Determinants of Hair Manganese, Lead, Cadmium and Arsenic Levels in Environmentally Exposed Children.

Biomarkers of environmental metal exposure in children are important for elucidating exposure and health risk. While exposure biomarkers for As, Cd, and Pb are relatively well defined, there are not yet well-validated biomarkers of Mn exposure. Here, we measured hair Mn, Pb, Cd, and As levels in children from the Mid-Ohio Valley to determine within and between-subject predictors of hair metal levels. Occipital scalp hair was collected in 2009-2010 from 222 children aged 6-12 years (169 female, 53 male) participating in a study of chemical exposure and neurodevelopment in an industrial region of the Mid-Ohio Valley. Hair samples from females were divided into three two centimeter segments, while males provided a single segment. Hair was cleaned and processed in a trace metal clean laboratory, and analyzed for As, Cd, Mn, and Pb by magnetic sector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Hair Mn and Pb levels were comparable (median 0.11 and 0.15 µg/g, respectively) and were ~10-fold higher than hair Cd and As levels (0.007 and 0.018 µg/g, respectively). Hair metal levels were higher in males compared to females, and varied by ~100-1000-fold between all subjects, and substantially less (<40-70%) between segments within female subjects. Hair Mn, Pb, and Cd, but not As levels systematically increased by ~40-70% from the proximal to distal hair segments of females. There was a significant effect of season of hair sample collection on hair Mn, Pb, and Cd, but not As levels. Finally, hair metal levels reported here are ~2 to >10-fold lower than levels reported in other studies in children, most likely because of more rigorous hair cleaning methodology used in the present study, leading to lower levels of unresolved exogenous metal contamination of hair

Analysis of Economic Activity of Foreign Direct Investors in Latvia

The aim of this article is to investigate the activity of foreign direct investors in Latvia and find out the main source of financing for foreign investors - new investments or reinvested earnings. To achieve the set goal, the methodology of the Sixth Edition of the International Monetary Fund's Balance of Payments and International Investment Position Manual was used to define the types of foreign direct investment (FDI). This methodology was adapted to Latvian data. At the request of the author, Lursoft IT Ltd selected business data on all registered companies with foreign capital in Latvia since 2005 and aggregate data were used in the analysis. Foreign direct investment in Latvia flows mainly in the form of reinvested earnings, due to the profit earned from operating activities in Latvia. While new investments or greenfield investments in equity is lower compared to the amount of reinvested earnings

