International Equity Transactions and U.S. Portfolio Choice

This paper studies the cross-border transactions in equity by investors in Canada, Germany,Japan, the U.K. and the U.S. We find that investors from different countries make very different decisions about the allocation of their portfolio across markets. In contradiction to the notion that high variable transactions costs hinder international diversification, we find that the volume of gross equity flows vastly exceeds net equity flows and the turnover rate on foreign equity investments by some investors even exceeds domestic turnover rates. We also reject the hypothesis that U.S. investors follow the standard CAPM in allocating their global equity portfolio.

On the choice of methodology for evaluating dose-rate effects on radiation-related cancer risks

Recently, several compilations of individual radiation epidemiology study results have aimed to obtain direct evidence on the magnitudes of dose-rate effects on radiation-related cancer risks. These compilations have relied on meta-analyses of ratios of risks from low dose-rate studies and matched risks from the solid cancer Excess Relative Risk models fitted to the acutely exposed Japanese A-bomb cohort. The purpose here is to demonstrate how choices of methodology for evaluating dose-rate effects on radiation-related cancer risks may influence the results reported for dose-rate effects. The current analysis is intended to address methodological issues and does not imply that the authors recommend a particular value for the dose and dose-rate effectiveness factor. A set of 22 results from one recent published study has been adopted here as a test set of data for applying the many different methods described here, that nearly all produced highly consistent results. Some recently voiced concerns, involving the recalling of the well-known theoretical point—the ratio of two normal random variables has a theoretically unbounded variance—that could potentially cause issues, are shown to be unfounded when aimed at the published work cited and examined in detail here. In the calculation of dose-rate effects for radiation protection purposes, it is recommended that meta-estimators should retain the full epidemiological and dosimetric matching information between the risks from the individual low dose-rate studies and the acutely exposed A-bomb cohort and that a regression approach can be considered as a useful alternative to current approaches

Risk factors associated with hock pododermatitis in Swedish pet rabbits

Pododermatit, trycksår under tassarna, är vanligt hos såväl sällskapskaniner som produktionskaniner. Många studier har gjorts på produktionskaniner, där riskfaktorer i form av underlag, ålder och ursprung har bekräftats. Resultaten från dessa studier kan emellertid inte appliceras på sällskapskaniner, eftersom deras levnadsförhållanden skiljer sig åt i flera avseenden. Studier gjorda på sällskapskaniner är få och det är oklart hur utbrett problemet är. Syftet med detta kandidatarbete var därför att undersöka förekomst av och riskfaktorer för pododermatit hos svenska sällskapskaniner. Genom två enkätstudier undersöktes samvariationer mellan pododermatit och ras, kön, ålder, underlag, boyta och motionsnivå hos sällskapskaniner i Sverige. Svaren från den första enkäten inkluderade bilder av kaninernas tassar, vilka bedömdes av veterinär enligt en skala från 0 till 6, Pet Rabbit Pododermatitis Scoring System. I den andra enkäten fick kaninägarna gradera sina kaniners tassar enligt samma skala utifrån tecknade bilder. Enkäterna spreds via Facebook, veterinärkliniker och djuraffärer och genererade totalt 273 svar. Bland kaninerna som bedömdes av veterinär ansågs 87 % ha någon form av pododermatit. Motsvarande siffra för kaninerna som bedömdes av ägare var 26 %. Samtliga rexkaniner som bedömdes av veterinär hade pododermatit. Detsamma gällde okastrerade honkaniner och kaniner som gick på mattor tjockare än 1 cm. Inga tydliga samvariationer noterades bland övriga undersökta faktorer. Resultaten indikerade att pododermatit är ett mycket vanligt, men för många okänt, problem. Antalet kaniner som inkluderades i studien var för litet för att slutsatser skulle kunna dras kring riskfaktorer, men resultaten kan användas som grund för vidare forskning.Sore hocks or pododermatitis is common in both pet and farm rabbits. Previous articles have mainly been focusing on farm rabbits. They show that factors such as bedding, age and origin are predisposing factors. However, the results of these studies cannot be applied to pet rabbits, since their living conditions are markedly different. Few studies have addressed companion rabbits, and it remains unclear how common pododermatitis is in Sweden. Thus, this study aimed to investigate prevalence for and risk factors associated with pododermatitis in Swedish pet rabbits. Information regarding pododermatitis, breed, sex, age, bedding, housing area and level of exercise were collected via two surveys. The first survey included pictures of the rabbits paws. They were graded from 0 to 6 by a veterinarian according to the Pet Rabbit Pododermatitis Scoring System. The other survey presented drawings of paws with different stages of pododermatitis to the owners, who decided which drawing was most similar to the paw. The surveys were distributed via Facebook, veterinary clinics and pet shops and generated 273 answers. According to the veterinarian, 87 % of the pet rabbits had pododermatitis. Amongst the rabbits assessed by owners, 26 % were considered to have pododermatitis. All Rex rabbits were affected by pododermatitis according to the veterinarian. This also applied to all neutered females and rabbits living on carpets thicker than 1 cm. No significant covariance between pododermatitis and the factors investigated could be found. The results indicated that pododermatitis is a common but unknown problem. Too few rabbits were included in the study to allow conclusions about risk factors to be drawn. However, the results could be used in further studies on this subject

