The recent recession and lingering high unemployment will likely lead to a burst of research studying the health effects of economic decline. We aim to inform that work by summarizing empirical research concerned with those effects. We separate the studies into groups defined by questions asked, mechanisms invoked, and outcomes studied. We conclude that although much research shows that undesirable job and financial experiences increase the risk of psychological and behavioral disorder, many other suspected associations remain poorly studied or unsupported. The intuition that mortality increases when the economy declines, for example, appears wrong. We note that the research informs public health programming by identifying risk factors, such as job loss, made more frequent by economic decline. The promise that the research would identify health costs and benefits of economic policy choices, however, remains unfulfilled and will likely remain so without stronger theory and greater methodological agreement.

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Pt nanoparticle array model catalysts with 28 ( 2 nm diameters and 100 ( 2 nm interparticle spacing have been fabricated with electron beam lithography on alumina supports. A novel method for cleaning the Pt nanoparticle arrays, involving low dosages of NO 2 and CO and mild temperature flashing, was established. This cleaning procedure was crucial for measuring reaction rates over the nanoparticle arrays. The reactivity of the Pt/Al 2 O 3 arrays was compared to a Pt(111) single crystal for the ethylene hydrogenation reaction. The activation energy and the pressure dependence of the H 2 and C 2 H 4 on the nanoparticle array were in excellent agreement with the kinetic data on the Pt(111) single-crystal model catalyst. Because the ethylene hydrogenation reaction is structure insensitive, the rate equation for Pt(111) can be applied to the Pt nanoparticle arrays. The calculated turnover frequency led to a calculated active metal surface area that compared very well with an active metal surface area on the basis of geometry. This reaction can therefore be used to determine the active metal surface area of the Pt nanoparticle array model catalysts. The arrays were characterized with AFM, SEM, XPS, and AES before and after being exposed to reaction conditions.

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