Mathematics newsletters as professional aids to teachers

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston UniversityStatement of problem - It is commonly agreed upon in educational circles that professional growth is an essential factor to the development of sound and efficient teaching. Among the several state and regional associations of mathematics teachers, mathematics newsletters or bulletins maintain a place of importance as professional aids in that they serve as a major means of communications between the professional group and the individual teachers. Despite the fact that more than twenty associations of mathematics teachers publish a newsletter or bulletin of some type, relatively little attention has been given to this area of activity. Except for occasional material in The Mathematics Teacher, no detailed study of mathematics newsletters is available. It is the intent of this project to analyze and summarize the status of mathematics newsletters as they exist today. The survey is primarily of a quantitative nature without particular reference to qualitative ratings of the newsletters individually or as a group. Three important aspects of any journal or bulletin are its purposes, its content, and its means of publication. It is to these three areas that the major portion of this thesis is confined. The analysis of the mathematics newsletters with respect to their purposes, content, and means of publication was conducted from three significantly different points of view - the author's, that of the editors of the newsletters, and that of the readers of the newsletters. Author's analysis - Newsletters were obtained from twenty different associations for use in this study. Only regularly published newsletters directly related to a professional organization were utilized, thereby excluding student journals or special communications not regularly a part of the sponsoring organization's program. Copies of the available newsletters were examined to determine the types of articles included, the percentage of space devoted to each major classification, and the essential physical features of the publications. A wide range of articles was found in the various newsletters, and twenty-one principal types were drawn up as covering the entire gamut. News of the activities of the sponsoring organization and articles on methods of teaching were found to be the two types most frequently encountered in the newsletters. Everyone of the twenty newsletters examined contained news of its sponsoring organization with the percentage of space devoted to this type of article varying from eleven percent to ninety-five percent of the total space in a newsletter. The variation found in the styles of the newsletters was as marked as the difference in the types of articles used. The dimensions of the newsletters ranged from 6 X 9 inches to 8 1/2 X 14 inches, with 8 1/2 X 11 inches the most popular size. The least number of pages in any of the newsletters was two, and the greatest number of pages was thirty-two. Only four of the associations used covers for their newsletters and in only six cases was any color used. Three methods of printing were found to be utilized among the newsletters with stencil the most common method. Offset and letterpress were the two other styles of printing. Editors' evaluations - A questionnaire seeking pertinent information about his publication was sent to each editor of a newsletter, snd seventeen replies were received. The editors agreed that a wide range of articles would be desirable in their newsletters, but noted that in any single publication such a wide spread of material was not to be found. As expected, news of activities of the sponsoring organization was given as the most frequently used item. With respect to the purposes of their newsletters, the editors felt that they were operating on specific, well-defined objectives, and that their efforts were being justified. The most often mentioned objective was that of providing reports on the work of the sponsoring organization, an objective which is borne out in the previously reported content of the publications. Publication data received from the editors revealed that average circulation per issue varied from 100 to 1000 with 300 as a median figure. The frequency of publication ranged from one to four issues per year with two issues being the most common practice. The median cost per issue of the newsletters surveyed was thirty dollars. The editors stated that the major difficulty experienced in their work was apathy on the part of teachers, while financial restrictions were also frequently mentioned as troublesome. Readers' evaluations - Questionnaires similar to those used in questioning the editors were sent to a small sample of readers of each of fourteen newsletters for which readers' names were available. Every one of thirteen suggested types of articles was considered worthwhile by a large majority of the readers who were polled. Announcements about workshops and conferences, reports of activities of the sponsoring organization, end news about teaching aids were the most frequently supported categories. From these results it is evident that the readers, like the editors, were virtually unanimous in the belief that news directly related to the activities of the parent organization deserved primary attention in the newsletters. When asked for their reactions to their newsletters, approximately two-thirds of the readers stated that they read the publications thoroughly, and a somewhat smaller percentage indicated that they considered the newsletters as an aid in professional growth. The readers were virtually unanimous in their feeling that they were free to contribute material to their newsletters, but only slightly more than sixty per cent felt that their newsletters were being managed on the basis of the readers' opinions. The most important contributions of newsletters in the eyes of the readers were the building of professional spirit and the aiding in classroom teaching. The most often mentioned criticism was that of inadequate content, but there was little agreement as to what constituted adequate material. Conclusions - Unquestionably the major purpose of mathematics newsletters as determined by this survey is the professional improvement of teachers of mathematics with the resultant raising of the quality of mathematics instruction. Editors and readers are largely agreed that the newsletters are making a significant contribution in the area of the teaching of mathematics and in serving as a common bond uniting mathematics teachers. Although the range of articles found in newsletters is wide, virtually all types may be considered in one of three categories - those directly relating to the professional body sponsoring a publication, those concerning the actual teaching of mathematics, and those of a personal or recreational nature. The opinions of the editors and readers vary somewhat as to the popularity and usefulness of the several types of articles. The editors gave high ranking to articles dealing with the sponsoring organization whereas the readers expressed preference for methods of teaching and teaching aids. This divergence of opinion suggests that perhaps some newsletters are not providing the type of material desired by its readers

An examination of the economic effects of variations in the prior distribution

One common technique for determining an economically optimum sampling plan is based on the costs of sampling, and the previous distribution of fraction defective in submitted lots, the prior distribution. Knolwdge concerning the prior distribution is usually imprecise, so it is important to know how the cost of a sampling plan is affected if an erroneous assumption concerning the prior distribution is made, or if the prior distribution changes after a sampling plan is selected

International Transmission of European Central Bank Monetary Policy: Spillover Effect of Monetary Policy on Example of Czech Republic

