Europarties ‒ A Research Note. ZEI Discussion Paper C231, 2015

This paper outlines and elaborates the role of Europarties – political parties at European level – in the political system of the European Union (EU). It explores the key role and features of these organisations and claims that they are significant actors, particularly through their mobilisation of political parties and leaders. However, the conditions for Europarty influence are demanding. Europarties can be expected to matter when they are in numerical ascendance, relatively cohesive and able to mobilise their networks of political parties and leaders. These leaders remain first and foremost national politicians, responsible to national electorates. Therefore, Europarty influence and relevance overall remain conditioned on the domestic political context of national parties and leaders. Yet, functional pressures for transnational engagement serve to further institutionalise Europarties

Vision Based Tracker for Dart-Catching Robot

This paper describes how high-speed computer vision can be used in a motion control application. The specific application investigated is a dart catching robot. Computer vision is used to detect a flying dart and a filtering algorithm predicts its future trajectory. This will give data to a robot controller allowing it to catch the dart. The performance of the implemented components indicates that the dart catching application can be made to work well. Conclusions are also made about what features of the system are critical for performance

Fertilisation and irrigation have no effects on growth of oak (Quercus robur, Q. petraea) stands on abandoned farmland in southwest Sweden

Low nutrient availability often limits productivity in northern forests. In a nutrient optimisation trial, we investigated the effects of fertilisation and irrigation on soil moisture, leaf area index (LAI) as well as height and radial growth in 25-year-old stands of pedunculate and sessile oak (Quercus robur L., Q. petraea (Matt.) Liebl.) growing on abandoned farmland in southwestern Sweden. Control (C), fertilisation (F), irrigation (I), and irrigation + fertilisation (IF) treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design. End of growing season analysis of foliar nutrients guided the quantitative composition of next year's fertiliser mix. Volumetric soil moisture (VWC) was significantly higher in the I and IF treatments compared to the C and F treated stands of both oak species. We did not observe a fertiliser-related reduction in VWC (except for 2015, when VWC in F treated Q. robur stands was significantly lower than the control by about 18 %). This is in line with the unaffected LAI estimates (5.3-5.9) suggesting no stimulation of leaf production that could drive increases in transpiration with subsequent soil moisture depletion. There was no treatment x year interaction for any of the growth-related variables. Treatments had no significant effects on basal area growth, which increased annually by 1.72 and 1.54 m2 ha-1 on average for Q. petraea and Q. robur, respectively. Pre-treatment height differences in Q. petraea stands (7-12 % taller trees in the C and IF plots) persisted throughout the study resulting in significant effects, while no significant differences in height occurred in Q. robur. Periodic annual volume increment varied more strongly following drier periods but there were no significant differences among treatments.Our findings indicate that fertilisation causes no or only minor increases in oak water use, suggesting that nutrient addition in oak stands within this precipitation regime does not require simultaneous irrigation. Most importantly, our data implies that the soil nutrient legacies of past agricultural use suffice to maximise the productivity of oak stands on abandoned farmland typical of the main oak growing region in southwestern Sweden

Onsala Space Observatory – IVS Technology Development Center Activities during 2017–2018

We give a brief overview of the technical development related to geodetic VLBI done during 2017 and 2018 at the Onsala Space Observatory

Anemia is associated with increased risk of non-vertebral osteoporotic fractures in elderly men : the MrOS Sweden cohort

Summary: This study includes 1005 men from the Gothenburg part of the Osteoporotic Fracture in Men Study (MrOS). Included are 66 men with anemia (hemoglobin < 130 g/L). The follow-up time was up to 16 years, and the main results are that anemia is associated with all fractures and non-vertebral osteoporotic fractures. Introduction: Anemia and osteoporotic fractures are conditions that are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Clinical studies have suggested that anemia can be used as a predictor of future osteoporotic fractures. Method: Men from the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study (MrOS) Sweden, Gothenburg, with available hemoglobin (Hb) values (n = 1005, median age 75.3 years (SD 3.2)), were included in the current analyses. Of these, 66 suffered from anemia, defined as Hb < 130 g/L. Median follow-up time for fracture was 10.1 years and the longest follow-up time was 16.1 years. Results: Men with anemia had, at baseline, experienced more falls and had a higher prevalence of diabetes, cancer, prostate cancer, hypertension, and stroke. Anemia was not statistically significantly associated with bone mineral density (BMD). Men with anemia had higher serum levels of fibroblast growth factor 23 (iFGF23) (p < 0.001) and phosphate (p = 0.001) and lower serum levels of testosterone (p < 0.001) and estradiol (p < 0.001). Moreover, men with anemia had an increased risk of any fracture (hazard ratio (HR) 1.97, 95% CI 1.28–3.02) and non-vertebral osteoporotic fracture (HR 2.15, 95% CI 1.18–3.93), after adjustment for age and total hip BMD, in 10 years. The risk for any fracture was increased in 10 and 16 years independently of falls, comorbidities, inflammation, and sex hormones. The age-adjusted risk of hip fracture was increased in men with anemia (HR 2.32, 95% CI 1.06–5.12), in 10 years, although this was no longer statistically significant after further adjustment for total hip BMD. Conclusions: Anemia is associated with an increased risk for any fracture and non-vertebral osteoporotic fracture in elderly men with a long follow-up time. The cause is probably multifactorial and our results support that anemia can be used as a predictor for future fracture

