Ageing and personal retirement savings plan participation with heterogeneity in preferences: The Portuguese case

This paper analyses the relationship between ageing and personal retirement savings plan participation in the Portuguese population, taking into account heterogeneity and endogeneity in preferences. A mixed logit model is used to analyse the determinants of retirement saving behaviour, allowing for heterogeneity and endogeneity in the responses. We find considerable heterogeneity among individuals (in terms of socio-economic variables such as age, gender and income), which must be taken into account by any policy aimed at changing retirement saving behaviour

New insights into the catalytic activity of gold nanoparticles for CO oxidation in electrochemical media

This study reports the interaction between metal oxides and gold in acidic media and its effect on the electrochemical oxidation of carbon monoxide. We describe the oxidation of CO in acidic media on Au nanoparticles of 3 and 7 nm on different oxide supports, diamond and carbon electrodes. In addition, the effect of a TiOx support on Au nanoparticles was mimicked by supporting TiOx nanoparticles on bulk gold. The comparison of these two systems strongly suggests that electronic interactions between Au and TiOx, rather than Au nanoparticle size effects, are the driving force of the catalytic activity in Au–TiOx

Extraction of Jatropha curcas fruits for antifungal activity against anthracnose (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides) of papaya

Extracts from seeds and leaves of Jatropha curcas have shown molluscidal, insecticidal and fungicidal properties. J. curcas extracts were found to inhibit the mycelium growth of Colletotrichum musae that causes anthracnose disease in bananas. The antimicrobial activity of crude methanol extracts of J. curcas fruits, pulp and seeds were investigated. J. curcas fruits, pulp and seeds were collected from the farm of Universiti Putra Malaysia. The samples were air dried at ambient temperature, then oven-dried to remove the residual moisture. Equivalent amounts of each ground sample of the J. curcas fruits, pulp and seeds were soaked in methanol solvent and left to stand for 7 days before being filtered and evaporated. The extract was spread over potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium under an aseptic condition and incubated. The zone of inhibition of mycelial growth (mm) around the disc was measured. Both J. curcas seed and pulp extracts had higher antifungal activity than whole fruit extract. J. curcas seed extract showed significant antifungal activities with growth inhibition zone of 5.6 mm or equivalent to 78.87% inhibition followed by pulp with zone of 7.4 mm or equivalent to 72.07%, and whole fruits with zone of 14.2 mm or equivalent to 46.42% as compared to the control with zone of 26.5 mm or equivalent to 100%. Active microbial components in J. curcas have the potential of an antifungal compound to control Colletotrichum gloeosporioides which causes anthracnose disease in papaya in vitro.Key words: Methanol extracts, inhibition zone, postharvest pathogen

Health effects and burden of disease due to exposure to chemicals at the workplace - an exploratory study

Dit rapport bevat een erratum d.d. 25-1-2005 op de laatste paginaHet RIVM heeft onderzocht wat het aandeel zou kunnen zijn van blootstelling aan chemische stoffen op de werkplek op het ontstaan van een tiental ziekten. Dit verkennende onderzoek is uitgevoerd in opdracht van het Ministerie van Sociale Zaken en Werkgelegenheid en geeft voor het eerst een integrale schatting van de ziektelast door blootstelling aan stoffen in de arbeidssituatie.De uitkomst van het onderzoek is dat voor negen onderzochte ziekten de blootstelling aan stoffen in de arbeidssituatie een geschatte ziektelast oplevert van ongeveer 47.000 DALY's per jaar, inclusief naar schatting circa 1.900 sterfgevallen. DALY staat voor 'Disability Adjusted Life Years', waarin vroegtijdige sterfte en jaren doorgebracht met ziekte op gewogen wijze bij elkaar worden opgeteld. De grootste bijdragen worden gevormd door borstvlieskanker, longkanker, astma en chronische luchtwegobstructie.De marge van onzekerheid in de genoemde uitkomsten is erg groot, wat vooral veroorzaakt wordt door de onvolledige gegevens, en bedraagt ongeveer een factor 5.Voor reproductiestoornissen was het niet mogelijk om een schatting te maken van de ziektelast tengevolge van werkgerelateerde blootstelling aan stoffen. De resultaten van recent onderzoek naar de relatie tussen blootstelling aan stoffen en reproductiestoornissen geven echter aanleiding tot zorg.The RIVM investigated the probable contribution of exposure to chemicals at the workplace as the cause of some ten diseases. This exploratory study was requested by of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment, and presents for the first time an integrated estimation of the burden of disease due to occupational exposure to chemicals.For nine investigated diseases the study resulted in a burden of disease of approximately 47,000 DALYs, including about 1,900 deaths, due to exposure to chemicals at the workplace. DALY stands for 'Disability Adjusted Life Years', in which premature death and years with disease are weighted counted up. The largest contributions are formed by mesothelioma, lung cancer, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The margin of uncertainty in the results is very large, mainly caused by the scarce and incomplete data, and amounts about a factor of 5.It was not possible to estimate the burden of disease due to reproductive disorders following occupational exposure to chemicals. However, results of recent research in this area indicate concern.SZ

