Possible monetary policy responses to the Iraqi oil shock

Power resources - Prices ; Iraq ; Monetary policy ; Petroleum industry and trade

Children's age influences their use of biological and mechanical questions towards a humanoid

Complex autonomous interactions, biomimetic appearances, and responsive behaviours are increasingly seen in social robots. These features, by design or otherwise, may substantially influence young children’s beliefs of a robot’s animacy. Young children are believed to hold naive theories of animacy, and can miscategorise objects as living agents with intentions; however, this develops with age to a biological understanding. Prior research indicates that children frequently categorise a responsive humanoid as being a hybrid of person and machine; although, with age, children tend towards classifying the humanoid as being more machine-like. Our current research explores this phenomenon, using an unobtrusive method: recording childrens conversational interaction with the humanoid and classifying indications of animacy beliefs in childrens questions asked. Our results indicate that established findings are not an artefact of prior research methods: young children tend to converse with the humanoid as if it is more animate than older children do

Assessing health and well-being among older people in rural South Africa

Background: The population in developing countries is ageing, which is likely to increase the burden of noncommunicable diseases and disability. Objective: To describe factors associated with self-reported health, disability and quality of life (QoL) of older people in the rural northeast of South Africa. Design: Cross-sectional survey of 6,206 individuals aged 50 and over. We used multivariate analysis to examine relationships between demographic variables and measures of self-reported health (Health Status), functional ability (WHODASi) and quality of life (WHOQoL). Results: About 4,085 of 6,206 people eligible (65.8%) completed the interview. Women (Odds Ratio (OR) 1.30, 95% CI 1.09, 1.55), older age (OR2.59, 95% CI 1.97, 3.40), lower education (OR1.62, 95% CI 1.31,2.00), single status (OR1.18, 95% CI 1.01, 1.37) and not working at present (OR1.29, 95% CI 1.06, 1.59) were associated with a low health status. Women were also more likely to report a higher level of disability (OR1.38, 95% CI 1.14, 1.66), as were older people (OR2.92, 95% CI 2.25, 3.78), those with no education (OR1.57, 95% CI 1.26, 1.97), with single status (OR1.25, 95% CI 1.06, 1.46) and not working at present (OR1.33, 95% CI 1.06, 1.66). Older age (OR1.35, 95% CI 1.06, 1.74), no education (OR1.39, 95% CI 1.11, 1.73), single status (OR1.28, 95% CI 1.10, 1.49), a low household asset score (OR1.52, 95% CI 1.19, 1.94) and not working at present (OR1.32; 95% CI 1.07, 1.64) were all associated with lower quality of life. Conclusions: This study presents the first population-based data from South Africa on health status, functional ability and quality of life among older people. Health and social services will need to be restructured to provide effective care for older people living in rural South Africa with impaired functionality and other health problems

The Radial Structure of the Cygnus Loop Supernova Remnant --- Possible evidence of a cavity explosion ---

We observed the North-East (NE) Limb toward the center region of the Cygnus Loop with the ASCA Observatory. We found a radial variation of electron temperature (kTe) and ionization timescale (log(\tau)) whereas no variation could be found for the abundances of heavy elements. In this paper, we re-analyzed the same data set and new observations with the latest calibration files. Then we constructed the precise spatial variations of kTe, log(\tau), and abundances of O, Ne, Mg, Si, and Fe over the field of view (FOV). We found a spatial variation not only in kTe and in log(\tau) but also in most of heavy elements. As described in Miyata et al. (1994), values of kTe increase and those of log(\tau) decrease toward the inner region. We found that the abundance of heavy elements increases toward the inner region. The radial profiles of O, Ne, and Fe show clear jump structures at a radius of 0.9 Rs, where Rs is the shock radius. Outside of 0.9 Rs, abundances of all elements are constant. On the contrary, inside of 0.9 Rs, abundances of these elements are 20--30 % larger than those obtained outside of 0.9 Rs. The radial profile of kTe also shows the jump structure at 0.9 Rs. This means that the hot and metal rich plasma fills the volume inside of 0.9 Rs. We concluded that this jump structure was the possible evidence for the pre-existing cavity produced by the precursor. If the ejecta fills inside of 0.9 Rs, the total mass of the ejecta was roughly 4\Msun. We then estimated the main-sequence mass to be roughly 15\Msun, which supports the massive star in origin of the Cygnus Loop supernova remnant and the existence of a pre-existing cavity.Comment: 37 pages, 14 figures. Accepted for publication of Ap

The Application of Satellite-Derived, High-Resolution Land Use/Land Cover Data to Improve Urban Air Quality Model Forecasts

Local and state agencies are responsible for developing state implementation plans to meet National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Numerical models used for this purpose simulate the transport and transformation of criteria pollutants and their precursors. The specification of land use/land cover (LULC) plays an important role in controlling modeled surface meteorology and emissions. NASA researchers have worked with partners and Atlanta stakeholders to incorporate an improved high-resolution LULC dataset for the Atlanta area within their modeling system and to assess meteorological and air quality impacts of Urban Heat Island (UHI) mitigation strategies. The new LULC dataset provides a more accurate representation of land use, has the potential to improve model accuracy, and facilitates prediction of LULC changes. Use of the new LULC dataset for two summertime episodes improved meteorological forecasts, with an existing daytime cold bias of approx. equal to 3 C reduced by 30%. Model performance for ozone prediction did not show improvement. In addition, LULC changes due to Atlanta area urbanization were predicted through 2030, for which model simulations predict higher urban air temperatures. The incorporation of UHI mitigation strategies partially offset this warming trend. The data and modeling methods used are generally applicable to other U.S. cities

