Search

We use a set of lab-in-the-field experiments to study whether markets erode socially re-sponsible behavior in a typical Sub-Saharan African country. In the first experiment, we randomly assign participants to a version of a game framed as a "market" context or as a "neutral" (non-market) context. Contrary to the prediction of pure self-interest theory, market participants exhibit considerable levels of socially responsible behavior. However, participants in the market context reveal a lower level of socially responsible behavior compared to the participants in the non-market contexts. We also report that punishment and religion play a significant role in promoting socially responsible behavior in markets. In a second experiment, we test whether the erosion of socially responsible behavior leads to anti-social behavior using the joy-of-destruction game. The results show that the ero-sion of socially responsible behavior triggers anti-social behavior. Finally, we look at wel-fare effects and find that our market baseline yields lower welfare compared to markets regulated by punishment mechanisms.(c) 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )

Hypothesis: Recently, the anomalous shrinkage of surface-supported hyaluronate/poly-L-lysine (HA/PLL) microgels (mu-gels), which exceeds that reported for any other multilayer-based systems, has been reported [1]. The current study investigates the capability of these unique mu-gels for the encapsulation and retention of macromolecules, and proposes the shrinkage-driven assembly of biopolymer-based mu- gels as a novel tool for one-step surface biofunctionalization.Experiments: A set of dextrans (DEX) and their charged derivatives -carboxymethyl (CM)-DEX and diethylaminoethyl (DEAE)-DEX -has been utilized to evaluate the effects of macromolecular mass and net charge on mu-gel shrinkage and macromolecule entrapment. mu-gels formation on the surface of silicone catheters exemplifies their potential to tailor biointerfaces.Findings: Shrinkage-driven mu-gel formation strongly depends on the net charge and mass content of encapsulated macromolecules. Inclusion of neutral DEX decreases the degree of shrinkage several times, whilst charged DEXs adopt to the backbone of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes, resulting in shrinkage comparable to that of non-loaded mu-gels. Retention of CM-DEX in mu-gels is significantly higher compared to DEAE-DEX. These insights into the mechanisms of macromolecular entrapment into biopolymer-based mu-gels promotes fundamental understanding of molecular dynamics within the multilayer assemblies. Organization of biodegradable mu-gels at biomaterial surfaces opens avenues for their further exploitation in a diverse array of bioapplications.(c) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Wave energy conversion can have a significant role in the transition to a net-zero energy system. However, cost reductions are still required for this technology to be commercially competitive. To achieve commercialisation at a reasonable expense, disruptive innovations at early stages of development need to be enabled. Thus, to explore more of the design space, design limits need to be defined. Although physical limits, such as the maximum capture width and the Budal upper bound, have been defined, more realistic limits considering the variability of the resource, device dimensions and the actual hydrodynamic behaviour of different shapes can help provide further insights. This is relevant to both technology developers and funding bodies wanting to identify potential areas for innovation. In this study, the use of multi-objective optimisation is proposed to explore these limits, by investigating the optimal relationship between average annual power production and device size. This relationship depends on resource level, mode of motion used for power extraction and hull shape. The obtained fundamental relationships fall within the existing physical limits, but provide further insights into the impact of different factors on these limits. This allows for a more direct comparison with the performance of state-of-the-art wave energy converters.

Our objective was to compare grip strength measurement in two body positions (sitting and standing) with the K-Force (R) Grip dynamometer and the Jamar (R) Plus Digital hand dynamometer, and to conduct a test-retest study of the K-Force Grip device. The study was conducted on 50 healthy young adults aged 18-25 years. Maximal grip strength was tested in sitting and standing positions with both devices. After 2 days, a re-test was conducted with the K-Force Grip. The correlation coefficient was high for grip strength measurements in sitting and standing positions with the K-Force Grip and Jamar Plus dynamometers (r > 0.9 for all). K-Force Grip values were similar in sitting and standing positions (p > 0.05). Despite this similarity, K-Force Grip measured significantly lower values than Jamar Plus (p < 0.05). Thus, the K-Force Grip device can be used as an alternative to the Jamar Plus dynamometer, regarded as the gold standard in evaluating grip strength. We believe that the same devices should be used in clinical studies, research, and patient follow-up. (C) 2022 SFCM. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

International audience; A better understanding of the formation of soot particles is essential to improve combustion-related processes. For this purpose, this work reports for the first time the measurement of the size of soot particles under formation in a turbulent atmospheric flame in a planar configuration. This is ensured by the detection of the elastic scattering of a laser sheet thanks to two cameras positioned at different scattering angles (45° and 135°). The size information is then used to interpret the scattering signal collected by an additional camera positioned at 90° in order to evaluate the soot number concentration. This last step relies on a calibration ensured by soot volume fraction and primary particle size previously determined by autocompensating laser-induced incandescence in the same flame.Moreover, the use of a 1kHz repetition rate nanosecond laser and three high speed CMOS cameras enables the access to these physical parameters with a high temporal resolution. The 2D and time-resolved soot characterization is of interest because it enables the observation of the temporal and spatial modifications of soot structures when propagating in such turbulent flames. In particular, in this flame, the transport and mixing of soot pockets are clearly observed and the impact of these processes on the size and number concentration is quantified.

Previous research has identified three mechanisms that guide visual attention: bottom-up feature contrasts, topdown tuning, and the trial history (e.g., priming effects). However, only few studies have simultaneously examined all three mechanisms. Hence, it is currently unclear how they interact or which mechanisms dominate over others. With respect to local feature contrasts, it has been claimed that a pop-out target can only be selected immediately in dense displays when the target has a high local feature contrast, but not when the displays are sparse, which leads to an inverse set-size effect. The present study critically evaluated this view by systematically varying local feature contrasts (i.e., set size), top-down knowledge, and the trial history in pop-out search. We used eye tracking to distinguish between early selection and later identification-related processes. The results revealed that early visual selection was mainly dominated by top-down knowledge and the trial history: When attention was biased to the target feature, either by valid pre-cueing (top-down) or automatic priming, the target could be localised immediately, regardless of display density. Bottom-up feature contrasts only modulated selection when the target was unknown and attention was biased to the non-targets. We also replicated the oftenreported finding of reliable feature contrast effects in the mean RTs, but showed that these were due to later, target identification processes (e.g., in the target dwell times). Thus, contrary to the prevalent view, bottom-up feature contrasts in dense displays do not seem to directly guide attention, but only facilitate nontarget rejection, probably by facilitating nontarget grouping.

