The influence of objective and subjective social class on subjective well-being: a meta-analytic review

Debates surrounding the varying link between social class and subjective well-being (SWB) have pointed to limitations of the objective measures of social class in elucidating the precise influence of material resources on SWB. This has resulted in a shift toward examining one's perception of economic standing relative to others, or subjective social class, and how it relates to SWB. The present meta-analysis sought to achieve two goals: First, to provide an estimate of the overall effects yielded by both objective and social class indices, thereby testing the relativity hypothesis that predicts that subjective social class relates to SWB more strongly than objective social class. Second, to elucidate the relevance and utility of each index in influencing SWB by examining moderators that would influence how strongly the objective and subjective social class index relates to SWB. The current meta-analysis included 334 independent samples, with the inclusion of more recent samples compared to earlier meta-analyses. The results revealed that the subjective social class-SWB association (r = .21) was about twice as large as the objective social class-SWB association (r = .11), supporting the relativity hypothesis. Furthermore, the subjective social class-SWB association was relatively stable across moderators compared to the objective social class-SWB association. Implications of these findings on social class and SWB research are discussed

A Theory and Monte Carlo Calculation on Low Energy Electron Scattering in Solids

Low energy electron scattering (LEES) courses in solids are described by using a strict theory and direct simulation method proposed in this paper: we have improved Pendry\u27s method based on the partial wave expansion, which can be applied to calculate the elastic scattering between an electron and atoms. The contributions of shell electrons, conductive electrons and plasma excitations are considered in the calculation of the inelastic scattering; electron scattering and cascade process of secondary electrons are simulated by Monte Carlo method. The secondary electron yields, the energy spectra curve and the backscattering electron coefficients for Cu were evaluated at the various energies, the theoretical results are in agreement with the Koshikawa\u27s experiments

Development of titanium dioxide nanoparticles/nanosolution for photocatalytic activity

Biological and chemical contaminants by man-made activities have been serious global issue. Exposure of these contaminants beyond the limits may result in serious environmental and health problem. Therefore, it is important to develop an effective solution that can be easily utilized by mankind. One of the effective ways to overcome this problem is by using titanium dioxide (TiO2). TiO2 is a well-known photocatalyst that widely used for environmental clean-up due to its ability to decompose organic pollutant and kill bacteria. Although it is proven TiO2 has an advantage to solve this concern, its usefulness unfortunately is limited only under UV light irradiation. Therefore, the aim of this work was to investigate the potential of TiO2 that can be activated under visible light by the incorporation of metal ions (Fe, Ag, Zr and Ag-Zr). In this study, sol-gel method was employed for the synthesis of metal ions incorporated TiO2. XRD analysis revealed that all samples content biphasic anatase-brookite TiO2 of size 3 nm to 5 nm. It was found that the incorporation of these metal ions did not change the morphology of TiO2 but the crystallinity and optical properties were affected. The crystallinity of anatase in the biphasic TiO2 was found to be decreased and favored brookite formation. PL analysis showed metal ions incorporation suppressed the recombination of electron-hole pairs while the band gap energy of TiO2 (3.2 eV) was decreased by the incorporation of Fe (2.46 eV) and Ag (2.86 eV). Among this incorporation, Ag-Zr incorporated TiO2 showed highest performance for methyl orange degradation (93%) under fluorescent xxv light irradiation for 10 h. This follows by Zr-TiO2 (82%), Fe-TiO2 (75%) and Ag�TiO2 (43%). Meanwhile, the highest antibacterial performance was exhibited by Ag�TiO2. TEM images showed that E.coli bacterium was killed within 12 h after treated with Ag-TiO2. The results obtained from the fieldwork study established that Ag-Zr incorporation have excellent performances for VOC removal and antibacterial test. The VOC content after treated with Ag-Zr-TiO2 fulfilled the Industry Code of Practice on Indoor Air Quality 2010 which is lower than 3 ppm. In addition, the percentage of microbes also found to be decrease around 45 % within 5 days of monitoring

Critical success factors of Lean Six Sigma in higher education institutions

In this globalization era, the competition in industries becoming more vigorous as organizations are under constant pressure to outperform each other. Similarly in the educational sector, where Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) facing intense competition. In order to stay competitive and sustainable, continuous improvement tools are highly required by these organizations. Lean Six Sigma (LSS) is one of the powerful continuous improvement tools to enhance HEIs’ competitive advantages and performance. In order to improve the successful rate of implementation, this paper aimed to identify and reviewed on previous study regarding to the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) of LSS. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that all CSFs are relevant in the context of HEIs, and management plays an important role in all CSFs of LSS. However, the involvement of employees serves as the support and also vital for the successful of LSS implementation as employees are the fundamental of HEIs and decides the accomplishment of task and performance of HEIs. Management should take the initiative to stimulate the employees, and with these CSFs serve as guidelines of LSS, HEIs can adapt LSS to improve its operation and services

A qualitative study on the clinical safety and user experiences of female condoms for anal intercourse among men who have sex with men in Shanghai, China

