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This paper studies the existence and uniqueness of equilibrium prices in a model of the banking sector in which banks trade contingent convertible bonds with stock price triggers among each other. This type of financial product was proposed as an instrument for stabilizing the global banking system after the financial crisis. Yet it was recognized early on that these products may create circularity problems in the definition of stock prices—even in the absence of trade. We find that, if conversion thresholds are such that bond holders are indifferent about marginal conversions, there exists a unique equilibrium irrespective of the network structure. When thresholds are lower, the existence of equilibrium breaks down, whereas higher thresholds may lead to multiplicity of equilibria. Moreover, there are complex network effects. One bank’s conversion may trigger further conversions—or prevent them, depending on the constellations of asset values and conversion triggers.

Classical mechanics seems to deal with limitless precision. For example, a particle may be precisely at x at t. The widths associated with these values are dx and dt, but are taken to approach 0. We argue that this view is carried over into probabilistic scenarios such as a photon moving in the x direction reflecting or refracting. Classically there is limitless precision so the photon is an incident one at one precise x and then instantaneously is either a reflected one, presumably at the same x, or a refracted one. This leads to the equation: 1=probability to reflect + probability to refract ((1)), which holds for a single photon which may be written in terms of fluxes (which are average values). For this equation to make sense, one requires limitless precision so that the states (incident, reflected, refracted) are precise and exist at precise times. We argue (as we have before) that this is the inherent reason why ((1)) is not sufficient to solve for the relative probabilities of reflection/refraction. We suggest that the interaction at an n1-n2 interface (indices of refraction) is complicated and there is not sharp x,t precision or even a clear picture of what is instantaneously occurring. As a result, we suggest one uses averages to try to describe the situation, with p and E being average values during the interaction. Nonrelativistically p=mov and given the quantum exp(-iEt+ipx), one cannot have a precise velocity, we suggest v is an average and hence p an average. Thus impulses may be described in terms of averages as well as speeds. This is why Snell’s law may be obtained using only these average values, which are taken to be precise deterministic values in classical mechanics. The blurriness of the interaction suggests there is not an instantaneous division between the incident and refracted/reflected or even the refracted/reflected photon. As a result, it is a blurry or probabilistic scenario which describes the situation probabilistically. One may note that during the interaction, p and E could be changing so these are treated as average values. Thus the idea seems to be to use average values of p and E when describing complicated interactions, but x and t probabilities governed by these average values. The question then becomes: How does one find these probabilities? We argue (as before) that a general approach is to use maximization of Shannon’s entropy (subject to periodic constraints) to obtain exp(-iEt) and exp(ipx). E and p are Lagrange multipliers and so like in classical statistical theory are averages. This equilibrium approach with its blurriness in x and t , but average p and E values, allows one to describe a complicated interaction by changes in the average value e.g. the magnitude or direction of the p vector together by adding exp(ipx) for what would be normally deterministic paths.&nbsp

In this study, graphene oxide and aginate were used to synthesis of nanobiocomposites under different synthesis conditions and the used to investigate the adsorption properties of Th (IV) ions from aqueous solutions. BET surface area, SEM and TEM images, FT-IR spectrometry, XRD techniques were used for the characterization of the adsorbents. In batch adsorption experiments, parameters affecting the adsorption efficiency such as solution pH, contact time, Th (IV) concentration and temperature were investigated using central composite design (CCD). ANOVA (analysis) analysis at the 95% confidence interval of the model applied for the experimental design and the compatibility of this model with the experimental findings were examined. The relevance of the model for the nanobiocomposite prepared by the 1st method is that the P value is F value is 23.77 and 39.45 with the 2nd method, respectively. These results show that the regression for this method is statistically high. The correlation coefficient (R 2), which was 95.69% for the 1st method and 97.36% for the 2nd method, indicates a high coordination between the observed values and the estimated values. According to the CCD results, it has been observed that the main effects of the adsorption process with the materials obtained by the 1st method are in the direction of increasing the concentration, while pH, time and temperature do not have a statistically significant effect. In the adsorption process with the materials obtained by the 2nd method, it was observed that the concentration, time and temperature caused an increasing effect. Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin–Radushkevich isotherms were used to determine the adsorption model and the constants related to these isotherms were calculated. In addition, the adsorption process was also investigated in terms of thermodynamics.

Two different classes of drugs were selected to test the adsorption capacity of carbon nanofibers as a greener new generation alternative adsorbent in simulated gastric and intestinal fluids. Kinetics of the promethazine and trimethoprim adsorption were analyzed using Lagergren first order and Pseudo second order models. Intraparticle diffusion graphs were also plotted to discuss the adsorption mechanism. Kinetic data showed the significance of boundary layer effect for both of the drugs and the presence of intraparticle diffusion as the other rate controlling step for the promethazine adsorption. Giles isotherms showed the high affinity of drug molecules to the adsorbent. Maximum adsorption capacity of drugs was calculated using Langmuir model as 18.35 and 41.15 mg/g for trimethoprim and 95.24 and 80.65 mg/g for promethazine in simulated gastric fluid (SGF) and simulated intestinal fluid (SIF), respectively. Trimethoprim adsorption was under favor of hydrophobic interaction and pi-pi dispersion interactions while promethazine adsorption was through cation exchange where the electrostatic attraction is an important force with the contribution of dispersion interactions.

Elongated plasmas lead to improved performance in tokamaks but make the plasma prone to vertical instability, which requires active feedback control, a critical issue for future fusion reactors. Vertical control was optimized for the TCV tokamak by applying modern control theory to electromagnetic models for the plasma-vessel-coils dynamics. Two different optimal combinations of poloidal field coils for vertical control actuation are derived from linear plasma response models and used on different timescales for controlling the plasma vertical position. On fast timescales, the priority is input minimization, while on long timescales position control is designed to be compatible with shape control. A structured H-infinity design extending classical H-infinity to fixed-structure control systems was subsequently applied to obtain an optimized controller using all available coils for position control. Closed-loop performance improvement was demonstrated in dedicated TCV experiments, showing a reduction of input requirement for stabilizing the same plasma, thus reducing the risk of power supply saturation and consequent loss of vertical control. This novel algorithm is adaptable to different plasma equilibria as it is designed for model-based automated coil selection and controller tuning, thus avoiding extensive experimental gain scans when performing plasma discharges in TCV. The presented technique is general and can be applied to any present tokamak with independent coils or for the design of future tokamak magnetic control systems.