Česká ekonomika má dlouhodobě velmi těsné obchodní a finanční vazby se svými evropskými partnery, kteří jsou převážně členy eurozóny. Každý hospodářský, finanční nebo měnový šok se tedy velmi rychle šíří po celé EU. V posledních letech však byla věnována pozornost velmi specifickému efektu přelévání - mezinárodnímu přenosu měnové politiky ECB. Posouzení efektu přelévání hraje významnou roli při rozhodování o měnové politice. Efekt přelévání nebo obecně přenos exogenní měnové politiky může destabilizovat hospodářský vývoj v domácí zemi. Cílem této analýzy je identifikovat hlavní kanály přenosu mezinárodní měnové politiky pro Českou republiku. V tomto článku autor ukazuje, že přelévání měnového šoku má velmi podobný účinek jako prováděná měnová politika v eurozóně. Aplikace modelu strukturální vektorové autoregrese (SVAR) ukazuje, že měnové restrikce ECB rychle ovlivňují vývoj krátkodobých nominálních úrokových sazeb v České republice. Nárůst krátkodobých nominálních úrokových sazeb v eurozóně má také negativní dopad na hospodářský výstup v České republice, který dosahuje vrcholu v 17 měsících. Nominální měnový kurz CZK/EUR je ovlivňován zejména spekulativním přeléváním krátkodobého kapitálu v prvních několika měsících po měnovém šoku a jeho vývoj se poté stabilizuje. Navíc je zjištěno, že mezinárodní přenos měnové politiky ECB nemá významný vliv na cenovou hladinu v domácí ekonomice. Robustnost výsledků je rovněž zajištěna analýzou celkové měnové politiky pomocí indexu měnových podmínek (MCI).Czech economy has long-term very close business and financial ties with its European partners, which are mainly members of euro area. Every economic, financial or monetary shock is thus very quickly spreading across the EU. However, in recent years attention has been paid to a very specific spillover effect – international transmission of ECB monetary policy. Assessment of spillover effect plays a significant role in making monetary policy decisions. The spillover effect or general transmission of exogenous monetary policy may destabilize the economic situation in the domestic country. The aim of this analysis is to identify the main channels of international monetary policy transmission for the Czech Republic. In this paper author shows that spillover of monetary shock has very similar effect to the monetary policy in the euro area. The application of the structural vector autoregression (SVAR) model reveals that monetary restriction of ECB is rapidly affecting the development of short-term nominal interest rates in the Czech Republic. The rise in short-term nominal interest rates in the euro area has also a negative effect on economic output in the Czech Republic, peaking at 17 months. The nominal exchange rate of CZK/EUR is mainly influenced by speculative spillover of short-term capital in the first few months after monetary shock and its development will then stabilize. Moreover, it is found that the international transmission of the ECB's monetary policy does not have a major effect on the price level in the domestic economy. The robustness of the results is also ensured by analyzing the overall monetary policy using the Monetary condition index (MCI).156 - Katedra národohospodářskávýborn

Preparation and application of biochips in security practice

Tato práce se zabývá biologickým technickým substrátem situované na povrchu optického skleněného hranolu (tzv. biočip), který bude následně implementován do metody zvané jako povrchová plazmonová rezonance (SPR). Hlavní oblast výzkumu bude tedy směřovat k sestrojení onoho biosenzoru a ověření jeho funkčnosti. K tomuto účelu bylo využito spotovací zařízení značky Horiba, pomocí kterého byly nanášeny biologické látky na povrch biočipu, proces byl řízen softwarově. Aby se biologický materiál řádně uchytil na tenké zlaté vrstvě senzoru kovalentní vazbou bylo zapotřebí tuto vrstvu předem ošetřit povrchovou chemií.This work deals with a biological technical substrate situated on the surface of an optical glass prism (so-called biochip), which will then be implemented in a method called surface plasmon resonance (SPR). The main area of research will be to build that biosensor and verify his functionality. For this purpose was used a spotting device of company Horiba, which took care of applying biological substances to the surface of the biochip, the process was controlled by software. In order for the biological material to immobilized on the thin gold layer of the sensor by covalent bond, it was necessary to treat this layer with surface chemistry.060 - Katedra bezpečnostních služebvýborn

