Spatial Convergence in Height in East-Central Europe, 1890-1910

We examine spatial convergence in biological well-being in the Habsburg Monarchy circa 1890-1910 on the basis of evidence on the physical stature of 21-year-old recruits disaggregated into 15 districts. We find that the shorter was the population in 1890 the faster its height grew thereafter. Hence, there was convergence in physical stature between the peripheral areas of the monarchy (located in today's Poland/Ukraine, Romania, and Slovakia) and the core (located in today's Austria, Czech Republic, and Hungary). The difference between the trend in the height of the Polish district of Przemysl and the Viennese trend was about 0.9 cm per decade in favor of the former. But the convergence among the core districts themselves was minimal or non-existent, whereas the convergence among the peripheral districts was more pronounced. Hence, spatial convergence took place exclusively within the peripheral areas, and between the peripheral regions and the more developed ones. The pattern is somewhat reminiscent of modern findings on convergence clubs in the global economy. However, the East-Central European pattern was the reverse of this modern finding: heights converged to the levels of the developed regions, but did not converge among the more developed regions themselves

The Trend of BMI Values among US Adults

Background: The trend in the BMI values of the US population has not been estimated accurately because time series data are unavailable and because the focus has been on calculating period effects.Object: To estimate the trend and rate of change of BMI values by birth cohorts stratified by gender and ethnicity born 1882-1986.Methods: We use loess additive regression models to estimate age and trend effects of BMI values of US-born black and white adults measured between 1959 and 2006. We use all the NHES and NHANES survey data.Results: The increase in BMI was already underway among the birth cohorts of the early 20th century. The rate of increase was fastest among black females; for the three other groups under consideration, the rates of increase were similar. The generally persistent upward trend was punctuated by upsurges, particularly after each of the two World Wars. That the estimated rate of change of BMI values increased by 71% among black females between the birth cohorts 1955 and those of 1965 is indicative of the rapid increases in their weight.Conclusion: We inference that transition to post-industrial weights was a gradual process and began considerably earlier than hitherto supposed.BMI, US, NHANES, obesity, overweight, semiparametric modeling

The Trend of BMI Values by Centiles of US Adults, Birth Cohorts 1882-1986

Trends in BMI values are estimated by centiles of the US adult population by birth cohorts 1886-1986 stratified by ethnicity. The highest centile increased by some 18 to 22 units in the course of the century while the lowest ones increased by merely 1 to 3 units. Hence, the BMI distribution became increasingly right skewed as the distance between the centiles became increasingly larger. The rate of change of BMI centile curves varied considerably over time. The BMI of white men and women experienced upsurges after the two World Wars and downswings during the Great Depression and again after 1970. However, among blacks the pattern is different during the first half of the century with men’s rate of increase in BMI values decreasing substantially and that of females remaining unchanged at a relatively high level until the Second World War. However, after the war the rate of change of BMI values of blacks resembled that of the whites with an accelerating phase followed by a slow down around the 1970s. In sum, the creeping nature of the obesity epidemic is evident, as the technological and lifestyle changes of the 20th century affected various segments of the population quite differently.BMI, US, NHANES, obesity, overweight, semiparametric modelling, GAMLSS model, percentile estimation

The Trend of Mean BMI Values of US Adults, Birth Cohorts 1882-1986 Indicates that the Obesity Epidemic Began Earlier than Hitherto Thought

The trend in the BMI values of the US population has not been estimated accurately because time series data are unavailable and because the focus has been on calculating period effects. In contrast to the prevailing strategies, we estimate the trend and rate of change of BMI values by birth cohorts stratified by gender and ethnicity born 1882-1986. We use loess additive regression models to estimate age and trend effects of BMI values of US-born black and white adults measured between 1959 and 2006. We use all the NHES and NHANES survey data and find that the increase in BMI was already underway among the birth cohorts of the early 20th century. The rate of increase was fastest among black females; for the three other groups under consideration, the rates of increase were similar. The generally persistent upward trend was punctuated by upsurges, particularly after each of the two World Wars. That the estimated rate of change of BMI values increased by 71% among black females between the birth cohorts 1955 and those of 1965 is indicative of the rapid increases in their weight. We infer that transition to post-industrial weights was a gradual process and began considerably earlier than hitherto supposed.

