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Kolkata, Jun 20 (UNI) Union Minister of State for Coal Santosh Bagrodia today said a comprehensive legislation would be adopted soon for enhancing quality coal production and ruled out price hike of coal despite spiralling inflation.
''We are planning to set up washeries at all pitheads to ensure 100 per cent washed coal supply to the consumers'', Mr Bagrodia told a seminar on 'National Coal Resources: Scope for Optimization,' organsied by Bharat Chamber of Commerce.
He, however, said the consumer has to bear the cost of quality coal, which has better efficiency and less emission.
The Coal Ministry has prioritised to become self-sufficient in coal production so that consumers like power, steel and others get quality coal on demand, Mr Bagrodia said.
He said the Coal Ministry was considering PPP (public private partnership) in extraction of coal from abandoned mines so that production was doubled in two decades.
To meet the target, Coal India had already announced a capital expenditure of Rs 18,000 crore during the current plan period. The production target of the PSU during the current fiscal had been pegged at 400 million tonnes, as compared to the production of 380 million tonne in 2007-08.
He said coal stocks were enough at all pitheads but transportation was main hindrance to reach coal to the consumers.
Mr Bagrodia said he was in touch with the Railway ministry and the Transport ministry to ensure that transportation of coal from pitheads were on time and regular.
Coal users at the seminar complained to the minister that despite payments, they face scarcity of coal due to inadequate rakes and carriages.
Mr Bagrodia said the new legislation was in the offing to widen the scope for captive mining in the joint venture. He said the ministry was considering a new coal act as demands for coal were increasing, especially from power and steel sectors.
He said the state was asked to contact Coal India through their agents to lift coal as they required for their small scale industries.
On optimisation of coal mining, the minister said the Coal India has social responsibility like proper rehabilitation in case of displacement of local population from mine areas.
Coal India Chairman Partha S Bhattacharyya said availability of coke, a demanding raw material for steel industry, was limited in the country.
He said only Jharia region has coke reserve in the country and extraction of mineral needed huge planning and rehabilition of people.
Coal India has already identified 65 spots from where about 400,000 people were to be rehabilitated before coke coal extraction.
He said under Jharia Plan, Rs 80,000 crore has been earmarked for rehabilitaton of local people.


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Stephen Hawking Gets Superhero Treatment in New Comic
Living legend Stephen Hawking has already achieved superhero status in the eyes of many science geeks, and now his ideas are being honored in comic book form. Full story
Living legend Stephen Hawking has already achieved superhero status in the eyes of many science geeks, and now his ideas are being honored in comic book form. Full story
PASADENA, Calif. — Our universe didn't need any divine help to burst into being, famed cosmologist Stephen Hawking told a packed house here at the California Institute of Technology Tuesday night (April 16). Full story
The popular CBS sitcom "The Big Bang Theory" is set to welcome two guest stars: legendary "Star Trek" actor Leonard Nimoy and famed astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, according to news reports. Full story
A museum exhibition honoring renowned physicist Stephen Hawking, who has defied the odds by living long past what medical experts predicted for someone with the degenerative Lou Gehrig's disease, opened today (Jan. 20) in London. Full story
World famous physicist Professor Stephen Hawking has turned 70, making him a medical marvel. Fifty years ago doctors who diagnosed his motor neurone disease thought he would not live beyond 25. Anabel Roberts reports.
Leonard Mlodinow talks about his new book, co-written with Stephen Hawking, explaining why God was not necessary for the creation of the universe.
Theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking speaks at his official welcoming ceremony at Perimeter Institute For Theoretical Physics in Kitchener June 20, 2010. REUTERS/Sheryl Nadler
epa03682857 British physicist, Sir Stephen Hawking speaks during the launch of a report by the charity Breathe On UK at Portcullis House in London, Britain, 30 April 2013.Breathe On UK is a charity that supports families of children on long-term ventilation. EPA/FACUNDO ARRIZABALAGA
Stephen Hawking and his new bride Elaine Mason pose for pictures after the blessing of their wedding at St. Barnabus Church September 16. The two are going on honeymoom is Scotland

subset: commoncrawl


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I am making an Abrams Tank cake for my son's birthday and I need to make the turret turn and shoot sparks (I am ambitious, I know). Can anyone point me in the right direction? I know I need a remote control turntable mechanism, but I am coming up empty during my searches.
For the turning turret part, you need to scrounge an old record player and take out only the driving mechanism. Then you need to wire a control box that will have to be carried in with the cake. The batteries can sit inside the turret. Back and forth means a double switch (forward/reverse polarity) instead of a single switch.
But to shoot sparks, you need a whole lot more hardware. You need to find yourself a piezoelectric barbecue starter and find a safe way to switch that. It will shoot sparks for a limited time before it needs to be recharged so do your testing well in advance.
OK so find an electronics geek who understands these terms and you are in business. Otherwise you will have to use a lit sparkler in the muzzle of the gun with a fixed turret.
A«°~°»*****yikes!! Ummm yeah good luck sorry cant help
AWait maybe you can go to a hobby store that makes or carries miniature train stuff...maybe you could find a small motor there to move the turrent around..just a thought
and for what it's worth--i've only had one cake with parts that moved on purpose (notice there's no picture attached )
and the only fire on my cakes have been candles
get a heavier duty motor than you think you might need--so often on the cake shows the motors fizzle out on them because of the underestimated weight
just a random observation--food mechanics for thought
oh i got one more
can you get some gentle fireworks??? and proceed with extreme caution of course
with small kids around, I'd keep away from open flames, they could get too excited
How about inserting a flickering red LED light into the turret, no danger with that


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ispunct, iswpunct
int ispunct( int c ); int iswpunct( wint_t c );
Each of these routines returns nonzero if c is a particular representation of a punctuation character.
- c
- Integer to test.
Return Value
ispunct returns a non-zero value for any printable character that is not a space character or a character for which isalnum is nonzero. iswpunct returns a non-zero value for any printable wide character that is neither the space wide character nor a wide character for which iswalnum is nonzero. Each of these routines returns 0 if c does not satisfy the test condition.
The result of the test condition for the ispunct function depends on the LC_CTYPE category setting of the current locale; see setlocale for more information. For iswpunct, the result of the test condition is independent of locale.
When used with a debug CRT library, ispunct will display a CRT assert if passed a parameter that isn't EOF or in the range of 0 through 0xFF. When used with a debug CRT library, ispunct will use the parameter as an index into an array, with undefined results if the parameter isn't EOF or in the range of 0 through 0xFF.
Generic-Text Routine Mappings
|TCHAR.H routine
|_UNICODE & _MBCS not defined
|_MBCS defined
|_UNICODE defined
|Required header
|ANSI, Win 98, Win Me, Win NT, Win 2000, Win XP
|<ctype.h> or <wchar.h>
|ANSI, Win 98, Win Me, Win NT, Win 2000, Win XP
For additional compatibility information, see Compatibility in the Introduction.
All versions of the C run-time libraries.
See Also
Character Classification Routines | Locale Routines | is, isw Function Overview | Run-Time Routines and .NET Framework Equivalents


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Because every Friday the 13th should involve a little voodoo magic, today's dish of the day is a box of goodness from the newly opened Voodoo Doughnuts.
Prior to opening on 6th Street in downtown Austin, the Portland, OR-based doughnut purveyors garnered a cult following, thanks to their extensive menu of doughnuts flavors and surprisingly fair prices. While there are plenty of choices for doughnut traditionalists, Voodoo's eclectic, offbeat options are what really put the shop on the map. Truly, with toppings ranging from mango to CoCo Puffs, Butterfingers to bacon, Voodoo leaves no flavor combo unturned in crafting its doughnuts.
In the name of research, I have made a couple of trips by the shop to do a little field-testing on some of these said flavors to overall solid results. Voodoo's traditional cake style doughnut, such as the maple glazed Old Fashioned and double chocolate, are the clear favorites of the bunch. Continue reading Dish of the Day: Voodoo Doughnuts


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Policy Implications of the CJS Appropriations Bills
Accompanying the Senate FY 2015 CJS appropriations bill is report language that provides additional guidance to federal agencies under its jurisdiction. Although it does not have the force of law, agencies generally follow the guidance quite closely. For example, within the section for the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is language on open access that notes that the Senate committee had been updated on the status of federal agencies' development of policies to expand public access to federally funded research results. The Committee expects agencies to finalize policies by December 2014 and begin implementation by early 2015. In addition, the Committee requests that OSTP, in conjunction with NIH, create an interagency Medical Imaging Subcommittee with a goal of establishing a coordinated medical imaging R&D roadmap.
For NSF, among other items, the Committee displays a number of concerns regarding the inclusion of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in a range of NSF programs. It states that "NSF has developed some research experience programs through its Education and Human Resources directorate. However, NSF's primary research directorates have a far more anemic track record in this support—a reality that the Committee believes must change if the Nation is to take advantage of the country's growing diversity to enhance America's economic competitiveness." The Committee directs NSF "to use up to $7,500,000 within existing programs targeting broadening participation, particularly at HBCUs, to create effective models of intervention to nurture students from elementary school through under graduate studies with an emphasis on life sciences."
Finally, the Committee expressed concerns over waste and abuse of federal spending and requests that agencies submit a report to the Senate Appropriations Committee when a program's costs exceed 10 percent of its budget. In addition, it requires federal agencies to submit reports to the Inspector General on any conference that exceeds $100,000.


