The Third International Synchrotron Radiation Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy Meeting

The International Synchrotron Radiation Circular Dichroism (SRCD) Spectroscopy Meeting was held at the Physikzentrum, Bad Honnef, Germany on May 17–20, 2015, as the 590th WE-Heraeus-Seminar. It was the third in the series of SRCD Workshops, following the first one held at the Daresbury Synchrotron (UK) in 2001, and the second at the Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility (BSRF) and the Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP) in 2009. SRCD2015 was organized by Dr. Jochen Bürck, Prof. Anne Ulrich, and Dr. Dirk Windisch (all of Institute of Biological Interfaces (IBG-2), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany) and Prof. Bonnie Ann Wallace (Birkbeck College, University of London, UK). It was aimed at both synchrotron CD beamline scientists and scientific users of the beamlines, and included participants from 14 countries. For the first time, representatives of all operational SRCD beamlines worldwide were present at the same meeting, and scientists developing two new SRCD beamlines also participated

Comparison of Molecular Iodine Spectral Properties at 514.7 and 532 nm Wavelengths

International audienceWe present results of investigation and comparison of spectral properties of molecular iodine transitions in the spectral region of 514.7 nm that are suitable for laser frequency stabilization and metrology of length. Eight Doppler-broadened transitions that were not studied in detail before were investigated with the help of frequency doubled Yb-doped fiber laser, and three of the most promising lines were studied in detail with prospect of using them in frequency stabilization of new laser standards. The spectral properties of hyperfine components (linewidths, signal-to-noise ratio) were compared with transitions that are well known and traditionally used for stabilization of frequency doubled Nd:YAG laser at the 532 nm region with the same molecular iodine absorption. The external frequency doubling arrangement with waveguide crystal and the Yb-doped fiber laser is also briefly described together with the observed effect of laser aging

Probabilistic seismic hazard analysis in low-seismicity regions : An investigation of sensitivity with a focus on Finland

Online supplementary informationWe investigate probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) in low-seismicity regions in which epistemic uncertainties are largely due to the sparsity of data, with a focus on Finland, northern Europe. We investigate the sensitivity of site-specific PSHA outcomes to different choices of basic input parameters, starting from preexisting PSHA models of the nuclear licensees in the country, without producing a final hazard curve. The outcome shows that the parameters and models needed to estimate future seismicity rates from actual observations, in particular the b value, seismicity rates, and the largest possible magnitude, Mmax, as well as the median ground-motion prediction equation, play significant roles. The sensitivity also depends on the spectral frequency; for example, the effect of Mmax is significant especially for a low-frequency hazard at annual frequency of exceedance 10−5 but more moderate for peak ground acceleration. The delineation of seismic source zones (SSZs) remains ambiguous in regions of low seismicity. This, combined with the dominance of the host SSZ and its seismicity parameters, may have a substantial impact on the outcome. Our results are quantitatively applicable to Finland, but may also be of relevance to other low-seismicity regions in Europe and elsewhere. For future work we recommend the exploration of PSHA sensitivity with focus on the host SSZ with its immediate vicinity and the b value around the site of interest.We investigate probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) in low-seismicity regions in which epistemic uncertainties are largely due to the sparsity of data, with a focus on Finland, northern Europe. We investigate the sensitivity of site-specific PSHA outcomes to different choices of basic input parameters, starting from preexisting PSHA models of the nuclear licensees in the country, without producing a final hazard curve. The outcome shows that the parameters and models needed to estimate future seismicity rates from actual observations, in particular the b value, seismicity rates, and the largest possible magnitude, Mmax, as well as the median ground-motion prediction equation, play significant roles. The sensitivity also depends on the spectral frequency; for example, the effect of Mmax is significant especially for a low-frequency hazard at annual frequency of exceedance 10−5 but more moderate for peak ground acceleration. The delineation of seismic source zones (SSZs) remains ambiguous in regions of low seismicity. This, combined with the dominance of the host SSZ and its seismicity parameters, may have a substantial impact on the outcome. Our results are quantitatively applicable to Finland, but may also be of relevance to other low-seismicity regions in Europe and elsewhere. For future work we recommend the exploration of PSHA sensitivity with focus on the host SSZ with its immediate vicinity and the b value around the site of interest.Peer reviewe

Popular history and the desire for knowledge : an examination of James A. Michener’s The Source as a popular history of Israel

