Mathematical model of the Greek crisis

Presented is a simplified mathematical model of the Greek economy with a reduced description of different stages of the current Greek crisis. Explored are conditions where a stream of investments can pull economy from the crisis. It has been theoretically proven that an investment in the benign conditions where demand is sustained produces higher nominal economic growth than an investment in the austere conditions where demand is cut

Short Hours, Long Hours: Hour Levels and Trends in the Retail Industry in the United States, Canada, and Mexico

In settings where most workers have full-time schedules, hourly wages are appropriate primary indicators of job quality and worker outcomes. However, in sectors where full-time schedules do not dominate—primarily service-producing activities—total hours matter, in addition to hourly wages, for job quality and worker outcomes. In this paper we employ a sector-focused, comparative framework to further examine hours levels—measured as average weekly hours—and trends in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. We analyze the retail sector, which is of interest because of its high rate of part-time employment in the U.S. Based on our fieldwork in the United States and Mexico and qualitative literature on Canadian retail work, we argue that the combination of business strategies and very different institutional constraints will lead U.S. retailers to a greater extent and Canadian retailers to a lesser extent to shorten hours and expand part-time jobs, whereas in Mexico it will lead retailers to lengthen hours. We apply this argument to predictions about differences in levels and trends. Drawing on standard public data sources from the three countries, we compare means and run time series regressions to estimate trends net of cyclical effects. Results broadly support our predictions, especially the distinction between the United States and Canada on the one hand and Mexico on the other. We provide additional context for these findings

ВИЗНАЧЕННЯ КОЕФІЦІЄНТА БЕЗПЕЧНОЇ РОБОТИ ДЛЯ РІЗНОГО ТИПУ ЗАХИСНОГО ОДЯГУ ПОЖЕЖНИКІВ

The paper presents statistics on injuries and deaths of firefighters on duty. A mathematical model for determining the heat transfer rate on the different types of model fires is developed. Various cases of changes in heat transfer rate under the influence of air currents are regarded. Safe operation coefficient is calculated. It can be used during creating and introducing individual devices for informing firefighters about reaching the critical parameters of the heat transfer rate.В роботі представлені статистичні дані з травматизму та загибелі пожежників під час виконання службових обов'язків. Розроблена математична модель для визначення теплового потоку на пожежі при горінні макетних вогнищ. Розглянуті різні випадки зміни теплових потоків, під впливом нахилу факела. На цій основі виведено коефіцієнт безпечної роботи, який надалі може використовуватись, при конструюванні індивідуальних приладів оповіщення про досягнення критичних параметрів теплових потоків для захисного одягу того чи іншого тип

Teaching explicit reading strategies and students' reading development

University students need to develop critical reading comprehension skills to better comprehend and analyze texts related to their field of study, be able to exchange knowledge, participate actively in the academic community, and be competitive in the workforce. Understanding specialized texts is essential for developing academic life skills in general as well as in a content based class which require students to be able to make inferences and understand the author’s purpose when writing. Therefore, the explicit teaching of these two critical reading strategies is necessary. Many studies have been conducted on the explicit teaching of reading comprehension strategies. However, any has been aimed at determining if their explicit teaching favors the development of students’ reading comprehension skills at the university level. A mixed research on how the explicit teaching of critical reading strategies favors students’ development of reading skills has been undertaken through the application of interviews, surveys, test results, participant observations and think-alouds. Results showed that after explicit instruction students performed better in their reading assessments. Thus, they indicated that students become more skillful readers by connecting their previous knowledge with text information (making inferences), and by identifying key words that reveal the author’s perspective

Empowering Women Through the Use of Technology: A Scoping Review

The achievement of gender equity and equality has been a long-time goal of many international entities. The main indicator for the goal of women’s empowerment, as part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), has been to: “enhanc[e] the use of enabling technology by increasing the proportion of women and girls who have access” (United Nations [UN], p. 20). While information and communication technologies (ICTs) were initially thought to be neutral in terms of access and opportunity, emerging trends now indicate that the use of technology within society has significant social implications, specifically related to gender as a determinant of health. Using the Arksey and O’Malley (2005) methodology for scoping reviews, the following question was answered: What is the impact of ICT on the level of women’s empowerment worldwide? Using the stated research question, the primary objective of this scoping review was to identify the extent, range, and scope of evidence involving the impact and influence of ICTs on women’s empowerment. The major themes that emerged from this review included: (a) the means in which ICTs have assisted in building the capacity and tools of women, (b) the manner in which ICTs have been used as an intervention in supporting empowerment; and (c) the approach in which ICTs can act as potential barriers and facilitators to women’s attainment of agency. The evidence from this scoping review supports the innovative use of current and emerging technologies within health care to connect with, engage, and empower women both within the acute and community settings. The extant evidence explores how ICT has played a role in the promotion and support of women’s empowerment as well as supporting the development of health care policies and relevant programs

