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Objective To explore the technology and efficacy of fabrication of a guide and removal of a fiber post by tetrahedron positioning technology at the chair side.Methods For one patient with acute chronic periapical periodontitis of the left maxillary lateral incisor who needed to have the fiber post removed, the chair side tetrahedral positioning technique was used to make a guide plate to remove the fiber post. Cone beam CT (CBCT) data were imported into the software to design the guide plate for fiber post removal. The guide plate design on CBCT was transferred to a solid model by using tetrahedral positioning technology. The guide plate was made to guide the removal of the fiber post, and then left maxillary lateral incisor root canal was performed. We evaluated the effect of fiber post removal with tetrahedral positioning technology by reviewing the literature.Results The guide plate made by tetrahedral positioning technology can accurately locate the position and direction of fiber posts at a low cost and with high speed. After the fiber post was removed, the root canal could be dredged by using root canal preparation instruments. After root canal preparation, the root canal was filled with warm gutta-percha to complete the root canal treatment. After 3 months, the apical radiograph showed that the transmission shadow of the apical area was reduced. The results of the literature review showed that the fiber post removal with guide plates provides a predictable result and a lower risk of iatrogenic damage. Minimally invasive treatment can be carried out, and chair time can be reduced.Conclusion On the basis of CBCT data, using tetrahedral positioning technology to make fiber post removal guides can help reduce the risk of fiber post removal and has the characteristics of speed, low cost and short chair side processing. However, the accuracy comparison between tetrahedral positioning technology and 3D printing guides needs further study.

Background The presence of circulating plasma cells (cPCs) was associated with a worse prognosis in multiple myeloma patients. However, the underlying mechanisms involved in the migration and invasion of bone marrow myeloma cells (BMMCs) to cPCs remains unclear. Here, we investigate the possible factors related to hematogenous myeloma cell dissemination and potential regulatory mechanisms. Methods BMMCs and cPCs of five extramedullary plasmacytoma (EMP) patients were selected for single cell RNA sequencing, We found that the expression level of sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 2 (S1RP2) was lower in cPCs compared with that in BMMCs. Then, we investigated the effect of S1PR2 in cell migration and invasion through pharmacologic inhibition with a S1PR2-selective antagonist JTE-013 or knockdown of S1PR2 expression in MM cell line U266. Results The results showed that S1PR2 inhibition with JTE-013 or S1PR2-shRNA significantly promoted cell migration and invasion in U266 cells. We measured the expression of invasion-related proteins by Western blot and found that knockdown of S1PR2 could reduce MMP-9 expression in U266 cells. Furthermore, we found NF-κB pathway may mediate the inhibition effects of S1PR2 on cell migration and invasion in MM cells. Conclusion Our findings demonstrated that S1PR2 downregulation may contribute to the initial extramedullary translocation by promoting cell migration and invasion through NF-κB pathway activation.

Women used to lag behind men in college enrollment but now exceed them. We argue that changes in non-college job prospects contributed to these trends. We first document that routine-biased technical change disproportionately displaced non-college occupations held by women. We next employ a shift-share instrument for the impact of routinization to show that declining non-college job prospects for women increased female enrollment. Results show that a one percentage point decline in the share of routine task intensive jobs leads to a 0.6 percentage point rise in female college enrollment, while the effect for male enrollment is directionally smaller and insignificant. We next embed this instrumental variation into a dynamic model that links education and occupation choices. The model finds that routinization decreased returns to non-college occupations for women, leading them to shift to cognitive work and increasing their college premium. In contrast, non-college occupations for men were less susceptible to routinization. Altogether, our model estimates that workplace routinization accounted for 63% of the growth in female enrollment and 23% of the change in male enrollment between 1980 to 2000.

