The New EEC Block Exemption Regulation on Franchising

This article discusses regulation of franchising within the European Community and its effect on competition policy. In part I the author gives a general presentation of the regulation, in part II the author discusses the scope of the regulation, in Part III the author discusses the substantive provisions of the regulation, and in the Conclusion the author suggests potential solutions

First year of routine measurements at the AWI MICADAS 14C dating facility.

In November 2016, the first Mini-Carbon-Dating-System (MICADAS) manufactured by Ionplus AG was delivered and installed at the Alfred-Wegener-Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), Germany. After one year of establishing the instrument and preparation methods, we started routine operation for scientific purposes in January 2018. The new facility includes a graphitization unit (AGE3) connected to an elemental analyser (EA) or a carbonate handling system (CHS), and a gas inlet system (GIS). The facility at AWI focuses on analysing carbonaceous materials from samples of marine sediments, sea-ice, and water to investigate various aspects of the global carbon cycle. A particular emphasis will be on sediments from high-latitude oceans, in which radiocarbon-based age models are often difficult to obtain due to the scarcity of carbonate microfossils (e.g., foraminifera). One advantage of the MICADAS is the potential to analyse samples as CO2 gas, which allows radiocarbon measurements on samples containing as little as 10 µgC. For example, it is possible to determine 14C ages of foraminifera from carbonate-lean sediments allowing paleoclimate reconstructions in key locations for the Earth’s climate system, such as the Southern Ocean. Likewise, compound-specific 14C analyses receive growing attention in carbon cycle studies and require handling of small samples of typically <100 µgC. The wide range of applications including gas analyses (e.g., foraminifera and isolated compounds), and graphite targets require establishing routine protocols for various methods including sample preparation and precise blank assessment. We report on our standard procedures for dating organic matter from sediments or water including carbonate removal, combustion and graphitization using the AGE3 coupled to the EA, as well as on the methodology applied for carbonate samples using the CHS system and the GIS. We have investigated different sample preparation protocols and present the results using international standard reference materials (e.g., IAEA-C2 F14C = 0.4132 + 0.0052 (n= 14); Ref = 0.4114 + 0.0003). Additionally, we present the first results of process blanks for sediments (Eocene Messel shale F14C= 0.0007; equivalent to an conventional 14C age of > 52000yr (n=29)), as well as Eemian foraminifera (F14C = 0.005; equivalent to an conventional 14C age of >42700yr (n=98)). We are also presenting results of samples processed and analysed as graphite and directly as gas showing a good reproducibility irrespective of the method used

Establishment of routine sample preparation protocols at the newly installed MICADAS 14C dating facility at AWI

In November 2016, the first Mini-Carbon-Dating-System (MICADAS) manufactured by Ionplus AG was delivered and installed at the Alfred-Wegener-Institute (AWI), Germany. The new facility includes a graphitization unit (AGE3) connected with an elementar analyser (EA), a carbonate handling system (CHS), and a gas inlet system (GIS). The main goal for the facility at AWI will be the precise and independent dating of carbonaceous materials in marine sediments, sea-ice, and water to address various processes of the global carbon cycling. A particular focus will be on sediments from the high latitude oceans, in which radiocarbon-based age models are often difficult to obtain due to the scarcity of carbonate microfossils. One advantage of the MICADAS is the potential to analyse samples, which contain only a small amount of carbon as CO2 gas. For example, it will be possible to determine 14C ages of samples of foraminifera from carbonate-lean sediments, allowing for paleoclimate reconstructions in key locations for Earth’s climate system such as the Southern ocean. Likewise, compound-specific 14C analyses receive growing attention in carbon cycle studies and require handling of small samples of typically <100µg carbon. The wide range of applications encompassing gas analyses of foraminifera and compound-specific analysis as well as analyses of graphite targets requires establishing routine protocols of various methods of sample preparation, as well as thorough assessment of the respective carbon blanks. We report on our standard procedures for samples of organic matter from sediments or water including carbonate removal, combustion and graphitization using the AGE3 coupled to the EA, as well as on the methodology applied for carbonate samples using the CHS system and the GIS. We have investigated different sample preparation protocols and present the initial results using materials of known age. Additionally, we present the first results of our assessment of process blanks

Reasons for downtimes of the AWI-MICADAS.

In November 2016, the first MICADAS manufactured by Ionplus AG was delivered and installed at the Alfred-Wegener-Institute (AWI), Germany. After one year of establishing the instrument and preparation methods, we started routine operation for scientific purposes in January 2018. In the talk, we will present varying reasons for technically related downtimes of the MICADAS_15 and solutions to reduce them. We will also present an outlook of wishes for future applications

Tapping into non-English-language science for the conservation of global biodiversity.

