scholarly journals Experimental Simulation of the Behaviour of Diagnostic First Mirrors Fabricated of Different Metals for ITER Conditions

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
V.S. Voitsenya ◽  
A.F. Bardamid ◽  
A.J.H. Donné
Keyword(s):  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Experimental Simulation ◽  
Science Center ◽  
Plasma Facing Component ◽  
Laser Diagnostic ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Experimental Fusion

In the experimental fusion reactor ITER, the plasma-facing component of each optical and/or laser diagnostic needs to be based on reflective optics with at least one mirror (first mirror) facing the thermonuclear plasma. The different kinds of radiation emanating from the burning plasma (neutrons, neutral atoms, electromagnetic radiation) create hostile operating conditions for the first mirrors. Therefore, a special program has been set up under the ITER framework aimed at solving the first mirror problem. This paper will review the main results in this field that have been obtained in the Institute of Plasma Physics, National Science Center “Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology” (in many cases in cooperation with groups of other countries, as indicated in corresponding parts of the manuscript) during long-term investigations directed to find a solution of this problem,i.e., to find a material and accompanying precautions in order to satisfy the requirements for first mirrors. The main efforts were devoted to finding solutions to overcome the impact of the most severe deteriorating factors resulting in degradation of the optical properties of mirrors: sputtering by charge exchange atoms and deposition of contaminants. The obtained results are focused on: the effects of long term sputtering on mirror specimens fabricated from different metals with different structures (polycrystals, single crystals, metal film on metal substrates, amorphous), the effects of contaminating film and the possible protection to avoid of its appearance, the role of chemical processes for some metal mirrors, and the choice of material of laser mirrors.

Financial Services and Investment Markets in a Low Inflationary Environment

1999 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 851-897 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.J. Nowell ◽  
J.R. Crispin ◽  
M. Iqbal ◽  
S.F. Margutti ◽  
A. Muldoon
Keyword(s):  
Financial Services ◽  
Working Party ◽  
Research Committee ◽  
Net Returns ◽  
Term Insurance ◽  
Insurance Business ◽  
Set Up ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACTA working party was set up in February 1999 by the Research Committee of the Life Board to consider the impact of a low inflationary environment on the financial services and investment markets with particular emphasis on companies conducting long-term insurance business.The working party has produced an interim report which reviews the causes of the present expectation of low inflation and discusses evidence from the past and the role of demographics. It considers issues surrounding the composition of the retail price index, appropriate economic assumptions and the impact on investment markets, including the effect of charges on net returns to savers. The position of long-term insurance business is then considered in more detail, looking at HM Treasury return consequences as well as disclosure and product design features. Finally, there are two investigations, the first looking at the effect of low inflation on the achieved profits derived from different product designs, and the second looking at the changes in ruin probability for a with-profits office associated with declining inflation.

Covid-19 In Man: A Very Dangerous Affair.

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Lisco ◽  
Vito A. Giagulli ◽  
Giovanni De Pergola ◽  
Anna De Tullio ◽  
Edoardo Guastamacchia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Poor Prognosis ◽  
Metabolic Diseases ◽  
Systemic Disease ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Immune System Dysfunction ◽  
Data Support ◽  
Systemic Spread ◽  
The Impact

Background: The novel pandemic of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has becoming a public health issue since March 2020 considering that more than 30 million people were found to be infected worldwide. Particularly, recent evidences suggested that men may be considered as at higher risk of poor prognosis or death once the infection occurred and concerns surfaced in regard of the risk of a possible testicular injury due to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Results: Several data support the existence of a bivalent role of testosterone (T) in driving poor prognosis in patients with COVID-19. On one hand, this is attributable to the fact that T may facilitate SARS-CoV-2 entry in human cells by means of an enhanced expression of transmembrane serine-protease 2 (TMPRSS2) and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). At the same time, younger man with normal testicular function compared to women of similar age are prone to develop a blunted immune response against SARS-CoV-2, being exposed to less viral clearance and more viral shedding and systemic spread of the disease. Conversely, low levels of serum T observed in hypogonadal men predispose them to a greater background systemic inflammation, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, and immune system dysfunction, hence driving harmful consequences once SARS-CoV-2 infection occurred. Finally, SARS-CoV-2, as a systemic disease, may also affect testicles with possible concerns for current and future testicular efficiency. Preliminary data suggested that SARS-CoV-2 genome is not normally found in gonads and gametes, therefore sex transmission could be excluded as a possible way to spread the COVID-19. Conclusion: Most data support a role of T as a bivalent risk factor for poor prognosis (high/normal in younger; lower in elderly) in COVID-19. However, the impact of medical treatment aimed to modify T homeostasis for improving the prognosis of affected patients is unknown in this clinical setting. In addition, testicular damage may be a harmful consequence of the infection even in case it occurred asymptomatically but no long-term evidences are currently available to confirm and quantify this phenomenon. Different authors excluded the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in sperm and oocytes, thus limiting worries about both a potential sexual and gamete-to-embryos transmission of COVID-19. Despite these evidence, long-term and well-designed studies are needed to clarify these issues.