In view of the problem of taking the loose layer as the uniform cloth load while ignoring thickly sticky loose layered arch (TSLLA) of the traditional mining rock overburden structure analysis, combined with the geological conditions of shallow buried thickly sticky loose layer in Shendong mining area, the mechanical model of the mining TSLLA bearing structure is established, the variation law of arch height under different loose layers is analyzed, and the formation conditions of TSLLA are given. The first theory deduced the dynamic evolution mechanism of TSLLA structure advancing. The dynamic evolution of TSLLA structure in 22207 coalface is simulated. The formula for the limit height of TSLLA is derived. A classification method of mining loose layer structure is proposed. The loose layer structure type is divided into load type, arch beam type damage type, and limit arch height type. On this basis, the mechanical model of “arch beam” is constructed. The influence mechanism of the TSLLA on the surface cracks is revealed. The methods and calculation steps for initial surface cracks are presented. The results are verified by the measured data of surface subsidence of the typical thickly sticky layer in Shendong mining area.

Outcrossing rate is an important determinant of cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS) breeding and hybrid seed production for heterosis in soybean. Parental lines with a high outcrossing rate were screened for backcross breeding to obtain the high outcrossing rate maintenance B-lines and sterile A-lines. Application in production practices will help to increase hybrid soybean production. In this study, JLCMS82B and JLCMS89B were selected as parents for the construction of outcrossing rate segregation populations, and the progeny-array approach (PAA) and glyphosate resistant gene markers were used to determine outcrossing rates. We found that: (1) The outcrossing rate between JLCMS82B and JLCMS89B was significantly different; (2) the outcrossing rate of the F2 segregating populations was a quantitative trait, though whether an additive or epistatic effect exists required analysis with a triple test intersection analysis; (3) agronomic traits correlated with outcrossing rate; outcrossing rate was the highest with plant height of about 84 cm, lower number of plant branches, earlier flowering time, larger angle between the branches and the main stem, and with more divergent plant morphology. Correlation analysis between agronomic traits and outcrossing rate can effectively guide the screening of parents with a high outcrossing rate.

Although submarine landslides rarely occur in shallow or coastal areas, they are intensely violent and dangerous, causing serious damage to submarine structures and cables and drilling platforms. In this study, simulation experiments in the wave flume reveal that the submarine sand slope will oscillate, disperse, and form sand grains under the action of waves. In addition, the erosion depth of the wave on the seabed gradually deepens over time. Water depth decreases gradually. When the water depth reaches a certain depth, the erosion reaches a critical state. In combination with previous studies, the failure conditions and failure mechanisms of submarine slopes under wave action are analyzed, and a mechanism is proposed for the submarine slope failure induced by liquefied flow slip failure, shear failure, and shallow erosion failure. The risk of shear failure on the seabed is considered greater than that of liquefaction under wave action. Under shear failure, the seabed slope experiences a nearly complete liquefaction damage. By contrast, for shallow erosion damage, the structure of the seabed soil loosens, and the related strength becomes lower than that of the surrounding soil.

Weilong Zhang,1,* Yinghua Lv,1,* Juan Yang,1 Yunhui Chen,2 Yingchun He,1 Jihan Huang1 1Center for Drug Clinical Research, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, People’s Republic of China; 2College of Basic Medicine, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 610075, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Jihan Huang; Yingchun HeCenter for Drug Clinical Research, Institute of Interdisciplinary Integrative Medicine Research, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, #1200 Cailun Road, Pudong New District, Shanghai 201203, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 21 51322420Email huangjihan@shutcm.edu.cn; hych7219@163.comObjective: This study aimed to evaluate the pharmacological mechanisms of antiviral drugs against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the study designs in clinical trials registered with the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP).Methods: Clinical trials involving antiviral drugs for treating COVID-19 were retrieved from the ICTRP database. For each trial, the study design, number of participants, primary endpoints, source register, antiviral mechanism, and results were evaluated.Results: On June 10, 2020, 145 eligible clinical trials were retrieved from the ICTRP, of which 99 (68.3%) were randomized trials, 109 (75.2%) were parallel assignment trials, 38 (26.2%) were double or single blinded, 130 (89.7%) involved two groups, and 75 (51.6%) included more than 100 participants; and clinical improvement or recovery and virus-negative conversion were the two most common endpoints, accounting for 40.7% and 18.6%, respectively. The drugs were divided according to the antiviral mechanism into HIV reverse transcriptase inhibitors, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase inhibitors, HIV protease inhibitors (PIs), hepatitis C virus NS3 PIs, and anti-influenza drugs.Conclusion: The design characteristics of clinical trials of antiviral drugs for treating COVID-19 as well as the mechanism of action and antiviral efficacy of the drugs were evaluated in this study. The results of these trials could constitute a reference for future clinical trials to be executed on COVID-19 treatment and prevention.Keywords: COVID-19, clinical trials as topic, antiviral agents, research design

