<p>This thesis consists of an introduction and four papers exploring various aspects of the Namibian economy. These aspects cover shadow pricing, environmental valuation and capital market development in Namibia.</p><p>Paper I estimates the shadow prices of capital, labour and foreign exchange for the Namibian economy. The results suggest that the shadow price of capital for Namibia is 7.2%. The economic costs of Namibian labour, as a share of financial costs, are 32% for urban semi- and unskilled labour, and 54% for rural semi- and unskilled labour. The economic cost of foreign labour as a share of financial costs is 59%. The estimated shadow exchange rate factor is 4% for the Namibian economy.</p><p>Paper II derives a set of accounting price ratios (APRs) for the various economic sectors of Namibia by using the Semi-Input–Output (SIO) Technique. An APR is the ratio between the market or financial price and the efficiency or economic value of a specific commodity or sector, which is useful for the economic analysis of investment or development initiatives. This larger set of APRs, derived on the basis of information contained in a Namibian Social Accounting Matrix (SAM), should be useful in improving the effective appraisal of development projects and other major investment programmes in Namibia.</p><p>Paper III analyses returns and volatility on the Namibian and South African stock markets, using the daily closing indices of the Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). The sample covers the period from 4 January 1999 to 20 March 2003. The methodology has three main parts: (i) unit root tests, (ii) cointegration analysis, and (iii) volatility modelling. The results show that the two markets exhibit very low correlations, and there is no evidence of a linear relationship between the markets. Furthermore, a volatility analysis shows evidence of no spillover effects. These results suggest that the NSX could be an attractive risk diversification tool for regional portfolio diversification in southern Africa</p><p>Paper IV studies the determinants of property prices in the township areas of Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. The work‟s major finding is that properties located close to an environmental bad (e.g. garbage dump) sell at considerable discounts. On the other hand, properties located near an environmental good (e.g. a recreational open space) sell at a premium. These results provide evidence of the importance of environmental quality in lower-income property markets in developing countries. It is important, therefore, for Namibian urban planners to incorporate environmental quality into the planning framework for lower-income areas.</p>

This thesis consists of an introduction and four papers exploring various aspects of the Namibian economy. These aspects cover shadow pricing, environmental valuation and capital market development in Namibia. Paper I estimates the shadow prices of capital, labour and foreign exchange for the Namibian economy. The results suggest that the shadow price of capital for Namibia is 7.2%. The economic costs of Namibian labour, as a share of financial costs, are 32% for urban semi- and unskilled labour, and 54% for rural semi- and unskilled labour. The economic cost of foreign labour as a share of financial costs is 59%. The estimated shadow exchange rate factor is 4% for the Namibian economy. Paper II derives a set of accounting price ratios (APRs) for the various economic sectors of Namibia by using the Semi-Input–Output (SIO) Technique. An APR is the ratio between the market or financial price and the efficiency or economic value of a specific commodity or sector, which is useful for the economic analysis of investment or development initiatives. This larger set of APRs, derived on the basis of information contained in a Namibian Social Accounting Matrix (SAM), should be useful in improving the effective appraisal of development projects and other major investment programmes in Namibia. Paper III analyses returns and volatility on the Namibian and South African stock markets, using the daily closing indices of the Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). The sample covers the period from 4 January 1999 to 20 March 2003. The methodology has three main parts: (i) unit root tests, (ii) cointegration analysis, and (iii) volatility modelling. The results show that the two markets exhibit very low correlations, and there is no evidence of a linear relationship between the markets. Furthermore, a volatility analysis shows evidence of no spillover effects. These results suggest that the NSX could be an attractive risk diversification tool for regional portfolio diversification in southern Africa Paper IV studies the determinants of property prices in the township areas of Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. The work‟s major finding is that properties located close to an environmental bad (e.g. garbage dump) sell at considerable discounts. On the other hand, properties located near an environmental good (e.g. a recreational open space) sell at a premium. These results provide evidence of the importance of environmental quality in lower-income property markets in developing countries. It is important, therefore, for Namibian urban planners to incorporate environmental quality into the planning framework for lower-income areas.

