Barge or tjalk? A wreck investigation in the tidal flats of North Frisia

We present a case study on the applicability of geophysical methods to map shipwrecks in the coastal zone. We present results of magnetic gradiometry, electromagnetic induction, and photogrammetry

Multi-Coil FD-EMI in Tidal Flat Areas: Prospection and Ground Truthing at a 17th Century Wooden Ship Wreckage

We present a case study of multi-coil frequency-domain electromagnetic (FD-EMI) prospection of a wooden ship wreckage from the 17th century. The wreckage is buried in a sandbar in the German part of the tidal flat area of the North Sea. Furthermore, the wreckage was excavated in advance and covered again after investigation. This ground truthing background and the position of the wreckage makes it a unique investigation object to test the feasibility of FD-EMI for prospecting wooden archaeological objects in the high conductive sediments of tidal flat areas. Our results reveal the shape and position of the wreckage in terms of conductivity maps. The resulting signal change caused by the wreckage in conductivity is only 10% of the value of the water-saturated sandy background, respectively, making a cautious process necessary, including a precise height correction. The data, furthermore, reveals a sensitivity to the vertical shape of the wreckage and thus sufficient depth sensitivity, but with reduced sensing depth. The study highlights the great potential of EMI for both in situ heritage management and archaeological research in the Wadden Sea

Producción de taxoides en callos y suspensiones celulares de Taxus chinensis mediante el uso de elicitores abióticos

Until now, several strategies have been developed to improve the production of secondary metabolites using plant cell cultures, manipulating the parameters of the environment, selecting high yielding cell clones and the use of elicitors. In the present work, callus and cell suspensions of Taxus chinensis lines SN and E15 were used, important specie for the production of metabolites with anticancer activity. The effect of different concentrations of the silver nitrate (1.0; 4.0 and 8.0mg.l-1) and the conditions of total dark and 12 h artificial light about the production of biomass and the taxoids accumulation were studied. The concentrations of AgNO3 used didn’t cause same effect under the different conditions of illumination to those that the cultivations were exposed. The AgNO3 increased the fresh weight under conditions of darkness in which superior values were obtained at 6.0g in all the treatments being bigger when using the concentration of 8.0mg (7.39g). In relation to the taxoids accumulation a bigger influence was observed with 4.0mg under conditions of light (0.93 mg/ gDW), treatment where smaller increment of biomass took place. Cell suspensions in both lines showed better growth that the cultivation of callus, while the biggest accumulation in Taxuyunnanine C was in the cultivation of callus in the line SN. It was observed that the cellular lines had a different behavior in conditions of light and darkness. As for the increment of the biomass the line E15 behaved from a superior way to the line SN as much in the darkness as to the light although the biggest value of fresh weight was obtained in the darkness (7.89g) and the biggest accumulation in Taxuyunnanine C was under conditions of darkness with the line SN (0.98 mg/gDW).Keywords: cell cultures, elicitation, secondary metabolites, taxuyunnanine CAbbreviations: gDW - Grams of dry weight, gFW - grams of fresh weight, AgNO3 - Silver nitrate, Tc - Taxuyunnanine CVarias estrategias han sido desarrolladas para incrementar la producción de metabolitos secundarios in vitro, tales como la manipulación de parámetros ambientales, selección de clones celulares con altos rendimientos y el uso de elicitores. En el presente trabajo fueron utilizados callos y suspensiones celulares de Taxus chinensis (líneas SN y E15), especie de gran interés para la producción de metabolitos con actividad anticancerígena. Se estudió el efecto de diferentes concentraciones de nitrato de plata (1.0; 4.0 y 8.0mg.l-1) y las condiciones de oscuridad total y 12 h de luz sobre la producción de biomasa y taxoides. Las concentraciones de nitrato de plata no ejercieron igual efecto en las condiciones de iluminación estudiadas. El nitrato de plata incrementó la masa fresca en oscuridad con valores superiores a 6.0g en todos los tratamientos siendo mayor con 8.0mg.l-1. La acumulación de taxuyunnanim C se favoreció con 4.0mg.l-1 en condiciones de luz solar (0.93mg/gMS), donde se produjo menor incremento de biomasa. Las suspensiones celulares en ambas líneas mostraron mejor crecimiento que el cultivo de callos, mientras que la mayor acumulación de Taxuyunnanin C fue en el cultivo de callos en la línea SN. Las líneas celulares tuvieron un comportamiento diferente bajo condiciones de luz. En cuanto al incremento de biomasa la línea E15 se comportó de manera superior a la SN en ambas condiciones de iluminación aunque el mayor valor de masa fresca se obtuvo en la oscuridad (7.89g) y la mayor acumulación de Taxuyunnanin C fue en condiciones de oscuridad con la línea SN (0.98 mg/gMS).Palabras clave: cultivo de células, elicitación, metabolitos secundarios, taxuyunnanin CAbreviaturas: gMF - Gramos de masa fresca, gMS - gramos de masa seca, AgNO3 - Nitrato de plata, Tc -Taxuyunnanin

