"A hotbed of sins” or “just like home”? Drinking cultures in colonial Qingdao (1897–1914)

This contribution analyses the narratives surrounding the emerging drinking cultures among several social groups in Qingdao (German soldiers, German civilians, the Chinese elite, and Chinese labourers). Against this background, I investigate in which ways alcohol became a crucial part of the construction of colonial identities

Study to minimize hydrogen embrittlement of ultrahigh-strength steels

Hydrogen-stress cracking in high-strength steels is influenced by hydrogen content of the material and its hydrogen absorption tendency. Non-embrittling cleaning, pickling, and electroplating processes are being studied. Protection from this hydrogen embrittlement is important to the aerospace and aircraft industries

Escapement of the Cape rock lobster (Jasus lalandii ) through the mesh and entrance of commercial traps

Metal-framed traps covered with polyethylene mesh used in the fishery for the South African Cape rock lobster (Jasus lalandii) incidentally capture large numbers of undersize (<75 mm CL) specimens. Air-exposure, handling, and release procedures affect captured rock lobsters and reduce the productivity of the stock, which is heavily fished. Optimally, traps should retain legalsize rock lobsters and allow sublegal animals to escape before traps are hauled. Escapement, based on lobster morphometric measurements, through meshes of 62 mm, 75 mm, and 100 mm was investigated theoretically under controlled conditions in an aquarium, and during field trials. SELECT models were used to model escapement, wherever appropriate. Size-selectivity curves based on the logistic model fitted the aquarium and field data better than asymmetrical Richards curves. The lobster length at 50% retention (L50) on the escapement curve for 100-mm mesh in the aquarium (75.5 mm CL) approximated the minimum legal size (75 mm CL); however estimates of L50 increased to 77.4 mm in field trials where trapentrances were sealed, and to 82.2 mm where trap-entrances were open. Therfore, rock lobsters that cannot escape through the mesh of sealed field traps do so through the trap entrance of open traps. By contrast, the wider selection range and lower L25 of field, compared to aquarium, trials (SR = 8.2 mm vs. 2.6 mm; L25 =73.4 mm vs. 74.1 mm), indicate that small lobsters that should be able to escape from 100-mm mesh traps do not always do so. Escapement from 62-mm mesh traps with open entrance funnels increased by 40−60% over sealed traps. The findings of this study with a known size distribution, are related to those of a recent indirect (comparative) study for the same species, and implications for trap surveys, commercial catch rates, and ghost fishing are discussed

The Superorganism: Problems and Perspectives

This article aims to contribute to recent debates on research methods in public administration by examining the use of quantitative methods in public administration research. We analyzed 1,605 articles published between 2001–2010 in four leading journals: Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory (JPART), Public Administration Review, Governance, and Public Administration (PA). Results show that whereas qualitative methods are still predominant compared to quantitative methods (56% versus 44%), the field is becoming increasingly quantitative. Of quantitative methods used, surveys are most dominant, while a combination of methods is used far less often. In general, very few studies use a mixed methods design. As to the areas of research, we found that the use of quantitative methods is unequally distributed; some subfields (public management) use quantitative methods more often than others (policy and politics), and some journals (JPART, PA) publish articles on quantitative research more than others (Governance). Implications for public administration research are discussed

Detection and mapping of illicit drugs and their metabolites in fingermarks by MALDI MS and compatibility with forensic techniques

Despite the proven capabilities of Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionisation Mass Spectrometry (MALDI MS) in laboratory settings, research is still needed to integrate this technique into current forensic fingerprinting practice. Optimised protocols enabling the compatible application of MALDI to developed fingermarks will allow additional intelligence to be gathered around a suspect’s lifestyle and activities prior to the deposition of their fingermarks while committing a crime. The detection and mapping of illicit drugs and metabolites in latent fingermarks would provide intelligence that is beneficial for both police investigations and court cases. This study investigated MALDI MS detection and mapping capabilities for a large range of drugs of abuse and their metabolites in fingermarks; the detection and mapping of a mixture of these drugs in marks, with and without prior development with cyanoacrylate fuming or Vacuum Metal Deposition, was also examined. Our findings indicate the versatility of MALDI technology and its ability to retrieve chemical intelligence either by detecting the compounds investigated or by using their ion signals to reconstruct 2D maps of fingermark ridge details

The different dimensions of livelihood impacts of Payments for Environmentals Services (PES) schemes: A systematic review

Through a systematic review of peer-reviewed and grey literature, this paper analyzes evidence of the livelihood impacts of Payments for Environmental Services (PES). Forty-six studies assessed PES livelihood impacts. The assessments presented more positive livelihood impacts than negative ones, focusing on financial benefits. Non-monetary and non-material impacts of PES were largely understudied. Most reviews focused on ES providers, hindering the understanding of broader societal impacts. The review yielded examples where participants lost from their participation or where improvements in one livelihood dimension paralleled deterioration in another. Consequently, we identified key research gaps in: i) understanding the social and cultural impacts of PES, ii) evaluating environmental and economic additionality from improving other ES at the expense of cultural ones, iii) and assessing PES impacts in terms of trade-offs between multiple livelihood dimensions. Moreover, increased knowledge is needed on the impact of PES on changes in household expenditure and choice, and on trade-offs between household income and inequality in ES provider communities. Finally, if PES schemes are implemented to sustainably improve livelihoods, targeting disaggregated populations, understanding equity and social power relations within and between ES providers and users, and better monitoring and evaluation systems that consider locally relevant livelihood dimensions are needed

De invloed van diversiteitsmanagement op de binding van werknemers in de publieke sector

In reactie op de ontwikkelingen in de samenleving en op de arbeidsmarkt voeren publieke organisaties vaak diversiteitsbeleid. Er is weinig bekend over de effectiviteit van diversiteitmanagement en de concrete beleidsinstrumenten die in dat kader worden ingezet. In dit artikel is de invloed van diversiteitmanagement en enkele beleidsinstrumenten op de binding van werknemers in de Nederlandse publieke sector onderzocht en wordt nagegaan wat daarbij de rol is van leiderschap. De beleidsinstrumenten zijn onderverdeeld volgens de typologie van Ely en Thomas (2001): Discrimination & Fairness (D&F), Access & Legitimacy (A&L) en Integration & Learning (I&L). Diversiteitmanagement en twee beleidsinstrumenten, namelijk het divers samenstellen van selectieteams (A&L p

Metro-Line Crossing Minimization: Hardness, Approximations, and Tractable Cases

Crossing minimization is one of the central problems in graph drawing. Recently, there has been an increased interest in the problem of minimizing crossings between paths in drawings of graphs. This is the metro-line crossing minimization problem (MLCM): Given an embedded graph and a set L of simple paths, called lines, order the lines on each edge so that the total number of crossings is minimized. So far, the complexity of MLCM has been an open problem. In contrast, the problem variant in which line ends must be placed in outermost position on their edges (MLCM-P) is known to be NP-hard. Our main results answer two open questions: (i) We show that MLCM is NP-hard. (ii) We give an $O(\sqrt{\log |L|})$-approximation algorithm for MLCM-P

Ultrafast quasiparticle relaxation dynamics in normal metals and heavy fermion materials

We present a detailed theoretical study of the ultrafast quasiparticle relaxation dynamics observed in normal metals and heavy fermion materials with femtosecond time-resolved optical pump-probe spectroscopy. For normal metals, a nonthermal electron distribution gives rise to a temperature (T) independent electron-phonon relaxation time at low temperatures, in contrast to the T^{-3}-divergent behavior predicted by the two-temperature model. For heavy fermion compounds, we find that the blocking of electron-phonon scattering for heavy electrons within the density-of-states peak near the Fermi energy is crucial to explain the rapid increase of the electron-phonon relaxation time below the Kondo temperature. We propose the hypothesis that the slower Fermi velocity compared to the sound velocity provides a natural blocking mechanism due to energy and momentum conservation laws.Comment: 10 pages, 11 figure