Det särskilda sektorsansvaret är en ordning inom miljöpolitiken som innebär att varje sektor har ansvar för att hantera de miljöproblem som orsakas inom sektorn. På grund av detta ansvar finns ett behov av att kartlägga miljöproblem från sektorer, att identifiera de viktigaste problemen och att hitta strategier för att minska miljöpåverkan. Jordbrukssektorn och energisektorn är två sektorer som orsakar stor miljöpåverkan, vilket gör dem intressanta som fallstudier. För att undersöka miljöpåverkan och möjligheten att minska denna i de båda sektorerna används ett systemanalytiskt perspektiv. Ett sådant angreppssätt ger möjlighet att analysera frågorna på ett mer genomgripande sätt, så att problemen inte endast förflyttas och istället skapar problem på andra håll i världen eller för framtida generationer, eller att ett problem reduceras medan ett annat istället ökar. Med ett systemperspektiv kan även indirekta effekter inkluderas när strategier för minskad miljöpåverkan i sektorn analyseras. De indirekta effekterna omfattar påverkan som sker uppströms och nedströms produktionskedjan, liksom påverkan från konsumenter. En metod för att bedöma miljöpåverkan från en sektor har utarbetats och testats på jordbruks- och energisektorn (Artikel I och II). Metoden är en hybridmetod baserad på miljöexpanderad input-output analys (IOA) och livscykelanalys (LCA). IOA-data från Miljöräkenskaperna används som utgångspunkt för inventeringen. Dessa data ger information om både direkt och indirekt miljöpåverkan från sektorn. För att fånga även sådana miljöaspekter som inte omfattas av miljöräkenskaperna används sedan de svenska miljökvalitetsmålen som en checklista, och information om den miljöpåverkan som inte finns med i IOA hämtas från litteraturen. För vidare hantering av den insamlade informationen om utsläpp och resursanvändning används karaktäriserings- och värderingsmetoder från LCA-metodologin. Därigenom kan s.k. hotspots, dvs de viktigaste problemen, identifieras. Baserat på denna hybridmetod blev resultatet att i jordbrukssektorn är de viktigaste frågorna biologisk mångfald, växthuseffekt, övergödning, användning av icke-förnybara resurser och troligen även toxicitet genom användningen av bekämpningsmedel. I energisektorn är de viktigaste problemen luftkvalitet, växthuseffekt, användning av icke-förnybara resurser och toxicitet. En analys av policies inom sektorerna (Artikel III) visar att både jordbruks- och energisektorn fokuserar delvis på de problem som identifierats som hotspots i sektorsanalyserna, men att vissa av de viktiga problemen inte ägnas så stor uppmärksamhet. I jordbrukssektorn är fokus huvudsakligen riktat mot biologisk mångfald och toxicitet, medan energisektorn framför allt fokuserar på växthuseffekt och användning av icke-förnybara resurser. En andra IOA-LCA hybridmetod, Energy Analysis Programme, har använts för att studera hushållens direkta och indirekta energianvändning (Artikel IV och V). Genom en kombination av IOA och processdata kan energiintensiteten (dvs. energi per monetär enhet, MJ/SEK) beräknas av ett stort antal varor och tjänster. När dessa beräkningar kombineras med information om hur ett hushåll spenderar sin inkomst kan hushållens totala energianvändning beräknas. Beräkningarna ger också information om hur inkomsten kan spenderas på mer energisnåla sätt. En ytterligare studie gjordes för att visa på betydelsen av minskat livsmedelssvinn som strategi för minskad miljöpåverkan inom livsmedelssektorn (Artikel VI). Resultaten från studierna med konsumentperspektiv kan användas för att identifiera strategier för hur konsumenterna kan bidra till minskad miljöpåverkan i de båda fallsektorerna. För jordbrukssektorns del kan konsumenterna bidra till minskad miljöpåverkan framför allt genom en minskad konsumtion av animalier. När det gäller energisektorn är minskad energianvändning en viktig strategi, liksom att fortsatt sträva efter att ersätta fossila bränslen och uran med förnybara bränslen. / National sector responsibility legislation places specific obligations on Swedish sector authorities to handle environmental issues within their sector. Because of this responsibility, there is a need to map environmental impacts from sectors and to identify key problems and strategies to reduce impacts in each sector. Agriculture and energy are two sectors causing severe environmental impacts, and these are therefore interesting as case studies. Employing a systems perspective when exploring impacts and options for their reduction ensures that problems are not simply shifted in time or space