Lumineszenz-Datierung der Löss-Paläoboden-Sequenz in der Kiesgrube Gaul/Weilbach, Südhessen

A thick Middle and Late Pleistocene loess/palaeosol sequence is exposed at the gravel quarry Gaul located east of Weilbach in the southern foreland of the Taunus Mountains. The loess/palaeosol sequence correlates to the last three glacial cycles. Seven samples were dated by luminescence methods using an elevated temperature IRSL (post-IR IRSL) protocol for polymineral fine-grains to determine the deposition age of the sediment and to set up a more reliable chronological framework for these deposits. The fading corrected IR50 and the pIRIR225 age estimates show a good agreement for almost all samples. The fading corrected IRSL ages range from 23.7 ± 1.6 ka to >350 ka indicating that the oldest loess was deposited during marine isotope stage (MIS) 10 or earlier and that the humic-rich horizon (Weilbacher Humuszone) was developed during the late phase of MIS 7. Loess taken above the fCc horizon most likely accumulated during MIS 6 indicating that the remains of the palaeosol are not belonging to the last interglacial soil. The two uppermost samples indicate that the youngest loess accumulated during MIS 2 (Upper Würmian). Age estimates for the loess-palaeosol sequence of the gravel quarry Gaul/Weilbach could be obtained up to ~350 ka using the pIRIR225 from feldspar. Keywords: loess, luminescence dating, IRSL, fading, Weilbach, chronostratigraphyLumineszenz-Datierung der Löss-Paläoboden-Sequenz in der Kiesgrube Gaul/Weilbach, Südhessen Kurzfassung: Eine mächtige Löss-Paläoboden-Sequenz des Mittel- und Spätpleistozäns ist in der Kiesgrube Gaul östlich von Weilbach im südlichen Taunusvorland aufgeschlossen. Lösse der letzten drei Glazialzyklen, mit zwischengeschalteten Paläoböden, sind aufgeschlossen. Sieben Proben wurden mit der Lumineszenz-Datierungsmethode, basierend auf einem post-IR IRSL Messprotokoll, untersucht, um einen verlässlicheren chronologischen Rahmen für diese Sedimente zu etablieren. Die „fading“ korrigierten IR50 und die pIRIR225 Alter sind für fast alle Proben in guter Übereinstimmung. Die IRSL Alter reichen von 23.7 ± 1.6 ka bis >350 ka und deuten an, dass der älteste Löss während des marinen Isotopenstadiums (MIS) 10 oder früher abgelagert wurde, und dass die Weilbacher Humuszonen sehr wahrscheinlich während einer späten Phase des MIS 7 gebildet wurden. Lösse über dem fCc Horizont wurden sehr wahrscheinlich während des MIS 6 abgelagert, was darauf hindeutet, dass die Reste des Paläobodens nicht mit dem letzten Interglazial korrelieren. Die beiden obersten Proben deuten darauf hin, dass der jüngste Löss während dem letzten Pleniglazial (Oberwürm, MIS 2) abgelagert wurde. Mit dem pIRIR225 Signal konnten Alter bis ~350 ka für die Proben der Löss-Paläoboden-Sequenz in der Kiesgrube Gaul gemessen werden

A Survey of Research Dealing With Personal Adjustment in Protestant Homes for the Aged and an Exploratory Study of the Problem

The purpose of this paper was to determine the frequency of occurrence of seven factors which tend to aid personal adjustment of residents in a Protestant home for the aged. The seven factors were: (1) presence of good physical health, (2) feeling of economic security, (3) favorable relations with relatives, (4) number of friends and visitors, (5) participation in religious activities, (6) participation in leisure-time activities, and (7) feelings of security and independence. The findings indicated that the better-adjusted elderly persons in this Home had acquired these factors. Those who were not so well adjusted had acquired them to a lesser degree. In order to obtain this information the following procedure was adopted: 1. eleven residents of a Protestant home for the aged were selected as subjects for this study. Only residents who had lived in the Home for one year or more were included. 2. Information was obtained through interviews. In view of these findings provisions for old age should be begun before the individual reaches that period of life. It is possible that this might be done through adult programs sponsored by educational, religious, and other organizations

