Regulation of Glyphosate-Resistant Sugar Beets: Challenges and Uncertainty

Roundup Ready Sugar Beets, Regulation, Deregulation, Environmental Impact Statement, Environmental Assessment, Uncertainty, Agricultural and Food Policy, Crop Production/Industries, Q18, Q55, Q58,

Nuclear recoil measurements in Superheated Superconducting Granule detectors

The response of Superheated Superconducting Granule (SSG) devices to nuclear recoils has been explored by irradiating SSG detectors with a 70Me$\!$V neutron beam. In the past we have tested Al SSG and more recently, measurements have been performed with Sn and Zn detectors. The aim of the experiments was to test the sensitivity of SSG detectors to recoil energies down to a few ke$\!$V. In this paper, the preliminary results of the neutron irradiation of a SSG detector made of Sn granules 15-20$\mu$m in diameter will be discussed. For the first time, recoil energy thresholds of $\sim$1ke$\!$V have been measured.Comment: 7pages in Latex format, Preprint Bu-He 93/6 (University of Berne, Switzerland), four figures available upon request via [email protected] or [email protected]

Subplate in a rat model of preterm hypoxia-ischemia.

OBJECTIVE: Hypoxia-ischemia (HI) in preterm infants primarily leads to injuries in the cerebral white matter. However, there is growing evidence that perinatal injury in preterms can also involve other zones including the cortical gray matter. In a neonatal rat model of HI, selective vulnerability of subplate has been suggested using BrdU birth-dating methods. In this study, we aimed to investigate the neuropathological changes of the subplate and deep layers of the cortex following cerebral HI in neonatal rats with specific cell markers. METHODS: P2 rats underwent permanent occlusion of the right common carotid artery followed by a period of hypoxia. P8 rats were analyzed using immunohistochemistry; subplate and deep layers cells were quantified and compared with sham-operated case. RESULTS: A large variability in the extent of the cerebral injury was apparent. For the three analyzed subplate populations (Nurr1+, Cplx3+, and Ctgf+ cells), no significant cell reduction was observed in mild and moderate cases. Only in severe cases, subplate cells were strongly affected, but these injuries were always accompanied by the cell reductions in layers VI and V. INTERPRETATION: We could therefore not confirm a specific vulnerability of subplate cells compared to other deep layers or the white matter in our model

Chatbots in the english classroom: an empirical study of EFL learner interaction with a written dialog system

Dialog systems are a promising technology to maximize opportunities for learner interaction in foreign language (FL) classrooms. Research has provided initial evidence for the effectiveness of learner-system interaction to promote FL development and for the occurrence of learning-facilitating interactional features, but in-depth investigations into the specific nature of FL learner-system interaction, particularly task-based interaction, are still outstanding. The present study explores the potential of dialog systems for FL learning further by describing the nature of task-based interaction between English as a foreign language (EFL) learners and a written dialog system compared to written synchronized computer-mediated communication (SCMC) learner-peer interaction. The study was situated in the Swiss commercial vocational education and training (VET) context where dialog systems may offer a particular benefit due to limited classroom time and self-organized computer-assisted learning. The sample was collected in three commercial VET EFL classes using a written dialog system developed for the study based on a curriculum task (system group) and a written chat application (SCMC group), yielding 18 learner-system interactions and 21 learner-peer written SCMC learner-peer interactions. The two sets of interaction scripts were coded for interactional features and analyzed for group differences (system, SCMC) with respect to the learners’ task performance in terms of complexity, accuracy, and communicative adequacy. The findings revealed the occurrence of negotiation of meaning, recasts, and lexical and structural alignment in learner-system interaction at rates that were generally higher than in learner-peer SCMC and marked by characteristics unique to the learner-system interaction type. With regard to learners’ task performance, the system group compared to the SCMC group produced language that was significantly less complex in terms of Analysis of Speech unit (AS-unit) length and lexical diversity measured by Measure of Textual Lexical Diversity (MTLD) and showed a non- significantly higher rate of inappropriate requests but was lexico-grammatically and orthographically non-significantly more accurate. Learners from the system group also had a significantly lower task completion rate, but their generic structure and style ratings did not differ from those of the SCMC group. Overall, the study’s findings strengthen the case for the potential of dialog systems for certain aspects of FL learning, while also pointing to some important implications and limitations: Learner-system interaction may engage learners in frequent interactional features whose unique characteristics may be theoretically linked to FL learning functions and benefits as well as disadvantages. Compared to learner-peer SCMC, learner-system interaction may encourage learners to produce and practice language with higher lexico-grammatical and orthographic accuracy, but it may offer reduced opportunities for syntactically and lexically complex as well as pragmatically fully appropriate language use. Finally, learners interacting with a dialog system may be able to engage with the sociolinguistic and pragmatic competences targeted by the task’s genre requirements in comparable ways as those interacting with a peer through SCMC; however, their ability to engage with the complete set of targeted competences might be reduced as they were more often unable to complete the task

More than meets the eye : capturing invisible flows and processes

ABSTRACT For my doctorate, I created four films and one photo-text installation that engage with invisibility in various ways. My research for the film 2°, which seeks the impact of human interaction with changing geographies, took me to an altitude of 3,500 meters above sea level. In my investigations, I traveled as far north as the 51st parallel to produce the film In the Ice, Everything Leaves a Trace, and the photo series The Other Side of Ice, examining the economic exploitation of the Arctic. My research also led me to a place where the wind is harnessed for filming, inspiring the creation of the film Memories of a Past Future, and to a location where filming is no longer possible, yielding images used in the production of Unlearning Flow. The decisive events of our time are often not visible. My research re- volves around making this invisibility negotiable. These occurrences possess a fascinating duality, simultaneously feeling both familiar and foreign. While we are intimately connected to them, they represent global processes that escape complete comprehension. They are complex chains of causality that have become inscrutable to individual perception. Invisible events cannot be addressed through individual images or shots. Instead, it’s the montage techniques of demontage, soft montage, and the productive gap that I employ. It is these working methods that allow me to approach the invisible, partially capture it, and make it negotiable. These forms of montage are also mirrored in the written part of my dissertation. The written section of the doctorate brings together various text elements that influence each other and create cross-references within the individual works. The written part contains conversations with other artist researchers in order to contextualize my work within my field but also to build a forum to negotiate my work.TIIVISTELMÄ Tein väitöskirjaani varten näkymättömyyttä monin eri tavoin käsittelevät neljä elokuvaa ja yhden installaation, jossa on käytetty sekä valokuvaa että tekstiä. Tutkimukseni elokuvaa 2° varten, joka tarkastelee ihmisen ja muuttuvan maantieteen vuorovaikutusta, vei minut 3500 metrin korkeuteen merenpinnan yläpuolelle. Matkustin tutkimuksissani aina 51. leveyspiirille asti tuottaakseni elokuvan In the Ice, Everything Leaves a Trace (Kaikesta jää jälki jäähän) ja valokuvasarjan The Other Side of Ice (Jään toinen puoli), joissa tutkin arktisen alueen taloudellista hyväksikäyttöä. Tutkimukseni johti minut myös paikkaan, jossa tuuli valjastettiin kuvaamista varten, mikä innoitti elokuvan Memories of a Past Future (Menneen tulevaisuuden muistoja) luomiseen, ja paikkaan, jossa kuvaaminen ei ole enää mahdollista. Tämä kerrytti kuvamateriaalia, jota käytettiin elokuvan Unlearning Flow (Poisoppiva virta) tuotannossa. Aikamme ratkaisevat tapahtumat eivät yleensä ole näkyviä. Tutkimukseni pyrkii tuomaan tämän näkymättömyyden keskusteltavaksi. Nämä tapahtumat ovat kiehtovan kaksijakoisia, samalla sekä tuttuja että vieraita. Vaikka olemme niiden kanssa tiiviisti tekemisissä, ne edustavat globaaleja prosesseja, joita ei voi kokonaan ymmärtää. Ne ovat monimutkaisia syy- ja seuraussuhteiden ketjuja, joista on tullut yksittäiselle ihmiselle vaikeaselkoisia. Näkymättömiä tapahtumia ei voi käsitellä yksittäisten kuvien tai otosten avulla. Sen sijaan käytän montaasitekniikoita kuten demontaasi, pehmeä montaasi ja produktiivinen väli. Nämä menetelmät mahdollistavat näkymättömän tutkimisen ja sen osittaisen tallentamisen sekä sen käsittelyn. Nämä montaasin muodot heijastuvat myös väitöskirjani kirjalliseen osaan. Se kokoaa yhteen erilaisia toisiinsa vaikuttavia tekstielementtejä ja luo ristiviittauksia yksittäisissä teoksissa. Olen sisällyttänyt kirjalliseen osaan keskusteluja muiden taiteilijatutkijoiden kanssa kontekstualisoidakseni työtäni oman alani sisällä, mutta myös luodakseni foorumin sen pohtimiselle.ABSTRAKT För min doktorsexamen skapade jag fyra filmer och en fototextinstallation som utforskar osynlighet på olika sätt. Min forskning om filmen 2°, som undersöker inverkan av mänsklig interaktion med förändrade geografier, tog mig till en höjd av 3 500 meter över havet. I mina undersökningar reste jag så långt norrut som den 51:a breddgraden för att producera filmen In the Ice, Everything Leaves a Trace, och fotoserien The Other Side of Ice, där jag undersökte den ekonomiska exploateringen av Arktis. Min forskning ledde mig också till en plats där vinden utnyttjas som resurs för filmning och inspirerade skapandet av filmen Memories of a Past Future, samt till en plats där filmning inte längre är möjlig, vilket resulterade i bilder som användes i produktionen av Unlearning Flow. De avgörande händelserna i vår tid är ofta osynliga. Min forskning kretsar kring att göra denna osynlighet hanterbar. Dessa händelser uppvisar en fascinerande dualitet, där de samtidigt känns både bekanta och främmande. Medan vi är intimt sammankopplade med dem representerar de globala processer som undgår fullständig förståelse. De är komplexa kausalitetskedjor som har blivit obegripliga för den enskilde individen. Osynliga händelser kan inte adresseras genom enskilda bilder eller klipp. Istället använder jag montagetekniker såsom demontage, mjukt montage och produktiva glapp. Det är dessa arbetsmetoder som gör att jag kan närma mig det osynliga, delvis fånga det och göra det hanterbart. Dessa former av montage återspeglas också i den skriftliga delen av min doktorsavhandling. I den skriftliga delen av doktorsexamen samlas olika textelement som påverkar varandra och skapar korshänvisningar inom de enskilda verken. Den skriftliga delen innehåller också samtal med andra konstnärliga forskare för att kontextualisera mitt arbete inom mitt område, men även för att skapa ett forum för att diskutera mitt arbete.List of the artistic parts: Memories of a Past Future, 2019. 3 Chanel HD Video installation, 5’ 44” Unlearnin Flow, 2019. Essay film, 10’ 06”, UHD 2°, 2020. Essay film, 16’ 22” UHD The Other Side of Ice, 2021, Photo installation, Framed inkjet and chromira prints, framed, 461 cm x 153 cm In the Ice, everything leaves a trace, 2022. Essay film, 13’ 09”, UHDThis publication is the written component of the Doctoral Thesis in Fine Arts for the Doctoral Programme at the Academy of Fine Arts at the University of the Arts Helsinki in a joint collaboration with the Zurich University of the Arts

