Common Instruments Research Articles

Social Costs of Setback Distances for Onshore Wind Turbines: A Model Analysis Applied to the German State of Saxony

Wind power is a key for decarbonizing economies. Yet, wind turbines can produce negative environmental externalities. These include bird collisions and disamenities for residents. Setback distances for onshore wind turbines to settlements and bird nests are a common policy instrument to address these externalities. In this paper, we evaluate the cost-effectiveness of setback distances. We use a spatially-explicit model to investigate the social costs of different options for setbacks to settlements and red kite nests. In terms of social costs, we consider production costs and external costs associated with residents’ disamenities and red kite impacts given an exogenously set wind energy production target. The model is applied using data for the German State of Saxony. Three key results are: (1) More restrictive setbacks may increase social costs. (2) Uniform red kite setbacks reduce social costs rather than uniform settlement setbacks. (3) Differentiated settlement setbacks for different settlement types lead to substantially lower social costs than uniform setbacks.

Optimization of electromagnetic flow measurement system based on a new mesh electrode

Electromagnetic flowmeter(EMF) is a common volumetric flow measurement instrument widely used in industrial flow measurement. With the development of EMF in the direction of high precision and intelligence, it is increasingly urgent to further improve the accuracy of EMF measurement. The key to reducing measurement error and eliminating the impact of interference noise is optimizing the electromagnetic flow sensor structure. Aiming at the existing EMF electrode optimization deficiencies, a new mesh structure electrode is firstly proposed in this paper. Then, a theoretical study on the distribution of virtual current density based on this mesh structure electrode is carried out, different structure electrodes are verified and analyzed through COMSOL finite element simulation, and the optimal structure design parameters of the new mesh electrode are obtained. Finally, an experimental platform is built, and a comparative experiment is conducted on the electromagnetic flow measurement system composed of the new mesh structure electrodes. The experimental results show that the maximum relative error of the optimized electromagnetic flow measurement system (OEMFS) is reduced by 0.47% compared with the ordinary EMF in the non-axisymmetric flow test. In the low-flow velocity test, the maximum relative error of the OEMFS is reduced by 7.46% compared with the ordinary EMF. In the strong interference test, the steady-state fluctuation of the amplitude of the OEMFS is reduced by 5.01% compared with the ordinary EMF. The OEMFS has better anti-interference, and the relative error of the system is less affected by the change in flow rate.

Measuring radon concentrations in air at the progeny non-secular equilibrium time frame

The Nuclear Engineering Laboratory of NTUA (NEL-NTUA) regularly tests radon-in-air concentration measuring instruments. Most common instruments involve open ionization chambers, radon absorbing devices and grab sampling devices. Most types of such instruments do not provide a calibrated radon concentration as soon as the air sampling has ended, since there should exist an adequate time gap, within which sampled radon would reach secular equilibrium with some or most of its immediate progeny. This gap should be around 10-20 min for radon to equilibrate with the Po-218 nucleus, or it could be more than about 3 hours for radon to equilibrate with the Bi-214 / Po-214 progeny. However, if there could be organized calibration experiments at the progeny non-secular equilibrium state, there are some instrument cases, for which this time gap difficulty may be better understood and overcome. To this end, in this work, the Bateman differential equations for all gamma and alpha emitting radon daughters are solved for radon daughters activity at any given time between 0 min and 3 hours using a spreadsheet. This would allow for obtaining a calibration correction factor to be applied at any given time before equilibrium, resulting for radon concentration estimations without the limitations of waiting. Following this solution, the results were theoretically assessed in terms of applicability. Calibration experiments performed for ionization chambers, radon absorbents and Lucas Cells at various radon concentrations in air at the progeny non-secular equilibrium time frame corroborate the theoretical approach.

The effects of carbon pricing instruments on carbon emission reduction in China's refining industry: an evolutionary game between heterogeneous refineries.

