Perception and response to receptivity: the history and growth of the Wesleyan Church in the Philippines, 1932-1994

https://place.asburyseminary.edu/ecommonsatsdissertations/1155/thumbnail.jp

Financial Measures for Electric Vehicles:Supporting the Integration of Renewable Energy in the Mobility Sector in Germany

Electric vehicles (EV) are able to support the transition of sectors towards sustainability. The operation of these vehicles with renewable energies saves local and global emissions. Furthermore, fluctuating renewable energies can be integrated in existing energy systems by using electric vehicles for grid services. Thus, implementation of advantages requires market establishment of electric vehicles. The article provides a review on potentials of market development by comparing and studying costs of electric and conventional vehicles as well as effects of financial measures on costs of EV. These cost comparisons are based on market data and predictions of cost developments for private consumers in Germany. Costs are analysed by an economic model of Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), aiming to display financial proportionality between vehicles in different years of acquisition (2010 to 2030). In a further step, external financial measures are analysed and integrated in the cost model as one possibility to enhance and secure the market introduction. Findings demonstrate that higher costs of acquisition of electric vehicles cannot be compensated by lower costs of operation. While mobility costs of conventionally vehicles stay constant or even increase during the considered years, mobility costs of electric vehicles significantly decrease especially in the upcoming years. In all cases mobility costs of electric vehicles exceed costs of conventional vehicles, but differences are reduced from 19€ct in 2010 to 3€ct in 2030. Cost decreases of the battery have high influence on the increasing financial comparability of EV. Concerning financial measures especially a differentiation of energy prices and a compensation of grid services can help to decrease total costs of EV and to manage a shift from fossil energy resources to electricity in the mobility sector. The existing tax exemption for EV compensates only a little fraction (about 6%) of the cost difference. This highlights the importance of research on incentive schemes to support market integration of EV and thereby the integration of renewable energies in the mobility sector. This integration is supported by the possibility of storing surplus fluctuating renewable energy in the batteries of EV

Magic in the ancient Near East and the Old Testament : a study of metaphysics

https://place.asburyseminary.edu/ecommonsatsdissertations/1145/thumbnail.jp

Biological functions of Sphingomyelin synthase related protein and Ceramide synthase 4 investigated with transgenic mouse mutants

Previously, it was reported that the catalytic activity of the sphingomyelin synthase related protein (SMSr) is essential to prevent ceramide accumulation and disruption of the early secretory pathway in cultured HeLa cells. The enzymatic product of SMSr is the sphingomyelin analog ceramide phosphoethanolamine (CPE). SMSr function was investigated in transgenic mice lacking SMSr catalytic activity. These mice were born according to Mendelian ratio with no obvious phenotypic abnormalities. Activity assays revealed that CPE synthase activity in brain primarily depends on SMSr and in liver to similar extent each on SMSr and sphingomyelin synthase 2 (SMS2). Immunoblot analyses revealed ubiquitous expression of SMSr with high levels in testis, brain and pancreas. Ultra-structural analysis of brain and liver cells showed no morphological abnormalities. Mass spectrometric analysis revealed no alterations in ceramide levels in ten different tissues. Wild type levels of CPE were exceedingly low in all investigated tissues. In mutant mice CPE levels were largely decreased in brain and to a minor extent in testis, kidney, spleen and lung. Surprisingly, combined inactivation of SMSr and SMS2 reduced, but did not eliminate tissue-specific CPE pools. Besides providing a comprehensive inventory of CPE and metabolizing enzymes, it was shown that SMSr is not a critical regulator of ceramide homeostasis in mice, as was suggested for cultured HeLa cells. SMSr-mediated CPE biosynthesis is dispensable for mouse development, vitality, fertility and survival. The second project focused on the function of ceramide synthase 4 (CerS4) in the development of diet-induced obesity. Previously, it was shown that loss of CerS5 or CerS6 protects mice from high fat diet-induced obesity due to a decrease in C16 ceramide in white adipose tissue (WAT), brown adipose tissue (BAT) or liver. In contrast, mice heterozygous for CerS2 were more susceptible to high fat diet-induced obesity due to an increase in C16 ceramide. In this study CerS4 deficient mice were protected from diet-induced obesity after exposure to high fat diet. This was characterized by reduced weight gain and improved glucose and insulin tolerance. Since CerS4 deficient mice suffer from a progressive hair loss, starting at the age of 6-7 weeks, it could not be excluded that beneficial effects result from increased energy expenditure initiated to compensate heat loss. However, 5 week old CerS4 deficient mice, showed no obvious signs of hair loss, but exhibited increased energy expenditure. The adipose tissue morphology in these mice suggested increased development of beige adipocytes, which similar to classical brown adipocytes are specialized in energy combustion for thermogenesis. In line with that, expression of thermogenic markers was increased in in vitro differentiated adipocytes from inguinal WAT of CerS4 deficient mice. The results indicate that CerS4 might be an attenuator of browning in WAT

A new era of spectroscopy: SINFONI, NIR integral field spectroscopy at the diffraction limit of an 8m telescope

SINFONI, the SINgle Faint Object Near-infrared Investigation, is an instrument for the Very Large Telescope (VLT), which will start its operation mid 2002 and allow for the first time near infrared (NIR) integral field spectroscopy at the diffraction limit of an 8-m telescope. SINFONI is the combination of two state-of-the art instruments, the integral field spectrometer SPIFFI, built by the Max-Planck-Institut fuer extraterrestrische Physik (MPE), and the adaptive optics (AO) system MACAO, built by the European Southern Observatory (ESO). It will allow a unique type of observations by delivering simultaneously high spatial resolution (pixel sizes 0.025arcsec to 0.25arcsec) and a moderate spectral resolution (R~2000 to R~4500), where the higher spectral resolution mode will allow for software OH suppression. This opens new prospects for astronomy.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, to appear in SPIE proceedings "Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation 2000". More recent sensitivity estimates are available at http://www.mpe.mpg.de/www_ir/ir_instruments/sinfoni/spiffi.ht

Obalni turizam u Crnoj Gori – razvojna dinamika, prostorni razvoj i buduće perspektive

Montenegro seeks its future perspectives in tourism. And there are good reasons for that: The country was considered to be the fastest growing tourism market worldwide in 2007. Notwithstanding a slight decrease during the last years, tourism is still seen as a crucial factor for future economic development. This seems to be a viable option if we consider Montenegro’s natural potential, its beneficial position on the Adriatic coastline and the experience in tourism gained in the many years since the 1970s. These dynamic developments were motivation enough to explore tourism in Montenegro in a research project with strong empirical evidence, organised as co-operation between Universities from Germany, Albania, Montenegro and Serbia. Our empirical approach included semi-structured, flexible interviews with different types of stakeholders. Since tourism in Montenegro is still almost entirely limited to the coast, we chose three coastal hot-spots in tourism, namely Kotor, Budva and Ulcinj. Our results show that the current development in tourism can surely be considered as progressive and dynamic. But it is also strongly affected by multiple polarisations and divergent trends. There is a need for infrastructural upgrades in the mass tourism sector, which is for the most part a low budget market with very difficult future perspectives. At the same time, there is a small but growing number of very exclusive offers, often seen as the vanguard of Montenegro’s future as an upper class tourists’ destination. All in all, the economic bias towards coastal tourism involves the risk of an increase in the already strong spatial disparities, leaving behind a mountainous hinterland with a shrinking economy and population.Crna Gora traži svoju budućnost u turizmu, i to s dobrim razlozima: u 2007. godini bila je najbrže rastuće turističko tržište u svijetu. Unatoč blagom padu posljednjih godina, turizam se i dalje smatra najvažnijim faktorom budućeg ekonomskog razvoja države. To i ne čudi, uzmu li se u obzir prirodne karakteristike Crne Gore, položaj na obali Jadranskog mora i iskustvo u turizmu koji započinje još 1970-ih. Ovakav dinamičan razvoj bio je glavni razlog za istraživanje turizma Crne Gore putem znanstvenog projekta nastalog u suradnji sveučilišta iz Njemačke, Albanije, Crne Gore i Srbije. Empirijski pristup u ovom istraživanju uključuje polustrukturirane, fleksibilne intervjue s različitim dionicima. S obzirom da je turizam Crne Gore vezan gotovo isključivo uz obalu, odabrana su tri obalna turistička centra – Kotor, Budva i Ulcinj. Rezultati pokazuju da je razvoj tržišta turističkih usluga u Crnoj Gori dinamičan i napreduje, dok je istovremeno karakteriziran jakom polarizacijom i divergentnim trendovima. Potrebna su ulaganja u sektoru infrastrukture koja je većinom orijentirana na masovni turizam i tržište niske platežne moći kojem je razvojna budućnost neizvjesna. Istovremeno, postoji malena, ali rastuća ponuda ekskluzivnih turističkih usluga koje se smatraju predvodnicom budućeg razvoja Crne Gore kao destinacije za bogate turiste. Sve u svemu, gospodarski naglasak na razvoj obalnog turizma uključuje i rizik povećanja već snažnih prostornih dispariteta, ostavljajući za sobom planinsku unutrašnjost s padom u gospodarskom razvoju i populaciji

