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BACKGROUND Due to cellulose of paper is abundant, inexpensive and renewable in nature, the development of paper-based materials from cellulose to substitute materials prepared by complicated chemical routes is a fascinating challenge. This work investigates a novel method for fabricating paper-based Ni-Al layered double hydroxides ( LDHs)/ Al2O3 composite using celluloses as template; the fabricated composite was applied to adsorb bovine serum albumin ( BSA) from water. RESULTS Scanning electron microscopy ( SEM) images demonstrate the hierarchical morphologies and multiscale structures of composites at scales ranging from micro- to nano-scales. The unique macroporous structures can be directly observed by morphology analysis, and show that these materials which have potential applications in bulky biomolecules adsorption. Compared with bare LDH particles, LDHs/ Al2O3 composites show a high binding capacity for BSA, where the appropriate adsorption capacity is achieved at neutral pH. The equilibrium data for BSA adsorption onto composites are found to be well described by the Langmuir isotherm model, while the kinetic data are well-fitted to the pseudo-second-order model. CONCLUSION Since the BSA adsorbed composites show near complete (over 95%) desorption in a high negative charge density of salt solution, suggesting that the paper-based Ni-Al LDHs/ Al2O3 composites are practically usable for BSA separation. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immigration policy reached the fore of the political agenda during the 109th Congress of 2005–2006, achieving near‐record levels of congressional committee attention. Literature on agenda setting typically portrays such attention spikes as evidence that the inertial forces of a status quo policy regime are losing the ability to keep the issue off the political agenda. Change may not necessarily follow, but from this perspective, opponents to change are in a vulnerable position. Yet, as this paper shows, opponents of immigration reform were the ones driving the flurry of committee activity. By demonstrating that opponents of policy change wielding agenda control can also leverage attention as a means of obstruction, the paper identifies a potential limit to using certain attention indicators as evidence of policy momentum. In the second part of the paper, I hypothesize conditions under which status quo defenders in Congress might abandon their negative agenda power. I argue that it is most likely when policy entrepreneurs elevate an issue with two or more unstable policy images that divide the majority party. The findings here offer further evidence of the congressional committee system's declining role in policy development and the intractability of immigration reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This paper develops a model of private bilateral contracting, in which an exogenous network determines the pairs of players who can communicate and contract with each other. After contracting, the players interact in an underlying game with globally verifiable productive actions and externally enforced transfers. The paper investigates whether such decentralized contracting can internalize externalities that arise due to parties being unable to contract directly with others whose productive actions affect their payoffs. The contract‐formation protocol, called the "contracting institution," is treated as a design element. The main result is positive: There is a contracting institution that supports efficient equilibria for any underlying game and connected network. A critical property is that the institution allows for sequential contract formation or revision. The equilibrium construction features assurance contracts and cancellation penalties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides insights into the apparent seesaw between the generation of theoretical and empirical economics research over time. A dynamic model considers the incentives of researchers to focus on empirical versus theoretical papers. It yields the main characteristics of the path‐changing of economics research, from theoretical‐intensive to empirical‐focused. The model has two equilibria, one with a higher proportion of theoretical papers and another with a higher proportion of empirical papers. Curiously, the equilibrium with greater theoretical papers is stable, while the one with more empirical papers is a saddle point. This suggests that the current trend of increasing empirical research is unlikely to last. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In multi‐agent systems, most commonly, consensus consists in all agents converging to a common equilibrium point. For nonholonomic vehicles, which move on a Cartesian plane and occupy a physical space, it is more appropriate to speak of consensus‐based formation, which implies that the vehicles are required to converge to a relative position in a given formation while, distributively, agreeing on the center of such formation and on their orientation. In this paper we solve such a problem via a smooth, time‐varying, output‐feedback control; more precisely, without velocity measurements. In addition, and this is our main contribution, the controller is designed to satisfy pre‐imposed bounds to avoid input saturation. To the best of the authors' knowledge this is the first controller that solves the consensus‐based formation problem in networks of nonholonomic vehicles via a bounded, output‐feedback controller. The paper also provides a simulation comparison between our proposal and its unbounded counterpart. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The commitment ability of governments is neither infinite nor zero but intermediate. In this paper, we determine the commitment ability that a government needs to implement a unique equilibrium outcome and rule out self‐fulfilling expectations. We show that, in a large class of static macroeconomic games, the government can obtain a unique equilibrium with any low level of commitment ability. We finally derive implications for models of bailouts and capital taxation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study estimates the potential implications of the implementation of African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement for Ghana in terms of trade, welfare and revenue effects. By applying the WITS‐SMART simulation model on 2018 disaggregated international trade data, the paper finds that total trade effects in Ghana are likely to surge by US$ 148.3 million while promoting consumers' welfare by US$ 8.597 million. However, revenue losses are imminent as the country might experience a drop in tariff revenue of US$ 8.604 million. Overall, the free trade area is expected to improve on the country's trade balance as exports are envisaged to outweigh imports. In order to mitigate the revenue losses, the paper recommends that the country keep substantial portion of tariff lines for sensitive and excluded products over a longer period during the liberalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gross National Happiness (GNH), a concept first introduced by Bhutan, has gained immense traction as an alternate development paradigm to GDP toward achieving wholesome global progress. In this paper, we investigate the origins of the policy of GNH, through the theoretical lens of the punctuated equilibrium theory (PET), and when and how GNH came to the national agenda. By focusing on the year 2008, that is, when Bhutan's Government transitioned from an absolute monarchy to a democratic constitutional monarchy, this paper analyses the key events that serve as policy windows and the policy entrepreneurs responsible for agenda‐setting the policy of GNH. We argue there is a major change, such as, the government changing its form from monarchy to democracy, it is a definitive benchmark as to what punctuation means. In addition to providing a definitive meaning of "punctuation" in public policy, we also identify and discuss the key methodological issues in relation PET and offer explanations through Bhutan's policy of GNH to determine policy punctuation and measuring policy change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We provide a shorter proof of the main result in Reny and Perry (2006, Econometrica) by establishing a lower semicontinuity property of auctions as the number of traders goes to infinity, leveraging existence of equilibria in the limit auction. Our proof also eliminates two of the assumptions in their paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a general study of a contest modeled as a multiplayer incomplete‐information, all‐pay auction with sequential entry. The contest consists of multiple periods. Players arrive and exert efforts sequentially to compete for a prize. They observe the efforts made by their earlier opponents, but not those of their contemporaneous or future rivals. We establish the existence and uniqueness of a symmetric perfect Bayesian equilibrium (PBE) and fully characterize the equilibrium. Based on the equilibrium result, we show that a later mover always secures a larger ex ante expected payoff. Further, we endogenize the timing of moves and show that all players choose to move in the last period in the unique equilibrium that survives iterated elimination of strictly dominated strategies (IESDS). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The protection of wireless sensor networks (WSN) against malware attacks is crucial. The paper discusses the issue of malware attacks in WSN, which are commonly used for monitoring and surveillance in various applications. Due to resource constraints, sensor nodes in WSN are vulnerable to malware attacks, which can spread rapidly and paralyze the network. The development of new technologies such as IoT, Industry 4.0 has increased the importance of WSN, and it has become essential to address the challenges posed by the resource‐constrained nature of sensor nodes and security concerns. In this paper, a model is considered with two exposed states to investigate the behaviour of malware spreading in WSN, and a SE1E2IR (Susceptible—Exposed State 1 ‐ Exposed State 2 ‐ Infectious—Recovered) model is proposed. The model is formulated as a system of differential equations, and its equilibrium and stability are examined. The basic reproduction number (R0) is also calculated as a key parameter that characterizes the spread of malware in the network. This parameter helps to identify the conditions under which the network will remain malware‐free or when it will experience an outbreak of malware. The proposed model provides a mechanism for the earlier detection of malware occurrences in WSN, and also discusses the effect of connectivity and coverages on the propagation of malware in the network. The paper also includes a comparative study of the proposed model with existing models; extensive theoretical study and computation analysis are performed to validate the proposed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes partial ownership arrangements in a heterogenous‐goods duopoly market with subsequent two‐part tariff licensing. The equilibrium under patent licensing is inefficient in the sense that there is an excessive concentration of production in the licensor. A partial ownership arrangement, under which the low‐cost firm holds a partial interest in the high‐cost firm, decreases the competitive incentives of the low‐cost firm. In addition, it decreases the equilibrium royalty rate under patent licensing. Both effects contribute to the improvement of the production distribution in the duopoly market. Consequently, a partial acquisition occurring before patent licensing may be both profitable and welfare‐improving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the interest in the development of highly concentrated electrolyte solutions for battery applications has increased enormously. Such electrolyte solutions are typically characterized by a low flammability, a high thermal and electrochemical stability and by the formation of a stable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) in contact to electrode materials. However, the classification of concentrated electrolyte solutions in terms of the classical scheme "strong" or "weak" has been controversially discussed in the literature. In this paper, a comprehensive theoretical framework is presented for a more general classification, which is based on a comparison of charge transport and mass transport. By combining the Onsager transport formalism with linear response theory, center‐of‐mass fluctuations and collective translational dipole fluctuations of the ions in equilibrium are related to transport properties in a lithium‐ion battery cell, namely mass transport, charge transport and Li+ transport under anion‐blocking conditions. The relevance of the classification approach is substantiated by showing that i) it is straightforward to classify highly concentrated electrolytes and that ii) both fast charge transport and fast mass transport are indispensable for achieving fast Li+ transport under anion‐blocking conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the boundedness, persistence, and global stability of the equilibrium point and rate of convergence of positive solutions of the exponential form of a system of difference equations xn+1=α1+e−γ1xn+δ1ynβ1+γ1xn+δ1ynyn+1=α2+e−γ2yn+δ2znβ2+γ2yn+δ2znzn+1=α3+e−γ3zn+δ3xnβ3+γ3zn+δ3xn,$$ \left.