Polar ice research has undergone great progress in the last six decades. One of its recent technological achievements has been the development of new techniques for digital image recording and analysis of ice-core stratigraphy and microstructure. In this work we investigate one such image records, namely the line-scan image records of the EPICA-DML (European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica, Dronning Maud Land) deep ice core. These images provide a multiscale depiction of the stratigraphy and structure of the Antarctic Ice Sheet. While previous studies have focused on the ice-core optical stratigraphy on the micro- and mesoscale (

The early visual system is organized retinotopically. However, under ecological viewing conditions, motion perception occurs in non-retinotopic coordinates. Even though many studies revealed the central role of non-retinotopic processes, very little is known about their mechanisms and neural correlates. Tadin and colleagues found that increasing the spatial size of a high-contrast drifting-Gabor deteriorates motion-direction discrimination, whereas the opposite occurs with a low-contrast stimulus. The results were proposed to reflect an adaptive center-surround antagonism, whereby at low-contrast the excitatory center dominates whereas at high-contrast suppressive-surround mechanisms become more effective. Because ecological vision is non-retinotopic, we tested the hypothesis that the non-retinotopic system also processes motion information by means of an adaptive center-surround mechanism. We used the Ternus-Pikler display designed to provide either a retinotopic or a non-retinotopic reference-frame. Our results suggest that the non-retinotopic processes underlying motion perception are also mediated by an adaptive center-surround mechanism.

In this paper, we evaluate the cross sectional relationship between firm characteristics, financial leverage, and stock returns for the Indian stock market. The study finds that there are strong size and value effects existing in the return pattern of stocks, and also finds a complex pattern between leverage and stock returns in the Indian context. The Gibbons, Ross, and Shanken (GRS) test confirms the robustness of three factor model with market, size, and leverage over Fama-French three factor model (1993) in most cases. The Wald test confirms that the effects of value and leverage are the same in determining portfolio returns in most cases. Further, study estimates show that portfolios formed using value and leverage breakpoints are not much sensitive to the results unlike portfolios formed using size breakpoints.

Background: Advanced prostate cancer etiology is poorly understood. Few studies have examined associations of anthropometric factors (e.g. early adulthood obesity) with advanced prostate cancer risk.Patients and methods: We carried out pooled analyses to examine associations between body fatness, height, and prostate cancer risk. Among 830 772 men, 51 734 incident prostate cancer cases were identified, including 4762 advanced (T4/N1/M1 or prostate cancer deaths) cases, 2915 advanced restricted (same as advanced, but excluding localized cancers that resulted in death) cases, 9489 high-grade cases, and 3027 prostate cancer deaths. Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate study-specific hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI); results were pooled using random effects models.Results: No statistically significant associations were observed for body mass index (BMI) in early adulthood for advanced, advanced restricted, and high-grade prostate cancer, and prostate cancer mortality. Positive associations were shown for BMI at baseline with advanced prostate cancer (HR = 1.30, 95% CI = 0.95-1.78) and prostate cancer mortality (HR = 1.52, 95% CI = 1.12-2.07) comparing BMI >= 35.0 kg/m(2) with 21-22.9 kg/m(2). When considering early adulthood and baseline BMI together, a 27% higher prostate cancer mortality risk (95% CI = 9% to 49%) was observed for men with BMI = 30.0 kg/m(2) at baseline compared with BMI = 110 cm with = 1.00 with = 1.90 m withConclusion: Our findings suggest that height and total and central adiposity in mid-to-later adulthood, but not early adulthood adiposity, are associated with risk of advanced forms of prostate cancer. Thus, maintenance of healthy weight may help prevent advanced prostate cancer.

We provide a fresh look at the performance of the stock prices of firms that launched an IPO between 2009 and 2019 and assess the role of their size, age and sector in affecting future performance. We utilize data about 1611 IPOs spanning 11 economic sectors using the event study method. We provide evidence that a firm’s size and age do act as predictors for its price evolution in the future. In addition, there is a significant variation in the long-term performance between sectors and between small and large firms within each sector. Furthermore, there is a clear tendency of firms from sectors such as healthcare and technology to go public at a relatively younger age than other sectors. The results have implications for asset pricing and are useful for investors involved in IPOs.

In welding, there is a potential risk due to metal-oxide nanoparticles (MONPs) exposure of workers. To investigate this possibility, the diameter and number particles concentration of MONPs were evaluated in different biological matrices and in personal air samples collected from 18 stainless-steel welders and 15 unexposed administrative employees engaged in two Italian mechanical engineering Companies. Exhaled breath condensate (EBC) and urine were sampled at pre-shift on 1st day and post-shift on 5th day of the workweek, while plasma and inhalable particulate matter (IPM) at post-shift on 5th day and analysed using the Single Particle Mass Spectrometry (SP-ICP-MS) technique to assess possible exposure to Cr2O3, Mn3O4 and NiO nanoparticles (NPs) in welders. The NPs in IPM at both Companies presented a multi-oxide composition consisting of Cr2O3 (median, 871,574 particles/m3; 70 nm), Mn3O4 (median, 713,481 particles/m3; 92 nm) and NiO (median, 369,324 particles/m3; 55 nm). The EBC of welders at both Companies showed Cr2O3 NPs median concentration significantly higher at post-shift (64,645 particles/mL; 55 nm) than at pre-shift (15,836 particles/mL; 58 nm). Significantly lower Cr2O3 NPs median concentration and size (7762 particles/mL; 44 nm) were observed in plasma compared to EBC of welders. At one Company, NiO NPs median concentration in EBC (22,000 particles/mL; 65 nm) and plasma (8248 particles/mL; 37 nm) were detected only at post-shift. No particles of Cr2O3, Mn3O4 and NiO were detected in urine of welders at both Companies. The combined analyses of biological matrices and air samples were a valid approach to investigate both internal and external exposure of welding workers to MONPs. Overall, results may inform suitable risk assessment and management procedures in welding operations.

Mental intangibility during product evaluation remains one of the greatest drawbacks for online purchasing. However, emerging multi-sensory Augmented Reality (m-AR) applications offer a potential solution for this online retailing problem. Drawing on active inference theory, this article proposes a conceptual framework to assess how sensory control and feedback modalities affect consumer value judgements by reducing mental intangibility. We show how touch control, compared to voice control, positively affects consumers' willingness-to-pay. The underlying mechanism is a sequential process of reduced mental intangibility and increased feeling of decision comfort. In addition, we highlight a positive moderating effect of congruent auditory feedback on decision comfort. We also demonstrate a novel consumer boundary condition. Consumers high in assessment orientation experience a stronger reduction in mental intangibility. The results are consistently replicated across three experiments implying theoretical and managerial contributions for m-AR in the context of online retailing. (C) 2019 New York University. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Micron-scale shaped 2D or 2.5D structures made of silver or copper can be produced by combining silicon photolithographic etching with metal casting by pressure infiltration. This combination of two classical pro-cesses, one from semiconductor fabrication and the other from the metallurgical industries, combines advantages of lithography and casting, namely excellent dimensional control, high reproducibility, compatibility with en-gineering metals used in microtechnology, and the possibility for high production rates since many parts can be produced simultaneously at every step of the process. We demonstrate the production of 2D and 2.5D structures including monocrystalline tensile specimens, of diameter selected in the range from 2.5 to 13 mu m. In-situ micromechanical tensile tests performed on those samples show that microcast metal structures produced via this approach exhibit characteristics of confined plasticity, namely increases, with decreasing sample diameter, in both the flow stress and deformation intermittency.