Meng Pang,1 Chunyuan Li,1 Dong Zheng,1 Ying Wang,2 Jing Wang,1 Weilong Zhang,1 Fang Li,1 Hongmei Jing1 1Department of Hematology, Third Hospital of Peking University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Immunology, Key Laboratory of Medical Immunology of Ministry of Health, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Fang Li; Hongmei Jing Email lifang19611962@163.com; hongmeijing@bjmu.edu.cnBackground: The presence of circulating plasma cells (cPCs) was associated with a worse prognosis in multiple myeloma patients. However, the underlying mechanisms involved in the migration and invasion of bone marrow myeloma cells (BMMCs) to cPCs remains unclear. Here, we investigate the possible factors related to hematogenous myeloma cell dissemination and potential regulatory mechanisms.Methods: BMMCs and cPCs of five extramedullary plasmacytoma (EMP) patients were selected for single cell RNA sequencing, We found that the expression level of sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 2 (S1RP2) was lower in cPCs compared with that in BMMCs. Then, we investigated the effect of S1PR2 in cell migration and invasion through pharmacologic inhibition with a S1PR2-selective antagonist JTE-013 or knockdown of S1PR2 expression in MM cell line U266.Results: The results showed that S1PR2 inhibition with JTE-013 or S1PR2-shRNA significantly promoted cell migration and invasion in U266 cells. We measured the expression of invasion-related proteins by Western blot and found that knockdown of S1PR2 could reduce MMP-9 expression in U266 cells. Furthermore, we found NF-κB pathway may mediate the inhibition effects of S1PR2 on cell migration and invasion in MM cells.Conclusion: Our findings demonstrated that S1PR2 downregulation may contribute to the initial extramedullary translocation by promoting cell migration and invasion through NF-κB pathway activation.Keywords: multiple myeloma, extramedullary plasmacytoma, circulating plasma cells, NF-κB, S1PR2

A new approach to optical thermometers with high sensitivity was developed herein by using In 2 O 3 quantum dots (QDs) emission as temperature detecting signal and Eu 3+ ions emission as reference one. Originated from the diverse thermal quenching behavior between the defect-related emission of In 2 O 3 QDs and 4f-4f transitions of Eu 3+ ions, fluorescence intensity ratio of In 2 O 3 to Eu 3+ in nanocomposite exhibited excellent temperature sensing property in the range from 303 K to 543 K. The maximum absolute and relative temperature sensitivity can reach as high as 4.43 × 10 −2 K −1 and 0.89% K −1 , respectively. We believe that this work exploits an effective pathway for developing other innovative optical thermometers.

In order to solve the problem of texture optimization in 3D city reconstruction by using multi-lens oblique images, the paper presents a method of seamless texture model reconstruction. At first, it corrects the radiation information of images by camera response functions and image dark channel. Then, according to the corresponding relevance between terrain triangular mesh surface model to image, implements occlusion detection by sparse triangulation method, and establishes the triangles' texture list of visible. Finally, combines with triangles' topology relationship in 3D triangular mesh surface model and means and variances of image, constructs a graph-cuts-based texture optimization algorithm under the framework of MRF(Markov random filed), to solve the discrete label problem of texture optimization selection and clustering, ensures the consistency of the adjacent triangles in texture mapping, achieves the seamless texture reconstruction of city. The experimental results verify the validity and superiority of our proposed method.

