Reinforcement learning (RL) methods have become popular in recent years because of their ability to solve complex tasks with minimal feedback. While these methods have had experimental successes and have been shown to exhibit some desirable properties in theory, the basic learning algorithms have often been found slow in practice. Therefore, much of the current RL research focuses on speeding up learning by taking advantage of domain knowledge, or by better utilizing agents' experience. The ambitious goal of transfer learning, when applied to RL tasks, is to accelerate learning on some target task after training on a different, but related, source task. This dissertation demonstrates that transfer learning methods can successfully improve learning in RL tasks via experience from previously learned tasks. Transfer learning can increase RL's applicability to difficult tasks by allowing agents to generalize their experience across learning problems.
This dissertation presents inter-task mappings, the first transfer mechanism in this area to successfully enable transfer between tasks with different state variables and actions. Inter-task mappings have subsequently been used by a number of transfer researchers. A set of six transfer learning algorithms are then introduced. While these transfer methods differ in terms of what base RL algorithms they are compatible with, what type of knowledge they transfer, and what their strengths are, all utilize the same inter-task mapping mechanism. These transfer methods can all successfully use mappings constructed by a human from domain knowledge, but there may be situations in which domain knowledge is unavailable, or insufficient, to describe how two given tasks are related. We therefore also study how inter-task mappings can be learned autonomously by leveraging existing machine learning algorithms. Our methods use classification and regression techniques to successfully discover similarities between data gathered in pairs of tasks, culminating in what is currently one of the most robust mapping-learning algorithms for RL transfer.
Combining transfer methods with these similarity-learning algorithms allows us to empirically demonstrate the plausibility of autonomous transfer. We fully implement these methods in four domains (each with different salient characteristics), show that transfer can significantly improve an agent's ability to learn in each domain, and explore the limits of transfer's applicability.


Abstract Purpose: In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in measuring and modeling health care utilization. However, only limited research has been performed in the field of health care utilization following road traffic accidents. This article aims to measure the incremental health care utilization after hospital discharge after a road traffic accident and explore the association between socio-demographic and injury-related variables and health care utilization. Material and methods: Generalized linear models with negative binomial distribution and log-link were executed per type of health care provider (general practitioner, medical specialists, rehabilitation services and outpatient nursing care) and per type of discharge location (discharged to home, discharged to in-hospital rehabilitation). Health care utilization of the 6 months after discharge was compared with the 6 months before the accident (baseline care). Results: Health care utilization six months after discharge is significantly higher than baseline care, except for outpatient nursing care and general practitioners in in-hospital rehabilitation. The increase in visits to medical specialists ranged on average between 1 and 2.2 visits. For general practitioner, there was an increase of 0.4 visits and 0.8 in outpatient nursing care for those who returned home after acute hospitalization. The average increase in rehabilitation services ranged between 3.6 and 20. Associated influential factors differ per health care provider and discharge destination. Conclusion: Evidence of this study suggests higher health care utilization during the first 6 months following hospitalization due to a road traffic injury, compared with baseline care. Associated variables differ per type of health care provider and discharge-destination. More in-depth research on subgroups is needed. Implications for rehabilitation Health care utilization varies across different patient characteristics and type of injuries which should be considered in the communication with patients on their care trajectory post-discharge. General descriptions of health care utilization in traffic victims at the population level are lacking. Output similar to our study could serve as a reference for post-discharge care planning. The research output can be a starting point for future research on quality indicators of the expected quantity of care. Efforts must be made to estimate suchlike reference tables on post-discharge services in other patient groups and secondary data are a suitable data-source for those analyses.


This paper develops a framework for the study of climate on fish populations based on first principles of physiology, ecology, and available observations. Environmental variables and oceanographic features that are relevant to fish and that are likely to be affected by climate change are reviewed. Working hypotheses are derived from the differences in the expected response of different species groups. A review of published data on Northeast Atlantic fish species representing different biogeographic affinities, habitats, and body size lends support to the hypothesis that global warming results in a shift in abundance and distribution (in patterns of occurrence with latitude and depth) of fish species. Pelagic species exhibit clear changes in seasonal migration patterns related to climateinduced changes in zooplankton productivity. Lusitanian species have increased in recent decades (sprat, anchovy, and horse mackerel), especially at the northern limit of their distribution areas, while Boreal species decreased at the southern limit of their distribution range (cod and plaice), but increased at the northern limit (cod). Although the underlying mechanisms remain uncertain, available evidence suggests climate-related changes in recruitment success to be the key process, stemming from either higher production or survival in the pelagic egg or larval stage, or owing to changes in the quality/quantity of nursery habitats.


I. Solo Recital: Thursday, April 21, 2011, 7:30 p.m., Recital Hall. Concerto No. 2 in F minor Op. 5 (Bernhard Henrik Crusell); Rhapsody for Alto Saxophone (Ralph Hermann); Romance (Franz Schubert); Three Folk Songs Op. 19 (John McCabe); Concerto (Aaron Copland) II. Solo Recital: Saturday, March 17, 2012, 1:30 p.m., Recital Hall. Sonata (Arnold Bax); To Be Sung Upon the Water (Dominick Argento); Concerto (Elie Siegmeister III. Solo Recital: Friday, April 26th, 2013, 7:30 p.m. Presbyterian Church of the Covenant, Greensboro, NC. Concerto for Clarinet, Op. 28 (Burnet Tuthill); Three American Pieces (Lukas Foss); Capricho Pintoresco (Miguel Yuste); Trio in E flat major "Kegelstatt," K. 498 (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart); Concerto for Doubles (Ralph Hermann) IV. D.M.A. Research Project. THE CLARINET CONCERTO OF RALPH HERMANN: RECORDING, PUBLICATION, AND PRESERVATION. The landscape of American music is not complete without the preservation and consciousness of the lesser known composers, such as American composer Ralph Hermann. This document details the procedures necessary for the preservation of the Clarinet Concerto by Ralph Hermann. The procedures that are detailed and examined include (a) recital performances, (b) recordings, (c) publishing, and (d) digitization. The appendix includes both a copy of the concerto manuscript in Herman's hand and an edited version that was created for publication.


This thesis investigates the use of field and satellite data for agricultural land use mapping and land use change in six selected areas of County Durham, north-east England. These areas are selected to represent the major land use patterns of the County. The satellite data were obtained by the Thematic Mapper (TM) sensor on board Landsat-5 on May, 31, 1985, August, 1, 1990, and July, 10, 1992. TM data were geometrically corrected to the British National Grid, Land use maps for these study areas were produced by field survey to become the basis on which the research was based. These land use maps along with images were integrated in a Geographical Information System (GIS) called ARC / INFO. The total surface area of the study area is 5483.86 hectare, or 2.3% of the whole County Durham. The field area measurements were taken and the final hectare estimates were obtained for each land use / land cover type. The research demonstrated the ability of Landsat-TM to produce accurate land use maps of the study area. Results obtained emphasised that Satellite data when integrated in a Geographical Information System (GIS), can be used for mapping relatively small agricultural fields. A land cover classification scheme appropriate for the study area was applied. Number of land use \ land cover classes produced varied from one study area to another and from one image date to another also (18-25 classes). These detailed classes were generalised to their broader classes. Using the Landsat-TM data, classification accuracy varied from one study area to another and from one date to another also, but it was not less than 80%. The classification accuracy was assessed using the grid-by-grid overlay method. The study analysed the spectral properties of each land use \ land cover over the three image dates, and the importance of contextual and reference data to assess and improve the classification accuracy. Results obtained by this study showed that the selected study areas can represent the major agricultural crops in County Durham by a percentage of 81-96%. Results of the study also suggests that a data base in digital format of land use, topography, geology, soil and climate is essential to set-up a special model for the County to be used for faster, easier and more efficient updating of land use data of the County,


Intensity during strength training has been commonly identified with relative load (percentage of one-repetition maximum, 1RM) or with performing a given maximal number of repetitions in each set (XRM: 5RM, 10RM, 15 RM, etc.). Yet, none of these methods can be appropriate for precisely monitoring the real training effort in each training session. The first approach requires coaches to individually assess the 1RM value for each athlete. We may agree that expressing intensity as a percentage of the maximum repetition has the advantage that it can be used to program strength training for multiple athletes simultaneously, the loads being later transformed in absolute values (kg) for each individual. Further, another advantage is that this expression of the intensity can clearly reflect the dynamics of the evolution of the training load if we understand the percentage of 1RM as an effort, and not as a simple arithmetic calculus. Nevertheless, direct assessment of 1RM has some possible disadvantages worth noting. It may be associated with risk of injury when performed incorrectly or by novice athlete's and it is time-consuming and impractical for large groups. Moreover, the actual RM can change quite rapidly after only a few training sessions and often the obtained value is not the subject's true maximum. The classic way to prescribe loading intensity is to determine, through trial and error, the maximum number of repetitions that one can be performed with a given submaximal weight. For example, 5RM refers to a weight that can only be lifted five times. Some studies identified the relationship between selected percentages of 1RM and the number of repetitions to failure, establishing a repetition maximum continuum. It is believed that certain performance characteristics are best trained using specific RM load ranges. This method eliminates the need for a direct 1RM test, but it is not without drawbacks either. Using exhaustive efforts is common practice in strength training, but increasing evidence (Sanborn et al., 2000; Folland et al., 2002; Izquierdo et al., 2006; Drinkwater et al., 2007) shows that training to repetition failure does not necessarily produce better strength gains and that may even be counterproductive by inducing excessive fatigue, mechanical and metabolic strain (Fry, 2004). In fact, fatigue associated with training to failure not only significantly reduces the force that a muscle can generate, but also the nervous system's ability to voluntarily activate the muscles (Hakkinen, 1993). Consequently, this approach, besides being very tiring and having shown no advantage over other lower effort types of training, it is unrealistic because it is practically impossible to know exactly how many repetitions can be done with a given absolute load without any initial reference. In addition, if in the first set the subject has completed the maximum number of repetitions, it will be very difficult or even impossible to perform properly the same number of reps in the following sets. Movement velocity is another variable which could be of great interest for monitoring exercise intensity, but surprisingly it has been vaguely mentioned in most studies to date. The importance that monitoring movement velocity for strength training programming have already been noticed in 1991 (Gonzalez-Badillo, 1991). More recently, Gonzalez-Badillo and Sanchez-Medina (2010, 2011) studied this hypothesis and confirmed that movement velocity provides as a determinant of the level of effort during resistance training as well as an indicator of the degree of fatigue. Unfortunately, the lack of use of this variable is likely because until recently it was not possible to accurately measure velocity in isoinertial strength training exercises/movements.  Indeed, most research that has addressed movement velocity in strength training was basically conducted using isokinetic apparatus which, unfortunately, is not an ideal or common training practice. The actual velocity performed in each repetition could be the best reference to determine accurately the real metabolic effort for each athlete. The higher the velocity achieved against a given (absolute) load, the greater the intensity with positive consequences for training effect (Gonzalez Badillo and Ribas, 2002). Therefore, movement velocity should be the main "ingredient" of training intensity. With this approach, instead of a certain amount of weight to be lifted, coaches must be encouraging to prescribe strength training according to two important variables: 1) first repetition's mean velocity, which is intrinsically related to loading intensity; and 2) a maximum percent velocity loss to be allowed in each set. When this percent loss limit is exceeding the set must be terminated. The limit of repetition velocity loss should be set beforehand depending on the primary training goal being pursued, the particular exercise to be performed as well as the training experience and performance level of each athlete.


Over the last decade, the efforts toward unraveling the complex interplay between the brain, body, and environment have set a promising line of research that utilizes neuroscience to study human performance in natural work contexts such as aviation. Thus, a relatively new discipline called neuroergonomics is holding the promise of studying the neural mechanisms underlying human performance in pursuit of both theoretical and practical insights. In this work, we utilized a neuroergonomic approach by combining insights from ecological psychology and embodied cognition to study flight expertise. Specifically, we focused on the Mirror Neuron system as a key correlate for understanding the interaction between an individual and the environment, suggesting that it can be used to index changes in the coupling of perception-action associated with skill development. In this study, we measured the EEG mu suppression as a proxy of the Mirror Neuron system in experts (pilots) and novices while performing a distance estimation task in a landing scenario. To survey the specificity of this measure, we considered central, parietal and occipital electrode pools and analyzed alpha (8–13 Hz) and beta (18–25 Hz) rhythm bands. We hypothesized that in experts vs. novices, specific neural sensorimotor brain activity would underpin the connection between perception and action in an in-flight context. Preliminary results indicate that alpha and beta rhythm suppression was area-specific irrespective of groups, present in the central electrodes placed over the motor areas. Group analysis revealed that specifically alpha mu rhythm, but not beta, was significantly more suppressed in pilots vs. novices. Complementing these findings we found a trend in which the strength of mu suppression increased with the sense of presence experienced by the pilots. Such sensorimotor activation is in line with the idea that for a pilot, a distance judgment is intimately associated with the function of landing. This reflects the ability to use optical invariants to see the world in terms of the capabilities of the aircraft (e.g., reachability and glide angle). These preliminary findings support the role of embodied simulation mechanisms in visual perception and add important insights into a practical understanding of flight expertise, suggesting sensorimotor mechanisms as potential neuro-markers.


I address the role of information heterogeneity in the Euro interbank market for unsecured term lending. I use high-frequency quotes of bid and ask prices to estimate probabilities of informed trading for contract maturities from one month to one year. The dataset spans from November 2000 to March 2008, and includes the relevant events that characterize the developments of the Euro area money market. I obtain four main results. First, I show that the loose supply of liquidity of the ECB has not dampened the distortions arising from asymmetric information in the unsecured money market. I also find that the probability of trading with a better informed bank is higher on days when open market operations take place, and at the end of the maintenance period. This effect has strengthened during the turmoil. The results indicate that information is segmented, in the sense that heterogenous knowledge among banks is maturity-specific. Finally, the paper presents some evidence suggesting that the risk of trading with a counterparty that enjoys an enhanced information set is priced.


Managing diversity in today's organizational environments can challenge many organizations. This action research study addresses that challenge by investigating the outcomes of dialogic communication training on a city government management team experiencing organizational diversity. The study consisted of four phases: (1) individual interviews for needs assessment, (2) focus group meeting for training design, (3) dialogic communication training, and (4) individual interviews for assessment of the outcomes. The results of this study indicate that dialogic communication and the development of dialogic style of leadership through communication training provide a valuable and practical approach for work teams. Specifically, management team members' communication skills improved, they adopted a more participatory management style, and they reported higher levels of relational satisfaction. Study findings highlight the need for practitioners to assist in developing communication training that facilitates emergent dialogue.


Studies were conducted to determine the effect of processing (fermentation,
drying and roasting) on flavour precursors and pyrazines concentration of cocoa
beans and its flavour quality evaluation. Fermentation was carried out in a rotary
drum reactor by subjecting the mixed hybrid of cocoa beans to 6-day fermentation.
During fermentation, effect of mass and turning time on the concentrations of these
compounds were determined. Drying of cocoa beans was carried out in a hot air
oven at an airflow of O.7m2/sec. Similarly, during drying, effect of bean depth and
temperature were determined. Thirteen treatments of fermentation and drying were
carried out according to a central composite rotatable design configuration for two
factors. The effect of roasting on the concentrations of flavour precursors and
pyrazines was compared with air-blown and sun-dried of drum and pod-storage fermentation and a tested representative Ghanaian sample. The resultant beans were
made into cocoa liquor for flavour quality evaluation.
Fermentation significantly decreased the concentration of acidic free amino
acids in cocoa beans by 15%, whereas total, hydrophobic and other amino acids
increased significantly by 148, 280 and 127%, respectively; peptide-N and total
reducing sugars increased by 55 and 208%, respectively. The study found six types
of pyrazines, with trimethyl- and tetramethylpyrazine being the major compounds.
During cocoa fermentation, an increase in cocoa mass and turning time significantly
increased the concentrations of flavour precursors and pyrazines. Results from the
Response Surface Methodology (RSM) plots of hydrophobic free amino acids,
peptide-N and total reducing sugars recommended mass and turning time for
optimum condition of cocoa fermentation were at 60 kg and 5 min turning per day
after 48 hr of fermentation.
During drying, an increase in bean depth and temperature significantly
decreased the concentrations of flavour precursors, but significantly increased the
pyrazines concentration. In addition, total, acidic, hydrophobic and other amino
acids decreased by 43, 41, 36 and 49%, respectively; peptide-N and total reducing
sugars decreased by 56 and 71%, respectively; and trimethyl- and
tetramethylpyrazine increased by 167 and 609%, respectively. Bean depth of 8.3 cm
and temperature of 40°C were chosen as the optimum conditions for drying
treatment. Under this condition, the concentrations of hydrophobic free amino acids,peptide-N and total reducing sugars were highly significant, whereas those of
trimethyl-, tetramethyl- and total pyrazines were significantly low.
Roasting the samples at 150°C for 30 min significantly decreased the
concentrations of acidic, hydrophobic, total and other free amino acids, peptide-N
and total reducing sugars but significantly increased the pyrazines concentration.
There were no significant differences in the decrease of the concentration of
hydrophobic free amino acids, peptide-N and total reducing sugars in the air-blown
samples of different fermentation methods (drum and pod-storage); and in those of
different drying treatments (air-blown and sun-dried). Air-blown drum fermentation
samples had lower concentrations of 2,5-dimethyl-, trimethyl-, tetramethylpyrazine
and total pyrazines than those of pod-stored (air-blown and sun-dried) and drum (sun-dried) samples.


BACKGROUND: Diffusion tensor imaging has been widely used to measure HIV effects on white matter microarchitecture. While many authors have reported reduced fractional anisotropy and increased mean diffusivity in HIV, quantitative inconsistencies across studies are numerous. PURPOSE: Our aim was to evaluate the consistency across studies of HIV effects on DTI measures and then examine the DTI reliability in a longitudinal seropositive cohort. DATA SOURCES: Published studies and investigators. STUDY SELECTION: The meta-analysis included 16 cross-sectional studies reporting fractional anisotropy and 12 studies reporting mean diffusivity in the corpus callosum. DATA ANALYSIS: Random-effects meta-analysis was used to estimate study standardized mean differences and heterogeneity. DTI longitudinal reliability was estimated in seropositive participants studied before and 3 and 6 months after beginning treatment. DATA SYNTHESIS: Meta-analysis revealed lower fractional anisotropy (standardized mean difference, −0.43; P < .001) and higher mean diffusivity (standardized mean difference, 0.44; P < .003) in seropositive participants. Nevertheless, between-study heterogeneity accounted for 58% and 66% of the observed variance (P < .01). In contrast, the longitudinal cohort fractional anisotropy was higher and mean diffusivity was lower in seropositive participants (both, P < .001), and fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity measures were very stable during 6 months, with intraclass correlation coefficients all >0.96. LIMITATIONS: Many studies pooled participants with varying treatments, ages, and disease durations. CONCLUSIONS: HIV effects on WM microstructure had substantial variations that could result from acquisition, processing, or cohort-selection differences. When acquisition parameters and processing were carefully controlled, the resulting DTI measures did not show high temporal variation. HIV effects on WM microstructure may be age-dependent. The high longitudinal reliability of DTI WM microstructure measures makes them promising disease-activity markers.


