A Study of Energy Band Gap Temperature Relationships for Cu2ZnSnS4 Thin Films

The temperature dependent band gap energy of Cu2ZnSnS4 thin film was studied in the temperature range of 77 to 410 K. Various relevant parameters which explain the temperature variation of the fundamental band gap have been calculated using empirical and semi-empirical models. Amongst the models evaluated, the Varshni and P\"assler models show the best agreement with experimental data in the middle temperature range. However, the Bose-Einstein model fits reasonably well over the entire temperature range evaluated. The calculated fitting parameters are in good agreement with the estimated value of the Debye temperature calculated using the Madelung-Einstein approximation and the Hailing method.Comment: 3 Figure

The effectiveness of mHealth interventions for maternal, newborn and child health in low- and middle-income countries:Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

Rates of maternal, newborn and child (MNCH) mortality and morbidity are vastly greater in low– than in high–income countries and represent a major source of global health inequity. A host of systemic, economic, geopolitical and sociocultural factors have been implicated. Mobile information and communication technologies hold potential to ameliorate several of these challenges by supporting coordinated and evidence–based care, facilitating community based health services and enabling citizens to access health information and support. mHealth has attracted considerable attention as a means of supporting maternal, newborn and child health in developing countries and research to assess the impacts of mHealth interventions is increasing. While a number of expert reviews have attempted to summarise this literature, there remains a need for a fully systematic review employing gold standard methods of evidence capture, critical appraisal and meta–analysis, in order to comprehensively map, quality assess and synthesise this body of knowledge

Varieties and the terms of trade

This paper analyzes the dynamic adjustment of the terms of trade in an intertemporal, two country model with endogenous product variety. In the base model, all workers are identical. In an extended version, the development of new varieties requires skilled labor while manufacturing uses skilled and unskilled labor. In the model without skill, a population increase in one of the countries has no effect on its terms of trade, not even in the short run. In the model with skill, the terms of trade initially worsen, but eventually return to their original level. The terms of trade immediately and permanently worsen in response to a productivity increase in manufacturing. However, they gradually improve if the productivity in variety research rises. If productivity in both activities rises equiproportionally, the terms of trade respond in the same manner as after a population shock.

Traumatic brain injury and gender: implications for rehabilitation

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is often thought to be a disease of young men. However, women comprise approximately 40% of the TBI population. In the era of personalized medicine, it is critical that we examine questions related to gender and outcomes after TBI, not only from the perspective of natural recovery, but also from the response to treatment. Many pharmacological agents are administered post-TBI, and given biological differences in males and females, the beneficial or deleterious effects of these pharmacological agents may or may not be equivalent between the sexes. Haloperidol (HAL) is often prescribed in the clinic to manage TBI-induced agitation and aggression. HAL has consistently been shown to hinder functional recovery in male rats after experimental TBI, but whether these effects extend to females is not well established. Therefore, the objective of this study is to conduct an experiment examining differences between male and female rats in the response to HAL. To further understand this clinically relevant issue male and female rats received either a SHAM injury or a controlled cortical impact and were treated with either a vehicle solution (1mL/kg) or HAL (0.5mg/kg) starting 24 hours after injury and continuing once a day for 19 consecutive days. In regards to motor function TBI females performed better than TBI males. Furthermore, TBI females that received HAL performed better than TBI male that received HAL. With respect to cognitive function, which consisted of acquisition of spatial learning and memory retention, HAL was found to be deleterious to spatial learning acquisition in the male TBI group, but did not appear to affect retention, as measured in the probe trial. In conclusion, the results of my experiment demonstrate that chronic administration of the antipsychotic drug HAL produces differences in recovery between males and females, as illustrated through tests of motor and cognitive function. Specifically, males performed worse than females, which replicate previous work from our laboratory. This finding is clinically significant because it can allow medical professionals to individualize medicine and to determine the most efficient treatment plan

Healing Thyself: What Barriers Do Psychologists Face When Considering Personal Psychotherapy and How Can They Be Overcome?

