Book production and the onset of modern economic growth

Endogenous growth theory suggests that human capital formation plays a significant role for the ‘wealth and poverty of nations.’ In contrast to previous studies which denied the role of human capital as a crucial determinant of for really long-term growth, we confirm its importance. Indicators of human capital like literacy rates are lacking for the period of 1450-1913; hence, we use per capita book production as a proxy for advanced literacy skills. This study explains how, and to what extent, growth disparities are a function of human capital formation.Book Production, Economic Growth, Human Capital

OAR BLADE POWER OUTPUT AND BOAT VELOCITY IN CONTEXT OF ROWER LEG, KNEE AND TRUNK COORDINATION IN SCULLING

The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility of a method estimating oar power output and boat velocity in relation to rower coordination in terms of kinematics of knee, trunk and elbow, derived from a set of 17 wireless Inertial Magnetic Measurement Units (IMMUs) positioned on rower body segments, oars and boat, recorded in actual on water varsity rowing at competition speed. Although in these experiments no 2nd method was present for absolute validation, the practical feasibility, the repeatability within bouts, between similar bouts as well as the consistencies in similarities and differences between different bouts and different rowers support the feasibility of a future coach supporting tool based on this technology

The median frequency of the surface EMG power spectrum in relation to motor unit firing and action potential properties

Three components determine the power spectrum of the surface EMG signal: the auto- and cross-power spectra of the firing processes and the power spectra of the motor unit action potential (MUAP). To clarify the relative contribution of these components to the median frequency (MF) of the power spectrum, a stochastic simulation model was used in which most input parameters [e.g., MUAP peak-peak time (PPT), mean interpulse interval time, and synchronization parameters] were described in terms of distribution functions. Simulation clearly predicts that MF is especially sensitive to variations in MUAP shape, the MUAP PPT, and synchronization. The influence of the firing process parameters was predicted to be marginal. To obtain values for the MUAP parameters, a needle-triggered averaging technique was used to gather surface MUAPs from the m. biceps brachii. With use of these MUAPs as input for the model, it was found that intrasubject variability of MF is caused by variations in both MUAP PPT and MUAP shape, whereas intersubject variability in MF is caused primarily by variations in PPT

How Reliable Is the Ideal Adsorbed Solution Theory for the Estimation of Mixture Separation Selectivities in Microporous Crystalline Adsorbents?

[Image: see text] Microporous crystalline adsorbents such as zeolites and metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have potential use in a wide variety of separation applications. The adsorption selectivity S(ads) is a key metric that quantifies the efficacy of any microporous adsorbent in mixture separations. The Ideal Adsorbed Solution Theory (IAST) is commonly used for estimating the value of S(ads), with unary isotherms of the constituent guests as data inputs. There are two basic tenets underlying the development of the IAST. The first tenet mandates a homogeneous distribution of adsorbates within the pore landscape. The second tenet requires the surface area occupied by a guest molecule in the mixture to be the same as that for the corresponding pure component. Configurational-bias Monte Carlo (CBMC) simulations are employed in this article to highlight several scenarios in which the IAST fails to provide a quantitatively correct description of mixture adsorption equilibrium due to a failure to conform to either of the two tenets underpinning the IAST. For CO(2) capture with cation-exchanged zeolites and MOFs with open metal sites, there is congregation of CO(2) around the cations and unsaturated metal atoms, resulting in failure of the IAST due to an inhomogeneous distribution of adsorbates in the pore space. Thermodynamic non-idealities also arise due to the preferential location of CO(2) molecules at the window regions of 8-ring zeolites such as DDR and CHA or within pockets of MOR and AFX zeolites. Thermodynamic non-idealities are evidenced for water/alcohol mixtures due to molecular clustering engendered by hydrogen bonding. It is also demonstrated that thermodynamic non-idealities can be strong enough to cause selectivity reversals, which are not anticipated by the IAST

Vocabulary development in a CLIL context : a comparison between French and English L2

Content and language integrated learning (CLIL) has expanded in Europe, favored by the large body of research, often showing positive effects of CLIL on L2 development. However, critical voices have recently questioned whether these positive findings apply to any language, given that most research focuses on English. Taking into account this concern, the present study investigated the (productive and receptive) vocabulary development in L2 English and L2 French of the same group of learners within a CLIL context. The aim was not to evaluate the benefits of CLIL over non-CLIL, but, instead, to examine whether vocabulary gains in CLIL learning are language-dependent. More specifically, this study included 75 Flemish eight-grade pupils who had CLIL lessons in both English and French. The results show that although the pupils have a larger English vocabulary, the level of improvement (from pretest to posttest) is not different across the languages. The findings indicate that within CLIL vocabulary knowledge also develops in languages other than English