Bacterial endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide; LPS) is known to alter systemic vascular permeability, but this effect is difficult to monitor and quantitate in vivo. The ocular vessels of the rabbit are particularly sensitive to LPS. Using a slit lamp equipped with a fluorophotometer, we have adapted a method to quantitate endotoxin-induced ocular vascular permeability by measuring the accumulation of fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated albumin into the anterior chamber of the eye. After intravenous administration of Salmonella typhimurim LPS, the anterior chamber fluorescence and blood fluorescence were measured at intervals of 15 min and 1 h, respectively, over 4 h. In controls, maximal fluorescence in the anterior chamber was 3.1 ± 0.8% of blood fluorescence. Doses of LPS as low as 0.25 μg/kg produced an ocular/serum fluorescence ratio of 17.6 ± 4.9. A dose of 2.5 μg of LPS per kg tended to produce a higher ratio (68.0 ± 7.1) than a larger dose of 50 μg/kg (30.5 ± 16.6). Permeability changes began within 30 min after LPS, and the rate of dye accumulation varied over time, with maximal leakage usually occurring 90 min after LPS, but occasionally occurring much later. Repeated doses produced tolerance. By conjugating albumin to rhodamine and utilizing a second filter with the slit lamp to measure accumulation of this dye, we demonstrated the persistence of marked permeability during a period when intraocular fluorescein isothiocyanate and albumin levels were relatively constant. This methodology indicates that extremely low doses of LPS induce ocular permeability changes and that neither the time course nor the dose response of this effect is linear. Ocular fluorophotometry is a sensitive, noninvasive technique to study the dynamics and pharmacology of LPS-induced permeability changes.


Objectives: Given the reported relationship between systolic hypertension and orthostatic hypotension in the elderly, to test the hypothesis that systolic hypertension causes impairment of the cardiovascular reflex function additional to the effects of age alone. Design Responses were compared in normotensive healthy young (n = 12) and elderly (n = 15) participants and elderly participants with disproportionate supine systolic hypertension (n = 11) using a baroreceptor-mediated stress (head-up tilt) and two non-baroreceptor-mediated stimuli (cold pressor test and isometric exercise). Methods: Blood pressure and heart rate were measured by oscillometry before and during the three stress tests. Forearm blood flow was measured by venous occlusion plethysmography and pulse wave velocity (PWV) by Doppler ultrasound. Results: Percentage changes in systolic/diastolic (SBP/DBP) blood pressure with head-up tilt were 0/+11, −3/0 and −6/+1 mmHg in the young and elderly normotensives and elderly systolic hypertensives, respectively. Both elderly groups had reduced DBP responses to tilt compared with the young (P<0.01). All three groups had similar percentage changes in blood pressure responses to non-baroreflex-mediated stresses (cold pressor test: +10/+23, +11/+11, +10/+15; sustained isometric exercise: +18/+33, +22/+24, +13/+17 in the young and elderly normotensives and elderly systolic hypertensives, respectively). Aorto-iliac PWV adjusted for blood pressure was significantly higher in both elderly groups compared with the young (P<0.01) but there was no difference between elderly normotensives and hypertensives. Unadjusted PWV was higher in elderly hypertensives than in elderly normotensives (P<0.05). Conclusions: Compared with healthy young participants, both elderly groups had similarly attenuated blood pressure responses to tilt and reduced arterial compliance. Systolic hypertension is not associated with additional impairment of cardiovascular reflex function over and above the effects of age. The reported association between supine systolic hypertension and orthostatic hypotension does not appear to be a causative one.


Pebble accretion is an efficient mechanism that is able to build up the core of the giant planets within the lifetime of the protoplanetary disc gas-phase. The core grows via this process until the protoplanet reaches its pebble isolation mass and starts to accrete gas. During the growth, the protoplanet undergoes a rapid, large-scale, inward migration due to the interactions with the gaseous protoplanetary disc. In this work, we have investigated how this early migration would have affected the minor body populations in our solar system. In particular, we focus on the Jupiter Trojan asteroids (bodies in the coorbital resonance 1:1 with Jupiter, librating around the L4 and L5 Lagrangian points called, respectively, the leading and the trailing swarm) and the Hilda asteroids. We characterised their orbital parameter distributions after the disc dispersal and their formation location and compare them to the same populations produced in a classical in situ growth model. We find that a massive and eccentric Hilda group is captured during the migration from a region between 5 and 8 au and subsequently depleted during the late instability of the giant planets. Our simulations also show that inward migration of the giant planets always produces a Jupiter Trojans' leading swarm more populated than the trailing one, with a ratio comparable to the current observed Trojan asymmetry ratio. The in situ formation of Jupiter, on the other hand, produces symmetric swarms. The reason for the asymmetry is the relative drift between the migrating planet and the particles in the coorbital resonance. The capture happens during the growth of Jupiter's core and Trojan asteroids are afterwards carried along during the giant planet's migration to their final orbits. The asymmetry and eccentricity of the captured Trojans correspond well to observations, but their inclinations are near zero and their total mass is three to four orders of magnitude higher than the current population. Future modelling will be needed to understand whether the dynamical evolution of the Trojans over billions of years will raise the inclinations and deplete the masses to observed values.


For almost a century Australians have been concerned about the settlement of their tropical north (Basedow 1932; Crowley 1960; Graham-Taylor 1980). Because of the region's sparse population and its proximity to Asia, they have feared they would lose it to a land- and food-hungry "yellow horde" (Western Australian Parliamentary Debates 1925; Willard 1967; Crowley 1974, 274, 293; Chapman 1992). This xenophobic anxiety, deeply imbedded in the White Australia policy, was formally encoded in the Federal Immigration Restriction Act of 1901. The White Australia policy prohibited the entry into Australia of any person who could not, upon command of a government officer, write a passage of fifty words in a European language, a test that the federal Parliament agreed was to be given only to non-Europeans (MacIntyre 1920; Borrie and others 1947; Spate 1968, 154; Clark 1981, 5, 131-132). One outgrowth of Australia's xenophobia was the undertaking of a joint venture between the federal government and the government of Western Australia to encourage settlement by Europeans in the Ord River Valley [ILLUSTRATION FOR FIGURE 1 OMITTED], in a region known as the Kimberleys (Cannegieter 1964, 375). Planners and others projected that after building two dams, one of which would create a huge artificial lake, 75,000 hectares would be opened to irrigated farming in Western Australia and the adjoining Northern Territory (Robertson and Chapman 1985; DAWAWA 1987; MAWRNW 1990a, 1990b). Construction of a diversion dam began in 1961 [ILLUSTRATION FOR FIGURE 2 OMITTED], and in May 1963 the first farm was irrigated. Several other farms began operations the next year, and by 1966 thirty-one of them had been allocated to settlers. Soon more than 2,500 hectares were under cultivation, 90 percent of them in cotton (Young 1979, 25; Walker 1992, 185). In April 1969 work began on the main or Ord River Dam. When the dam was completed in 1972, it created Lake Argyle, which provided a more certain supply of water and offered the potential for a considerable expansion of irrigated farming [ILLUSTRATION FOR FIGURE 3 OMITTED]. For a number of economic, institutional, and biological reasons, cotton and sundry other large-scale agricultural endeavors failed, however. Not until the 1980s did a more diversified strategy that included horticulture and forage crops for cattle produce a small but viable farm economy. By 1996, 10,500 hectares were under cultivation in the Ord. Although the area farmed fell far short of initial hopes and aspirations, some planners predict that by the year 2020, with private infrastructural development, 60,000 hectares of farmland will be irrigated (Johnston 1993, 6; Neales 1996). For decades Australians have considered the Ord River Scheme an economic failure, and it has frequently been tagged as the continent's shining example of a great white elephant (Davidson 1965, 1982; MAWRNW 1990a, 1990b; Walker 1992). Unfortunately, few Australian critics have been willing to acknowledge the real origins of the scheme - xenophobia, foremost, but also various benefits of a noneconomic or nonfarm nature: nation building, the perceived threat of an Asian invasion, and tourism. By the early 1990s the small town of Kununurra and the surrounding region were attracting more than 100,000 tourists a year and generating more income than farming produced (WADA 1985; McQuie 1990; Johnston 1993).(1) In another and no less significant key, few students of the Ord River Scheme have noted that it is an egregious example of state mismanagement and exploitation of a distant periphery for the benefit of those whose real allegiances lie some 3,200 kilometers distant. Like all faraway frontiers, Australia's north has been seen as a resource to plunder. PROTECTING THE ORD RIVER WATERSHED Assuming that irrigated farming would be successful, the ultimate life of the Ord River Scheme would depend on how well the watershed was safeguarded. …


This article proposes a proactive approach for analyzing agricultural adaptation to climate change based on a structural land-use model wherein farmers maximize profit by allocating their land between crop-technology bundles. The profitability of the bundles is a function of four technological attributes via which climate variables" effect is channeled: yield potential; input requirements; yields' sensitivity to input use; and farm-level management costs. Proactive adaptation measures are derived by identifying the technological attributes via which climate variables reduce overall agricultural profitability, despite adaptation by land reallocation among bundles. By applying the model to Israel, we find that long-term losses stem from yield potential reductions driven by forecasted increases in temperature, implying that adaptation efforts should target more heat-tolerant crop varieties and technologies.


New semiconductor materials with more beneficial properties are continuously demanding for device applications. The heaviest group V and least studied bismuth containing
compounds have potential applications in electronics, optoelectronics, thermoelectric field and also in fundamental physics. Dilute bismides offer large bandgap bowing in valence band by shifting up the valence band edge. This property offers a grand freedom to engineer band
structure of semiconductors for potential high-speed electronic and infrared optoelectronic applications. Also it provides a large spin orbit coupling effect which is useful to suppress inter-valence band Auger recombination processes in 1.55 μm lasers. The potential applications for dilute bismides alloys are expected in heterostructure bipolar transistors, light emitting devices, laser diodes and solar cells. Another Bi-containing material Bi2Te3 has
great thermoelectric property; this property can be used for the applications of cooling different types of devices and for power generation from waste heat.

In this research project, different features have been found and studied for different Bi containing compounds. The samples were grown by a Riber Compact21 MBE system with
varying growth temperatures and Bi flux. MBE grown Bismuth containing compounds GaSbBi, GaAsBi, InGaAsBi QW, InSbBi and also Bi2Te3 are investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Photoluminescence (PL) techniques and then surface morphologies, structural and optical properties are explored from these characterizations, respectively. The MBE grown GaSb1-xBix thin films are established for the first time. Strategies have been taken care of to avoid the formation of Bi droplets and enhance Bi incorporation. From XRD and AFM, maximum Bi incorporation with smooth surface has been obtained for growth temperature of 370 oC and then saturation occurs. InGaAsBi QW samples are characterized by PL at room temperature (RTPL) and also at low temperature (LTPL) for different sample positions and temperatures, respectively. When Bi is incorporated, 10 times higher PL intensity has been achieved comparing with the reference InGaAs QW sample. For Bi2Te3 samples grown on Si substrates, growth temperature of 240°C showed the best feature both in AFM and XRD characterizations.

Since this project on Bi-containing compounds is still under experimental demonstration, there is a lot to do for improving the material quality. One important future goal of this project is to establish the relation between the fundamental physical parameters such as lattice constant, bandgap and effective mass etc and the Bi composition. Getting hold of improved quality Bi containing QWs at 1.55 μm is another goal of this research in future. The future Bi containing compounds research is expected to be accelerated at a much fast pace.


Background & Aims: One of cellbased technical issues associated with cartilage repair assay is delivering cells to the site of the parts where damage is created. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) with their chondrogenic potential are ideal candidates for cartilage regeneration. High expression of cartilage hypertrophy markers by MSCs would result in apoptosis and ossification. This investigation is attempted to find out if paracrine factors secreted from MSCs can regenerate damaged articular in a rat model. Materials & Methods: Osteoarthritis (OA) was induced in eighteen adult rats by intraarticular (IA) injection of monosodium iodoacetate (MIA) into right knee. Then the animals were randomly divided into three groups (n=6). Control group received IA injection of vehicle; MSCs group received a single IA injection of MSCs (2.5×105/50μL DMEM) and conditioned medium(CM) group received a single IA injection of CM, meanwhile six left intact knee joints were taken as the normal group. After four weeks, the animals were scarified by overdose injection of ketamine and then, the distal end of femur removed and fixed in formalin. After decalcification using formic acid, histological slides obtained. In this study number of chondrocytes and morphology of articular surface were evaluated. Results: Four weeks after treatment, gross and microscopic evidence of articular cartilage of distal end of femur cartilage demonstrated the significant (p<0.05) healing of OA joints in group treated with MSCs. Also, in CM group significant increase in number of chondrocyte (p<0.05) and decrease of degenerated holes width was observed compared to the control group. Conclusion: Given the deficiencies of cell-therapy in OA, a potential for repair of degenerated articular cartilage is thought possible to be represented by cell free CM.


I argue that the authors accept too casually the neo-classical framework of thought that was incapable of predicting choices in 2-person and other experimental games in the 1980s and 1990ss. The ex post hoc hypothesis that social preference can describe homo socialis reduces inevitably to a rescue of neo-classical economics in which Max-U (own payoff, other payoff) substitutes mechanically for Max-U (own payoff) in our personal groupings. This static procedure unnecessarily and inappropriately robs human conduct of its sociality as a process relationship. The model I articulate was masterfully developed by Adam Smith, which back-predicts the results of these earlier small group experiments, and argues the central importance of context—a finding of experimentalists in their attempt to come to terms with the predictive failures of Max-U (own payoff).


Little is known of the interactions between groundwater and surface water on the deeply weathered surfaces of low relief in the Great Lakes Region of Africa (GLRA). The role of groundwater in sustaining water levels in lakes, rivers and wetlands during periods of absent rainfall is also unclear. Indeed, groundwater is commonly excluded from estimations of the surface water balances. Piezometer nests constructed on the shores of Lakes Victoria (Jinja, Entebbe) and Kyoga (Bugondo) through this study, provide the first evidence of the lithologic interface and dynamic interactions between groundwater and surface water in the GLRA. Evidence is drawn from lithological analyses (texture, lithostratigraphy), geophysical surveys (resistivity mapping, VES), hydraulic tests, borehole hydrographs and hydrochemical (major ions, \delta^2H, \delta^1^8O) data. Groundwater interacts with surface waters primarily via preferential pathways within the coarse horizons towards the base of thick saprolite underlying relatively thin (<5 m) fluviallacustrine sands. Hydrological observations and hydrochemical data indicate that groundwater flows primarily into lakes; this interaction is dynamic varying by season and proximity to lake. Interactions between groundwater and Lakes Victoria and Kyoga are also influenced by changing drainage base (lake) levels that are controlled, in part, by regional, rather than local climatology and dam releases from Lake Victoria (Jinja).
Groundwater levels are strongly influenced by rainfall-fed recharge that depend more upon heavy rainfall events (10 mm\cdot d^-^1) during the monsoons than the total volume of rainfall; mean vertical velocities in the unsaturated zone are ~1 m\cdot d^-^1. Layered heterogeneity in aquifer properties (hydraulic conductivity, storage) indicate deeply weathered rocks formed under prolonged in situ weathering (etchplanation) of lowrelief surfaces. This layered heterogeneity in the saprolite aquifer gives rise to a twocomponent recession in borehole hydrographs following recharge events. A firstapproximation of the proportion of the Lake Victoria's water balance supplied by groundwater is derived from new observations in this study and is in the order of 1 %.


The paper deals with the experimental determination of fracture parameters of the composites based on the alkali-activated slag (AAS) at different ages. The main aim of the experimental investigation was to verify the effect of the addition of shrinkage reducing admixture (SRA) on the overall progress of length changes and fracture properties during AAS composites ageing. Two AAS composites, which differed only in the presence of SRA, were prepared for the purpose of experiments. The mechanical fracture parameters were determined using evaluation of fracture tests carried out on 40 × 40 × 160 mm beam specimens with an initial central edge notch. The monitored parameters were modulus of elasticity, effective fracture toughness and specific fracture energy. These parameters were determined at the age of 3, 28 and 90 days. The obtained results are supplemented by the results of relative length changes measurements performed on both studied composites.


Group-living offers both benefits (protection against predators, access to resources) and costs (increased ecological competition, the impact of group size on fertility). Here, we use cluster analysis to detect natural patternings in a comprehensive sample of baboon groups, and identify a geometric sequence with peaks at approximately 20, 40, 80 and 160. We suggest (i) that these form a set of demographic oscillators that set habitat-specific limits to group size and (ii) that the oscillator arises from a trade-off between female fertility and predation risk.


This paper presents a simple and integrated Diff-Serv scheme with feedback preference information (FPI) in the case of strict queueing algorithm. According to the FPI concept, each user just needs to (or even not to) show his intention of receiving a priority service, before a connection establishment, and he needs not to predict any parameters of the flow, the situation of the networks, and etc. The main novelty of this scheme lies in it philosophy that the system charges its users according to the actual preferences that the users have received, which is of more rationalities but less complexities. Comprehensive simulations show that FPI is promising. It not only provides high quality services in a logical way of billing, but also has several other advantages, such as fairness, integration and simplicity.


Over the past eight months, a broad consensus has been emerging as to what the future state of housing finance should look like. There are several plans, including the Corker–Warner bill, under which private-sector entities would continue to originate and service mortgages, with other private-sector entities providing credit enhancement for mortgage-backed securities (MBS). A public entity would be the guarantor of last resort, absorbing the catastrophic risk. The public entity would also provide the securitization platform as well as regulatory oversight. In all these plans, the government's catastrophic coverage is meant to kick in under extraordinary circumstances; thus the amount of capital the private sector is required to invest must be sufficient to cover all but catastrophic conditions. This article demonstrates that collateral composition, house price experience, and diversification significantly affect credit risk, and thus the capital requirement. The authors' empirical results demonstrate that 4%–5% capital would have covered Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the GSEs) using the 2007 experience. With the GSEs' current book of business, that is too high, as collateral composition has changed in favor of much more pristine loans. The other important aspects of collateral composition are pool size and geographic diversity. Risk increases with smaller or less geographically diverse MBS pools. Investors are likely to be willing to take credit risk in MBS only if pools are large and geographically diverse. This will make loan-level, risk-based pricing more difficult. It is critical to calibrate the capital needs correctly; if capital requirements are too low relative to the credit risk, the catastrophic government guarantee will be invoked far more than should be the case. If capital requirements are too high, banks will respond by holding more high-quality loans in portfolio, shifting the ultimate credit risk of their lower-quality loans to the government.


Voice over IP (VoIP) is one of the most popular Internet applications. Many VoIP protocols (e.g. SIP) are based on a central-server scheme in which a caller needs to query the central server first for the callee's information (e.g. IP address) before it can connect to them. However, such a centralized architecture has some drawbacks, such as an unbalanced load and a single point of the failure. As a result, some researchers have proposed the use of peer-to-peer (P2P) techniques for VoIP communication. However, compared to a centralized approach, setting up a VoIP connection over multiple hops could potentially take a longer time and might discourage users from utilizing this service. In this paper, we set out to study the performance of existing P2P protocols for VoIP applications in a realistic setting based on traces collected from the Skype network. The Skype traces are used as an input to model the VoIP network topology. We evaluated the performance of three types of DHT protocols, namely, flat DHT, hierarchical DHT and proximity DHT, in terms of their lookup latency for the connection setup phase of VoIP applications. In addition, to understand the feasibility of using infrastructure-less VoIP in the real world, we adopted pair comparison techniques to evaluate the quality of the user experience. Finally, we proposed a new hybrid protocol for the infrastructure-less VoIP communication. We concluded that current P2P protocols for VoIP are not satisfactory as compared to the traditional centralized approach and there is still a lot of room for improvement.


Networks are rarely completely observed and prediction of unobserved edges is an important problem, especially in disease spread modeling where networks are used to represent the pattern of contacts. We focus on a partially observed cattle movement network in the U.S. and present a method for scaling up to a full network based on Bayesian inference, with the aim of informing epidemic disease spread models in the United States. The observed network is a 10% state stratified sample of Interstate Certificates of Veterinary Inspection that are required for interstate movement; describing approximately 20,000 movements from 47 of the contiguous states, with origins and destinations aggregated at the county level. We address how to scale up the 10% sample and predict unobserved intrastate movements based on observed movement distances. Edge prediction based on a distance kernel is not straightforward because the probability of movement does not always decline monotonically with distance due to underlying industry infrastructure. Hence, we propose a spatially explicit model where the probability of movement depends on distance, number of premises per county and historical imports of animals. Our model performs well in recapturing overall metrics of the observed network at the node level (U.S. counties), including degree centrality and betweenness; and performs better compared to randomized networks. Kernel generated movement networks also recapture observed global network metrics, including network size, transitivity, reciprocity, and assortativity better than randomized networks. In addition, predicted movements are similar to observed when aggregated at the state level (a broader geographic level relevant for policy) and are concentrated around states where key infrastructures, such as feedlots, are common. We conclude that the method generally performs well in predicting both coarse geographical patterns and network structure and is a promising method to generate full networks that incorporate the uncertainty of sampled and unobserved contacts.


Dr. Jon Saphier is an international leader in education. His legend remains as he continues to expand on his Boston University's ethnographic dissertation (1980), which later became the best selling textbook, The Skillful Teacher (2008). Dr. Saphier has sustained his leadership position internationally by continuously advocating for best teaching practices worldwide.  This paper contains an interview with Jon Saphier and analysis of his leadership practices. Dr. Saphier discusses his core values of leadership, his successful approach to change initiatives, leadership failures, and critical elements of effective leadership. Dr. Saphier continues to be a driving force in educational initiatives worldwide. His humble, yet strong, approach is the foundation of his leadership sustainability. Dr. Saphier continues to mold his legacy as an educational leader by publishing, consulting, researching, developing models of district improvement, creating alliances, keynote speaking, and inspiring future educators.  Jon Saphier continues to be a driving force in effective international educational practices.


Purpose: This article concerns the study of economic effects of procrastination. The research sample consists of 6568 grant applications under EU programs in Poland, collated in order to establish whether the delay in submitting the application is a statistically significant factor affecting the quality of the application and the final financing decision. Design/methodology/approach: The study is based on three logistic regression models in which the dichotomous explained variable was a negative or a positive decision on the application. The most important explanatory variable for the study is the percentile of time in which the application is submitted - it represents the delay of the applicant. Findings: The result is confirmed by previous studies, which have proven that procrastination negatively affects organizations, and that the significant weight of undertaken projects can cause procrastination among leaders. Practical implications: As the study concerns European grants, determining the impact of procrastination on financing decisions can serve to better prepare potential beneficiaries for submitting an application, providing them with knowledge on whether an earlier submission translates into the probability of the application being successful or whether the persons managing the application process should better supervise their timely submission. Originality/value: To date, little research has been devoted to confirming the economic impact of procrastination. Previous studies mainly concern cost estimation caused by delaying employees, however, this study shows that procrastination has a real, significant impact on the economic efficiency of management activities. The methodology is innovative, because procrastination has not been previously analysed in terms of the time orientation of grant applications. Machine learning techniques have never been used in procrastination research. Moreover, the majority of research to date has focused primarily on individuals, on explaining what factors are statistically significantly related to procrastination or can lead to it through modelling, however, no research has been conducted to date in which statistical models would directly examine the economic impact of procrastination.


The photostability of various electro-optic active guest–host polymers, doped with chromophores that possess very efficient cyano-containing acceptors and dialkyamino- or diarylamino-benzenes, and also their extended thiophene analogs as bridging structures, has been investigated over a broad wavelength range in the near infrared and the visible. A variation of over 2 orders of magnitude was found in the probability that an absorbed photon will lead to a photodegraded chromophore. The most photostable chromophore contained a tricyanovinyl acceptor and a diarylaminobenzene bridge unit.


AYDINALP, C., G. FULEKY and L. TOLNER, 2010. The comparison study of some selected heavy metals in the irrigated and non-irrigated agricultural soils. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 16: 754-768 A research was carried out to investigate the status of four micronutirents, iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn), and five other heavy metals cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni) and lead (Pb) in agricultural soils of Bursa plain, Turkey. Soil samples were digested by nitric acid (HNO 3 )-hydrochloric acid (HCl) for determination of total contents of the nine elements, while DTPA method was used for determination of extractable form of these elements. Total and DTPA extractable element contents were found at the highest concentration in the surface horizons of the irrigated sites. Nevertheless, total and DTPA extractable elements were found moderate to low concentrations in the surface horizons of the non-irrigated sites. Among the soil properties examined, clay content had a good relation with total and DTPA extractable element contents in the topsoil. The obtained results were indicated that irrigated alluvial soils were polluted with heavy metals due to long-term irrigation with the polluted Nilufer River.


Some computer users employ large displays, 6 or more monitors, in order to view a large amount of data on a single desktop at one time. This layout can be useful when the user is performing tasks in which they must view several different information sources at a time. For example, a user may be writing a paper in which they may be simultaneously typing a document, reading another paper, and view a spreadsheet. After the task is completed, the user may close all of the windows, however sometime later they may want to view a document associated with that task. A possible scenario is for the user to know that they were viewing an important document in their top left monitor, but they cannot remember which document. SpatialHistory looks to allow a user to recall which windows and documents were open at a certain time spatially. The user may query a particular region of a large display and SpatialHistory will report the windows that were open in that area. Through a user study, we conclude that i) some users organize their large displays in a spatial manner placing certain types of documents and windows in certain places and that ii) our tool has the potential to help users recall previously viewed windows based on a spatial memory of their desktop.


A 3 dimensional 2-phase model of an induction stirred ladle has been developed. The model is based on fundamental transport equations and includes the solution of steel- and slag-phase. Predicted velocities are in very good agreement with experimental data. Predicted velocities and turbulent kinetic energy dissipation from the model are shown to have linear relationships with input stirring force for different cylindrical ladles. Linear equations for these relations are presented. Further calculations have shown that these linear equations also are able to predict velocities for a conical ladle.


Renal impairment is associated with high mortality rates in severely ill patients. The need to prevent and treat renal damage underlines the importance of understanding the pathophysiological mechanisms that characterize it. This could also enable early diagnosis and the design of alternative therapeutic approaches. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of crocetin, a known antioxidant, on the prevention of renal damage due to ischemia-reperfusion injury and the investigation of the mechanisms involved. The present study was performed on C57BL/6 mice aged 10-12 weeks. The animals had access to water and food ad libitum. The experiment, as described in materials and methods, was completed at 24 h, in which case the kidneys were removed for further study, both at tissue morphology (with immunohistochemistry) and changes in the level of miRs' expression by qRT-PCR. Accordingly, using the automatic precision analyzer, the serum levels of the basic parameters currently used clinically for the monitoring of renal function were determined. The administration of crocetin, despite the short presence of the substance in the body, affects all the biochemical parameters analyzed (urea, creatinine, uric acid, and ions of Na, K, Cl, P, Mg and Ca), causing significant decrease of their measured values. Crocetin also resulted in a significant limitation of the inflammation elements and the degree of epithelial damage. Furthermore, the administration of crocetin appears to restore levels of expression of miR21, miR127 and miR132.


Does the extent or lack of progress toward nuclear disarmament affect the health of the nuclear nonproliferation regime? Commentators have long asserted both positive and negative responses to this question as if the answer were self-evident. Given that opposite positions have been advanced with equal conviction, a more systematic analysis is required. This analysis begins by attempting to identify all of the potential arguments that can be made both for and against the hypothesis of a disarmament-nonproliferation linkage. The arguments are grouped in terms of five broader sets of explanatory factors: security, institutions, norms, domestic politics, and psychology. This approach clarifies the various causal microfoundations that could underpin different arguments in the debate as well as the types of empirical tests that would be most relevant for evaluating the "linkage hypothesis." Comparative assessment of the arguments on both sides suggests that signs of commitment to nuclear disarmament by the nuclear weapon states will tend to enhance support for nonproliferation. Because of the multitude of other factors that affect state decisionmaking, however, progress on disarmament will not by itself address all of the challenges to making the nonproliferation regime effective.