Medical student case presentation performance and perception when using mobile learning technology in the emergency department

Hand-held mobile learning technology provides opportunities for clinically relevant self-instructional modules to augment traditional bedside teaching. Using this technology as a teaching tool has not been well studied. We sought to evaluate medical students’ case presentation performance and perception when viewing short, just-in-time mobile learning videos using the iPod touch prior to patient encounters.Twenty-two fourth-year medical students were randomized to receive or not to receive instruction by video, using the iPod Touch, prior to patient encounters. After seeing a patient, they presented the case to their faculty, who completed a standard data collection sheet. Students were surveyed on their perceived confidence and effectiveness after using these videos.Twenty-two students completed a total of 67 patient encounters. There was a statistically significant improvement in presentations when the videos were viewed for the first time (p = 0.032). There was no difference when the presentations were summed for the entire rotation (p = 0.671). The reliable (alpha = 0.97) survey indicated that the videos were a useful teaching tool and gave students more confidence in their presentations.Medical student patient presentations were improved with the use of mobile instructional videos following first time use, suggesting mobile learning videos may be useful in medical student education. If direct bedside teaching is unavailable, just-in-time iPod touch videos can be an alternative instructional strategy to improve first-time patient presentations by medical students

Effect of cyclosporine on hepatic cytosolic estrogen and androgen receptor levels before and after partial hepatectomy

Estrogen and androgen receptors within the liver have been reported to modulate the hepatic regenerative response to partial hepatectomy. Moreover, cyclosporine has several untoward effects that might occur as a consequence of alterations in sex hormone activity. To evaluate these questions the following experiments were performed. Estrogen and androgen receptors in cytosol were quantitated in livers of rats treated with cyclosporine or olive oil vehicle before and after partial hepatectomy or a sham operation. Ornithine decarboxylase activity and thymidine kinase activity were assessed as indices of hepatic regeneration. Preoperative levels of estrogen receptor activity in the hepatic cytosol were significantly greater in rats treated with cyclosporine as compared to vehicle treated controls (P<0.01). In contrast, preoperative levels of androgen receptor activity in the cyclosporine-treated and vehicle-treated animals were similar. Following partial hepatectomy, a reduction in the activity of both sex hormone receptors in the hepatic cytosol was observed and was compatible with results described previously in normal animals. Unexpectedly the preoperative levels of ornithine decarboxylase (P<0.01) and thymidine kinase activity (P<0.01) were significantly greater in the rats treated with cyclosporine as compared to the vehicle treated controls. As expected, ornithine decarboxylase activity (at 6 hr) and thymidine kinase activity (at 24 hr) rose and peaked in response to a partial hepatectomy but were significantly greater (P<0.05) in the rats treated with cyclosporine as compared to the vehicle. These results show that cyclosporine treatment causes an increase in the hepatic content of estrogen receptor activity that is associated with an enhanced potential for a regenerative response. These effects of cyclosporine treatment on the sex hormone receptor levels in liver may explain the mechanisms responsible for some of the untoward effects of treatment with this agent. © 1990 Plenum Publishing Corporation

Recurrence of a left atrial myxoma

A fatal recurrence of a left atrial myxoma was observed despite resection of the original tumor complete with its stalk and a portion of atrial septum. The evidence suggests that this recurrent tumor developed from "pre-tumor" cells in the region of the fossa ovalis. The rate of growth of the second tumor was faster than would have been predicted. Clinical manifestations were similar to those with the initial tumor. Wide excision of the atrial septum with the stalk of such tumors should offer the best chance for operative cure, but prolonged postoperative observation is important if signs of recurrence are to be detected at a time when operative removal can be carried out with minimal risk to the patient.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/34209/1/0000498.pd

Thermodynamic properties of ferromagnetic mixed-spin chain systems

Using a combination of high-temperature series expansion, exact diagonalization and quantum Monte Carlo, we perform a complementary analysis of the thermodynamic properties of quasi-one-dimensional mixed-spin systems with alternating magnetic moments. In addition to explicit series expansions for small spin quantum numbers, we present an expansion that allows a direct evaluation of the series coefficients as a function of spin quantum numbers. Due to the presence of excitations of both acoustic and optical nature, the specific heat of a mixed-spin chain displays a double-peak-like structure, which is more pronounced for ferromagnetic than for antiferromagnetic intra-chain exchange. We link these results to an analytically solvable half-classical limit. Finally, we extend our series expansion to incorporate the single-ion anisotropies relevant for the molecular mixed-spin ferromagnetic chain material MnNi(NO$_{2}$)$_{4}$(ethylenediamine)$_{2}$, with alternating spins of magnitude 5/2 and 1. Including a weak inter-chain coupling, we show that the observed susceptibility allows for an excellent fit, and the extraction of microscopic exchange parameters.Comment: 8 pages including 7 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. B; series extended to 29th. QMC adde