Measuring the vulnerability of the Uruguayan population to vector-borne diseases via spatially hierarchical factor models

We propose a model-based vulnerability index of the population from Uruguay to vector-borne diseases. We have available measurements of a set of variables in the census tract level of the 19 Departmental capitals of Uruguay. In particular, we propose an index that combines different sources of information via a set of micro-environmental indicators and geographical location in the country. Our index is based on a new class of spatially hierarchical factor models that explicitly account for the different levels of hierarchy in the country, such as census tracts within the city level, and cities in the country level. We compare our approach with that obtained when data are aggregated in the city level. We show that our proposal outperforms current and standard approaches, which fail to properly account for discrepancies in the region sizes, for example, number of census tracts. We also show that data aggregation can seriously affect the estimation of the cities vulnerability rankings under benchmark models.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/11-AOAS497 the Annals of Applied Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aoas/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

Luminescence dating of the loess/palaeosol sequence at the gravel quarry Gaul/Weilbach, Southern Hesse (Germany)

Eine mächtige Löss-Paläoboden-Sequenz des Mittel- und Spätpleistozäns ist in der Kiesgrube Gaul östlich von Weilbach im südlichen Taunusvorland aufgeschlossen. Lösse der letzten drei Glazialzyklen, mit zwischengeschalteten Paläoböden, sind aufgeschlossen. Sieben Proben wurden mit der Lumineszenz-Datierungsmethode, basierend auf einem post-IR IRSL Messprotokoll, untersucht, um einen verlässlicheren chronologischen Rahmen für diese Sedimente zu etablieren. Die „fading“ korrigierten IR50 und die pIRIR225 Alter sind für fast alle Proben in guter Übereinstimmung. Die IRSL Alter reichen von 23.7 ± 1.6 ka bis >350 ka und deuten an, dass der älteste Löss während des marinen Isotopenstadiums (MIS) 10 oder früher abgelagert wurde, und dass die Weilbacher Humuszonen sehr wahrscheinlich während einer späten Phase des MIS 7 gebildet wurden. Lösse über dem fCc Horizont wurden sehr wahrscheinlich während des MIS 6 abgelagert, was darauf hindeutet, dass die Reste des Paläobodens nicht mit dem letzten Interglazial korrelieren. Die beiden obersten Proben deuten darauf hin, dass der jüngste Löss während dem letzten Pleniglazial (Oberwürm, MIS 2) abgelagert wurde. Mit dem pIRIR225 Signal konnten Alter bis ~350 ka für die Proben der Löss-Paläoboden-Sequenz in der Kiesgrube Gaul gemessen werden

The Function of the Culinary Art in the Latin American Literature of the Twentieth Century : Simbología culinaria en las obras de cómo agua para chocolate, Arráncame la vida y Corazón’s Café