\begin{array}{ll}{x}_{n+1}& =\frac{\alpha_1+{e}^{-\left({\gamma}_1{x}_n+{\delta}_1{y}_n\right)}}{\beta_1+{\gamma}_1{x}_n+{\delta}_1{y}_n}\\ {}{y}_{n+1}& =\frac{\alpha_2+{e}^{-\left({\gamma}_2{y}_n+{\delta}_2{z}_n\right)}}{\beta_2+{\gamma}_2{y}_n+{\delta}_2{z}_n}\\ {}{z}_{n+1}& =\frac{\alpha_3+{e}^{-\left({\gamma}_3{z}_n+{\delta}_3{x}_n\right)}}{\beta_3+{\gamma}_3{z}_n+{\delta}_3{x}_n},\end{array}\right\} $$ where α1,α2,α3,β1,β2,β3,γ1,γ2,γ3,δ1,δ2,δ3$$ {\alpha}_1,{\alpha}_2,{\alpha}_3,{\beta}_1,{\beta}_2,{\beta}_3,{\gamma}_1,{\gamma}_2,{\gamma}_3,{\delta}_1,{\delta}_2,{\delta}_3 $$ are constants and x0,y0,z0$$ {x}_0,{y}_0,{z}_0 $$ are initial values. Furthermore, some numerical examples are also given, which support our theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we apply the second‐order averaging theory for obtaining an explicit expression of the small amplitude periodic solution that bifurcates from a zero‐Hopf equilibrium point of a tritrophic food chain model. This model considers logistic growth rate for the lowest trophic level, Holling functional responses type III for the middle and for the highest level. We first prove that this model has a zero‐Hopf equilibrium point, after we show that from this equilibrium bifurcates a small limit cycle, and finally, we provide the explicit expression of the first two terms in the power series of this limit cycle. These differential systems for which the equilibrium point is non hyperbolic are not easy to study, in particular, if the equilibrium is zero‐Hopf. As far as we know, this is the first time that the averaging theory has been used to exhibit the first and second terms of the power series expansion of the analytical expression of a limit cycle that bifurcates from a zero‐Hopf equilibrium in the food chain models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the framework of quasi‐regular strongly local Dirichlet form (E,D(E))$(\mathcal {E},D(\mathcal {E}))$ on L2(X;m)$L^2(X;\mathfrak {m})$ admitting minimal E$\mathcal {E}$‐dominant measure μ$\mu$, we construct a natural p$p$‐energy functional (Ep,D(Ep))$(\mathcal {E}^{\,p},D(\mathcal {E}^{\,p}))$ on Lp(X;m)$L^p(X;\mathfrak {m})$ and (1,p)$(1,p)$‐Sobolev space (H1,p(X),∥·∥H1,p)$(H^{1,p}(X),\Vert \cdot \Vert _{H^{1,p}})$ for p∈]1,+∞[$p\in]1,+\infty [$. In this paper, we establish the Clarkson‐type inequality for (H1,p(X),∥·∥H1,p)$(H^{1,p}(X),\Vert \cdot \Vert _{H^{1,p}})$. As a consequence, (H1,p(X),∥·∥H1,p)$(H^{1,p}(X),\Vert \cdot \Vert _{H^{1,p}})$ is a uniformly convex Banach space, hence it is reflexive. Based on the reflexivity of (H1,p(X),∥·∥H1,p)$(H^{1,p}(X),\Vert \cdot \Vert _{H^{1,p}})$, we prove that (generalized) normal contraction operates on (Ep,D(Ep))$(\mathcal {E}^{\,p},D(\mathcal {E}^{\,p}))$, which has been shown in the case of various concrete settings, but has not been proved for such a general framework. Moreover, we prove that (1,p)$(1,p)$‐capacity Cap1,p(A)<∞${\rm Cap}_{1,p}(A)<\infty$ for open set A$A$ admits an equilibrium potential eA∈D(Ep)$e_A\in D(\mathcal {E}^{\,p})$ with 0≤eA≤1$0\le e_A\le 1$m$\mathfrak {m}$‐a.e. and eA=1$e_A=1$m$\mathfrak {m}$‐a.e. on A$A$. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider the instability of a constant equilibrium solution in a general activator–inhibitor (depletion) model with passive diffusion, cross‐diffusion, and nonlocal terms. It is shown that nonlocal terms produce linear stability or instability, and the system may generate spatial patterns under the effect of passive diffusion and cross‐diffusion. Moreover, we analyze the existence of bifurcating solutions to the general model using the bifurcation theory. At last, the theoretical results are applied to the spatial water–biomass system combined with cross‐diffusion and nonlocal grazing and Holling–Tanner predator–prey model with nonlocal prey competition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is devoted to analyze the zero‐Hopf bifurcation of a generalized three‐dimensional (3D) jerk system, the jerk function of this system has all quadratic and cubic terms. Due to the averaging method of second order, we show that at most three periodic orbits bifurcate form the zero‐Hopf equilibrium point of this jerk system, and this upper bound is sharp. Furthermore, by using the averaging method of third order, we show that three is also the maximal number of periodic orbits bifurcate from this zero‐Hopf equilibrium point. Finally, the numerical method is used to justify the theoretical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Forecasting changes in species distribution under future scenarios is one of the most prolific areas of application for species distribution models (SDMs). However, no consensus yet exists on the reliability of such models for drawing conclusions on species' distribution response to changing climate. In this study, we provide an overview of common modelling practices in the field and assess the reliability of model predictions using a virtual species approach. Location: Global. Methods: We first review papers published between 2015 and 2019. Then, we use a virtual species approach and three commonly applied SDM algorithms (GLM, MaxEnt and random forest) to assess the estimated and actual predictive performance of models parameterized with different modelling settings and violations of modelling assumptions. Results: Most SDM papers relied on single models (65%) and small samples (N < 50, 62%), used presence‐only data (85%), binarized models' output (74%) and used a split‐sample validation (94%). Our simulation reveals that the split‐sample validation tends to be over‐optimistic compared to the real performance, whereas spatial block validation provides a more honest estimate, except when datasets are environmentally biased. The binarization of predicted probabilities of presence reduces models' predictive ability considerably. Sample size is one of the main predictors of the real model accuracy, but has little influence on estimated accuracy. Finally, the inclusion of ecologically irrelevant predictors and the violation of modelling assumptions increases estimated accuracy but decreases real accuracy of model projections, leading to biased estimates of range contraction and expansion. Main conclusions: Our ability to predict future species distribution is low on average, particularly when models' predictions are binarized. A robust validation by spatially independent samples is required, but does not rule out inflation of model accuracy by assumption violation. Our findings call for caution in the application and interpretation of SDM projections under different climates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper generalizes the concept of Bayes' correlated equilibrium Bergemann and Morris (2016) to multistage games. We apply our characterization results to a number of illustrative examples and applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we theoretically and empirically analyze the impact of competition on poverty. We consider a general equilibrium framework with vertical preferences and compare poverty in a Monopoly setting versus a Duopoly setting considering explicitly the ownership structure. Poverty is measured by the size of the population living below an absolute poverty line. Theoretical results show that the impact of competition on poverty is contingent to the ownership structure, the poverty line and the relative dispersion of the individuals with respect to their intensity of preference for quality and sensitivity to effort: competition can improve or worsen poverty depending on the model's parameters. Empirical findings for the three existing poverty lines ($1.9, $3.2, and $5.5) are consistent to a large extent with our theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper estimates the economic effects of different types of restrictions on trade and immigration in the United Kingdom after Brexit. Regarding trade restrictions, we focus on UK–EU increases in tariffs and non‐tariff barriers. We also analyse the removal of all tariffs in the UK to all its trading partners. Concerning immigration, we run a 5‐year cumulative annual reduction in net migrants by 87,000 workers following OECD estimations, which looks realistic even if there is a hard Brexit. The study is conducted using a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model, which allows us to estimate the impact on GDP, welfare, wages and capital remuneration, together with the evolution of aggregate and sectoral output, exports and imports. We obtain a more sizeable negative impact on the UK than other previous influential studies. Trade restrictions would generate welfare reductions between −0.38% and −1.94% for the UK, while they would be between −0.03% and −0.14% in the EU. This is because the EU is a crucial trade partner for the UK, which cannot be easily substituted through trade with other regions in the world. We simulate the impact of both reductions in net inflows and in the stock of EU migrants, accumulated through 5 years. Migration is compatible with wage increases but puts downward pressure on GDPpc. However, migration restrictions would not compensate the overall GDPpc contractions arising from a hard Brexit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Equilibrium states for geodesic flows over closed rank 1 manifolds were studied recently in Burns, Climenhaga, Fisher, and Thompson [Geom. Funct. Anal. 28 (2018), no. 5, 1209–1259]. For sufficiently regular potentials, it was shown that if the singular set does not carry full pressure, then the equilibrium state is unique. The main result of this paper is that these equilibrium states have the Kolmogorov property. In particular, these measures are mixing of all orders and have positive entropy. For the Bowen‐Margulis measure, we go further and obtain the Bernoulli property from the Kolmogorov property using classic arguments from Ornstein theory. Our argument for the Kolmogorov property is based on an idea due to Ledrappier. We prove uniqueness of equilibrium states on the product of the system with itself. To carry this out, we develop techniques for uniqueness of equilibrium states which apply in the presence of the 2‐dimensional center direction which appears for a product of flows. This is a key technical challenge of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider a diffusive predator–prey model with spatial memory of prey and gestation delay of predator. For the system without delays, we study the stability of the positive equilibrium in the case of diffusion and no diffusion, respectively. For the delayed model without diffusions, the existence of Hopf bifurcation is discussed. Further, we investigate the stability switches of the model with delays and diffusions when two delays change simultaneously by calculating the stability switching curves and obtain the existence of Hopf bifurcation. We also calculate the normal form of Hopf bifurcation to determine the direction of Hopf bifurcation and the stability of bifurcation periodic solutions. Finally, numerical simulations verify the theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the literature on dynamic general equilibrium models that incorporate noncompliant behaviors. It organizes contributions according to selected dimensions that denote important pillars of the macroeconomic literature and that are relevant to explaining the nature and role of non‐compliant behaviors. These pillars are business cycles, macroeconomic policies, labor markets, income inequality, and financial factors. Starting with studies from the early 2000s, when general equilibrium models first began to include noncompliant behaviors, our study provides a temporal excursus on the