A neural network approach to predicting price negotiation outcomes in business-to-business contexts

Price premiums are a key profit driver for long-term business relationships. For sellers in business-to-business (B2B) relationships, it is important to have appropriate strategies to negotiate price increases without trading off the relationships with their buyers. This paper aims to understand the annual price negotiation processes of companies by predicting whether a seller’s reservation price, target price, and initial offer positively affect the price negotiation outcome between the sellers and buyers. Data from 284 B2B relationships of a chemicals supplier based in Germany was used to examine our research model. In order to capture the non-linear decisions that are involved in price negotiations and to address collinearity among negotiations’ determinants, neural network analysis was used to predict the factors that influence price negotiation outcome. The neural network model was then compared with the results from regression analysis. Compared to regression analysis, the neural network has a lower standard error, and it showed that target price played a more important role in B2B price negotiations. The neural network was also able measure non-linear, non-compensatory decisions that are involved in price negotiations. The results imply that neural networks should be more widely used by researchers to address the threats that multi-collinearity poses. For companies, the results imply that price targets should be actively managed, e.g. through clear financial aims or through seminars aiming to help sales personnel to establish more challenging negotiation aims

Differential cross section measurements for the production of a W boson in association with jets in proton–proton collisions at √s = 7 TeV

Measurements are reported of differential cross sections for the production of a W boson, which decays into a muon and a neutrino, in association with jets, as a function of several variables, including the transverse momenta (pT) and pseudorapidities of the four leading jets, the scalar sum of jet transverse momenta (HT), and the difference in azimuthal angle between the directions of each jet and the muon. The data sample of pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV was collected with the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 fb[superscript −1]. The measured cross sections are compared to predictions from Monte Carlo generators, MadGraph + pythia and sherpa, and to next-to-leading-order calculations from BlackHat + sherpa. The differential cross sections are found to be in agreement with the predictions, apart from the pT distributions of the leading jets at high pT values, the distributions of the HT at high-HT and low jet multiplicity, and the distribution of the difference in azimuthal angle between the leading jet and the muon at low values.United States. Dept. of EnergyNational Science Foundation (U.S.)Alfred P. Sloan Foundatio

Juxtaposing BTE and ATE – on the role of the European insurance industry in funding civil litigation

One of the ways in which legal services are financed, and indeed shaped, is through private insurance arrangement. Two contrasting types of legal expenses insurance contracts (LEI) seem to dominate in Europe: before the event (BTE) and after the event (ATE) legal expenses insurance. Notwithstanding institutional differences between different legal systems, BTE and ATE insurance arrangements may be instrumental if government policy is geared towards strengthening a market-oriented system of financing access to justice for individuals and business. At the same time, emphasizing the role of a private industry as a keeper of the gates to justice raises issues of accountability and transparency, not readily reconcilable with demands of competition. Moreover, multiple actors (clients, lawyers, courts, insurers) are involved, causing behavioural dynamics which are not easily predicted or influenced. Against this background, this paper looks into BTE and ATE arrangements by analysing the particularities of BTE and ATE arrangements currently available in some European jurisdictions and by painting a picture of their respective markets and legal contexts. This allows for some reflection on the performance of BTE and ATE providers as both financiers and keepers. Two issues emerge from the analysis that are worthy of some further reflection. Firstly, there is the problematic long-term sustainability of some ATE products. Secondly, the challenges faced by policymakers that would like to nudge consumers into voluntarily taking out BTE LEI

Penilaian Kinerja Keuangan Koperasi di Kabupaten Pelalawan

This paper describe development and financial performance of cooperative in District Pelalawan among 2007 - 2008. Studies on primary and secondary cooperative in 12 sub-districts. Method in this stady use performance measuring of productivity, efficiency, growth, liquidity, and solvability of cooperative. Productivity of cooperative in Pelalawan was highly but efficiency still low. Profit and income were highly, even liquidity of cooperative very high, and solvability was good