Health effects and burden of disease due to exposure to chemicals at the workplace - an exploratory study

The RIVM investigated the probable contribution of exposure to chemicals at the workplace as the cause of some ten diseases. This exploratory study was requested by of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment, and presents for the first time an integrated estimation of the burden of disease due to occupational exposure to chemicals.For nine investigated diseases the study resulted in a burden of disease of approximately 47,000 DALYs, including about 1,900 deaths, due to exposure to chemicals at the workplace. DALY stands for 'Disability Adjusted Life Years', in which premature death and years with disease are weighted counted up. The largest contributions are formed by mesothelioma, lung cancer, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The margin of uncertainty in the results is very large, mainly caused by the scarce and incomplete data, and amounts about a factor of 5.It was not possible to estimate the burden of disease due to reproductive disorders following occupational exposure to chemicals. However, results of recent research in this area indicate concern.Het RIVM heeft onderzocht wat het aandeel zou kunnen zijn van blootstelling aan chemische stoffen op de werkplek op het ontstaan van een tiental ziekten. Dit verkennende onderzoek is uitgevoerd in opdracht van het Ministerie van Sociale Zaken en Werkgelegenheid en geeft voor het eerst een integrale schatting van de ziektelast door blootstelling aan stoffen in de arbeidssituatie.De uitkomst van het onderzoek is dat voor negen onderzochte ziekten de blootstelling aan stoffen in de arbeidssituatie een geschatte ziektelast oplevert van ongeveer 47.000 DALY's per jaar, inclusief naar schatting circa 1.900 sterfgevallen. DALY staat voor 'Disability Adjusted Life Years', waarin vroegtijdige sterfte en jaren doorgebracht met ziekte op gewogen wijze bij elkaar worden opgeteld. De grootste bijdragen worden gevormd door borstvlieskanker, longkanker, astma en chronische luchtwegobstructie.De marge van onzekerheid in de genoemde uitkomsten is erg groot, wat vooral veroorzaakt wordt door de onvolledige gegevens, en bedraagt ongeveer een factor 5.Voor reproductiestoornissen was het niet mogelijk om een schatting te maken van de ziektelast tengevolge van werkgerelateerde blootstelling aan stoffen. De resultaten van recent onderzoek naar de relatie tussen blootstelling aan stoffen en reproductiestoornissen geven echter aanleiding tot zorg

Study on the growth and development of brinjal shoot and fruit borer with different diets

A laboratory experiment was conducted with two natural and one artificial diet on the growth and development of brinjal shoot and fruit borer (BSFB). The population of BSFB used in the study was in the 2nd instar larvae. Among the different diet, brinjal was the best for growth, development and longevity of larvae and pupae and prolongation of larval and pupal period. The mean length of full grown larvae fed with natural the food brinjal were 9.37, 9.80 and 12.44 mm from generations 1, 2 and 3, respectively. The larval and pupal duration on brinjal food media were 13.10 and 8.17, 12.80 and 8.23 and 13.10 and 8.03 days in generations 1, 2 and 3, respectively. The percentages of adult emergence from pupae raised in brinjal were 65.38, 47.95 and 33.78 in generations 1, 2 and 3, respectively.Key words: Brinjal, brinjal shoot and fruit borer (BSFB), natural and artificial diet

Finite element stability analysis of thin-walled steel structures

Recent applications in the use of light gauge steel members have been concerned with developing large scale systems built entirely from cold-formed steel members. An explicit analysis of such structures is complicated by the different phenomena that the structure may be prone to during loading. In particular, elastic buckling phenomena is an important consideration in the design of such structures since the load at which buckling occurs often provides a close upper bound to the carrying capacity of the structure.The first part of this two-part thesis (Part I, Chaptersl-8) has been devoted to general methods of analysis of the torsional-flexural buckling of thin-walled structures. A review of previous investigations and the available methods of solution is presented. A general finite element formulation of the torsional-flexural buckling of thin-walled structures has been derived. The resulting elastic geometric matrix can be used to analyse structures with monosymmetrical members. It also includes the effect of sectorial-monosymmetry for cross-sections without any axis of symmetry. A general transformation matrix has been developed to allow for the application of the finite element method to the three-dimensional elastic stability analysis of space and portal frames. The validity and accuracy of the new finite element formulation have been checked by analysing a number of different elastic lateral buckling problems for which exact or highly accurate solutions by other techniques are available. An experimental program was carried out on simply supported cold-formed steel z-beams. The first part of this program was undertaken to check the validity of the finite element calculations of the bimoments caused by nonuniform torsion. The second part was devoted to elastic lateral buckling of z-beams under combined bending and torsion.The second part of this thesis (Part II, Chapter 9) deals with the analysis of hipped roof structures with corrugated steel roof sheeting. A simple theoretical model has been suggested. The model has been used to perform an elastic linear analysis of the behaviour of two types of the hipped roof structures. The theoretical results are compared with previous experimental results for these two structures