evolution of the phenomenon in this literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces and analyzes sequentially stable outcomes in extensive‐form games. An outcome ω is sequentially stable if, for any ε > 0 and any small enough perturbation of the players' behavior, there is an ε‐perturbation of the players' payoffs and a corresponding equilibrium with outcome close to ω. Sequentially stable outcomes exist for all finite games and are outcomes of sequential equilibria. They are closely related to stable sets of equilibria and satisfy versions of forward induction, iterated strict equilibrium dominance, and invariance to simultaneous moves. In signaling games, sequentially stable outcomes pass the standard selection criteria, and when payoffs are generic, they coincide with outcomes of stable sets of equilibria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Education professionals, such as teachers, policymakers, and school leaders, come to ethical deliberation with diverse views based not only on their different role obligations but also on different epistemic and moral norms. In this paper Daniella Forster argues that mental normativity — the ethics of belief — has professional implications especially significant in education, given the narrowing of teacher education and the polarization of public discourse about educational issues. Using case studies may be useful method for increasing interpersonal reflective equilibrium about ethical issues in education; moreover, Forster suggests here that the moral evaluation of belief practices may also be amendable. Readers are invited to consider how generating insights into the moral evaluation of diverse beliefs and belief practices in education provides additional conceptual tools for elevating public dialogue through normative case‐based dilemmas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: "Herd immunity" became a contested term during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Although the term "herd immunity" is often used to refer to thresholds at which some diseases can be eliminated (e.g., due to mass vaccination), the term has multiple referents. Different concepts of herd immunity have been relevant throughout the history of immunology and infectious disease epidemiology. For some diseases, herd immunity plays a role in the development of an endemic equilibrium, rather than elimination via threshold effects. Methods: We reviewed academic literature from 1920 to 2022, using historical and philosophical analysis to identify and develop relevant concepts of herd immunity. Results: This paper analyses the ambiguity surrounding the concept of herd immunity during the pandemic. We argue for the need to recapture a long‐standing interpretation of this concept as one of the factors that leads to a dynamic endemic equilibrium between a host population and a mutating respiratory pathogen. Conclusions: Informed by the history of infectious disease epidemiology, we argue that understanding the concept in this way will help us manage both SARS‐CoV‐2 and hundreds of other seasonal respiratory pathogens with which we live but which have been disrupted due to sustained public health measures/non‐pharmaceutical interventions targeting SARS‐CoV‐2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents various examples of two‐player submodular or supermodular contest games. Emphasizing the three main elements of a contest model, our examples revolve around situations where (i) contest success function allows for a draw, (ii) winning prize is not exogenously given but rather jointly produced, or (iii) individual effort cost also depends on the rival's effort. We then illustrate how submodularity and supermodularity can be used to study the existence of equilibrium, the order structure of the equilibrium set, and monotone comparative statics in such contest game examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a global dynamic general equilibrium model with foreign direct investment (FDI) and technology capital, this paper finds that the EU–China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) could bring modest but nonnegligible benefits to both sides. Under an illustrative scenario in which the CAI increases the degree of openness to bilateral FDI by 10%, the EU's FDI to China could rise by a factor of 3–4 and China's FDI to the EU by a factor of 3. These would generate a gain in the steady‐state gross national product (GNP) of 0.23% for China and 0.73% for the EU. The cumulative household welfare gain in the present value term is equivalent to 0.36% and 0.13% of GNP annually for China and the EU, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diethylenetriaminecobalt(II), [Co(DETA)2]2+, formed by diethylenetriamine (DETA) coordinating with Co(II) ion, can be used to remove NO from flue gas. Diethylenetriaminecobalt(II) is capable of binding NO to form metal nitroso complexes. The determination of the equilibrium constant of the reaction between [Co(DETA)2]2+ and NO is important to the development of the technology for the elimination of NO from exhausted gas streams with diethylenetriaminecobalt solution. In this paper, the equilibrium constants of this reaction have been determined by a series of experiments in a bubble reactor at the range of 30–70°C under atmospheric pressure in the [Co(DETA)2]2+ solution of pH 7.5. All experimental data are in good agreement with the following equation: KT=1.8619×10−6exp4677.52TL⋅mol−1, where the changes in enthalpy and entropy are ΔH0 = −38.89 kJ ⋅ mol−1 and ΔS0 = −109.7 J ⋅ K−1 ⋅ mol−1, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the existence of a Nash‐type equilibrium for a non‐potential nonlinear system by combining variational methods with the monotonicity approach. The advance over existing research is that we can consider systems of Dirichlet problems in which the operator is not necessarily linear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fiber orientation deviation is a typical defect type in carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites (CFRPs) manufacturing process. Unlike other defect types, fiber orientation deviation has minimal influence on the local conductivity of CFRPs, so it is difficult to be detected by eddy current (EC) detection methods. Based on the principle