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Related Products:
This investor Gold bar bears the historic Perth Mint's old corporate logo
featuring the image of a majestic swan – an internationally renowned symbol of quality.
The bar is also inscribed with the words - PERTH MINT AUSTRALIA - '99.99% PURE Gold 1 GRAMS'. The bar is blister-packed on an old style, tamper-evident display card.
Not yet rated. Be the first to Write a Review
We provide all of our customers with a refund, return and / or exchange on everything we sell including all bullion and certified coins. If for any reason, you have a problem, please feel free to call us. We will always do our best to accommodate you.


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Floral Print Palazzo Pants
Standard Price $26.99 Sales Price $8.99
Select Color
Select size
Details content below
Product Model Size:Model is 5'9" tall
Product Fit:
Model is wearing size small. Size small has a 33" inseam and 11" front rise.
Product Care:
polyester / hand wash / made in USA
Online only! Floral print flourishes on woven fabric, forming stunning palazzo pants! Elasticized waistband looks great with crop tops, while wide legs flow below.
Returns content below
Return or exchange in any Charlotte Russe store within 30 days of your ship date, or use the mailing label included in your package to send it back right away.
We do not accept returns on jewelry, swim, intimates, nail polish, fragrance, gift cards, opened beauty products or anything marked as final sale.
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The Galileo Shop
Zodiac Theme Keleidoscope
$ 24.99
A kaleidoscope is a simple tube of mirrors and small colored objects, yet it's varying colors and beautiful symmetrical patterns produce an exciting and educational experience for all ages.
Caring for your kaleidoscopes will extend their life and preserve their value.
Scopes are best stored in display cases to reduce dirt and dust, prevent accidentally damage to them from being bumped or knocked over and to keep them out of direct light. Direct light is fatal to some scopes as it fades woods, dried flowers in wheels and fabrics. Sunlight will turn some plastics yellow and even some fluid ampules are not light-fast.


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A new YouTube video shows how to get started with active objects and graphical state-machine modeling on the Pi (http://youtu.be/EagFPO8lG_s).
The QP active object (actor) frameworks enable the Pi enthusiasts to build responsive and modular applications as systems of cooperating, event-driven active objects (actors), which are hierarchical state machines that communicate with one another asynchronously by exchanging events. Active objects are closely related to the concept of agents used in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and are ideal for building highly responsive "smart" systems, like robots and control systems of all sorts.
The QP family consists of QP/C, QP/C++, and QP-nano frameworks, which all run beautifully on the Pi. The QP frameworks are your entry into advanced multi-threaded programming with POSIX threads without the typical risks and complexities associated with "free-threading". The extensive Application Note "QP and POSIX" describes the POSIX QP port.
The QP frameworks impose a design strategy called event-driven programming, which requires a distinctly different way of thinking than conventional sequential programs. All event-driven programs are naturally divided into the application, which actually handles the events, and the supervisory event-driven infrastructure (framework), which waits for events and dispatches them to the application. The control resides in the event-driven framework, so from the application standpoint, the control is inverted compared to a traditional sequential program.
The free QM™ graphical modeling tool takes the Pi programming to the next level, by enabling automatic code generation of Pi applications.


text: Roger Federer v John Isner - Olympics 2012 live David Cox in Olympic Tennis 1 Aug 2012 0 share Share Tweet Email Share RedditYou can watch live tennis at bet365 > sports > live tennis (credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) Roger Federer looks to tame the monstrous serve of John Isner when they meet in the quarter-finals of the Olympic tennis event on Thursday.You can watch live tennis at bet365 > sports > live tennisFederer may have suffered the disappointment of an early exit in the men's doubles but his singles hopes are still alive after a 7-5, 6-3 third round win over Denis Istomin. It wasn't vintage Federer and the rain certainly helped him out. The heavens opened with the Uzbek poised to pounce, with Federer serving at 5-5, 15-30. "I thought I played a pretty good match," Federer said afterwards. "He did really well to come back into the first set because I didn't play a poor game to get broken in the first set. So things got a bit complicated. He played well. Then obviously the rain delay made it a bit more nerve‑wracking. But happy I found a way out of it. Took the right decisions in the rain delay to come through and not panic. So I'm very happy with my performance."Isner has looked pretty relaxed and impressive all week and he saw off Janko Tipsarevic 7-5, 7-6 to reach the last eight. He beat Federer in the Davis Cup earlier this year and with his serve he always has a chance of grass especially over best of three sets.However Federer is an expert at defusing the threat of big servers by chipping his returns and getting into the points and that's a tactic he'll look to use to make things difficult for the serve-volleying Isner.Prediction: Federer in three.


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Does Fujifilm pace their lens releases to to make us buy them all?
I really like the Fujifilm lens lineup. But honestly there are lenses that I wouldn't have purchased if lenses released later had been available. Are they timing the releases so people buy them all?
Is it just me?
The 60mm f/2.4 before the 56mm f/1.2.
The 14 f/2.8 before the 10-24mm f/4.
The 16-50mm f/3.5-f/5.6 before the 16-55mm f/2.8
No text.
They are all different lenses with different functions and with the x mount being a new system they have to have a roadmap (and from memory you would have seen the 10-24 would be available when you bought the 14) as they are not going to have the capability to launch with the full set all at once.
The 60 is a macro the 56 is not so if the 56 came first some may then have wished they had waited for the 60 but those are the only 2 lenses in the line up that cross in terms of functionality.
The 14 is a prime and all systems have 1 or 2 wide primes and a wide zoom. You prefer a wide zoom but a lot of people prefer a wide prime so they have to cater for both.
The 16-50 is a 'kit' variable aperture lens, cheapish and light, the 16-55 is going to be considerably mire expensive and larger. Again there is nothing unusual about a system having lenses of similar FL's but different apertures, build and pricing.
Which ever order they release the lenses in some people may prefer the newly released one but as stated above there is very little true crossover in the range and you can always consult the roadmap.
Shoot lots...
Does yes mean "yes, it's just you" or "yes, it's Fuji's lens strategy"?
To OP's question -- I had that same conspiracy theory too, but it's prob. not the case. Fuji built this line from scratch so there are "early" lenses, and then "later" lenses. They have to start somewhere. Since all of them are good, "late" adopters like us will have a hard time choosing.
I wasn't too happy that the WR lenses are not available at the same time X-T1 was pushed to the market (like the perfect match of 12-40mm and E-M1), but I think it's just timing (too naive?). Honestly, looking at the specs I am not sure if I'd have preferred the larger/heavier WR lenses over the more compact 18-55 even if they were made available at the same time.
Talking about the overabundance of choices, I think the M43 system is way more confusing (when I was thinking about buying a macro, I vacillated between the Oly 60mm and Pana 45mm for the longest time and still couldn't pull the trigger).
Now I am done looking for the next best thing. I enjoy what I have and try to focus more on images than lenses.
gerard boulanger wrote:
TravelLight wrote:
Now I am done looking for the next best thing. I enjoy what I have and try to focus more on images than lenses.
gerard boulanger wrote:
me too. Stop buying more Fuji's stuff, and just trying to be in focus.
davidjlee wrote:
I really like the Fujifilm lens lineup. But honestly there are lenses that I wouldn't have purchased if lenses released later had been available. Are they timing the releases so people buy them all?
Is it just me?
The 60mm f/2.4 before the 56mm f/1.2.
The 14 f/2.8 before the 10-24mm f/4.
The 16-50mm f/3.5-f/5.6 before the 16-55mm f/2.8
Yes. Fuji also tracks where you live, and if you don't buy one of everything, they will send Yakuzas after you and your family. You will know because of the subtle signs they leave. The water being mysteriously drained out of your goldfish bowl, wife going missing, house burning down with only your camera bag undamaged, that sort of thing.
Oh wait, that might be Olympus.
The first lens were small and light, 18, 35, 60, 18-55 and 14mm. Then came to big guns/primes. I suspect that if they started with big lenses the system would not have sold as well since part of the allure was small and light. Next comes the big zooms with 72 and 77mm filter sizes like the 10-24, 16-55, 50-135 w/tripod collar
Personally, i am sticking with the small and light lenses. Choice is good.
they also started out with a hybrid rangefinder style and now have a model T SLR style with big hump.
Fuji Silver XE1 w/14, 35, 18-55, 55-200, Rokinon 8mm Fisheye & Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Macro
They are after me as I type. Gotta run.....:-O
In my mind pace lens releases equals lens roadmap. Therefore, the answer is yes. FUJI is still in the business of making revenue and the more we buy their products the better it is for them.
Lucky for us early adopters, the image and build quality of their initial lens offering (XF line) are so good that it is really up to you if you need more. As opposed to some manufacturers that will start with crappy lens offering.
I also like the way they pace it with price in mind as well. The prices of their latest offerings is trending higher. Imagine if it is the reverse.
|.....the ROYAL LOTUS 2017/08/25-NEW YORK..... by Chiwat
from Wild flowers
|Coffee and Mango cake by clicker88
from Another cup of coffee


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Special AV on Allu Arjun At Warangal Rudramadevi Audio Launch - NTv
Sun, Mar 22, 2015, 10:05 PM
Rudramadevi is the magnum opus movie from director Gunasekhar and this film stars Anushka who played the title role while Rana and Allu Arjun play another important characters in the film. Maestro Ilayaraja has scored the music for this historical film . The movie audio was launched at Vizag yesterday in Andhra Pradesh and today the audio launch event is being conducted at Warangal in Telangana. Watch Special AV on Allu Arjun at audio launch of Rudramadevi movie . . . .


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R. T. & O.: Episode 1 - Triple H; seperating the executive from the wrestler.
by, 03-10-2014 at 08:39 AM (3364 Views)
Hello Reader,
So for my first proper crack at this I thought I'd take on something that I've pondered a lot; namely why does Triple H the wrestler receive the same hate as Triple H the executive/backstage politician? As will be usual for this blog; I urge you to read what I have to say then take part in the conversation.
I'm going to lay my cards on the table here; I'm a Triple H fan and have been since he first dumped the Greenwich Blue-Blood persona to become a part of Degeneration-X. For long periods the man was the best heel in the business; and his match quality was better than most of his contemporaries during the height of his run (The Rock, Goldberg, J.B.L., Cena & Batista to name a few). When you add in all the other variables used to measure someones standing in the business (look, mike skills etc.) then I feel there's a pretty strong argument for Triple H's inclusion in the discussion on the best of an era/all time; but it's almost as if saying that is tantamount to besmirching one's sainted mother.
Yes; there's another side to this argument and that is Triple H the backstage politician and executive. Though I find a lot of the actions of that man indefensible; allow me to throw up an some counter points to the outpouring of hate the guy receives.
Firstly; wrestling is entertainment. As someone who grew up and still works in the entertainment industry I can testify that it attracts people with ego who will screw others over and take advantage of situations to get themselves ahead; even those who are nice people who rely on their high talent have management or members of their staff that will do this for them. It's the nature of the beast unfortunately; and it seems to be even more prevalent in professional wrestling.
But it's not like Triple H is the first master politician this industry has seen; the business goes hand in hand with Machiavellian power plays (maybe it's to do with it's carnival roots). Names such as Hogan, Kevin Nash, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, The Undertaker and Ric Flair have all pulled power plays, refused to put people over or held others down to varying levels at different points in their career; yet we as smart marks seem more willing to forgive and forget when it comes to those names (with the exception of Nash).
"But;" you're now going to say. "None of them married the bosses daughter;" and I say so what? Even trying to get into a relationship with her could have had a detrimental effect on the man's career; and, in my humble opinion, I think their relationship and marriage is genuine. They have three children and there have been no reports over the years, to my knowledge, that indicate problems in the relationship, even a dubious one, or that one has cheated on the other; maybe, just maybe, isn't it possible that these two people actually love each other? Yes this opens up more opportunities and leverage to play the politics game at a higher level than most before him; but again I say it's the nature of the beast. Both in entertainment and in life as a whole; there are few out there who could say that they don't exploit contacts and relationships to get a step ahead in life. So why is this basic part of the human condition more abhorrent when it comes to Triple H, I ask?
I'm a huge Undertaker fan; but I still don't like the way he power played C.M. Punk out of the main event picture during their series after Jeff Hardy's exit from WWE over a perceived lack of respect backstage. Does it effect my ability to enjoy the man's in ring work? No; and I imagine it's the same for those of you out there that know the story and are 'Taker fans. It has no effect on your enjoyment of what he does as a wrestler; so why does it work differently when it comes to Triple H?
It's got to the point where someone like Sheamus seems to pick up unwarranted hate by association; was he over-pushed at first? Yes; but he is by no means, now at least, the worst of WWE's upper mid-card to main event players. I agree he still needs to do some work to be perceived as a true main event player; but the level of negativity leveled at him seems disproportionate to his skills set and ability. And it all seems to stem from the association with Triple H.
Don't get me wrong; a lot of Triple H's actions over the years have been indefensible (I personally feel Montreal might not have gone down the way it did without his input for example; and of course the recent debacle of potentially ruining the Wrestlemania main event by bringing back his friend and letting him walk back into the top spot. Something I haven't seen said about this issue; the frustration by the fans is stemmed from the fact we all assumed the screwy booking of Daniel Bryan's main event run all pointed to him winning the Rumble and taking the belt at 'Mania. That's how it has played out before with other stars.). But even for all our frustrations with what we attribute to him as an executive; there have been good things (NXT, the performance center). But that is not the point of this posting.
Trust me; I accept and acknowledge all the wrongs of the man and the executive. But my point in all this is not to let it cloud the legacy of a debatable all time great as a performer; we don't do it with Hogan or Shawn or Austin so why do we do it with Triple H? Keep the hate, never forget or forgive, but don't let it cloud your opinion on his standing and legacy as an onscreen performer whom has been involved in many classic matches over the years with names such as Austin, Michaels and even a way past his best Flair.
Just weigh it up and give some credit where credit is due when it comes to Triple H the wrestler; that's all I'm saying. I encourage and look forward to any intelligent discussion on this subject; so have at me.
Stay well until we speak again
All the best
P.S. Going to put my head on the block (again) and make a prediction here; Hogan's announcement tonight on Raw will be that has booking power over the show as host. He'll make the Triple H vs Daniel Bryan match and attach the "if D-Bry wins he gets added to the main event" stipulation because it serves two purposes. Firstly, it massages Hogan's ego and allows him to look the big hero; something I imagine he has in his contract. Secondly, if that's the way they're going then they'll have to let us know in advance or risk the buy-rate for the show (among those of us who don't/can't get the network) tanking; who's honestly going to fork out the best part of $70/£30 for a show headlined by Bootista versus Snoreton? In my humble opinion; you'd have to be mad...


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Cafe Vesuvio is a family-run restaurant in Sanford. We are proud to have been serving authentic Italian cuisine to Sanford residents and visitors since 1996.
At Cafe Vesuvio, our menu of traditional Italian cuisine along with several daily specials, are sure to please! We look forward to welcoming you at our restaurant. Reservations are recommended but not necessary, we welcome large party.
We are the perfect location for hosting your corporate or private events! Find out more about having your special event at Cafe Vesuvio.
Cafe Vesuvio Italian Restaurant
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Sanford, NC 27330
Phone: 919 7749966
Fax: 919 7749967
We are open from:
Sunday - Thursday 11am to 10pm
Friday and Saturday 11am to 10:30pm
We always offer new and weekly specials. Find out more!
Like us on Facebook to find out about special events, promotions and more.


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Challenges of optimizing websites – my presentation at Hamburg Barcamp
Last weekend, I have had an opportunity to make a short speech at Hamburg Barcamp (#bchh09) and sharing of my experiences on website performance optimization. Below you can find my presentation with some case studies:
Many thanks to Florian Bailey, who not only translated his presentation to English individually to me, but also has shown me a link to abtests.com from which there was one case study in my presentation, and what turned out to be one of the hits for the audience 🙂
Cyclical time influence on differences with conversion results
When you start observing your analytics' stats, you can sometimes observe that some variables are quite different, dependently on the day you look at. If you do some changes, or introduce a new marketing campaign, it is OK – it explains why is it so. But why sometimes the differences could be high, even if you don't do any changes? And how to predict them?
Primarily, you need to answer to the following questions concerning number of visitors:
- Why and when do the visitors visit your website?
- What can influence them not to visit it? Any external, internal factors?
- Can you see any regularity why do they visit your websites or not (in particular days of month, of week, day time, etc)?
… and also behavior, dependent on the rush-hours or off-peak, weekdays and weekends, etc:
- Do they have similar objectives when visiting your websites?
- Even if so, do they have the same amount of time? Probably not, so – what actions do they do, and what do they omit?
- Can you describe the preferences of your customer groups, dependently on the time they visit the website?
Even if you answer to these questions, you frequently cannot explain all the deviations that you can see in your reports. However, you can base on several schemes, that could help you with catching the possible areas. One of the answers is presented below, from my former researches.
Please take a look at the picture above. The blue curve describes the number of goals achieved (in this case: number of registrations), and the orange one means the ratio: visitors vs goals. These stats comes from a community website for students, and represent basis of Mon-Fri learning. That influence a big drop in Fridays and Saturdays, as well as days before national holidays, etc.
When you analyze these two, correlating factors, you can see that once a week (sometimes twice) there is a clear peak. It is usually Sunday. The visitors are not only browsing the website, but also registering more frequently. On the other hand, on Mondays, there is a big drop of conversion rate (of goals achieved vs. number of visitors), but only a slight decrease in number of absolute goals. It can be explained by several different reasons, like lack of time, or different assignments, etc. However, the implication is obvious: on Mondays, users are less eager to register on the website.
Implications and conclutions:
However the range of possible kinds of websites, target users, as well as preferences and time influence, may vary greatly, there are several overall implications for taking advantage of statistical tools when measuring web performance:
- do not assess effects of changes (external or internal) without taking into consideration the time influence issue
- if you update your content frequently, think about changing your "daily special offer" dependently on users' preferences in that particular day (eg. give big-deal-packages on Sundays, but quick-shopping on Mondays)
- do not assume that your visitors have the same needs and behaviors every time they visit your website; as well as do not claim that users with different behaviors are different persons – it is not so obvious
- if you can, use tools such as Google Website Optimizer to test different versions in real time
In contacts section, you can find ways you can approach me, if you need any consultancy specific to your business.
Embedded video isn't just a multimedia stuff. It is a consistent part of your website architecture.
One of my first illustrated observation concerning decreasing bounce rate was a research done at publishing website, with different kind of articles, photos, forums, videos, and other materials prepared of broad target group. Analytics tools told that quite high number of users visits pages with embedded videos. These pages have been "packed" by standard menus, logos, tag-clouds and bunch of different general links by the top, left, and right. However, bounce rate was very high – above 76%. It meant that only one-forth of users were able to find any interesting link to another page within this website.
The reason was pretty obvious. The major area of content looked like at this scheme:
That was all. No hyperlinks, no buttons, no forms just below this video. A solution to check was pretty obvious – finding a similar video and cross-linking to it. It would give the user a next step, a call for further action. So I have just written a short sentence and given a hyperlink, like that:Eventually, the overall effect has given to the user a simple object plus an obvious next step element. It has looked still very simple, but design was complete to give the user easy possibility to stay at the website.Such version has been left at the website for a month, that the results would be reliably compared to previous version. After a month bounce rate would be compared.
It was expected that exit rate should drop, as well as bounce rate (since the visitors were in general new visitors, coming from organic Google results). I expected also that a time spent per visitor on page would decrease slightly, as a clear "next step" action allow users to limit her searching for possible links to click on.
In fact, these expectations met the results. Bounce rate dropped from 76% to 61%, exit rate from 67% to 55%, and (the side effect) the time on page from 4m 46s to 4m 6s. These results are presented at screen below:It is important to make a few calculations and implications, based on these numbers, though.
First, as the drop of bounce rate by 19,36% seems to be very positive, the real value is seen from the number of kept users. To count it, we simply need to deduct bounce rate from total (100%) to see the number of people that stayed at the website. Primarily it was only 24% (100%-76%), and after the changes it was increased to 39%. Growth from 24% to 39% means that we increased the previous results by more than 50%! And it is done only by one simple sentence with a link.
Another observation that could be made, is that such change has had better effect on new visitors than those who has previously browsed other pages on the website during their session. It means that, especially for new visitors, such a simple next step is really important. This observation can be, thus, applied with greater effects on those websites that have high number of new visitors.
Last observed parameter, avg. tim per session, has dropped, but in a smaller dimension, that observed growth of bounce rate and exits decrease. It means that, although for this particular page the time has dropped, for whole website it probably has increased.
Most important indicators measuring web performance
Before I start sharing results of my researches, I'd like to explain my approach, why I have chosen particular areas of measurement. Primarily, each and every website serves one or several, clearly defines goals. This is obvious, but at the same time, usually people responsible for the websites don't really focus on the most important objectives, trying to challenge too much of them.
There are several different major kinds of websites, that are characterized by common set of objectives. They could be divided as follows:
- e-commerce – must lead to (direct) sales of a product of service
- corporate / personal website – building image, and (should be) leading to contact details
- publishers' / community website – monetization through ads, so leads are mainly registration or maximizing avg. views per session
All of them has several common factors determining quality of performance – apart from simple number of visitors, there are indicators explaining both relevancy of users and quality of web interface architecture & design. They can be measured mainly through number of goals achieved (that is, percentage of visitors, that performed expected action, usually sending fulfilled (order/contact/registration form), a funnel of a way that is necessary to achieve the goal (like finding a product, adding it to a basket, fulfilling order form, and sending it), as well as number of exits and bounce rate.
First, number of goals achieved can tell us, what's the basic rentability of a website. That is, if we pay EUR 0,50 per click to attract a visitor, and 5% of our visitors realize a goal in a shape of order of EUR 100, including EUR 10 of our margin, it means that for becoming a profitable venture, we need to:
- increase prices/margin (-> overall business performance and operations, sales and procurement strategy)
- lower the costs of advertising (-> marketing and advertisement optimization)
- increase the customer/visitor ratio (-> internal web performance optimization)
All three above issues are very interesting, but I primarily focus on the last aspect. As the number of goals gives only a picture whether a business is or is not profitable, major focus should be made on explanations why is it so.
Starting with issues with the highest effects vs. costs ratio, I would focus primarily on first impression of the user. It can be measured by number of exit rate, and especially by bounce ratio. This indicator explains what is the number of visitors, who see only one page of your website – that is, they are exiting website, just after entering it, without any interaction. High bounce rate means that either these visitors aren't correctly targeted (they're not interested in your product/offer), or your website isn't designed efficiently. Or both.
As targeting visitors is an external issue (connected with marketing optimization), I'll dig into it much later. However, frequently even only introducing small changes to website architecture, can bring great results. My first researchers proved that adding properly only one line of simple text with a hyperlink, can keep 20% or more visitors at your website.
I'll present details in the next posts.
Optimization of web performance – first researches and my approach
I have decided to start publishing this blog, as I have gathered some information about good practices, increasing website performance. First, I put my interest in bounce rate decreasing, as well as keeping user longer at the website. In the near future, I will broaden a range of my researches to increasing achieving goals, such as filling the form, registering, sales, etc.
Naturally, I use Google Analytics in my researches and websites that I am testing are primarily my own, or such that I am connected in any way. I will increase range of researched places as the time goes by. If any of the readers would like me to help with your website optimization, please contact me, as currently I will be eager to test as much different kind of websites as possible, to use and verify already developed know-how, as well well find out new solutions and good practices. During my research, my consultancies and works are free of charge.
In following posts, I will put some of my know-how, already tested, analyzed, and described. As such process is usually time-consuming, please don't expect overload of fast-published analyses.


