A study of the potential impacts of space utilization

Because the demand for comprehensive impact analysis of space technologies will increase with the use of space shuttles, the academic social sciences/humanities community was surveyed in order to determine their interests in space utilization, to develop a list of current and planned courses, and to generate a preliminary matrix of relevant social sciences. The academic scope/focus of a proposed social science space-related journal was identified including the disciplines which should be represented in the editorial board/reviewer system. The time and funding necessary to develop a self-sustaining journal were assessed. Cost income, general organizational structure, marking/distribution and funding sources were analyzed. Recommendations based on the survey are included

But a walking shadow: designing, performing and learning on the virtual stage

Representing elements of reality within a medium, or taking aspects from one medium and placing them in another is an act of remediation. The process of this act, however, is largely taken for granted. Despite the fact that available information enables a qualitative assessment of the history of multimedia and their influences on different fields of knowledge, there are still some areas that require more focused research attention. For example, the relationship between media evolution and new developments in scenographic practice is currently under investigation. This article explores the issue of immediacy as a condition of modern theatre in the context of digital reality. It discusses the opportunities and challenges that recent technologies present to contemporary practitioners and theatre design educators, creating a lot of scope to break with conventions. Here, we present two case studies that look into technology-mediated learning about scenography through the employment of novel computer visualization techniques. The first case study is concerned with new ways of researching and learning about theatre through creative exploration of design artefacts. The second case study investigates the role of the Immersive Virtual World Second Life™ (SL) in effective teaching of scenography, and in creating and experiencing theatrical performances

Development of a stand-alone device to simultaneously record cardiotocography biosignals in an open format for testing methods of assessing fetal heart rate variability

Fetal hypoxia/acidemia recognition improves with computerized analysis of biosignals collected from cardiotocography (CTG), particularly the assesment of short-term variability (STV) of fetal heart rate (FHR). Several methods to compute STV have been described with varied performance results according to acquisition method, sampling and storage rates and algorithm definition. Dawes-Redman algorithm (STV16) is the most widely reproduced in available commercial systems. However, it shows a low correlation with the beat-to-beat variation determined from fetal electrocardiographic signal (fECG). STV240 algorithm has been introduced in an attempt to approximate STV assessment to real beat-to-beat variation. There is no comparison in the literature between these two algorithms, taking as gold standard variability obtained from ECG tracing. With a view to providing reliable records for the standardization and comparison of STV algorithms, most notably, STV16 and STV240, we have designed, assembled and developed a stand- alone device well able to connect with different CTG machines and collect simultaneously biomedical signals of interest, particularly FHR, uterine activity and fECG, from the standard monitor outputs. It generates a file in an open format that allows assessment of computerized parameters of CTG. By means of R- R instantaneous variation from fECG as a reference we have found no agreement by Intraclass Correlation Coefficient between STV16 and STV240, neither with STV calculated from fECG. Nevertheless, the last two correlated closely. Standardisation of algorithms, interoperability and research in computerized CTG need to be provided with simultaneous recordings of biosignals involved, including the ECG raw signal. STV16 and STV240 require individualised normal ranges.This work has been funded by the Fundación para el fomento de la investigación sanitaria y biomédica de la comunitat valenciana (FISABIO UGP-21-045)

Djibouti: small state strategy at a crossroads

Geography and politics indicate Djibouti would be a particularly weak and ineffectual ‘small state’. Located on a bridgehead between the poorest parts of Africa and Arabia, it is continental Africa’s smallest state by population and is devoid of natural resources. The text demonstrates that Djibouti has been able to transform weakness and liabilities stemming from its geo-strategic location, sandwiched between large neighbours and key maritime shipping lanes, into a lucrative ‘resource’. This has been achieved via creative diplomacy, fostering ties with a diverse range of states, translating acute dependence into economic and diplomatic capital. The text focusses primarily upon diplomatic strategies, while addressing broader concerns of small states’ energy, infrastructure and development policies

