diff --git a/MyTimer.cpp b/MyTimer.cpp
index 0681cd0..7bb34c0 100644
--- a/MyTimer.cpp
+++ b/MyTimer.cpp
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ void MyTimer::adjust(double &time,char f){//{{{
    if(f=='h')time/=3600.0;
 }//}}}
 void MyTimer::write(double time,char f){//{{{
-   if(!quiet)messageF("[time: +%lf %c]\n",time,f);
+   if(!quiet)messageF("[time: +%.2lf %c]\n",time,f);
 }//}}}
 MyTimer::MyTimer(){//{{{
    N=1;
@@ -33,6 +33,13 @@ double MyTimer::split(long timer, char f){//{{{
    times[timer]=time(NULL);
    return ret;
 }//}}}
+double MyTimer::getTime(long timer, char f){//{{{
+   if(timer>=N)return 0;
+   double ret;
+   ret=time(NULL)-times[timer];
+   adjust(ret,f);
+   return ret;
+}//}}}
 double MyTimer::current(long timer, char f){//{{{
    if(timer>=N)return 0;
    double ret;
diff --git a/MyTimer.h b/MyTimer.h
index f017e3a..26d3bcd 100644
--- a/MyTimer.h
+++ b/MyTimer.h
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ class MyTimer{
    void setVerbose(){quiet=false;}
    void start(long timer=0);
    double split(long timer=0, char f='s');
+   double getTime(long timer=0, char f='s');
    double current(long timer=0, char f='s');
    double stop(long timer=0, char f='s');
 };
diff --git a/VariationalBayes.cpp b/VariationalBayes.cpp
index 240ebb3..edf495f 100644
--- a/VariationalBayes.cpp
+++ b/VariationalBayes.cpp
@@ -129,6 +129,7 @@ void VariationalBayes::optimize(bool verbose,OPT_TYPE method,long maxIter,double
    double boundOld,bound,squareNorm,squareNormOld=1,valBeta=0,valBetaDiv,natGrad_i,gradGamma_i,phiGradPhiSum_r;
    double *gradPhi,*natGrad,*gradGamma,*searchDir,*tmpD,*phiOld;
    gradPhi=natGrad=gradGamma=searchDir=tmpD=phiOld=NULL;
+   MyTimer timer;
    // allocate stuff {{{
    //SimpleSparse *phiGradPhi=new SimpleSparse(beta);
    gradPhi = new double[T];
@@ -151,6 +152,7 @@ void VariationalBayes::optimize(bool verbose,OPT_TYPE method,long maxIter,double
    #endif
 #endif
    boundOld=getBound();
+   timer.start();
    while(true){
       negGradient(gradPhi);
       // "yuck"
@@ -248,7 +250,7 @@ void VariationalBayes::optimize(bool verbose,OPT_TYPE method,long maxIter,double
          #ifdef SHOW_FIXED
             messageF("iter(%c): %5.ld  bound: %.3lf grad: %.7lf  beta: %.7lf  fixed: %ld\n",(usedSteepest?'s':'o'),iteration,bound,squareNorm,valBeta,phi->countAboveDelta(0.999));
          #else
-            messageF("iter(%c): %5.ld  bound: %.3lf grad: %.7lf  beta: %.7lf\n",(usedSteepest?'s':'o'),iteration,bound,squareNorm,valBeta);
+            messageF("iter(%c)[%5.lds]: %5.ld  bound: %.3lf grad: %.7lf  beta: %.7lf\n",(usedSteepest?'s':'o'),(long)timer.getTime(),iteration,bound,squareNorm,valBeta);
          #endif
       }else if(!quiet){
          messageF("\riter(%c): %5.ld  bound: %.3lf grad: %.7lf  beta: %.7lf      ",(usedSteepest?'s':'o'),iteration,bound,squareNorm,valBeta);
diff --git a/changeList b/changeList
index b501722..38e2250 100644
--- a/changeList
+++ b/changeList
@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@
 Improvements:
 - parseAlignment adding option to mateNamesDiffer [!! add note that this can't be used with mixed alignments !!]
 
+Bug fixes:
+- estimateExpression didn't use more cores when number of chains was changed in parameters file.
+
 0.7.4
 [0.7.3] (bug in copying alignment)
 [0.7.2]
diff --git a/estimateExpression.cpp b/estimateExpression.cpp
index fea466f..489968f 100644
--- a/estimateExpression.cpp
+++ b/estimateExpression.cpp
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 #define SS second
 
 //#define LOG_NEED
+//#define LOG_RHAT
 TranscriptInfo trInfo;
 
 long  M;//, mAll; // M : number of transcripts (include transcript 0 ~ Noise)
@@ -155,6 +156,19 @@ void MCMC(TagAlignments *alignments,gibbsParameters &gPar,ArgumentParser &args){
    vector<pairD> betwVar(M),withVar(M),s2j(M),totAverage(M),av,var;
    vector<pair<pairD,long> > rHat2(M);
    // }}}
+   // Names: {{{
+   stringstream sstr;
+   #ifdef LOG_RHAT
+      sstr.str("");
+      sstr<<args.getS("outFilePrefix")<<".rhatLog";
+      string rhatLogFile = sstr.str();
+   #endif
+   #ifdef LOG_NEED
+      sstr.str("");
+      sstr<<args.getS("outFilePrefix")<<".effLog";
+      string effLogFile = sstr.str();
+   #endif
+   // }}}
    // Init: {{{
    DEBUG(message("Initialization:\n"));
    samplesN=gPar.samplesN();
@@ -170,7 +184,8 @@ void MCMC(TagAlignments *alignments,gibbsParameters &gPar,ArgumentParser &args){
          samplers[j] = new GibbsSampler;
    }
 