Keltaliivien mielenosoitukset : vastademokratiaa Pariisin historiallisesti kerrostuneessa kaupunkitilassa

Tutkielmassani tarkastelen keltaliivien mielenosoituksia Pariisin historiallisesti kerrostuneen kaupunkitilan ja poliittisen osallistumisen valossa. Keskityn keltaliivien mielenosoitusten aktiivisimpaan kauteen marraskuusta 2018 toukokuun 2019 loppuun. Keskeiset teoreettiset näkökulmani ovat C. Mouffen ja E. Laclaun radikaali demokratia, P. Rosanvallonin vastademokratia, J. Habermasin julkinen tila ja S. Sassenin globaalikaupunki. Pääkysymykseni on, minkälaisiin historiallisesti, taloudellisesti ja poliittisesti latautuneisiin paikkoihin mielenosoitukset sijoittuivat Pariisissa. Toinen kysymykseni on, miten keltaliivit heijastelevat poliittisessa kentässä tapahtuvia muutoksia ja miten hallitus vastasi mielenosoituksiin. Analysoin Pariisin paikkoja hyödyntäen etnografisen kävelyn menetelmää, joka on ympäristöä havainnoiva, tietoinen ja reflektoiva kuljeskelu alueen fyysisen ja sosiaalisen kontekstin syvälliseksi ymmärtämiseksi. Kävelyn aikana ottamani valokuvat ja tekemäni muistiinpanot muodostavat yhden aineistokokonaisuuden. Muu aineistoni koostuu ranskalaisten sanoma- ja aikakauslehtien artikkeleista sekä viranomaislähteistä. Niistä olen valikoinut erityisesti tekstejä, jotka käsittelevät keltaliivejä suhteessa ranskalaiseen yhteiskuntaan sekä tiloihin, niiden kontrollointiin ja historialliseen merkitykseen. Tutkielmani osoittaa, että mielenosoitukset Pariisissa keskittyivät poliittisen ja taloudellisen vallan keskuksiin ja yhteiskuntahistoriallisia merkityksiä kantaviin paikkoihin. Globaalia kapitalismia ja pariisilaista eliittiä edustava Champs-Élysées toimi keltaliivien päänäyttämönä. He pyrkivät Presidentin palatsille, sillä he halusivat osoittaa tyytymättömyytensä Macronin politiikkaa kohtaan. Keltaliivit tärvelivät Riemukaaren, mikä on tulkittavissa suorana hyökkäyksenä kansallista ja valtiollista symbolia kohtaan. Bastillen aukio, joka oli merkittävä paikka Ranskan vallankumouksessa, toimi sekä keltaliivien että vastamielenosoituksen järjestäneiden ”punahuivien” kokoontumispaikkana. Tasavallan aukio puolestaan symboloi Ranskan tasavaltalaisia arvoja eli vapautta, veljeyttä ja tasa-arvoa. Keltaliivit käyttivät sellaisia poliittisen toiminnan muotoja ja edustuksellisen demokratian valvontamekanismeja, jotka luen vastademokratiaksi. Heidän toimintansa ilmensi myös radikaalia demokratiaa, sillä liike loi avointa konfliktia ja vastakkainasettelua. Keltaliivien populistinen kansanliike toimi vastareaktiona Macronin keskusta-liberaalille politiikalle. Protesteihin hallitus vastasi antamalla poliisille enemmän valtuuksia ja tiukentamalla mielenosoitusten rajoituksia sekä toisaalta järjestämällä suuren kansalaiskeskustelun avoimen vuorovaikutuksen lisäämiseksi. Tutkielmani näyttää, että Pariisi on finanssikapitalismiin kiinnittynyt globaalikaupunki ja se toimii vastakohtaisena parina keltaliivien edustamalle Ranskan maaseudulle. Pariisin mielenosoituspaikat ilmentävät Ranskan taloudellista, kulttuurista ja poliittista historiaa sekä yhteiskunnan eri toimikenttiä. Keltaliivien kapinointi on osa ranskalaista vallankumousten ja yhteiskunnallisen liikehdinnän jatkumoa, ja tämä näkyy havaintojeni mukaan myös heidän käyttämässään kaupunkitilassa.In my thesis I look at the yellow vest demonstrations in the light of historic urban spaces in Paris and the history of political participation. I focus on the most active period of yellow vest demonstrations, from November 2018 to end-May 2019. My main theoretical approaches draw on the concept of radical democracy by Chantal Mouffe and Ernesto Laclau, Pierre Rosanvallon’s counter-democracy, Jürgen Habermas’s public sphere, and the global city developed by Saskia Sassen. My main question is: in what kind of historically-, economically- and politically-charged spaces the demonstrations took place in Paris? And my second question is: How did the yellow vests reflect changes in the political arena and how did the government respond to the protests? I investigate the cityscape of Paris by undertaking an ethnographic walk in the city. The ethnographic walk is an observational, self-conscious, reflective way of walking and looking to better understand an area’s physical and social context. The pictures and fieldnotes I took and made during the walk form my first assemblage of sources. My other sources consist of articles from French newspapers and magazines as well as government sources. I have selected those articles in particular that deal with the yellow vests in relation to French society, with physical places, and the control of space and their historical meanings. My research shows that the demonstrations in Paris took place in centres of political and economic power, and that those places and their historical layers have a certain significance for the movement. The Champs-Élysées, representing global capitalism and the Parisian elite, served as the primary locus for the yellow vests and their actions. They marched to the Presidential Palace because they wanted to show their discontent with Macron and his policies. The yellow vests damaged the Arc de Triomphe, which can be interpreted as a direct attack on an iconic national symbol. Bastille Square, a highly important site in the French Revolution, served as a gathering place for both the yellow vests and their counter movement, the “red scarves”. Place de la République, in turn, symbolizes the French Republican values of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. The yellow vests used forms of political participation and mechanisms of control over representative democracy, which I interpret as actions of counter-democracy. Their actions also manifested radical democracy, as the movement created open conflict and confrontation. The populist movement of the yellow vests acted in response to Macron’s centre-liberal politics. The government responded to the protests by expanding the power of the police forces and by tightening protest-related restrictions, as well as by holding a large national debate in order to enrich the public conversation. My research shows that Paris is indeed a “global city”, a primary node in the global economic network and represents the contra side as juxtaposed with the French countryside represented by the yellow vests. The demonstration sites in Paris reflect the economic, cultural and political history of France, as well as different dimensions and aspects of society and its activities. The revolt of the yellow vests is part of a historical continuum of revolutions and social movements in France, which according to my research, is also reflected in their use of the public urban space