The following theses will be developed by describing the purpose of the culinary arts in Latin American Literature. This paper will describe which feelings it creates for their audience. The following books are going to be the basic study lines: Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. Arráncame la vida by Angeles Mastretta and the short story Corazón’s Café by Judith Coffer Ortiz. Laura Esquivel, wrote this novel in the form of twelve recipes in which the reader gets to know about her life that happened during the Mexican Revolution. However, the most important messages sent throughout the entire novel, are the feelings of love, hate, sympathy, caring, and nostalgia. The reader is taken by the plot, forgetting the food that has been the conveyer of those emotions. Angeles Mastretta is also a Mexican writer who portrays the life of a young peasant girl married to a revolutionary. After the revolution, he joins the world of politics and sets up their residence in the city of Puebla. Mastreta uses very carefully her scenes in which the reader has to discover the feelings that lay beneath the written word; and in some instances how one particular dish which is called mole can be used as a weapon. Judith Coffer Ortiz is Puerto Rican bom, but has lived in the United States most of her life. However, Corazón’s Café is a story filled with love, unspoken understanding between husband and wife and how their small shop in El Barrio is an open door for their client’s culinary desires and their nostalgic need to recreate the food from home and bring their hearts closer to the places they long to return to, knowing that the only way to return is though Corazón’s Café. This study will focus on the emotions found in these texts, following the literary theory. It will take a close look at these feelings before and after they happen and will establish a comparison between them and the secondary texts. These texts are the following: Afrodita by Isabel Allende and from the following movies: Like Water for Chocolate directed by Alfonso Arau. Chocolate directed by Lasse Hallstrom. Frida directed by Julie Taymor and Tortilla Soup directed by Xavier Perez Gabot

Old and Making Hay: The Results of the Pro Bono Institute Firm Survey on the Viability of a Second Acts Program to Transition Attorneys to Retirement Through Pro Bono Work

In his 1998 Fairchild Lecture, Professor Marc Galanter proposed the idea that senior attorneys should be encouraged to undertake a second \u27public service\u27 career as a way of transitioning to retirement. The logic for encouraging such Second Acts in lawyers\u27 careers is compelling. As Professor Galanter has demonstrated, in the coming years, there will be record numbers of attorneys navigating the transition to retirement as the Baby Boomers reach their golden years. This substantial body of highly skilled lawyers could have a significant impact on fulfilling unmet needs for legal representation. If even 5% of the practicing attorneys over sixty-five participated in such a program, this would double the number of attorneys working primarily on public interest work by as soon as 2011! Such work could provide personal renewal and fulfillment as a capstone in the careers of this idealistic generation. Moreover, if such a movement were embraced and systematized by the legal profession, it could provide substantial benefits to firms and the profession as a whole. While facilitating the retirement of an unprecedented number of senior attorneys, Second Acts programs would allow those senior attorneys to retain contact with their clients while those clients transfer to other attorneys in the firm and allow senior attorneys to focus on training and mentoring junior associates through pro bono work. This work would also help meet the pro bono obligations of the firm and the profession as a whole. To further explore and facilitate the development of such Second Acts programs, the Pro Bono Institute has undertaken a survey of law firms on the magnitude of their current concerns in facilitating the retirement of senior attorneys, benefits to attorneys and firms in establishing such programs, and possible problems to be addressed in the development of such programs. In this essay, we present the results of the Institute\u27s survey, along with the other existing arguments and data supporting the establishment of Second Acts programs and suggest how they might most usefully be constructed. In the first section of this essay, we present the existing data and literature concerning the establishment of Second Acts programs. This discussion not only summarizes the existing literature, but also serves as a basis for the discussion of our survey. In the second section we present and discuss the results of our survey. These results suggest that there is indeed a need for and interest in Second Acts programs that will facilitate the transition of attorneys into retirement with personally and socially meaningful work, and that firms believe that such programs will meet some of the firms\u27 practical business needs. Finally we offer our conclusions regarding the desirability and optimal form of Second Acts programs based on our findings

Freundschaftsbeziehungen in Zeiten sozialer Onlinenetzwerke – Die Bedeutung von Freundschaft für das Selbstkonzept Jugendlicher