In 2016, a fishery for whelks (Buccinum undatum) was initiated in the Danish part of Kattegat and the Belt Sea. Until then the whelk had been a pristine resource in Danish fisheries. The inner Danish waters are not covered by EU regulations and very little is known about the whelk population characteristics in the area. Thus, the Danish whelk fishery is at present carried out without any administrative regulations or specific biological knowledge. This work gives novel information about the Danish whelk populations in the Southern Kattegat and Belt Sea. The stock size (shell length 40 mm) in Kattegat was estimated to be in the range of 230,250–921,000 tons. The overall meat percentage in the three studied fishing zones ranged from 58.2–65.6 %. The size at maturity (sexes pooled) ranged from 62.9–70.3 mm corresponding to 4–4.5 years of age. The average shell length of the studied populations ranged from 64.1–73.2 mm and the asymptotic shell length was estimated to be 77.6–83.1 mm. Test fishery showed the CPUE quickly to decrease in a southern direction in the Belt Sea due to the prevailing salinity gradient. Commercial fishermen achieved an average CPUE of 1.3 kg pot-1 in the Southern Kattegat (January 2017–November 2018). Although the three zones studied are adjacent, significant differences were found in several of the measured parameters. This underlines the need of local monitoring of population characteristics in order to advice authorities on possible regulation of whelk fishery. The ongoing whelk fishery in the Southern Kattegat has at present an intensity not believed to cause recruitment overfishing. However, the Danish fishing authority is encouraged to implement a minimum conservation reference sizes (MCRS) based on locally determined size of maturity (SOM). In 2016, a fishery for whelks (Buccinum undatum) was initiated in the Danish part of Kattegat and the Belt Sea. Until then the whelk had been a pristine resource in Danish fisheries. The inner Danish waters are not covered by EU regulations and very little is known about the whelk population characteristics in the area. Thus, the Danish whelk fishery is at present carried out without any administrative regulations or specific biological knowledge. This work gives novel information about the Danish whelk populations in the Southern Kattegat and Belt Sea. The stock size (shell length > 40 mm) in Kattegat was estimated to be in the range of 230,250-921,000 tons. The overall meat percentage in the three studied fishing zones ranged from 58.2-65.6 %. The size at maturity (sexes pooled) ranged from 62.9- 70.3 mm corresponding to 4-4.5 years of age. The average shell length of the studied populations ranged from 64.1-73.2 mm and the asymptotic shell length was estimated to be 77.6-83.1 mm. Test fishery showed the CPUE quickly to decrease in a southern direction in the Belt Sea due to the prevailing salinity gradient. Commercial fishermen achieved an average CPUE of 1.3 kg pot-1 in the Southern Kattegat (January 2017-November 2018). Although the three zones studied are adjacent, significant differences were found in several of the measured parameters. This underlines the need of local monitoring of population characteristics in order to advice authorities on possible regulation of whelk fishery. The ongoing whelk fishery in the Southern Kattegat has at present an intensity not believed to cause recruitment overfishing. However, the Danish fishing authority is encouraged to implement a minimum conservation reference sizes (MCRS) based on locally determined size of maturity (SOM).(c) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Thermochemical conversion of larger biomass particles (thermally thick regime) toward high-end products still suffers from an unrevealed quantitative relationship between process and product parameters. The main issue relates to the influence of heating rate within the particle, critical conversion-wise but difficult to assess experimentally. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling may help, but first the model must prove its reliability to prevent error transfer to the results. This study aimed to provide an unbiased, state-of-the-art model constructed in a stepwise mode to investigate the heating rate's distribution. Several datasets with broadly varying parameters from the literature were used for the development and validation since the reproduction of datasets would not bring novelty to solving the problem. Instead of the model's calibration to fit to the data, the parameters for each step-model were meticulously selected to match the experimental conditions. The stepwise development showed the best accuracy when the anisotropy and the heat sink drying sub-model were implemented. Moreover, using the Ranzi-Anca-Couce (RAC) scheme led to more accurate results than the Ranzi scheme. The comprehensive model was positively validated against a broad range of production parameters (pyrolysis temperature: 500 degrees C - 840 degrees C, diameter of particles: 10 mm - 20 mm, shapes: cylinders and spheres). Investigation showed a pattern in volatiles release profiles and homogeneous heating rate distribution when particle size is below 4 mm. Despite basing the models on the literature's data, the study includes novel and valuable insights for biomass conversion and constitutes a solid foundation for future development.

Altres ajuts: acords transformatius de la UAB Since heavy metals and micro−/nanoplastics (MNPLs) can share common environmental niches, their potential interactions could modulate their hazard impacts. The current study was planned to evaluate the potential interactions between silver compounds (silver nanoparticles or silver nitrate) and two different sizes of polystyrene nanoplastics (PSNPLs) (PS-50 and PS-500 nm), administered via ingestion to Drosophila larvae. While egg-to-adult survival was not affected by the exposure to silver compounds, PSNPLs, or their coexposures, the combined treatments succeeded to restore the delay of fly emergence induced by silver compounds. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) showed the ability of PSNPLs to transport silver compounds (regardless of their form) across the intestinal barrier, delivering them into the hemolymph of Drosophila larvae in a concentration exceeding that mediated by the exposure to silver compounds alone. The molecular response (gene expression) of Drosophila larvae greatly fluctuated, accordingly if exposures were administered alone or in combination. Although PSNPLs produced some oxidative stress in the hemocytes of Drosophila, especially at the highest dose (1 mM), higher levels were observed after silver exposure, regardless of its form. Interestingly, the oxidative stress of silver, especially that produced by nano‑silver, drastically decreased when coexposed with PSNPLs. Similar effects were observed regarding the DNA damage induced in Drosophila hemocytes, where cotreatment decreased the genotoxicity induced by silver compounds. This antagonistic interaction could be attributed to the ability of tiny plastic specks to confine silver, avoiding its bioavailability, and diminishing their potential impacts.

