15 research outputs found
Space Climate Manifestation in Earth Prices - from Medieval England Up to Modern Usa
In this study we continue to search for possible manifestations of space
weather influence on prices of agricultural products and consumables. We note
that the connection between solar activity and prices is based on the causal
chain that includes several nonlinear transition elements. These non-linear
elements are characterized by threshold sensitivity to external parameters and
lead to very inhomogeneous local sensitivity of the price to space weather
conditions. It is noted that "soft type" models are the most adequate for
description of this class of connections. Two main observational effects
suitable for testing causal connections of this type of sensitivity are
considered: burst-like price reactions on changes in solar activity and price
asymmetry for selected phases of the sunspot cycle. The connection, discovered
earlier for wheat prices of Medieval England, is examined in this work on the
basis of another 700-year data set of consumable prices in England. Using the
same technique as in the previous part of our work (Pistilnik and Yom Din 2004)
we show that statistical parameters of the interval distributions for price
bursts of consumables basket and for sunspot minimum states are similar one to
another, like it was reported earlier for wheat price bursts. Possible sources
of these consistencies between three different multiyear samples are discussed.
For search of possible manifestations of the "space weather - wheat market"
connection in modern time, we analyze dynamics of wheat prices in the USA in
the twentieth century. We show that the wheat prices revealed a maximum/minimum
price asymmetry consistent with the phases of the sunspot cycle. We discuss
possible explanations of this observed asymmetry, unexpected under conditions
of globalization of the modern wheat market.Comment: First International Symposium on Space Climate: Direct and Indirect
Observations of Long-Term Solar Activity, 20-23 June 2004, Oulu, Finlan
Analyzing the Decision to get Flu Shot: An Empirical Study
Influenza vaccination has been shown to be cost effective in reducing morbidity and mortality and in decreasing work absenteeism and use of health-care resources. The purpose of this study was to identify predictors and beliefs regarding people's vaccination decision against the influenza. It was hypothesized that Health Belief Model (HBM) categories, such as severity of illness, vaccine effectiveness and side effects of the vaccine, affect the decision to get flu shot. In addition, we examined psychological effects, such as time preference, subjective probability of flu, and attitude toward risk. A questionnaire surveys was conducted in the USA, in 2004. The questions included HBM categories and the psychological effects. The results indicate that the main predictors of past immunization against influenza are: the estimated effectiveness of the vaccination, periodic blood test, perceived severity of flu illness, side effects of vaccine (negative effect), having health anxieties, and subjective probability of being infected. Based upon these results, it is recommended to enlarging people's knowledge regarding the influenza illness, its potential risks, and the potential benefits of the vaccine
cDNA cloning and mRNA expression of growth hormone in Belontiidae (Anabantoidei suborder)
Complete cDNA encoding for the growth hormone (GH) of the Belontiidae fish family (Anabantoidei suborder) was cloned by RACE PCR using several sets of degenerate oligonu- cleotides. GH cDNA of the pearl gourami (Trichogaster leeri; pgGH), cloned from the pituitary, included the 5’ and 3’ noncoding sequences of 44 bp and 181 bp, respectively, and consisted of 840 bp that encoded for a prehormone of 204 amino acid (aa) residues. GH cDNA of the blue gourami (T. trichopterus; bgGH) and its deduced aa sequence had the same lengths as those of the pgGH, with nucleotide and aa identities of 97% and 99%, respectively. GH cDNA cloned from the dwarf gourami (Colisa lalia; dgGH) differed from both pgGH and bgGH. The identity of the dgGH cDNA nucleotides was 88%, compared to pgGH and bgGH. However, the identity of the deduced dgGH aa sequence was 97% when compared to bgGH and 96% when compared to pgGH. Nucleotides of GH cDNA of the fighting fish (Betta splendens; ffGH) had an identity of 82% to those of pgGH and bgGH, and 81% to the dwarf gourami. Higher identity was found among the aa sequences than among the nucleotide sequences. The identity of the cloned aa ffGH compared to bgGH, pgGH, and dgGH was 93%, 92%, and 91%, respectively.
Higher levels of GH mRNA were found in females in immature, vitellogenic, and mature stages than in males in various stages of gonadal development. No significant differences in the GH transcription level were found between immature and mature females and males. However, the mRNA level decreased significantly during sexual behavior in males. GH sequence and expression may be used as systematic markers for Belontiidae fish and possibly other fish