The role of precuneus and left inferior frontal cortex during source memory episodic retrieval

The posterior medial parietal cortex and left prefrontal cortex (PFC) have both been implicated in the recollection of past episodes. In a previous study, we found the posterior precuneus and left lateral inferior frontal cortex to be activated during episodic source memory retrieval. This study further examines the role of posterior precuneal and left prefrontal activation during episodic source memory retrieval using a similar source memory paradigm but with longer latency between encoding and retrieval. Our results suggest that both the precuneus and the left inferior PFC are important for regeneration of rich episodic contextual associations and that the precuneus activates in tandem with the left inferior PFC during correct source retrieval. Further, results suggest that the left ventro-lateral frontal region/ frontal operculum is involved in searching for task-relevant information (BA 47) and subsequent monitoring or scrutiny (BA 44/45) while regions in the dorsal inferior frontal cortex are important for information selection (BA 45/46). (C) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.NIGMS NIH HHS [2 T32 GM 07266]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Modality effects in implicit artificial grammar learning: An EEG study

Recently, it has been proposed that sequence learning engages a combination of modality-specific operating networks and modality-independent computational principles. In the present study, we compared the behavioural and EEG outcomes of implicit artificial grammar learning in the visual vs. auditory modality. We controlled for the influence of surface characteristics of sequences (Associative Chunk Strength), thus focusing on the strictly structural aspects of sequence learning, and we adapted the paradigms to compensate for known frailties of the visual modality compared to audition (temporal presentation, fast presentation rate). The behavioural outcomes were similar across modalities. Favouring the idea of modality-specificity, ERPs in response to grammar violations differed in topography and latency (earlier and more anterior component in the visual modality), and ERPs in response to surface features emerged only in the auditory modality. In favour of modality-independence, we observed three common functional properties in the late ERPs of the two grammars: both were free of interactions between structural and surface influences, both were more extended in a grammaticality classification test than in a preference classification test, and both correlated positively and strongly with theta event-related-synchronization during baseline testing. Our findings support the idea of modality-specificity combined with modality-independence, and suggest that memory for visual vs. auditory sequences may largely contribute to cross-modal differences. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour; Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia [PTDC/PSI-PC0/110734/2009, UID/BIM/04773/2013, CBMR 1334, PEst-OE/EQB/1A0023/2013, UM/PSI/00050/2013

Previous fracture and subsequent fracture risk : a meta-analysis to update FRAX

A large international meta-analysis using primary data from 64 cohorts has quantified the increased risk of fracture associated with a previous history of fracture for future use in FRAX. The aim of this study was to quantify the fracture risk associated with a prior fracture on an international basis and to explore the relationship of this risk with age, sex, time since baseline and bone mineral density (BMD). We studied 665,971 men and 1,438,535 women from 64 cohorts in 32 countries followed for a total of 19.5 million person-years. The effect of a prior history of fracture on the risk of any clinical fracture, any osteoporotic fracture, major osteoporotic fracture, and hip fracture alone was examined using an extended Poisson model in each cohort. Covariates examined were age, sex, BMD, and duration of follow-up. The results of the different studies were merged by using the weighted β-coefficients. A previous fracture history, compared with individuals without a prior fracture, was associated with a significantly increased risk of any clinical fracture (hazard ratio, HR = 1.88; 95% CI = 1.72-2.07). The risk ratio was similar for the outcome of osteoporotic fracture (HR = 1.87; 95% CI = 1.69-2.07), major osteoporotic fracture (HR = 1.83; 95% CI = 1.63-2.06), or for hip fracture (HR = 1.82; 95% CI = 1.62-2.06). There was no significant difference in risk ratio between men and women. Subsequent fracture risk was marginally downward adjusted when account was taken of BMD. Low BMD explained a minority of the risk for any clinical fracture (14%), osteoporotic fracture (17%), and for hip fracture (33%). The risk ratio for all fracture outcomes related to prior fracture decreased significantly with adjustment for age and time since baseline examination. A previous history of fracture confers an increased risk of fracture of substantial importance beyond that explained by BMD. The effect is similar in men and women. Its quantitation on an international basis permits the more accurate use of this risk factor in case finding strategies

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms