Nutritional Quality and Degree of Processing of Children’s Foods Assessment on the French Market

Food packaging marketing techniques which appeal to children (such as cartoon characters and brand mascots) affect children’s choices, preferences, and eating habits. Several studies have assessed the nutritional quality of food intended to children in various countries and concluded that most were high in fat, salt, and sugar (HFSS) and ultra-processed foods. The aim of this study is to analyse products intended for children over the age of 3 (foods and beverages with relevant marketing elements on the packaging) available on the French market as regards: (1) nutritional quality, based on the Nutri-Score labelling system, (2) compliance with expected nutritional profile suitable for children, according to the criteria of the WHO Europe Nutrient Profile Model, and (3) degree of processing, as defined by the NOVA classification, from packaging collected in 20 stores (hyper/supermarkets, hard-discount retail chains, and organic food stores). The marketing strategies most often used on children’s products are cartoons (97.22%; n = 1120) and mascots (77.78%; n = 896). A total of 1155 products were included in the study, most of which were sugary foods: almost a quarter of the products in the sample (23.81%; n = 275) list a sweetener as the first ingredient, and most of them (89.52%; n = 1034) contain free sugars according to the WHO definition. All the products included in our study feature marketing elements targeting on the packaging, yet 94.88% do not meet the criteria of the WHO Europe Nutrient Profile Model. Most (58.68%; n = 676) belong to Nutri-Score groups D and E, with the highest proportion in group D (39.32%; n = 453) and are ultra-processed (87.97%; n = 1016), especially through the use of flavourings and ultra-processed sugars. Using the Nutri-Score, the WHO Europe Nutrient Profile Model, and the NOVA classification, this study suggests that a significant share of pre-packaged foods marketed to children do not have an adequate nutritional profile. As such, measures are needed to regulate what marketing elements aimed at children can be included on packaging, based on these criteria.

A typological investigation of personality: Trait expression as a coordinated system of self-regulatory functioning

<p>Many researchers contend that the intra-individual configuration of multiple traits, as compared to isolated trait dimensions, more effectively capture personality functioning at the level of the individual. Moreover, it is argued that by identifying subsets of individuals with similar trait-profiles, we can shed light on the generative mechanisms that underlie the expression and functioning of personality. Notably, self-regulatory systems of ego-resiliency and ego-control, as developed by Block and Block, comprise a valuable theoretical foundation for the development and interpretation of personality types. However, much of the literature on this topic is theoretically ambiguous, and is afflicted with inconsistent empirical outcomes across studies. The focus of the present thesis is to advance the empirical assessment and theoretical interpretability of personality profiles. More particularly, comparisons between three and four profile solutions are at the core of the current investigations. These competing models reflect differing interpretations of ego-domains; the three profile model embodies a proposed curvilinear relationship between the two constructs, whereas the four profile model emphasises the roles of ego-resiliency and ego-control as distinct mechanisms with unique outcomes. In Study 1, Latent Profile and Latent Transition Analyses were conducted using the Six-Factor Model of personality. Three and four profile solutions were developed and compared using measures of model fit, profile interpretability, longitudinal stability, and predictive ability. In Study 2, the replicability of both solutions when using the Five-Factor Model was examined, along with the comparative value of the Six- as opposed to Five-Factor Model in profile identification. Finally, in Study 3, the interpretability of the four profile solution as reflecting differentiated domains of ego-functioning was assessed using established measures of ego-resiliency and ego-control. Across all three studies, profiles were considered using a novel approach utilising both continuous and categorical methodologies. Rather than treating profiles as entirely discrete groupings of personality functioning, the present investigation considers convergence with prototypical profiles in terms of degree. The current findings provide support for the four profile solution as a more coherent and theoretically validated model as compared to the three profile solution. Specifically, although both solutions demonstrated good fit and longitudinal stability, the four profile solution was associated with more theoretically interpretable outcomes. These findings were consistent when using both the Six- as well as Five-Factor Model of personality; however, omission of the sixth trait resulted in a reduction in profile precision and explanatory power. Finally, in Study 3, selected exemplars of the four profile solution converged onto theoretically consistent domains of high/low ego-resiliency and ego-control. Block and Block’s model of ego-resiliency and ego-control provides a clear unifying framework for the intra-individual structuring of a four profile configuration of traits. Ego-constructs are flexible self-regulatory mechanisms that develop through reciprocal person-environmental transactions. The current results are therefore suggestive of a hierarchical relationship between ego-domains and personality traits, whereby traits form the basic parameters of a dynamic self-regulatory system. Moreover, the combination of continuous and categorical methodologies presently used strengthens the conclusions and arguments in this thesis.</p>

A typological investigation of personality: Trait expression as a coordinated system of self-regulatory functioning