Determination of Rock Parameters Used for Calibration of Constitutive Model

Mathematical modelingis an important part of designing underground and other structures.However, the accuracy of the obtained results is strongly dependent on the input parameters quality of the selected material (constitutive) model. An insight into this issueis outlined in this article.Special emphasis was placed on various possibilities of laboratory determination of the necessary parameters for calibration of the Mohr-Coulomb and Hoek-Brown constitutive models. Described procedure was also applied to a selected rock type –Čeřínek-type granite of the Moldanubian pluton, a candidate rock in which a deep geological repository for used nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive nuclear waste might be built in a future

Trace element composition in olivine from the 2022 Meradalir eruption of the Fagradalsfjall Fires, SW-Iceland (Short Communication)

This study focuses on determining the trace element composition in olivine from olivine tholeiitic basalts sampled in Iceland during the 2022 Meradalir eruption of the 2021-ongoing Fagradalsfjall Fires. The chemistry of Meradalir olivine is characteristic for a volcanic origin where olivine crystals represent the product of crystallisation. Olivine from the Meradalir basalt magma falls within the field characteristic for the melting of a dominantly peridotitic mantle source. However, the data show that the 2022 Meradalir olivine crystalized from a compositionally more evolved magma than olivine from the preceding 2021 Geldingadalir eruption of the Fagradalsfjall Fires

Analysis of the causes of impeller damage in NPP Temelín

Při revizi čerpadla SULZER 200-450 byla na oběžném kole 2TQ32D01 na základě vizuální a kapilární kontroly zjištěna na jedné z pěti lopatek trhlina. Oběžné kolo bylo za účelem stanovení příčin poškození převezeno k destruktivnímu hodnocení do ÚJV Řež, a. s. Destruktivním hodnocením bylo zjištěno únavové poškození lopatky. Hodnocení bylo komplexně doplněno ověřením chemického složení materiálu, odporovou tenzometrií a stanovením základních mechanických vlastností.During the revision of the pump SULZER 200-450 of the impeller 2TQ32D01, a crack was detected on one of the five blades based on visual and capillary inspection. In order to determine the causes of damage, the impeller was transferred to ÚJV Řež. Destructive evaluation revealed fatigue damage to the blade. The evaluation was comprehensively supplemented by verification of the chemical composition of the material, resistance tensometry and determination of basic mechanical properties

Body mass index in young men in Switzerland after the national shutdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic: Results from a cross-sectional monitoring study at the population level since 2010

Background: Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Swiss goverment imposed a shutdown twice, which may have changed diet and physical activity. Regarding the question of weight change during the pandemic, little information based on measured weight data is available. We aimed to investigate whether the body mass indices (BMIs) of young Swiss men after the two shutdowns in spring and fall 2020 differed from those of young men examined before the shutdowns. Methods: We analysed young Swiss men's BMIs taken during mandatory recruitment for the Swiss Armed Forces at the cross-sectional (not individual longitudinal) monitoring level and across weeks of conscription between January 2010 and July 2021 (n = 373,016). These data allow for continuous health monitoring of young men at almost the population level (coverage, >90%). For statistical modelling, we used the generalised additive model (GAM) framework. Results: We showed that the BMIs of the conscripts examined in the 15 weeks after the two shutdowns in spring and autumn 2020 were not or only slightly different from their baseline values. Sensitivity analyses revealed that this conclusion also holds if the BMI distribution or prevalence of excess weight is assessed. The GAM further showed the significant effects of individual and area-based measures of socioeconomic position and age on BMI. Conclusion: Our results suggest that lifestyle changes during the pandemic in young men might have been too modest to be reflected in body weight. However, longitudinal data and/or data on women, children, or the elderly may lead to different conclusions. Keywords: BMI; GAM; Lockdown; Monitoring; Obesity; Swiss Conscription