Moderate and Non-Arbitrary Sentencing Without Guidelines: The German Experience

Sverige står inför omfattande renoveringsbehov med anledning av det stora antalet hushåll som byggts från 1960-talet och framåt. Läckage blir ett större problem med fler slitna och ålderstigna rör. För att åtgärda rör används främst två metoder: stambyte och relining. Med utgångspunkt i att Sverige står inför relativt stora klimatpolitiska utmaningar, syftar detta projekt till att analysera och kvantifiera hur energianvändning, koldioxidekvivalenta utsläpp och materialåtgång skiljer sig åt mellan metoderna. Rapporten bryter ned metoderna i tre delsystem: materialframställning, transporter och utförandeprocess. Data- och informationsinsamling har skett genom semistrukturerade intervjuer, databaser, publicerade rapporter och webbaserade källor. I rapporten baseras analysen på ett fiktivt badrum som bedöms vara representativt för svenska hushåll. Två modeller presenteras i studien. Den första betraktar relining och stambyte som två isolerade händelser. Ett stambyte medför dock ofta en badrumsrenovering vars behov sällan sammanfaller med behovet av rörbyte. Det medför att svårigheter i renoveringsplaneringen kan uppstå. Modell 2 tar hänsyn till detta förhållande och analyserar hur ett stambyte kan belastas, beroende på hur stor andel av badrummets tekniska livslängd som går förlorad. I studien behandlas de två vanligaste rörmaterialen, gjutjärn och PVC. Resultaten visar att ett stambyte exklusive badrumsrenovering innebär 85 procent högre energianvändning och 192 procent mer koldioxidekvivalenta utsläpp jämfört med relining om gjutjärnsrör byts ut. Motsvarande resultat för PVC-rör är 61 respektive 142 procent. När hänsyn tas till badrumsrenovering blir motsvarande resultat upp till 468 procent mer energianvändning och 683 procent högre koldioxidekvivalenta utsläpp. De två huvudsakliga slutsatserna är att relining innebär mindre miljöpåverkan jämfört med ett stambyte och det är framförallt materialframställningen som orsakar miljöbelastningen för båda metoderna. Det beror på miljöbelastande produktion av reliningmaterial och stor materialåtgång vid ett stambyte.Sweden is facing an extensive need for renovation of drainage systems following the large expansion in real estate during the 1960s. Old and damaged pipes are causing increasing problems with leakages to which there are two main solutions: replacement or relining. In the light of anthropogenic climate change and the emission goals set by the Swedish government, the aim of this study is to analyze and quantify how the two methods compare in terms of energy usage, carbon dioxide equivalent emissions and material usage. The report divides each method into three subsystems: material production, transports and execution. Information and data were gathered through semi-structured interviews as well as obtained from databases, published reports and web-based sources. The analysis was based on a fictive bathroom, which was assumed to be representative for Swedish households. Two models are presented in this study: the first model isolates the replacement of pipes from the rest of the renovation process and compares it with relining. The replacement method is however usually followed by a bathroom renovation, the need of which rarely coincides with the need for pipe replacement. This might cause complications in renovation planning. The second model includes this aspect in the analysis and burdens the replacement method with a certain amount of environmental impact depending on the lost amount of technical life span. The two most common pipe materials, cast iron and PVC, were analyzed in the study. The results show that replacement of pipes excluding bathroom renovation causes 85 percent more energy usage and 192 percent more carbon dioxide equivalent emissions compared to relining when cast iron pipes are installed. Corresponding results with installed PVC pipes are 61 percent and 142 percent. When the bathroom renovation is included in the analysis the numbers increase to up to 468 percent more energy usage and 683 percent higher carbon dioxide equivalent emissions. Two primary conclusions can be drawn from the study: relining has less environmental impact compared to replacement of pipes and it is mainly the production of materials that creates this impact for both methods. It is due to high environmental load in material production for relining and the sheer weight of material with the replacement method

Activity of species-specific antibiotics against Crohnʼs disease–associated adherent-invasive Escherichia coli

Background: Crohn's disease (CD) is associated with bacterial dysbiosis that frequently includes colonization by adherent-invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC). AIEC are adept at forming biofilms and are able to invade host cells and stimulate the production of proinflammatory cytokines. The use of traditional antibiotics for the treatment of CD shows limited efficacy. In this study, we investigate the use of species-specific antibiotics termed colicins for treatment of CD-associated AIEC. Methods: Colicin activity was tested against a range of AIEC isolates growing in the planktonic and biofilm mode of growth. Colicins were also tested against AIEC bacteria associated with T84 intestinal epithelial cells and surviving inside RAW264.7 macrophages using adhesion assays and gentamicin protection assay, respectively. Uptake of colicins into eukaryotic cells was visualized using confocal microscopy. The effect of colicin treatment on the production of proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha by macrophages was assessed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Colicins show potent activity against AIEC bacteria growing as biofilms when delivered either as a purified protein or through a colicin-producing bacterial strain. In addition, colicins E1 and E9 are able to kill cell-associated and intracellular AIEC, but do not show toxicity toward macrophage cells or stimulate the production of proinflammatory cytokines. Colicin killing of intracellular bacteria occurs after entry of colicin protein into AIEC-infected macrophage compartments by actin-mediated endocytosis. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate the potential of colicins as highly selective probiotic therapeutics for the eradication of E. coli from the gastrointestinal tract of patients with CD