ObjectiveThis qualitative study aimed to understand the clinical safety, efficacy, and receptiveness of using the female condom (FC) during anal intercourse among men who have sex with men (MSM).MethodsSubjects for this study were recruited from a two-group crossover trial among MSM in Shanghai. The trial consisted of two phases, each including the use of condoms (FC vs. male condom), questionnaires, and in-depth one-on-one interviews. The two phases were separated by a washout period of 4 weeks. The minimum sample size for this study was determined in accordance with the principle of “information saturation.” The qualitative data were organized and analyzed using ATLAS.ti version 7.ResultsA total of 26 participants from the MSM population were recruited for this study, with 10 assuming the insertive role (i.e., “1”), 8 assuming the receptive role (i.e., “0”), and 8 being versatile (i.e., “0.5”). Each participant completed the crossover trial comprising two phases. The cumulative usage of FCs and male condoms (MCs) amounted to 115 and 127 times, respectively. During the reported sexual encounters, no participants reported incidents of condom rupture, slippage, or other malfunctions. A few participants reported experiencing slight chafing pain, primarily put forward by “0” participants. Apart from those reports, no instances of bleeding, swelling, or allergic reactions were reported. The efficiency of FC in disease prevention, the sexual partner’s willingness to use FC, the freshness of FC, and positive sexual experiences were the main reasons for the consistent use of FC for anal sex. Discomfort and pain during sexual activity, the loose design and thick material of FCs, and difficulties in placing FCs were the major obstacles to FC use among MSM. The elements referring to the forehead exhibited varied in importance among “1,”, “0,” and “0.5” participants. Regarding the willingness to use the FC in the future anal intercourse, 61.54% of participants expressed a positive inclination, 23.08% were uncertain, and 15.38% stated that they would not. “A better sense of security during anal sex” was the main factor affecting willingness among “0” participants and “the sexual pleasure that the FC brought” among “1” participants. Improving the design and technology of FCs and increasing the frequency of use and practice might improve the use skills, which will favor the willingness to use FCs among the MSM population.ConclusionFCs received positive user feedback from study participants, but distinctions were found in individuals in different sexual roles. Large-scale quantitative studies are needed to evaluate the clinical safety of the FC and its effectiveness in preventing the transmission of STDs during anal intercourse

Isolated Diatomic Ni-Fe Metal-Nitrogen Sites for Synergistic Electroreduction of CO2

Polynary single‐atom structures can combine the advantages of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts while providing synergistic functions based on different molecules and their interfaces. However, the fabrication and identification of such an active‐site prototype remain elusive. Here we report isolated diatomic Ni‐Fe sites anchored on nitrogenated carbon as an efficient electrocatalyst for CO2 reduction. The catalyst exhibits high selectivity with CO Faradaic efficiency above 90 % over a wide potential range from −0.5 to −0.9 V (98 % at −0.7 V), and robust durability, retaining 99 % of its initial selectivity after 30 hours of electrolysis. Density functional theory studies reveal that the neighboring Ni‐Fe centers not only function in synergy to decrease the reaction barrier for the formation of COOH* and desorption of CO, but also undergo distinct structural evolution into a CO‐adsorbed moiety upon CO2 uptake.This research was undertaken with the assistance of resources provided by the National Computing Infrastructure (NCI) facility at the Australian National University allocated through both the National Computational Merit Allocation Scheme supported by the Australian Government and the Australian Research Council grant LE160100051 (Maintaining and enhancing merit-based access to the NCI National Facility, 2016–2018). This work was supported by the Australian Research Council (DP160103107, FT170100224)

Endoscopic Ultrasonography in the Diagnosis and Treatment Strategy Choice of Esophageal Leiomyoma

OBJECTIVES: Esophageal leiomyoma is the most common benign tumor of the esophagus, and it originates from mesenchymal tissue. This study analyzed the clinicopathological characteristics of esophageal leiomyoma and aimed to evaluate the role of endoscopic ultrasonography in the diagnosis and treatment selection for these lesions. METHODS: Two hundred and twenty-five patients who had suspected esophageal leiomyomas in endoscopic ultrasonography were enrolled at the Endoscopy Center of The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University from January 1st, 2009 to May 31th, 2015. The main outcomes included the demographic and morphological characteristics, symptoms, comparisons of diagnosis and treatment methods, adverse events, and prognosis. RESULTS: One hundred and sixty-seven patients were diagnosed as having an esophageal leiomyoma by pathological examination. The mean patient age was 50.57±9.983 years. In total, 62.9% of the lesions originated from the muscularis mucosa, and the others originated from the muscularis propria. The median distance to the incisors was 30±12 cm. The median diameter was 0.72±0.99 cm. As determined by endoscopic ultrasonography, most existing leiomyomas were homogeneous, endophytic, and spherical. The leiomyomas from the muscularis mucosa were smaller than those from the muscularis propria and much closer to the incisors (

Stereospecific access to bridged [ n .2.1] skeletons through gold-catalyzed tandem reaction of indolyl homopropargyl amides

Abstract(#br)An efficient gold-catalyzed anti-Markovnikov cycloisomerization-initiated tandem reaction of Boc-protected indole tethered homopropargyl amides has been achieved. This method delivers a wide range of valuable bridged aza-[ n .2.1] skeletons ( n = 3–7) at room temperature with high diastereoselectivity and enantioselectivity by a chirality-transfer strategy. Moreover, the gold-catalyzed tandem reaction of homopropargyl alcohol is also achieved to produce the bridged oxa-[3.2.1] skeleton