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The aim was to determine the difference in intelligence between singletons and twins in young adulthood. Data from the Medical Birth Register of Norway were linked with register data from the Norwegian National Conscript Service. The study base consisted of data on the 445,463 males who were born alive in either single or twin births in Norway during 1967–1984 and who were examined at the time of the mandatory military conscription (age 18–20). Within this study base, there were data on 1,653 sibships of full brothers that included at least one man born in single birth and at least one man born in twin birth (4,307 persons, including 2,378 twins and 1,929 singletons). The intelligence scores of the singletons were 11% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 9–14%) of a standard deviation higher than those of the twins, after adjustment for birth year, birth order, parental ages at delivery, parental education levels, and other factors. The adjusted within-family difference was also 11% (95 % CI: 6–16%) of a standard deviation, indicating that unmeasured factors shared by siblings (e.g., maternal body height) have not influenced the estimate in important ways. When gestational age at birth was added to the model, the estimate for the difference in intelligence score was approximately the same. Including birth weight in the model strongly reduced the estimate. In conclusion, twins born in Norway during 1967–1984 had slightly lower intelligence in early adulthood compared with the singletons.

Ethylbenzene dehydrogenase (EbDH) catalyzes the initial step in anaerobic degradation of ethylbenzene in denitrifying bacteria, namely, the oxygen-independent hydroxylation of ethylbenzene to (S)-1-phenylethanol. In our study we investigate the kinetic properties of 46 substrate analogs acting as substrates or inhibitors of the enzyme. The apparent kinetic parameters of these compounds give important insights into the function of the enzyme and are consistent with the predicted catalytic mechanism based on a quantum chemical calculation model. In particular, the existence of the proposed substrate-derived radical and carbocation intermediates is substantiated by the formation of alternative dehydrogenated and hydroxylated products from some substrates, which can be regarded as mechanistic models. In addition, these results also show the surprisingly high diversity of EbDH in hydroxylating different kinds of alkylaromatic and heterocyclic compounds to the respective alcohols. This may lead to attractive industrial applications of ethylbenzene dehydrogenase for a new process of producing alcohols via hydroxylation of the corresponding aromatic hydrocarbons rather than the customary procedure of reducing the corresponding ketones. ; the priority program 1319 of the German Research Foundation (DFG), he excellence program LOEWE/Synmikro from the state of Hessen in Germany, computational grant MNiSW/SGI3700/PAN/121/2006, the Polish National Science Center under grant N N204 269038, Biotransformations for Pharmaceutical and Cosmetics Industry No. POIG.01.03.01-00-158/09-00, funded in part by the European Union within the European Regional Development Fund. ; Maciej Szaleniec

Incluye bibliografía ; This article combines a discrete choice model of demand for residential local telephone access and an optimal price regulation model to estimate the welfare weights that state regulators place on consumers with different incomes and locations. I fi nd no evidence of a bias towards rural consumers on average, but the relative weight on low income consumers in a geographic area can vary as a function of the proportions of rural and poor population and the political characteristics of the regulator. I also measure the welfare consequences of deviating from total consumer surplus maximization and disconnecting prices from costs ; Este artículo combina un modelo de elección discreta para la demanda de acceso residencial a la red telefónica local y un modelo de regulación óptima de precios para estimar los pesos que los reguladores estatales asocian al bienestar de consumidores con distintos niveles de renta y localización geográfi ca. En media, no se encuentra evidencia de un sesgo a favor de los consumidores rurales, pero sí de que el peso asociado al bienestar de los consumidores de renta baja puede variar como una función de las proporciones de población rural y en situación de pobreza, así como de las características políticas del regulador. También mido las consecuencias en el bienestar social de la desviación con respecto al criterio de maximización del bienestar de los consumidores y de desconectar precios y costes

Despite a commitment by the European Union to protect its migratory bat populations, conservation efforts are hindered by a poor understanding of bat migratory strategies and connectivity between breeding and wintering grounds. Traditional methods like mark-recapture are ineffective to study broad-scale bat migratory patterns. Stable hydrogen isotopes (dD) have been proven useful in establishing spatial migratory connectivity of animal populations. Before applying this tool, the method was calibrated using bat samples of known origin. Here we established the potential of dD as a robust geographical tracer of breeding origins of European bats by measuring dD in hair of five sedentary bat species from 45 locations throughout Europe. The dD of bat hair strongly correlated with well-established spatial isotopic patterns in mean annual precipitation in Europe, and therefore was highly correlated with latitude. We calculated a linear mixed-effects model, with species as random effect, linking dD of bat hair to precipitation dD of the areas of hair growth. This model can be used to predict breeding origins of European migrating bats. We used d13C and d15N to discriminate among potential origins of bats, and found that these isotopes can be used as variables to further refine origin predictions. A triple-isotope approach could thereby pinpoint populations or subpopulations that have distinct origins. Our results further corroborated stable isotope analysis as a powerful method to delineate animal migrations in Europe ; Peer reviewed