For over 2000 years and until just a few decades ago artists travelled throughout India, using painted picture scrolls to spread stories from the great Indian epics Mahabharata and Ramayana, as well as a wealth of stories about regional Gods and heroes and moral tales, amongst the mostly illiterate rural population. These artists were the creators and bearers of an art form which spread from India across China to Japan, and westward to the Mediterranean region. In the hands of the painters and singers, the picture scrolls became a portable cinema, projection screens for mythical knowledge and an incentive to listen to the songs whilst looking at the scrolls.
Political changes, technical innovation and social turmoil in the twentieth century ushered in profound changes to oral art forms. As their tradition lost significance, the Indian scroll-painting artists also lost their public and their income. Two Bengali picture-scroll traditions still defy adverse conditions; however, whereas the 'patua' rose to the challenge, the 'jadopatia' failed – their tradition is in terminal decline.
On the basis of around 160 scroll paintings, mostly from the second half of the twentieth century, this publication illustrates the transition of 'patua' art from its original function as a vehicle for oral art to a contemporary, visual form of art. It also commemorates the art of 'jadopatia', which is coming to an end.


The requirements for biodosimetric techniques used at long times after exposure, i.e., 6 months to more than 50 years, are unique compared to the requirements for methods used for immediate dose estimation. In addition to the fundamental requirement that the assay measures a physical or biologic change that is proportional to the energy absorbed, the signal must be highly stable over time to enable reasonably precise determinations of the absorbed dose decades later. The primary uses of these biodosimetric methods have been to support long-term health risk (epidemiologic) studies or to support compensation (damage) claims. For these reasons, the methods must be capable of estimating individual doses, rather than group mean doses. Even when individual dose estimates can be obtained, inter-individual variability remains as one of the most difficult problems in using biodosimetry measurements to rigorously quantify individual exposures. Other important criteria for biodosimetry methods include obtaining samples with minimal invasiveness, low detection limits, and high precision. Cost and other practical limitations generally prohibit biodosimetry measurements on a large enough sample to replace analytical dose reconstruction in epidemiologic investigations. However, these measurements can be extremely valuable as a means to corroborate analytical or model-based dose estimates, to help reduce uncertainty in individual doses estimated by other methods and techniques, and to assess bias in dose reconstruction models. There has been extensive use of three biodosimetric techniques in irradiated populations: EPR (using tooth enamel), FISH (using blood lymphocytes), and GPA (also using blood); these methods have been supplemented with luminescent methods applied to building materials and artifacts. A large number of investigations have used biodosimetric methods many years after external and, to a lesser extent, internal exposure to reconstruct doses received from accidents, from occupational exposures, from environmental releases of radioactive materials, and from medical exposures. In most applications, the intent has been to either identify highly exposed persons or confirmed suspected exposures. Improvements in methodology, however, have led many investigators to attempt quantification of whole-body doses received, or in a few instances, to estimate organ doses. There will be a continued need for new and improved biodosimetric techniques not only to assist in future epidemiologic investigations but to help evaluate the long-term consequences following nuclear accidents or events of radiologic terrorism.


The licenses for most software are designed to take away your freedom to share and change it. By contrast, the GNU General Public License is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change free software--to make sure the software is free for all its users. This General Public License applies to most of the Free Software Foundation's software and to any other program whose authors commit to using it. (Some other Free Software Foundation software is covered by the GNU Lesser General Public License instead.) You can apply it to your programs, too.


An inhibitor of the beta and delta isoforms of the 110 kDa catalytic subunit of class IA phosphoinositide-3 kinases (PI3K) with potential immunomodulating and antineoplastic activities. Acalisib inhibits the activity of PI3K, thereby preventing the production of the second messenger phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate (PIP3), which decreases tumor cell proliferation and induces cell death. PI3K-mediated signaling is often dysregulated in cancer cells; the targeted inhibition of PI3K is designed to preserve PI3K signaling in normal, non-neoplastic cells.


Several previous studies have attempted to remove the effects of explosive volcanic eruptions and El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) variability from time series of globally averaged surface and tropospheric temperatures. Such work has largely ignored the nonzero correlation between volcanic signals and ENSO. Here we account for this collinearity using an iterative procedure. We remove estimated volcano and ENSO signals from the observed global mean temperature data, and then calculate trends over 1979-1999 in the residuals. Residual trends are sensitive to the choice of index used for removing ENSO effects and to uncertainties in key volcanic parameters. Despite these sensitivities, residual surface and lower tropospheric (2LT) trends are almost always larger than trends in the raw observational data. After removal of volcano and ENSO effects, the differential warming between the surface and lower troposphere is generally reduced. These results suggest that the net effect of volcanoes and ENSO over 1979-1999 was to reduce globally averaged surface and tropospheric temperatures and cool the troposphere by more than the surface. ENSO and incomplete volcanic forcing effects can hamper reliable assessment of the true correspondence between modeled and observed trends. In the second part of our study, we remove these effects from model data and compare simulated and observed residual trends. Residual temperature trends are not significantly different at the surface. In the lower troposphere the statistical significance of trend differences depends on the experiment considered, the choice of ENSO index, and the volcanic signal decay time. The simulated difference between surface and tropospheric warming rates is significantly smaller than observed in 51 out of 54 cases considered. We also examine multiple realizations of model experiments with relatively complete estimates of natural and anthropogenic forcing. ENSO and volcanic effects are not removed from these integrations. As in the case of residual trends, model and observed raw trends are in good agreement at the surface but differ significantly in terms of the trend differential between the surface and lower troposphere. Observed and simulated lower tropospheric trends are not significantly different in 17 out of 24 cases. Our study highlights the large uncertainties inherent in removing volcano and ENSO effects from atmospheric temperature data. It shows that statistical removal of these effects improves the correspondence between modeled and observed temperature trends over the satellite era. Accounting for volcanoes and ENSO cannot fully explain the observed warming of the surface relative to the lower troposphere, or why this differential warming is not reproduced in the model simulations considered here.


A socio-economic study was carried out in two rice production environments (Gazipur and Tangail) to assess the comparative advantages of using urea super granule (USG) over prilled urea (PU) in modern rice production and to examine the differences in producers' technical efficiency between USG user and non- user in crop management. Stochastic frontier production model was employed to examine the farm specific technical efficiency difference in crop management between USG and PU users in the study areas. Analysis revealed that comparatively low amount (36%) of urea was needed in modern boro rice production using USG instead of PU. Nearly 366 % more labour was needed in the USG using plots compared to that of PU user plots, while weeding cost was a bit lower in USG using plots. Analysis also indicated that the sample farmers were able to achieve additional yield of 0.87 t/ha by using USG and this yield gain further resulted to additional benefit of Tk. 11506/ha. For the resource poor rice farms, this benefit is considered to be substantive. Farmers' contact with the technology disseminators, training on rice production and the use of USG (instead of PU) were the important factors of increasing rice farmers' technical efficiency in crop management and productivity enhancement as well. According to the farmers' opinion, there were several constraints in using USG and out of those, requirement of more labour and non availability of USG in proper time were the dominant ones. Keywords: Urea super granule; prilled urea; flood-prone ecosystem; technical efficiency; productivity. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjar.v36i1.9237 BJAR 2011; 36(1): 129-141


Abstract As part of a project to investigate the volatilities of so-called "moderately volatile elements" such as Zn, In, Tl, Ga, Ag, Sb, Pb, and Cl during planetary formation, we began by re-calculating the condensation temperatures of these elements from a solar gas at 10-4 bar. Our calculations highlighted three areas where currently available estimates of condensation temperature could be improved. One of these is the nature of mixing behavior of many important trace elements when dissolved in major condensates such as silicates, Fe-rich metals, and sulfides. Nonideal solution of the trace elements can alter (generally lower) condensation temperatures by up to 500 K. Second, recent measurements of the halogen contents of CI chondrites (Clay et al. 2017) indicate that the solar system abundance of chlorine is significantly overestimated, and this affects the stabilities of gaseous complexes of many elements of interest. Finally, we have attempted to improve on previous estimates of the free energies of chlorine-bearing solids since the temperature of chlorine condensation has an important control on the condensation temperatures of many trace elements. Our result for the 50% condensation temperature of chlorine, 472 K is nearly 500 K lower than the result of Lodders (2003), and this means that the HCl content of the solar gas at temperatures <900 K is higher than previously estimated. We based our calculations on the program PHEQ (Wood and Hashimoto 1993), which we modified to perform condensation calculations for the elements H, O, C, S, Na, Ca, Mg, Al, Si, Fe, F, Cl, P, N, Ni, and K by free energy minimization. Condensation calculations for minor elements were then performed using the output from PHEQ in conjunction with relevant thermodynamic data. We made explicit provision for nonidealities using information from phase diagrams, heat of solution measurements, partitioning data and by using the lattice strain model for FeS and ionic solids and the Miedema model for solutions in solid Fe. We computed the relative stabilities of gaseous chloride, sulfide, oxide, and hydroxide species of the trace elements of interest and used these, as appropriate in our condensation calculations. In general, our new 50% condensation temperatures are similar to or, because of the modifications noted above, lower than those of Lodders (2003).


The research on electrochemical carbon molecule oxidation started in the past
 years as new electrochemistries were researched for new fuel cells systems
 and batteries that may line up as backup energy supply and storage systems in
 off-grid and on-grid microgrids, as modeled by our group at the University of
 Twente [1-3]. By lining up these two disciplines we hope to support the bridge
 between new electrochemical systems on one side, (pilot) production with
 partner companies, prediction, and validation of systems upon implementation
 in microgrids by our group.
The electrochemical oxidation of glycerol in alkaline aqueous solution has been
 studied on gold and gold coated metals (Zn-Au and Cu-Au) by voltammetry and
 EIS (Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy) for possible use in a new fuel cell
 as an outlet for the excess glycerol that is produced in the biodiesel industry.
 The observations show that the gold surface may change upon cycling by cyclic
 voltammetry. Besides, the current density shows non-linear behavior with the
 square root of the scan rate, implying that the reaction is not totally controlled
 by diffusion. EIS analysis using the EQUIVCRT software revealed that one out of
 twenty tested equivalent circuits fitted the data well at potentials of -0.05 V,-
 0.15 V and -0.25 V vs. Ag/AgCl, identifying resistors and a Warburg element in
 parallel with the double layer capacitance, the elements are possibly related to
 the presence of double layers associated with hydroxypyrovate and oxalate ions.
 The results are consistent with the low-frequency error fitting analysis (10-4), AC
 Simulink-Matlab fitting responds and the Kronig-Kramers transform test. The
 tested Zn-Au and Cu-Au electrodes show similar voltammetry behavior as the gold
 electrode, as witnessed by the results of cycle analysis and the scan rate analysis.
 The discharge chronoamperometry test further shows that the Zn-Au electrode
 and Cu-Au have higher current densities than the gold electrode at a potential of
 -0.25 V vs. Ag/AgCl (5 mA cm-2, 4.5 mA cm-2, and 3 mA cm-2 respectively).


During the last years, applications such as optical storage systems or the optical short haul communication have gained enormous relevance. In the first case pushed by the improvement of the storage capacity, in the latter by the availability of low-cost light sources, those applications are based on light of the visible spectra. Due to the hard speed and sensitivity specifications, by now the detectors for these applications are based on BiCMOS, III/V or optimised CMOS technologies whereas the enormous market potential demands the use of a standard CMOS process.

Within the scope of this work, investigations concerning the aptitude of CMOS technologies for the mentioned applications have been done. Theoretical and measurement results for corresponding photodiodes as well as innovative readout circuit concepts, whose functionality is also underlined by measurements, are presented. Furthermore, theoretical analyses for the optimisation of these concepts with respect to different parameters are suggested.

As a system application based on the gained results, a novel detector for optical storage systems has been realized. To the authors knowledge, this is the first chip in-situ combining the integrating and demodulating readout approach of photodiodes.


In this paper, we investigate how industrial buyers align their relationships with suppliers to the contextual characteristics of the purchase. We propose that patterns of purchasing strategy are evidenced, in part, by the alignment of three fundamental domains: the firm's strategic intent for a given purchase, the environment in which a purchase is made, and the type of relationship adopted by industrial buying firms with their selected suppliers. Using a cluster analysis on data collected from 226 buyers in a sample of U.S. industrial firms, we identified four primary types of purchases. Our results provide a partial empirical validation of the purchasing types presented in purchasing portfolio models. However, we identify a fourth type, the adversarial purchase, which cannot be mapped to existing portfolio models. We also found evidence that the dimensions of portfolio models may not be as independent as commonly assumed. We discuss the implications of our findings for practitioners and for research.


Although several evaluation analyses have recently been proposed to assess the user or player experience of playing a video game, we found the need for these to be adapted when we wanted to apply them to young children. However, young children are unable to spend a long time grading many attributes or indexes after playing. Thus, selecting the most important aspects to be analyzed is required in order to perform a non-time consuming and significant evaluation method to be used with children. Hence, this work is focused on designing an evaluation method to assess emotions when young children (3-5 years old) play a video game. In particular, we are interested in educational video games because of the importance that emotion has in motivation, which in turn is highly important in education. Although the method presented follows the pre-test, test and post-test classic structure, the activities carried out in each of these phases have been modified to, firstly, include no elements which require reading-writing skills, which are as yet undeveloped at this age and, secondly, to limit the emotional impact that children can suffer when they are aware that they are being evaluated. We have applied the proposed method in a sample of 39 children playing the educational video game "Ato's Adventure", which was in its final development phases, obtaining very promising results both for the analysis method and for the video game.


Fluorescence spectra of two organic dyes doped in polymer beads as well as coated on single microparticles of silica exhibit whispering gallery modes (WGMs). For doped microspheres, theoretical simulations on WGMs have been carried out based on the Lorentz-Mie theory by varying the refractive index and the diameter of the microparticle. Similarly, for a coated microsphere, an Aden and Kerker model of the Lorentz-Mie theory has been used to simulate WGMs. For diameters ⩾8 μm, low-resolution simulations of scattering efficiency fail to show modes of higher-quality factors (Q~108). A new procedure of identifying these modes is given here that does not require use of high-performance computing. Effects of WGMs on decay rates have also been studied. It has been found that, while doped microparticles exhibit no effect on the radiative rate, coated microparticles show inhibition of the decay rate for smaller sizes. Decay rates of single-coated microspheres are found to be distinctly different from those of randomly shaped single microcrystals.


Although Complement Coercion has been systematically associated with computational cost, there remains a serious confound in the experimental evidence built up in previous studies. The confound arises from the fact that lexicosemantic differences within the set of verbs assumed to involve coercion have not been taken into consideration. From among the set of verbs that have been reported to exhibit complement coercion effects we identified two clear semantic classes — aspectual verbs and psychological verbs. We hypothesize that the semantic difference between the two should result in differing processing profiles. Aspectual predicates (begin) trigger coercion and processing cost while psychological predicates (enjoy) do not. Evidence from an eye-tracking experiment supports our hypothesis. Coercion costs are restricted to aspectual predicates while no such effects are found with psychological predicates. These findings have implications for how these two kinds of predicates might be lexically encoded as well as for whether the observed interpolation of eventive meaning can be attributed to type-shifting (e.g., McElree, Traxler, Pickering, Seely, & Jackendoff, 2001) or to pragmatic-inferential processes (e.g., De Almeida, 2004).


Transitions in cell identity are fundamental to development, reprogramming, and disease. Single-cell technologies enable the dissection of tissue composition on a cell-by-cell basis in complex biological systems. However, highly-sparse single-cell RNA-seq data poses challenges for cell-type identification algorithms based on bulk RNA-seq. Single-cell analytical tools are also limited, where they require prior biological knowledge and typically classify cells in a discrete, categorical manner. Here, we present a computational tool, 'Capybara,' designed to measure cell identity as a continuum, at single-cell resolution. This approach enables the classification of discrete cell entities but also identifies cells harboring multiple identities, supporting a metric to quantify cell fate transition dynamics. We benchmark the performance of Capybara against other existing classifiers and demonstrate its efficacy to annotate cells and identify critical transitions within a well-characterized differentiation hierarchy, hematopoiesis. Our application of Capybara to a range of reprogramming strategies reveals previously uncharacterized regional patterning and identifies a putative in vivo correlate for an engineered cell type that has, to date, remained undefined. These findings prioritize interventions to increase the efficiency and fidelity of cell engineering strategies, showcasing the utility of Capybara to dissect cell identity and fate transitions. Capybara code and documentation are available at https://github.com/morris-lab/Capybara.


Robot-assisted thoracic surgery (RATS) is a relatively new but rapidly adopted technique, pioneered by the urological and gynecological departments. The primary objective of this study is to present the current status, a series of improvement and innovation of Da Vinci robotic surgery in the Department of Thoracic Surgery at First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University. In addition, we discuss the prospect of robotic surgical technology.


The effect of stem cell-based therapies for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer disease, Huntington disease, and Parkinson disease are currently being investigated. Here we specify possible therapeutic effects and possible side effects for patients and conclude that cellular therapies may have benefits for patients. The side effect described most commonly in the literature is the risk of tumor formation by stem cells not fully differentiated into neurons when transplanted or following viral transduction and subsequent differentiation to create induced pluripotent stem cells. This risk may be avoided by differentiating stem cells in culture before transplantation.

Here we argue that the following ethical considerations are important for clinical trials: Informed consent of research subjects or patients, specification of possible therapeutic effects, risk analysis of possible side effects, equitable access of patients to clinical trials, and adequate compensation should be paid to research subjects or patients. We clarify that the related ethical principles are respect for autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice and that the ethical theory of the American ethicists Tom L. Beauchamp and James F. Childress is based on these principles. We show that this theory is useful for analyzing complex ethical cases of biomedicine by using cellular therapy for neurodegenerative diseases as a model system. We go through the three steps in an ethical case analysis using Beauchamp and Childress' principles.

We explain that the ethical issues of using stem cells for therapies for neurodegenerative diseases often referred to in the literature are related to the moral status of the blastocyst and the developing embryo. We believe that these are to be seen as potential human life with increasing moral status during development. We propose that they should be treated with increasing respect and only used for research where no other cells as source for transplantation are available.


House prices and rents have increased ahead of average earnings over the last 25 years tipping more and more Australian households into housing affordability stress. The deterioration in housing affordability is in part due to a set of Federal and State tax arrangements that distort the use of land and buildings in ways that impair the efficient operation of housing markets. State government taxation of residential land and buildings in the form of stamp duties and land taxes are an important influence because they offer preferential treatment to land and buildings that are owner occupied. This paper analyses the case for reform, and assesses what impact their introduction would have upon land prices based on modelling of the Melbourne housing market. We argue that there is a compelling case for the abolition of stamp duties and their replacement by a broad-based land tax. Furthermore transitional arrangements are put forward that would gradually introduce the reforms such that no existing home owner would pay land tax if they had already paid stamp duty when purchasing their home. These arrangements would aid the introduction of reform by ensuring that no property owner must meet an additional tax.