The analogy between the human body and architectural structures dates all the way back to ancient times and has significantly shaped the design of buildings and structures. The article examines the body's historical influence on how structures are perceived and designed, demonstrating how the body shapes the “technical truth” dimension of structural design while oblivious to the importance of an “artistic truth” or perceptual dimension. This article aims to connect recent neuroscience findings and their implications for structural design through graphic statics and its design methods. Finally, this article proposes an equilibrium-based structural design approach for designing embodied structures based on graphic statics., Frontiers of Architectural Research, 11 (3), ISSN:2095-2635, ISSN:2095-2643

A non-equilibrium molecular flow through a carbon nanotube (CNT) serves as a key system for revealing molecular transport and establishing nanofluidics. It has been challenging to simulate a non-equilibrium flow of hydrogen molecules exhibiting strong nuclear quantumness. Taking advantage of the quantum molecular dynamics method that can calculate real-time trajectories of hydrogen molecules even under a non-equilibrium flow, we found that the non-equilibrium flow makes hydrogen molecules more condensed and accelerates their adsorption near a CNT surface, letting the molecules flow more smoothly by propagating velocity momenta more efficiently along the CNT axis and by suppressing transverse molecular dynamics on the CNT cross section. Such flow-induced autonomic ordering indicates the importance of monitoring and investigating dynamics and adsorption of hydrogen molecules under a non-equilibrium circumstance as well as in a quiet equilibrium state, opening a new strategy for efficient hydrogen liquefaction and storage.

This article aims to distinguish different uses of the notion of equilibrium in various theoretical economic approaches and to establish a classification in the myriad of interpretations of equilibrium. It does so by categorizing equilibrium in two dimensions: (i) semantical, which deals with the meaning of the notion of equilibrium in different theoretical contexts; and (ii) methodological, that sees equilibrium as an analytical tool - that is, a method for apprehending certain aspects of the economic system. We argue that the diversity of equilibrium uses hampers the debate among different theoretical perspectives, making it harder to assess how fruitful this notion can be to the comprehension of economic phenomena. RESUMO Este artigo objetiva explicitar algumas das diferentes aplicações da noção de equilíbrio nas mais diversas abordagens econômicas e estabelecer certa ordem na miríade de interpretações existentes, através de um esforço de classificação em duas dimensões: (i) semântica, que trata do significado da noção de equilíbrio nos diferentes contextos teóricos; e (ii) metodológica, em que o equilíbrio é entendido como ferramenta analítica, isto é, instrumento de abstração para apreensão de determinados aspectos do sistema econômico. Observa-se que a diversidade de usos do equilíbrio dificulta o debate entre as diferentes perspectivas teóricas, atrapalhando a avaliação sobre a proficuidade da aplicação dessa noção no entendimento dos fenômenos econômicos.

In this paper, we observed the ordinary differential equation (ODE) system and determined the equilibrium points. To characterize them, we used the existing theory developed to visualize the behavior of the system. We describe the bifurcation that appears, which is characteristic of higher-dimensional systems, that is when a fixed point loses its stability without colliding with other points. Although it is difficult to determine the whole series of bifurcations that lead to chaos, we can say that it is a common opinion that it is precisely the Hopf bifurcation that leads to chaos when it comes to situations that occur in applications. Here, subcritical and supercritical bifurcation occurs, and we can say that subcritical bifurcation represents a much more dramatic situation and is potentially more dangerous than supercritical bifurcation, technically speaking. Namely, bifurcations or trajectories jump to a distant attractor, which can be a fixed point, limit cycle, infinity, or in spaces with three or more dimensions, a foreign attractor.

Biocatalytic nucleoside (trans-)glycosylations catalyzed by nucleoside phosphorylases have graduated to a practical and convenient approach to the preparation of modified nucleosides, which are important pharmaceuticals for the treatment of various cancers and viral infections. However, the obtained yields in these reactions are generally determined exclusively by the innate thermodynamic properties of the nucleosides involved, hampering the biocatalytic access to many sought-after target nucleosides. We herein report an orthogonal dimension for reaction engineering of these systems. We show how apparent equilibrium shifts in phosphorolysis and glycosylation reactions can be effected through entropically driven, biased esterification of nucleosides with inorganic borate. Our multifaceted analysis further describes the kinetic implications of this in situ reactant esterification for a model phosphorylase. Our results suggest an unusual pseudo-non-competitive inhibitory mechanism where reversible binding of the borate ester of the nucleoside substrate yields a non-productive inhibitor-enzyme complex. This complex exhibits constricted molecular dynamics and exists in a rapid equilibrium with the productive enzyme-substrate complex via hydrolytic interconversion. Collectively, this report presents a partial departure from the stringent thermodynamic constraints of nucleoside phosphorolysis reactions and shines light on the molecular processes regulating the activity of nucleoside-binding enzymes in the presence of borate.

We consider the spatially inhomogeneous Moran model with seed-banks introduced in den Hollander and Nandan (2021). Populations comprising active and dormant individuals are structured in colonies labelled by Zd, d≥1. The population sizes are drawn from an ergodic, translation-invariant, uniformly elliptic field that form a random environment. Individuals carry one of two types: ♡, ♠. Dormant individual resides in what is called a seed-bank. Active individuals exchange type from seed-bank of their own colony and resample type by choosing parent from the active populations according to a symmetric migration kernel. In den Hollander and Nandan (2021) by using a dual (an interacting coalescing particle system), we showed that the spatial system exhibits a dichotomy between clustering (mono-type equilibrium) and coexistence (multi-type equilibrium). In this paper we identify the domain of attraction for each mono-type equilibrium in the clustering regime for a fixed environment. We also show that when the migration kernel is recurrent, for a.e. realization of the environment, the system with an initially consistent type distribution converges weakly to a mono-type equilibrium in which the fixation probability to type-♡ configuration does not depend on the environment. A formula for the fixation probability is given in terms of an annealed average of type-♡ densities in dormant and active population biased by ratio of the two population sizes at the target colony.Primary techniques employed in the proofs include stochastic duality and the environment process viewed from particle, introduced in Dolgopyat and Goldsheid (2019) for random walk in random environment on a strip. A spectral analysis of Markov operator yields quenched weak convergence of the environment process associated with the single-particle dual process to a reversible ergodic distribution, which we transfer to the spatial system of populations by using duality.

This paper discusses the analysis and computations of chaos–hyperchaos (or vice versa) transition in Rössler–Nikolov–Clodong O (RNC-O) hyperchaotic system. Our work is motivated by our previous analysis of hyperchaotic transitional regimes of RNC-O system and the results recently obtained from another researchers. The analysis and numerical simulations show that chaos–hyperchaos transition in RNC-O system is coupled to change in the equilibria type as one large hyperchaotic attractor occurs. Moreover, we show that for this system, a zero-Hopf bifurcation is not possible. We also consider the cases when the divergence of the system is a constant and detected two families of exact solutions.

For a Maxwell-Boltzmann (MB) gas probability is introduced through two body elastic scattering (particle-particle or particle-wall particle). One might argue that information is dropped in each microscopic two body interaction in the sense that a full set of information might exactly predict the collision. For example, in a collision of billiard balls one needs more information than the energy of each to fully analyse the collision. It is possible to drop information at microscopic single collision level, but then impose an average type of information i.e. argue that f(e1)f(e2)=f(e3)f(e4) if e1+e2= e3+e4=E. One might call this loss of information as stating that on average any ei+ej=E has the same probability, but another way to consider this is that on average any f(ei)f(ej) has the same probability if ei+ej=E. One may note that f(ei)f(ej) are average quantities. For a given collision, however, an ei, ej may correspond to a full information set which may predict exactly the outcome. We suggest that in an MB case, the collisions are the main driver of equilibrium and are related to impulse collisions linked to the momentum p. The collisions occur at x points and so p and x are connected in this way. This same argument holds in quantum mechanics so we suggest that phase space x-p is used statistically because of its association with interactions rather than arguing that a Heisenberg uncertainty relation exists in quantum mechanics therefore x and p should be used to count states classically. The Heisenberg relation exists because p and x are already linked in exp(ipx) and this link, we argue, is due to impulses. In the case of an MB gas with a potential, one may consider a tiny box of gas as having a constant density and balance pressure on each side with -dV/dx density(x). This is a Newtonian “static” procedure applied to a system of probabilistic collisions. This approach leads to a density gradient. In the case of a flow problem it might suggest a sink or source, but this system is essentially governed by impulses and imposing an impulse balance in space may lead microscopically to a density gradient if a potential is present. Thus we argue that known probabilistic behaviour may give rise to static averages which are deterministic. We also argue that a quantum free particle described by exp(ipx) follows this scenario, i.e. cos(px) and sin(px) are known probabilities distributions in x, but lead to the deterministic motion x= p/m t.&nbsp

Study of formation of binary and ternary Zn(II)-1,10-phen, and Zn(II)-1,10-phen-Glu complexes. The aim is to study the systems and determine the formation constants of the systemsby means of emf measurementsin ionic medium of NaCl 3M, at 25 °C. Experimental data analysis of all systems will be carried out by using the least squares method and the program LETAGROP.

Although balance control is an integral component of all daily activities, its complex and flexible nature makes it difficult to assess adequately. This paper discusses balance by examining it in relation to function and the physical environment. Balance is affected by both the task being undertaken and the surroundings in which it is performed. Different tasks and environments alter the biomechanical and information processing needs for balance control. These issues are discussed and a modification of Gentile's taxonomy of tasks is suggested for analysis of clinical balance tests, some of which are used as examples.

Modern mainstream macroeconomics treats the economy “as if” always in equilibrium. Two older traditions, Monetarism and the Wicksell Connections have always dissented, arguing that how agents gather information and apply it to the coordination of their activities are prior problems requiring attention before equilibrium can, or cannot, be assumed. They have developed the implications of this claim along different lines, however, with the former dealing with questions raised by the existence of monetary exchange in general and the latter concentrating in particular on inter-temporal issues. This gap has persisted since Wicksell opened it up, and has never been satisfactorily bridged: why?

We consider the spatially inhomogeneous Moran model with seed-banks introduced in den Hollander and Nandan (2021). Populations comprising $active$ and $dormant$ individuals are structured in colonies labelled by $\mathbb{Z}^d,~d\geq 1$. The population sizes are drawn from an ergodic, translation-invariant, uniformly elliptic field that form a random environment. Individuals carry one of two types: $\heartsuit$, $\spadesuit$. Dormant individual resides in what is called a seed-bank. Active individuals exchange type from seed-bank of their own colony and resample type by choosing parent from the active populations according to a symmetric migration kernel. In den Hollander and Nandan (2021) by using a dual (an interacting coalescing particle system), we showed that the spatial system exhibits a dichotomy between $clustering$ (mono-type equilibrium) and $coexistence$ (multi-type equilibrium). In this paper we identify the domain of attraction for each mono-type equilibrium in the clustering regime for a $fixed$ environment. We also show that when the migration kernel is $recurrent$, for a.e. realization of the environment, the system with an initially $consistent$ type distribution converges weakly to a mono-type equilibrium in which the fixation probability to type-$\heartsuit$ configuration does not depend on the environment. A formula for the fixation probability is given in terms of an annealed average of type-$\heartsuit$ densities in dormant and active population biased by ratio of the two population sizes at the target colony. For the proofs, we use duality and environment seen by particle introduced in Dolgopyat and Goldsheid (2019) for RWRE on a strip. A spectral analysis of Markov operator yields quenched weak convergence of the environment process associated with single-particle dual to a reversible ergodic distribution which we transfer to the spatial system by using duality., 33 pages

We establish a surface order large deviation estimate for the magnetisation of low temperature $\phi^4_3$. As a byproduct, we obtain a decay of spectral gap for its Glauber dynamics given by the $\phi^4_3$ singular stochastic PDE. Our main technical contributions are contour bounds for $\phi^4_3$, which extends 2D results by Glimm, Jaffe, and Spencer (1975). We adapt an argument by Bodineau, Velenik, and Ioffe (2000) to use these contour bounds to study phase segregation. The main challenge to obtain the contour bounds is to handle the ultraviolet divergences of $\phi^4_3$ whilst preserving the structure of the low temperature potential. To do this, we build on the variational approach to ultraviolet stability for $\phi^4_3$ developed recently by Barashkov and Gubinelli (2019)., Comment: 92 pages. Version 2 fixes minor typos (incl. replacing $\beta$ by $\sqrt\beta$ in Theorem 1.2) and includes a small technical result about block averaging Wick square field (Remark 3.3 and Proposition 5.23)

In modern electronic warfare, both the radar and the jammer are capable of changing their waveforms to achieve better performance. The conflict relationship between the radar and jammer can be modeled as a non-cooperative game. In this paper, the optimal strategies of a monostatic radar and a jammer are investigated in terms of both Stackelberg game and symmetric game. Instead of using the widely used mutual information as the utility function, signal-to-jamming-plus-noise ratio (SJNR) is used in formulating the utility functions which is directly related to the target detection performance. In Stackelberg game, the Stackelberg equilibria solutions are derived when the leader is the radar and the jammer, respectively. In symmetric game, the existence of Nash equilibrium (NE) is investigated and the corresponding strategies are obtained when Nash equilibrium exists. If Nash equilibrium does not exist, the Stackelberg equilibria strategies are still useful as they can be regarded as the robust strategies which could optimize the worst case performance. The relationship between the mutual information utility function and the proposed SJNR utility function is investigated as well. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the radar and jammer strategies. The investigation in this paper can provide optimal waveform solutions for the monostatic radar and the jammer in the confrontation scenario.