Raising the albedo (solar reflectance) of a building’s walls reduces unwanted solar heat gain in the cooling season. This saves electricity and lowers peak power demand by decreasing the need for air conditioning. It can also cool the outside air, which can mitigate the urban heat island effect and also improve air quality by slowing the reactions that produce smog. This project quantified the energy savings, peak demand reduction, urban cooling, and air quality improvements attainable from solar-reflective “cool” walls in California; collaborated with industry to assess the performance of existing cool-wall technologies, and to develop innovative cool-wall solutions; and worked with state and federal government agencies, utilities, and industry to create a cool-wall infrastructure, including application guidelines, a product rating program, incentives, and building code credits. Simulations indicate that cool walls provide annual energy savings, peak demand reduction, annual emission reduction, and summer heat island mitigation benefits comparable to those yielded by cool roofs, and are helpful across California and in most of the southern half of the United States (that is, in U.S. climate zones 1—4). Natural exposure trials conducted at three sites in California and another three sites across the United States indicate that cool-wall materials tend to stay clean and reflective. Significant advances were made in novel cool-wall technologies, such as fluorescent cool pigments that expand the color palette for cool-wall products. We prepared guidelines for the climate- and building-appropriate use of cool walls, convened a stakeholder workshop, and created a working group. Ongoing efforts seek to introduce or expand cool-wall provisions in building energy standards, green building programs, and energy efficiency incentive programs, and to develop a cool-wall product rating system.

This paper presents a Cortex-M3-based system-on-chip (SoC) architecture designed for power-grid-dedicated wireless communication system based on IEEE 802.11ah protocol. The SoC is integrated with a 32-bit embedded microprocessor core using Thumb-2 instruction sets and multiple master/slave devices being compliable with advanced microcontroller bus architecture (AMBA) v2.0 protocol. Along with the various communication interfaces to make the chip more applicable, the whole system can accomplish data communication and processing in power grid applications with high performance and low cost.

A new mixed-metal phosphate of BaBi2CoP2O10 was synthesized by high temperature solution growth (HTSG) method and structurally characterized by X-ray single crystal diffraction and powder diffraction for the first time. The title compound crystallizes in the monoclinic system with space group P2(1)/c and represents the first compound in the Ba–Bi–M–P–O (M = transition metal) quinary anhydrous system, which structure features a novel 2D open framework which can be considered as building from the layers of [Bi2CoP2O10]2−∞ parallel to the bc plane interconnected by corner or bridge sharing of BiO5, BiO7, CoO6, and PO4 groups, where Ba2+ cations are located in the space between two adjacent layers. It is worth to note that the Bi3+ cations containing two kinds of coordinations (5 and 7) show stereochemically activities of their 6s2 lone pairs. The results of magnetic property measurements evidence on the antiferromagnetic property of BaBi2CoP2O10.

With the rapid development of wireless sensor networks, the precision of time synchronization between nodes is becoming increasingly attractive. However, low cost, low power, low technology and other requirements restrict the use of synchronization algorithms in wireless sensor networks. TPSN time synchronization algorithm is a two-way synchronization algorithm, which is widely used in wireless sensor network. But due to the media access mechanism and the channel stability of the wireless sensor network, the standard TPSN algorithm can not meet the requirement of high precision of time synchronization. In this paper, the standard TPSN algorithm have been improved based on doze mechanism. Under the control of the central node, the nodes are doze and wake up sporadically to help with getting the transmission delay accurately. Thus, the time synchronization precision between each node is improved and the overall network power consumption is reduced. The experimental results show that the improved TPSN algorithm can effectively improve the accuracy of time synchronization.