Carbon emissions from the refining industry are receiving increasing national attention. In view of long-term sustainable development, a carbon pricing mechanism oriented to carbon emission reduction needs to be developed. Currently, the two most common carbon pricing instruments are emission trading system and carbon tax. Therefore, it is important to study the carbon emission problems in the refining industry under emission trading system or carbon tax. Based on the current situation of China's refining industry, this paper constructs an evolutionary game model for backward and advanced refineries to explore which instrument is more effectively applied in the refining industry and identify the effective factors that can promote carbon emission reduction in refineries. According to the numerical results, if the heterogeneity of enterprises is small, the government's implementation of an emission trading system is the most effective measure, while carbon tax can only ensure that the equilibrium strategy solution is (1,1) when the tax rate is high. If the heterogeneity is large, the carbon tax policy will not have any effect, indicating that government implementation of an emission trading system is more effective than the carbon tax. In addition, there is a positive relationship between carbon price, carbon tax, and refineries' agreement to carbon emission reduction. Finally, consumers' preference for low-carbon products, R&D investment level, and R&D spillover effect have nothing to do with carbon emission reduction. Only by reducing refinery heterogeneity and improving the R&D efficiency of backward refineries can all enterprises agree to carbon emission reduction.

An economic evaluation of targeted case-finding strategies for identifying postnatal depression: A model-based analysis comparing common case-finding instruments

BackgroundHalf of women with postnatal depression (PND) are not identified in routine care. We aimed to estimate the cost-effectiveness of PND case-finding in women with risk factors for PND. MethodsA decision tree was developed to represent the one-year costs and health outcomes associated with case-finding and treatment for PND. The sensitivity and specificity of case-finding instruments, and prevalence and severity of PND, for women with ≥1 PND risk factor were estimated from a cohort of postnatal women. Risk factors were history of anxiety/depression, age < 20 years, and adverse life events. Other model parameters were derived from published literature and expert consultation. Case-finding for high-risk women only was compared with no case-finding and universal case-finding. ResultsMore than half of the cohort had one or more PND risk factor (57.8 %; 95 % CI 52.7 %–62.7 %). The most cost-effective case-finding strategy was the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale with a cut-off of ≥10 (EPDS-10). Among high-risk women, there is a high probability that EPDS-10 case-finding for PND is cost-effective compared to no case-finding (78.5 % at a threshold of £20,000/QALY), with an ICER of £8146/QALY gained. Universal case-finding is even more cost-effective at £2945/QALY gained (versus no case-finding). There is a greater health improvement with universal rather than targeted case-finding. LimitationsThe model includes costs and health benefits for mothers in the first year postpartum, the broader (e.g. families, societal) and long-term impacts are also important. ConclusionsUniversal PND case-finding is more cost-effective than targeted case-finding which itself is more cost-effective than not case-finding.

FOREIGN EXPERIENCE IN USING LEASING AS A METHOD OF INVESTMENT ACTIVITY

In today's global economy, companies face a constant need to access the necessary assets to successfully operate and grow their businesses. However, the acquisition of such assets, be it equipment, vehicles, or real estate, can be financially burdensome for companies. In this situation, leasing, as a financial instrument, becomes an attractive method of investment activity, allowing companies to gain access to the necessary assets without significant capital investments. Foreign experience in using leasing as a method of investment activity demonstrates its widespread use and successful results in various countries and regions. For example, in the United States, leasing is a common financial instrument used by companies of all sizes and sectors of the economy. Many enterprises, especially small and medium ones, use leasing to finance the acquisition of necessary assets. Leasing companies provide financing for the purchase of assets and lease them to clients for a specified period of time, allowing companies to avoid significant capital expenditures and save free cash for other operations and investments. [1] One of the main advantages of leasing is flexibility. Companies can adapt their assets to changing needs and technology requirements without committing to the long-term commitment associated with purchasing assets. They can easily upgrade their equipment or expand their operations by leasing new assets. In addition, leasing allows companies to avoid the risks associated with owning assets, such as obsolescence, decline in value, or loss of demand for specific products. [2] [1] Scott, D. M. (2020). The Social and Intellectual Origins of 13thism. Fire!!!, 5(2), 2–39. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5323/48573836 [2] Mackles, G. F., &amp; Blumenreich, R. G. (2000). Capital Recovery and Leasing. The Tax Lawyer, 53(4), 1005–1014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20772185

FINANCIAL LEVERAGES OF THE REGULATION OF RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION

The increasing level of population coverage with housing has traditionally been among the most relevant and challenging issues for the national economy of Ukraine. The military conflict, now in its second year, is changing the priorities of the public housing policy and requiring the search for new efficient methods of restoring the lost housing stock and regulating housing construction. The article addresses the volume of capital investment in residential construction in Ukraine and explains the financial framework for residential construction regulation. World best practices in the use of financial instruments in the regulation of the industry are systematized. The authors' view of the system of financial leverage of residential construction regulation is offered. The analysis of the housing affordability indicators shows that the average household income is insufficient to purchase housing and repay a mortgage. Meanwhile, the research indicates that a mortgage is one of the most common financial instruments for the purchase of housing for Ukrainians. The analysis of the level and dynamics of mortgage interest rates shows that they are 4.6 times higher in the euro than in the EU countries. The study of modern housing practices in Ukraine emphasizes the need to introduce new principles of sustainable financial regulation in residential construction. The article substantiates a set of these principles and recommends their implementation. The assessment of modern realities and consequences of hostilities in Ukraine reveals significant losses of housing stock (about 40%) and the need to change the priorities and tasks of public housing policy. An examination of the country's recovery and post-war housing programs allows the identification of the principles of transparency, openness, inclusivity, energy efficiency, resource efficiency, and sustainability as key strategic priorities in financial regulation.

The Construction Law in the Middle East

This article analyzes the structuring of Construction Law in Middle Eastern countries. It is an excursus that deals specifically with what the Muqawala contract is, its usefulness and also its history, up to an indication of the most important issues and elements of construction contracts in Middle Eastern countries. Specifically, the most important and legally interesting case relating to the resolution of disputes related to incorrect contractual execution was also analysed. In addition, a further analysis was carried out on Arbitration as one of the most common instrument and also the most common form of dispute resolution in contracts involving international Parties and related to the same on a number of increasingly widespread and increasingly used local arbitration bodies including the Dubai International Arbitration Center and DIFC/LCIA Arbitration Centre.

20/20: Where are Orthoptists Going?

ABSTRACT The year 2020 has been greatly anticipated by the entire ophthalmic community. This year’s Scobee lecture will be a photographic look at our past with the orthoptists and pediatric ophthalmologists we have learned from, taught, and worked with. A sobering snapshot of our present will reveal a world with extreme medical access inequality. This creates a need for an inexpensive screening device for amblyogenic anisometropia. A technique for such a fast and inexpensive screening device will be shown using first retinoscopy; and then compare the effectiveness of the direct Heine streak ophthalmoscope, a common ophthalmic instrument, will be shown to be effective in screening for ≥1 diopter of spherical anisometropia. The challenges of the present hint at an optimistic future for orthoptists, expanding their role as physician extenders to help ease the medical access inequalities in the world. Finally, I introduce the patron saint of the blind and those with vision impairment.

Identifying patterns of neurocognitive dysfunction through direct comparison of children with leukemia, central nervous system tumors, and sickle cell disease.

To quantify and compare the magnitude and type of neurocognitive dysfunction in at-risk children with central nervous system (CNS) tumors, acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and sickle cell disease (SCD) using a common instrument and metric to directly compare these groups with each other. Fifty-three participants between the ages of 7 and 12 years (n=27 ALL, n=11 CNS tumor, n=15 SCD) were enrolled and assessed using the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery (NIHTCB). Participants with ALL or CNS tumor were 0-18 months posttherapy, while participants with SCD possessed the SS or Sβ0 genotype, took hydroxyurea, and had no known history of stroke. Independent sample t-tests showed that participants with ALL and CNS tumor experienced greatest deficits in processing speed (ALL d=-0.96; CNS tumor d=-1.2) and inhibitory control and attention (ALL d=-0.53; CNS tumor d=-0.97) when compared with NIHTCB normative data. Participants with SCD experienced deficits in cognitive flexibility only (d=-0.53). Episodic memory was relatively spared in all groups (d=-0.03 to -0.32). There were no significant differences in function when groups were compared directly with each other by analysis of variance. Use of a common metric to quantify the magnitude and type of neurocognitive dysfunction across at-risk groups of participants by disease shows that participants perform below age-expected norms in multiple domains and experience dysfunction differently than one another. This approach highlights patterns of dysfunction that can inform disease- and domain-specific interventions.

Designing and validating an adaptation questionnaire among the husbands of Iranian Muslim women with breast cancer.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women and is the second leading cause of cancer death. This disease affects all aspects of the patient's life and family, especially the patient's spouse, which confirms the need to adapt to these changes. The common instruments used for the investigation of adaptation among husbands of women with breast cancer are mainly outdated, one-dimensional, or non-concordant with the Iranian culture. Therefore, the present study aimed to design and validate an adaptation scale among the husbands of Iranian Muslim women suffering from breast cancer. This exploratory sequential mixed study was conducted in two qualitative and quantitative stages. In the qualitative stage, semi-structured interviews were performed with 21 participants. Then, items were developed through content analysis using the approach proposed by Elo and Kyngas on the basis of Roy's adaptation model. In the quantitative stage, the extracted items were reduced and psychometric properties such as face, content, and construct validity as well as reliability were explored. To investigate the construct validity, a cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 300 husbands of women with breast cancer selected via cluster sampling. The initial questionnaire contained 79 items. After the assessment of face and content validity, 59 items were evaluated regarding construct validity using exploratory factor analysis. At this stage, six adaptation dimensions were observed among the women's husbands, with the variance of 51.71. The Cronbach's alpha and correlation coefficient of the questionnaire were 0.912 and 0.701, respectively. The developed 51-item adaptation scale had an appropriate validity and reliability and could be used for the assessment of adaptation in the target group.

The influence of women’s representation on social spending in local government

ABSTRACT Compared to men, women tend to prioritize social services, which are usually the responsibility of local government. Female political representation often serves not only as an indicator for descriptive gender equality but also as a common policy instrument for substantive female representation. Yet, empirical evidence of female political representation’s influence on promoting female voters’ priorities is inconclusive. Examining the correlation between the percent of female politicians in Israeli local government and social spending from local government sources over nine budget years, this study shows that only education spending is influenced by female political representation and only when combined with a female mayor. Our main contribution is in showing that female representation in the local council on its own, without the representation of a female mayor, is insufficient for promoting female voters’ priorities.

Promoting Higher Order Thinking Skills in a Cross-Cultural Communication Project

Students are going to need skills for employment including: self-reflection, and cognitive skills, such as critical thinking, flexibility and creativity. Consequently, teachers need to provide opportunities for students to develop these skills in the classroom. Within teaching requirements, teachers have to be creative, and innovative. We propose that by implementing cross-cultural communication projects based on the revised version of Bloom’s taxonomy, teachers can offer students opportunities to improve skills needed for employment in the future. In this study, we implemented a project with tasks and outcomes based on Bloom’s taxonomy. The aim was to provide a clear structure for students to gather new knowledge whilst encouraging the further processing of this knowledge and critical reflection. To accomplish the tasks, students used English as a common communication instrument. Using BT gave a theoretical foundation to the tasks through which the data could be examined. The data shows using Bloom’s Taxonomy provided a way for students to strengthen cognitive skills and complete the tasks given. This study suggests cross-cultural projects combined with BT can be a powerful tool in helping students prepare for future employment.

Evaluation of clinical assessments of social abilities for use in autism clinical trials by the autism biomarkers consortium for clinical trials.

Clinical trials in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often rely on clinician rating scales and parent surveys to measure autism-related features and social behaviors. To aid in the selection of these assessments for future clinical trials, the Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical Trials (ABC-CT) directly compared eight common instruments with respect to acquisition rates, sensitivity to group differences, equivalence across demographic sub-groups, convergent validity, and stability over a 6-week period. The sample included 280 children diagnosed with ASD (65 girls) and 119 neurotypical children (36 girls) aged from 6 to 11 years. Full scale IQ for ASD ranged from 60 to 150 and for neurotypical ranged from 86 to 150. Instruments measured clinician global assessment and autism-related behaviors, social communication abilities, adaptive function, and social withdrawal behavior. For each instrument, we examined only the scales that measured social or communication functioning. Data acquisition rates were at least 97.5% at T1 and 95.7% at T2. All scales distinguished diagnostic groups. Some scales significantly differed by participant and/or family demographic characteristics. Within the ASD group, most clinical instruments exhibited weak (≥ |0.1|) to moderate (≥ |0.4|) intercorrelations. Short-term stability was moderate (ICC: 0.5-0.75) to excellent (ICC: >0.9) within the ASD group. Variations in the degree of stability may inform viability for different contexts of use, such as identifying clinical subgroups for trials versus serving as a modifiable clinical outcome. All instruments were evaluated in terms of their advantages and potential concerns for use in clinical trials.

Maternal Depression during Pregnancy and Postpartum Period among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Countries: A Scoping Review

Identification of mothers with depression is important because untreated perinatal depression can have both short- and long-term consequences for the mother, the child, and the family. This review attempts to identify the prevalence of antenatal and postnatal depression (AD and PD, respectively) of mothers among the ASEAN member countries. A literature review was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, and the Asian Citation Index. The reviews covered publications in peer-reviewed journals written in the English language between January 2010 and December 2020. Of the 280 articles identified, a total of 37 peer-reviewed articles conducted in 8 out of 11 ASEAN member countries were included. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was the most common instrument used to identify depression. This study showed the number of studies reporting the prevalence of AD was 18 in five countries. For PD, 24 studies in eight countries were included. The prevalence of AD ranged from 4.9% to 46.8%, and that of PD ranged from 4.4% to 57.7%. This first review among ASEAN countries showed very few studies conducted in lower-middle-income and substantial heterogeneity in prevalence among studies reviewed. Further research should be conducted to estimate the prevalence using a large representative sample with a validated assessment tool among the ASEAN countries.

Determination of Particulate Matter in Dental Clinics: The Effectiveness of Different Air Purifiers and the Central Ventilation System

The purpose of this study was to measure the number and concentration of airborne particulates occurring in a dental clinic while performing dental procedures, with and without the simultaneous use of air purifier systems and a central ventilation system. The initial background concentrations of airborne particulates recorded during dental procedures, i.e., grinding of natural teeth and metals, without the use of air purifier systems, and with closed windows, reduced by 68% for ΡΜ10, 77% for ΡΜ2.5, and 81% for ΡΜ1 when the same procedures were carried out with the simultaneous use of air purifying systems. In addition, measurements taken during patient treatment showed that an operating central ventilation system contributes to the reduction of airborne particles by a significant 94% for ΡΜ10, 94% for ΡΜ2.5, and 88% for ΡΜ1 compared to dental procedures performed without the simultaneous use of air purifiers. Air purifying systems were also observed to contribute to the further reduction of airborne particulates when dental procedures were performed in combination with an operating central ventilation system. The majority of particles captured had diameters of 0.25-0.30 μm, 0.5 μm, and 1.0-4.0 μm, while particles with diameters of &gt;5.0 μm were the least commonly observed in all experiments. Finally, a statistically significant difference between concentrations of particulate matter was recorded during dental procedures carried out with and without the simultaneous operation of air purifiers and central ventilation system increasing the risk of SARS-CoV-2 virus contamination in dental clinics due to the aerosols emitted by the use of common dental instruments during standard treatments.