Objective Patients with dizziness may present with symptoms of tilting, swaying, rocking, floating or with disequilibrium. This may be suggestive of an isolated otolithic dysfunction yet, there is little emphasis on this emerging clinical entity. To characterize and describe the prevalence of isolated otolith dysfunction in a local tertiary hospital and correlate them with clinical diagnosis. Methodology Retrospective medical chart review of patients who presented with dizziness to the specialist outpatient Otolaryngology clinic, who required vestibular laboratory investigation. Results Of the 206 patients, more than half of them (52.4%) fulfilled the criteria for either probable or definite isolated otolith dysfunction. When there are clinical symptoms of otolith dysfunction reported, there is a 1.62 odds of a remarkable laboratory otolith finding. The most common clinical finding was “no clear diagnosis” (65.5%) followed by Vestibular Migraine (13.6%). Conclusion: The prevalence of isolated otolith dysfunction is quite high. Laboratory tests of otolith function should be performed more routinely. This can be done in a sequential way to optimize cost effectiveness in countries with no insurance reimbursement. Prospective cohort studies on isolated otolith dysfunction, will lay the groundwork for achieving diagnostic consensus and formulating rehabilitation plans to aid this group of patients.

Background: Aging has been associated with the progressive depletion of lean mass, reduc-tions in muscle strength and the coordination of the lower extremities, accompanied by decreased gait assurance and balance control. Also, less balance control favors falling which is the leading cause of injury among the elderly. The aim of this systematic review is to identify and evaluate existing evidence regarding the use of focused vibration (FV) to improve balance and reduce the risk of falling during the rehabilitation of elderly populations. Methods: The PICO question is what are the effects of focal/segmental/local vibration training on the assessment of balance and the risk of falls among the elderly population? A thorough literature review was conducted between May 1, 2009, and June 30, 2019, for studies in English, randomized clinical trials, including crossover and prospective design studies with assessing balance and the risk of falls in elderly populations (age > 60 years). Results: Eight articles (N = 8) satisfied the inclusion criteria and were considered, of which 6 are RTC, one cross-sectional study and one clinical study, for a total of 635 participants. A total of 6 different vibration devices were used, each of which was associated with different FV frequency and amplitude characteristics and different treatment protocols. Conclusion: In conclusion, FV can be effective in decreasing the risk of falls and improving the assessment of balance, but more evidence is necessary considering the limits of the studies; however, it does look an important promise during rehabilitative treatment.

Here, the liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) in aqueous solutions containing poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) methacrylate homopolymers is reported for the first time. In this study, the thermoresponse of concentrated solutions of DEGMA60 (two ethylene glycol, EG, groups) TEGMA71 (three EG groups), OEGMA300x (4.5 in average EG groups) of varying molar masses (MM), and OEGMA50028 (nine in average EG groups) is discussed. Interestingly, the temperature of LLPS (TLLPS) is controlled by the length of the PEG side chain, the MM of the OEGMA300x and the polymer concentration. More specifically, the transition temperature decreases with: (i) Decrease in the length of the PEG side chain, (ii) increase in MM of the OEGMA300x, and increase in concentration. In addition, LLPS is also observed in mixtures of OEGMA300x with Pluronic® F127. In conclusion, these systems present a thermally induced LLPS, with the transition temperature being finely tuned to room temperature when DEGMA is used. These systems find potential use in numerous applications, varying from purification to “water-in-water” emulsions.

A novel porous nanocomposite, cross-linked chitosan and polyethylene glycol (PEG) bead-supported MnFe2O4 nanoparticles (CPM), was developed as an efficient adsorbent to remove metalloid (As(III)) and heavy metals (Cd(II), Cu(II), and Pb(II)). The characteristics of CPM showed a porous structure, well dispersed MnFe2O4, and several of hydroxyl and amino groups ( OH, NH2). Batch experiments demonstrated that the best adsorption property of As(III), Cd(II), Cu(II), and Pb(II) was achieved within 8 h with maximum adsorption capacities of 9.90, 9.73, 43.94, and 11.98 mg/g, respectively. Competitive and synergistic effects (particularly precipitation) were included in the co-adsorption mechanism of As(III) and heavy metals. Thereinto, As(III) was partly oxidized by MnFe2O4 to As(V), and both were coordinated on MnFe2O4 nanoparticles. Pb(II) could also bind to MnFe2O4 by ion exchange and electrostatic attraction. Furthermore, Cd(II) and Cu(II) tended to be coordinated on chitosan. Therefore, CPM can serve as a remediation material for water and soil co-contaminated with As(III) and heavy metals.

The aim of this study was for the first time to determine the effect of 11 buffers on a γ-cyclodextrin complex, and use these and previous reported data to systematically explore the effect of buffers on different cyclodextrin complexes, considering differences in cavity size and exterior between the cyclodextrins. The effect of 11 buffers on the binding between γ-cyclodextrin and the bile salt taurochenodeoxycholate was determined using isothermal titration calorimetry, and the stability constant of the complex ranged from 6.1 × 104 to 9.0 × 104 M−1, depending on the buffer species. Three buffers (citric, maleic and 2-morpholinoethane-sulfonic acid) decreased the stability constant of the complex compared to the stability in water, though to a degree that has limited practical relevance. As for other cyclodextrin complexes, the stability constant depended on the buffer species present in solution. The analysis showed that the size of the cyclodextrin cavity, rather than the exterior, was paramount for the effect of carboxylic acid buffers, suggesting formation of regular inclusion complexes between carboxylic acid buffers and cyclodextrins.

In this article, we consider and discuss some properties of the positive solutions to the following rational nonlinear DE ${x_{n+1}}=\frac{{\alpha {% x_{n-m}+\eta {x_{n-k}}+}}\delta {{x_{n}}}}{{\beta +\gamma {x_{n-k}}{x_{n-l}}% \left( {{x_{n-k}}+{x_{n-l}}}\right) }}$, $n=0,1,...$ where the parameters $% \alpha ,\beta ,\gamma ,\delta ,{\eta }\in (0,\infty )$, while $m,k,l$ are positive integers, such that $m

The effect of emotion on postural control has been widely demonstrated in the literature. Postural control also depends on the distance that separates the subject from the observed stimulus. This work examines (i) the effect of distance on the perception of emotional stimuli and (ii) its effect on postural control. Sixty-eight women were asked to maintain orthostatic equilibrium under three emotional conditions (positive, negative, and neutral) at four distances (0.5 m, 2.1 m, 6 m, and 10 m). The findings showed that the perception of emotions was not influenced by distance but was influenced by valence and intensity, and that postural control was not influenced by emotional valence but by distance, with reduced oscillation amplitudes at 0.5 m distance. The perception of the image (valence and intensity) depended on the content, but not on the distance, and the presentation of emotional images tended to activate the defensive system, regardless of the emotional content. The center of pressure sway amplitude increased with an eye–object distance of up to 6 m (role of vision). The perception of the emotional effect was not linked to the distance effect on the postural control of women in static positions.

In physics there exist a number of variational principles such as the Lagrangian approach, Fermat’s least time principle for light/ Maupertuis’ variational principle for particles and the maximization of entropy subject to a constraint. These approaches are associated with global type solutions and appear as independent approaches. For example, the Lagrangian approach considers various paths from the same initial and final points and chooses the one which extremizes the action: Integral dt L. Fermat’s principle is associated with various different paths from a starting point to an endpoint and chooses the one associated with least overall (global) time. Entropy is proportional to the ln of all arrangements and so one thinks of globally maximizing these. Thus taken independently the focus of variational principles is to choose an extreme solution from a large number of possible solutions which immediately begs the question: How does the system (nature) evaluate all of these different paths/possibilities? In (1) we suggested that the above variational principles may be associated with underlying local conservation laws. For example, for the Lagrangian case there is an associated conservation of energy. Thus v(x) must change locally so that .5mv(x)v(x) + V(x)= E. For Fermat’s principle there is conservation of momentum in the x direction (if the mirror or medium surface also lies in this direction). Thus light may move locally such that its (px) remains constant. (py) only changes abruptly when there is an interface change or mirror in its direction. Mathematically one may construct the above variational principles from the given conservation laws. As a result, there is no reason to necessarily consider a variational principle independently of its locally conserved quantity as argued in (1). In other words, one does not need to consider many different paths. Conservation leads locally to a single path. In this note we ask: If conservation leads locally to a solution, why consider a variational principle at all? Is it simply a convenient computational tool? We argue that there seems to be the idea of stable equilibrium present. In classical mechanics one has the notion of a stable equilibrium (static problem) which is associated with extremization. This is often associated with a stationary object which when slightly perturbed undergoes periodic motion. Here we argue that dynamical systems such as a Lagrangian system, or light or gas particles may also be seen as being in a stable equilibrium if one considers a variational principle together with its conserved quantity. The conserved quantity (px or E etc) characterizes the equilibrium while the variational principle shows that this is a stable equilibrium, even if light or a particle is traveling and interacting in space.

SARS-2 virus has reached its most harmful mutated form and has damaged the world’s economy, integrity, health system and peace to a limit. An open problem is to address the release of antibodies after the infection and after getting the individuals vaccinated against the virus. The viral fusion process is linked with the furin enzyme and the adaptation is linked with the mutation, called D614G mutation. The cell-protein studies are extremely challenging. We have developed a mathematical model to address the process at the cell-protein level and the delay is linked with this biological process. Genetic algorithm is used to approximate the parametric values. The mathematical model proposed during this research consists of virus concentration, the infected cells count at different stages and the effect of interferon. To improve the understanding of this model of SARS-CoV2 infection process, the action of interferon (IFN) is quantified using a variable for the non-linear mathematical model, that is based on a degradation parameter \documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$\gamma$$\end{document}γ. This parameter is responsible for the delay in the dynamics of this viral action. We emphasize that this delay responds to the evasion by SARS-CoV2 via antagonizing IFN production, inhibiting IFN signaling and improving viral IFN resistance. We have provided videos to explain the modeling scheme.

We present a dipping probe total dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) microsensor based on a localized acidic microenvironment in front of an amperometric CO2microsensor. The acidic milieu facilitates conversion of bicarbonate and carbonate to CO2, which in turn is reduced at a silver cathode. Interfering oxygen is removed by an acidic CrCl2oxygen trap. Theoretical simulations of microsensor functioning were performed to find a suitable compromise between response time and near-complete conversion of bicarbonate to CO2. The sensor exhibited a linear response over a wide range of 0-8 mM DIC, with a calculated LOD of 5 μM and a 90% response time of 150 s. The sensor was successfully tested in measuring DIC in bottled mineral water and seawater. This DIC microsensor holds the potential to become an important tool in environmental sensing and beyond for measurements of DIC at high spatial and temporal resolution.

The designer's exercise consists of designing a rights structure that formalizes the idea of power distribution in society. A solution is implementable in largest consistent set by a rights structure if there exists a rights structure such that for each preference profile, the largest consistent set of the game played by agents coincides with the set of outcomes that the solution would select for it. In a setting with transfers, every Maskin monotonic solution is implementable. This finding implies that the class of implementable solutions in core equilibria is unaltered by farsighted reasoning. (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc.

This work developed a novel method for measuring the effective rate of a PBA (physical blowing agent) and solved the problem that the effective rate of a PBA could not be directly measured or calculated in previous studies. The results show that the effectiveness of different PBAs under the same experimental conditions varied widely, from approximately 50% to almost 90%. In this study, the overall average effective rates of the PBAs HFC-245fa, HFO-1336mzzZ, HFC-365mfc, HFCO-1233zd(E), and HCFC-141b are in descending order. In all experimental groups, the relationship between the effective rate of the PBA, rePBA, and the initial mass ratio of the PBA to other blending materials in the polyurethane rigid foam, w, demonstrated a trend of first decreasing and then gradually stabilizing or slightly increasing. This trend is caused by the interaction of PBA molecules among themselves and with other component molecules in the foamed material and the temperature of the foaming system. In general, the influence of system temperature dominated when w was less than 9.05 wt%, and the interaction of PBA molecules among themselves and with other component molecules in the foamed material dominated when w was greater than 9.05 wt%. The effective rate of the PBA is also related to the states of gasification and condensation when they reach equilibrium. The properties of the PBA itself determine the overall efficiency, while the balance between the gasification and condensation processes of the PBA further leads to a regular change in efficiency with respect to w around the overall average level.

The variation of assemblage composition in space is characterised by the decrease in assemblage similarity with spatial distance. Climatic constraint and dispersal limitation are major drivers of distance-decay of similarity. Distance-decay of similarity is usually conceptualised and modelled as an isotropic pattern, that is, assuming that similarity decays with the same rate in all directions. Because climatic gradients are markedly anisotropic, that is, they have different strength in different directions, if species distributions were in equilibrium with climate, the decay of assemblage similarity should be anisotropic in the same direction as the climatic gradient, that is, faster turnover in the direction that maximises the climatic gradient. Thus, deviations from equilibrium between assemblage composition and climatic conditions would result in differences in anisotropy between distance-decay of similarity and climatic gradients. We assessed anisotropy in distance-decay patterns in marine plankton assemblages, terrestrial vertebrates and European beetles, using two procedures: (a) measuring the correlation between the residuals of a distance-decay model and the angle in which pairs of sites are separated and (b) computing two separate distance-decay models for each dataset, one using only pairwise cases that are separated on North-South direction and another one using pairwise cases separated on East-West direction. We also analysed whether the degree of anisotropy in distance-decay is related to dispersal ability (proportion of wingless species and body size) and ecological niche characteristics (main habitat and trophic position) by assessing these relationships among beetle taxonomic groups (n = 21). Anisotropy varied markedly across realms and biological groups. Despite climatic gradients being steeper in North-South direction than in East-West direction in all datasets, North-South distance-decays tended to be steeper than East-West distance-decays in plankton and most vertebrate assemblages, but flatter in European amphibians and most beetle groups. Anisotropy also markedly varied across beetle groups depending on their dispersal ability, as the proportion of wingless species explained 60% of the variance in the difference between North-South and East-West distance-decay slopes. Our results suggest that the degree of equilibrium decreases from marine to terrestrial realms, and is markedly different between vertebrates and beetles. This has profound implications on the expected ability of different groups to track their suitable climates, and thus on the impact of climate change on biodiversity.

Mixing of oppositely charged macromolecules can, under certain conditions, lead to the formation of electrostatically cross-linked coacervate gels. In this simulation study, we determine the condit...

In the Selective Crystallization and Phase Separation (SCPS) process, manganese oxide is used as an additive to promote the precipitation of perovskite. However, the influence of manganese oxide on the liquid domain of the perovskite primary phase field is still unclear. In the present work, the liquid-perovskite equilibrium with the addition of 0–15 wt% Mn3O4 was experimentally determined using a high-temperature isothermal equilibration-quenching technique, combined with X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). It was confirmed that manganese was mainly existed as Mn2+ and Mn3+ in the molten phase, whereas titanium existed as Ti4+. Within the composition range of the present study, the 1400 °C liquid compositions varying from 0 wt% to 15 wt% Mn3O4 overlapped significantly, mainly located at w (CaO)/w (SiO2) ratios between 0.9 and 1.1. The isotherms simulated by FactSage, as well as the data from the literature, generally agreed well with the present experimental results. The calculated 1400 °C isotherms at different Mn3O4 levels indicated that perovskite precipitation by manganese oxide was mainly promoted by increasing the Mn3O4 concentration to expand the primary phase field of perovskite toward both higher and lower TiO2 content areas.

Weak polyelectrolytes (WPEs) are widely used as pH-responsive materials, pH modulators and charge regulators in biomedical and technological applications that involve multi-component fluid environments. In these complex fluids, coupling between (often weak) interactions induced by micelles, nanoparticles and molecular aggregates modify the pKa as compared to that measured in single component solutions. Here we investigated the effect of coupling between hydrogen bonding and excluded volume interactions on the titration curves and pKa of polyacrylic acid (PAA) in solutions comprising PEO-based micelles (Pluronics and Brij-S20) of different size and volume fraction. Titration experiments of dilute, salt-free solutions of PAA (5 kDa, 30 kDa and 100 kDa) at low degree of polymer ionization (α < 0.25) drive spatial re-organization of the system, reduce the degree of ionization and consequentially increase the pKa by up to ~0.7 units. These findings indicate that the actual degree of ionization of WPEs measured in complex fluids is significantly lower (at a given pH) than that measured in single-component solutions.

A novel application of building demolition waste for removal benzene from aqueous solutions. In this research, demolition waste from buildings has been studied for possible use as benzene removal adsorbent from aquatic solution. The effect of adsorbent dosage, contact time, initial benzene concentration, and initial pH on benzene adsorption capacity have been investigated in the batch adsorption experiments. The adsorption effects initially happened very rapidly and achieved equilibrium within 180 min. Benzene removal was observed to decrease by an increase in the initial concentration of benzene of 300–700 mg·L–1, an increase in the adsorbent dose of 0.4–2.4 g per 100 mL, where an optimum adsorbent dose equal to 1.2 g per 100 mL was found. The potential of adsorption increases with pH 3.0–7.0 to reach the maximum removal efficiency at pH 6.0. The findings showed that equilibrium data were adequately adapted and correlated with the Freundlich isotherm models. The average percentage of the removal at room temperature was about 98%. Results suggest that building demolition waste can be used effectively in industrial wastewater treatment for the removal of aromatic hydrocarbon, benzene, as a low-cost option.

Dubins and Savage (How to gamble if you must: inequalities for stochastic processes, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1965) found an optimal strategy for limsup gambling problems in which a player has at most two choices at every state x at most one of which could differ from the point mass $$\delta (x)$$ δ ( x ) . Their result is extended here to a family of two-person, zero-sum stochastic games in which each player is similarly restricted. For these games we show that player 1 always has a pure optimal stationary strategy and that player 2 has a pure $$\epsilon $$ ϵ -optimal stationary strategy for every $$\epsilon > 0$$ ϵ > 0 . However, player 2 has no optimal strategy in general. A generalization to n-person games is formulated and $$\epsilon $$ ϵ -equilibria are constructed.

A biocomposite sorbent composed of sugar beet pulp and pomelo peel was utilized for the biosorption of uranium (VI) from the aqueous solution. Parameters such as solution pH, biocomposite amount, contact time, temperature and initial concentration of U(VI) ions on the adsorption performance of biocomposite sorbent was studied. The equilibrium data fitted best to the Langmuir’s isotherm model (qe, max = 79.36 mg g–1). Obtained thermodynamic and kinetic parameters demonstrated that the biosorption process is spontaneous, exothermic, and fitted best to the pseudo-second order. The desorption study revealed that uranium recovery by 0.1 M NaHCO3 was 99.24% in the first cycle for used biocomposite.