scholarly journals Long-term changes in the plant ecology of an African savanna landscape and the implications for ecosystem theory and conservation management

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Western ◽  
Victor N. Mose ◽  
David Maitumo ◽  
Caroline Mburu
Keyword(s):  
Human Impact ◽  
National Parks ◽  
Conservation Management ◽  
Plant Ecology ◽  
Ecological Resilience ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
Ecosystem Theory ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Studies of the African savannas have used national parks to test ecological theories of natural ecosystems, including equilibrium, non-equilibrium, complex adaptive systems, and the role of top-down and bottom-up physical and biotic forces. Most such studies have excluded the impact of pastoralists in shaping grassland ecosystems and, over the last half century, the growing human impact on the world’s rangelands. The mounting human impact calls for selecting indicators and integrated monitoring methods able to track ecosystem changes and the role of natural and human agencies. Our study draws on five decades of monitoring the Amboseli landscape in southern Kenya to document the declining role of natural agencies in shaping plant ecology with rising human impact. Results We show that plant diversity and productivity have declined, biomass turnover has increased in response to a downsizing of mean plant size, and that ecological resilience has declined with the rising probability of extreme shortfalls in pasture production. The signature of rainfall and physical agencies in driving ecosystem properties has decreased sharply with growing human impact. We compare the Amboseli findings to the long-term studies of Kruger and Serengeti national parks to show that the human influence, whether by design or default, is increasingly shaping the ecology of savanna ecosystems. We look at the findings in the larger perspective of human impact on African grasslands and the world rangelands, in general, and discuss the implications for ecosystem theory and conservation policy and management. Conclusions The Amboseli study shows the value of using long-term integrated ecological monitoring to track the spatial and temporal changes in the species composition, structure, and function of rangeland ecosystems and the role of natural and human agencies in the process of change. The study echoes the widespread changes underway across African savannas and world’s rangelands, concluding that some level of ecosystem management is needed to prevent land degradation and the erosion of ecological function, services, and resilience. Despite the weak application of ecological theory to conservation management, a plant trait-based approach is shown to be useful in explaining the macroecological changes underway.

The Role of UBI in Mitigating the Effects of Psychosocial Stressors: A Review and Proposal

2021 ◽  
pp. 003329412110051
Author(s):  
Rashmi Gupta ◽  
Jemima Jacob ◽  
Gaurav Bansal
Keyword(s):  
Role Stress ◽  
Psychosocial Stressors ◽  
Basic Income ◽  
Economic Stability ◽  
The Past ◽  
Individual Outcomes ◽  
Long Term Impact ◽  
The Impact

Psychosocial stressors and social disadvantages contribute to inequalities in opportunities and outcomes. In the current paper, we use an epidemiological perspective and highlight the role stress plays on individuals by reviewing the outcomes of major stressors such as poverty and unemployment. We further analyzed the psychological and physical cost of these stressors and their long-term impact. We examined the role of universal basic income and closely looked at income experiments that were implemented in the past, in terms of their effectiveness in enhancing the community as well as individual outcomes and propose the UBI as a tool for alleviating the impact of these stressors. At a time when a major pandemic (e.g., COVID-19) threatens economic stability and health globally, we believe the UBI is relevant now, more than ever.