PRODUCTION RESPONSES AND PRICE DETERMINATION IN THE FLORIDA WATERMELON INDUSTRY

Demand and Price Analysis,

The paper tiger and its predecessors: An ethnologic history of the American Indian Religious Freedom Act

The American Indian Religious Freedom Act has proven to be a terrible disappointment for the Indians all across the country. This act presupposed an analogy between Native American ceremonial practices and Euro-American religions, but Native American ceremonies involve a broader range social institutions than Euro-American religion. Hence, the analogy between Indian ceremonies and Euro-American religions broke down after passage of the act, and Indians failed to receive the legal remedies sought under its provisions. The following is an attempt to address the problems associated with this act by examining the historical development of a Native American rhetoric of religious freedom in the twentieth-century

The sodium-potassium pump controls the intrinsic firing of the cerebellar Purkinje neuron

In vitro, cerebellar Purkinje cells can intrinsically fire action potentials in a repeating trimodal or bimodal pattern. The trimodal pattern consists of tonic spiking, bursting, and quiescence. The bimodal pattern consists of tonic spiking and quiescence. It is unclear how these firing patterns are generated and what determines which firing pattern is selected. We have constructed a realistic biophysical Purkinje cell model that can replicate these patterns. In this model, Na+/K+ pump activity sets the Purkinje cell's operating mode. From rat cerebellar slices we present Purkinje whole cell recordings in the presence of ouabain, which irreversibly blocks the Na+/K+ pump. The model can replicate these recordings. We propose that Na+/K+ pump activity controls the intrinsic firing mode of cerbellar Purkinje cells

Towards a More Representative Definition of Cyber Security

In recent years, ‘Cyber Security’ has emerged as a widely-used term with increased adoption by practitioners and politicians alike. However, as with many fashionable jargon, there seems to be very little understanding of what the term really entails. Although this is may not be an issue when the term is used in an informal context, it can potentially cause considerable problems in context of organizational strategy, business objectives, or international agreements. In this work, we study the existing literature to identify the main definitions provided for the term ‘Cyber Security’ by authoritative sources. We then conduct various lexical and semantic analysis techniques in an attempt to better understand the scope and context of these definitions, along with their relevance. Finally, based on the analysis conducted, we propose a new improved definition that we then demonstrate to be a more representative definition using the same lexical and semantic analysis techniques

The dynamics of single spike-evoked adenosine release in the cerebellum

The purine adenosine is a potent neuromodulator in the brain, with roles in a number of diverse physiological and pathological processes. Modulators such as adenosine are difficult to study as once released they have a diffuse action (which can affect many neurones) and, unlike classical neurotransmitters, have no inotropic receptors. Thus rapid postsynaptic currents (PSCs) mediated by adenosine (equivalent to mPSCs) are not available for study. As a result the mechanisms and properties of adenosine release still remain relatively unclear. We have studied adenosine release evoked by stimulating the parallel fibres in the cerebellum. Using adenosine biosensors combined with deconvolution analysis and mathematical modelling, we have characterised the release dynamics and diffusion of adenosine in unprecedented detail. By partially blocking K+ channels, we were able to release adenosine in response to a single stimulus rather than a train of stimuli. This allowed reliable sub-second release of reproducible quantities of adenosine with stereotypic concentration waveforms that agreed well with predictions of a mathematical model of purine diffusion. We found no evidence for ATP release and thus suggest that adenosine is directly released in response to parallel fibre firing and does not arise from extracellular ATP metabolism. Adenosine release events showed novel short-term dynamics, including facilitated release with paired stimuli at millisecond stimulation intervals but depletion-recovery dynamics with paired stimuli delivered over minute time scales. These results demonstrate rich dynamics for adenosine release that are placed, for the first time, on a quantitative footing and show strong similarity with vesicular exocytosis

Search predicts and changes patience in intertemporal choice

Intertemporal choice impacts many important outcomes, such as decisions about health, education, wealth, and the environment. However, the psychological processes underlying decisions involving outcomes at different points in time remain unclear, limiting opportunities to intervene and improve people’s patience. This research examines information-search strategies used during intertemporal choice and their impact on decisions. In experiment 1, we demonstrate that search strategies vary substantially across individuals. We subsequently identify two distinct search strategies across individuals. Comparative searchers, who compare features across options, discount future options less and are more susceptible to acceleration versus delay framing than integrative searchers, who integrate the features of an option. Experiment 2 manipulates search using an unobtrusive method to establish a causal relationship between strategy and choice, randomly assigning participants to conditions promoting either comparative or integrative search. Again, comparative search promotes greater patience than integrative search. Additionally, when participants adopt a comparative search strategy, they also exhibit greater effects of acceleration versus delay framing. Although most participants reported that the manipulation did not change their behavior, promoting comparative search decreased discounting of future rewards substantially and speeded patient choices. These findings highlight the central role that heterogeneity in psychological processes plays in shaping intertemporal choice. Importantly, these results indicate that theories that ignore variability in search strategies may be inadvertently aggregating over different subpopulations that use very different processes. The findings also inform interventions in choice architecture to increase patience and improve consumer welfare