Effectiveness Evaluation of the Czech National Bank's Monetary Policy

Tato bakalářská práce je věnována hodnocení účinnosti monetární politiky České národní banky. Hlavním cílem je tedy zhodnotit účinnosti monetární politiky České národní banky v období používaní transmisního mechanismu cílování inflace. Zejména je posouzen vliv hlavních měnověpolitických nástrojů na vývoj konečného cíle centrální banky v České republice. Pro zhodnocení vlivu na vývoj konečného cíle byl vytvořen vícekriteriální lineárně regresní model. V tomto modelu je míra inflace vysvětlovanou proměnnou. Hlavní úroková míra centrální banky a vývoj devizových rezerv jsou vysvětlující proměnné. V rámci modelu bylo zjištěno, že hlavní úroková míra a vývoj devizových rezerv mají výrazný vliv na vývoj konečného cíle měnové politiky. V práci byl zjištěn zásadní vliv devizových intervencí, který byl dán nastavením nominálních úrokových sazeb na technickou nulu.This bachelor thesis is devoted to evaluation of the effectiveness of monetary policy of the Czech National Bank. The main objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of the monetary policy of the Czech National Bank during the period of use of the inflation targeting mechanism. In particular, the impact of major monetary policy instruments on the development of the final target of the central bank in the Czech Republic is assessed. A multiple linear regression model was developed to evaluate the effect on the development of the final target. In this model, the rate of inflation is an explained variable. The central bank's key interest rate and the development of foreign exchange reserves are explanatory variables. The model found that the key interest rate and the development of foreign exchange reserves had a significant impact on the development of the final monetary policy objective. In the work was found the fundamental influence of foreign exchange interventions, which was determined by zero bound nominal interest rates.156 - Katedra národohospodářskávýborn

Analysis of Economic Indicators Using Statistical Methods

Tato bakalářská práce je zaměřena na analýzu ekonomický ukazatelů pomocí statistických metod ve firmě D - Fortel s.r.o. V první části práce jsou popsaná teoretická východiska těchto ukazatelů. V druhé části jsou dané ukazatele aplikovány na samotnou firmu a poslední část této práce je zaměřena na vlastní návrhy řešení pro zlepšení finanční situace.This bachelor thesis focuses on analysis of economic indicators with the usage of statistical methods in the D-Fortel s.r.o. company. The first part concentrates on theoretical basis of the indicators. In the second part are the concrete indicators applied to analyze the D-Fortel company. The last part of this thesis brings on proposals for improvement of the financial situation of this company.

Predicting the energy output of wind farms based on weather data: important variables and their correlation

Pre-print available at: http://arxiv.org/abs/1109.1922Wind energy plays an increasing role in the supply of energy world wide. The energy output of a wind farm is highly dependent on the weather conditions present at its site. If the output can be predicted more accurately, energy suppliers can coordinate the collaborative production of different energy sources more efficiently to avoid costly overproduction. In this paper, we take a computer science perspective on energy prediction based on weather data and analyze the important parameters as well as their correlation on the energy output. To deal with the interaction of the different parameters, we use symbolic regression based on the genetic programming tool DataModeler. Our studies are carried out on publicly available weather and energy data for a wind farm in Australia. We report on the correlation of the different variables for the energy output. The model obtained for energy prediction gives a very reliable prediction of the energy output for newly supplied weather data. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.Ekaterina Vladislavleva, Tobias Friedrich, Frank Neumann, Markus Wagne

Extended DFT+U+V method with on-site and inter-site electronic interactions

In this article we introduce a generalization of the popular DFT+U method based on the extended Hubbard model that includes on-site and inter-site electronic interactions. The novel corrective Hamiltonian is designed to study systems for which electrons are not completely localized on atomic states (according to the general scheme of Mott localization) and hybridization between orbitals from different sites plays an important role. The application of the extended functional to archetypal Mott - charge-transfer (NiO) and covalently bonded insulators (Si and GaAs) demonstrates its accuracy and versatility and the possibility to obtain a unifying and equally accurate description for a broad range of very diverse systems