This thesis explores the issues that arise when we consider James A. Michener’s number 1 best-seller The Source (1965) as a popular history of Israel. It examines the educational desires of middlebrow audiences that led to Michener’s popularity, and discusses the benefits and concerns of presenting history in a fictionalised popular form. It then explores how these issues arise within The Source, examining the novel in-depth, arguing that popular history should be cause of greater concern as it has the ability to express particular historical narratives to a wide-reaching audience

Living in several languages: Language, gender and identities

Living in several languages encompasses experiencing and constructing oneself differently in each language. The research study on which this article is based takes an intersectional approach to explore insider accounts of the place of language speaking in individuals’ constructions of self, family relationships and the wider context. Twenty-four research interviews and five published autobiographies were analysed using grounded theory, narrative and discursive analysis. A major finding was that learning a new language inducted individuals into somewhat ‘stereotyped’ gendered discourses and power relations within the new language, while also enabling them to view themselves differently in the context of their first language. This embodied process could be challenging and often required reflection and discursive work to negotiate the dissimilarities, discontinuities and contradictions between languages and cultures. However, the participants generally claimed that their linguistic multiplicity generated creativity. Women and men used their language differences differently to ‘perform their gender’. This was particularly evident in language use within families, which involved gendered differences in the choice of language for parenting – despite the fact that both men and women experience their first languages as conveying intimacy in their relationships with their children. The article argues that the notion of ‘mother tongue’ (rather than ‘first language’) is unhelpful in this process as well as in considering the implications of living in several languages for systemic therapy

Media coverage of climate change: an international comparison

We present an international comparison of broadsheet newspaper coverage of climate change. We employ two complementary theoretical lenses, multiple streams theory and institutional theory, to explore why climate change has become headline news in some countries but has received comparatively little coverage in others. The study utilises a worldwide sample across 41 different countries for the year 2008, covering 113 leading national broadsheet newspapers. A cross-sectional regression model is used to identify whether and how a range of contextual factors impact coverage of climate change. To a certain extent, a country’s direct exposure to climate change and the measures that have been taken to combat global warming influence the position of climate change on the media agenda. Crucially, however, we identify a number of contextual factors that impact climate change-related media coverage in different national contexts. In particular, we find a significantly positive relationship between regulatory quality and levels of media coverage. At the same time, unemployment trends are significantly negatively related to media attention to climate change. Gross domestic product per capita does not help to explain levels of climate change-related media coverage. In other words, climate change appears to have moved beyond simply being a ‘rich country issue’

Nuorten tuettu työkokeilu ja -oppisopimus yrityksessä : Vantaan nuorisopalveluiden malli

