Troy University

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Polyethylene terephthalate(PET), widely used in textilesand packaging,loses its mechanical strength during melt processing and recyclingdue to chain scission, resulting in reduced intrinsic viscosity (IV).Epoxidized soybean oil (ESBO), a biobased and ecofriendly modifier,offers a sustainable alternative to petroleum-derived chain extenders(CEs) to recover the IV. This study explores the effect of ESBO onthe IV and mechanical properties of recycled PET (r-PET) via reactiveextrusion using a single screw extruder. Various ESBO concentrationswere tested, and it was found that 2.0 wt % ESBO with a 10 min residencetime (B2–10min) achieved the best enhancement inIV and mechanical performance of the r-PET. The findings suggest thatoptimizing parameters such as CE loading and residence time can furtherimprove ESBO’s efficiency in restoring PET properties. Characterizationby viscometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magneticresonance spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, field emissionscanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and tensile strengthconfirmed that ESBO effectively increased the molecular weight, thermalstability, and mechanical properties of r-PET under optimal conditions.

Existing studies highlight the livelihood challenges, precarious working conditions, and coping strategies among women street food vendors, but they rarely examine how their everyday gendered learning processes reconstruct their identities that challenge patriarchal and structural barriers. Therefore, this study addresses this gap by exploring gendered everyday learning through an intrinsic case study of nine women street food vendors in urban Nepal (aged 28–62), using eight months of participant observation and unstructured in-depth interviews. The study reveals how these women’s everyday learning enabled them to become subsistence entrepreneurs by employing strategies such as negotiating with patriarchal structures, leveraging social networks, and developing innovative entrepreneurial skills. In addition, their learning narratives reveal not mere survival strategies, but active lifelong learning processes of identity reconstruction, empowerment, and economic resilience within feminized informal economies. Therefore, this study advances the gendered everyday learning perspective beyond individualized struggles in precarious work conditions and situates it within broader societal inequalities. The findings suggest the need to acknowledge and institutionalize these women’s everyday learning systems for developing policies that transform subsistence entrepreneurship into sustainable economic independence.

Bacteria belonging to the genera Chryseobacterium, Sphingomonas, Variovorax, Neorhizobium, Parapedobacter and Erwinia have been isolated from different soils and have also been shown to exhibit plant growth promoting (PGP) features. A polyphasic approach was employed to ascertain the taxonomic status of eight selected strains all isolated from dry soils in association with plants showing high desiccation tolerances. Based on the result of the polyphasic characterization, the following names are proposed: Chryseobacterium hilariae sp. nov., with DT-3T as the type strain (= CIP 112171T=LMG 32722T=CCM 9258T); Sphingomonas astragali sp. nov., with DT-204T as the type strain (= CCM 9255T=LMG 33194T=CIP 112175T); Sphingomonas radicis sp. nov., with DT-207T as the type strain (= CCM 9257T=LMG 32727T=DSM 114514T); Sphingomonas larreae sp. nov., with DT-51T as the type strain (= CCM 9259T=CIP 112177T=DSM 114511T=LMG 32723T); Variovorax stachyos sp. nov., with DT-64T as the type strain (= LMG 32724T=DSM 114531T=CIP 112170T); Erwinia artemisiae sp. nov., with DT-104T as the type strain (CCM 9256T=LMG 32725T=DSM 114512T); Parapedobacter brassicae sp. nov., with DT-150T as the type strain (LMG 32759T=DSM 115120T); and Neorhizobium descurainiae sp. nov., with DT-125T as the type strain (LMG 32760T=CIP 112184T).

ABSTRACT Despite being a generally condemned behavior, lying is a part of daily life. However, extant research provides little insight into how a person’s tendency to lie influences criminal justice outcomes. Applying impression management theory and using the Pathways to Desistance data, this study examines how engaging in lying behaviors (e.g. lying because it is fun; exaggerating a story to spice it up; making up stories, and so on) relates to odds of incarceration/detention over time. Findings from a series of longitudinal models reveal that individuals who report higher scores on the scale of lying behaviors report significantly greater odds of incarceration than those who report lower scores on the scale of lying behaviors, net a number of theoretically and empirically informed controls. Findings suggest that while lying more may seem like a way to avoid incarceration or detention, being more truthful may set you free.

El presente artículo aborda la evolución conceptual del medio ambiente desde finales de los años sesenta, diferenciando su interpretación en países industrializados — centrada en problemáticas de contaminación y abordajes tecnológicos — y en países en desarrollo, donde prevalecen enfoques socioeconómicos y políticos relacionados al subdesarrollo. Se examina la génesis, expansión y aplicación de las evaluaciones de impacto ambiental (EIA), con énfasis en su desarrollo en Estados Unidos bajo la NEPA (1970) y su implementación temprana en Brasil en proyectos financiados por organismos multilaterales. El estudio revisa los fundamentos metodológicos, las limitaciones técnicas, y la propagación espacio - temporal de los impactos, destacando la necesidad de establecer criterios de cuantificación y modelos interpretativos eficaces. Asimismo, se analiza la participación ciudadana como herramienta de legitimación y generación de conocimiento en el proceso evaluativo. Se contrastan diversas definiciones institucionales y académicas, resaltando la EIA como un instrumento sistemático de planificación, capaz de integrar variables ambientales en proyectos, programas y políticas, en favor de la sustentabilidad y del bienestar socioambiental. PALABRAS – CLAVES: Impacto ambiental, EIA, AIA, Política Ambiental.

Abstract A cuspidal robot can move from one inverse kinematics (IK) solution to another without crossing a singularity. Multiple industrial robots are cuspidal. They tend to have a beautiful mechanical design, but they pose path-planning challenges. A task-space path may have a valid IK solution for each point along the path, but a continuous joint-space path may depend on the choice of the IK solution or even be infeasible. This article presents new analysis, path planning, and optimization methods to enhance the utility of cuspidal robots. We first demonstrate an efficient method to identify cuspidal robots and show, for the first time, that the ABB GoFa and certain robots with three parallel joint axes are cuspidal. We then propose a new path-planning method for cuspidal robots by finding all IK solutions for each point along a task-space path and constructing a graph to connect each vertex corresponding to an IK solution. Graph edges have a weight based on the optimization metric, such as minimizing joint velocity. The optimal feasible path is the shortest path in the graph. This method can find nonsingular paths as well as smooth paths that pass through singularities. Finally, we incorporate this path-planning method into a path optimization algorithm. Given a fixed workspace toolpath, we optimize the offset of the toolpath in the robot base frame while ensuring continuous joint motion. Code examples are available in a publicly accessible repository.