Falsification Of The Atmospheric CO2 Greenhouse Effects Within The Frame Of Physics

The atmospheric greenhouse effect, an idea that many authors trace back to the traditional works of Fourier (1824), Tyndall (1861), and Arrhenius (1896), and which is still supported in global climatology, essentially describes a fictitious mechanism, in which a planetary atmosphere acts as a heat pump driven by an environment that is radiatively interacting with but radiatively equilibrated to the atmospheric system. According to the second law of thermodynamics such a planetary machine can never exist. Nevertheless, in almost all texts of global climatology and in a widespread secondary literature it is taken for granted that such mechanism is real and stands on a firm scientific foundation. In this paper the popular conjecture is analyzed and the underlying physical principles are clarified. By showing that (a) there are no common physical laws between the warming phenomenon in glass houses and the fictitious atmospheric greenhouse effects, (b) there are no calculations to determine an average surface temperature of a planet, (c) the frequently mentioned difference of 33 degrees Celsius is a meaningless number calculated wrongly, (d) the formulas of cavity radiation are used inappropriately, (e) the assumption of a radiative balance is unphysical, (f) thermal conductivity and friction must not be set to zero, the atmospheric greenhouse conjecture is falsified.Comment: 115 pages, 32 figures, 13 tables (some typos corrected

Acoustic scattering from a thermally driven buoyant plume

An examination is made of the use of broad bandwidth high-frequency acoustic scattering to infer remotely the spatial structure of the temperature field of a thermally driven buoyant plume. Application of the far-field Born approximation results in a linear relationship between the transfer function of the scattering process, G, the ratio of received to transmitted pressure, to the spatial Fourier transform of the temperature field, φ (K), where K = ks – ki is the Bragg wave-number vector. A series of experiments are devised to test this hypothesis. These experiments involve a geometry of scattering in which pairs of sources and receivers are placed on opposite sides and equidistant from the scattering volume, a buoyant plume generated by a small circular heating element at the base of a water tank. It is shown that the far-field approximation assuming incident plane waves breaks down when the scales of temperature variability of the plume are of order the Fresnel radius. These results are discussed for both an unstable and turbulent plume. Conditions for the recovery of the Bragg scattering condition are established. © 1996 Acoustical Society of America

Uncertainties of predictions of future atmospheric CO2 concentrations

Linear carbon cycle models, tuned to reproduce the CO2 increase observed at Mauna Loa, independently of their individual assumptions, predict almost identical CO2 concentration trends for fossil energy scenarios assuming a slightly increasing production in the next few decades. The basic information for such prognoses therefore is the airborne fraction observed over the last 20 years. Uncertainties in this quantity are due to possible errors in the estimate of fossil fuel consumption and the corresponding CO2 emission, possible natural fluctuations in the baseline CO2 level, and uncertainties regarding the biospheric CO2 input and uptake as a result of deforestation and reforestation and land management. Depending on different assumptions the effective airborne fraction, defined as the ratio of CO2 increase due to fossil fuel CO2 alone to the integrated CO2 production, might be as low as 0.38 or as high as 0.72, compared to the apparent airborne fraction of 0.55. The effective airborne fraction derived from carbon cycle models, considering only the CO2 uptake by the ocean, lies in the range 0.60–0.70. A value as low as 0.40 seems therefore highly improbable. A high biospheric anthropogenic CO2 input therefore must have been accompanied by a high CO2 fertilization effect. Model considerations, however, are not in contradiction with a high biospheric input with the maximum production before 1958, which also would imply low preindustrial CO2 concentrations in the range 270–280 ppm as reported recently