Europeanisation should meet international constructivism: the Nordic Plus group and the internalisation of political conditionality by France and the United Kingdom

This article is a plausibility probe for the significance of international constructivist ‘mediating factors’ to explain variation in Europeanisation outcomes. It applies a most similar systems design (or Mill's method of difference) to show that the UK has internalised political conditionality to a larger extent than France at least partially because it has been the object of stronger socialisation pressures within the ‘Nordic Plus’ group. The article contributes to the literature on Europeanisation and development cooperation in two important ways. First, it enlarges its scope of analysis, both geographically (beyond new European Union member states) and thematically (beyond simple measures of aid quality and/or quantity). Second, it emphasises the importance of international (versus domestic) mediating factors. The empirical analysis focusses on three cases of aid sanctions in response to human rights abuses and democratic setbacks: Zimbabwe 2002, Madagascar 2009 and Mozambique 2009

Enhancement of Water Transport and Microstructural Changes Induced by High-Intesity Ultrasound Application on Orange Peel Drying

The main aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of high-intensity ultrasound (US) on the drying kinetics of orange peel as well as its influence on the microstructural changes induced during drying. Convective drying kinetics of orange peel slabs were carried out at a relative humidity of 26.5±0.9%, 40 °C and 1 m/s with (AIR+US) and without (AIR) ultrasound application. In order to identify the US effect on water transport, drying kinetics were analyzed by taking the diffusion theory into account. Fresh, AIR and AIR+US dried samples were analyzed using Cryo-Scanning Electron Microscopy. Results showed that the drying kinetics of orange peel were significantly improved by US application, which involved a significant (p<0.05) improvement of mass transfer coefficient and effective moisture diffusivity. The effects on mass transfer properties were confirmed with microstructural observations. In the cuticle surface of flavedo, the pores were obstructed by the spread of the waxy components, this fact evidencing US effects on the air solid interfaces. Furthermore, the cells of the albedo were disrupted by US, as it created large intercellular air spaces facilitating water transfer through the tissue.The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support of MICINN and CEE (European Regional Development Fund) from projects Ref. DPI2009-14549-C04-04, PSE-060000-2009-003, and FP6-2004-FOOD-23140 HIGHQ RTE.García Pérez, JV.; Ortuño Cases, C.; Puig Gómez, CA.; Cárcel Carrión, JA.; Pérez Munuera, IM. (2012). Enhancement of Water Transport and Microstructural Changes Induced by High-Intesity Ultrasound Application on Orange Peel Drying. Food and Bioprocess Technology. 5(6):2256-2265. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11947-011-0645-0S2256226556Alandes, L., Perez-Munuera, I., Llorca, E., Quiles, A., & Hernando, I. (2009). 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Food Research International, 36(1), 35–41.Chau, C., Sheu, F., Huang, Y., & Su, L. (2005). Improvement in intestinal function and health by the peel fibre derived from Citrus sinensis L cv Liucheng. Journal of the Science of Food & Agriculture, 85(7), 1211–1216.Crank J. (1975). The Mathematics of diffusion. Oxford (2nd ed.), UK: Clarendon Press.Cruz, R. M. S., Vieira, M. C., Fonseca, S. C., Silva, C. L. M. (2010). Impact of thermal blanching and thermosonication treatments on watercress (Nasturtium officinale) quality: thermosonication process optimization and microstructure evaluation. Food and Bioprocess Technology. doi: 10.1007/s11947-009-0220-0 , in press.Delgado, A. E., Zheng, L., & Sun, D.