This paper proposes a city texture fast reconstruction method based on aerial tilt image for reconstruction of three-dimensional city model. Based on the photogrammetry and computer vision theory and using the city building digital surface model obtained by prior treatment, through collinear equation calculation geometric projection of object and image space, to obtain the three-dimensional information and texture information of the structure and through certain the optimal algorithm selecting the optimal texture on the surface of the object, realize automatic extraction of the building side texture and occlusion handling of the dense building texture. The real image texture reconstruction results show that: the method to the 3D city model texture reconstruction has the characteristics of high degree of automation, vivid effect and low cost and provides a means of effective implementation for rapid and widespread real texture rapid reconstruction of city 3D model.

This article using some state-of-art multi-view dense matching methods for reference, proposes an UAV multiple image dense matching algorithm base on Self-Adaptive patch (UAV-AP) in view of the specialty of UAV images. The main idea of matching propagating based on Self-Adaptive patch is to build patches centered by seed points which are already matched. The extent and figure of the patches can adapt to the terrain relief automatically: when the surface is smooth, the extent of the patch would become bigger to cover the whole smooth terrain; while the terrain is very rough, the extent of the patch would become smaller to describe the details of the surface. With this approach, the UAV image sequences and the given or previously triangulated orientation elements are taken as inputs. The main processing procedures are as follows: (1) multi-view initial feature matching, (2) matching propagating based on Self-Adaptive patch, (3) filtering the erroneous matching points. Finally, the algorithm outputs a dense colored point cloud. Experiments indicate that this method surpassed the existing related algorithm in efficiency and the matching precision is also quite ideal.

Poor seed-set limits potential for soybean hybrid seed production. The objective of this study was to evaluate effects of different pollinators on the rate of seed set in three soybean cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS) lines, JLCMS9A, JLCMS82A, and JLCMS89A. The following five treatments were applied under net room isolation-conditions: (i) insecticide application and release of alfalfa leafcutter bees (Megachile rotundata) during flowering; (ii) insecticide application in the absence of leafcutter bees; (iii) release of alfalfa leafcutter bees during flowering without insecticide application; (iv) the absence of insecticide or alfalfa leafcutter bees during flowering; (v) plants without a net cover and pesticide application. Results indicated that the rate of pod production and seed set differ significantly between CMS lines and between treatments. Alfalfa leafcutter bees were an effective pollinator as evidenced by increases in pod-bearing rate and seed-set rate respectively from 21.35 to 53.22% and from 19.91 to 58.77% in the three CMS lines. The three CMS lines also showed significant differences in seed set, with JLCMS82A exhibiting the highest rate in all five treatments, followed by JLCMS9A and then JLCMS89A. These results suggested that thrips (Sericothrips variabilis) might have some effect on soybean pollination, but did not elicit a major influence based on the low increases in seed production. The natural insect population served an important role in outcrossing and seed set in soybean.

Solid-state reaction of K 2 CO 3 , Al 2 O 3 , TiO 2 and NH 4 H 2 PO 4 at 1000 °C leads to a new dipotassium aluminum titanium phosphate: K 2 AlTi(PO 4 ) 3 . Its structure was established by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The title compound crystallizes in the cubic space group P 2 1 3 (No. 198) with cell parameters of a = 9.76410(10) A and V = 930.886(17) A 3 . It belongs to the langbeinite [K 2 Mg 2 (S O 4 ) 3 ] structure type and its structure features a three-dimensional anionic network of [AlTi(PO 4 ) 3 ] 2− interconnected by K + cations. The elemental analysis, IR spectrum and UV-vis absorption spectrum have been investigated. Additionally, we also make the calculations of band structure and density of states with the density functional theory method for the title compound.