One of the many implications of the process of language democratization which started post-1994 in South Africa is the empowerment of the previously marginalized South African Bantu languages to become languages of higher functions, i.e. languages of learning and teaching, and also of scientific discourse. This in turn implies the development, consolidation and especially standardization of terminology for each of these languages, and the compilation of LSP dictionaries. This article describes the terminological processing of a technical source text prior to translation, which formed part of the compilation of a Quadrilingual Explanatory Dictionary of Chemistry. It reports on the model of terminology management that was utilized and explores strategies for the internal standardization of terms in the absence of readily available, standardized chemistry terminology. ; Een van die talle implikasies van die proses van taaldemokratisering wat na 1994 in Suid-Afrika plaasgevind het, is die bemagtiging van die voorheen benadeelde Suid-Afrikaanse Bantoetale om ook tale van hoër funksies te word, dit wil sê tale van onderrig en leer, en ook tale van wetenskaplike diskoers. Dit impliseer die ontwikkeling, konsolidasie en veral standaardisering van terminologie vir elkeen van hierdie tale, asook die saamstel van vakwoordeboeke. Hierdie artikel beskryf die terminologiese prosessering van 'n tegniese teks voor die vertaling daarvan. Die vertaling vorm deel van die samestelling van 'n Viertalige Verklarende Chemiewoordeboek. Die artikel lewer verslag oor die model van terminologiebestuur wat gebruik is en verken strategieë vir die interne standaardisering van terme in die afwesigheid van algemeen-beskikbare, gestandaardiseerde chemieterme.

In standard models of Bayesian learning, agents reduce their uncertainty about an event's true probability because their consistent estimator concentrates almost surely around this probability's true value as the number of observations becomes large. This paper takes the empirically observed violations of Savage's (Savage, L. J. 1954. The Foundations of Statistics. John Wiley & Sons, New York) sure thing principle seriously and asks whether Bayesian learners with ambiguity attitudes will reduce their ambiguity when sample information becomes large. To address this question, I develop closed-form models of Bayesian learning in which beliefs are described as Choquet estimators with respect to neoadditive capacities (Chateauneuf, A., J. Eichberger, S. Grant. 2007. Choice under uncertainty with the best and worst in mind: Neo-additive capacities. J. Econom. Theory 137(1) 538–567). Under the optimistic, the pessimistic, and the full Bayesian update rules, a Bayesian learner's ambiguity will increase rather than decrease to the effect that these agents will express ambiguity attitudes regardless of whether they have access to large sample information or not. Although consistent Bayesian learning occurs under the Sarin and Wakker (Sarin, R., P. P. Wakker. 1998b. Revealed likelihood and Knightian uncertainty. J. Risk Uncertainty 16(3) 223–250) update rule, this result comes with the descriptive drawback that it does not apply to agents who still express ambiguity attitudes after one round of updating.

Road tunnels are vital infrastructures providing underground vehicular passageways for commuters and motorists. Various quantitative risk assessment (QRA) models have recently been developed and employed to evaluate the safety levels of road tunnels in terms of societal risk (as measured by the F/N curve). For a particular road tunnel, traffic volume and proportion of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) are two adjustable parameters that may significantly affect the societal risk, and are thus very useful in implementing risk reduction solutions. To evaluate the impact the two contributing factors have on the risk, this article first presents an approach that employs a QRA model to generate societal risk for a series of possible combinations of the two factors. Some combinations may result in F/N curves that do not fulfill a predetermined safety target. This article thus proposes an "excess risk index" in order to quantify the road tunnel risk magnitudes that do not pass the safety target. The two‐factor impact analysis can be illustrated by a contour chart based on the excess risk. Finally, the methodology has been applied to Singapore's KPE road tunnel and the results show that in terms of meeting the test safety target for societal risk, the traffic capacity of the tunnel should be no more than 1,200 vehs/h/lane, with a maximum proportion of 18% HGVs.