or between problems, but are considered in a holistic manner. Using this perspective, indirect effects such as changes upstream or downstream of the production chain, as well as among consumers, can be considered when seeking strategies to reduce environmental impacts in a sector. A method to investigate environmental impacts from a sector was developed and tested in the cases of agriculture and energy (Papers I and II). The method was based on environmentally extended Input-Output Analysis (IOA) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). IOA-data from Swedish Environmental Accounts were used as the starting point for the inventory. Such data provide information on direct and indirect impacts from the sector. To capture those aspects not included in the Environmental Accounts, the Swedish Environmental Quality Objectives were subsequently used as a checklist, and information on the missing aspects was obtained from literature. For further processing of the data, characterisation and weighting methods from LCA methodology were used to identify hotspots, i.e. the most important problems. The results showed that biodiversity, greenhouse effect, eutrophication, use of non-renewable resources and toxicity were potential hotspots in the agriculture sector. In the energy sector, the hotspots were air quality, greenhouse effect, use of non-renewable resources and toxicity. Analysis of sector policies (Paper III) showed that both sectors are focusing on some of the hotspots identified, but other important problems are not receiving sufficient attention. In the agriculture sector, the focus is principally on biodiversity and toxicity, while the energy sector mainly focuses on issues of climate change and non-renewable resources. A second hybrid IOA-LCA method (Energy Analysis Programme, EAP) was employed to study direct and indirect use of energy carriers in households (Papers IV and V). Through a combination of IOA and process data, the energy intensity (energy per monetary unit, e.g. MJ/SEK) of a large number of goods and services was calculated. When combined with information on household expenditure, these data provided information on total household use of fuels and electricity and provided insights into spending patterns that could result in lower energy intensity. A final study investigated the significance of reducing food losses as a strategy to reduce environmental impacts from the food sector (Paper VI). The results from the studies with a consumer perspective were used to identify how consumers can contribute to reducing environmental impacts in the two sectors investigated. For agriculture, consumers can help reduce impacts through reduced consumption of animal products, while for energy, reduced energy use in households is important, as is further substitution of fossil fuels. / QC 20110124

Cette thèse a pour ambition de transposer l'analyse du commerce international au niveau sub-national en examinant la structure et les déterminants du commerce entre états brésiliens, et avec les marchés internationaux. Dans un chapitre introductif, on présente les faits stylisés sur la le commerce brésilien en se concentrant essentiellement sur les caractéristiques des états brésiliens. Dans le premier chapitre, notre modèle de gravité, estime séparément les capacités d'exportation des états vers les marchés domestique et international. Les résultats montrent que les états les mieux classés en termes de capacités d'exportation vers le marché international ne se confondent pas avec les plus orientés vers le marché domestique. Dans le second chapitre, on utilise un modèle de gravité pour mettre en évidence les effets de création et de détournement de commerce ainsi qu'un un effet d' " érosion des préférences ". Nous montrons que le MERCOSUR a permis d'augmenter le commerce des états avec les pays membres, sans effets significatifs sur le commerce inter-états ou avec les pays tiers. Les organisations internationales, suggèrent que le commerce en valeur ajoutée est une meilleure mesure pour analyser l'impact des échanges internationaux sur l'économie quand le contenu en importations des exportations est important. Dans un dernier chapitre, on calcule ainsi les valeurs ajoutées exportées des états brésiliens à partir d'un tableau Input-Output inter-états (2008) pour analyser et mesurer les spécialisations verticales entre les états. On estime également un modèle de gravité de commerce en valeur ajoutée qu'on élargit à un cadre trilatéral: l'état d'origine, l'état ré-exportateur et le pays importateur.