Astronomically paced changes in overturning circulation in the Western North Atlantic during the middle Eocene

North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) currently redistributes heat and salt between Earth’s ocean basins, and plays a vital role in the ocean-atmosphere CO2 exchange. Despite its crucial role in today’s climate system, vigorous debate remains as to when deep-water formation in the North Atlantic started. Here, we present datasets from carbonate-rich middle Eocene sediments from the Newfoundland Ridge, revealing a unique archive of paleoceanographic change from the progressively cooling climate of the middle Eocene. Well-defined lithologic alternations between calcareous ooze and clay-rich intervals occur at the ∼41-kyr beat of axial obliquity. Hence, we identify obliquity as the driver of middle Eocene (43.5–46 Ma) Northern Component Water (NCW, the predecessor of modern NADW) variability. High-resolution benthic foraminiferal δ18O and δ13C suggest that obliquity minima correspond to cold, nutrient-depleted, western North Atlantic deep waters. We thus link stronger NCW formation with obliquity minima. In contrast, during obliquity maxima, Deep Western Boundary Currents were weaker and warmer, while abyssal nutrients were more abundant. These aspects reflect a more sluggish NCW formation. This obliquity-paced paleoceanographic regime is in excellent agreement with results from an Earth system model, in which obliquity minima configurations enhance NCW formation