Antioxidants in Coffee: An Exercise Using HPLC with Post-column Derivatization and Statistical Analysis

In today’s global economy, the origin of the food we eat is becoming more and more difficult to identify. Verifying the authenticity of products to protect supply chains is a complicated problem that requires a multidisciplinary approach. Chemical authentication of foodstuffs often includes a mass spectrometer detector; however, they are costly and require advanced operating skills. As an alternative, simple and robust post-column derivatization processes undertaken with HPLC may potentially provide chemical signatures of samples based upon the antioxidant profiles of the coffee samples. In this experiment, students employed a HPLC-PCD-VIS hyphenated separation protocol to produce a high-resolution chromatogram with minimal sample preparation, and the analysis was tuned to antioxidants in the coffee. Students encountered common analytical instruments and the commercially relevant CUPRAC assay. Using chromatographically derived data, students constructed MS Excel spreadsheets to normalize data and apply information theory to make statements about the similarity between coffee samples. Students were introduced to analytical protocols and chemometric techniques typical of 21st-century solutions to complex problems while utilizing common analytical instruments and reagents. Students were able to gain real-world laboratory skills, including running HPLC columns for sample analysis, method hyphenation, and signal retrieval. Students then utilized software to plot data for interpretation and to simplify data via preprocessing and chemometric operations to solve real-world problems.

Percussion instruments and their relationship to well-known structural radiators

Several structural radiators have been well studied in the past century and are commonly used to illustrate principles of structural-borne acoustic radiation. These structural radiators include the membrane, thin beam and thin plate. The principles of vibration and acoustic radiation of these radiators will be overviewed in terms of their normal modes. The standard assumptions which allow these structures to be useful in illustrating general principles of structural acoustics will also be outlined. The relationship of common percussion instruments to these structural radiators will then be presented with emphasis on which of the previously discussed assumptions hold for each instrument and which assumptions do not. Modern methods for studying the vibration and acoustic radiation of these instruments will then be outlined.

Concurrent validity and reliability of suicide risk assessment instruments: A meta-analysis of 20 instruments across 27 international cohorts.

A major limitation of current suicide research is the lack of power to identify robust correlates of suicidal thoughts or behavior. Variation in suicide risk assessment instruments used across cohorts may represent a limitation to pooling data in international consortia. Here, we examine this issue through two approaches: (a) an extensive literature search on the reliability and concurrent validity of the most commonly used instruments and (b) by pooling data (N ∼ 6,000 participants) from cohorts from the Enhancing NeuroImaging Genetics Through Meta-Analysis (ENIGMA) Major Depressive Disorder and ENIGMA-Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviour working groups, to assess the concurrent validity of instruments currently used for assessing suicidal thoughts or behavior. We observed moderate-to-high correlations between measures, consistent with the wide range (κ range: 0.15-0.97; r range: 0.21-0.94) reported in the literature. Two common multi-item instruments, the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale and the Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation were highly correlated with each other (r = 0.83). Sensitivity analyses identified sources of heterogeneity such as the time frame of the instrument and whether it relies on self-report or a clinical interview. Finally, construct-specific analyses suggest that suicide ideation items from common psychiatric questionnaires are most concordant with the suicide ideation construct of multi-item instruments. Our findings suggest that multi-item instruments provide valuable information on different aspects of suicidal thoughts or behavior but share a modest core factor with single suicidal ideation items. Retrospective, multisite collaborations including distinct instruments should be feasible provided they harmonize across instruments or focus on specific constructs of suicidality. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

The Credit Suisse CoCo wipeout: Facts, misperceptions, and lessons for financial regulation

The Credit Suisse CoCo wipeout: Facts, misperceptions, and lessons for financial regulation