Awareness and opinion about polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) among young women: a developing country perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saubhagya Kumar Jena ◽  
Lipsa Mishra ◽  
Sushree Samiksha Naik ◽  
Shahnawaz Khan
Keyword(s):  
Young Women ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Young Patients ◽  
Urban Sector ◽  
Contraceptive Pills ◽  
Validated Questionnaire ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Ovarian Syndrome

AbstractObjectiveTo explore the perception on PCOS and its prevalence among adolescent and young women.MethodsThe study was conducted over 2 year period in a tertiary care teaching hospital from Eastern India. A pre-formed, validated questionnaire was used to record the details. Descriptive statistics was used to report the findings.ResultsOf 965 young patients with mean (SD) age 20.64 (2.1) years, 27 (2.79 %) were aware of an entity called PCOS. Awareness among adolescents with PCOS was 25.9 % (7/27). All aware patients belonged to the urban sector with professionals constituting around 48%, of which 11% were students. The major source of information among aware patients was from doctors (40.7%), and friends and Internet (25.9%); rest being from books, newspapers, and teachers. Majority (70%) were aware that diet restriction and exercise were the primary modalities of treatment, whereas, only 3.7% knew about the role of contraceptive pills in PCOS.ConclusionsAwareness regarding PCOS among the young women is very low mainly in the rural set up. Doctors and health staffs should play a major role in spreading awareness of the entity to prevent long term complications.

The Sexual Experience of Married Middle-Aged Women as a Source of Mental Wellbeing: Perceptions, Challenges and Coping Mechanisms

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 181-203
Author(s):  
Tal Braverman-Uriel ◽  
Tal Litvak-Hirsch
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Sexual Experience ◽  
Women's Leadership ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Significant Development ◽  
And Coping ◽  
The Impact

The impact of sexuality on mental wellbeing in women in long-term relationships has only been partially investigated. Emphasis has been on quantitative research studies that do not capture the breadth of the field. The present study looked at how and to what extent women maintain sexual desire in long-term relationships, and how sexuality affects their mental wellbeing. The study used a qualitative narrative approach and included semi-structured interviews with approximately 20 Israeli women aged 40–55 from similar socioeconomic backgrounds and in longstanding, permanent relationships. The findings indicate significant development over the years in the perception of the role of sexuality and its impact on mental wellbeing. The path to good sexuality can and should follow women’s leadership and initiative. Such women have the desire to make an impact, willingness to make an effort, and even an actual ability to exert influence. The interviewees’ tools, strategies, insights and ways of coping can serve as models for other women seeking better sexuality in a long-term relationship.

scholarly journals Has erosion globally increased? Long-term erosion rates as a function of climate derived from the impact crater inventory

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Hergarten ◽  
Thomas Kenkmann
Keyword(s):  
Time Scale ◽  
Impact Crater ◽  
Regional Effect ◽  
Tropical Zone ◽  
Erosion Rates ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
River Loads ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Worldwide erosion rates seem to have increased strongly since the beginning of the Quaternary, but there is still discussion about the role of glaciation as a potential driver and even whether the increase is real at all or an artefact due to losses in the long-term sedimentary record. In this study we derive estimates of average erosion rates on the time scale of some tens of million years from the terrestrial impact crater inventory. This approach is completely independent from all other methods to infer erosion rates such as river loads, preserved sediments, cosmogenic nuclides and thermochronometry. Our approach yields average erosion rates as a function of present-day topography and climate. The results confirm that topography accounts for the main part of the huge variation of erosion on Earth, but also identifies a significant systematic dependence on climate in contrast to several previous studies. We found a fivefold increase in erosional efficacy from the cold regimes to the tropical zone and that temperate and arid climates are very similar in this context. Combining our results to a worldwide mean erosion rate we found that erosion rates on the time scale of some tens of million years are at least as high as present-day rates and suggest that glaciation has a rather regional effect with a limited impact at the continental scale.

scholarly journals Environment and Potential Affecting Investment Decision for Accommodation Business: Case of Less Visited Area in Samut Songkhram and Phatthalung Province

2021 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 1706-1717
Author(s):  
Krisada Sungkhamanee, Piyadhida Sungkhamanee
Keyword(s):  
Financial Literacy ◽  
Investment Decision ◽  
Investment Decisions ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Potential Factors ◽  
Short Term Investment ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Moderating Role