Communities of different sizes in Saskatchewan seeking economic opportunities have shown interest in ethanol production because of the perceived benefits a region can capture from such a project. In spite of this interest and the perceived benefits, no information on the type and magnitude of economic impacts which would accrue to different sized communities existed. This study was undertaken to fill this information gap by establishing facts on the economic impacts various levels of communities could capture from ethanol-cattle production complexes. Since Saskatchewan communities operate in a hierarchical fashion and are classified into seven levels using central place theory, questions concerning economic development should be viewed in a regional hierarchical framework. A seven-region hierarchically-based interregional input-output model for the Saskatchewan economy was constructed using the Supply-Demand Pool (SDP) method in combination with the logical assumptions regarding trade patterns within the central place region. It was assumed that higher-level regions are surplus regions in goods produced by non-primary sectors, and hence ship excess supply to producers and final users in the dominated lower-level regions and outside of the province. On the other hand, it was assumed that the hinterland region dominates trade in goods in the primary sectors. The hinterland earned income by producing and supplying goods and services in the primary sectors to the higher-level regions and outside the province. The model consisted of 14 aggregated sectors seven household sectors, and allowed for net flows of labour income through commuting patterns of workers who resided in the seven regions. At the same time the consumption expenditures of residents in a particular region were adjusted for outshopping purchases. The estimated model was used to assess the economic impacts from both the construction and operation phase of an integrated ethanol-cattle production complex across six hierarchical regions. The major findings of this study were that, under both phases of the project, intraregional output and labor income impacts occurring in the high level regions were larger than those in the lower-level regions. Also, the higher-level regions experienced larger interregional impacts and had spillover coefficients of smaller magnitude compared to lower-level regions. The intraregional output and labor income impacts tended to decrease as one moves down the hierarchy from top to bottom regions. On the other hand, the spillovers or leakages were increasing as one moves down the hierarchy from higher-level regions to lower-level regions. The higher-level regions have more diversified economies and smaller leakages of income and spending than lower-level regions. On the other hand, lower-level regions experienced large income leakages through input purchases and consumer spending in neighbouring higher-level regions. The results indicate that lower-level regions will not benefit more than higher-level regions from the development of an integrated ethanol-cattle production complex. Thus, if the goal of public funding of ethanol projects is to maximize impacts in the project-region, then higher-level regions would be preferred to lower-level regions. This raises a concern that the opportunity of pursuing regional development through ethanol processing may not reach all those communities who need it the most, especially the smaller communities. On the other hand, if the objective of rural development is to solve the problems of rural communities, the policy-makers, could target lower-level regions specially those experiencing economic decline. It is important to mention that integrated ethanol-cattle production continues to enjoy subsidies from the governments. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

This thesis aims to measure additionality effect of T&Uuml / BiTAK&rsquo / s Industrial R&amp / D Projects Funding Programme and try to reveal input, output and behavioral additionality effect of it. A pilot evaluation study is conducted on firms from Ankara operating on software development sector where firms who have received T&Uuml / BiTAK funding are subject to the analysis. In order to comprehend results of the analysis, first theoretical background on emergence of industrial R&amp / D funding is explained and the need for evaluation of industrial R&amp / D funding instruments is discussed. Then, focus is turned to major changes in industrial R&amp / D policies in Turkey by taking into account of resolutions of Supreme Council of Science and Technology. After summarizing available industrial R&amp / D funding instruments in Turkey, attention is turned to T&Uuml / BiTAK&rsquo / s Industrial R&amp / D Projects Funding Programme and evaluation of the programme is explained in detail. The impact of T&Uuml / BiTAK funding on firms R&amp / D expenditures, commercial successes and behavioral changes are discussed and finally the thesis ends with a discussion on the organization of this evaluation practice as well as suggestions for further evaluation studies.