Optical imaging devices such as the Video Plankton Recorder (VPR) harness unique capabilities to perform in situ observations and observe planktonic organisms in their natural environmental context. However, applying this technology in shallow and turbid coastal waters comes with a number of challenges. Depending on the research goal, methodological choices need to be made regarding the appropriate towing procedure and instrument settings, like magnification or field of view. In addition, limitations can be expected related to the physical characteristics of the water column, more specifically regarding suspended matter concentration and turbidity. To inform VPR users on the possibilities and limitations of the device in shallow and turbid coastal waters, this paper evaluates a number of specific deployment procedures in the Belgian part of the North Sea (BPNS). For three different towing procedures the practical feasibility, characteristics and output are assessed and the assets and liabilities for each of the tow types are discussed. A Z-shaped and a clover-shaped tow type are seen as best fit for detailed characterization of the plankton community of a limited geographical area. A straight tow type is more suitable for plankton studies over a larger area, with the potential to capture local plankton abundance peaks and to determine the relation with the spatial variation of the environmental conditions. The capacity of the various VPR magnification settings to capture specific plankton taxa or size groups, was tested during four straight line transects with different magnifications. The highest magnification can be used for organisms from 0.3 to 0.7 mm while the low magnification allows to observe larger organisms within the size range of 1.0 to 3.8 mm. Finally, the boundary conditions for the deployment of the VPR related to the turbidity of the water column were defined and the implications for deployment within the study area were investigated. This study shows that high turbidity values over 6.2 NTU inhibit the collection of useable data, complicating the VPR's application in many coastal and transitional waters.

Revision hip arthroplasty is a frequently performed procedure and is projected to increase annually. Removal of a well-fixed acetabular component can involve loss of much needed bone stock. Contemporary instruments allow acetabular removal with minimal morbidity; however, their use requires accurate knowledge of the component size. We describe a technique that allows sizing to be determined accurately, without specialized equipment, in situations where component details are unavailable. Our technique multiplies ratio of head:cup on pre-operative X-ray by the diameter of the index femoral head which is removed intra-operatively to predict index cup size. This novel surgical technique appears accurate in prediction of cup size to guide explant in revision hip arthroplasty.

We investigate the evolution of timidity in a prey species whose predator has cannibalistic tendencies. The ecological model is derived from individual-level processes, in which the prey seeks refuge after detecting a predator, and the predator cannibalises on the conspecific juveniles. Bifurcation analysis of the model reveals ecological bistability between equilibrium and periodic attractors. Using the framework of adaptive dynamics, we classify ten qualitatively different evolutionary scenarios induced by the ecological bistability. These scenarios include ecological attractor switching through catastrophic bifurcations, which can reverse the direction of evolution. We show that such reversals often result in evolutionary cycling of the level of timidity. In the absence of cannibalism, the model never exhibits ecological bistability nor evolutionary cycling. We conclude that cannibalistic predator behaviour can completely change both the ecological dynamics and the evolution of prey. (C) 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Dislocation configurational energy is the term assigned to describe the elastically-stored energy associated with the interaction of dislocations and their structures. It is the energy which is over and above that from the summation of the dislocation line energies when considered isolated and non-interacting. It is therefore different to the free energy and the stored energy. This paper presents a formulation for its determination utilising discrete dislocation plasticity. The total geometrically necessary (GND) and statistically stored dislocation density mean free distance allows the configurational energy density to be determined, thus providing a length scale over which the configurational energy is stored. This quantity is assessed in polycrystals undergoing fatigue loading showing that clear microstructural locations, often associated with high GND density, become established at which the progressive, cyclic, increasing configurational energy occurs. A higher length scale crystal plasticity stored energy density has recently been introduced which attempts to capture local dislocation configurational energy density as an indicator of fatigue crack nucleation and growth. The former is compared and assessed against the dislocation configurational energy density in this paper.

Some oxygen defective metal oxides, such as cerium and bismuth oxides, have recently shown exceptional electrostrictive properties that are even superior to the best performing lead-based electrostrictors, e.g. lead-magnesium-niobates (PMN). Compared to piezoelectric ceramics, electromechanical mechanisms of such materials do not depend on crystalline symmetry but on the concentration of oxygen vacancy (V-(O) over dot ) in the lattice. In this work, we investigate for the first time the role of oxygen defects configuration on the electro-chemo-mechanical properties. This is achieved by tuning the oxygen defects blocking barrier density in polycrystalline gadolinium doped ceria with known oxygen vacancy concentration, Ce0.9Gd0.1O2-delta, delta = 0.05. Nanometric starting powders of ca. similar to 12 nm are sintered in different conditions, including field assisted spark plasma sintering (SPS), fast firing and conventional method at high temperatures. These approaches allow controlling grain size and Gd-dopant diffusion, i.e. via thermally driven solute drag mechanism. By correlating the electro-chemo-mechanical properties, we show that oxygen vacancy distribution in the materials plays a key role in ceria electrostriction, overcoming the expected contributions from grain size and dopant concentration. (C) 2019 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

In a multi- and inter-cultural world, we daily encounter new words. Adult learners often rely on a situational context to learn and understand a new word's meaning. Here, we explored whether interactive learning facilitates word learning by directing the learner's attention to a correct new word referent when a situational context is non-informative. We predicted larger involvement of inferior parietal, frontal, and visual cortices involved in visuo-spatial attention during interactive learning. We scanned participants while they played a visual word learning game with and without a social partner. As hypothesized, interactive learning enhanced activity in the right Supramarginal Gyrus when the situational context provided little information. Activity in the right Inferior Frontal Gyrus during interactive learning correlated with post-scanning behavioral test scores, while these scores correlated with activity in the Fusiform Gyrus in the non-interactive group. These results indicate that attention is involved in interactive learning when the situational context is minimal and suggest that individual learning processes may be largely different from interactive ones. As such, they challenge the ecological validity of what we know about individual learning and advocate the exploration of interactive learning in naturalistic settings.

The Authors reported a retrospective study of 100 Leiomyosarcoma (LMS), evaluating factors that may influence Overall Survival (OS), Local Recurrence Free Survival (LRFS), Metastasis Free Survival (MFS). Tumor Size (P = 0,0009), Local Recurrence (P = 0,0487), Distant relapse (P

Deposition of Au nanoparticles (NPs) through UV ultra-short-pulse laser ablation in vacuum is a methodology suitable for obtaining high purity supported plasmonic NPs with a superb adherence to both planar and patterned substrates. Furthermore, the peculiarity that upon sub-picosecond laser irradiation NPs form directly within the target leads to narrow and controlled size-distribution. While extensive literature theoretically models phase changes and pressure relaxation of metal targets under sub-picosecond irradiation, the evolution of the nanostructured deposit through different ablation regimes is poorly documented experimentally. In this paper, besides modeling the temporal evolution of electron and lattice temperature following sub-picosecond laser pulse irradiation of Au bulk at the threshold ablation fluence (0.1 J/cm2), we report an accurate statistical, morphological and structural characterization of the AuNP distributions as a function of the laser fluence tuned from 0.1 to 3 J/cm2 to drive the target through two ablation regimes. The occurrence of photomechanical spallation and phase explosion at low and high fluence, respectively, is correlated with the evolution of the NP deposits, which are discussed by providing a physical insight in the interplay between fluence-driven ablation regimes of the target, arrangement kinetics of the deposited species (NPs and vapour species) and (crystalline or amorphous) phase of the NPs. This knowledge is key for controlling the surface plasmon resonance response of AuNPs depending on the designed application.