Investment decisions have great importance in different sectors of various countries and these decisions are the basis on which the outcomes of the investments are based. However, there might be certain factors that might lead to the incorrect long term and short term investment decisions. In this regard, the current study has been conducted with the core motive to explore the impact casted by the environment and potential factors i.e. salience and overconfidence on the long term investment decisions for accommodation business along with the moderation of a variable i.e. financial literacy. To fulfill this objective, the researcher has collected data from the investors of accommodation businesses in Thailand. The collected data has been subjected to different statistical techniques and tools for analysis purpose and the results have been obtained. The results obtained by the analysis of the collected data indicate that salience and overconfidence have significant impact on the long term investment decision. In addition, the moderating role of financial literacy has also been found as significant in the study. The results suggest that the investors of the accommodation business must consider the aspects of salience and overconfidence before taking any long term investment decision to avoid failure of the investment decision.    

scholarly journals Thermal and Chemical Integrity of Ru Electrode in Cu/TaOx/Ru ReRAM Memory Cell

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. N220-N233
Author(s):  
Mohammad Al-Mamun ◽  
Sean W. King ◽  
Marius Orlowski
Keyword(s):  
Memory Cell ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Electrical Performance ◽  
Pt Electrode ◽  
Switching Performance ◽  
Inert Electrode ◽  
Work Function Difference ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Si Wafer

A good candidate for replacing the inert platinum (Pt) electrode in the well-behaved Cu/TaOx/Pt resistive RAM memory cell is ruthenium (Ru), already successfully deployed in the CMOS back end of line. We benchmark Cu/TaOx/Ru device against Cu/TaOx/Pt and investigate the impact of embedment of Cu/TaOx/Ru on two different substrates, Ti(20nm)/SiO2(730nm)/Si and Ti(20nm)/TaOx(30nm)/SiO2(730nm)/Si, on the cell's electrical performance. While the devices show similar switching performance at some operating conditions, there are notable differences at other operation regimes shedding light on the basic switching mechanisms and the role of the inert electrode. The critical switching voltages are significantly higher for Ru than for Pt devices and can be partly explained by the work function difference and different surface roughness of the inert electrode. The poorer switching properties of the Ru device are attributed to the degraded inertness properties of the Ru electrode as a stopping barrier for Cu+ ions as compared to the Pt electrode. However, some of the degraded electrical properties of the Ru devices can be mitigated by an improved integration of the device on the Si wafer. This improvement is attributed to the suppression of crystallization of Ru and its silicidation reactions that take place at elevated local temperatures, present mainly during the reset operation. This hypothesis has been corroborated by extensive XRD studies of multiple layer systems annealed at temperatures between 300K and 1173K.

scholarly journals PERAN MODERASI PERCEIVED CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY DALAM PENGARUH TRUST TERHADAP LOYALITAS DAN REPURCHASE INTENTION PADA AIR MINUM DALAM KEMASAN MEREK AQUA DI SURABAYA

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Esti Susanti
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Customer Loyalty ◽  
Repurchase Intention ◽  
Marketing Managers ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Customer Trust ◽  
The Impact

In recent business competition, marketing managers try to satisfying consumers and building stable-long term relationship between company and consumer. The relationship needs consumer’s trust to company. That is why marketing managers are interested in knowing the impact of trust, loyalty and corporate social responsibility (CSR) toward customer retention (repurchase intention) in order to develop the long term profitability of the company. The long term relationship with consumers results in profitability and also impacts of survival and company development. In other word, trust influences toward loyalty and consumer retention. In the same moment, it is not surprising that academicians and practitioner effort to understand trust, customer loyalty, repurchase intention and CSR. This research examines firstly, influence of customer trust toward customer loyalty. Secondly, the research examines influence of customer loyalty toward repurchase intention. Thirdly, the research examines the role of perceived CSR as a moderating variable on the influence customer trust toward customer loyalty. The packaged-drinking water Aqua is taken as the research context because the Aqua company have donated 10 litter clean water in East Indonesia for each of one litter consumer buying. The result of the research shows that perceived CSR play a strong and positive role of influencing trust toward loyalty. Otherwise, trust influences strongly toward loyalty and loyalty influences strong enough toward repurchase intention. The result is expected to give managerial benefit for Aqua Company and also theoretical development in marketing related to the moderation role of perceived CSR in the influence of trust toward loyalty and repurchase intention.

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