of eddy‐current equilibrium, a new method is proposed in this paper to improve the sensitivity of fiber orientation detection. In this method, an EC field with eddy‐current equilibrium distribution inside the specimen is excited by means of a special double D‐shaped probe. When there is a deviation from the fiber orientation, the eddy‐current equilibrium state is broken, resulting in a rapid increase in the intensity and distribution range of the induced EC inside the specimen, and finally lead to a drastic change in the probe signal. The experimental results show that the double D‐shaped probe with an eddy‐current equilibrium effect can detect the fiber orientation of CFRPs, and the changes in fiber orientation can cause up to a 423.1% variation in the probe signal. Compared with the traditional rectangular probe, the designed probe is more sensitive than the former to small changes in fiber orientation in the range of −20° to 20° under high frequency excitation above 3 MHz. In addition, the proposed method can also be used for rapidly identifying fiber waviness with a deviation angle of 7.4° inside unidirectional CFRPs, which can be achieved effectively and intuitively through defect imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores how the formation and stability of international environmental agreements vary with two often adopted mechanisms: imitating‐the‐best‐average and imitating‐the‐best‐total rules. We first show that the possible long‐run equilibria of two dynamics are the same. They are countries' full participation, no‐participation, and the two equilibria combined. However, the occurring conditions of these equilibria under two dynamics may differ. Then, we prove that countries' full participation is more likely to be long‐run equilibrium in international environmental agreements when imitating‐the‐best‐average rule is adopted. Moreover, all findings of this study hold whatever the function forms of countries' abnoatement benefits and costs are, and are unaffected by the positive affine transformation of countries' total payoffs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The P–V characteristics of photovoltaic (PV) array exhibit multiple peaks during partial shading conditions (PSCs). Traditional maximum power point tracking (MPPT) approaches are unable to locate the global power point and frequently converge to the local power point. In recent years, evolutionary techniques have given a satisfactory result by tracking global maximum power point (GMPP) but at the cost of ample memory storage and computational burden. Therefore, this paper proposes an improved equilibrium optimization (IEO) technique to track maximum power from the solar photovoltaic system under PSC. The reduced search space exploration by using the skipping method is implemented to improve the convergence speed. The proposed IEO algorithm is capable of differentiating between uniform shading, different PSCs, and solar intensity variation with fast tracking speed. Similarly, the proposed algorithm has been compared with deterministic Jaya (DM‐Jaya), crow search algorithm (CSA), and equilibrium optimization (EO) algorithms. The effectiveness of the proposed IEO technique‐based MPPT has been validated through simulations and experiments. The results demonstrate the capability of IEO in tracking GMPP with an average efficiency of 99.72% and average tracking time of 0.708 s. Further, the proposed algorithm has been implemented for grid integration under PSC. The results reveal that the proposed method has high PV tracking efficiency, negligible steady‐state error, a low MPPT period, and a quick convergence velocity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perturbations are ubiquitous in metabolism. A central tool to understand and control their influence on metabolic networks is sensitivity analysis, which investigates how the network responds to external perturbations. We follow here a structural approach: the analysis is based on the network stoichiometry only and it does not require any quantitative knowledge of the reaction rates. We consider perturbations of reaction rates and metabolite concentrations, at equilibrium, and we investigate the responses in the network. For general metabolic systems, this paper focuses on the sign of the responses, that is, whether a response is positive, negative or whether its sign depends on the parameters of the system. In particular, we identify and describe the subnetworks that are the main players in the sign description. These subnetworks are associated to certain kernel vectors of the stoichiometric matrix and are thus independent from the chosen kinetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the acid-base behavior of OATA, an oligomer synthesized from 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole (ATA). We analyze the UV-vis spectroscopy at different media, and we analyze and discuss the acid-base equilibria taking into account tautomeric equilibria at different pH. The low aqueous solubility at neutral pH can be attributed to the neutral form. Indeed, OATA was synthesized in an ordinary filter paper, which can be used as a sensor for ammonia as well as endpoint indication. Using the OATA-containing paper, ammonia concentrations in a solution as low as 5 ppm could be measured. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recent paper by Faria ( Bulletin of Economic Research, 57 (2005), pp. 1–12) deals with the interplay between editors and authors. This research is a welcome addition to the literature on formal analyses of academic markets. This note points out a potential discrepancy in Faria's derivation of the equilibrium journal quality and clarifies the conditions under which journal quality responds to changes in editor's impatience and in author's impatience. Specifically, the effect of a change in author's impatience on journal quality is shown to be not unambiguous. Some implications of these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we develop a unified variational inequality framework in the context of spatial price network equilibrium problems that handles multiple products with multiple demand and supply markets in multiple countries as well as multiple transportation routes. The model incorporates a plethora of distinct trade