy for N fertilizer and biochar in irrigated farmland areas. Two levels of N fertilizer application were set up using the ¹⁵N labeling method in microareas of large fields: the regular amount of N fertilizer (N1: 300 kg·ha⁻¹) and a reduction of N fertilizer by 15% (N2: 255 kg·ha⁻¹). Further, three levels of biochar application were set up: no biochar (B0: 0 kg·ha⁻¹), a low amount of biochar (B1: 10 × 10³ kg·ha⁻¹), and a medium amount of biochar (B2: 20 × 10³ kg·ha⁻¹). The tested biochar was derived from corn stover (maize straw). The natural abundance of ¹⁵N-labeled fertilizer N, the total N content of each aboveground organ, and the total N content of soil at a depth of 0–30 cm in a spring wheat field at maturity were determined, and the yield was measured in the corresponding plots. The proportion of ¹⁵N-labeled fertilizer N uptake by each organ of spring wheat and the soil N uptake was 20.60–35.32% and more than 64.68%, respectively. Moreover, the proportion of soil N uptake showed a decreasing trend with an increase in biochar application. The spring wheat N uptake and utilization rate, the residue rate in the soil at a depth of 0–30 cm, the total utilization rate, and the rate of loss of ¹⁵N-labeled fertilizer N ranged from 15.21% to 29.61%, 23.33% to 28.93%, 38.54% to 58.54%, and 41.46% to 61.46%, respectively. The spring wheat N fertilizer utilization rate, fertilizer N residue rate in soil, and total fertilizer N utilization rate all increased gradually with an increase in biochar application, except for the N loss rate, which decreased gradually. When N fertilizer reduction was combined with medium biochar (B2N2), the yield of spring wheat significantly improved, mainly due to an increase in the number of grains in spikes. Under this treatment, the number of grains in spikes of spring wheat was 41.9, and the yield reached 7075.54 kg·ha⁻¹, which was an increase of 9.69–28.25% and 10.91–25.35%, respectively, compared with other treatments. Yield increased by up to 25.35%, and nitrogen loss decreased by 48.24% under the B2N2 treatment. Biochar application could promote the amount and proportion of fertilizer N uptake in various organs of spring wheat as well as in the soil at a depth of 0–30 cm. In this study, a 15% reduction in N fertilizer (255 kg·ha⁻¹) combined with 20 × 10³ kg·ha⁻¹ biochar application initially helped achieve the goal of increasing spring wheat yield and N fertilizer uptake, as well as improving fertilizer N utilization, providing an optimal scientific application strategy for N fertilizer and biochar in the farmland of the irrigation area. These results substantiate the hypothesis that biochar application enhances spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) assimilation of fertilizer-derived nitrogen (¹⁵N) while concomitantly improving fertilizer nitrogen retention in the soil matrix, which could provide a sustainable framework for nitrogen management in irrigated farmlands. Full article

Background/Objectives: Previously, we found that caloric restriction (CR) in mice increases taurine levels by stimulating hepatic synthesis, secretion into the intestine and deconjugation of taurine-conjugated bile acids (BA). Subsequently, in the intestine, taurine conjugates various molecules, including glutathione (GSH). The current study explores the mechanisms behind forming taurine-GSH conjugate and its consequences for taurine, other taurine conjugates, and BA in order to improve understanding of their role in CR. Methods: The non-enzymatic conjugation of taurine and GSH was assessed and the uptake of taurine, GSH, and taurine-GSH was verified in five sections of the small intestine. Levels of taurine, gavaged ¹³C labeled taurine, taurine conjugates, taurine-GSH, and GSH were measured in various tissues of ad libitum and CR mice. Next, the taurine-related CR phenotype was challenged by applying the inhibitors of taurine transporter (SLC6A6) and GSH-S transferases (GST). Results: The CR-related increase in taurine in intestinal mucosa was accompanied by the uptake and distribution of taurine towards selected organs. A unique composition of taurine conjugates characterized each tissue. Although taurine-GSH conjugate could be formed in non-enzymatic reactions, GST activity contributed to taurine-related CR outcomes. Upon SLC6A6 and GST inhibition, the taurine-related parameters were affected mainly in the ileum rather than the liver. Meanwhile, BA levels were somewhat affected by GST inhibition in the ileum and in the liver by SLC6A6 inhibitor. Conclusions: The discovered CR phenotype involves a regulatory network that adjusts taurine and BA homeostasis. GSH supports these processes by conjugating taurine, impacting taurine uptake from the intestine and its availability to form other types of conjugates. Full article

Quality risk management, commonly known as QRM, is designed to systematically assess, control, communicate, and review potential risks at every stage of the pharmaceutical manufacturing process. The preservation of consistent product quality across the entirety of the product’s life cycle is of paramount importance. The aim of this article is to formulate a best practice guide that will assist pharmaceutical manufacturers in comprehending and implementing the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) Q9: quality risk management principles. A widely recognized methodology for defining and monitoring risk mitigation strategies within the pharmaceutical sector is the Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA). ICH Q9 does not, however, offer detailed instructions for applying FMEA to real-world pharmaceutical situations. We previously provided real-world case studies that identify and mitigate risks in the early stages of the manufacturing process of sterile products, such as (1) supply chain and procurement; (2) logistics and warehousing; (3) raw material dispensing; (4) glass bottle washing and handling; (5) product filling; and (6) final product receiving and handling. The final steps of the sterile manufacturing process are the subject of the case study we present in this paper. We identify and control the risks related to (I) product sterilization; (II) product inspection, labeling, and packaging; (III) the finished product’s transfer to storage; and (IV) storing finished products in a warehouse. In order to maximize decision-making and reduce the risk of regulatory noncompliance, this case study describes a proactive strategy for the identification, management, and communication of risks associated with crucial tasks. While each organization’s products and methods are distinct, with varying tolerances for risk, certain stages and associated risks are common. Consequently, the examples provided here offer relevant insights into any pharmaceutical production environment. Managing sustainability-related risks and ensuring the transparency of pharmaceutical company operations are key tasks of success today. These risks, if not managed, will cause serious problems and a negative reputation, as well as environmental and public impact. Full article

There has been increasing interest in the health and environmental benefits of the growth of local food, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. In the United States, local food and labels have many implications and attributes, such as organic, non-GMO, and reduced-chemical production. Therefore, consumers’ purchase decisions and willingness to pay for local labels with sustainable attributes are heterogeneous. This study uses a consumer survey in Missouri to examine how differences and differentiations in health and environmental attitudes affect consumers’ willingness to pay for local food. A discrete choice experiment and a structural equation model (SEM) were employed to measure how personal attitudes affect consumer’s willingness to pay for local labels (typical label and state-grown). Results show that supportive attitudes toward local farms and farmers positively affect consumer preferences for locally labeled produce, but the premiums will be lower if they are more concerned about GMOs and pesticide residue in food. No evidence was found for the effects of general environmental attitudes on willingness to pay for local food. Full article