Which survey indicators are useful for monitoring consumption? Evidence from European countries

This paper assesses the information content of two survey indicators for consumption developments in the near future for eight European countries in the period 1985–1998. Empirical work on this topic typically focuses on consumer confidence, the perceptions of buyers of consumption goods. This paper examines whether perceptions of sellers of consumption goods, measured by retail trade surveys, may also improve short‐term monitoring of consumption. We find that both consumer confidence and retailer confidence embody valuable information, when analysed in isolation. For France, Italy and Spain we conclude that adding retail confidence does not improve the indicator model once consumer confidence has been included. For the UK the reverse case is obtained. For the remaining four countries we show that combining consumer sentiment and retail trade confidence into a composite indicator leads to optimal results. Our results suggest that incorporating information from retail trade surveys may offer significant benefits for the analysis of short‐term prospects of consumption. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A ground‐level ozone forecasting model for Santiago,Chile

A physically based model for ground‐level ozone forecasting is evaluated for Santiago, Chile. The model predicts the daily peak ozone concentration, with the daily rise of air temperature as input variable; weekends and rainy days appear as interventions. This model was used to analyse historical data, using the Linear Transfer Function/Finite Impulse Response (LTF/FIR) formalism; the Simultaneous Transfer Function (STF) method was used to analyse several monitoring stations together. Model evaluation showed a good forecasting performance across stations—for low and high ozone impacts—with power of detection (POD) values between 70 and 100%, Heidke's Skill Scores between 40% and 70% and low false alarm rates (FAR). The model consistently outperforms a pure persistence forecast. Model performance was not sensitive to different implementation options. The model performance degrades for two‐ and three‐days ahead forecast, but is still acceptable for the purpose of developing an environmental warning system at Santiago. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The first known use of vermillion

Vermillion has been shown to be useful in preserving human bones from 5000 years ago. Remarkably well-preserved human bones have been found in the dolmenic burial La Velilla in Osorno (Palencia, Spain), carefully covered by pulverized cinnabar (vermillion) which ensured their preservation even in non-favorable climatic conditions. We believe the red powder was deliberately deposited for preservative use because no cinnabar mine is to be found within 160 km, because of the large amount (hundreds of kilograms) used, and because its composition, red mercuric sulphide, is similar to that of preparations used in technical embalming. This finding pushes back the data of the use of mercury ore for preservation by four millennia in South America, and by at least one millennium in the Old World. Chemical and thermal analyses of vermillion in La Velilla have demonstrated its great purity and shown that the cinnabar was pulverized and washed (but not heated), producing a bright red-orange tone.     

一类拟线性第二边值问题的存在唯一性

本文在ｆ（ｔ,ｘ）,ｆｘ（ｔ,ｘ）,β（ｔ）连续,ｆｘ（ｔ,ｘ）≥－β（ｔ）,β（ｔ）≤π２０＋α２４,β（ｔ）π２０＋α２４,π０为方程αｓｉｎｘ２＋ｘｃｏｓｘ２＝０的最小正根条件下,证明了第二边值问题．ｘ＂＝αｘ＋ｆ（ｔ,ｘ）,ｘ（０）＝ａ,ｘ（１）＝ｂ对于任给实数α,ａ,ｂ都有唯一解     

A 6,000-year sedimentary molecular record of chemocline excursions in the Black Sea

The Black Sea is the world's largest anoxic basin; it is also a contemporary analogue of the environment in which carbonaceous shales and petroleum source beds formed. Recently, Repeta et al. reported that anoxygenic photosynthesis may be an important component of carbon cycling in the present Black Sea, owing to a shoaling of the chemocline and consequent penetration of the photic zone by anaerobic waters in the past few decades. It has been suggested that this was due to an anthropogenic decrease in freshwater input to the Black Sea, although natural causes were not ruled out. Here we report the distributions of sequestered photosynthetic pigments in eight core samples of sediments from the Black Sea ranging in age from zero to 6,200 years before the present. Our results show that photosynthetic green sulphur bacteria (Chlorobiaceae [correction of Clorobiaceae]) have been active in the Black Sea for substantial periods of time in the past. This finding indicates that the penetration of the photic zone by anaerobic waters is not a recent phenomenon, and suggests that natural causes for shoaling of the chemocline are more likely than anthropogenic ones.     

The timing of cyclophosphamide therapy in tumor-bearing rats affects the resistance to tumor challenge in survivors

Summary Cyclophosphamide given to rats 2 or 5 days after an injection of Yoshida ascites sarcoma cured approximately the same proportion of animals, but the resistance to a subsequent tumor challenge was found only in rats treated with the drug 5 days after tumor injection.     

Protein degradation in human T-lymphocytes

Summary Protein from resting or phytohemagglutinin-stimulated human peripheral blood T-lymphocytes, pulse-labeled in vitro for 1 h with³H-leucine, had a half-life of 30 h.     

Some properties of the goat placental lactogen

Summary Goat placental lactogen was partially purified from a medium collected after placental tissue incubation. The data obtained by disc electrophoresis and isoelectric focusing experiments, as well as by means of radioreceptor assay methods, provide evidence of the similarity between the goat and ovine placental lactogen.The careful technical assistance of L. Tichovská is gratefuly acknowledged.     

纳米Ni-Al2O3金属陶瓷粉末热压致密化过程

采用粒径小于100 nm,金属Ni包覆Al2O3得到的纳米Ni-Al2O3化学包覆粉为原料,将Ni含量不同的几种纳米Ni-Al2O3(粒径约为38 nm)金属陶瓷复合粉末首先采取模压成形方式压制成直径为30 mm的圆片,然后放在石墨模具中在热压机上进行热压,研究热压(HP)温度和Ni含量对致密化过程的影响.研究结果表明:当Ni含量为20%和热压温度为1 400℃时,制品密度和显微硬度最高;在1 400℃热压2 h,Al2O3-Ni2O烧结体的相对密度最高,达到99.6%,Al2O3-Ni5的显微硬度HV达到1 690.9kg/mm2;随着Ni含量的增加,制品硬度降低,当Ni含量超过20%时,硬度降低非常显著,Ni含量为50%时HV降至1 316.7 kg/mm2;烧结体中Ni颗粒均匀分布在基体中,且大部分位于三角晶界处,有效地阻止了Al2O3基体晶粒的长大.