An alkali-metal indium phosphate crystal, K{sub 3}In{sub 3}P{sub 4}O{sub 16}, has been synthesized by a high-temperature solution reaction and exhibits a new structure in the family of the alkali-metal indium phosphates system. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis shows the structure to be monoclinic with space group P2{sub 1}/n, and the following cell parameters: a=9.7003(18), b=9.8065(18), c=15.855(3) A, beta=90.346(3){sup o}, V=1508.2(5) A{sup 3}, Z=4, R=0.0254. It possesses three-dimensional [In{sub 3}(PO{sub 4}){sub 4}]{sub n}{sup 3-} anionic frameworks with tunnels occupied by K{sup +} cations running along the a-axis. The emission and absorption spectra of the compound have been investigated. Additionally, the calculations of energy band structure, density of states, dielectric constants and refractive indexes have been performed with the density functional theory method. Also, the two-photon absorption spectrum is simulated by two-band model. The obtained results tend to support the experimental data. - A new indium phosphate crystal, K{sub 3}In{sub 3}P{sub 4}O{sub 16}, was synthesized by a high-temperature solid-state reaction with space group P2{sub 1}/n. It possesses three-dimensional [In{sub 3}(PO{sub 4}){sub 4}]{sub n}{sup 3-} anionic frameworks built by InO{sub 6} octahedra, InO{sub 7} decahedra and PO{sub 4} tetrahedra, and with tunnels occupied by K1 and K2 running along the a-axis, while K3 cationsmore » are located in cavities of the structure.« less

Heterosis has been widely exploited as an approach to enhance crop traits during breeding. However, its underlying molecular genetic mechanisms remain unclear. Recent advances in RNA sequencing technology (RNA-seq) have provided an opportunity to conduct transcriptome profiling for heterosis studies. We used RNA-seq to analyze the flower transcriptomes of two F1 hybrid soybeans (HYBSOY-1 and HYBSOY-5) and their parents. More than 385 million high-quality reads were generated and aligned against the soybean reference genome. A total of 681 and 899 genes were identified as being differentially expressed between HYBSOY-1 and HYBSOY-5 and their parents, respectively. These differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were categorized into four major expression categories with 12 expression patterns. Furthermore, gene ontology (GO) term analysis showed that the DEGs were enriched in the categories metabolic process and catalytic activity, while Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis found that metabolic pathway and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites were enriched in the two F1 hybrids. Comparing the DEGs of the two F1 hybrids by GO term and KEGG pathway analyses identified 26 common DEGs that showed transgressive up-regulation, and which could be considered potential candidate genes for heterosis in soybean F1 hybrids. This identification of an extensive transcriptome dataset gives a comprehensive overview of the flower transcriptomes in two F1 hybrids, and provides useful information for soybean hybrid breeding. These findings lay the foundation for future studies on molecular mechanisms underlying soybean heterosis.

Er3+-doped CeO2-SiO2 nanocomposite was successfully fabricated by a sol-gel route. The homogeneous distribution of CeO2 nanocrystals among amorphous silica matrix was evidenced by the X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The incorporation of Er3+ ions into CeO2 nanocrystals was revealed by emission spectra and luminescence decay curves. Increasing CeO2 content and raising annealing temperature lead to the enhancement of the 1532 nm Er3+ emission, because CeO2 nanocrystals can efficiently sensitize the emission of Er3+, provide a low phonon energy environment, and defend them from hydroxyl quenching. It is expected that the investigated nanocomposite might be a promising candidate for optical fiber communication.

The title compounds are obtained quantitatively by reacting mixtures of M2O3 (M: Fe, In), H3BO3, and NH4H2PO4 in a molar ratio of 1:1:3 at 1153 K.