text:
Research May 2014 | Volume 122 | Issue 5
Urinary Bisphenol A Levels in Young Men: Association with Reproductive Hormones and Semen Quality
Tina Harmer Lassen,1 Hanne Frederiksen,1 Tina Kold Jensen,1,2 Jørgen Holm Petersen,1,3 Ulla N. Joensen,1 Katharina M. Main,1 Niels E. Skakkebaek,1 Anders Juul,1 Niels Jørgensen,1 and Anna-Maria Andersson1
Background: Few human studies have examined bisphenol A (BPA) exposure in relation to semen quality and reproductive hormones in men, and results are divergent.
Objectives: We examined associations between urinary BPA concentration and reproductive hormones, as well as semen quality, in young men from the general population.
Methods: Our study population consisted of 308 young men from the general population. Urinary BPA concentration was measured by isotope dilution TurboFlow-liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. We used multiple linear regression analysis to estimate associations between BPA concentration and reproductive hormones and semen quality, adjusting for confounding factors.
Results: We found that 98% of the men had detectable urinary levels of BPA. Median (5th–95th percentiles) BPA concentration was 3.25 ng/mL (0.59–14.89 ng/mL). Men with BPA concentrations above the lowest quartile had higher concentrations of serum testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol, and free testosterone compared with the lowest quartile (ptrend ≤ 0.02). Men in the highest quartile of BPA excretion had on average 18% higher total testosterone (95% CI: 8, 28%), 22% higher LH (95% CI: 6, 39%), and 13% higher estradiol (95% CI: 4, 24%) compared with lowest quartile. Men in the highest quartile of BPA also had significantly lower percentage progressive motile spermatozoa compared with men in the lowest quartile (–6.7 percentage points, 95% CI: –11.76, –1.63). BPA was not associated with other semen parameters. Adjusting for dietary patterns did not influence the results.
Conclusions: The pattern of associations between BPA and reproductive hormones could indicate an antiandrogenic or antiestrogenic effect, or both, of BPA on the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal hormone feedback system, possibly through a competitive inhibition at the receptor level. However, additional research is needed to confirm our findings and to further test the suggested potential mechanisms.
Citation: Lassen TH, Frederiksen H, Jensen TK, Petersen JH, Joensen UN, Main KM, Skakkebaek NE, Juul A, Jørgensen N, Andersson AM. 2014. Urinary bisphenol A levels in young men: association with reproductive hormones and semen quality. Environ Health Perspect 122:478–484; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1307309
Address correspondence to T.H. Lassen, University Department of Growth and Reproduction, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark. Telephone: 45 3545 5064. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
We acknowledge O. Nielsen, Department of Growth and Reproduction, Rigshospitalet, for skilled technical assistance.
This study was supported by the Velux Foundations, the Svend Andersen Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, Aase and Ejnar Danielsen's Foundation, the Danish Environmental Protection Agency, and the Danish Agency for Science, Innovation and Technology (09-067180).
The authors declare they have no actual or potential competing financial interests.
Received: 2 July 2013
Accepted: 12 February 2014
Final Publication: 1 May 2014
- Supplemental Material (213 KB) PDF
Concern has been raised about the endocrine-disrupting effects of exposure to the widely used chemical bisphenol A (BPA) including its effects on male reproductive health (Richter et al. 2007; vom Saal et al. 2007). BPA is used to manufacture polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins and is present in a wide variety of consumer products. Human exposure to BPA is believed to occur mainly through the diet due to leaching of BPA from packaging materials into food items. Other possible routes of exposure are inhalation of indoor dust and dermal contact (Vandenberg et al. 2013). After uptake, BPA is almost exclusively excreted in the urine, with an elimination rate of hours (Völkel et al. 2002, 2005). Widespread and continuous exposure to BPA in humans has been confirmed by biomonitoring studies from general populations, in which > 80% of participants had detectable levels of BPA in urine (Calafat et al. 2008; Kasper-Sonnenberg et al. 2012).
Since the 1930s, BPA has been known to possess estrogenic activity (Dodds and Lawson 1936). In vitro studies have demonstrated that BPA can interact with both estrogen receptor subtypes (ERα and ERβ), leading to estrogenic effects, or it can act in competition with 17β-estradiol to exert antiestrogenic effects (Gould et al. 1998; Kuiper et al. 1997; Li et al. 2012). In addition, BPA has also been shown in vitro to act as an androgen receptor (AR) antagonist (Bonefeld-Jørgensen et al. 2007; Kitamura et al. 2005).
Rodent studies have demonstrated adverse effects on markers of male reproductive health due to BPA exposure early in life or in adulthood (Dobrzynska and Radzikowska 2013; Qiu et al. 2013; Quignot et al. 2012; Richter et al. 2007; vom Saal et al. 1998), although not all rodent studies have shown the same effects (e.g., Ashby et al. 2003; Ema et al. 2001). In humans, few studies have examined BPA exposure in association with reproductive hormones or semen quality, and the results are divergent. This may be due in part to differences in study population selections of, for example, occupationally exposed men (Hanaoka et al. 2002; Li et al. 2011), fertile men (Mendiola et al. 2010), or men attending fertility clinics (Meeker et al. 2010a, 2010b). To our knowledge, only two studies have previously examined associations between urinary BPA excretion and reproductive hormones in men from the general population (Galloway et al. 2010; Kim et al. 2013).
The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between the urinary concentration of BPA and reproductive hormones and semen quality in a group of 308 healthy, young men from the general population.
Materials and Methods
Study population. The study population consisted of young Danish men from the general population who participated in a large on-going prospective study of reproductive health for which approximately 300 new men have been recruited each year since 1996, as previously described (Jørgensen et al. 2002, 2012). Recruitment for the onging study takes place when the men attend a compulsory physical examination for military service that all Danish men, except those suffering from severe chronic disease, are required to undergo. The men included in the present study were recruited from September 2008 through June 2009. In brief, the participants provided a spot urine sample and a semen sample, had a nonfasting blood sample drawn, underwent a physical examination, and handed in a completed questionnaire, generally all within approximately 1 hr. Self-reported time since previous ejaculation was recorded. Height and weight of the men were measured at the physical examination. All semen, urine, and blood samples were collected between 0840 and 1230 hours. The questionnaire contained information on demographics, health and lifestyle factors (including alcohol intake and smoking), and information on dietary intake from a validated 136-item food-frequency questionnaire reflecting dietary intake for the 3 months before participation in the study (for further details, see Jensen et al. 2013). Responses from the food-frequency questionnaire have previously been used to calculate percentage intake of total dietary fat, saturated fat, protein, and carbohydrate (Jensen et al. 2013). More detailed information on the BPA distribution of the participating men can be found in Frederiksen et al. (2014). We also had information on urinary excretion of phthalate metabolites from an earlier study on the same men, as described in detail by Joensen et al. (2012).
Of the initial study group of 313 men, 5 were excluded: 1 because of abuse of anabolic steroids, 2 because of missing blood samples, and 2 because of missing questionnaire information, leaving 308 men eligible for analyses. In addition, we excluded two men from the semen analyses because of obstructive azoospermia. Because of missing data on covariates or outcomes, the analyses with reproductive hormones were based on 303 men, and semen analyses on 298 men.
Ethical approval was attained from the local ethical committee of the Danish National Committee on Health Research Ethics, Copenhagen, Denmark (H-KF-289428), and informed written consent was obtained from all participants before participation.
Chemical analyses. Following a preceding enzymatic deconjugation of the samples, we analyzed the urinary content of total BPA (the sum of unconjugated and enzymatically deconjugated) by a newly developed isotope dilution TurboFlow liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for quantitative determination. We used a Thermo Scientific Aria TLX-2 LC equipped with TurboFlow Cyclone P columns (0.5 mm × 50 mm) and Hypersil Gold aQ columns (4 mm × 50 mm, 3-μm particle size) (both from Thermo Scientific, Franklin, MA, USA) coupled to TSQ Vantage triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (Thermo Fisher Scientific, San Jose, CA, USA), in combination with Aria operating software 1.6.2 and Xcalibur 22.214.171.1249 system software (ThermoFinnigan, Bellefonte, PA, USA). We have previously published details of the method in Frederiksen et al. (2013). In short, samples were analyzed in eight batches during a period of 2 weeks. Each batch included standards for calibration curves, about 40 unknown samples, 2 blanks, 2 urine pool controls, and 2 urine pool controls spiked with BPA standards at low or high level, respectively. The analytical interday variation, expressed as the relative standard deviation (RSD), was ≤ 10% for most analytes and the recovery of spiked samples was > 99%. The level of detection (LOD) for BPA was 0.12 ng/mL.
Urinary osmolality, which reflects urinary dilution, was measured by the freezing point depression method using an automatic cryoscopic osmometer (Osmomat® 030; Gonotec, Berlin, Germany). For each nine sample measurements, a standard urine pool was measured. Mean urinary osmolality for this standard pool (n = 36) was 0.820 Osm/kg (osmoles per kilogram) with an RSD of 1.65%. The median (range) osmolality of the urine samples included in the present study was 0.860 Osm/kg (0.110–1.477 Osm/kg).
Semen analysis. We performed the semen analysis as previously described (Jørgensen et al. 2012). Briefly, semen volume was assessed by weight, with the assumption that 1 g semen has a volume of 1 mL. Sperm concentration was assessed using a Bürker-Türk hemocytometer (Paul Marienfeld GmbH & Co. KG, Lauda-Königshofen, Germany), and only sperm with tails were counted. Total sperm count was calculated (semen volume × sperm concentration). Sperm motility was assessed by classifying the sperm according to World Health Organization (WHO) criteria as either progressive motile (class A + B), locally motile (class C), or immotile (class D) (WHO 1999). For sperm morphology evaluation smears were prepared, Papanicolaou stained, and assessed according to strict criteria as described by WHO (1999).
Reproductive hormone analyses. Participants had nonfasting blood samples drawn from the cubital vein, and serum was stored at –20°C until analyses. The reproductive hormones were analyzed during June–August 2010. Serum concentrations of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and sex hormone–binding globulin (SHBG) were measured by time-resolved immunofluorometric assays (Delfia immunodiagnostics system; PerkinElmer, Wallac, Turku, Finland). The intra- and interassay coefficients of variation (CVs) were < 6% for these three assays. Testosterone (total testosterone, T) and estradiol (E2) were measured by fluoroimmunoassay (Delfia) with CVs for both assays of ≤ 8%. Inhibin B was determined by a double antibody enzyme–immunometric assay (Beckman Coulter Inc., Brea, CA, USA), with intra- and interassay CVs of < 15% and < 18%, respectively. Free testosterone (FT) was calculated based on measured testosterone and SHBG serum concentrations using the equation described by Vermeulen et al. (1999), assuming a fixed albumin concentration of 43.8 g/L.
Statistics. In order to correct for urinary dilution, we adjusted BPA concentrations for the urinary osmolality, normalized to the median osmolality of all samples (0.86 Osm/kg). This was done for all samples with a measured BPA concentration above LOD using the following equation:
Osmolality adj. concentrationi (ng/mL(osm)) = (Ci × OsmM)/Osmi, [1]
where Ci is the excreted urinary BPA concentration in nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) for the i th sample, OsmM is the median osmolality of all samples, and Osmi is the osmolality of sample i. Urinary BPA concentrations below LOD (n = 5) were not adjusted for osmolality, but substituted by LOD/ √2. Osmolality-adjusted BPA concentrations [nanograms per milliliter (osmolality-adjusted)], including the five samples below LOD, were divided into quartiles based on the distribution among the 308 men. Osmolality-adjusted BPA concentrations were also entered into the statistical model as a continuous variable and were, because of skewed distribution, log2-transformed to diminish the impact of outliers.
We calculated descriptive statistics for population characteristics by quartiles of BPA. Associations between BPA excretion and reproductive outcomes adjusted for potential confounders were estimated by means of multiple linear regression analysis. Results are presented with 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
To achieve variance homogeneity and normality in the distributions of the residuals, the reproductive hormones LH, E2, FSH, FT and the ratios T/E2, T/LH, FT/LH, and inhibin B/FSH were modeled as natural log-transformed dependent variables, and model coefficients were back-transformed to express the percentage change in these variables. Semen volume, sperm concentration, and total sperm count were cubic-root transformed and percentage morphologically normal spermatozoa were square-root transformed. T, inhibin B, SHBG, and percentage progressive motile spermatozoa were left untransformed because of an acceptable normal distribution in residuals.
We conducted tests for linear trend across quartiles in regression models for ordinal BPA quartiles using integer values (1–4). Bivariate analyses (chi-square and one-way analysis of variance) were used to identify potential confounding factors among the men in quartiles of urinary BPA concentrations. Covariates included in the final model were known from the literature to be important predictors of the outcomes in question [e.g., ejaculation abstinence time in analyses of sperm concentration and smoking; body mass index (BMI) for reproductive hormone analyses]. In addition, covariates determined by bivariate analyses to be related with either BPA concentration or at least one of the outcomes with a p < 0.20 were initially included and subsequently stepwise excluded if they did not change the estimate by > 10%. For consistency, we adjusted all models of associations between BPA and reproductive hormones for the same set of covariates: BMI (< 20.0, 20.0–24.99, ≥ 25), current smoking (yes: men smoking at least once a week/no: men smoking < once a week), and time of blood sampling (clock time, nearest hour).
The following potential confounders were included in the final models of urinary BPA concentrations in relation to semen parameters: varicocele (yes/no), self-reported genital conditions [torsion of the testes, epididymitis, or inguinal hernia (yes/no)], cryptorchidism (yes/no), and current smoking (yes/no). In addition, we also adjusted the models of semen volume, concentration, and total sperm count for ejaculation abstinence time (linear splines: piecewise linear intervals 0–48 hr, 48–96 hr and > 96 hr). We also adjusted the models of sperm motility for duration of time between ejaculation and analysis of the sample. Potential confounders examined, but not included in the final statistical model, were fever > 38°C within the last 3 months, caffeine intake (milligrams per day), age, history of sexually transmitted diseases, recent use of medication, ethnicity, maternal education, and maternal smoking during pregnancy.
BPA may leak from food packaging or beverage cans/bottles (Geens et al. 2010); therefore, we did not initially adjust for dietary factors and alcohol consumption because they may be a source of exposure. However, we repeated the multiple linear regression analyses adjusting for alcohol, cola, diet cola, other sodas, fast food (pizza, hamburger, and French fries) intake (modeled as shown in Supplemental Material, Table S1), as well as percentage energy intake from fat, protein, and carbohydrates. Furthermore, we also examined the confounding potential of urinary excretion of the phthalate metabolites monoethyl phthalate (MEP), monoisobutyl phthalate (MiBP), mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP), and monobenzyl phthalate (MBzP) as well as the sum of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and diisononyl phthalate (DiNP) metabolites, by repeating the statistical analyses with adjustment for the phthalate metabolites as continuous variables.
The statistical model assumption of homogeneity of variance was examined graphically by means of residual plots, and the assumption of normality of the distribution of residuals was examined graphically by means of histograms and normal probability plots.
All data analysis was performed using SAS version 9.1 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA).
A total of 303 of 308 (98%) men had urinary BPA concentrations above the LOD. The median (5th–95th percentile) unadjusted BPA concentration was 3.25 ng/mL (0.59–14.89 ng/mL), and the median (5th–95th percentile) osmolality-adjusted concentration was 3.74 ng/mL(osm) [0.85–14.61 ng/mL(osm)]. The highest osmolality-adjusted BPA concentration we observed was 78.81 ng/mL(osm). The clinical and demographic characteristics were similar across the quartiles of osmolality-adjusted urinary BPA concentration (see Supplemental Material, Table S1).