-W. (2010). Influence of ultrasound on freezing rate of immersion-frozen apples. Food and Bioprocess Technology, 2(3), 263–270.FAOSTAT (2010). FAO Statistical Databases. Food and Agriculture of the United Nations. Available at: http://faostat.fao.org/site/291/default.aspx . 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A new high intensity ultrasonic technology for food dehydration. Drying Technology, 17(3), 597–608.Garau, M. C., Simal, S., Femenia, A., & Rosselló, C. (2006). Drying of orange skin: drying kinetics modelling and functional properties. Journal of Food Engineering, 75(2), 288–295.Garau, M. C., Simal, S., Rossello, C., & Femenia, A. (2007). Effect of air-drying temperature on physico-chemical properties of dietary fibre and antioxidant capacity of orange (Citrus aurantium v. Canoneta) by-products. Food Chemistry, 104(3), 1014–1024.Garcia-Perez, J. V., Cárcel, J. A., De la Fuente, S., & Riera, E. (2006). Ultrasonic drying of foodstuff in a fluidized bed. Parametric study. Ultrasonics, 44, 539–543.Garcia-Perez, J. V., Cárcel, J. A., Benedito, J., & Mulet, A. (2007). Power ultrasound mass transfer enhancement in food drying. Food and Bioproducts Proccessing, 85(3), 247–254.Guiné, R. P. F., Henrriques, F., Barroca, M. J. (2010). Mass transfer coefficients for the drying of pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) and dried product quality. Food and Bioprocess Technology. doi: 10.1007/s11947-009-0275 , in press.Khalloufi, S., Almeida-Rivera, C., & Bongers, P. (2009). A theoretical model and its experimental validation to predict the porosity as a function of shrinkage and collapse phenomena during drying. Food Research International, 42(8), 1122–1130.Larrauri, J. A., Rupérez, P., Bravo, L., & Saura-Calixto, F. (1996). High dietary fibre powders from orange and lime peels: associated polyphenols and antioxidant capacity. Food Research International, 29(8), 757–762.Mujumdar, A. S., & Law, C. L. (2010). Drying technology: trends and applications in postharvest processing. Food and Bioprocess Technology, 3(6), 843–852.Mulet, A., Blasco, M., García-Reverter, J., & Garcia-Perez, J. V. (2005). Drying kinetics of Curcuma longa rhizomes. Journal of Food Science, 7(5), 318–323.Oliveira, F. I. P., Gallao, M. I., Rodrigues, S., Fernandes, F.A.N. (2010). Dehydration of malay apple (Syzygium malaccense L.) using ultrasound as a pretreatment. Food and Bioprocess Technology. doi: 10.1007/s11947-010-0351-3 , in press.Ortuño, C., Perez-Munuera, I., Puig, A., Riera, E., & Garcia-Perez, J.V. (2010). Influence of power ultrasound application on mass transport and microstructure of orange peel during hot air drying. Physics Procedia, 3, 153–159.Perry, R. H. & Chilton, C. H. (1973). Chemical Engineers’ Handbook. McGraw Hill (5th ed.), New York, US.Ruiz-López, I. I., Castillo-Zamudio, R. I., Salgado-Cervantes, M. A., Rodríguez-Jimenes, G. C., & García-Alvarado, M. A. (2010). Mass transfer modelling during osmotic dehydration of hexahedral pineapple slices in limited volume solutions. Food and Bioprocess Technology, 3(3), 427–433.Salvador, A., Salvador, L., Besada, C., Larrea, V., Hernando, I., & Perez-Munuera, I. (2008). 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Multi-method Analysis of Avian Eggs as Grave Goods: Revealing Symbolism in Conversion Period Burials at Kukruse, NE Estonia

Eggshells are unusual finds in the Iron Age of eastern Europe (500 BC–1200 AD) deserving extra attention in terms of analysis as well as interpretation. This paper discusses two rare eggshell finds, discovered in female burials at the conversion period (12th–13th century AD) cemetery at Kukruse, NE Estonia. Our multianalytical study combining FT-IR, SEM(-EDS), microscopy and ZooMS provides an overview of methods applicable for identifying egg species, their predepositional history and curation. Based on the analytical results and the comparative analysis of the content and context of these two burials, we argue that different aims and connotations lay behind depositing eggs as burial goods, allowing well-supported interpretations of both pagan and Christian religious worldviews simultaneously