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Cosmic-Ray Radiation Effects on Ibuprofen Tablet Formulation Inside and Outside of the International Space Station
Get PDFIn extreme environments people will have different needs for medicine(s), making it crucial to understand how such environments affect drug efficacy. Ibuprofen, commonly used in tablet formulation on Earth, could fail in space despite standard pharmaceutical packaging. We introduce the concept of ‘space medicines’, where solid-dosage forms protect the pharmaceutical from accelerated degradation in spaceflight. We simulate dose(s) in International Space Station (ISS) through radionuclide and photon experiments, and establish the impact of alpha, beta and gamma rays. We demonstrate that tablet formulation protects from impact of alpha and beta rays; however, gamma rays decompose ibuprofen even when ‘masked’. We systematically analyse 19 tablet compositions inside and outside the ISS to determine the effect of compositional changes in the tablet matrix. We confirm that the iron oxide-shielded tablets show minimal degradation (〈10%) inside the ISS, compared to moderate reductions (〉10%) for other formulations, with one exception. The tablets exhibited significantly greater ibuprofen degradation (〉 30-50%) outside ISS, due to harsh conditions. Significantly, we found that flavour have shielding potential by scavenging free radicals. We conclude that ibuprofen efficacy is adversely affected in space, and these effects are expected to worsen on missions to deeper space destinations
What does a sociologist do? Norwegian, English, and Hungarian university students’ possible future selves
Get PDFThis paper explores how sociology undergraduate and postgraduate students understand and discuss their possible (sociological) futures in three national contexts of Norway, England, and Hungary. Using an international comparative design based on a total of 38 semi-structured interviews from the three case-study countries, it explores first, current university students’ perceptions of roles and activities, goals and outputs, as well as organisational settings one needs to work in to be considered a sociologist. Second, drawing on the possible selves model outlined by Markus and Nurius and further conceptualised by Harrison this paper explores students’ allusions to probable, like-to-be, and like-to-avoid selves, providing a brief window into their imagined sociological futures. Students’ perceptions of their future sociological selves and the influence of role models in shaping their sociological identities reveal intricate decision-making processes, undertaken while navigating their sociological futures
Environmental taxes, offshoring and welfare: The effects of environmental damage and pollution intensity
Get PDFWe analyze the effects of domestic environmental damage and pollution intensity on a monopolist final good producer's incentive for offshoring a critical intermediate good. Contrary to the usual pollution haven hypothesis, we find that a higher domestic environmental damage, which creates a higher domestic environmental tax, may decrease the incentive for offshoring. This trend is enhanced by a higher pollution intensity of the final good production. Hence, a lower pollution intensity of the final good production may increase offshoring and pollution leakage. Offshoring in our analysis can be excessive or insufficient from the point of view of the domestic country
Online Therapy for Children: Yay or Nay? Clinicians’ Insights from the COVID-19 Era
Get PDFBackground: The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated an almost overnight shift in mental healthcare from in-person to remote delivery. However, the feasibility of online therapy for children and its potential as a long-term fixture remain underexplored. Objective: This study aimed to explore the advantages, disadvantages, and suitability of online therapy for children, as perceived by pediatric clinicians delivering remote psychological interventions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: Six qualified child psychologists with limited pre-pandemic online therapy experience were surveyed about their perspectives on online therapy for children using a qualitative descriptive approach. Data was analyzed using thematic network analysis. Results: Analysis revealed themes relating to: issues encountered in the areas of technology, resource availability, and therapeutic alliance; perceived advantages in children being digital natives, and online therapy’s wide accessibility; and (un)suitability of specific client profiles and therapeutic techniques. Conclusions: Psychological interventions delivered via videoconferencing are not suitable for all children, but can be greatly beneficial for some. Client- and intervention-specific findings from this study can be used to guide future research aimed at clinical practice, developing tailored approaches, and informing policy for improving access to pediatric mental healthcare
On the Balmer spectrum of the Morel-Voevodsky category
Get PDFWe introduce the Morava-isotropic stable homotopy category and, more generally, the stable homotopy category of an extension E∕k. These “local” versions of the Morel–Voevodsky stable A1-homotopy category SH(k) are analogues of local motivic categories introduced in Vishik (2022) but with a substantially more general notion of “isotropy.” This permits to construct the so-called isotropic Morava points of the Balmer spectrum Spc(SHc(k)) of (the compact part of) the Morel–Voevodsky category. These analogues of topological Morava points are parameterized by the choice of Morava K-theory and a K(p,m)-equivalence class of extensions E∕k. This provides a large supply of new points, and substantially improves our understanding of the spectrum. An interesting new feature is that the specialization among isotropic points behaves differently than in topology
In-situ measurement methods for microscale surface impurities in powder bed fusion: a review