Freundschaften sind und bleiben wichtig für die Persönlichkeitsentwicklung im Jugendalter, weil sie entscheidende soziale Ressourcen für das Leben darstellen. Durch soziale Medien entstehen neue Möglichkeiten aber auch Herausforderungen für die Freundschaftspflege. In der vorliegenden empirischen Arbeit werden mittels einer qualitativen Befragung von Jugend-lichen (n = 59) vier Freundschaftstypen identifiziert – die/der Traditionelle, die/der Modern-Traditionelle, die/der Onliner/in und die/der Onlinespieler/in. In einem zweiten Schritt wird mittels quantitativer Befragung (n = 245) der Zusammenhang von Freundschaft und jugend-lichem Selbstkonzept untersucht, denn dieses hat als persönliche Ressource Auswirkungen auf das Wohlbefinden Jugendlicher. Die Ergebnisse unterstützen die Hypothesen teilweise. Es können signifikante geschlechtsspezifische sowie freundschaftstypspezifische Unter-schiede im Selbstkonzept ermittelt werden. Jungen weisen generell ein positiveres Selbst-konzept auf als Mädchen und der Freundschaftstyp die/der Modern-Traditionelle zeigt das positivste Selbstkonzept. Je ausgewogener die Freundschaftspflege heute von Jugendlichen sowohl über soziale Medien als auch durch persönlichen Kontakt erfolgt und je zufriedener Jugendliche in sogenannten Hybrid-Beziehungen leben, desto positiver erscheint das Selbst-konzept einer/eines Jugendlichen.Friendships are important for the personal development of teenagers during adolescence. They constitute crucial social resources for their whole life. Social media brings opportunities as well as challenges to cultivate friendships. The present study examines four types of friend-ship. These types of friendship were defined on the basis of data collected from interviews with teenagers (n = 59) - primarily ‘the traditional’, secondly ‘the modern-traditional’, thirdly ‘the onliner’ and fourthly ‘the online-gamer’. Additionally, an online survey (n = 245) showed coherence of friendship and self-concept of teenagers, due to the fact that friendship as a personal resource effects the well-being of adolescents. The results provide partial empirical evidence for the hypothesis. There are differences in self-concept according to gender and the typology of friendship. Male teenagers have a more positive self-concept than female teenagers. Furthermore, adolescents who match the modern-traditional type have the most positive self-concept. The more balanced teenagers build their friendships through social me-dia and personal contact, the more positive is their self-concept

Proposed criteria for the evaluation of the scientific quality of mandatory rat and mouse feeding trials with whole food/feed derived from genetically modified plants

In recent years, animal feeding trials conducted with whole food/feed have been a focal issue in the controversy on the safety assessment of genetically modified (GM) plants and derived food/feed. Within the scientific community and among stakeholders, quite different views have been expressed on how these studies should be conducted, analysed and interpreted, what they might add in terms of information relevant to safety and whether 90-day rodent feeding trials should be mandatory. Despite the fact that the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No. 503/2013 (specifying the requirements for the risk assessment of GM food/feed) requests mandatory 90-day feeding trials for GM plants with single transformation events, the controversy continues. This is due to the fact that in 2016 the European Commission will have to review this particular provision in the legislation (ibid, Article 12), and because of questions raised by long-term feeding studies with GM maize

Reactome - a knowledgebase of human biological pathways

Pathway curation is a powerful tool for systematically associating gene products with functions. Reactome (www.reactome.org) is a manually curated human pathway knowledgebase describing a wide range of biological processes in a computationally accessible manner. The core unit of the Reactome data model is the Reaction, whose instances form a network of biological interactions through entities that are consumed, produced, or act as catalysts. Entities are distinguished by their molecular identities and cellular locations. Set objects allow grouping of related entities. Curation is based on communication between expert authors and staff curators, facilitated by freely available data entry tools. Manually curated data are subjected to quality control and peer review by a second expert. Reactome data are released quarterly. At release time, electronic orthology inference performed on human data produces reaction predictions in 22 species ranging from mouse to bacteria. Cross-references to a large number of publicly available databases are attached, providing multiple entry points into the database. The Reactome Mart allows query submission and data retrieval from Reactome and across other databases. The SkyPainter tool provides visualization and statistical analysis of user supplied data, e.g. from microarray experiments. Reactome data are freely available in a number of data formats (e.g. BioPax, SBML)