<p>Det särskilda sektorsansvaret är en ordning inom miljöpolitiken som innebär att varje sektor har ansvar för att hantera de miljöproblem som orsakas inom sektorn. På grund av detta ansvar finns ett behov av att kartlägga miljöproblem från sektorer, att identifiera de viktigaste problemen och att hitta strategier för att minska miljöpåverkan. Jordbrukssektorn och energisektorn är två sektorer som orsakar stor miljöpåverkan, vilket gör dem intressanta som fallstudier.</p><p>För att undersöka miljöpåverkan och möjligheten att minska denna i de båda sektorerna används ett systemanalytiskt perspektiv. Ett sådant angreppssätt ger möjlighet att analysera frågorna på ett mer genomgripande sätt, så att problemen inte endast förflyttas och istället skapar problem på andra håll i världen eller för framtida generationer, eller att ett problem reduceras medan ett annat istället ökar. Med ett systemperspektiv kan även indirekta effekter inkluderas när strategier för minskad miljöpåverkan i sektorn analyseras. De indirekta effekterna omfattar påverkan som sker uppströms och nedströms produktionskedjan, liksom påverkan från konsumenter.</p><p>En metod för att bedöma miljöpåverkan från en sektor har utarbetats och testats på jordbruks- och energisektorn (Artikel I och II). Metoden är en hybridmetod baserad på miljöexpanderad input-output analys (IOA) och livscykelanalys (LCA). IOA-data från Miljöräkenskaperna används som utgångspunkt för inventeringen. Dessa data ger information om både direkt och indirekt miljöpåverkan från sektorn. För att fånga även sådana miljöaspekter som inte omfattas av miljöräkenskaperna används sedan de svenska miljökvalitetsmålen som en checklista, och information om den miljöpåverkan som inte finns med i IOA hämtas från litteraturen. För vidare hantering av den insamlade informationen om utsläpp och resursanvändning används karaktäriserings- och värderingsmetoder från LCA-metodologin. Därigenom kan s.k. hotspots, dvs de viktigaste problemen, identifieras.</p><p>Baserat på denna hybridmetod blev resultatet att i jordbrukssektorn är de viktigaste frågorna biologisk mångfald, växthuseffekt, övergödning, användning av icke-förnybara resurser och troligen även toxicitet genom användningen av bekämpningsmedel. I energisektorn är de viktigaste problemen luftkvalitet, växthuseffekt, användning av icke-förnybara resurser och toxicitet.</p><p>En analys av policies inom sektorerna (Artikel III) visar att både jordbruks- och energisektorn fokuserar delvis på de problem som identifierats som hotspots i sektorsanalyserna, men att vissa av de viktiga problemen inte ägnas så stor uppmärksamhet. I jordbrukssektorn är fokus huvudsakligen riktat mot biologisk mångfald och toxicitet, medan energisektorn framför allt fokuserar på växthuseffekt och användning av icke-förnybara resurser.</p><p>En andra IOA-LCA hybridmetod, Energy Analysis Programme, har använts för att studera hushållens direkta och indirekta energianvändning (Artikel IV och V). Genom en kombination av IOA och processdata kan energiintensiteten (dvs. energi per monetär enhet, MJ/SEK) beräknas av ett stort antal varor och tjänster. När dessa beräkningar kombineras med information om hur ett hushåll spenderar sin inkomst kan hushållens totala energianvändning beräknas. Beräkningarna ger också information om hur inkomsten kan spenderas på mer energisnåla sätt. En ytterligare studie gjordes för att visa på betydelsen av minskat livsmedelssvinn som strategi för minskad miljöpåverkan inom livsmedelssektorn (Artikel VI). Resultaten från studierna med konsumentperspektiv kan användas för att identifiera strategier för hur konsumenterna kan bidra till minskad miljöpåverkan i de båda fallsektorerna. För jordbrukssektorns del kan konsumenterna bidra till minskad miljöpåverkan framför allt genom en minskad konsumtion av animalier. När det gäller energisektorn är minskad energianvändning en viktig strategi, liksom att fortsatt sträva efter att ersätta fossila bränslen och uran med förnybara bränslen.</p> / <p>National sector responsibility legislation places specific obligations on Swedish sector authorities to handle environmental issues within their sector. Because of this responsibility, there is a need to map environmental impacts from sectors and to identify key problems and strategies to reduce impacts in each sector. Agriculture and energy are two sectors causing severe environmental impacts, and these are therefore interesting as case studies.</p><p>Employing a systems perspective when exploring impacts and options for their reduction ensures that problems are not simply shifted in time or space or between problems, but are considered in a holistic manner. Using this perspective, indirect effects such as changes upstream or downstream of the production chain, as well as among consumers, can be considered when seeking strategies to reduce environmental impacts in a sector.</p><p>A method to investigate environmental impacts from a sector was developed and tested in the cases of agriculture and energy (Papers I and II). The method was based on environmentally extended Input-Output Analysis (IOA) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). IOA-data from Swedish Environmental Accounts were used as the starting point for the inventory. Such data provide information on direct and indirect impacts from the sector. To capture those aspects not included in the Environmental Accounts, the Swedish Environmental Quality Objectives were subsequently used as a checklist, and information on the missing aspects was obtained from literature. For further processing of the data, characterisation and weighting methods from LCA methodology were used to identify hotspots, i.e. the most important problems.