Match of the Day: The search for a suitable spouse

The institutions of family and marriage may seem beyond the remit of economics, involving complexities which the discipline could only ever assume away. There is, however, a significant body of research, which applies the adaptable economists’ toolbox to these areas of life, often yielding a significant degree of insight. Gary Becker’s seminal Treatise on the Family, one of the first studies to subject decisions about sex, marriage, childbearing and childrearing to economic analysis, employed concepts such as the maximisation of family, or household, utility functions to explain family collective choice, with later authors using game theoretic models to offer a different perspective on the intra-household distribution of goods. However, the well-documented phenomenon of urban areas having higher divorce rates than rural regions is not addressed by existing family economics literature, despite the importance of such trends to social policy planners. We develop a new model that provides a theoretical basis for the difference in rural and urban divorce rates, drawing on insights from labour economics and social psychology that have not previously been applied to family economics.Economics; Family; Divorce

Breaking waves on a dynamic Hele-Shaw beach

We report the formation of quasi-steady beaches and dunes via breaking waves in our tabletop ‘Hele-Shaw’ beach experiment. Breaking waves are generated by a wave maker, and zeolite particles act as sand. The tank is narrow, just over one-particle diameter wide, creating a quasi-2D set-up. Classical breaker types are observed on a time-scale of about a second. Beach formation under breakers occurs on a longer time-scale, and is a matter of minutes for a range of mono-chromatic wave frequencies. Alternating the wave maker motion between two frequencies generally leads to beach formation but occasionally to formation of a stable dune with water on either side. Finally, the Hele-Shaw configuration explored here experimentally lends itself to multi-scale modeling of beach dynamics

Match of the Day: The search for a suitable spouse

The institutions of family and marriage may seem beyond the remit of economics, involving complexities which the discipline could only ever assume away. There is, however, a significant body of research, which applies the adaptable economists’ toolbox to these areas of life, often yielding a significant degree of insight. Gary Becker’s seminal Treatise on the Family, one of the first studies to subject decisions about sex, marriage, childbearing and childrearing to economic analysis, employed concepts such as the maximisation of family, or household, utility functions to explain family collective choice, with later authors using game theoretic models to offer a different perspective on the intra-household distribution of goods. However, the well-documented phenomenon of urban areas having higher divorce rates than rural regions is not addressed by existing family economics literature, despite the importance of such trends to social policy planners. We develop a new model that provides a theoretical basis for the difference in rural and urban divorce rates, drawing on insights from labour economics and social psychology that have not previously been applied to family economics

Match of the Day: The search for a suitable spouse

The institutions of family and marriage may seem beyond the remit of economics, involving complexities which the discipline could only ever assume away. There is, however, a significant body of research, which applies the adaptable economists’ toolbox to these areas of life, often yielding a significant degree of insight. Gary Becker’s seminal Treatise on the Family, one of the first studies to subject decisions about sex, marriage, childbearing and childrearing to economic analysis, employed concepts such as the maximisation of family, or household, utility functions to explain family collective choice, with later authors using game theoretic models to offer a different perspective on the intra-household distribution of goods. However, the well-documented phenomenon of urban areas having higher divorce rates than rural regions is not addressed by existing family economics literature, despite the importance of such trends to social policy planners. We develop a new model that provides a theoretical basis for the difference in rural and urban divorce rates, drawing on insights from labour economics and social psychology that have not previously been applied to family economics

Revisiting Hele-Shaw dynamics to better understand beach evolution

Wave action, particularly during storms, drives the evo lution of beaches. Beach evolution by non-linear break ing waves is poorly understood due to its three-dimensional character, the range of scales involved, and our limited understanding of particle-wave interactions. We show how a novel, three-phase extension to the classic “Hele-Shaw” laboratory experiment can be designed that creates beach morphologies with breaking waves in a quasi-two-dimensional setting. Our thin Hele-Shaw cell simplifies the inherent complexity of three-phase dynamics: all dynamics become clearly visible and measurable. We show that beaches can be created in tens of minutes by several types of breaking waves, with about one-second periods. Quasi-steady beach morphologies emerge as function of initial water depth, at-rest bed level and wave-maker frequency. These are classified mathematically and lead to beaches, berms and sand bars

The Azithromycin to Prevent Wheezing following severe RSV bronchiolitis-II clinical trial: Rationale, study design, methods, and characteristics of study population

Severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) bronchiolitis in early life is a significant risk factor for future recurrent wheeze (RW) and asthma. The goal of the Azithromycin to Prevent Wheezing following severe RSV bronchiolitis II (APW-RSV II) clinical trial is to evaluate if azithromycin treatment in infants hospitalized with RSV bronchiolitis reduces the occurrence of RW during the preschool years. The APW-RSV II clinical trial is a double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, randomized trial, including otherwise healthy participants, ages 30 days-18 months, who are hospitalized due to RSV bronchiolitis. The study includes an active randomized treatment phase with azithromycin or placebo for 2 weeks, and an observational phase of 18-48 months. Two hundred participants were enrolled during three consecutive RSV seasons beginning in the fall of 2016 and were randomized to receive oral azithromycin 10 mg/kg/day for 7 days followed by 5 mg/kg/day for an additional 7 days, or matched placebo. The study hypothesis is that in infants hospitalized with RSV bronchiolitis, the addition of azithromycin therapy to routine bronchiolitis care would reduce the likelihood of developing post-RSV recurrent wheeze (≥3 episodes). The primary clinical outcome is the occurrence of a third episode of wheezing, which is evaluated every other month by phone questionnaires and during yearly in-person visits. A secondary objective of the APW-RSV II clinical trial is to examine how azithromycin therapy changes the upper airway microbiome composition, and to determine if these changes are related to the occurrence of post-RSV RW. Microbiome composition is characterized in nasal wash samples obtained before and after the study treatments. This clinical trial may identify the first effective intervention applied during severe RSV bronchiolitis to reduce the risk of post-RSV RW and ultimately asthma

Perception of inappropriate cardiopulmonary resuscitation by clinicians working in emergency departments and ambulance services : The REAPPROPRIATE international, multi-centre, cross sectional survey

Introduction: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is often started irrespective of comorbidity or cause of arrest. We aimed to determine the prevalence of perception of inappropriate CPR of the last cardiac arrest encountered by clinicians working in emergency departments and out-of-hospital, factors associated with perception, and its relation to patient outcome. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 288 centres in 24 countries. Factors associated with perception of CPR and outcome were analyzed by Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel tests and conditional logistic models. Results: Of the 4018 participating clinicians, 3150 (78.4%) perceived their last CPR attempt as appropriate, 548 (13.6%) were uncertain about its appropriateness and 320 (8.0%) perceived inappropriateness; survival to hospital discharge was 370/2412 (15.3%), 8/481 (1.7%) and 8/294 (2.7%) respectively. After adjusting for country, team and clinician's characteristics, the prevalence of perception of inappropriate CPR was higher for a non-shockable initial rhythm (OR 3.76 [2.13-6.64]; P 79 years) and in case of a "poor" first physical impression of the patient (3.45 [2.36-5.05]; P 79 years) and a "poor" first physical impression (0.26 [0.19-0.35]; P <0.0001). Conclusions: The perception of inappropriate CPR increased when objective indicators of poor prognosis were present and was associated with a low survival to hospital discharge. Factoring clinical judgment into the decision to (not) attempt CPR may reduce harm inflicted by excessive resuscitation attempts.Peer reviewe

Influence of POSS Type on the Space Environment Durability of Epoxy-POSS Nanocomposites

In order to use polymers at low Earth orbit (LEO) environment, they must be protected against atomic oxygen (AO) erosion. A promising protection strategy is to incorporate polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) molecules into the polymer backbone. In this study, the space durability of epoxy-POSS (EPOSS) nanocomposites was investigated. Two types of POSS molecules were incorporated separately&mdash;amine-based and epoxy-based. The outgassing properties of the EPOSS, in terms of total mass loss, collected volatile condensable material, and water vapor regain were measured as a function of POSS type and content. The AO durability was studied using a ground-based AO simulation system. Surface compositions of EPOSS were studied using high-resolution scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It was found that with respect to the outgassing properties, only some of the EPOSS compositions were suitable for the ultrahigh vacuum space environment, and that the POSS type and content had a strong effect on their outgassing properties. Regardless of the POSS type being used, the AO durability improved significantly. This improvement is attributed to the formation of a self-passivated AO durable SiO2 layer, and demonstrates the potential use of EPOSS as a qualified nanocomposite for space applications