Gruppverksamhet för barn till missbrukare : en jämförande studie av två gruppmodeller

In Sweden approximately ten percent of all children grows up in a family where at least one parent is having an alcohol related addiction. Since 1998 the development of group activities for children in this situation has been immense. The aim of group activities is to break the child's isolation and make them feel that they are not lonely in their experiences, give them knowledge about addiction and relive the pressure of guilt and responsibility. In a comparative study we examined studied how two different group activity models one with the conception of illness and one without, use the children's network to support the group process. The aim was also to find each models definition of the "normal family", since we understood the groupactivity as a part in the normalization process. We reached our aim through interviews with group leaders and by literature studies. Central words in our essay are system theory/network and normalisation. The primary conclusion of the essay is that group activities are not using the children's own network in the extent that we thought. The group activities aim is to give the children tools to manage their everyday life. That addiction is an illness seems to be the dominating model

Do mammographic tumor features in breast cancer relate to breast density and invasiveness, tumor size, and axillary lymph node involvement?

Breast density and mammographic tumor features of breast cancer may carry prognostic information. The potential benefit of using the combined information obtained from breast density, mammographic tumor features, and pathological tumor characteristics has not been extensively studied

Health spillovers and economic evaluation

The health of carers and others close to the patient will often be relevant to economic evaluation, but it is very rarely considered in practice. This may reflect a lack of understanding of how the spillover effect of illness can be appropriately quantified. In this study we used three different approaches to quantify health spillovers resulting from meningitis. We conducted a survey of 1218 family networks affected by meningitis and used regression modelling to estimate spillover effects. The findings show that meningitis had long-term effects on family members' health, particularly affecting the likelihood of family members reporting anxiety and depression. These effects extended beyond a single close family member. These findings suggest that vaccinating against meningitis will bring significant health benefits not just to those that might have contracted the illness but also to their family networks. In methodological terms, different approaches for quantifying health spillovers provided broadly consistent results. The choice of method will be influenced by the ease of collecting primary data from family members in intervention contexts. © 2015 The Authors. Health Economics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Wiley via http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/hec.325

Electron scattering in atomic force microscopy experiments

It has been shown that electron transitions, as measured in a scanning tunnelling microscope (STM), are related to chemical interactions in a tunnelling barrier. Here, we show that the shape and apparent height of subatomic features in an atomic force microscopy (AFM) experiment on Si(111) depend directly on the available electron states of the silicon surface and the silicon AFM tip. Simulations and experiments confirm that forces and currents show similar subatomic variations for tip-sample distances approaching the bulk bonding length.Comment: 5 pages and 4 figure

Physical and physiologic determinants of rock climbing

Purpose: Rock climbing performance relies on many characteristics. Here, we identified the physical and physiologic determinants of peak performance in rock climbing across the range from lower-grade to elite. Methods: 44 male and 33 female climbers with onsight maximal climbing grades 5a-8a and 5a-7b+, respectively, were tested for physical, physiologic and psychologic characteristics (independent variables) that were correlated and modelled by multiple regression and principal component analysis to identify the determinants of rock climbing ability. Results: In males, 23 of 47 variables correlated with climbing ability (p<0.05, Pearson’s correlation coefficients 0.773-0.340), including shoulder endurance, hand and finger strength, shoulder power-endurance, hip flexibility, lower-arm grip strength, shoulder power, upper-arm strength, core-body endurance, upper-body aerobic endurance, hamstrings and lower-back flexibility, aerobic endurance, and open-hand finger strength. In females, 10 of 47 variables correlated with climbing ability (p<0.05, Pearson’s correlation coefficients 0.742-0.482): shoulder endurance and power, lower-arm grip strength, balance, aerobic endurance, and arm span. Principal component analysis and univariate multiple regression identified the main explanatory variables. In both sexes, shoulder power and endurance measured as maximum pull-ups, average arm crank power, and bent-arm hang, emerged as the main determinants (p<0.01; adjusted R2=0.77 in males and 0.62 in females). In males, finger pincer (p=0.07) and grip strength also had trends (p=0.09) toward significant effects. Finally, in test-of-principle training studies, we trained to increase main determinants 42-67%; this improved climbing ability 2-3 grades. Conclusions: Shoulder power and endurance majorly determines maximal climbing. Finger, hand and arm strength, core-body endurance, aerobic endurance, flexibility and balance are important secondary determinants