Associations between BPA and reproductive hormones. Table 1 shows the associations between concentrations of urinary BPA and reproductive hormones. Men with urinary BPA concentrations above the lowest quartile had higher testosterone concentrations than men in the first BPA quartile. The differences in testosterone in nanomoles per liter between BPA quartiles presented in Table 1 correspond to 14% (95% CI: 4, 24%), 9% (95% CI: 1, 19%), and 18% (95% CI: 8, 28%) higher testosterone concentrations among men in the second, third, and fourth BPA quartiles, respectively, compared with testosterone concentrations of men in the lowest BPA quartile. Urinary BPA concentrations were also significantly positively associated with serum LH, E2, and FT concentrations (see also Figure 1). The positive associations between BPA and T, LH, E2 and FT were confirmed when modeling BPA as a continuous variable, although the estimate for LH did not reach statistical significance (Table 1). Serum FSH, inhibin B, SHBG, and ratios between hormones were not significantly associated with BPA exposure (Table 1; see also Supplemental Material, Table S2).
Table 1 – Associations between reproductive hormones and osmolality-adjusted urinary BPA concentration in 303 healthy, young men from the general population (reported as untransformed model coefficients or percentage change with 95% CI and p-value).
Figure 1 – Selected reproductive hormones by quartiles of osmolality-adjusted urinary BPA concentration in 303 healthy, young men from the general population. Bars correspond to estimated median hormone values after adjusting for BMI, smoking, and time at day of blood sampling. Whiskers indicate 95% CIs. Range of BPA quartiles [ng/mL(osm)]: 1st, LOD–2.17; 2nd, 2.18–3.70; 3rd, 3.71–6.44; 4th, > 6.44. ptrend, p-value for linear trend across quartiles of BPA. Note that the y-axes do not start at zero. *p < 0.05, compared with 1st BPA quartile.
Associations between BPA and semen quality. BPA excretion was not associated with semen volume, sperm concentration, total sperm count, or percentage morphologically normal forms (Table 2). However, we did observe a significant inverse association between BPA excretion and progressive motility (Table 2). Men in the fourth BPA quartile had significantly lower percentage progressive motile spermatozoa in their ejaculate compared with men in the first BPA quartile (–6.7 percentage points; 95% CI: –11.76, –1.63). This corresponded to a mean percentage progressive motile spermatozoa of 56% (95% CI: 52, 61%) versus 63% (95% CI: 59, 67%) in the highest versus the lowest BPA quartile groups after adjusting for smoking, genital conditions, and time to motility analysis (Figure 2). The trend test across quartiles of BPA was highly significant. The inverse association was confirmed when we modeled BPA concentration as a continuous variable (Table 2).
Table 2 – Associations between semen quality parameters and osmolality-adjusted urinary BPA concentration in healthy, young men from the general population [reported as model coefficients (95% CI)].
Figure 2 – Percentage progressive motile spermatozoa by quartiles of osmolality-adjusted urinary BPA concentration in 293 healthy, young men from the general population. Bars correspond to estimated median percent progressive motile spermatozoa after adjusting for smoking, cryptorchidism, varicocele, genital conditions (torsion of the testes, epididymitis, or inguinal hernia) and time to motility analysis. Whiskers indicate 95% CIs. Range of BPA quartiles [ng/mL(osm)]: 1st, LOD–2.17; 2nd, 2.18–3.70; 3rd, 3.71–6.44; 4th, > 6.44. ptrend: p-value for linear trend across quartiles of BPA. Note that the y-axis does not start at zero. *p < 0.05, compared with 1st BPA quartile.
Results for all outcomes from unadjusted and adjusted models of associations were consistent (results not shown). Inclusion of alcohol; other dietary factors; or total energy intake, energy from fat, protein, or carbohydrates in the statistical models did not substantially change the associations between BPA and reproductive outcomes, although the association with FT was slightly attenuated when including alcohol [13.0% (95% CI: 2.4, 24.8%) higher FT in fourth vs. first BPA quartile after additional adjustment for alcohol]. We also repeated the analyses including phthalate metabolites as confounders, which also did not change the associations (data not shown).
We found that higher urinary BPA concentration was associated with significantly higher concentrations of serum LH, T, and E2 and a lower percentage of progressive motile sperm in healthy, young men.
It is well established by in vitro studies that BPA can interact with the estrogen receptors ERα and ERβ as a partial agonist and, in the presence of E2, exhibit competitive inhibition by blocking the binding of the more potent natural estrogen to the ERs (Gould et al. 1998; Li et al. 2012; Wetherill et al. 2007). If our observed positive associations between BPA and a concurrent increase in LH, T, and E2 are causal, they could be explained by BPA acting as an antiestrogen at the hypothalamic or pituitary level. A competitive inhibition of the binding of E2 to ERs in the hypothalamus/pituitary by BPA would lead to an attenuation of the negative feedback of circulating E2 on LH and FSH release, resulting in higher circulating LH concentrations, which would subsequently increase T (and E2) production by the testis. The lack of a concurrent statistically significant increase in FSH could be explained by the negative feedback of inhibin B on FSH release given that we observed no statistically significant association between BPA and inhibin B. However, among men in the highest exposed quartile there was a nonsignificant trend of increased FSH, possibly due to a concurrent trend of decreased inhibin B in the same quartile.
In vitro studies have also shown that BPA can act as an AR antagonist (Bonefeld-Jørgensen et al. 2007; Kitamura et al. 2005; Lee et al. 2003). A potential effect of BPA on the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal hormone axis could, therefore, also be mediated through an antagonistic effect of BPA on the AR, likewise resulting in the same hormonal pattern. For example, patients with partial androgen insensitivity will typically have increased LH, testosterone, and E2 serum concentrations (Amrhein et al. 1977; Hellmann et al. 2012). Alternatively, associations might be explained by a combination of antiestrogenic and antiandrogenic effects.
Evidence regarding the effects of adult BPA exposure on reproductive hormone concentrations in animal models is not conclusive. Some studies in rats have reported altered reproductive hormone concentrations, for example, increased plasma concentration of LH and reduced plasma concentration of testosterone (Qiu et al. 2013) or increased intratesticular testosterone (Tohei et al. 2001) after BPA exposure in adulthood, but a lack of changes in serum or testis testosterone or E2 concentrations has also been reported (Quignot et al. 2012). However, in addition to species differences, the exposure levels and exposure routes used in animal studies may differ from human exposure. Effects observed at higher exposure levels typical of many experimental studies may also differ from effects of lower levels of exposure consistent with environmental exposures in humans.
In support of our findings, Galloway et al. (2010) observed increasing serum T concentrations with increasing BPA concentrations measured in 24-hr urine samples among 307 Italian men 20–74 years of age. Galloway et al. (2010) also reported a nonsignificant (p = 0.075) positive association between BPA concentrations and FT. Likewise, Meeker et al. (2010a) reported positive trends (albeit nonsignificant) between BPA and serum T (p = 0.17) and serum LH (p = 0.07), respectively, among 167 male partners in subfertile couples. However, in contrast to our findings, Galloway et al. (2010) and Meeker et al. (2010a) observed no association between BPA and E2 concentrations. Further, Meeker et al. (2010a) found a significant positive association with FSH and an inverse association with inhibin B. We observed a similar pattern in the present study, but only among men in the highest exposed quartile, and the associations in the present study were not statistically significant (p = 0.16 for FSH and p = 0.27 for inhibin B). Mendiola et al. (2010) did not observe any association between BPA and FSH and inhibin B concentrations in a study among 302 fertile men. In those fertile men, Mendiola et al. (2010) observed a trend toward a positive association between BPA and LH in line with our findings, albeit in their study the trend was not statistically significant. In contrast to our findings, Mendiola et al. (2010) did not observe associations with T or E2 among the fertile men, whereas a significant inverse association between BPA and free androgen index (calculated as total T × 100/SHBG), presumably driven by a positive association between BPA and SHBG, was observed. Thus, although some consistency between studies exist (e.g., for the association between BPA and T), there are also discrepancies (e.g., the positive association between urinary BPA and serum E2 concentration observed in the present study was not observed in the other studies). However, in participants from a Korean biomonitoring program, significantly higher urinary estrogen concentrations were observed in a group of men with high urinary BPA concentrations (n = 50) compared with an age-matched group of men with low urinary BPA concentrations (n = 50) (Kim et al. 2013). The diverging results between studies may be due to differences in exposure levels; the median urinary BPA concentration in the present study was, for example, twice the concentration observed among the fertile men in the study by Mendiola et al. (2010). Study size and composition of the study populations (e.g., fertile vs. infertile men) may also lead to diverging results. Some of the observations may be chance findings, and more studies of comparable study populations are needed to see which associations remain consistent.
Our results support the possibility that human exposure to BPA at environmental levels might be sufficient to affect the endogenous hormone balance. Our study participants were adult men with a mature hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal hormone feedback system in place, which is expected to be less vulnerable than an immature system (for example, in a prepubertal child), which may not be able to compensate for a potential BPA-mediated attenuation of endogenous estrogen signaling. In addition, BPA-mediated attenuation of endogenous estrogen signaling, if present, might vary between tissue types and depend on the distribution of ERα and ERβ in individual tissues. Li et al. (2012) showed in vitro that whereas BPA acted as a competitive inhibitor of E2 activity in cells transfected with human ERα, no inhibition of E2 activity by BPA was observed in cells transfected with human ERβ.
We found an inverse association between BPA and percentage progressive motile sperm, but we found no associations with other semen parameters including sperm number. To our knowledge, there are no previous studies on the possible association between BPA exposure and semen quality among men from the general population. However, in men recruited through an infertility clinic, Meeker et al. (2010b) also observed a suggestive declining trend in percentage progressive motile spermatozoa with increasing urinary BPA concentrations (p = 0.10). However, they also observed inverse associations between BPA exposure and sperm concentration and morphology (Meeker et al. 2010b). In contrast, Mendiola et al. (2010) found no associations between semen parameters and BPA exposure in fertile men (n = 375). In a study population consisting of Chinese men (n = 218) with and without occupational exposure to BPA, Li et al. (2011) reported inverse associations between BPA exposure and sperm concentration, total sperm count, sperm vitality, and progressive motile spermatozoa but no associations with semen volume or sperm morphology. Chen et al. (2013) found no association between urinary BPA concentration and idiopathic male infertility in a case–control study among Chinese men using fertile men as controls (n = 877 cases, n = 713 controls). Thus, the literature on associations between BPA and human semen quality shows heterogeneous results. As discussed for observations on reproductive hormones, this discrepancy between studies on semen quality may be due to differences in BPA exposure levels, study size, and, perhaps most importantly, composition of study population—especially with regard to selection according to fertility status. In addition, it is possible that associations only seen in a single study may be chance findings rather than true biological associations.
A number of studies in rodents have, in agreement with our findings, reported adverse effects of adult BPA exposure on sperm motility (Dobrzynska and Radzikowska 2013; Quignot et al. 2012). Adverse effects of BPA on other sperm parameters have also been reported (Al-Hiyasat et al. 2002; Dobrzynska and Radzikowska 2013; Qiu et al. 2013; Quignot et al. 2012).
Similar to our suggested biological explanation for the observed association between BPA and reproductive hormones, the observed association between urinary BPA and sperm motility might also be explained by an antagonistic effect on ERs. Estrogen and androgen activity play an important role in the regulation of water reabsorption in the efferent ducts and epididymis and thereby influence the composition of the seminal fluid (Hess et al. 2011), as also shown in ER knockout mice (Joseph et al. 2010) and after exposure to ER antagonists in primates (Shayu et al. 2005). Hypothetically, a disturbance in the estrogen- and androgen-dependent processes in the efferent ducts and epididymis through competitive binding by BPA could potentially impact the luminal milieu in the epididymis and adversely affect the maturation of spermatozoa and, thereby, the normal development of sperm motility.
We based our BPA exposure assessment on a single spot urine sample. Because of the rapid urinary excretion of BPA (Völkel et al. 2002, 2005), the urinary BPA measurements in the present study reflect the exposure status shortly before sampling of both urine and blood. Endogenous reproductive hormones are constantly regulated through negative feedback systems. Therefore, the urinary BPA measurements may reflect exposure in the relevant window for acute effects on hormone regulation, making it more likely to detect significant associations with hormonal outcomes. In contrast, studies with repeated individual measurements of urinary BPA excretion have shown that there is a relatively high individual variability in urinary BPA excretion over time (Lassen et al. 2013; Ye et al. 2011). The BPA concentration from a single spot urine sample may, therefore, not be a robust marker of individual average long-term BPA exposure. Because the duration of spermatogenesis is approximately 90 days, the exposure measurement used may fail to adequately reflect the exposure level during the relevant window for affecting, for example, sperm concentration. Thus, the lack of significant associations with this outcome may be due to the potential exposure misclassification.
Because a large number of analyses were performed in the present study, some of our observed associations could be chance findings due to multiple testing. However, our observed association of BPA with concurrent increased T, E2, and LH concentrations is a biological pattern that is consistent with a plausible mechanism through ER and/or AR antagonism.
The men in the present study were unaware of their BPA exposure, semen quality, and reproductive hormone concentrations, and the vast majority (92%) had no knowledge of their ability to achieve successful conception. Knowledge about exposure or outcomes is therefore unlikely to have influenced willingness to participate in the study.
Overall, men with high BPA concentrations did not differ markedly from the men with low BPA concentrations with respect to lifestyle factors or clinical characteristics, and adjustment for potential confounders changed the estimates very little. The primary source of BPA is through diet; therefore, the observed associations could potentially be confounded by dietary factors (Geens et al. 2012). However, adjusting for alcohol, other dietary factors, and energy intake from fat, protein, or carbohydrate did not substantially change the results.
Co-exposure from other environmental chemicals, if related to BPA exposure, could also influence the observed associations. From an earlier study (Joensen et al. 2012), we also had information on urinary phthalate metabolite excretion in the same men. In order to test whether the observed associations with BPA exposure was confounded by correlation between BPA and phthalate exposure, we conducted additional analyses where we adjusted for urinary phthalate metabolite excretion. This did not substantially change the findings, indicating that our results were not confounded by co-exposure to phthalates. We cannot, of course, exclude that BPA exposure could be related to yet unrecognized residual or unmeasured confounders.
BPA exposure was associated with higher circulating concentrations of T, LH, E2, and FT as well as a lower percentage of progressive motile sperm in the present study population of young men. The concern for BPA exposure is generally related to its estrogenic properties. However, the pattern of associations observed with reproductive hormones in the present study suggests the possibility that at environmental BPA exposure levels an antiestrogenic or antiandrogenic effect, or both, of BPA on the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal hormone feedback system may be a potential mode of action, possibly through a competitive inhibition on the receptor level. A similar antiestrogenic mechanism of human BPA exposure levels in the epididymis is also a plausible biological explanation for the association with lower sperm motility. However, additional research is needed to confirm our findings and to further test the suggested potential mechanisms.
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Come visit EHP Editor-in-Chief Sally Darney at the 29th Annual Scientific Conference of the International Society of Environmental Epidemiology, to be held in Sydney, Australia, 24–28 September 2017. She looks forward to talking with EHP authors, reviewers, and editors. Contact Sally directly to make an appointment with her.
EHP is pleased to announce that "Maternal and Cord Blood Manganese Concentrations and Early Childhood Neurodevelopment among Residents near a Mining-Impacted Superfund Site," published in EHP on 28 June 2017, has been selected by the Children's Environmental Health Network (CEHN) as its August 2017 Article of the Month. (more…)


