Factors Affecting the Psychosocial Well-Being of Orphan and Separated Children in Five Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Which is More Important, Quality or Form of Care?

This study employed a correlational design and examined the extent to which four components of quality of care (including food security, quality of shelter, quality of caregiving, and access to health care services) predicted psychosocial well-being of orphaned and separated children (OSC), as well as the extent to which these components of quality of care and key demographic factors, such as age, gender, and orphan status moderated the associations between care settings and psychosocial well-being of OSC. This study was an extension of Whetten et al.\u27s 2009 study that found psychosocial well-being was no worse for institution- than community-based OSC and, after adjusting for sites, age, and gender, institution- vs. community-based care setting explained only 0.3-7% of the variability in child outcomes. This study drew from the latest data from the ongoing Positive Outcomes for Orphans (POFO) Study and used a sample population of 2,013 (923 institution- and 1,090 community-based) OSC among six diverse study sites across five low and middle income countries (LMICs): Cambodia, India (Hyderabad and Nagaland), Kenya, Tanzania, and Ethiopia. A series of hierarchical linear and moderated multiple regression analyses revealed that all four components of quality of care significantly predicted child psychosocial well-being. Moreover, three of the four components of quality of care (food security, quality of caregiving, and access to health care services) and two of the three key demographic factors (gender and orphan status) significantly moderated the associations between care settings and child psychosocial well-being. Practical and policy implications and future research are discussed

Orthogonal Array Experiment in Systems

This paper espouses the application of orthogonal array experiment to solve a class of engineering optimization problems encountered in systems engineering and architecting. It also illustrates the applicability of orthogonal array experiment in systems engineering and architecting with two examples: verification and validation of the performance of a bandwidth allocation algorithm and architecting of a system of systems to respond to small boat attacks by terrorists. The orthogonal array experiment approach does not call for linearization of nonlinear engineering optimization problems; using orthogonal arrays, it solves them directly by carrying out the smallest possible number of experiments and determining their solutions from the results of the experiments. The orthogonal array experiment method has been found to be effective and efficient for these problems. The feasibility of applying the orthogonal array experiment approach to these problems suggests its potential application to other optimization problems encountered in systems engineering and architecting

Evolution of structure of SiO2 nanoparticles upon cooling from the melt

Evolution of structure of spherical SiO2 nanoparticles upon cooling from the melt has been investigated via molecular-dynamics (MD) simulations under non-periodic boundary conditions (NPBC). We use the pair interatomic potentials which have weak Coulomb interaction and Morse type short-range interaction. The change in structure of SiO2 nanoparticles upon cooling process has been studied through the partial radial distribution functions (PRDFs), coordination number and bond-angle distributions at different temperatures. The core and surface structures of nanoparticles have been studied in details. Our results show significant temperature dependence of structure of nanoparticles. Moreover, temperature dependence of concentration of structural defects in nanoparticles upon cooling from the melt toward glassy state has been found and discussed.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure

Effect of the green-emitting CaF2:Ce3+,Tb3+ phosphor particles’ size on color rendering index and color quality scale of the in-cup packaging multichip white LEDs

In this paper, we investigate the effect of the green-emitting CaF2:Ce (3+), Tb (3+) phosphor particle's size on the color rendering index (CRI) and the color quality scale (CQS) of the in-cup packaging multichip white LEDs (MCW-LEDs). For this purpose, 7000K and 8500K in-cup packaging MCW-LEDs is simulated by the commercial software Light Tools. Moreover, scattering process in the phosphor layers is investigated by using Mie Theory with Mat Lab software. Finally, the research results show that the green-emitting CaF2: Ce (3+), Tb (3+) phosphor's size crucially influences on the CRI and CQS. From that point of view, CaF2: Ce (3+), Tb (3+) can be proposed as a potential practical direction for manufacturing the in-cup packaging phosphor WLEDs.Web of Science13235134

Space Biosciences Division

In the Space Biosciences Division at NASA's Ames Research Center, we perform the biological research and technology development necessary to tackle the challenges of living in the extreme environments of space and to enable NASA's long-term human exploration mission. This brochure provides a broad overview for our research and development capabilities, several case study examples, and finally real-world applications and collaborative partnerships

Magneto-optical absorption coefficients in monolayer MoSe2

We study the linear, third-order nonlinear, and total absorption coefficients (OACs) caused by intra- and inter-band transitions in monolayer MoSe2 in the presence of a magnetic field by using the compact density matrix approach. The results show that the OACs display the blue-shift behaviour with an increase in the magnetic field. The Zeeman fields do not affect the peak positions but reduce peak intensities slightly. Besides, the strong spin-orbit coupling in monolayer MoSe2 causes the peaks to differ significantly due to spin-up and spin-down. The OACs due to intra-band transition display only one peak in the THz range, while the inter-band spectra show a series of peaks in the near-infrared optical range, making monolayer MoSe2 a promising candidate for novel optoelectronic applications

Numerical Analysis of the Dynamic Responses of Multistory Structures Equipped with Tuned Liquid Dampers Considering Fluid-Structure Interactions

Aims: The paper analyzes the effectiveness of tuned liquid damper in controlling the vibration of high rise building. The new contribution is considering the fluid-structure interaction of a water tank as a Tuned Liquid Dampers (TLD). Background: Currently, buildings are being built higher and higher, which requires TLDs to be larger as well. Therefore, the fluid pressure acting on the tank wall is more significant. In previous studies of liquid sloshing in TLDs, researchers simply ignored the effect of liquid pressure acting on the tank walls by making the assumption that the tanks are rigid. Currently, the failure of a tank because of FSI occurs regularly, so this phenomenon cannot be ignored when designing the tanks in general and TLDs in particular. Objective: To investigate the thickness of the tank wall affect to the TLD mechanism. Method: Numerical method was used for this research. Results: A TLD could be easy to design; however one could not bypass the fluid-structure interaction by assuming the tank wall is rigid. Conclusion: This kind of damper is very good to mitigate the dynamic response of structrure