The existence of formal IPR laws can be considered a prerequisite for having efficient law enforcement but does not imply efficient enforcement in itself. A simple model is constructed to explain the interplay between the IPR law and human behavior within counterfeiting countries. It shows how a politically monitored IPR enforcement strategy is able to alter formal IPR laws or institutions but might not affect informal institutions, or human morals and behavior, to the same extent, hence barely affecting piracy situation. The model shows the essential role of informal institutions and its sanction mechanisms in the enforcement process. The main obstacle of IPR enforcement is that people are still not convinced that IPR violations are unethical. Religion can be considered an informal institution that might support or hinder formal laws issued with regards to IPR and hence influence de facto enforcement of laws, especially in countries with high piracy rate if a high adherence to religion is found. As the Religion-Loyalty Index (RLI) developed by this study shows, Muslim countries have the highest religiosity level among different religions. Consequently, an investigation of how Islamic jurisprudence views IPR piracy is conducted. As Islam generally prohibits IPR piracy, a set of policy recommendations based on new institutional perspective is presented that can effectively help in minimizing IPR piracy in developing countries in general and Muslim ones in specific.

The riverine tsetse species Glossina palpalis gambiensis Vanderplank 1949 (Diptera: Glossinidae) inhabits riparian forests along river systems in West Africa. The government of Senegal has embarked on a project to eliminate this tsetse species, and African animal trypanosomoses, from the Niayes area using an area-wide integrated pest management approach.A stratified entomological sampling strategy was therefore developed using spatial analytical tools, remote sensing and mathematical modeling. A preliminary phyto-sociological census identified eight types of suitable habitat, which could be discriminated from LandSat 7ETM+ satellite images and denominated wet areas. At the end of March 2009, 683 unbaited Vavoua traps had been deployed, and the observed infested area in the Niayes was 525 km2. In the remaining area, a mathematical model was used to assess the risk that flies were present despite a sequence of zero catches. The analysis showed that this risk was above 0.05 in 19% of this area that will be considered as infested during the control operations. The remote sensing analysis that identified the wet areas allowed a restriction of the area to be surveyed to 4% of the total surface area (7,150 km2), whereas the mathematical model provided an efficient method to improve the accuracy and the robustness of the sampling protocol. The study thus allowed defining the limits of the target population for the eradication campaign. This entomological sampling procedure might be used for other vector or pest control scenarios. (Texte intégral)

Objective: This article presents a model for predicting complex collaborative processes as they arise in one-of-a-kind problem-solving situations to predict performance outcomes. The goal is to outline a set of key processes and their interrelationship and to describe how these can be used to predict collaboration processes embedded within problem-solving contexts. Background: Teams are increasingly called upon to address complex problem-solving tasks in novel situations. This represents a domain of performance that to date has been underrepresented in the research literature. Method: Multidisciplinary theoretical and empirical literature relating to knowledge work in teams is synthesized. Results: A set of propositions developed to guide research into how teams externalize cognition and build knowledge in service of problem solving is presented. First, a brief overview of macrocognition in teams is provided to distinguish the present work from other views of team cognition. Second, a description of the foundational theoretical concepts driving the theory of macrocognition in teams presented here is provided. Third, a set of propositions described within the context of a model of macrocognition in teams is forwarded. Conclusion: The theoretical framework described in this article provides a set of empirically testable propositions that can ultimately guide practitioners in efforts to support macrocognition in teams. Application: A theory of macrocognition in teams can provide guidance for the development of training interventions and the design of collaborative tools to facilitate knowledge-based performance in teams.

The riverine tsetse species Glossina palpalis gambiensis Vanderplank 1949 (Diptera: Glossinidae) inhabits riparian forests along river systems in West Africa. The government of Senegal has embarked on a project to eliminate this tsetse species, and African animal trypanosomoses, from the Niayes area using an area-wide integrated pest management approach. A stratified entomological sampling strategy was therefore developed using spatial analytical tools and mathematical modeling. A preliminary phytosociological census identified eight types of suitable habitat, which could be discriminated from LandSat 7 ETM (+) satellite images and denominated wet areas. At the end of March 2009, 683 unbaited Vavoua traps had been deployed, and the observed infested area in the Niayes was 525 km(2). In the remaining area, a mathematical model was used to assess the risk that flies were present despite a sequence of zero catches. The analysis showed that this risk was above 0.05 in 19% of this area that will be considered as infested during the control operations. The remote sensing analysis that identified the wet areas allowed a restriction of the area to be surveyed to 4% of the total surface area (7,150 km(2)), whereas the mathematical model provided an efficient method to improve the accuracy and the robustness of the sampling protocol. The final size of the control area will be decided based on the entomological collection data. This entomological sampling procedure might be used for other vector or pest control scenarios.