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The City by the Bay played host to VMware's Partner Exchange 2014, where more than 4,000 VMware technology and reseller partners and more than 90 sponsors and exhibitors gathered from Feb. 8 – Feb. 13. Conference sessions ranged from boot camps and workshops that covered VMware's solutions in-depth to general sessions and keynotes focusing on the cloud, end-user computing and VMware's strategic vision for 2014. One of Wednesday's keynotes, was led by AirWatch CEO John Marshall. Here's a video of the keynote sessions.
Marshall spoke about the building blocks that have helped make AirWatch the company it is today. "When we started, we knew that it was going to be more than just the MDM," said Marshall. "We started with apps and we built capabilities to deploy applications through app catalogs, app wrapping and SDKs to effectively get apps out to the enterprise." AirWatch continued to innovate, especially in the file sync and share category to meet the needs of customers. Marshall explains, "We built Secure Content Locker to securely link up to SharePoint and internal infrastructures in order to get content securely down to the device." Marshall then highlighted other solutions such as mobile email management and the AirWatch containerization solution AirWatch Workspace.
Marshall, who founded AirWatch along with Chairman Alan Dabbiere in 2003, spoke about the journey to finding and building a team that was dedicated to becoming the leader in enterprise mobility. "We built a team that woke up every day [asking] how we move forward and how we can move our customers forward with their mobile initiatives," Marshall said.
VMware announced its intentions to purchase AirWatch for $1.54B early this year. Marshall touched on the future of AirWatch as a VMware company. "Together, we can change how companies do business."
Social Media Rewind
#VMwarePEX AirWatch a game changer from the datacenter to the device
— Michael Webster (@vcdxnz001) February 11, 2014
John Marshall, CEO of AirWatch on stage introducing Airwatch #VMwarePEX pic.twitter.com/fJ2R3qf3ac
— Ben Goodman (@benontech) February 12, 2014
AirWatch didn't just try to replicate BlackBerry, they implemented the technology for the future. #VMwarePEX pic.twitter.com/4ykUeOGslv
— VMware Horizon Suite (@vmwarehorizon) February 12, 2014
.@AirWatch's John Marshall takes the stage. "We scaled a company 3-4x faster than everyone else in the market." #VMwarePEX
— VMware News (@vmwarenews) February 12, 2014
AirWatch support every Mobile OS the day it ship (on average 1 every 14 days) #VMwarePEX pic.twitter.com/APnBtKWNUj
— Ben Goodman (@benontech) February 12, 2014
@vmwarenews #vmwarepex #keynote @vmware is talking some serious mobility! @airwatch pic.twitter.com/pOTyOb6lqh
— Bill Kleyman (@QuadStack) February 12, 2014
Airwatch is about business process change: "Together we can go change how companies do business." -John Marshall #VMwarePEX
— VMware Partner Exch. (@VMwarePEX) February 12, 2014
#VMwarePEX #PEX2014 corporate control of personal mobile endpoint with AirWatch is a huge win; For personal and professional productivity
— Stan Yarbrough (@StanYarbrough) February 12, 2014