Black carbon (BC) particle number (PN) emissions from various sources contribute to the deterioration of air quality, adverse health effects, and anthropogenic climate change. This paper critically reviews different fractal aggregate theories to develop a new methodology that relates BC PN and mass concentrations (or emissions factors). The new methodology, named as the fractal aggregate (FA) model is validated with measurements from three different BC emission sources: an internal combustion engine, a soot generator, and two aircraft gas turbine engines at ground and cruise conditions. Validation results of the FA model show that R2 values range from 0.44 to 0.95, while the Normalised Mean Bias is between −27.7% and +26.6%. The model estimates for aircraft gas turbines represent a significant improvement compared to previous methodologies used to estimate aviation BC PN emissions, which relied on simplified assumptions. Uncertainty and sensitivity analyses show that the FA model estimates have an asymmetrical uncertainty bound ( − 54 % , + 103 % ) at a 95% confidence interval for aircraft gas turbine engines and are most sensitive to uncertainties in the geometric standard deviation of the BC particle size distribution. Given the improved performance in estimating BC PN emissions from various sources, we recommend the implementation of the FA model in future health and climate assessments, where the impacts of PN are significant.

Made available in DSpace on 2019-10-06T16:17:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2019-05-01 Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) In the current study, the size and surface of ZnO nanoparticle (ZnO NP) suspensions and powders were finely controlled to evaluate their influence on the ZnO antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The ZnO NP were prepared by the sol-gel method with different reaction times for NP size control and followed by the addition of (3-glycidyloxypropyl) trimethoxysilane (GPTMS) as a surface modifier. The ZnO NP were characterized by different techniques and the antibacterial activity was assessed through the minimum inhibitory concentration assay (MIC), minimum bactericidal concentration assay (MBC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The ZnO NP exhibited significant antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus. The NP size highly influenced the antibacterial activity, which increased with decreasing particle size. The small ZnO NP presented bactericidal activity whereas the largest showed bacteriostatic activity. The use of GPTMS, in general, led to increase of MIC and MBC. The formation of holes in the cell wall of Staphylococcus aureus was evidenced by SEM after contact between the bacteria and ZnO NP. The cytotoxicity assay showed that ZnO NP did not cause a loss of cell viability in the human keratinocyte cell line (HaCat) at the maximum concentration assessed. Thus, this study indicated that 5 nm ZnO NP modified by GPTMS has great potential for use as an inorganic antibacterial material. São Paulo State University (UNESP) School of Pharmaceutical Sciences Department of Drugs and Medicines, Highway Araraquara-Jaú Department of Biological and Health Sciences Universidade de Araraquara UNIARA São Paulo State University (UNESP) School of Pharmaceutical Sciences Department of Drugs and Medicines, Highway Araraquara-Jaú

Seed banking is an invaluable tool in plant conservation, both as an archive and a source of genetic variation. Despite the increasing focus on the validation of sampling strategies, few studies have empirically related diversity in seed bank collections with variation in wild-provenance populations. By using a set of nuclear microsatellites, we investigated genetic diversity in British populations of Taxus baccata (European yew tree). We used our findings as a baseline for the quantification of genetic diversity captured in the germplasm collections maintained by the Millennium Seed Bank (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew), in terms of allelic richness and allelic capture. We observed that genetic differentiation in wild populations of yew is compatible with highly effective gene flow, with no geographic patterns. Heterozygosity is lower than expected for a dioecious obligate outbreeder. Seed collections are representative of wild populations in terms of allelic capture, including rare and locally common variants, indicating that the current sampling protocol implemented by the UK National Tree Seed Project is appropriate. Specific sampling strategies might be improved by including more populations at the edge of the range and in remote localities, even at the expense of contiguous populations. Our methods may be applied to evaluate allelic capture in other germplasm collections for which a baseline exists, i.e. in which genetic diversity in the wild-provenance populations is known. Our recommendations related to sampling strategies can be extended to other tree species with continuous distributions and effective gene flow. ispartof: BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION vol:233 pages:289-297 status: published

In this work, a new process is developed to improve the functional stability of Ni-rich NiTi alloys. Repetitive temperature- and stress-induced phase transformation is first conducted to generate dislocation networks in the grain interior. Dislocations serve as nucleation sites for Ni₄Ti₃ nanoprecipitates, which are formed after subsequent low-temperature (523 K) aging. With the presence of dislocations, a homogeneous distribution of nanoprecipitates in the grains is expected, enhancing the strength of the NiTi matrix and resisting plastic deformation during the martensitic transformation. As a result, an improved functional stability of NiTi alloys is achieved. ispartof: Scripta Materialia vol:163 pages:57-61 status: published

Worldwide, increasing amounts of dams and weirs have been established in rivers in recent decades, often with drastic effects on their ecosystems. Between late 2009 and 2011, 16 large-scale dams were built in the main channels of the four largest rivers in South Korea, eight of these along the main channel of Nakdong River (300 km, 520 km in total). We studied the effect of these constructions on the fish community in the riparian zone based on intensive fish field surveys conducted in the littoral zone during 2007–2017, analysis of fishermen's catch data and molecular analysis of the diet of the keystone species, largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Our results, based on RDA and GLM analyses, showed that environmental characteristics and fish species composition changed significantly with dam construction. Total fish abundance and biomass decreased after the start of the weir construction and fish richness decreased with time. The abundance and biomass of exotic fish decreased during construction but recovered afterwards, leading to higher proportions of exotics. Dominance and Shannon indices did not change significantly from before to after construction, while the Evenness index showed a significant decreasing trend. A comparison of the diet composition of largemouth bass showed decreasing genetic variation after construction. The changes in Functional Feeding Group (FFG) of the benthic communities at the study sites did not coincide with FFG changes in the prey items of largemouth bass, indicating a transition in feeding mode from before to after construction. In conclusion, the endemic and native fish species were most sensitive and showed lower resilience to disturbance by the large-scale dam construction than the translocated and exotic species, and the lake-like ecosystems after construction markedly improved the competitive capacity of these exotic fish over the native and endemic species in the riparian zone of the river.