A novel mathematical delay model for simultaneous infection of HIV and hepatitis C virus is formulated and dynamically analyzed. Basic properties of the model are established and proved. Basic reproductive threshold is systematically calculated as the maximum of three subthreshold parameters. A disease free equilibrium is determined to be globally asymptotically stable for all values of the delay when the threshold is less than unity. However, when the threshold is greater than one, endemic equilibrium emerged which is shown to be locally asymptotically stable for any length of delay. Although the delay has no effect on stabilities of equilibria points, however, it is found to reduce the infectivity of the viruses as the length of the delay is increased. Epidemiological interpretations of the results and numerical simulations illustrating them are given.

In this paper, the reactive diffusion in Ni80C20r?Ti ternary system is discussed at 1173K. The diffusion couple was prepared and annealed for 100 h. The two intermetallic phases and two two-phase zones occurred, namely: Ti2Ni, TiNi, TiNi+Cr, and TiNi3+Cr. Based on the experimental results (molar fractions, thicknesses of the intermetallic phases), the intrinsic diffusion coefficients of all components in each phase were numerically approximated. The Wagner method was used in the pure intermetallic phases. In the two phase zones the approximation was based on the generalized Darken and Wagner methods. The presented methods allowed for determination of the effective diffusion coefficients in each presented phase.

The study on the biosorption of copper ions using raw eggshells as an adsorbent is presented in this paper. The influence of different process parameters, such as: initial pH value of the solution, initial Cu2+ ions concentration, initial mass of the adsorbent, and stirring rate, on the biosorption capacity was evaluated. The SEM-EDS analysis was performed before and after the biosorption process. SEM micrographs indicate a change in the morphology of the sample after the biosorption process. The obtained EDS spectra indicated that K, Ca, and Mg were possibly exchanged with Cu2+ ions during the biosorption process. The equilibrium analysis showed that the Langmuir isotherm model best describes the experimental data. Four kinetic models were used to analyze the experimental data, and the results revealed that the pseudo-first order kinetic model is the best fit for the analyzed data. Calculated thermodynamic data indicated that the biosorption process is spontaneous, and that copper ions are possibly bound to the surface of the eggshells by chemisorption. The biosorption process was optimized using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) based on the Box-Behnken Design (BBD), with the selected factors: adsorbent mass, initial metal ion concentration, and contact time.

Because of incomplete information on pre-sold products, consumers face uncertainty about the value of what they have purchased, which leads to a mismatch between supply and demand and a large number of returns. By developing appropriate return policies and effectively managing and handling consumer returns, retailers can not only reduce waste but also ensure better resource utilization, which is essential for sustainable development. In this paper, we analyze the full-refund and full-and-freight-refund policies of retailers and develop a game model based on binary competition for selecting the optimal return policy for the pre-sold products of two retailers. The study shows that when both retailers have low capacity, there is no pre-sale stage. However, when their combined capacity is high and exceeds the demand of non-strategic consumers, equilibrium depends on their combined capacity and the proportion of strategic consumers who choose to keep the pre-purchased product under both return policies. When the number of strategic consumers who retain pre-order products is low under the full-refund policy and both retailers have moderate capacity, equilibrium is achieved when an asymmetric return policy is followed rather than a symmetric return policy. Specifically, when the percentage of strategic consumers who keep their reserved products under the product return strategy is small and the capacity of the two retailers is moderate, the maximum benefit is achieved if one of the retailers adopts the policy of a full refund and the other adopts the policy of a full-and-freight refund. Otherwise, when one retailer adopts the policy of a full refund or a full-and-freight refund, its competitor should adopt the same strategy to gain maximum revenue. The research on retailers’ pre-sale and return strategies in this paper helps to optimize the operational strategies and operational processes of e-retailers, further improve the management and decision making of their joint pre-sale and return strategies, and help optimize retailers’ profits.

In this study, a plant-based adsorbent was used in order to remove lead, nickel, cobalt and cadmium metals from a wastewater sample collected from Sungun mine real wastewater. The biosorbent was one of the most abundant native plants of the Sungun region, named Chrysopogon zizanioides (C. zizanioides). The root powder of C. zizanioides was used in order to remove heavy metals from the wastewater sample. The biosorbent was characterized by FTIR, SEM, HR-TEM, EDS, BET and ZPC analyses. The effect of pH, initial metals concentrations, contact time and temperature on the biosorption process were accurately investigated. The metal concentrations were significantly reduced to lower concentrations after the biosorption process, which indicated that the C. zizanioides root powder removal efficiency was more than 95% for the metals from the wastewater sample, with maximum adsorption capacities of 31.78, 21.52, 26.69 and 27.81 mg/g, for Pb(II), Co(II), Cd(II) and Ni(II) ions, respectively. Furthermore, the adsorption kinetic results showed that the pseudo-second-order kinetic model correlated with the experimental data well, with correlation coefficient values of 1 for all metals. Isotherm studies illustrated that the Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) isotherm models could describe the obtained equilibrium data well. Moreover, from the D-R model, it was found that the biosorption type was physical. The thermodynamic studies demonstrated that the metals’ biosorption was an exothermic and spontaneous process. Moreover, the reusability of the biosorbent to be used in several successive cycles, and also the percentage of recovery of adsorbed metals from the biosorbent, was investigated. Altogether, being simple and cost-effective and having a high adsorption rate, fast kinetics, easy separation and high reusability prove that C. zizanioides root powder shows significant performance for the removal of heavy metals from waste effluents.

In this paper, an alternative analytical and numerical formulation is presented for the solution of a system of static and kinematic ordinary differential equations for curved beams. The formulation is represented here as being useful in the structural evaluation of arch structures and it is propaedeutic to be used in optimization frameworks. Using a finite-difference method, this approach enables the evaluation of the best solution sets accounting for (1) various arch shapes (i.e. circular, quadratic and quartic polynomial forms); (2) different loading combinations; (3) cross-sections varying along the arch span; and (4) different global radius of arch curvature. The presented original approach based on finite-difference, produces solutions with a good precision in a reasonable computational time. This method is applied to 4 different arch case studies with varying rise, cross-section, loading and boundary conditions. Results show good agreement with those obtained using a numerical finite element approach. The presented approach is useful for the (preliminary) design of arches, a common and efficient structural typology for road and railway bridges and large span roofs. As far as buckling verifications are concerned, the comparisons in terms of maximum acting axial force and critical axial force computed is reported in order to consider the effect of instability phenomena coming to trace for each arch configuration the feasible domain.

