6,551 research outputs found
An analysis of life expectancy and economic production using expectile frontier zones
The wealth of a country is assumed to have a strong non-linear influence on the life expectancy of its inhabitants. We follow up on research by Preston and study the relationship with gross domestic product. Smooth curves for the average but also for (upper) frontiers are constructed by a combination of least asymmetrically weighted squares and P-splines. Guidelines are given for optimizing the amount of smoothing and the definition of frontiers. The model is applied to a large set of countries in different years. It is also used to estimate life expectancy performance for individual countries and to show how it changed over time.frontier estimation, gross domestic product, least asymmetrically weighted squares, life expectancy, production frontier, smoothing
Dynamical self-assembly of dipolar active Brownian particles in two dimensions
Based on Brownian Dynamics (BD) simulations, we study the dynamical self-assembly of active Brownian particles with dipole–dipole interactions, stemming from a permanent point dipole at the particle center. The propulsion direction of each particle is chosen to be parallel to its dipole moment. We explore a wide range of motilities and dipolar coupling strengths and characterize the corresponding behavior based on several order parameters. At low densities and low motilities, the most important structural phenomenon is the aggregation of the dipolar particles into chains. Upon increasing the particle motility, these chain-like structures break, and the system transforms into a weakly correlated isotropic fluid. At high densities, we observe that the motility-induced phase separation is strongly suppressed by the dipolar coupling. Once the dipolar coupling dominates the thermal energy, the phase separation disappears, and the system rather displays a flocking state, where particles form giant clusters and move collective along one direction. We provide arguments for the emergence of the flocking behavior, which is absent in the passive dipolar system.TU Berlin, Open-Access-Mittel - 2020DFG, 65143814, GRK 1524: Self-Assembled Soft-Matter Nanostructures at Interface
Generic model for tunable colloidal aggregation in multidirectional fields
Based on Brownian Dynamics computer simulations in two dimensions we
investigate aggregation scenarios of colloidal particles with directional
interactions induced by multiple external fields. To this end we propose a
model which allows continuous change in the particle interactions from
point-dipole-like to patchy-like (with four patches). We show that, as a result
of this change, the non-equilibrium aggregation occurring at low densities and
temperatures transforms from conventional diffusion-limited cluster aggregation
(DLCA) to slippery DLCA involving rotating bonds; this is accompanied by a
pronounced change of the underlying lattice structure of the aggregates from
square-like to hexagonal ordering. Increasing the temperature we find a
transformation to a fluid phase, consistent with results of a simple mean-field
density functional theory
Formation of carbohydrate-functionalised polystyrene and glass slides and their analysis by MALDI-TOF MS
Glycans functionalised with hydrophobic trityl groups were synthesised and adsorbed onto polystyrene and glass slides in an array format. The adsorbed glycans could be analysed directly on these minimally conducting surfaces by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry analysis after aluminium tape was attached to the underside of the slides. Furthermore, the trityl group appeared to act as an internal matrix and no additional matrix was necessary for the MS analysis. Thus, trityl groups can be used as simple hydrophobic, noncovalently linked anchors for ligands on surfaces and at the same time facilitate the in situ mass spectrometric analysis of such ligands
Cultural differences in social media use, privacy, and self-disclosure : research report on a multicultural study
This research report presents comparative results from five nations (United States of America, United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, and China) with regard to social media use, self-disclosure, privacy perceptions and attitudes, and privacy behavior in online environments. The data stemmed from an online survey that was conducted from November, 2011, to December, 2011. Across all five nations, N = 1,800 participants completed the survey.
The findings suggest that a broad differentiation between Western and Eastern cultures only partly accounted for differences in social media use and privacy behavior. Rather, the results of this report suggest that European countries (United Kingdom, Germany, and the Netherlands) share similar privacy perceptions and show similar behavioral patterns. Non-European cultures (the USA and China) on the other hand, use social media differently. Participants from European countries had generally smaller audiences on social network sites and microblogging platforms, tended to limit the visibility of their postings and profile information more, and used more privacy settings to safeguard their privacy. In particular, German social media users seemed to be guarded, protective, and rather reluctant to participate in online communication. Users from the US, on the other hand, rated privacy-related behavior as less risky and were hence less likely to imply sophisticated privacy strategies.
Apart from these findings, the report also shows that there are more commonalities than differences. People from all five countries think that it is important to protect privacy. Most users consciously decides what to share and what not to share. Accordingly, social media users do not always share intimate and detailed information about their lives
From book to stage to screen: semiotic transformations of Gothic horror genre conventions
This paper adopts a multimodal social semiotic approach for exploring the semiotic changes involved in the transformation of a novel into stage and screen productions. It examines how semiotic resources are deployed in each medium through elements of mise-en-scène, such as speech, music, sound, lighting, props, staging, and cinematographic techniques, and the viewing perspectives that are thus established for audiences. The genre of Gothic horror is selected for this purpose, given how this form of performance has transfixed audiences for centuries and has been adapted for both the stage and the screen. In order to demonstrate how each performance medium has produced its own unique set of foregrounding devices to enthral and captivate audiences, a comparative analysis of excerpts from the novel The Woman in Black by Susan Hill, a videotaped theatrical performance, and the 1989 British television film of the same name is undertaken. The paper discusses the implications of the multimodal semiotic approach for developing a better understanding of the semiotic transformations that horror genre conventions undergo in different media and the viewership positions that are thus re-drawn for audiences. The paper concludes with a view of multimodal recontextualisation processes which form the underlying basis of human sociocultural life
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The potential of immune biomarkers to advance personalized medicine approaches for schizophrenia.
Molecular profiling studies have helped increase the understanding of the immune processes thought to be involved in the etiology and pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia. Current therapeutic interventions with first- and second-generation antipsychotics are suboptimal. Poor response rates and debilitating side effects often lead to poor treatment compliance. This highlights the pressing need to identify more effective treatments as well as objective biomarker based tests, which can help predict treatment response and identify diagnostic subpopulations. Such tests could enable early detection of patients who will benefit from particular therapeutic interventions. In this review, we discuss studies relating to dysfunctions of the immune system in patients with schizophrenia and the effects of antipsychotic medication on the molecular components of these systems. Immune system dysfunction may in part be related to genetic risk factors for schizophrenia, but there is substantial evidence that a wide range of environmental factors ranging from exposure to infectious agents such as influenza and Toxoplasma gondii to HPA axis dysfunction play an important role in the etiopathogenesis of schizophrenia. Ongoing research efforts, testing therapeutic efficacy of anti-inflammatory agents used as add-on medications are also discussed. From a therapeutic perspective, these represent the initial steps toward novel treatment approaches and more effective patient care in the field of mental health.The authors gratefully acknowledge support by the Stanley Medical Research Institute.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wolters Kluwer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/NMD.0000000000000289
4-Chloro-N-(3,5-dimethylphenyl)benzenesulfonamide
The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C14H14ClNO2S, contains two independent molecules, which are twisted at the S atoms with C—SO2—NH—C torsion angles of −69.4 (7)° and 66.0 (8)°. The sulfonyl and the anilino benzene rings are tilted relative to each other by 49.0 (4) and 61.7 (3)° in the two molecules. In the crystal, the molecules are linked into chains by N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds
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