Self-healing composites based on epoxy resin containing poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) microcapsules filled with healing agents were prepared. The effect of healing agents microcapsules on mechanical properties and self-healing behavior of epoxy composites were investigated in this work. Epoxy and mercaptan as curing agent were microencapsulated in PMMA shell as two-component healing agent through internal phase separation method, and then, epoxy composites containing 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10 wt% of healing agent microcapsules were prepared. The fracture toughness and healing efficiency of these composites were measured using a tapered double cantilever beam (TDCB) specimen. The results indicated that about 80% healing efficiency was achieved with 10 wt% PMMA microcapsules at room temperature after 24 h. The tensile strength of the epoxy with 2.5 wt% PMMA microcapsules increased initially and then decreased gradually with increasing microcapsules content up to 10 wt% PMMA microcapsules. DSC results also indicated that this system has good potential for spontaneous self-healing performance at room temperature.

Our study, which complements recent works challenging the traditional conceptualization of the CHQ as a single organizational unit, has a dual purpose. First, in descriptive terms, we set out to explore the prevalence of spatially dispersed CHQs in a historical context. Second, we aim to shed additional light on the CHQ’s spatial design by exploring internal antecedents and potential consequences. Building on arguments from information-processing theory, we propose that the strategic complexity facing the CHQ (affecting its information-processing demands) is associated with the likelihood of a spatially dispersed CHQ (affecting its information-processing capacity). In line with our dual purpose, we conduct a historical study drawing on survey and archival data covering 156 public firms domiciled in four countries (Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, and the US) in the late 1990s. Our results provide empirical support for the hypothesized associations between strategic complexity and the CHQ’s spatial design. Moreover, although we find no empirical support for the expected contingency effects, the results suggest that a spatially dispersed CHQ can have negative effects on CHQ and firm performance. Overall, our theoretical arguments and empirical results advance our knowledge about complex CHQ configurations.

ispartof: MICRO AND NANO ENGINEERING vol:15 status: published

In this paper we analyse economic development through the lenses of a newly developed index: the structural modernization index. This index combines two dimensions that have been widely invoked as prime drivers of economic development namely, structural change and technological catch up. For each country, the index calculates the productivity gap with respect to the world frontier in activities that typically represent the modern part of the economy, and weighs this relative productivity by the employment share of those activities in the total labour force. In doing so, it combines a technological dimension (relative productivity) and a structural dimension (the size of the modern sector) thus providing a concise measure of the degree of modernity of an economy. The index is calculated for a large sample of countries over a long time span. Significant efforts have been made to put together a dataset with international comparable data on value added and employment disaggregated by sectors for 100 countries covering the period 1950-2009. The estimates are used to explore the relationship between structural modernization and the so-called poverty and middle-income traps. In analysing this relationship, the interactive nature of structural change and technological catch up is stressed. Important insights are obtained regarding the nature of low and middle-income development traps. Finally, the usefulness of this new index is illustrated when studying the diverse structural trajectories of a set of countries that can be taken as examples of success and failure in the process of economic development.

In this experimental study, we tested whether athletes’ judgments of affordances and of environmental features vary with psychological momentum (PM). We recruited golf, hockey, and tennis players, who were assigned to a positive or negative momentum condition. We designed a golf course on which participants made practice putts, after which they were asked to place the ball at their maximum “puttable” distance and to judge the hole size. Next, participants played a golf match against an opponent, in which the first to take a lead of 5 points would win the match. Participants were told that they could win a point by making the putt or by being closest to the hole. They wore visual occlusion goggles to prevent them from seeing the actual result, and the experimenter manipulated the scoring pattern to induce positive or negative PM. Participants in the positive momentum condition came back from a four-point lag to a four-point lead, whereas those in the negative momentum condition underwent the opposite scenario. We then asked the participants again to indicate their maximum puttable distance from the hole and to judge the hole size. After the manipulation, participants judged the maximum puttable distance to be longer in the positive momentum condition and shorter in the negative momentum condition. For the hole-size judgments, there were no significant effects. These results provide first indications for the idea that athletes’ affordances change when they experience positive PM compared to negative PM. This sheds a new light on the dynamics of perception-action processes and PM in sports.

This paper shows that low-risk stocks significantly outperform high-risk stocks in the local China A-share market. The main driver of this low-risk anomaly is volatility, and not beta. A Fama–French style VOL factor is not explained by the Fama–French–Carhart factors, and has the strongest stand-alone performance among all these factors. Our findings are robust across sectors and over time, and consistent with previous empirical evidence for the US and international markets. Moreover, the VOL premium exhibits excellent investability characteristics, as it involves a low turnover and remains strong when applied to only the largest and most liquid stocks. Our results imply that the volatility effect is a highly pervasive phenomenon, and that explanations should be able to account for its presence in highly institutionalized markets, such as the US, but also in the Chinese market where private investors dominate trading.

Although several studies have investigated the influence of nutrition labelling on food intake, the effect of labels indicating a food's satiating power on food intake and sensory-specific satiation (SSS) is poorly understood. We investigated whether providing information about the satiating power of a meal affects intake and SSS. Participants (19 men and 18 women) consumed the same test meal of pasta salad ad libitum on two occasions, once described as 'light' and once as 'filling'. SSS was determined as the change in liking of the flavor and desire to eat the test meal before and after consumption, compared to seven uneaten foods. As hypothesized, intake increased by a mean (±SD) of 31 ± 59 g and 42 ± 81 kcal when the meal was labelled 'light' as opposed to 'filling' (p < 0.01). After eating, ratings for both liking and desire to eat decreased significantly more for the test meal than for the uneaten control foods (p < 0.001), demonstrating SSS. These relative changes in liking and desire to eat did not differ between the label conditions, despite differences in intake. Furthermore, accounting for amount consumed, the magnitude of SSS did not differ between the label conditions, which suggests that it did not explain the effect of the labels on intake. This study shows that labels indicating the satiating power of a meal can affect intake, warranting caution in the use of such labels on products intended to reduce intake.