Dimensions of life events and difficulties as predictors of the onset of major depression

The primary purpose of this dissertation was to examine whether life events and difficulties increase the risk of onset of major depression. Life events and difficulties were measured using the Structured Life Events Inventory (SLI), a more structured version of the open-ended, semi-structured Life Events and Difficulties Schedule (LEDs). In addition, several characteristics of life events and difficulties were tested in an attempt to better understand which aspects of these stressors were particularly important in risk for the onset of depression. Also, the psychosocial resources of perceived social support and sense of personal control were examined to determine their effect on the relation between stress and depression. In testing for these relations, the use of discrete-time survival analysis allowed for an examination of how the risk of onset changed over a three month period of time after event occurrence;The risk of onset of depression increased significantly two months after the occurrence of a severe, independent, self-joint focused event (odds ratio = 5.50). Severe dependent events were not significant predictors of onset. A severe event that was related to a long-term, ongoing difficulty increased the risk of onset over and above a severe event that was not related to any type of difficulty. In general, the risk of onset was higher in the second month following a severe event than in the first month after its occurrence;No moderating effects were found for perceived social support or sense of personal control. This indicates that the relation between severe events and depression did not vary as a function of these two variables. Finally, individuals who reported a history of depression were 13.50 times more likely to become depressed during the study period than individuals without a history of depression. Results are consistent with previous research. Implications and future directions are discussed

Vietnami ravimtaimedest isoleeritud ekstraktide ja toimeainete keemiline koostis ja bioaktiivsus ning nende nanotehnoloogial põhinevad ravimkandursüsteemid

Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei sisalda publikatsiooneRavimtaimed on osutunud väga edukaks allikaks uute ravimite avastamisel. Taimse päritoluga ravimitel võivad aga olla piirangud nagu halb lahustuvus või kehv imendumine organismis, mis põhjustab madalat biosaadavust ja vähendab nende kasulikkust kliinilises praktikas. On näidatud, et taimse päritoluga toimeainete nanotehnoloogiapõhised ravimite manustamissüsteemid suurendavad nende suukaudset biosaadavust mõnest korrast kuni saja korrani. Taimsete toimeainete kombineerimine farmatseutilise nanotehnoloogiaga võib olla uueks võtmeks ravimtaimede uurimisel ja ravimisel nendega. Uuringu eesmärk oli saada teadmisi Vietnami traditsioonilises meditsiinis kasutatavatest ravimtaimedest Chisocheton paniculatus Hiern, Alphonsea tonkinensis A.DC. ja Zephyranthes ajax Hort. isoleeritud ekstraktide keemilise koostise ja bioaktiivsuse kohta ning uudsete nanotehnoloogial põhinevate ravimkandursüsteemide väljatöötamine. Käesolev uuring on teaduslikuks aluseks uuritud ravimtaimede fütokeemiliste koostisosade ja bioaktiivsuse kohta. Eraldati ja iseloomustati seitse uut ühendit ja viisteist teadaolevat ühendit. Paljud neist isoleeriti vastavatest taimeperekondadest esimest korda. Mõned ühendid ja/või ekstraktid osutusid in vitro katsetes paljutõotavateks vähivastasteks, põletikuvastasteks ja/või Alzheimeri tõve ravimite võimalikeks toimeaineteks. Taimest Z. ajax isoleeritud hemantamiinil, millel on tugev vähivastane toime in vitro, valmistati esmakordselt nanofiibrid, mida saab kasutada tahke vaheproduktina isetekkeliste liposoomide valmistamiseks. Tulemused näitasid, et praegune nanokiududel põhinev strateegia isetekkeliste liposoomide valmistamiseks on rakendatav taimse päritoluga alkaloidide jaoks. Välja töötatud hemantamiini sisaldavad nanofiibrid on alternatiivne lähenemisviis liposomaalse ravimkandursüsteemi disainimiseks ja alkaloidide liposoomide stabiliseerimiseks.Medicinal plants have been proved to be the highly successful source for the discovery of new drugs. Plant-origin drugs, however, could have limitations such as poor solubility or poor absorption in the body, thus leading to low bioavailability, consequently restricting their utility in clinical practice. Nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems for plant-origin actives have been demonstrated to increase several to hundred times oral bioavailability compared to drug alone. A combination of herbal medicines with pharmaceutical nanotechnology can be expectedly a key tool for the advancement of medicinal plant research and therapy. The aim of the study was to gain knowledge on the chemical composition and bioactivity of herbal extracts and compounds isolated from Chisocheton paniculatus Hiern, Alphonsea tonkinensis A.DC. and Zephyranthes ajax Hort. used in the traditional medicine of Vietnam, and to develop novel nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems for the present herbal extract(s) and constituent(s). The present study provides new knowledge of phytochemical constituents and bioactivities of the selected medicinal plants. Seven new compounds and fifteen known compounds were isolated and characterized. Many of them isolated from their genus for the first time. Some compounds and/or extracts showed promising potential agents for anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and/or Alzheimer's disease therapeutics in vitro. Haemanthamine isolated from Z. ajax, exhibiting a potent anti-cancer substance in vitro, was first successfully prepared nanofibers intended for a solid template for self-assembled liposomes. The results showed the present nanofiber-based strategy for delivering self-assembled liposomes is applicable for such plant-origin alkaloids. The nanofibers loaded with haemanthamine were verified to be an alternative approach for the formulation of a liposomal drug delivery system and stabilization of the liposomes of the present alkaloid.https://www.ester.ee/record=b553467