Most mental health professionals seek personal psychotherapy at least once in their careers (Phillips, 2011), and at a much higher rate than the general population (Norcross & Guy, 2005). While one-fourth of the general adult population has received mental health services, three-fourths of mental health professionals have done so (Bike, Norcross, & Schatz, 2009; Norcross & Guy, 2005). A wealth of studies have explored why psychologists have sought personal psychotherapy — often for the same reason that the rest of the world seeks therapy, such as coping with loss, dealing with depression or anxiety, or struggling with a personal crisis. However, more research is needed about the potential barriers that psychologists may experience when considering such treatment. In this article, we discuss the research exploring why psychologists may benefit from psychotherapy and report on the findings of our own national survey, which explored independent practitioners\u27 perceived barriers to psychological care

Mobile phone-based interventions for improving contraception use.

BACKGROUND: Contraception provides significant benefits for women's and children's health, yet an estimated 225 million women had an unmet need for modern contraceptive methods in 2014. Interventions delivered by mobile phone have been demonstrated to be effective in other health areas, but their effects on use of contraception have not been established. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of mobile phone-based interventions for improving contraception use. SEARCH METHODS: We searched for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of client-provider interventions delivered by mobile phone to improve contraception use compared with standard care or another intervention. We searched the electronic databases Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, EMBASE, Global Health, PsycINFO, POPLINE, Africa-Wide Information and Latin American Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS) from January 1993 to October 2014, as well as clinical trials registries, online mHealth resources and abstracts from key conferences. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials of mobile phone-based interventions to improve any form of contraception use amongst users or potential users of contraception. Outcome measures included uptake of contraception, measures of adherence, pregnancy and abortion. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently screened titles and abstracts of studies retrieved using the search strategy and extracted data from the included studies. We calculated the Mantel-Haenszel risk ratio (RR) for dichotomous outcomes and the mean difference (MD) for continuous outcomes, together with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Differences in interventions and outcome measures did not permit us to undertake meta-analysis. MAIN RESULTS: Five RCTs met our inclusion criteria. Three trials aimed to improve adherence to a specific method of contraception amongst existing or new contraception users by comparing automated text message interventions versus standard care. Two trials aimed to improve both uptake and adherence, not limited to one method, in both users and non-users of contraception. No trials were at low risk of bias in all areas assessed.One trial in the USA reported improved self reported oral contraceptive (OC) continuation at six months from an intervention comprising a range of uni-directional and interactive text messages (RR 1.19, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.35). One trial in Cambodia reported increased self reported use of effective contraception at four months post abortion from an intervention comprising automated interactive voice messages and phone counsellor support (RR 1.39, 95% CI 1.17 to 1.66).One feasibility trial in the USA reported a lower mean number of days between scheduled and completed attendance for the first but not subsequent Depo-Provera appointments using clinic records from an intervention comprising reminders and healthy self management text messages (mean difference (MD) -8.60 days, 95% CI -16.74 to -0.46). Simple text message OC reminders had no effect on missed pills as assessed by electronic medication monitoring in a small trial in the USA (MD 0.5 missed pills, 95% CI -1.08 to 2.08). No effect on self reported contraception use was noted amongst isotretinoin users from an intervention that provided health information via two uni-directional text messages and mail (RR 1.26, 95% CI 0.84 to 1.89). One trial assessed potential adverse effects of the intervention and reported no evidence of road traffic accidents or domestic abuse. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Our review provides limited evidence that interventions delivered by mobile phone can improve contraception use. Whilst evidence suggests that a series of interactive voice messages and counsellor support can improve post-abortion contraception, and that a mixture of uni-directional and interactive daily educational text messages can improve OC adherence, the cost-effectiveness and long-term effects of these interventions remain unknown. Further high-quality trials are required to robustly establish the effects of interventions delivered by mobile phone to improve contraception use

The effect of corporate taxes on investment and the capital stock

This paper analyses the effect of the corporate tax rate on the cost of capital and investment through two different channels. The first one concerns the fairly standard change in the user cost of capital, which determines a firm's optimal capital stock given that the firm is located in the Netherlands. The paper demonstrates that a reduction in the corporate tax rate reduces the user cost of capital because cost of capital is not fully deductible. The second channel deals with the direct effect of corporate taxation on profits. If capital is sufficiently mobile, the after tax profit margin cannot be affected by the corporate tax rate in equilibrium. Therefore, a rise in the corporate tax rate must be compensated by a compensating rise in the markup. We have assumed that only 35% actually be established. To get a feel for the quantitative effects of these two channels, they have been incorporated into the JADE model, the econometric macro model of CPB. The results suggest that only considering the user cost of capital approach ignores an important aspect of the impact of a change in corporate taxation