Linear spaces with a line-transitive point-imprimitive automorphism group and Fang-Li parameter gcd(k,r) at most eight

In 1991, Weidong Fang and Huiling Li proved that there are only finitely many non-trivial linear spaces that admit a line-transitive, point-imprimitive group action, for a given value of gcd(k,r), where k is the line size and r is the number of lines on a point. The aim of this paper is to make that result effective. We obtain a classification of all linear spaces with this property having gcd(k,r) at most 8. To achieve this we collect together existing theory, and prove additional theoretical restrictions of both a combinatorial and group theoretic nature. These are organised into a series of algorithms that, for gcd(k,r) up to a given maximum value, return a list of candidate parameter values and candidate groups. We examine in detail each of the possibilities returned by these algorithms for gcd(k,r) at most 8, and complete the classification in this case.Comment: 47 pages Version 1 had bbl file omitted. Apologie

The women's cause: feminist campaigns 1918-1928.

This thesis shows that the first wave Women's Movement\ud continued the struggle for the franchise during the Great War and\ud throughout the 1920s until its success in 1928. It also details the\ud campaigns for the social and economic emancipation of women in the\ud period from 1918 to 1928. It provides a first step in recovering\ud this history of political activity carried out through a network of\ud women's organizations which expanded to embrace all aspects of\ud women's lives.\ud Chapter 1 acts an introduction and clarifies some\ud questions of treatment and perspective. Chapter 2 describes the\ud Movement's membership and details the suffragists' activities\ud throughout the War and their contribution to the success of the\ud franchise in 1918.\ud In Chapter 3, the consequences for the women's\ud organizations of re-ordering agendas and constitutions because of\ud the vote, is followed in the next three chapters by a detailed\ud examination of the post-War period of reconstruction. This includes\ud the progress of women's political participation, the scale of the\ud reforms it pursued and the economic problems of demobilisation and\ud political opposition.\ud The documentation•of the growth of political confidence\ud and skill in the three General Elections from 1922 to 1924 in Chapter 7, also serves to illustrate the diversity of approach\ud enshrined in the non-party and party organizations. The reappraisal\ud of feminist ideology is set within the context of the development\ud of the equalitarian and welfare theories in Chapter 8.\ud Chapter 9 deals with the campaign which united the\ud Movement in a concerted effort to win the vote for all women. The\ud thesis concludes in Chapter 10, with a brief description of the\ud Movement's response to its franchise success and its remit for\ud future activity in

What Do Revolving-Door Laws Do?

On the basis of evidence from state public utility commissions, we find that revolving-door laws—laws that restrict the post-government-employment opportunities of public sector workers, including public utility regulators—do not do much, at least with respect to electricity prices. In this paper, we take advantage of a quasi experiment afforded by the fact that revolving-door laws were introduced in different states at different times to investigate their effects on electricity prices. Our findings suggest that while revolving-door laws temporarily dampen industrial electricity prices, they have no effect on commercial or residential prices. There is also some evidence that these regulations affect the characteristics of state public utility commissioners; commissioners from states with revolving-door regulations serve shorter terms and are less likely to be subsequently employed in the private sector, compared with their counterparts from states without revolving-door laws.This paper is published on Journal of Law and Economics May 2012, Vol. 55, No. 2: 421-436

Nanoporous Anodic Alumina Photonic Crystals for Optical Chemo- and Biosensing: Fundamentals, Advances, and Perspectives

Optical sensors are a class of devices that enable the identification and/or quantification of analyte molecules across multiple fields and disciplines such as environmental protection, medical diagnosis, security, food technology, biotechnology, and animal welfare. Nanoporous photonic crystal (PC) structures provide excellent platforms to develop such systems for a plethora of applications since these engineered materials enable precise and versatile control of light–matter interactions at the nanoscale. Nanoporous PCs provide both high sensitivity to monitor in real-time molecular binding events and a nanoporous matrix for selective immobilization of molecules of interest over increased surface areas. Nanoporous anodic alumina (NAA), a nanomaterial long envisaged as a PC, is an outstanding platform material to develop optical sensing systems in combination with multiple photonic technologies. Nanoporous anodic alumina photonic crystals (NAA-PCs) provide a versatile nanoporous structure that can be engineered in a multidimensional fashion to create unique PC sensing platforms such as Fabry–Pérot interferometers, distributed Bragg reflectors, gradient-index filters, optical microcavities, and others. The effective medium of NAA-PCs undergoes changes upon interactions with analyte molecules. These changes modify the NAA-PCs’ spectral fingerprints, which can be readily quantified to develop different sensing systems. This review introduces the fundamental development of NAA-PCs, compiling the most significant advances in the use of these optical materials for chemo- and biosensing applications, with a final prospective outlook about this exciting and dynamic field

Integrating surface plasmon resonance and slow photon effects in nanoporous anodic alumina photonic crystals for photocatalysis

