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A highly effective, low-cost strategy for improved photocatalytic efficiency and stability of CdS is described. Based on the integration of hexagonal-cubic core-shell architecture with nanorod morphology, the concentric CdS nanorod phase junctions (NRPJs) obtained demonstrate extremely high H production rate and unprecedented photocatalytic stability.

Militarized interstate disputes are widely thought to be less likely among democratic countries that have high levels of trade and extensive participation in international organizations. We reexamine this broad finding of the Kantian peace literature in the context of a model that incorporates the high degree of dependency among countries. Based on in-sample statistical tests, as well as out-of-sample, predictive cross-validation, we find that results frequently cited in the literature are plagued by overfitting and cannot be characterized as identifying the underlying structure through which international conflict is influenced by democracy, trade, and international governmental organizations. We conclude that much of the statistical association typically reported in this literature apparently stems from three components: (1) geographical proximity, (2) dependence among militarized interstate disputes with the same initiator or target, and (3) the higher-order dependencies in these dyadic data. Once these are incorporated, covariates associated with the Kantian peace tripod lose most of their statistical power. We do find that higher levels of joint democracy are associated with lower probabilities of militarized interstate dispute involvement. We find that despite high statistical significance and putative substantive importance, none of the variables representing the Kantian tripod is associated with any substantial degree of predictive power. Kantian PeaceA re democracies less likely to have conflict with one another than other pairs of states? Yes, according to a growing body of research known as the "Democratic Peace." This literature has evolved from exploring whether pairs of democratic countries have a Michael D. Ward is professor of political science, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-3530 (mdw@u.washington.edu);

Economists have made a strong case for the relative efficiency of market-based mechanisms for environmental regulation such as cap and trade and “green taxes,” yet the spread of these forms has been limited, and traditional “command and control” regulation still predominates. The authors explain geographical and temporal variation in green tax burdens by considering their domestic and international determinants, modeling international influences using spatial lags. Hypotheses are tested using panel data on Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development member states from 1995 to 2004. At the domestic level, the authors show that green tax burdens are influenced by the left–right and environmental positions of legislative medians and the power of the energy-producing sector, among other factors. The authors also show that ideas about policy diffuse through international networks generated by trade and environmental intergovernmental organizations, but they do not find compelling evidence for international tax competition.

Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) and postdischarge nausea and vomiting (PDNV) remain common and distressing complications following surgery. PONV and PDNV can delay discharge and recovery and increase medical costs. The high incidence of PONV has persisted in part because of the tremendous growth in ambulatory surgery and the increased emphasis on earlier mobilization and discharge after both minor and major operations. Pharmacological management of PONV should be tailored to the patients' risk level using the PONV and PDNV scoring systems to minimize the potential for these adverse side effects in the postoperative period. A combination of prophylactic antiemetic drugs should be administered to patients with moderate-to-high risk of developing PONV in order to facilitate the recovery process. Optimal management of perioperative pain using opioid-sparing multimodal analgesic techniques and preventing PONV using prophylactic antiemetics are key elements for achieving an enhanced recovery after surgery. Strategies that include reductions of the baseline risk (e.g., adequate hydration, use of opioid-sparing analgesic techniques) as well as a multimodal antiemetic regimen will improve the likelihood of preventing both PONV and PDNV.