This paper explores climate change adaptation within national policy priorities in a least developed country (LDC). The starting point of the article is that in the questions of food security, climate is an exogenous trigger, while the deeper causes lie in social problems. Therefore, adaptation is subordinate to poverty alleviation. The paper examines how these two goals are combined with respect to different adaptation strategies and governance models. Recent studies have shown that the most effective way to adapt to changing climate conditions in a poor country is to rely on local institutions that have established and sustainable mechanisms to deal with extreme climate conditions. The study analyses how the stakeholder model, which calls for the participation of both governmental and non-governmental institutions, is applied in climate change adaptation activities in Ethiopia. The study includes field research to study how local institutions are used to strengthen the resilience of communities in changing climate conditions. The field study was carried out among pastoral communities in the Borana Zone and in the lowland areas of the Guji Zone in the Oromia Regional State of Ethiopia. The study is based on semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders as well as secondary material consisting of policy statements, project documents and research literature. The study concludes that local institutions are poorly integrated in the process while traditional adaptation strategies, including mobility are practically neglected.

Trabajo presentado al "European Economic Association and Econometric Society 2009 Parallel Meetings" celebrado en Barcelona y al "American Political Science Association (APSA) Annual Meeting" celebrado en USA en 2010. ; We present a formal model of intra-party politics to explain candidate selection within parties. We think of parties as heterogeneous groups of individuals who aim to implement a set of policies but who differ in their priorities. When party heterogeneity is too large, parties are in danger of splitting into smaller yet more homogeneous groups. In this context we argue that primaries can have a unifying role if the party elite cannot commit to policy concessions. Our model shows how alignment in the preferred policies of various factions within a party, the relative weight of each of these factions and the electoral system interact to create incentives for the adoption of primary elections. We discuss the existing empirical literature in the light of our theoretical predictions to provide a new, structured perspective on the adoption of primary elections. ; We thank Stephen Ansolabehere, Fernando Aragon, Torun Dewan, Simon Hix, Massimo Morelli, Kenneth Shepsle, James Snyder, participants of the APSA 2010 Annual Meetings and seminar participants at the London School of Economics and Universitat Aut onoma of Barcelona for helpful comments and discussions. Hannes Mueller acknowledges financial support by the Juan de la Cierva programme. ; Peer reviewed

Abstract. The POSEIDON weather forecasting system became operational at the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR) in October 1999. The system with its nesting capability provided 72-h forecasts in two different model domains, i.e. 25- and 10-km grid spacing. The lower-resolution domain covered an extended area that included most of Europe, Mediterranean Sea and N. Africa, while the higher resolution domain focused on the Eastern Mediterranean. A major upgrade of the system was recently implemented in the framework of the POSEIDON-II project (2005–2008). The aim was to enhance the forecasting skill of the system through improved model parameterization schemes and advanced numerical techniques for assimilating available observations to produce high resolution analysis fields. The configuration of the new system is applied on a horizontal resolution of 1/20°×1/20° (~5 km) covering the Mediterranean basin, Black Sea and part of North Atlantic providing up to 5-day forecasts. This paper reviews and compares the current with the previous weather forecasting systems at HCMR presenting quantitative verification statistics from the pre-operational period (from mid-November 2007 to October 2008). The statistics are based on verification against surface observations from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) network across the Eastern Mediterranean region. The results indicate that the use of the new system can significantly improve the weather forecasts.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify the challenges of humanitarian logisticians with respect to different types of disasters, phases of disaster relief and the type of humanitarian organization. A conceptual model is constructed that serves as a basis to identify these challenges.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on a country as a case, namely Ghana. Structured and unstructured data are collected in a workshop with humanitarian logisticians, and complemented with presentations of humanitarian logisticians, as they perceive their challenges. Disaster statistics and country profiles are used as secondary data.FindingsThe paper shows that some disasters defy a categorization between natural and man‐made causes. Challenges of humanitarian logisticians depend not only on the disaster at hand, but also on the local presence of their organization. The most emphasized challenge is the coordination of logistical activities. Challenges can be managed better if attributing them to different stakeholder environments.Research limitations/implicationsApplying stakeholder theory to logistics, this paper provides a greater understanding for the challenges of humanitarian logisticians.Practical implicationsA stakeholder categorization of the challenges of humanitarian logisticians helps to find potential collaboration partners as well as to mitigate these challenges.Originality/valueHumanitarian logistics is a rather new field in logistics literature. What is more, there is a lack of empirical cases in the field. This paper proposes a conceptual model based on an actual empirical case.