Sovereigns in the Marketplace: Consumer Groups and Citizenship (without Nations?) in the European Union

The enlargement of Europe and globalization are reconfiguring European consumerism. In this new context, personal, local and national agency in the social and the political relations of consumption are in great flux. I will use some recent language and circulars regarding GMOs to suggest that what consumers may be gaining in active agency through the creation of supranational agencies and NGOs and the proliferation of Internet activism, they may be losing in the accountability of their local governments. Further, the means by which “European” consumers are being created, possibly a classe objet in Bourdieu’s terms, reflects an erosion of national sovereignty and its crisis, producing what may be a “consolation narrative” to the spectre of the failure of democracy.L’élargissement de l’Europe et la mondialisation modifient profondément le consumérisme européen. Dans ce contexte nouveau, les conditions subjectives, locales et nationales pour défendre les consommateurs au niveau social et politique connaissent des mutations importantes. Je vais recourir à certains discours et publications sur les organismes génétiquement modifiés pour suggérer que ce que les consommateurs gagnent en termes d’influence, d’une part, à travers la création d’agences internationales, d’ONG et par l’important militantisme sur Internet, ils le perdent peut-être, d’autre part, dans le sens d’une diminution de possibilités pour responsabiliser leurs gouvernements locaux. Plus encore, les moyens grâce auxquels on crée des consommateurs « européens » - probablement une « classe objet », pour le dire dans les termes de Pierre Bourdieu - ne témoignent pas seulement d’une érosion de la souveraineté nationale et de sa crise, mais produisent peut-être en même temps une espèce de « récit de la consolation » au regard de l’échec de la démocratie.Die Ost-Erweiterung Europas und die Globalisierung sorgen auch für einen Wandel des europäischen Verbrauchermarkts. In diesem neuen Kontext sind die individuellen, lokalen und nationalen Bedingungen für die Einwirkung auf die sozialen und politischen Aspekte des Verbrauchermarkts starken Veränderungen unterworfen. In dem vorliegenden Artikel werden einige Beispiele jüngerer Verlautbarungen zu gentechnologisch veränderten Organismen angeführt um zu zeigen, dass dasjenige, was Konsumenten an Handlungsmöglichkeiten auf der Ebene supranationaler Organisationen und NGOs sowie im Sinn der Verbreitung von Internet-Aktivismus gewinnen, möglicherweise auch wieder verloren geht auf der Ebene der Einklagbarkeit von Rechten gegenüber ihren nationalen Regierungen. Darüber spiegeln die Mittel, durch die „europäische“ Konsumenten geschaffen werden, nicht nur eine Erosion nationaler Souveränität bzw. deren Krise, sondern erzeugen möglicherweise so etwas wie ein „Trostnarrativ“ im Hinblick auf das Gespenst des Versagens der Demokratie

Gold Nanoparticle Chemiresistor Arrays for Micro-Gas Chromatography Applications

Thiolate-monolayer-protected gold nanoparticle (MPN) chemiresistors were studied as the sensing devices for micro-gas chromatography (μGC) systems. Because transport through chemiresistors is dominated by tunneling, they are highly sensitive. In order to improve their limit of detection, their fundamental noise was studied. Chemiresistors exhibit 1/f type noise where noise scales inversely with frequency. Chemiresistor noise was found to scale inversely with MPN film thickness. We lowered the noise prefactor of a 50×60 μm2 chemiresistor by coating a thick rather than monolayer MPN film. Electron beam induced crosslinking (EBIX) of the MPN film slightly reduced chemiresistor noise. A technique for patterning chemiresistor arrays with MPN films using EBIX was developed, and an array with four distinct MPNs was fabricated in an area ~600 μm2. This is the smallest chemiresistor array reported to date. Chemiresistors were exposed to vapors and provided differential sensitivities comparable to those from larger uncrosslinked chemiresistors. Chemiresistors were studied to assess their long term stability. Chemiresistors exhibited decreases in resistance over time that is likely caused by loss of MPN ligands. Temperature dependent current-voltage measurements verified the resistance change was not due to changes in the size of the MPN core. While resistance could change by orders of magnitude, vapor sensitivity did not show significant changes. Heating increased the change in resistance, but chemiresistors remained responsive after being held at 80°C for a cumulative 400 hours. It was unknown whether tunneling in the MPN film is through the highest unoccupied molecular orbital (HOMO) or lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO). A new technique was explored to distinguish tunneling through the HOMO and LUMO by measuring the induced thermoelectric voltage caused by a temperature difference across the MPN film. For integration into a μGC system, we fabricated a chemiresistor array on the surface of a 2.2×2.2 mm2 readout circuitry chip creating a monolithic sensor system. A model for determining the optimal sensor size for a μGC system is presented. While noise is inversely proportional to chemiresistor volume, the amount of analyte detectable is proportional to volume making smaller chemiresistors able to detect lesser amounts of analyte.Ph.D.PhysicsUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/91471/1/ecoving_1.pd

