The Emotional and Relational Correlates of Prosocial Fantasies

Humans are often characterized as selfish creatures, primarily acting to improve their own self-interest with little care or concern for other’s well-being. However, when we asked a sample of 227 adults (M = 37.92, SD = 9.99, 58.1% M, 41.4% F, 0.4% NB) recruited on MTurk if they spend time fantasizing about how they can help others – engaging in prosocial fantasies – a significant majority (62%) reported doing so (X2(1) = 13.33, p < .001). In fact, individuals who reported having prosocial fantasies stated having more than one per day, on average. Prosocial fantasies were most commonly directed towards family members and romantic partners, but some people also reported prosocial fantasies directed at their pets, their community, and sometimes even strangers. Importantly, individuals who reported having more prosocial fantasies were happier (r = .20, p = .02), indicated having more satisfying relationships (r = .36, p < .001), and were more willing to help others in general (r = .21, p = .01). These findings challenge the dominant narrative that humans are selfish actors by showing that a significant majority of people may spend time fantasizing about the ways in which they can help others and offer a new way to consider the link between prosociality and well-being. Faculty Supervisor: Dr. Lara B. Aknin, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser Universit

Failure Mechanisms in Hip Resurfacing Arthroplasty

Hip resurfacing arthroplasty has been a popular alternative for total hip replacement in young active patients since the early 1990s

Investigative Report on the Potential of Forest Stewardship Certification (FSC) as a Marketing Tool through Examining the existence of Price Premiums for FSC certified Timber

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has introduced as international labeling scheme for forest products, which provides a credible guarantee that the product comes from environmentally responsible, socially beneficial and economically viable sustainably managed forest. The demand for certified forest products is on the increase particularly in Europe and UK. However, green labeling or forest certification is a fairly a new concept to Sri Lanka and at present, there are only a handful of companies who are FSC certified. Most companies wish to join FSC scheme are uncertain about the benefits and opportunities they can derive through such scheme. Therefore it was necessary to conduct a survey on the benefits and opportunities mainly from financial perspective that FSC certification would provide a holder. Under the present survey, the views and ideas of representatives from all the FSC certified Sri Lankan wood based export manufacturers and plantation companies as well as parties who have interests in FSC certification scheme were gathered through questioners and interviews. According to the findings of the present survey, price premiums seems to be difficult to find and illusive thing for most plantation companies. At present they do not enjoy any significant financial benefit because of having FSC certification, and they find it difficult to justify the cost of certification. But most of them believed that if the market mechanism is properly worked out and benefits spread through the entire supply chain FSC certified woods can fetch a better price in the market. For plantation companies it’s the high end timber that would bring most financial benefits. Respondents from export manufacturing sector had different views of the role of FSC certification as a marketing tool and the availability of price premiums for certified products. The findings of the survey suggest that some potential for price premiums exists in specific market niches and the financial benefit to the manufacturer depends on the supply chain to the retailer or the end market which the export manufacturer currently joined to. However most companies participated in the survey were disappointed in the present market benefits of certification. Although most local wood based export manufacturers and planters don’t have any significant financial benefit due to FSC certification, they remain optimistic about the future benefits it would bring and they are expecting the situation to be changed in the future. In addition, some respondents viewed FSC certification as a mechanism that can give a competitive advantage over another within the forest products industry. For most of the Sri Lankan wood based export manufacturers, the cost of certification is not an extra burden since they are being sponsored by their respective overseas buyers to obtain the FSC certification. Respondents in this study also indicated that changes in forest management and production process they had to make in obtaining FSC certification were not significant, but FSC certification has improved their management and information systems (documentation) considerably. Most companies suggested that the current standards of FSC scheme should be revised in accordance to the local conditions

Socio-Technological Status of Moratuwa Woodworking Industry

Moratuwa has a long tradition in furniture manufacturing with a substantial population depending directly or indirectly on the wood working industry. This study was conducted to gather socio-technological information with the view of understanding the factors which affect the current trends of the Moratuwa wood working cluster. A sample of 314 out of 1,631 woodworking facilities in Moratuwa, representing five types of wood manufacturing industries were selected for the study. Results revealed that the industry is heavily dependent on Teak (Tectona grandis), followed by Mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), Ginisapu (Michelia champaca) and Lunumidella (Melia azedarach). Majority of the species were originating from forest plantations with natural forest timber species such as Ebony (Diospyros ebenum) and Nedun (Pericopsis mooniana) were less frequently used. Division of labour for furniture manufacturing was observed in Moratumulla, Indibedda, Kadalana and Willorawatta areas. Sawmills were more frequent in Horetuduwa and Koralawella areas. Approximately 57% of the carpentry sheds were home based industries. Majority of the carpentry sheds used basic machineries such as Table saw, Planer, Router, Grill machine, Grinder, Jig saw for furniture manufacturing. Very few carpenters recording a percentage of 3.08% used traditional equipment like “Burumaya (Grill)”, “Yathukataya (Hand planer)” and Hand saw. Frame saw, Band saw and Circular saw were very common in sawmills. However large mills in Moratuwa have a totally integrated production process with advanced saw mills, timber seasoning and treatment facilities. The dominant age category of employees was between 36 and 45 years (42.30%) and 49.66% have had an education up to Ordinary Level. Results further indicated that there is a reduction of the young generation coming to the industry. A percentage of 80.69% employees have acquired skills from onsite training and did not have any formal training in woodworking. Key issues found in this study were the demand reduction due to woodworking entities in other localities in the country, high cost of the quality timber and lack of modern marketing strategies related to woodworking industry. Strategies to develop the efficiency of Moratuwa wood working cluster are further discussed.Keywords: Cluster, Furniture, Socio-technological, Woodworkin

