Incorporating High-Frequency Weather Data into Consumption Expenditure Predictions

Recent efforts have been very successful in accurately mapping welfare in datasparse regions of the world using satellite imagery and other non-traditional data sources. However, the literature to date has focused on predicting a particular class of welfare measures, asset indices, which are relatively insensitive to short term fluctuations in well-being. We suggest that predicting more volatile welfare measures, such as consumption expenditure, substantially benefits from the incorporation of data sources with high temporal resolution. By incorporating daily weather data into training and prediction, we improve consumption prediction accuracy significantly compared to models that only utilize satellite imagery

Gastric Bypass Promotes More Lipid Mobilization Than a Similar Weight Loss Induced by Low-Calorie Diet

Background. Recently, we found large reductions in visceral and subcutaneous fat one month after gastric bypass (GBP), without any change in liver fat content. Purpose. Firstly to characterize weight loss-induced lipid mobilization after one month with preoperative low-calorie diet (LCD) and a subsequent month following GBP, and secondly, to discuss the observations with reference to our previous published findings after GBP intervention alone. Methods. 15 morbidly obese women were studied prior to LCD, at GBP, and one month after GBP. Effects on metabolism were measured by magnetic resonance techniques and blood tests. Results. Body weight was similarly reduced after both months (mean: −8.0 kg, n = 13). Relative body fat changes were smaller after LCD than after GBP (−7.1 ± 3.6% versus −10 ± 3.2%, P = .029, n = 13). Liver fat fell during the LCD month (−41%, P = .001, n = 13) but was unaltered one month after GBP (+12%). Conclusion. Gastric bypass seems to cause a greater lipid mobilization than a comparable LCD-induced weight loss. One may speculate that GBP-altered gastrointestinal signalling sensitizes adipose tissue to lipolysis, promoting the changes observed

High-speed 850 nm VCSELs with 28 GHz modulation bandwidth for short reach communication

We present results from our new generation of high performance 850 nm oxide confined vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs). With devices optimized for high-speed operation under direct modulation, we achieve record high 3dB modulation bandwidths of 28 GHz for similar to 4 mu m oxide aperture diameter VCSELs, and 27 GHz for devices with a similar to 7 mu m oxide aperture diameter. Combined with a high-speed photoreceiver, the similar to 7 mu m VCSEL enables error-free transmission at data rates up to 47 Gbit/s at room temperature, and up to 40 Gbit/s at 85 degrees C

Validation of the MINI (DSM IV) Tool for the Assessment of Alcohol Dependence among Young People in Northern Tanzania Using the Alcohol Biomarker Phosphatidylethanol (PEth).

The alcohol dependence section of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview questionnaire (MINI) has not been evaluated in young Africans. We applied the MINI in a cross-sectional study of 202 alcohol users from northern-Tanzania, aged 18-24 years (103 male casual workers and 99 students), and validated it against phophatidylethanol (PEth) at a cut-off suggesting heavy chronic alcohol use (≥0.30 µmol/L). Blood was assayed for PEth (16:0/18:1-subform) by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The MINI dependence criteria (≥3 positive responses) were met by 39% participants although their PEth levels were low. Contrary, many young people with high PEth levels were not classified as dependent. The sensitivity of the MINI ranged from 0% to 69% (female students and male workers, respectively) and specificity from 52% to 85% (workers and female students, respectively). The highest AUROC (0.68) occurred with a cut-off of ≥4 positive responses. A modified MINI with three affirmative responses to five questions increased specificity to 92%-97%; however, sensitivity remained low. The performance of the MINI in detecting dependence among young people from northern-Tanzania is unsatisfactory. Specificity was improved using a modified version but sensitivity remained low. An accurate tool for the diagnosis of alcohol dependence is needed for epidemiological and clinical purposes

Fall risk assessment predicts fall-related injury, hip fracture, and head injury in older adults

Objectives To investigate the role of a fall risk assessment, using the Downton Fall Risk Index (DFRI), in predicting fall‐related injury, fall‐related head injury and hip fracture, and death, in a large cohort of older women and men residing in Sweden. Design Cross sectional observational study. Setting Sweden. Participants Older adults (mean age 82.4 ± 7.8) who had a fall risk assessment using the DFRI at baseline (N = 128,596). Measurements Information on all fall‐related injuries, all fall‐related head injuries and hip fractures, and all‐cause mortality was collected from the Swedish Patient Register and Cause of Death Register. The predictive role of DFRI was calculated using Poisson regression models with age, sex, height, weight, and comorbidities as covariates, taking time to outcome or end of study into account. Results During a median follow‐up of 253 days (interquartile range 90–402 days) (>80,000 patient‐years), 15,299 participants had a fall‐related injury, 2,864 a head injury, and 2,557 a hip fracture, and 23,307 died. High fall risk (DFRI ≥3) independently predicted fall‐related injury (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.43, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.39–1.49), hip fracture (HR = 1.51, 95% CI =1.38–1.66), head injury (HR = 1.12, 95% CI = 1.03–1.22), and all‐cause mortality (HR = 1.39, 95% CI = 1.35–1.43). DFRI more strongly predicted head injury (HR = 1.29, 95% CI = 1.21–1.36 vs HR = 1.08, 95% CI = 1.04–1.11) and hip fracture (HR = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.30–1.53 vs HR = 1.08, 95% CI = 1.05–1.11) in 70‐year old men than in 90‐year old women (P < .001). Conclusion Fall risk assessment using DFRI independently predicts fall‐related injury, fall‐related head injury and hip fracture, and all‐cause mortality in older men and women, indicating its clinical usefulness to identify individuals who would benefit from interventions

The Nordic Dialect Corpus — an advanced research tool

Proceedings of the 17th Nordic Conference of Computational Linguistics NODALIDA 2009. Editors: Kristiina Jokinen and Eckhard Bick. NEALT Proceedings Series, Vol. 4 (2009), 73-80. © 2009 The editors and contributors. Published by Northern European Association for Language Technology (NEALT) http://omilia.uio.no/nealt . Electronically published at Tartu University Library (Estonia) http://hdl.handle.net/10062/9206