<p>Many researchers contend that the intra-individual configuration of multiple traits, as compared to isolated trait dimensions, more effectively capture personality functioning at the level of the individual. Moreover, it is argued that by identifying subsets of individuals with similar trait-profiles, we can shed light on the generative mechanisms that underlie the expression and functioning of personality. Notably, self-regulatory systems of ego-resiliency and ego-control, as developed by Block and Block, comprise a valuable theoretical foundation for the development and interpretation of personality types. However, much of the literature on this topic is theoretically ambiguous, and is afflicted with inconsistent empirical outcomes across studies. The focus of the present thesis is to advance the empirical assessment and theoretical interpretability of personality profiles. More particularly, comparisons between three and four profile solutions are at the core of the current investigations. These competing models reflect differing interpretations of ego-domains; the three profile model embodies a proposed curvilinear relationship between the two constructs, whereas the four profile model emphasises the roles of ego-resiliency and ego-control as distinct mechanisms with unique outcomes. In Study 1, Latent Profile and Latent Transition Analyses were conducted using the Six-Factor Model of personality. Three and four profile solutions were developed and compared using measures of model fit, profile interpretability, longitudinal stability, and predictive ability. In Study 2, the replicability of both solutions when using the Five-Factor Model was examined, along with the comparative value of the Six- as opposed to Five-Factor Model in profile identification. Finally, in Study 3, the interpretability of the four profile solution as reflecting differentiated domains of ego-functioning was assessed using established measures of ego-resiliency and ego-control. Across all three studies, profiles were considered using a novel approach utilising both continuous and categorical methodologies. Rather than treating profiles as entirely discrete groupings of personality functioning, the present investigation considers convergence with prototypical profiles in terms of degree. The current findings provide support for the four profile solution as a more coherent and theoretically validated model as compared to the three profile solution. Specifically, although both solutions demonstrated good fit and longitudinal stability, the four profile solution was associated with more theoretically interpretable outcomes. These findings were consistent when using both the Six- as well as Five-Factor Model of personality; however, omission of the sixth trait resulted in a reduction in profile precision and explanatory power. Finally, in Study 3, selected exemplars of the four profile solution converged onto theoretically consistent domains of high/low ego-resiliency and ego-control. Block and Block’s model of ego-resiliency and ego-control provides a clear unifying framework for the intra-individual structuring of a four profile configuration of traits. Ego-constructs are flexible self-regulatory mechanisms that develop through reciprocal person-environmental transactions. The current results are therefore suggestive of a hierarchical relationship between ego-domains and personality traits, whereby traits form the basic parameters of a dynamic self-regulatory system. Moreover, the combination of continuous and categorical methodologies presently used strengthens the conclusions and arguments in this thesis.</p>

The Influence of Heat Input on the Surface Quality of Wire and Arc Additive Manufacturing

Wire and arc additive manufacturing has unique process characteristics, which make it have great potential in many fields, but the large amount of heat input brought by this feature limits its practical application. The influence of heat input on the performance of parts has been extensively studied, but the quantitative description of the influence of heat input on the surface quality of parts by wire and arc additive manufacturing has not received enough attention. According to different heat input, select the appropriate process parameters for wire and arc additive manufacturing, reversely shape the profile model, select the appropriate function model to establish the ideal profile model according to the principle of minimum error, and compare the two models to analyze the effect of heat input on the surface quality of the parts manufactured by wire and arc additive manufacturing. The results show that, when the heat input is high or low, the standard deviation value and the root mean square value reach 1.908 and 1.963, respectively. The actual profile is larger than the ideal profile. When the heat input is moderate, the standard deviation value and the root mean square value are only 1.634 and 1.713, respectively, and the actual contour is in good agreement with the ideal contour. Combined with the analysis of the transverse and longitudinal sections, it is shown that the heat input has a high degree of influence on the surface quality of the specimen manufactured by wire and arc additive manufacturing, and higher or lower heat input is disadvantageous to it.

The WHO South-East Asia Region Nutrient Profile Model Is Quite Appropriate for India: An Exploration of 31,516 Food Products

The rapid rise in prevalence of overweight/obesity, as well as high prevalence of type 2 diabetes and other nutrition-related noncommunicable diseases, has led the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to propose a front-of-package labeling (FOPL) regulation. An effective FOPL system applies a nutrient profile model that identifies foods high in sugar, sodium, and saturated fat that would receive a warning label for consumers to effectively discern between more and less healthy foods. Previous Nutrition Alchemy data collected by the food industry (n = 1306 products) estimated that approximately 96% of foods in India would have at least one warning label based on the FSSAI proposed FOPL. This near universal coverage of warning labels may be inaccurate and misleading. To address this, the current study compared two nutrient profile models, the WHO South-East Asia Region Organization (SEARO) and the Chilean Warning Octagon (CWO) Phase 3, applied to food products available in the Indian market from 2015–2020, collected through Mintel Global New Products Database (n = 10,501 products). Results suggest that 68% of foods and beverages would have at least one ‘ high-in’ level warning label. This study highlights the need to include a more comprehensive sample of food products for assessing the value of warning labels.

Modelling vertical concentration distributions of solids suspended in turbulent visco-plastic fluid

Vertical concentration distributions of solids conveyed in Newtonian fluids can be modelled using Rouse-Schmidt type distributions. Observations of solids conveyed in turbulent low Reynolds number visco-plastic carriers, suggest that solids are more readily suspended than their Newtonian counterparts, producing higher concentrations in the centre of the pipe. A Newtonian concentration profile model was adapted to include typical turbulent viscosity distributions within the pipe and particle motion calculated using non-Newtonian sheared settling. Predictions from this and the unmodified model, using the same wall viscosity, are compared with the chord averaged profile extracted from tomographic data obtained using a 50 mm horizontal pipe.