The widely held assumption that any important scientific information would be available in English underlies the underuse of non-English-language science across disciplines. However, non-English-language science is expected to bring unique and valuable scientific information, especially in disciplines where the evidence is patchy, and for emergent issues where synthesising available evidence is an urgent challenge. Yet such contribution of non-English-language science to scientific communities and the application of science is rarely quantified. Here, we show that non-English-language studies provide crucial evidence for informing global biodiversity conservation. By screening 419,679 peer-reviewed papers in 16 languages, we identified 1,234 non-English-language studies providing evidence on the effectiveness of biodiversity conservation interventions, compared to 4,412 English-language studies identified with the same criteria. Relevant non-English-language studies are being published at an increasing rate in 6 out of the 12 languages where there were a sufficient number of relevant studies. Incorporating non-English-language studies can expand the geographical coverage (i.e., the number of 2° × 2° grid cells with relevant studies) of English-language evidence by 12% to 25%, especially in biodiverse regions, and taxonomic coverage (i.e., the number of species covered by the relevant studies) by 5% to 32%, although they do tend to be based on less robust study designs. Our results show that synthesising non-English-language studies is key to overcoming the widespread lack of local, context-dependent evidence and facilitating evidence-based conservation globally. We urge wider disciplines to rigorously reassess the untapped potential of non-English-language science in informing decisions to address other global challenges. Please see the Supporting information files for Alternative Language Abstracts

Stable and radiocarbon isotope composition of bulk organic carbon in sediment cores WSB and YJXB

This data set includes δ¹³C and F¹⁴C of bulk OC in two nearshore sediment cores collected by the piston corer from coastal South China Sea. These data could help us to constrain the anthropogenic perturbations of different terrestrial OC export to the coastal ocean

Radiocabon compositon of fatty acids in sediment cores WSB and YJXB

This data set includes F¹⁴C of Fatty acids in two nearshore sediment cores collected by the piston corer from coastal South China Sea. These data could help us to constrain the anthropogenic perturbations of different terrestrial OC export to the coastal ocean

Standard operation procedures and performance of the MICADAS radiocarbon laboratory at Alfred Wegener Institute (AWI), Germany

The radiocarbon analysis laboratory at Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) is equipped with an accelerator mass spectrometer (AMS) MICADAS (MIni CArbon Dating System). The laboratory provides routine 14C analyses on bulk organic matter, plant fragments, dissolved and particulate organic matter, individual molecular lipids, and carbonate (micro-) fossils with the aim to foster international research efforts in vulnerable high latitudes. The AWI MICADAS allows AMS 14C analysis on graphite targets as well as on CO2 samples via gas injection into the hybrid ion source. The laboratory thus provides reliable datasets even if only small amounts of sample material are available, a problem often encountered in polar research. Here we describe the standard operation procedures and sample preparation methods employed, and demonstrate the instrument performance and data quality based on repeat analysis of international reference materials

Chlorophyll a in Arctic Ocean, Fram Strait, and Greenland Sea 2013 - 2016

Dewasa ini penggunaan akses internet semakin tinggi baik itu sebagai kebutuhan pokok dalam menjalani dan mendukung pekerjaan setiap orang. Dengan dukungan teknologi terkini berkembang pula aplikasi, media dan cara mudah dalam mengakses jaringan internet baik itu melalui teknologi kabel maupun wireless. Salah satunya yang diminati saat ini adalah akses internet menggunakan jaringan hotspot, selain mudah dalam penggunaannya jaringan hotspot juga tidak membutuhkan banyak biaya dalam media atau perangkatnya. Sehingga pada saat ini sistem hotspot banyak digunakan oleh semua kalangan seperti ISP, perkatoran, sekolah, perguruan tinggi, hotel dan cafe. Media Hotspot memberikan metode keamanan melalui authentifikasi user melalui Captive Portal. Dalam Impementasi hotspot pada kampus STIE Perbanas Surabaya menggunakan Mikrotik Router sebagai captive portal dan user manajemen, sedangkan untuk wireless access point media yang digunakan untuk memancarkan wireless menggunakan controller accees point unifi. Hasil penelitian dapat bekerja dengan optimal pada manajemen tatakelola captive portal hotspot mikrotik yang mampu meningkatkan keamanan akses jaringan pada STIE Perbanas Surabaya. Sehingga mempermudah admin jaringan dalam memantau aktivitas user wifi yang sedang menggunakan jaringan hotspot. Berdasarkan hasil uji coba tersebut dapat disimpulkan bahwa sistem captive portal mikrotik hotspot dan unifi controller ini dapat diterapkan pada sistem hotspot STIE Perbanas Surabaya. Kata Kunci : Captive portal,Mikrotik,Internet,Hotspot,unif

Teaching for blended learning: research perspectives from on-campus and distance students

The concept of blended learning has begun to change the nature of all teaching and learning in higher education. Information and communication technologies have impacted by providing a means of access to digital resources and interactive communication for all courses and the blending of pedagogy and technology has produced a range of approaches to teaching and learning. This paper discusses the research literature and the writers&rsquo; research, defining what they have concluded are teaching practices that use the concept of blended learning effectively. In investigating how ICT can add variation for student learning, they analyze this from two dominant modes of pedagogy, learning environment and pedagogy through both on-campus and distance education. In both modes, students acknowledged the power and effectiveness of blended learning.<br /