Agricultural management practices have impacts not only on crops and livestock, but also on soil, water, wildlife, and ecosystem services. Agricultural research provides evidence about these impacts, but it is unclear how this evidence should be used to make decisions. Two methods are widely used in decision making: evidence synthesis and decision analysis. However, a system of evidence-based decision making that integrates these two methods has not yet been established. Moreover, the standard methods of evidence synthesis have a narrow focus (e.g., the effects of one management practice), but the standard methods of decision analysis have a wide focus (e.g., the comparative effectiveness of multiple management practices). Thus, there is a mismatch between the outputs from evidence synthesis and the inputs that are needed for decision analysis. We show how evidence for a wide range of agricultural practices can be reviewed and summarized simultaneously ("subject-wide evidence synthesis"), and how this evidence can be assessed by experts and used for decision making ("multiple-criteria decision analysis"). We show how these methods could be used by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in California to select the best management practices for multiple ecosystem services in Mediterranean-type farmland and rangeland, based on a subject-wide evidence synthesis that was published by Conservation Evidence (www.conservationevidence.com). This method of "evidence-based decision analysis" could be used at different scales, from the local scale (farmers deciding which practices to adopt) to the national or international scale (policy makers deciding which practices to support through agricultural subsidies or other payments for ecosystem services). We discuss the strengths and weaknesses of this method, and we suggest some general principles for improving evidence synthesis as the basis for multi-criteria decision analysis.


Importance Increased hydration is often recommended as a preventive measure for women with recurrent cystitis, but supportive data are sparse. Objective To assess the efficacy of increased daily water intake on the frequency of recurrent cystitis in premenopausal women. Design, Setting, and Participants Randomized, open-label, controlled, 12-month trial at a clinical research center (years 2013-2016). Among 163 healthy women with recurrent cystitis (≥3 episodes in past year) drinking less than 1.5 L of fluid daily assessed for eligibility, 23 were excluded and 140 assigned to water or control group. Assessments of daily fluid intake, urinary hydration, and cystitis symptoms were performed at baseline, 6- and 12-month visits, and monthly telephone calls. Interventions Participants were randomly assigned to drink, in addition to their usual fluid intake, 1.5 L of water daily (water group) or no additional fluids (control group) for 12 months. Main Outcomes and Measures Primary outcome measure was frequency of recurrent cystitis over 12 months. Secondary outcomes were number of antimicrobial regimens used, mean time interval between cystitis episodes, and 24-hour urinary hydration measurements. Results The mean (SD) age of the 140 participants was 35.7 (8.4) years, and the mean (SD) number of cystitis episodes in the previous year was 3.3 (0.6). During the 12-month study period, the mean (SD) number of cystitis episodes was 1.7 (95% CI, 1.5-1.8) in the water group compared with 3.2 (95% CI, 3.0-3.4) in the control group, with a difference in means of 1.5 (95% CI, 1.2-1.8; P < .001). Overall, there were 327 cystitis episodes, 111 in the water group and 216 in the control group. The mean number of antimicrobial regimens used to treat cystitis episodes was 1.9 (95% CI, 1.7-2.2) and 3.6 (95% CI, 3.3-4.0), respectively, with a difference in means of 1.7 (95% CI, 1.3-2.1; P < .001). The mean time interval between cystitis episodes was 142.8 (95% CI, 127.4-160.1) and 84.4 (95% CI, 75.4-94.5) days, respectively, with a difference in means of 58.4 (95% CI, 39.4-77.4; P < .001). Between baseline and 12 months, participants in the water group, compared with those in the control group, had increased mean (SD) urine volume (1.4 [0.04] vs 0.1 [0.04] L; P < .001) and voids (2.4 [0.2] vs −0.1 [0.2]; P < .001) and decreased urine osmolality (−402.8 [19.6] vs −24.0 [19.5] mOsm/kg; P < .001). Conclusions and Relevance Increased water intake is an effective antimicrobial-sparing strategy to prevent recurrent cystitis in premenopausal women at high risk for recurrence who drink low volumes of fluid daily. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02444975


In a recent review of the literature, Wasylenko (1981) concluded that taxes have very little effect on interregional business location decisions. The present study examines the impact of state taxes and incentive programs on the spatial distribution of inward foreign direct investment in manufacturing. The results reveal that taxes, which were measured in various ways, deter foreign direct investment. Conversely, states providing tax incentives, financial assistance, and employment assistance tended to have larger numbers of foreign direct investments.


Responsive complex emulsions are increasingly of interest for use in diagnostics, optics, and chemical sensing due to their tunable chemical and physical properties. A significant limitation of such fluid droplets for long-term applications is their eventual breakdown over time by pathways such as coalescence and Ostwald ripening that lead to variations in droplet size and composition. Elucidating approaches by which to enhance droplet stability while simultaneously maintaining their reconfigurability and responsive character is therefore important. This report explores the behavior of reconfigurable hydrocarbon and fluorocarbon droplets in water that are encapsulated in a polyelectrolyte hydrogel shell. Surfactant-free gelation pathways are investigated to form oil-core calcium alginate capsules, and the effects of the hydrogel capsule structure on droplet stability and reconfigurability in the presence of surfactants are characterized.


In academic settings the skills of critical thinking, closely linked with selfand peer-observation and self-evaluation, are of paramount importance in every subject. A university ESP (English for Specific Purposes) course requires application of these transferable skills, too. The study presents some findings of research which reveals how students at Mykolas Romeris university (MRU) evaluate their general language abilities, self-assess performance in various ESP class activities and how reflections on one's performance lead to the development of critical thinking skills in ESP classes. The validity of the research findings is backed by a statistical processing of self-evaluation data by means of a SPSS (Software Package for Social Sciences) versus actual performance in formal tests. Authentic student reflections presented in the weblogs samples are believed to add further highly valuable insights into tendencies for strategies for learning ESP and ways to develop critical thinking skills.


Abstract. Imaging spectroscopy is increasingly used for surface mapping. Therefore different expert systems are being utilized to identify surface cover materials. Those expert systems mainly rely on the spectral comparison between unknown and library spectra, but their performances were only limited qualified. This study aims on the comparative analysis of drill core samples from the recently discovered maar system in the Czech Republic. Drill core samples from the surrounding area of the Mýtina maar were analyzed by X-Ray diffraction (XRD) and the hyperspectral spectrometer HySpex. Additionally, soil samples were measured in-situ by the ASD FieldSpec4 and in the laboratory by the HySpex VNIR/SWIR spectrometer system. The data was then analyzed by the MICA-algorithm and the results were compared to the results of the XRD -analysis. The XRD-analysis served here as validation basis. The results of the hyperspectral and the XRD analyses were used to densify a volcanic map that also integrates in-situ soil measurements in the surrounding area of Mýtina. The comparison of the XRD- and solaroptical remote sensing results showed a good correlation of qualified minerals if the soil organic carbon content was significantly low. Contrary to XRD, smectites and muscovites were also straightforward identified that underlines the overall performance of the approach to identify minerals. Basically, in this work an operable approach is proposed that enables the fast, repeatable and detailed analysis of drill cores, drill core samples and soil samples and, hence, provides a higher performance than state-of-the-art XRD-analyses.


Objectives Low levels of physical activity may have considerable negative effects on bone health in adolescence, and increasing screen time in place of sporting activity during growth is worrying. This study explored the associations between self-reported screen time at weekends and bone mineral density (BMD). Design In 2010/2011, 1038 (93%) of the region's first-year upper-secondary school students (15–18 years) attended the Tromsø Study, Fit Futures 1 (FF1). A follow-up survey (FF2) took place in 2012/2013. BMD at total hip, femoral neck and total body was measured as g/cm² by dual X-ray absorptiometry (GE Lunar prodigy). Lifestyle variables were self-reported, including questions on hours per day spent in front of television/computer during weekends and hours spent on leisure time physical activities. Complete data sets for 388/312 girls and 359/231 boys at FF1/FF2, respectively, were used in analyses. Sex stratified multiple regression analyses were performed. Results Many adolescents balanced 2–4 h screen time with moderate or high physical activity levels. Screen time was positively related to body mass index (BMI) in boys (p=0.002), who spent more time in front of the computer than girls did (p<0.001). In boys, screen time was adversely associated with BMDFF1 at all sites, and these associations remained robust to adjustments for age, puberty, height, BMI, physical activity, vitamin D levels, smoking, alcohol, calcium and carbonated drink consumption (p<0.05). Screen time was also negatively associated with total hip BMDFF2 (p=0.031). In contrast, girls who spent 4–6 h in front of the computer had higher BMD than the reference (<2 h). Conclusions In Norwegian boys, time spent on screen-based sedentary activity was negatively associated with BMD levels; this relationship persisted 2 years later. Such negative associations were not present among girls. Whether this surprising result is explained by biological differences remains unclear.


We quantify spillovers of inflation expectations between the United States (US) and Euro Area (EA) based on break-even inflation (BEI) rates. In contrast to previous studies, we model US and EA BEI rates jointly in a structural vector autoregressive (SVAR) model. The SVAR approach allows to identify US and EA specific inflation expectations shocks. By modeling the heteroscedasticity of the data, we are able to test the identifying restrictions of structural shocks and analyze time-varying spillovers. Adjusted for BEI risk premia, our main result suggests that spillovers of inflation expectations increase during times of macroeconomic stress. We document a significant impact of the European sovereign debt crisis on US expectations. The finding contributes to the discussion about a weakening of inflation control by national central banks and speaks in favor of internationally coordinated policy actions, especially during crisis times.