The City and the Stream: Impacts of Municipal Wastewater Effluent on the Riffle Food Web in the Speed River, Ontario

Fast paced population growth in urban areas of southern Ontario is putting increased pressure on the surrounding aquatic environment. The City of Guelph uses the Speed River to assimilate its municipal wastewater effluent. With a projected 57% population increase in the watershed by 2031, the assimilative capacity of the river may be challenged in the coming years. The Guelph Wastewater Treatment Plant uses tertiary treatment methods greatly reducing ammonia, suspended solids and phosphate concentrations in the effluent. However there are still impacts detectable related to excessive nutrients released into this relatively small river (6th order) which promotes algae and aquatic macrophyte growth. There is also concern about a variety of emerging contaminants that may enter the river and impact the health of the ecosystem. The research in this thesis examined the seasonal and spatial variability and extent of the impacts of the wastewater effluent on the riffle fish communities in the Speed River. Stable isotope signatures (δ13C and δ15N) were used to understand the changes in the dominant benthic fish species, Rainbow Darters (Etheostoma caeruleum) and Greenside Darters (E. blennioides), relative to changes in invertebrate signatures and their abundance. Rainbow Darters were extremely abundant relative to Greenside Darters at the site immediately downstream of the effluent outfall, particularly in August. The benthic invertebrate community was distinctly different downstream of the effluent outfall, especially in the summer, with a reduced abundance of Elmidae beetle larvae and increased abundance of isopods (Caecidotea intermedius) compared to upstream. δ13C and δ15N of the two darters species were similar at all sites in May and July, but in August and October Rainbow Darter signatures were more enriched in the two heavier isotopes at sites downstream of the effluent outfall. The vast majority of invertebrate taxa sampled were also enriched at the downstream sites. An analysis of Rainbow and Greenside Darter stomach contents revealed that Rainbow Darters incorporated more isopods and other invertebrates in their diet, especially at the immediate downstream sites suggesting that they are more adaptable to the altered downstream environment. The feeding habits of Greenside Darters appear to change between July and August in response to changes in habitat and food availability. They are potentially consuming food organisms with less enriched isotopic signatures, which results in their isotopic signatures not rising during these months like most of the invertebrates and other fish. Alternatively, the Greenside Darters may move across the stream to feed on invertebrates that remain unexposed to the wastewater effluent. These impacts, although subtle, may be a reflection of the Speed River ecosystem being compromised by nutrient inputs from the wastewater effluent. With the impending increase in demand on the treatment plant (e.g., population growth), ongoing treatment and infrastructure improvements may be needed in the future to maintain the current ecosystem structure