Get PDFDespite ongoing improvements and optimisation efforts, the powder bed fusion (PBF) process continues to face challenges related to repeatability, robustness, and stability. These challenges can lead to the formation of microscale surface impurities on each layer, such as balling, spatter and surface pores, which can adversely affect the overall quality of the final part. The layer-by-layer fabrication approach in PBF offers an opportunity to assess fabrication quality in real-time by detecting these impurities at each layer during the manufacturing process through in-situ sensing methods. With advancements in sensing and computing technologies, there has been a significant increase in studies focused on developing in-situ methods for the real-time detection of surface impurities and feedback mechanisms. However, it is necessary to understand the effectiveness and capability of these in-situ methods in detecting microscale surface impurities, as well as to evaluate their potential advantages, drawbacks, and the existing gaps in the literature. This study first summarises the common microscale surface impurities and their potential impacts on part quality, including mechanical properties and surface finish. It then reviews the existing in-situ methods capable of detecting these microscale impurities, providing insights into the strengths and limitations of current techniques, and identifying gaps in the literature while suggesting directions for future research
International product adaptation and performance: A systematic analysis of the literature and agenda for future research
Get PDFThere is a lack of consensus on what the international product adaptation (IPA) concept involves, and only a partial understanding of its outcomes. Our analysis of the IPA-performance link uncovers, for the first time, the multidimensional nature of IPA. We show how the operational approaches used to explore IPA change its meaning across studies, demonstrate that IPA has different impacts across performance types, and highlight the range of mechanisms governing IPA's performance relationships. We present a set of issues that need to be accounted for to build a better theory of IPA's performance consequences, and a roadmap for future research
Determinants of FinTech Equity Funding Flows: Evidence From a Global Perspective
Get PDFThis study explores the factors affecting FinTech (Financial technology startups) equity financing and deals. Traditional and alternative financing are currently progressing together; however, alternative financing remains underexplored. Using panel data from 57 countries in 2010 to 2020 and one-step difference generalised method of moments (Diff-GMM) regressions, we show that, at the global level, gross domestic product (GDP), domestic credit to the private sector, regulations, innovations, globalisation, stock market return, information technology (ICT) goods export and internet users influence FinTech equity funding. With respect to FinTech deals, except GDP, regulations and globalisation, all other factors aforementioned have a substantial effect. Nevertheless, our category-specific findings slightly differ from the global context. Our study emphasises the need for the rapid development of communication technology and increased accessibility to mobile internet services for users. Moreover, authorities should strike a balance between imposing regulations and facilitating FinTech equity funding growth. Innovations should prioritise user-friendliness, affordability and commercial viability
Characterizing how peer-to-peer learning navigates coopetitive tensions within Online Community-based Innovation Contest networks
No full textOnline Community-based Innovation Contests (OCICs) are an important form of network-based innovation. Creativity derives from the interactions between diverse community peers, positioned across the network, who learn from each other. However, learning takes place against the backdrop of simultaneity of cooperation and competition, leading to coopetitive tensions. This research seeks to unravel how peer-to-peer learning occurs within this coopetitive environment. It aims to unpack coopetitive tensions and show how they are navigated by peer-to-peer learning mechanisms. To achieve this, an in-depth case study of a global filmmaking OCIC is conducted, comprising three phases; informal interviews and observation; Social Network Analysis (SNA); and a structured interview program. The results identify diversity and opacity tensions derived from the opposing forces of cooperativeness and competitiveness. These tensions are navigated through two overarching learning mechanisms of assessment and concretizing. The study details several learning strategies connected to the mechanisms. A nuanced analysis shows how they are enacted at core and periphery positions, and through various modes of interaction
Fitting and comparing water retention curves for soils under contrasting experimental treatment: Examples from conservation agriculture trials in southern Africa
Get PDFConservation Agriculture (CA) is proposed as a ‘climate-smart’ intervention for resilient crop production in dryland areas affected by climate change. Evidence is needed for how these practices affect fundamental properties of the soil. The soil water retention curve (SWRC) is a physical attribute of the soil which provides information on its porous structure and physical quality. It is also critical for modelling processes in the soil such as water movement, water availability for plants and infiltration into the soil during rainfall events. In this paper we estimate parameters of the van Genuchten model of the SWRC from experiments on CA interventions in southern Africa, using a linear mixed modelling framework. The method we use, stochastic approximation maximization, allows for maximum likelihood estimation of the parameters without use of linearizing approximation. We show how sequential fitting of model parameters, with marginal false discovery rate control, allows us to make robust inferences about differences in the SWRC between soils under contrasting experimental management. We also show how the method allows us to draw samples from distribution of SWRC parameters, reflecting the uncertainty which arises from variation within the management treatments. Indices of soil physical quality may be computed from the parameter estimates to compare treatments, and by computing them from the samples, the uncertainty in these indices can also be assessed. We use the estimated model parameters to simulate infiltration of water into the soils under different management during a rainfall event. Again, by using the samples from the joint distributions of the parameters the effects of uncertainty in these parameters as propagated through the model can be computed. We applied these methods to soils collected from experimental plots under CA and conventional tillage (CV) at sites in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi. We observed differences in the SWRC for the CA and CV plots at the Zambian site where a physically vulnerable soil showed greater macroporosity under CA than CV. In contrast, a sandy and organic-poor soil at the site in Zimbabwe showed somewhat greater macroporosity under cultivation rather than CA management. There was no detectable treatment effect of the management system on the SWRC for the soils at the site in Malawi
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