WOS:000571443200012; International audience; A combined approach integrating bioenergetics and major biological activities is essential to properly understand the impact of microplastics (MP) on marine organisms. Following experimental exposure of polystyrene microbeads (micro-PS of 6 and 10 mu m) at 0.25, 2.5, and 25 mu g L-1, which demonstrated a dose-dependent decrease of energy balance in the pearl oyster Pinctada margaritifera, a transcriptomic study was conducted on mantle tissue. Transcriptomic data helped us to decipher the molecular mechanisms involved in P. margaritifera responses to micro-PS and search more broadly for effects on energetically expensive maintenance functions. Genes related to the detoxification process were impacted by long-term micro-PS exposure through a decrease in antioxidant response functioning, most likely leading to oxidative stress and damage, especially at higher micro-PS doses. The immune response was also found to be dose-specific, with a stress-related activity stimulated by the lowest dose present after a 2-month exposure period. This stress response was not observed following exposure to higher doses, reflecting an energy-limited capacity of pearl oysters to cope with prolonged stress and a dramatic shift to adjust to pessimum conditions, mostly limited and hampered by a lowered energetic budget. This preliminary experiment lays the foundation for exploring pathways and gene expression in P. margaritifera, and marine mollusks in general, under MP exposure. We also propose a conceptual framework to properly assess realistic MP effects on organisms and population resilience in future investigations. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Within a time span of only a few months, the SARS-CoV-2 virus has managed to spread across the world. This virus can spread by close contact, which includes large droplet spray and inhalation of microscopic droplets, and by indirect contact via contaminated objects. While in most countries, supermarkets have remained open, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, authorities have ordered many other shops, restaurants, bars, music theaters and indoor sports centers to be closed. As part of COVID-19 (semi)lock-down exit strategies, many government authorities are now (May-June 2020) allowing a gradual re-opening, where sometimes indoor sport centers are last in line to be permitted to re-open. This technical note discusses the challenges in safely re-opening these facilities and the measures already suggested by others to partly tackle these challenges. It also elaborates three potential additional measures and based on these additional measures, it suggests the concept of a certificate of equivalence that could allow indoor sports centers with such a certificate to re-open safely and more rapidly. It also attempts to stimulate increased preparedness of indoor sports centers that should allow them to remain open safely during potential next waves of SARS-CoV-2 as well as future pandemics. It is concluded that fighting situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic and limiting economic damage requires increased collaboration and research by virologists, epidemiologists, microbiologists, aerosol scientists, building physicists, building services engineers and sports scientists. ispartof: BUILDING AND ENVIRONMENT vol:180 ispartof: location:England status: published

Rapid growth in the global gaming industry has created substantial opportunities for marketers. The potential and effectiveness of in-game advertising have attracted increasing attention from academics. Drawing on product placement literature, this study explores the influence of size (small, large), order (primacy, recency) and level of absorption (low, high) on consumer memory (brand recall and recognition) of well-known brands placed in a racing game. Using a controlled experiment, 285 participants were recruited to play the sports video game Trackmania 2 Canyon. Results indicate a positive effect of size, but order and level of absorption had no effect on brand recall and brand recognition. In particular, large size brands are recalled and recognised significantly better. Findings offer important implications for marketers in a global gaming industry that is steadily growing.

Identification of risk markers based on quantitative ultrasound texture analysis of carotid plaques has the ability to define vulnerable components that correlate with increased cardiovascular risk. However, data describing factors with the potential to influence the measurement variability of risk markers are limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of electrocardiogram-guided image selection, plaque echogenicity and area on carotid plaque risk markers and their variability in asymptomatic carotid plaques. Plaque risk markers were measured in 57 plaques during three consecutive heartbeats at two cardiac cycle time instants corresponding to the electrocardiogram R-wave (end diastole) and end of T-wave (end systole), resulting in six measurements for each plaque. Risk marker variability was quantified by computing the coefficient of variation (CV) across the three heartbeats. The CV was significantly higher for small plaques (area 15 mm2, 6%) (p 40, 9%) (p

Effects of pollutants are mostly assessed using standard testing procedures, which cover a fraction of the animals' life cycle. Although, in nature species are exposed during multiple generations of sub-lethal doses of persistent chemicals. In the present study, we focused on the multigenerational (MG) effects of silver in Folsomia candida during 6 generations using the EC50 for reproduction as exposure concentration. We tested 9 different exposure scenarios, going from continuous 6 generations Ag exposure over pulse exposure ( i.e. one generation clean, next contaminated, next clean etc.) to gradually increasing the number of exposure generations, with a final transfer to clean media. The biological endpoints assessed included survival, reproduction and size, with reproduction being the most sensitive. The biological response depended on the specific MG scenario. e.g. the 6 Ag MG caused a decreased number of juveniles from F4, whereas the pulse exposure experienced an increase in reproductive output when in dean soil. It is uncertain whether Ag causes transgenerational effects, but the reproduction levels in both pulse exposures are lower than in continuous control over the 6 generations which could be due to transference of Ag by the maternal generation. Overall, population size distribution seemed to indicate a delay in time for egg laying, with close relationship between adult survival, organisms size and reproduction output. Size monitoring allowed significant added interpretation possibilities and we strongly recommend the addition of this endpoint to the standard guideline. The smaller observed size range can have implications in terms of adaptation potential, carrying associated increased risk. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

In this study, we measured the concentrations of accumulation and coarse particles inside an educational workshop (March 31–April 6, 2015), calculated particle emission and losses rates, and estimated inhaled deposited dose. We used an Optical Particle Sizer (TSI OPS 3330) that measures the particle number size distribution (diameter 0.3–10 μm) and we converted that into particle mass size distribution (assuming spherical particles and unit density). We focused on two particle size fractions: 0.3–1 μm (referred as PN0.3−1 and PM0.3−1) and 1–10 μm (referred as PN1−10 and PM1−10). The occupants' activities included coffee brewing, lecturing, tobacco smoking, welding, scrubbing, and sorting/drilling iron. The highest concentrations were observed during welding with PN0.3−1 (PM0.3−1) was ∼1866 cm−3 (55 μg/m3) and PN1−10 (PM1−10) was ∼7 cm−3 (103 μg/m3). The lowest concentrations were observed during coffee brewing and metal turning with PN0.3−1 (PM0.3−1) was ∼22 cm−3 (0.7 μg/m3) and PN1−10 (PM1−10) was ∼0.5 cm−3 (4 μg/m3). The emissions rate of coarse particles was 85–1010 particles/hour × cm3 whereas that for submicron particle in the diameter range 0.3–1 μm was 5.7 × 104–9.3 × 104 particles/hour × cm3 depending on the activity and the ventilation rate. The coarse particles losses rate was 0.35–2.1 h−1 and the ventilation rate was 0.24–2.1 h−1. The alveolar received the majority and particles below 1 μm with a fraction of about 53% of the total inhaled deposited dose whereas the head/throat region received about 18%. This study is important for better understanding the health effects at educational workshops.