measures, which is particularly important in the pandemic, as PPEs and other essential products are in high demand, but short in supply globally. In the model, product flows as well as prices at the supply markets and the demand markets in different countries are variables that allows us to seamlessly introduce various trade measures, including tariffs, quotas, as well as price floors and ceilings. Qualitative properties are analyzed. Numerical examples are provided to illustrate the impacts of the trade measures on equilibrium product path and link flows, and on prices, and demand and supply quantities. Given the relevance of the trade measures in the world today and discussions concerning the impacts, the framework constructed in this paper is especially timely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This paper analyses the consequences of young researchers' scientific choice on the dynamics of sciences. We develop a simple two state mean field game model to analyse the competition between two paradigms based on Kuhn's theory of scientific revolution. The dynamics of the model are driven by the scientific choice of young researchers at the beginning of their career. Despite the possibility of multiple equilibria, the model exhibits at least one stable solution in which both para digms coexist. The occurrence of shocks on the parameters may induce the shift from one paradigm to the other. During this shift, researchers' choice is proved to be having a great impact on the evolution of sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Convective aggregation is an important atmospheric phenomenon which frequently occurs in idealized models in radiative‐convective equilibrium (RCE), where the effects of land, rotation, sea surface temperature gradients, and the diurnal cycle are often removed. This aggregation is often triggered and maintained by self‐generated radiatively driven circulations, for which longwave feedbacks are essential. Many questions remain over how important the driving processes of aggregation in idealized models are in the real atmosphere. We approach this question by adding a continentally sized, idealized tropical rainforest island into an RCE model to investigate how land‐sea contrasts impact convective aggregation and its mechanisms. We show that convection preferentially forms over the island persistently in our simulation. This is forced by a large‐scale, thermally driven circulation. First, a sea‐breeze circulation is triggered by the land‐sea thermal contrast, driven by surface sensible heating. This sea‐breeze circulation triggers convection which then generates longwave heating anomalies. Through mechanism denial tests we find that removing the longwave feedbacks reduces the large‐scale effects of aggregation but does not prevent aggregation from occurring, and thus we highlight there must be another process aiding the aggregation of convection. We also show, by varying the island size, that the aggregated convective cluster appears to have a maximum spatial extent of O $\mathcal{O}$(10,000 km). These results highlight that the mechanisms of idealized aggregation remain relevant when land is included in the model, and therefore these mechanisms could help us understand convective organization in the real world. Plain Language Summary: Large tropical storm clouds can cluster together to form organized systems, which are associated with extreme precipitation within the cloudy region, and very dry conditions away from the cloudy region. These systems, called organized deep convection, are often studied in simplified models of the atmosphere where the land, Earth's rotation, and variations in sea‐surface temperature are removed. In this paper we take a step toward reality and look at how including a large, idealized island in a simplified model affects how convection clusters. We show that convective clouds group together over the land throughout our model simulations. We investigate the processes driving this and find that surface flux feedbacks dominate early in the simulations. The feedbacks maintaining the convective aggregation are more complex. We find there is an important role for the longwave feedbacks, but that there must be another necessary process also aiding the clustering process. Our results highlight that the processes in highly idealized modeling studies seem to be relevant in more realistic models, and thus could help us understand how convection organizes in the real world. However, we also conclude it is important that follow‐up work investigates the remaining additional feedbacks to gain a more complete understanding. Key Points: Convection preferentially aggregates over land in a global radiative‐convective equilibrium simulationA global land‐centered circulation drives the aggregation and is triggered through surface fluxes, but maintained through longwave fluxesThe land‐based convective cluster appears to have a maximum spatial scale of O $\mathcal{O}$(10,000 km) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate a well‐balanced and positive‐preserving nonstaggered central scheme, which has second‐order accuracy on both time and spatial scales, for open‐channel flows with the variable channel width and the nonflat bottom. We perform piecewise linear reconstructions of the conserved variables and energy as well as discretize the source term using the property that the energy remains constant, so that the complex source term and the flux can be precisely balanced so as to maintain the steady state. The scheme also ensures that the cross‐sectional wet area is positive by introducing a draining time‐step technique. Numerical experiments demonstrate that the scheme is capable of accurately maintaining both the still steady‐state solutions and the moving steady‐state solutions, simultaneously. Moreover, the scheme has the ability to accurately capture small perturbations of the moving steady‐state solution and avoids generating spurious oscillations. It is also capable of showing that the scheme is positive‐preserving and robust in solving the dam‐break problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the stability problem and large‐time behavior for the 3D Boussinesq equations with mixed partial kinematic viscosity and thermal diffusivity near one