-   timer.start();;
+   timer.start();
+   timer.start(1);
    if(args.isSet("seed"))seed=args.getL("seed");
    else seed = time(NULL);
    if(args.verbose)message("seed: %ld\n",seed);
@@ -208,6 +223,7 @@ void MCMC(TagAlignments *alignments,gibbsParameters &gPar,ArgumentParser &args){
       }
    }
 #endif
+   totalSamples = gPar.burnIn();
    message("Burn in: %ld DONE. ",gPar.burnIn());
    DEBUG(message(" reseting samplers after BurnIn\n"));
    for(i=0;i<chainsN;i++){
@@ -244,7 +260,7 @@ void MCMC(TagAlignments *alignments,gibbsParameters &gPar,ArgumentParser &args){
          }
       }
 #endif
-      totalSamples+=samplesN*chainsN;
+      totalSamples += samplesN;
       message("\nSampling DONE. ");
       timer.split(0,'m');
       //}}}
@@ -320,13 +336,23 @@ void MCMC(TagAlignments *alignments,gibbsParameters &gPar,ArgumentParser &args){
       if(args.flag("gibbs"))message("  Mean thetaAct (noise parameter)\n   %lf\n",totAverage[0].FF);
       messageF("\n");
       //}}}
+      // Log rHat if necessary. {{{
+      #ifdef LOG_RHAT
+         ofstream rhatLog(rhatLogFile.c_str(), ofstream::app);
+         rhatLog<<totalSamples<<" "<<(long)timer.getTime(1);
+         for(i=1;i<M;i++){
+            rhatLog<<" "<<sqrt(rHat2[i].FF.FF);
+         }
+         rhatLog<<endl;
+         rhatLog.close();
+      #endif
+      // }}}
       // Increase sample size and start over: {{{
       if(quitNext){// Sampling iterations end {{{
          if(sqrt(rHat2[0].FF.FF) > gPar.targetScaleReduction()){
             message("WARNING: Following transcripts failed to converge entirely\n   (however the estimates might still be usable):\n");
             long countUncoverged=0;
-            stringstream sstr;
-            sstr.str();
+            sstr.str("");
             sstr<<"# unconverged_transcripts: ";
             for(i=0;(i<M) && (sqrt(rHat2[i].FF.FF) > gPar.targetScaleReduction());i++){
                sstr<<rHat2[i].SS<<" ("<<sqrt(rHat2[i].FF.FF)<<") ";
@@ -358,9 +384,7 @@ void MCMC(TagAlignments *alignments,gibbsParameters &gPar,ArgumentParser &args){
          } 
          // log the number of effective samples, only when testing... //{{{
          #ifdef LOG_NEED
-            stringstream sstr;
-            sstr<<args.getS("outFilePrefix")<<".effLog";
-            ofstream effLog(sstr.str().c_str());
+            ofstream effLog(effLogFile.c_str());
             for(i=1;i<M;i++){
                effLog<<needS[rHat2[i].SS]<<" "<<sqrt(rHat2[i].FF.FF)<<" "<<samplesHave*betwVar[rHat2[i].SS].FF<<" "<<withVar[rHat2[i].SS].FF<<" "<<rHat2[i].SS<<endl;
             }
@@ -378,7 +402,7 @@ void MCMC(TagAlignments *alignments,gibbsParameters &gPar,ArgumentParser &args){
             // Prepare for producing samples if Rhat^2<target scale reduction
             // OR reached samplesNmax
             // OR produced too many samples (>500 000)
-         if((totalSamples < 5000000) && (rMean.FF > gPar.targetScaleReduction())){
+         if((totalSamples*chainsN < 5000000) && (rMean.FF > gPar.targetScaleReduction())){
             samplesN *= 2;
          }else{
             quitNext = true;
@@ -395,7 +419,6 @@ void MCMC(TagAlignments *alignments,gibbsParameters &gPar,ArgumentParser &args){
          if(samplesN<samplesSave){
             samplesSave = samplesN;
          }
-         stringstream sstr;
          for(j=0;j<chainsN;j++){
             sstr.str("");
             sstr<<args.getS("outFilePrefix")<<"."<<args.getS("outputType")<<"S-"<<j;
@@ -477,7 +500,7 @@ void MCMC(TagAlignments *alignments,gibbsParameters &gPar,ArgumentParser &args){
    }
 //   delete [] samplers;
    //}}}
-   message("Total samples: %ld\n",totalSamples);
+   message("Total samples: %ld\n",totalSamples*chainsN);
 }//}}}
 
 extern "C" int estimateExpression(int *argc, char* argv[]) {//{{{
@@ -509,13 +532,6 @@ string programDescription =
    if(args.verbose)buildTime(argv[0],__DATE__,__TIME__);
    // }}}
    MyTimer timer;
-#ifdef SUPPORT_OPENMP
-   if(args.isSet("procN"))
-      omp_set_num_threads(args.getL("procN"));
-   else
-      omp_set_num_threads(args.getL("MCMC_chainsN"));
-#endif
-
    gibbsParameters gPar;
    TagAlignments *alignments=NULL;
 //{{{ Initialization:
@@ -526,6 +542,13 @@ string programDescription =
    }
    args.updateS("outputType", ns_expression::getOutputType(args));
    if(args.verbose)gPar.getAllParameters();
+#ifdef SUPPORT_OPENMP
+   if(args.isSet("procN"))
+      omp_set_num_threads(args.getL("procN"));
+   else
+      omp_set_num_threads(gPar.chainsN());
+#endif
+
 
    //}}}
    // {{{ Read transcriptInfo and .prob file