Batch Production of a Potent Small Molecule Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient

Small molecule Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) have become increasingly relevant in cancer treatment due to their efficacy, targeted treatment, and clinical value. Commonly manufactured in a batch pharmaceutical process, APIs must satisfy Critical Quality Attributes (CQAs) including chemical purity and physical properties. This process involves a multitude of steps, components, and equipment that are optimized to produce an API in a timely and cost-efficient manner. Here, we consider the process and facility design of a batch production of Halfaxia, a new potent anti-cancer drug from Johnson & Johnson. The process begins with a reaction of a starting material and a second reagent in tetrahydrofuran (THF). Following reaction completion, THF is exchanged for ethanol in a technique known as solvent swap distillation. Next, the API undergoes dry seed crystallization in ethanol. The crystals are then filtered out using Nutsche filtration and vacuum drying, producing Halfaxia in powder form. The process involves a 4000-Liter jacketed vessel and a Nutsche filter dryer, as well as heat exchangers, pumps, and pressure vessels for storage. The process will produce 184 kg of API in 77 hours with a 99.8% conversion, which satisfies the objective of producing 100 kg of product. The facility is designed to limit operator interaction and exposure to the API and other chemical compounds that are hazardous to human health. This process design has an NPV of $488 million, an ROI of 400%, and an IRR of 332%, which proves to be very profitable. However, due to confidentiality reasons, the costs of research and development, clinical trials, and FDA approval have been ignored. J&J should pursue further laboratory-scale experimentation and re-run the models using confidential data and figures before the company makes a final decision on the implementation of this process

Use of exchange traded derivatives by Canadian pension funds and investment management firms

This study examines the use of exchange traded derivatives by pension funds and investment management firms to explore the factors limiting the growth of Canadian exchange traded derivatives. Using survey data on investment management firms we investigate various aspects of derivatives use by these firms. An interesting finding is that even though a majority of the firms are permitted to use derivatives, only a few actually use them. This result implies that conclusions drawn with data from sources like N-SAR forms, which include information on permission to use different types of derivatives but not the actual use of such instruments, may be unreliable. The statistical analyses performed using the Canadian Pension Fund Investment Manager Database and the Canadian Pension Fund Database demonstrate that derivatives are used by a few large institutional investors with internal expertise and that exchange traded derivatives are less popular among them. We conclude that improved product designs and liquidity in the market may help increase trading on the Montreal Exchange. In addition, we believe that educating investors as well as investment professionals on derivatives is necessary for the development of the Canadian exchange traded derivatives market

Reviewing the preclinical curriculum in a problem based learning driven medical program: Challenges and strategies

In order for medical curricula to remain progressive and contemporary, continuous review is critical to ensure that the learners are directed to achieve the intended goals and become workforce ready. We developed a framework for continuous curriculum review at the School of Medicine Fremantle (The University of Notre Dame Australia), taking the key aspects of a curriculum review process into consideration. In planning and implementing the review process we identified several challenges, including management of metadata, work load on staff members, and evaluation. These challenges were addressed successfully by applying necessary strategies using limited resources. The framework we have developed provides a guide to key stakeholders who are involved in medical curriculum review and development

TIMBER RESOURCES FOR CONSTRUCTION AND WOODEN PRODUCTS SECTOR IN SRI LANKA

Traditionally construction and wooden products sector select naturally growntimber for most of their timber requirements. These include high rated rarehardwood timber species such as mee, satin, wewarana, milia, palu, halmilla,hulanhik, etathimbiri, dun, alubo, liyan and suriyamara. These species are mostlygrown in natural forests and their supplies have now become very limited. Hencetimber industry has to rely on alternative timber species that originate fromsources other than natural forests. Properties that are essential for the introductionof plantation and home gardens species to the market are discussed in this paper.Based on density and strength properties, Eucalyptus grandis, E. microcorys,ginisapu, teak, mahogany and jak are potential construction timbers for the future.Teak is an excellent durable timber however it is very expensive. Mahogany is agood timber for door and window frames and sashes but sapwood of this speciesis susceptible for powder-post beetle and termite attack. Jak is a durabletraditional species but felling and usage of this species has been controlled.Eucalyptus is also a durable timber that can be used in construction. Out of twoEucalyptus species E. microcorys is a better timber in terms of its higher densityand resistance to splitting compared with E. grandis.Wooden products sector includes furniture and export oriented wooden productssuch as toys and wooden components. Albizia, alstonia, lunumidella, pine, rubberand mahogany are some of the potential timbers that can be used in manufacturingthese products. Albizia and lunumidella are used in the manufacture of woodenpanels. However most of these species are not durable, hence they should be usedin interior environments not exposed to water.It is essential to treat non-durable timbers with preservative chemicals before use.For heavy construction and for exterior applications they should be treated bypressure impregnation mehods using CCA (Copper chorme arsenate). For interiorwooden products boron treatment would be adequate. However, results indicatedthat vacuum pressure impregnation method or low cost hot and cold open tankmethod are more successful in treatment of boron compounds compared withcommonly used diffusion methods. Results show low density species such asalbizia, lunumidella, pine, alstonia and rubber can be easily treated with diffusionmethods. However treatability of heavy density timbers such as E. grandis and E.microcorys are low. It is also essential to season these timbers properly beforebeing used.While our short term timber requirements are satisfied with imported species suchas kempus, tualang and balau, it is essential to plan for the local fast growing treespecies discussed in this paper to supply the required timber essential for theconstruction and wooden products sector