This study explores the potential of gold-coated titania-functionalized nanoporous anodic alumina distributed Bragg reflectors (Au-TiO2-NAA-DBRs) as platforms to enhance photocatalytic reactions by integrating “slow photons” and surface plasmon resonance (SPR). The photocatalytic degradation rate of methylene blue – a model organic compound with a well-defined absorption band in the visible spectral region – by these composite photonic crystals (PCs) upon visible-NIR light irradiation is used as an indicator to identify coupling effects between the “slow photon” effect and SPR. Our study demonstrates that the photocatalytic enhancement in Au-TiO2-NAA-DBRs is strongly associated with “slow photon” effect, while the contribution of SPR to the overall photocatalytic enhancement is weak due to the localized generation of surface plasmons on the top surface of the composite PC structure. Photocatalytic enhancement is optimal when the characteristic photonic stopband of these PCs partially overlaps with the absorption band of methylene blue, which results in edges being positioned away from the absorption maximum of the organic dye. The overall photocatalytic degradation for methylene blue is also correlated to the type of noble metal coating and the geometric features of the PC structures. These results establish a rationale for further development of noble metal-coated NAA-based hybrid plasmonic–photonic crystal photocatalyst platforms to optimally integrate “slow photons” and SPR for enhancing the efficiency of photocatalytic reactions and other light harvesting applications.Related: [http://cer.ihtm.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/3007]This is peer-reviewed version of the article: Law, L. Liu, M. Markovic, A. D. Abell and A. Santos, Catalysis Science & Technology, 2019, 9, 12, 3158-3176 [https://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C9CY00627C

Reviews

Book review

Interventions to improve linkage along the HIV-tuberculosis care cascades in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: In support of global targets to end HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis (TB) by 2030, we reviewed interventions aiming to improve TB case-detection and anti-TB treatment among people living with HIV (PLHIV) and HIV testing and antiretroviral treatment initiation among people with TB disease in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of comparative (quasi-)experimental interventional studies published in Medline or EMBASE between January 2003-July 2021. We performed random-effects effect meta-analyses (DerSimonian and Laird method) for interventions that were homogenous (based on intervention descriptions); for others we narratively synthesized the intervention effect. Studies were assessed using ROBINS-I, Cochrane Risk-of-Bias, and GRADE. (PROSPERO #CRD42018109629). RESULTS: Of 21,516 retrieved studies, 23 were included, contributing 53 arms and 84,884 participants from 4 continents. Five interventions were analyzed: co-location of test and/or treatment services; patient education and counselling; dedicated personnel; peer support; and financial support. A majority were implemented in primary health facilities (n = 22) and reported on HIV outcomes in people with TB (n = 18). Service co-location had the most consistent positive effect on HIV testing and treatment initiation among people with TB, and TB case-detection among PLHIV. Other interventions were heterogenous, implemented concurrent with standard-of-care strategies and/or diverse facility-level improvements, and produced mixed effects. Operational system, human resource, and/or laboratory strengthening were common within successful interventions. Most studies had a moderate to serious risk of bias. CONCLUSIONS: This review provides operational clarity on intervention models that can support early linkages between the TB and HIV care cascades. The findings have supported the World Health Organization 2020 HIV Service Delivery Guidelines update. Further research is needed to evaluate the distinct effect of education and counselling, financial support, and dedicated personnel interventions, and to explore the role of community-based, virtual, and differentiated service delivery models in addressing TB-HIV co-morbidity

Rational Management of Photons for Enhanced Photocatalysis in Structurally-Colored Nanoporous Anodic Alumina Photonic Crystals

A comprehensive study on the engineering of titanium dioxide-functionalized nanoporous anodic alumina distributed Bragg reflectors (TiO2–NAA-DBRs) for photocatalysis enhanced by the “slow photon” effect is presented. The photocatalytic performance of these composite photonic crystals (PCs) is assessed by monitoring photodegradation of a variety of organic molecules with absorbance bands across the spectral regions. This study demonstrates that photocatalytic performance of TiO2–NAA-DBRs is enhanced by the “slow photon” effect when the edges of the PC’s photonic stopband (PSB) fall within the absorbance band of the organic molecules. The photocatalytic performance is significantly enhanced when the PSB’s red edge is in close proximity to the absorbance band of the organic molecules. Overall photocatalytic degradation is also dependent on the total pore length of the PC structure, charge of the organic molecules, percentage of vis–near-IR irradiation, and matrix complexity (i.e., interfering ions and molecules) when the PC’s PSB is partially or entirely misaligned with respect to the absorbance band of the organic molecules. Finally, the real-life application of TiO2–NAA-DBRs to degrade pollutants such as pesticides in environmental matrices is demonstrated. This study provides new insights into the development of rationally engineered, high-performing, safe, and reusable photocatalyst systems.This is peer-reviewed version of the article: ACS Applied Energy Materials, 2019, 2, 2, 1169-1184, [https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaem.8b01721][http://cer.ihtm.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/2988