Two new isotypic anhydrous borophosphates, KMBP(2)O(8) (M = Sr, Ba), have been prepared under high temperature solution growth (HTSG). Investigation of single-crystal X-ray diffraction shows that they crystallize in noncentrosymmetric space group I42d with the following lattice parameters: a = 7.1095(18), c = 13.882(5)A for KSrBP(2)O(8) and a = 7.202(2), c = 14.300(6)A for KBaBP(2)O(8). The fundamental building block (FBB) of title borophosphates with B:P ratio = 1:2 is 12square: (symbol square represents BO(4) and PO(4) tetrahedra). The FBBs are further interlocked together to form the final 3D diamond-like architecture. Second-harmonic generation (SHG) on powder samples has been measured using Kurtz and Perry technique, which indicates that they are phase-matchable materials, and their SHG coefficients are measured to be about 1/5 (for KSrBP(2)O(8)) and 1/3 (for KBaBP(2)O(8)) times as large as that of KDP.

An alkali-metal indium phosphate crystal, K{sub 3}In{sub 3}P{sub 4}O{sub 16}, has been synthesized by a high-temperature solution reaction and exhibits a new structure in the family of the alkali-metal indium phosphates system. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis shows the structure to be monoclinic with space group P2{sub 1}/n, and the following cell parameters: a=9.7003(18), b=9.8065(18), c=15.855(3) A, beta=90.346(3){sup o}, V=1508.2(5) A{sup 3}, Z=4, R=0.0254. It possesses three-dimensional [In{sub 3}(PO{sub 4}){sub 4}]{sub n}{sup 3-} anionic frameworks with tunnels occupied by K{sup +} cations running along the a-axis. The emission and absorption spectra of the compound have been investigated. Additionally, the calculations of energy band structure, density of states, dielectric constants and refractive indexes have been performed with the density functional theory method. Also, the two-photon absorption spectrum is simulated by two-band model. The obtained results tend to support the experimental data. - A new indium phosphate crystal, K{sub 3}In{sub 3}P{sub 4}O{sub 16}, was synthesized by a high-temperature solid-state reaction with space group P2{sub 1}/n. It possesses three-dimensional [In{sub 3}(PO{sub 4}){sub 4}]{sub n}{sup 3-} anionic frameworks built by InO{sub 6} octahedra, InO{sub 7} decahedra and PO{sub 4} tetrahedra, and with tunnels occupied by K1 and K2 running along the a-axis, while K3 cationsmore » are located in cavities of the structure.« less

Two new isotypic anhydrous borophosphates, KMBP(2)O(8) (M = Sr, Ba), have been prepared under high temperature solution growth (HTSG). Investigation of single-crystal X-ray diffraction shows that they crystallize in noncentrosymmetric space group I42d with the following lattice parameters: a = 7.1095(18), c = 13.882(5)A for KSrBP(2)O(8) and a = 7.202(2), c = 14.300(6)A for KBaBP(2)O(8). The fundamental building block (FBB) of title borophosphates with B:P ratio = 1:2 is 12square:12square(symbol square represents BO(4) and PO(4) tetrahedra). The FBBs are further interlocked together to form the final 3D diamond-like architecture. Second-harmonic generation (SHG) on powder samples has been measured using Kurtz and Perry technique, which indicates that they are phase-matchable materials, and their SHG coefficients are measured to be about 1/5 (for KSrBP(2)O(8)) and 1/3 (for KBaBP(2)O(8)) times as large as that of KDP.

A new special grain core-grain shell (GC-GS) structure in barium titanate-based ferroelectric ceramics has been studied. This material exhibits exceptionally high performance. To date, only a few such special microstructures in ceramic-ceramic dielectrics have been reported. The ferroelectric core and paraelectric shell two-phase construction gives a structural basis for the high ceramic performance.