equilibrium, i.e., (U(0),Θ(0))=((0,0,0),βx3)$$ \left({U}&#x0005E;{(0)},{\Theta}&#x0005E;{(0)}\right)&#x0003D;\left(\left(0,0,0\right),\beta {x}_3\right) $$ with β=1$$ \beta &#x0003D;1 $$ (where β$$ \beta $$ is chosen to be large, e.g., satisfying the well‐known Miles‐Howard criterion). These problems can be extremely difficult due to the equations lack of full dissipation. Our results are twofold. In the first place, we establish the global H2$$ {H}&#x0005E;2 $$ and H3$$ {H}&#x0005E;3 $$ stability for the nonlinear system with seven different partially dissipated systems of Boussinesq equations. In the second place, we derive precise large‐time behavior for the linearized system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phenomenon brake squeal has been an ongoing topic for decades, both in the automotive industry and in science. Although there is agreement on the excitation mechanism of brake squeal, namely self‐excitation due to frictional forces between the disk and the pad, in the subject of squeal it is very complex to discover all relevant effects and to take them into account. Several of these problems are related to nonlinearities, for example, in the contact between pad and disk or drum or in the behavior of the brake pad material. One of these nonlinear effects, which has been almost completely neglected so far, is that the brake can engage, mainly due to the bushing and joint elements within the brake, different equilibrium positions. This in fact has serious influence on the noise behavior as shown in experimental studies. For example, it is observed in experiments that, despite identical operating parameters, squeal sometimes occurs and sometimes not. In initial experimental studies, this could be related to the engaged equilibrium position. Following these experimental studies, the present paper introduces a minimal model by extending the well‐known minimal model by Hoffmann et al. by corresponding elements and nonlinearities allowing the system to engage different equilibrium positions. As will be presented, the stability behavior strongly depends on the engaged equilibrium position. Therefore, the minimal model represents the key experimentally observed issues. Additionally, a limit cycle behavior can also be observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a novel equilibrium model for analyzing behaviors of the electric retailers under competitive environment. In the deregulated electricity retail market, the retailers purchase the electricity power and sell it to consumers at the competitive prices. According to their risk attitudes, the retailers optimize the selling prices and the purchase allocation between a day‐ahead market and forward contracts. Without the regulation, an equilibrium by those selfish decision‐making processes of multiple retailers would cause an adverse impact on the electricity market and also the power system. From stable and economical viewpoints, it is important to analyze the unfavorable equilibrium. The selfish behaviors of retailers are modeled as an equilibrium problem with equilibrium constraints in this paper and formulated as a mixed integer linear programming problem to obtain a generalized Nash equilibrium by commercial solvers efficiently. Through computational examples, the proposed model and formulation are validated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a model for exploring the relationships between the stakeholder management theory (SMT) and the firm system theory (FST) which are interpreted from an ethical perspective. FST forms part of the Italian economia aziendale or business administration studies. The author proposes to include SMT in an ethical application of FST (EFST, ethical firm system theory), where ethical duties are considered to be strictly linked to the management of the firm system (mutatis mutandis, such as production, marketing, finance and so on). Such a metaphorical merger is useful for many purposes. In particular, this paper focuses on the use of EFST to tackle three important and critical ethical points of SMT (the dichotomy between economic success and ethics, stakeholder engagement and ethical responsibility and competition in a cooperative, but not corporatist context), without changing the essential nature of the managerial idea underlying SMT, but inserting it in EFST with mutual benefits for both approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It must be noted also that, while in the exposition of the multi-sector model we have an integrated labor market, in the calibration we consider fully segmented labor markets (see footnote 36). We want to provide a framework for oligopoly in general equilibrium that allows for firms which have a diversified ownership to have market power in both product and labor markets. [Extracted from the article]

[Gd(HP‐DO3A)] (gadoteridol) as an active compound of ProHance® is a widely employed contrast agent in clinical MRI scans in the last 30 years. Recent concerns about the long‐term retention of gadolinium‐based contrast agents (GBCAs) led to a deeper investigation of the structural features underlying the integrity of the paramagnetic metal complex. Several human and nonclinical studies have noted marked differences among the macrocyclic GBCAs, with the least retention of Gd traces and most rapid elimination consistently being reported for [Gd(HP‐DO3A)]. It was deemed of interest to assess how minor structural/electronic changes associated to the ligand structure may affect basic properties of the metal complex with several [Gd(HP‐DO3A)] analogues synthesized and characterized in the last years. We recently reported that the closest homolog of [Gd(HP‐DO3A)], i. e.: [Gd(HB‐DO3A)], in which a (±)‐2‐hydroxy‐1‐propyl pendant arm is replaced by a (±)‐2‐hydroxy‐1‐butyl moiety, showed a significantly different retention behaviour in the model interaction with collagen, despite the apparently very minor structural difference. In this paper we report a comprehensive study of the structural, thermodynamic, kinetic and relaxation properties of [Gd(HB‐DO3A)], compared to the parent [Gd(HP‐DO3A)] and to other closely related macrocyclic GBCAs to assess whether very minor structural changes can modulate the physico‐chemical properties of Gd3+ complexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]