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BEREA — At first Barbara Johnson was afraid to watch son Barkevious Mingo play the game that would eventually make him a millionaire. Then she was scared he would hurt the other kids.
She's gotten over it.
"I've seen what he can do," Johnson said Friday when asked if she's worried about him in the big, bad NFL. "I like to say, 'He likes to eat quarterbacks.'"
Mingo, the No. 6 pick Thursday night, was introduced to the Northeast Ohio media Friday. The outside linebacker held up a No. 51 Browns jersey — close to his 49 at LSU — and posed for pictures with coach Rob Chudzinski.
The milestone moment hardly seemed possible six years ago when he was forbidden from contact sports by a protective mother. He played basketball and ran track, then covertly began football practice as a high school junior in West Monroe, La.
"I didn't let them play football because I thought they were going to get hurt," Johnson, who has five sons, said after proudly watching Mingo address the media. "They were to ride their bicycles, that was the only injury they were to get. So he kind of snuck around and practiced and played."
Mingo didn't argue that some deception was involved.
"It wasn't really technically going around her back but I really didn't have her blessing," he said. "But I obviously won her over late in the year and got her to come to some games and kind of helped make that transition to her from basketball to football and it was good."
A co-worker at Lowe's, where she still works, was the catalyst for Johnson attending her first game. He told her she needed to watch Mingo play because he was good.
"I didn't watch the game, I was sitting with my face covered the whole game because he was knocking everybody down," said Johnson, who played high school basketball. "I said, 'Oh, my God, he's going to hurt somebody else's child. He needs to stop.' I'm like, 'KeKe, stop that.' He can't hear me 'cause it's loud.
"When he got home I said, 'Why did you hit that boy that hard?' He said, 'Mama, that's the game.' I didn't know anything about football. I didn't watch it until that game."
Mingo was an instant success. He said he had 15 tackles in the spring game on his second day, and scholarship offers came after his first year.
"Then I knew I could hopefully one day make the jump to the NFL, and the success I had late is surreal and obviously being drafted to the Cleveland Browns is icing on the cake," he said. "Off instinct it just came easy."
The push to try football came from an assistant principal.
"James Remedies told me, 'There aren't many 6-(foot)-5 (power forwards) in the NBA. I really think you'll be a good pass rusher,'" Mingo said. "He told me that and it came true."
The ability to harass the quarterback made Mingo an object of desire for the Browns. He had 15 sacks in three years at LSU, including eight in 2011, and said his work ethic won't allow him to be a bust like other pass rushers before him.
"At LSU, I played with a high motor," he said. "Every play, I wanted a sack. I wanted to be in the backfield. Just having that mindset helps everything else."
What's a perfect sack?
"Getting a good jump off the line, coming around the edge and just squaring the quarterback up and taking him to the ground," he said.
Mingo was a linebacker in high school, then played defensive end at LSU. He said the biggest transition to 3-4 outside linebacker will be learning to cover tight ends and slot receivers.
"I don't think it'll be too difficult," he said. "I'm not the stiff-hipped guy. I think I'm pretty mobile and move pretty well, so I think it'll be an easy transition. Just have to work on it."
The other questions that followed Mingo in the draft process were his slight frame — he looked skinny Friday with narrow shoulders — and lack of sack production as a redshirt junior in 2012 (4.5). He dismissed both concerns.
He's 6-4 and said he weighs 237 — 4 pounds lighter than at the scouting combine in February. He was even a little light at birth — 6 pounds, 9 ounces, according to Mom.
"I think I can play at this weight right here," he said. "A lot of people have been telling me you need to be heavier to be in the NFL, you've got to be 20 pounds heavier. I actually played lighter some years in my college career, and I did absolutely fine."
Despite the drop in sacks, Mingo had 8.5 tackles for loss and a career-high 12 pressures last season.
"I feel I played better," he said. "The stats really don't tell how everything went. Teams didn't want to get their quarterback sacked. They were chipping, they were sliding the line, they were doing a lot of stuff to disrupt our rush from both ends and we played mobile quarterbacks, guys that if they could get out of the pocket they could run. By design we wanted to contain those guys and keep them in the pocket.
"I was a run stopper. I was an every-down player. I wasn't just a pass rusher."
Johnson had never been to New York until this week when she joined Mingo for the draft festivities. Mingo's girlfriend, Lauren, was also in attendance as he got the star treatment.
"That's what's so amazing about it. I've never been there and then my child takes me there," Johnson said.
"To hear my name called last night, I just can't put it into words but I'm really blessed and thrilled to be here," Mingo said. "I'm just ready to get back to work."
And Mom is ready to watch. Even if she is still learning the game.
"I'm getting there," she said. "I know when he hits somebody, I know what his place is, I know what the quarterback is."
And what he does to them.
Contact Scott Petrak at 329-7253 or email@example.com. Fan him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.