The grain-core-grain-shell structure, a two-phase grain structure that consists of a ferroelectric core and a nonferroelectric shell, is discussed. Electron microscopy after a temperature change of barium-titanate-calcium-stannate samples exhibiting this structure shows that the ferroelectric domain structure disappears during the phase transition. This is taken as direct proof that the grain-core-grain shell structure is a complex, two-phase, ferroelectric-nonferroelectric structure. >

This paper develops a dynamic model of schooling and occupational choices that incorporates personality traits, as measured by the “big five” traits. The model is estimated using the HILDA dataset from Australia. Personality traits are found to play an important role in explaining education and occupation choices over the lifecycle. Results show that individuals with a comparative advantage in schooling and white‐collar work have, on average, higher cognitive skills and higher personality trait scores. Allowing personality traits to evolve with age and with schooling proves to be important to capturing the heterogeneity in how people respond to educational policies. The estimated model is used to evaluate two education policies: compulsory senior secondary school and a 50% college tuition subsidy. Both policies increase educational attainment and also affect personality traits. Personality traits and education policies occupational choice unobserved types human capital investment dynamic discrete choice D61 I26 J24

1. INTRODUCTION In 1996, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) ended Aid for Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), replacing it with the new Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. TANF differs from AFDC by ending the "entitlement" period of welfare via introduction of a time limit on welfare benefits and work requirement for participants. In this paper, we .analyze the impact of this welfare reform on the early cognitive development of welfare program participants' children using a multiperiod structural model. We first estimate the effects of mothers' work and welfare use on children's ability formation using a sample of single mothers and their children from the National Longitudinal- Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79) Cohort. We then simulate different policy initiatives of the welfare reform to evaluate how each particular change impacts work and welfare participation behaviors of the mothers, and as a result, children's cognitive development. Early cognitive development has been found to be a strong predictor of long-term achievement and other outcomes such as educational attainment, crime involvement, salaries, and out-of-wedlock pregnancy (see reviews by Currie and Thomas 1995; Duncan and Brooks-Gunn 1997; Haveman and Wolfe 1995). Thus, it is crucial to understand whether, and by how much welfare program participation affects .children's cognitive outcomes. Moreover, any public policy initiative, such as PRWORA, that affects parents' incentives to work or participate in the welfare program by altering the opportunity .costs of parental time and financial inputs should be carefully evaluated. There is an abundance of studies on the effects of welfare reform on mothers' behaviors. However, implications of welfare reform on children's outcomes have not been studied by many. To our knowledge, other than this paper, there is only one other study. Miller and Zhang. (2009), that .analyzes the indirect effects of welfare reform on children's cognitive outcomes. Earlier studies generally find significantly negative relationships between welfare receipt and various types of child attainment measures. However, these negative relationships may not be causal due to improper comparison groups or the unobserved heterogeneity issue that is not addressed (Cunie 1998; Dahl .and Lochner 2012; Duncan, Magnuson, and Ludwig 2004). Chyi and Ozturk (2013) show that welfare program participation is not detrimental to early development of the children when the analysis is constrained to families who are most disadvantaged (and thus likely to be eligible for welfare benefits) and when unobserved heterogeneity is properly controlled for. We follow their lead and focus only on the attainment of children born to single mothers with 12 or fewer years of schooling. We model unobserved heterogeneity and use exogenous variations in welfare benefits across states and local labor market conditions to alleviate concerns of endogeneity. Moreover, we incorporate the dynamic nature of welfare program participation and employment decisions into our econometric setup. We estimate structural parameters of our model which enable us to run policy simulations with counterfactuals that imitate the changes brought upon by PRWORA. Thus, we not only provide insight on how welfare and employment affect the children's cognitive development, but .also document behavioral responses to the welfare reform and resulting impact on children's outcomes. Our estimates show that on average mother's work and welfare use both are beneficial for children's cognitive development. In our model, their effects are allowed to vary by children's ability endowment and they do; we find that benefits are highest for children with low endowment. Moreover, we allow the effects to vary by mother's attitudes toward welfare receipt and work and by her ability to utilize resources in child-rearing. We model unobserved heterogeneity in these dimensions and identify two types of mothers: mothers who are not likely to use welfare but are very efficient at using welfare resources if they do (Type I) and mothers who are very likely to use welfare but are not efficient at utilizing welfare resources (Type II). …