Alhainen koulutustaso sekä heikko työmarkkinatilanne aiheuttavat merkittäviä syrjäytymisen riskejä useiden nuorten aikuisten elämässä. Nuorten syrjäytyminen on yhteiskunnalle kestämätöntä sekä taloudellisesti, että inhimillisesti. Yksi tapa ehkäistä nuorten syrjäytymistä, on rakentaa heille erilaisia polkuja koulutukseen ja työelämään, sillä koulutuksen katsotaan olevan yksi tehokkaimmista nuorten syrjäytymistä ehkäisevistä toimenpiteistä. Nuoret ovat kiinnostuneita oppisopimuskoulutuksesta muun muassa siksi, että se mahdollistaa toimeentulon ja ammatin hankkimisen samanaikaisesti. Tämän kehittämistyön tavoitteena oli rakentaa ja kuvata prosessi, jonka avulla pääsääntöisesti 18-28-vuotiaat nuoret aikuiset voivat ohjautua Vantaan nuorisopalveluiden kautta työkokeiluun ja oppisopimuskoulutukseen yrityksiin tuetusti. Mallin kehittämisessä on huomioitu sellaisia erityispiirteitä, jotka oppisopimuskoulutuksessa koskevat kouluttamattomia, työttömiä nuoria, joilla on vähän työkokemusta ja jotka tarvitsevat monenlaista tukea. Kehittämistyön laajana tavoitteena voidaan pitää nuorisotakuun toteuttamista paikallisen innovaation avulla, monialaisena yhteistyönä. Opinnäytetyö toteutettiin työelämän kehittämistoimintana, jossa hyödynnettiin aineistona aikaisempia tutkimuksia, raportteja ja selvityksiä sekä monialaisen työryhmän pitkää käytännön kokemusta nuorisotyöstä, nuorten oppisopimustoiminnasta sekä nuorten sosiaalisesta tukemisesta ja vahvistamisesta. Tuloksista käy ilmi, että nuorten oppisopimuskoulutuksessa on tärkeää huomioida kokemattomien nuorten erityinen tuen tarve työpaikoilla tapahtuvassa koulutuksessa. Nuorten kannalta tärkeää on esimerkiksi laadukas työpaikkaohjaus sekä vertaistuki. Nuoret ja työpaikat myös hyötyvät työpaikan ulkopuolisesta, henkilökohtaisesta ohjauksesta ja tuesta, jota voidaan tarjota esimerkiksi nuorisotyön kautta ja jonkinlainen oppisopimukseen suuntaava ennakkojakso, kuten työkokeilu tai muu oppisopimukseen orientoiva toiminta, olisi hyvä sekä työpaikan, että nuoren kannalta. Kehittämistyön tuloksena syntyi prosessikaavio, jossa on kuvattu tuetun työkokeilun ja -oppisopimuskoulutuksen prosessin eteneminen pääpiireittäin. Kehitettyä mallia voidaan hyödyntää Vantaan nuorisopalveluiden työpajatoiminnan yritysyhteistyön toteuttamisessa.The low level of education and the weak labor market situation increases the risks of exclusion in the lives of many young adults. The exclusion of young people is unbearable to society both economically and humanly. One way to prevent the exclusion of young people is to build them different paths for education and working life, because education is seen one of the most effective means to prevent the social exclusion of the young. Young people are interested in apprenticeship training, because among other things, it allows livelihood and obtaining a profession at the same time. The main purpose of this Bachelor´s thesis was to construct and describe a process that allows young adults between the ages of 18 and 28 lead through the youth services of Vantaa to supported work try-out and apprenticeship training to the companies. The development of the model has taken into account the special characteristics of apprenticeship training for unskilled, unemployed young people with low work experience and who need a variety of support. The secondary aim of this development work is to implement the youth guarantee through local innovation and with multidisciplinary co-operation. This thesis was carried out as a workplace development activity utilizing previous research, reports and studies as well as a multidisciplinary team with long experience of youth work, youth apprenticeship training and the social support and strengthening of young people. The results show that in the apprenticeship training of young people it is important to take into account the special needs that young inexperienced people have in the workplace education. It is important for young people to have for example high quality workplace guidance and peer support. Young people and workplaces benefit from personal counselling and support which can be provided for them by the outside provider, such as youth work, and also some kind of orientation (advance period) before the apprenticeship contract, such as the work try-out, would be good for both the workplace and the young. As a result of the development work, a process diagram was developed describing the progress of the process of supported work try-out and apprenticeship training. The developed model can be utilized in the workshop activities in company co-operation of the youth services of Vantaa

Going beyond histology. Synchrotron micro-computed tomography as a methodology for biological tissue characterization: from tissue morphology to individual cells

Current light microscopic methods such as serial sectioning, confocal microscopy or multiphoton microscopy are severely limited in their ability to analyse rather opaque biological structures in three dimensions, while electron optical methods offer either a good three-dimensional topographic visualization (scanning electron microscopy) or high-resolution imaging of very thin samples (transmission electron microscopy). However, sample preparation commonly results in a significant alteration and the destruction of the three-dimensional integrity of the specimen. Depending on the selected photon energy, the interaction between X-rays and biological matter provides semi-transparency of the specimen, allowing penetration of even large specimens. Based on the projection-slice theorem, angular projections can be used for tomographic imaging. This method is well developed in medical and materials science for structure sizes down to several micrometres and is considered as being non-destructive. Achieving a spatial and structural resolution that is sufficient for the imaging of cells inside biological tissues is difficult due to several experimental conditions. A major problem that cannot be resolved with conventional X-ray sources are the low differences in density and absorption contrast of cells and the surrounding tissue. Therefore, X-ray monochromatization coupled with a sufficiently high photon flux and coherent beam properties are key requirements and currently only possible with synchrotron-produced X-rays. In this study, we report on the three-dimensional morphological characterization of articular cartilage using synchrotron-generated X-rays demonstrating the spatial distribution of single cells inside the tissue and their quantification, while comparing our findings to conventional histological techniques