Comparison of C═C bond hydrogenation in C-4 unsaturated nitriles over Pt/alumina

The hydrogenation of allyl cyanide (but-1-ene-4-nitrile, AC), trans- and cis-crotononitrile (E- and Z-but-2-ene nitrile, TCN and CCN), and methacrylonitrile (2-cyano-1-propene, MCN) were studied, both singly and competitively, over a Pt/alumina catalyst in the liquid phase. Each unsaturated nitrile only underwent C═C bond hydrogenation: no evidence was found for the formation of the saturated or unsaturated amine. The nonconjugated allyl cyanide was found to be the most reactive unsaturated nitrile. Activation energies for the hydrogenation of the C═C bond in AC and MCN were determined giving values of 64 ± 7 kJ mol–1 for AC and 37 ± 4 kJ mol–1 for MCN. The reaction was zero order for both nitriles. Competitive hydrogenations revealed that not only does allyl cyanide react preferentially over the other isomers but also it inhibits the hydrogenation of the other isomers. When all four nitriles were simultaneously hydrogenated, inhibition effects were easily seen suggesting that in terms of strength of bonding to the surface an order of AC > CCN > TCN ∼ MN can be generated

Short and long-term relationship between physician density on infant mortality: a longitudinal econometric analysis

While countries with higher levels of human resources for health typically have better population health, the evidence that increases in the level of human resources for health leads to improvements in population health is limited. We provide estimates of short-run and long-term effects of physician density on infant mortality. We use a dynamic regression model that allows an estimation of both short- and long-run effects of physician density on infant mortality. We also used instrumental variables analysis to identify the causal effect of physician density on health. We estimate that increasing the number of physicians by one per 1,000 population decreases the infant mortality rate by 15% within five years and by 45% in the long-run. We find all countries are moving towards their own steady state at around 3% a year and are only half way there after 15 years. We conclude that the long-run effects of human resources for health are substantially larger than previously estimated. Our results suggest that health sector inputs can play a role in reducing infant mortality. However, meeting the Millennium Development Goal of reducing child mortality rate by two thirds from 1990 to 2015 would have required much earlier action.Physician density, infant mortality, longitudinal, eocnometric

Reader response research in stylistics

This article introduces the special issue. In it, we argue that research into reader response should be recognised as a vital aspect of contemporary stylistics, and we establish our focus on work which explicitly investigates such responses through the collection and analysis of extra-textual datasets. Reader response research in stylistics is characterised by a commitment to rigorous and evidence-based approaches to the study of readers’ interactions with and around texts, and the application of such datasets in the service of stylistic concerns: to contribute to stylistic textual analysis and/or wider discussion of stylistic theory and methods. We trace the influence of reader response criticism and reception theory on stylistics and discuss the productive dialogues which exist between stylistics and the related fields of the empirical study of literature and naturalistic study of reading. After offering an overview of methods available to reader response researchers and a contextualising survey of existing work, we argue that both experimental and naturalistic methods should be regarded as ‘empirical’, and that stylistics is uniquely positioned to embrace diverse approaches to readers and reading. We summarise contributions to the special issue and the valuable insights they offer into the historical context of reader response research and the way readers perceive and evaluate texts (either poetry or narrative prose). Stylistic reader response research enables both the testing and development of stylistic methods, in accordance with the progressive spirit of the discipline, and also the establishment of new and renewed connections between stylistic research and work in other fields

Creating a Climate to Realize Institutional Diversification Goals: A Phenomenological Study of Campus Diversification Best Practices

This study investigates the diversification plans and goals of four university or college campuses in California examining the insight and perspectives of their respective administrators. Diversification of the institution has been adopted as a strategic plan or mission goal. The investigation analyzes the strides made toward the goal by investigating the efforts of the institutions in the intercultural training of current staff and faculty. Where best practices for diversification of the institution at every level exist, I will review what is being done and contrast those findings with institutions where a diversification goal exists, but training programs for staff members fall short of industry and scholarly recommendations. An initial literature review shows few works dedicated to staff training in the intercultural arena for such institutions. My final goal is to identify best practices when they exist and examine the gaps in training that institutions may face

The creative engineering education imperative for twenty-First century living

Engineering and design in the twentieth century were conventionally taught from opposite ends of an educational spectrum. Engineering education built certainty on a strong foundation of fundamental knowledge, with students engaging with applications only once those fundamentals were ingrained. Design, in contrast, involved challenging certainty, with divergent thinking, experience mapping, problem framing and exploratory research. Over the last twenty years, elements of creativity and design process education have progressed into the majority of engineering curricula, but change is still slow. Yet, meanwhile, the pace of technological change impacting engineering futures and has been rapid. Arguably, the ability to be open and responsive to radical changes in thinking will become increasingly vital for engineering educators and practitioners with the unknowns of rapid change, both technical and social. For future engineering professionals to be able to be responsive to each wave of disruptive technology, engineering educators will have to re-invigorate their efforts in the adoption of pedagogy that supports creativity and innovation in order to keep pace. In addition, engineering graduates need to be educated not only in how to respond creatively to new technologies but in retaining the human-centred focus of development in an environment where rapid technological change has the possibility of fracturing or supporting human centred and community development. This paper proposes a return to education aimed at producing holistic engineers who integrate social aspirations and technological innovation into their work, as in the nineteenth century, to safeguard human development in the digital era of the twenty-first

Consolidated Markets, Brand Competition, and Orange Juice Prices

This paper examines how consolidation in the marketing system affects prices for orange juice. We isolated the pricing behavior of brand marketers, wholesalers, and retailers by observing the retail prices for specific orange juice products, including leading national brands and private label brands, in 54 U.S. markets over a 1-year period. The data provided little compelling evidence that consolidated markets engaged in non-competitive pricing behavior. Increased brand competition, particularly between private labels and leading national brands, did, however, appear to lower average market prices.consumer demographics, national brands, orange juice, price behavior, private labels, wholesaler concentration, retailer concentration, Demand and Price Analysis, Industrial Organization,

Rethinking pedagogy for iterative design process learning and teaching

Product Design as an academic discipline is a relative newcomer to higher education. As a result it has had to adapt to the teaching practices and organisation already in place in Universities. However, with the viability of the current business model of higher education under threat from economic pressures, the dominance of established practice could conceivably be challenged, suggesting the time is right for a review of Product Design education as it operates within academia. Product Design educators need to focus on developing an innovative, practical approach to the organisation of learning based on sound design practice-based principles and provide leadership in pedagogy rather than adapting to the pedagogy of others. Design is a unique discipline that can impact on other disciplines as it is necessarily predicated on ideas of leadership and innovation. The role of Product Design in higher education should not deviate from that. Product Design has a real world heritage that is characterised by realistic, considered, innovative thinking. This paper is a reflective opinion piece, suggesting how that thinking could be applied to redress an imbalance in teaching design process to facilitate a more real world experience for the benefit of students and confidence in the discipline as a whole