</p><p>The results showed that biodiversity, greenhouse effect, eutrophication, use of non-renewable resources and toxicity were potential hotspots in the agriculture sector. In the energy sector, the hotspots were air quality, greenhouse effect, use of non-renewable resources and toxicity.</p><p>Analysis of sector policies (Paper III) showed that both sectors are focusing on some of the hotspots identified, but other important problems are not receiving sufficient attention. In the agriculture sector, the focus is principally on biodiversity and toxicity, while the energy sector mainly focuses on issues of climate change and non-renewable resources.</p><p>A second hybrid IOA-LCA method (Energy Analysis Programme, EAP) was employed to study direct and indirect use of energy carriers in households (Papers IV and V). Through a combination of IOA and process data, the energy intensity (energy per monetary unit, e.g. MJ/SEK) of a large number of goods and services was calculated. When combined with information on household expenditure, these data provided information on total household use of fuels and electricity and provided insights into spending patterns that could result in lower energy intensity. A final study investigated the significance of reducing food losses as a strategy to reduce environmental impacts from the food sector (Paper VI). The results from the studies with a consumer perspective were used to identify how consumers can contribute to reducing environmental impacts in the two sectors investigated. For agriculture, consumers can help reduce impacts through reduced consumption of animal products, while for energy, reduced energy use in households is important, as is further substitution of fossil fuels.</p>

The document describes the development of a micro-processor based terminal multiplexer to connect four terminals to a standard Hewlett Packard series 1000 mini-computer. The project was required to fulfill the dual roll of both increasing the number of terminals that the HPI000 could support and of reducing the peripheral load on the host CPU. The final product occupied a standard 200mm square HP size interface card and used an 8085 micro-processor and several 8085 family peripheral chips to provide four full duplex serial channels and a high speed data link with the host. A multi-tasking executive was written to control the multiplexer software which was finally implemented as 15 independent tasks occupying 8 kilo-bytes of eprom. The software was written to perform all terminal interaction and editing in order to reduce the host CPU involvement to a single interrupt per record. The resultant interface proved capable of handling an aggregate throughput in excess of 4000 characters per second which was sufficient to cope with all four terminals running at 9600 bits per second, even when all four were transferring in burst mode. The interface also proved to be between five and eighteen times less demanding on the host than the two standard Hewlett Packard interfaces then available. When compared to the low cost HP12531 interface, the multiplexer increased the 9600b/s terminal handling capability of the host from 3 terminals to 52. / Thesis (M.Sc.-Electronic Engineering)-University of Natal, 1987.

A Zenith-386 workstation was outfitted with a DICRES-54.8 paralell port board to facilitate I/C between a large Summagrid x-y coordinate digital measurement pad that has a resolution of 10 microns. Film views of high energy particle collisions can be projected onto this pad for measurement. Voice prompts via a Votrax speech synthesis system are sent at critical points during the algorithm from the Z-386 through other ports of the DICRES board. Progress in measurement is fed into the Z-386's serial port from an Interstate voice recognition system at other points of the measurement algorithm. The whole measurement process is managed by an assembler language based modular computer program. / Department of Physics and Astronomy

This thesis aims to explore how to physically interact with computational models on an interactive tabletop display. The research began with the design and implementation of several prototype systems. The research of the prototype systems showed that tangible interactions on interactive tabletops have the potential to be more effective on some tasks than traditional interfaces that use screen displays, keyboards and mice. The prototype work shaped the research to focus on the effectiveness of adopting tangible interactions on interactive tabletops. To substantiate the thesis claims, this thesis develops an interactive tabletop application, Pathways, to support the fitting process in modeling biological systems. Pathways supports the concepts of Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs) and tabletop visualizations. It realizes real-time simulation of models and provides comparisons of simulation results with experimental data on the tabletop. It also visualizes the simulation of the model with animations. In addition to that, Pathways introduces a new visualization to help systems biologists quickly compare the simulation results. This thesis provides the quantitative and qualitative evaluation results of Pathways. The evidence showed that using tangible interactions to control numerical values is practical. The results also showed that in experimental conditions users achieved better fitting results and faster fitting results on Pathways than the control group, which used the systems biologists' current tools. The results further suggested that it is possible to recruit non-experts to perform the fitting tasks that are usually done by professional systems biologists.