Chemical Vapor Deposition of Tin Sulfide from Diorganotin(IV) Dixanthates

We report the synthesis and single-crystal X-ray characterization of diphenyltin bis(2-methoxyethylxanthate) and diphenyltin bis(iso-butylxanthate). These xanthates have been used as a single-source precursor to deposit tin chalcogenide thin films by aerosol-assisted chemical vapor deposition. Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction and scanning transmission electron microscope imaging coupled with elemental mapping show that films deposited from diphenyltin bis(iso-butylxanthate) contain orthorhombic SnS, while films deposited from diphenyltin bis(2-methoxyethylxanthate) between 400 and 575 °C form a SnS/SnO2 nanocomposite. In synthesizing the thin films, we have also demonstrated an ability to control the band gap of the materials based on composition and deposition temperature

Novel Xanthate Complexes for the Size Controlled Synthesis of Copper Sulfide Nanorods

We present a simple, easily scalable route to monodisperse copper sulfide nanocrystals by the hot injection of a series of novel copper­(I) xanthate single-source precursors [(PPh₃)₂Cu­(S₂COR)] (R = isobutyl, 2-methoxyethyl, 2-ethoxyethyl, 1-methoxy-2-propyl, 3-methoxy-1-butyl, and 3-methoxy-3-methyl-1-butyl), whose crystal structures are also reported. We show that the width of the obtained rods is dependent on the length of the xanthate chain, which we rationalize through a computational study, where we show that there is a relationship between the ground-state energy of the precursor and the copper sulfide rod width

Point-of-care screening for a current Hepatitis C virus infection: influence on uptake of a concomitant offer of HIV screening

Eliminating hepatitis C as a public health threat requires an improved understanding of how to increase testing uptake. We piloted point-of-care testing (POCT) for a current HCV infection in an inner-city Emergency Department (ED) and assessed the influence on uptake of offering concomitant screening for HIV. Over four months, all adults attending ED with minor injuries were first invited to complete an anonymous questionnaire then invited to test in alternating cycles offering HCV POCT or HCV+HIV POCT. Viral RNA was detected in finger-prick blood by GeneXpert. 814/859 (94.8%) questionnaires were returned and 324/814 (39.8%) tests were accepted, comprising 211 HCV tests and 113 HCV+HIV tests. Offering concomitant HIV screening reduced uptake after adjusting for age and previous HCV testing (odds ratio 0.51; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.38–0.68; p < 0.001). HCV prevalence was 1/324 (0.31%; 95% CI 0.05–1.73); no participant tested positive for HIV. 167/297 (56.2%) POCT participants lived in the most deprived neighbourhoods in England. HCV RNA testing using finger-prick blood was technically feasible. Uptake was moderate and the offer of concomitant HIV screening showed a detrimental impact on acceptability in this low prevalence population. The findings should be confirmed in a variety of other community settings

Bayesian Variable Selection in Cost-Effectiveness Analysis

Linear regression models are often used to represent the cost and effectiveness of medical treatment. The covariates used may include sociodemographic variables, such as age, gender or race; clinical variables, such as initial health status, years of treatment or the existence of concomitant illnesses; and a binary variable indicating the treatment received. However, most studies estimate only one model, which usually includes all the covariates. This procedure ignores the question of uncertainty in model selection. In this paper, we examine four alternative Bayesian variable selection methods that have been proposed. In this analysis, we estimate the inclusion probability of each covariate in the real model conditional on the data. Variable selection can be useful for estimating incremental effectiveness and incremental cost, through Bayesian model averaging, as well as for subgroup analysis

Numerical and experimental studies of a capillary-tube embedded PCM component for improving indoor thermal environment

This paper aims to analyse the thermal characteristics of a novel system of Capillary Tubes embedded in a Phase Change Material (CT-PCM) as part of active building environmental design for energy conservation and the improvement of indoor thermal environment. The CT-PCM system is proposed based on the concept that low-grade energy utilisation potential could be harnessed and maximised by buildings’ radiant heating/cooling systems and phase change material. The CT-PCM component is first built in the laboratory, and the thermal characteristics of the CT-PCM are investigated through a set of thermal response experiments. In addition, a simplified model is developed to assess the long-term thermal performance of the CT-PCM system for its application during a strategical system design stage. To ensure the robustness of the numerical model in the assessment of the thermal performance of the system, the developed model is evaluated against the experiments under a set of dynamic thermal boundary conditions. The evaluation process revealed that when the flow rate of thermal fluids in the CT-PCM system is more than 800 ml/min, the simulation results of the proposed simplified model is in a good agreement with the experiment. When the flow rate in the capillary tube is smaller than 800 ml/min, the correction factors are derived to address the non-uniformity of temperature distribution

Profiles of physical, emotional and psychosocial wellbeing in the Lothian birth cohort 1936

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Physical, emotional, and psychosocial wellbeing are important domains of function. The aims of this study were to explore the existence of separable groups among 70-year olds with scores representing physical function, perceived quality of life, and emotional wellbeing, and to characterise any resulting groups using demographic, personality, cognition, health and lifestyle variables.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We used latent class analysis (LCA) to identify possible groups.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Results suggested there were 5 groups. These included High (n = 515, 47.2% of the sample), Average (n = 417, 38.3%), and Poor Wellbeing (n = 37, 3.4%) groups. The two other groups had contrasting patterns of wellbeing: one group scored relatively well on physical function, but low on emotional wellbeing (Good Fitness/ Low Spirits,n = 60, 5.5%), whereas the other group showed low physical function but relatively well emotional wellbeing (Low Fitness/Good Spirits, n = 62, 5.7%). Salient characteristics that distinguished all the groups included smoking and drinking behaviours, personality, and illness.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Despite there being some evidence of these groups, the results also support a largely one-dimensional construct of wellbeing in old age—for the domains assessed here—though with some evidence that some individuals have uneven profiles.</p

An Optimal Early Warning System for Currency Crises Under Model Uncertainty

This paper assesses several early warning (EWS) models of financial crises to propose a model that can predict the incidence of a currency crisis in developing countries. For this purpose, we employ the dynamic model averaging (DMA), and equal weighting (EW) approaches to combine forecast from individual models allowing for time-varying weights. Taking Egypt as a case study and focusing only on currency crises, our findings show that combined forecast (DMA- and EW-based EWS) to account for uncertainty perform better than other competing models in both in-sample and out-of-sample forecasts

The Stiffness of Steel-Wood-Steel Connection Loaded Parallel to the Grain

In Eurocode 5, the stiffness equation for bolted steel-wood-steel is stated as a function of wood density and fastener diameter only. In this research, an experimental study on various configurations of tested bolted steel-wood-steel (SWS) connections has been undertaken to predict the initial stiffness of each connection. In order to validate the Eurocode 5 stiffness equation, tests on 50 timber specimens (40 glued laminated timbers and 10 laminated veneer lumbers (LVL)) with steel plates were undertaken. The number of bolts was kept similar and the connector diameter, timber thickness, and wood density were varied. The results obtained in the experimental tests are compared with those obtained from the Eurocode 5 stiffness equation. From the analysis, it is signified that the stiffness equation specified in Eurocode 5 for bolted SWS connections does not adequately predict the initial stiffness. The results from Eurocode 5 stiffness equation are very far from the experimental values. The ratio of stiffness equation to experimental results ranges from 3.48 to 4.20, with the average at 3.77, where the equation overpredicted the experimental stiffness value for the connection. There is a need to consider or incorporated other parameters such as geometric configurations in Eurocode 5 stiffness equation to improve the ratio with the experimental data