Dams are often regarded as greenhouse gas (GHG) emitters. However, our study indicated that the world's largest dam, the Three Gorges Dam (TGD), has caused significant drops in annual average emissions of CO2, CH4 and N2O over 4300 km along the Yangtze River, accompanied by remarkable reductions in the annual export of CO2 (79%), CH4 (50%) and N2O (9%) to the sea. Since the commencement of its operation in 2003, the TGD has altered the carbonate equilibrium in the reservoir area, enhanced methanogenesis in the upstream, and restrained methanogenesis and denitrification via modifying anoxic habitats through long-distance scouring in the downstream. These findings suggest that ‘large-dam effects’ are far beyond our previous understanding spatiotemporally, which highlights the fundamental importance of whole-system budgeting of GHGs under the profound impacts of huge dams.

Введение. Подготовка кормов к скармливанию путем измельчения с заданными размерами позволяет улучшить их поедаемость и усвояемость. Это ведет к повышению отдачи каждой кормовой единицы. Для достижения наилучших качественных показателей функционирования технического устройства измельчения корнеклубнеплодов, созданного на уровне изобретения, необходимо обосновать его конструктивные параметры. Цель исследования – обосновать оптимальный угол наклона противореза режущего аппарата измельчителя корнеклубнеплодов при резании плодов цилиндрической формы. Методы и материалы. Для исследований использовался измельчитель корнеплодов с улучшенными эксплуатационными свойствами, обеспечивающий измельчение сочного овощного сырья (кормовая, сахарная и полусахарная свекла, брюква, турнепс, морковь, картофель) на кусочки в форме параллелепипеда размеров, соответствующих зоотехническим требованиям. Проведен анализ процесса резания свеклы, форма которой с некоторым допущением принята в виде цилиндра. Результаты исследования. Рассматривая равновесие сил, действующих на клубень в стационарной системе отсчета, авторами получено аналитическое выражение значения оптимального угла наклона противореза режущего аппарата, зависящего от положения корнеплода, его размеров, высоты установки вертикального ножа и коэффициента силы трения. Задаваясь значениями указанных параметров, можно выполнять в полной мере теоретический и практический анализ предельного значения величины угла наклона противореза режущего аппарата и его влияния на перекатывание корнеплода и его защемление. Заключение. В зависимости от положения и размеров свеклы, а также геометрических размеров измельчителя был определен оптимальный угол наклона противореза режущего аппарата в пределах 40–50° для корнеплодов цилиндрической формы, который обеспечивает защемление корнеплода и препятствует соковыделению., Introduction. Preparation of fodders for feeding by grinding with specified dimensions improves their eating and digestibility. This leads to an increase in the yield of each feed unit. In order to achieve the best qualitative performance of the technical device for crushing root crops, created at the level of the invention, it is necessary to justify its design parameters. The purpose of the study is to substantiate the optimal angle of inclination of the incision of the cutting apparatus of the root-club grinder when cutting cylindrical fruits. Methods and materials. For research, a root grinder with improved operational properties was used, which provides the grinding of juicy vegetable raw materials (fodder, sugar and semi-sugar beets, rutabaga, turneps, carrots, potatoes) into pieces in the form of parallelepiped of sizes corresponding to zootechnical requirements. An analysis of the beet cutting process is carried out, the shape of which with some assumption is adopted in the form of a cylinder. Results. Considering the equilibrium of forces acting on the tuber in the stationary reference system, the authors obtained an analytical expression of the value of the optimal inclination angle of the contradiction of the cutting apparatus, depending on the position of the root blade, its dimensions, the height of the vertical knife installation and the coefficient of friction force. By setting the values of these parameters, it is possible to carry out a fully theoretical and practical analysis of the limit value of the angle of inclination of the contradiction of the cutting apparatus and its effect on the rolling of the root and its pinching. Conclusion. Depending on the position and size of the beet, as well as the geometrical dimensions of the grinder, an optimal inclination angle has been determined for cylindrical root crops, which provides pinching of the root fruit and prevents juicing.

In the restructured electricity market, retailers are intermediaries between the electricity wholesale market and consumers. Considering the uncertainty of wholesale market price, retailers should consider the risks of their profit caused by the uncertain wholesale price when participating in the retail competition. Indeed, retailers’ risk preferences will impact their price bidding strategies. To examine the effects of retailers’ risk preferences on their strategies and equilibrium outcomes in the retail market, an equilibrium model for price-making retailers is proposed by employing the mean–variance utility theory to model the risk preferences of retailers. The market share function is used to characterize consumers’ price-elasticity and switching behavior in the retail market. Few works in the literature address the issue of bidding strategies of retailers with different risk preferences in the electricity market with switchable consumers. Moreover, the existence and uniqueness of the Nash equilibrium are theoretically proved. A theoretical analysis is presented to investigate the impacts of wholesale price uncertainty and retailer’s risk preference on the bidding strategy. By adopting the nonlinear complementarity approach, the proposed game model is transformed into a set of nonlinear equations, which is further solved by the Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm. Finally, examples are included to verify the effectiveness of the proposed theory, and the results show that the bidding price of a retailer will increase with the increasing uncertainty of the wholesale price and the increasing risk-averse levels of itself and its rivals.

Peter Howitt is best known for his contributions to growth theory, but his work in short-run economics, which began with his Ph.D thesis and still continues, is important and deserves attention. It lies firmly in the Keynesian macro-disequilibrium tradition of Clower and Leijonhufvud, and for a long time has been overshadowed by New-classical and New-Keynesian orthodoxy. However, the development of agent based modelling and behavioural economics will perhaps give disequilibrium macroeconomics a new lease on life.

This study exploits a natural experiment to investigate the impact of land reform on the fertility outcomes of households in rural Ethiopia. Public policies and customs created a situation where Ethiopian households could influence their usufruct rights to land via a demographic expansion of the family. The study evaluates the impact of the abolishment of these pronatal property rights on fertility outcomes. By matching aggregated census data before and after the reform with administrative data on the reform, a difference-in-differences approach between reform and non-reform districts is used to assess the impact of the reform on fertility outcomes. The impact appears to be large. The study estimates that women in rural areas reduced their life-time fertility by 1.2 children due to the reform. Robustness checks show that the impact estimates are not biased by spillovers or policy endogeneity.

Journal of Engineering Technology Access, 2, 1, 43-55