The strength of 9Cr steels, which is controlled by chemical composition and microstructure, evolves significantly under high temperature loading. This paper presents a temperature-independent, physically-based model for evolving yield strength, including the interdependent effects of dislocations, solutes, precipitates and grain boundaries. The key roles of solute and precipitate strengthening in 9Cr steels are successfully demonstrated. The measured significant beneficial effect of up to 3 wt% tungsten on solute strengthening, and hence, yield strength are successfully predicted. The new model demonstrates that the reported strength reduction in 9Cr-3W alloys under thermal aging can be primarily attributed to Laves phase formation and associated depletion of tungsten solutes, consistent with microstructural observations. This publication has emanated from research conducted with the financial support of Science Foundation Ireland under Grant no. SFI/14/IA/2604. The authors would also like to acknowledge the contributions made by the collaborators of the MECHANNICS and IMPEL projects, including Mr Rod Vanstone and Mr Bartosz Polomoski of GE Power, Prof Noel O’Dowd of the University of Limerick and Dr David Allen of Impact Power Tech Ltd. In particular, the authors would like to acknowledge Dr Mark Jepson and Dr Juntao Guo of Loughborough University for carrying out ThermoCalc simulations of MarBN and Ms Eimear O'Hara of NUI Galway for the optical micrographs and TEM analysis. peer-reviewed 2020-05-24

We analyze the effects of local market size and accessibility on the spatial distribution of economic activity and wages in general equilibrium trade models with many asymmetric countries and costly trade for all goods. In models with a homogeneous sector, local market size is generally more strongly correlated with a country's industry share, whereas accessibility better explains a country's wage. We analytically show that result in a simplified case and then confirm it using simulations with random trading networks. In models with only differentiated sectors, both local market size and accessibility are highly correlated with wages. The impact of local market size on industry location is more robust than the impact of local market size on wages in economic geography models.

Are bigger green spaces more diverse in terms of their natural and manmade elements? Does higher diversity mean they are more attractive to users and encourage more diversity of activities, and thereby provide a wider range of recreational ecosystem services? We assessed and classified the recreational services in green urban spaces in the city of Oslo, by combining multidimensional biophysical mapping based on the structural diversity index (SDI), with users’ importance scores as an approach to nonmonetary valuation of urban parks. Our results reveal that size is a weak and non-linear determinant of structural diversity. On the other hand, stated preferences are correlated with structural elements. Urban green spaces classification could be improved by combining structural diversity indicators with structural preference studies. At the same time, our structural diversity measure did not cover the full range of recreational services across the spectrum of urban green spaces. We discuss potential extensions of the structural diversity index for urban green space in order to cover a wider range of green spaces – from cemetaries to peri-urban forest – and the recreational opportunities provided by them. Urban green spaces Structural diversity Recreation Cultural ecosystem services Size

In the present study, we synthesized TiO2 nanofibers (NFs) by electrospinning technique and they were subject to solvosonication process using glycerol as a pore forming agent to produce porous TiO2 NFs. The prepared porous TiO2 NFs are seen to improve the light harvesting capability as a result of enhanced light scattering inside the TiO2 NFs and offer a high surface area for maximum adsorption of pre-synthesized CdSe (similar to 4 nm) QDs. The FESEM and BET analysis were performed to confirm the surface texture and surface area of porous TiO2 NFs, respectively. Finally, QDSSCs were fabricated using these porous TiO2 NFs sensitized with CdSe QDs as the photoanode, Cu2S nanoparticles as the counter electrode and polysulfide redox couple (S2-/S-x(2-)) as the electrolyte. The porous TiO2 NFs obtained by solvosonication at the time duration of 90 min has enhanced photo current density (J(sc)) of 9.21 mA/cm(2) with high power conversion efficiency (eta) of 2.15% than the conventional TiO2 NFs (eta approximate to 1.50%).

This study systematically investigated the influence of the dimensions of square-patterned pyramidal protuberances on a spheronisation plate on pellet yield, size and shape distributions, surface tensile strength and surface morphology was investigated using a 45 wt% microcrystalline cellulose/ water paste. Tests were conducted using four different extrudate diameters (1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 mm) generated by screen extrusion and seven plate geometries, including a flat plate as a control, allowing the relative size of extrudate to protuberance feature to be studied. Geometrical analyses of the protuberance shapes provide some insight into the observed differences, with protuberance angle being significant in many cases. Sharper protuberances reduced yield (promoting breakage and attrition) but tended to give narrower size distributions and more uneven pellet surface. Pellet yield for 1 mm extrudates was also subject to losses caused by fragments passing through the 1.0 mm gap between the plate and spheroniser wall. Pellet tensile strength was noticeably greater for 1.0 mm diameter extrudates, which is attributed to the greater extensional strain imparted on the paste during the extrusion step. For some geometries there is an optimal ratio of extrudate to protuberance dimensions.

In management of fisheries, knowledge about the species is crucial due to differences in life history traits. The first step is therefore species identification. For many species this task is straightforward, however for some species e.g. the two species of Atlantic redfish Sebastes mentella and Sebastes norvegicus, it can be difficult for an untrained eye. With the goal to separate the two species, we analysed otolith shape variation of S. mentella and S. norvegicus caught on the continental slope of East Greenland using the R package “Shape R”. Results were evaluated against genetic analysis of the same fish, and compared to results of both a visual identification of the two species and a separation based on a linear discriminant analysis on standardised values of fish length, fish weight and otolith weight. It was concluded that the objective otolith shape analysis using the Shape R package analysis achieve a reasonable classification success, however with a clear bias towards S. mentella. Classification using the otolith weight achieved a slightly higher success than the shape analysis making it a promising method. Furthermore, the method is at the same time both objective, less time consuming than the otolith shape analysis and less expensive than genetic analysis. However, the visual classification method of the whole fish had the highest success rate of the three tested methods, which despite the need for trained technicians makes it the most successful method.

BACKGROUND: Pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) models are used in target-controlled-infusion (TCI) systems to determine the optimal drug administration to achieve a desired target concentration in a central or effect-site compartment. Our aim was to develop a PK-PD model for propofol that can predict the bispectral index (BIS) for a broad population, suitable for TCI applications.METHODS: Propofol PK data were obtained from 30 previously published studies, five of which also contained BIS observations. A PK-PD model was developed using NONMEM. Weight, age, post-menstrual age (PMA), height, sex, BMI, and presence/absence of concomitant anaesthetic drugs were explored as covariates. The predictive performance was measured across young children, children, adults, elderly, and high-BMI individuals, and in simulated TCI applications.RESULTS: Overall, 15 433 propofol concentration and 28 639 BIS observations from 1033 individuals (672 males and 361 females) were analysed. The age range was from 27 weeks PMA to 88 yr, and the weight range was 0.68-160 kg. The final model uses age, PMA, weight, height, sex, and presence/absence of concomitant anaesthetic drugs as covariates. A 35-yr-old, 170 cm, 70 kg male (without concomitant anaesthetic drugs) has a V1, V2, V3, CL, Q2, Q3, and ke0 of 6.28, 25.5, 273 litres, 1.79, 1.75, 1.11 litres min-1, and 0.146 min-1, respectively. The propofol TCI administration using the model matches well with recommendations for all age groups considered for both anaesthesia and sedation.CONCLUSIONS: We developed a PK-PD model to predict the propofol concentrations and BIS for broad, diverse population. This should be useful for TCI in anaesthesia and sedation.