Small mammal community maintains stability through compensatory dynamics after restoration of a ponderosa pine forest

Ecosystem stability has been of increasing interest in the past several decades as it helps predict the consequences of anthropogenic disturbances on ecosystems. Species may exhibit stability through compensation, with greatly fluctuating populations year to year but a consistent density response over time. Stability is increased when species with similar functional roles compensate for one another by responding differently to environmental change. In restoration projects, the objective is to restore stability by altering ecosystem composition, structure, and function to resemble natural (‘‘reference’’) conditions. We assessed the success of ecological restoration treatments by examining the structural and functional responses of the small mammal community before and after treatment, and compared to reference conditions. We used Royle density models to examine the responses of eight species of small mammals to restoration (thinning) treatments in ponderosa pine forests to determine if the community maintained total density, biomass, and function (represented by ectomycorrhizal fungi dispersion) after disturbance. Community composition differed in each of 6 years following treatment, but total density and biomass remained constant, suggesting the community is a stable prey base for predators. In addition, goldenmantled ground squirrels (Spermophilus lateralis) and gray-collared chipmunks (Tamias cinereicollis) appeared to play a similar role in dispersing ectomycorrhizal fungi across different forest structures. Both total species density and biomass were greater after thinning than in unthinned stands, and were similar to reference stands. These results suggest that although species composition changes from year to year after disturbance, restoration treatments can maintain ecosystem stability in terms of small mammal community-level properties

Advanced Oxidation Processes for Remediation of Explosives -Contaminated Soils.

Explosives contamination in soils is an environmental concern for the public due to their toxic effects. The United States Department of Defense (DoD) is particularly concerned with explosives contamination in soils due to the thousands of sites for which it is responsible for remediating. To date, the most common technology utilized for remediating explosives contamination in soils has been incineration. However, costs for incineration have been estimated to range from approximately $250 to$3250 per ton and are generally inversely related to the volume of soil. The use of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), including dark and illuminated forms, was evaluated as an alternative to incineration. The dark processes involve the use of oxidizers without ultraviolet illumination. Dark AOPs evaluated during this study were Fenton\u27s reagent (hydrogen peroxide and ferrous salts), peroxone (a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and ozone), and ultrasonics. The illuminated processes involve the use of ultraviolet illumination which supplies the photon energy to break chemical bonds. Two types of ultraviolet lights were evaluated during this study; low pressure ultraviolet light (LPUV) and medium pressure ultraviolet light (MPUV). Only soils from the Yorktown Naval Weapons Station (YNWS), Newport News, Virginia, were used. They contained approximately 1430 mg/kg trinitrotoluene (TNT), 4.5 mg/kg trinitrobenzene (TNB), 35.4 mg/kg cyclotetramethylene-tranitrainine (HMX), and 36.8 mg/kg hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX). Since HMX and RDX concentrations were below the treatment criteria prior to testing, TNT and TNB were the main focus. Dark AOPs were applied to soil slurries and filtrate from soil slurries while illuminated AOPs were applied to raw soil and filtrate from soil slurries. Based on preliminary evaluations, peroxone and LPUV/ozone treatment of filtrate from a YNWS soil slurry were selected for optimization. Optimization involved evaluation of treatment time, three solids loadings, and two oxidizer concentrations for each oxidizer. The optimal LPUV/ozone treatment was 20% solids and 2% ozone. The optimal peroxone treatment was 20% solids, 100 parts per million (ppm) hydrogen peroxide, and 2% ozone. Degradation rates were first order with respect to TNT, HMX, and RDX and were first order intermediate with respect to TNB

Systematic Review – Final: How do thinning and burning treatments in southwestern conifer forests in the United States affect wildlife density and population performance?

The aim of this review is to examine whether thinning and burning treatments in conifer forests in the southwestern United States affect wildlife distribution, abundance, and population performance

The state of gender diversity in medical physics

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154924/1/mp14035.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154924/2/mp14035_am.pd

The Chattanooga Procedure: A New Technique Used for Anterior Multi-level Cervical Fusions

STUDY DESIGN: A preliminary assessment of anterior cervical fusion performed with interbody cage and DOC plate. OBJECTIVES: To describe and evaluate the efficacy and safety of the Chattanooga Procedure , a modified technique in achieving anterior cervical fusion. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Anterior cervical fusion with interbody bone graft and anterior plating is connnonly performed. Unfortunately, the plate has been reported to shield the graft from loading thus reducing fusion rates. The use of interbody fusion cages has been effective in the lumbar spine and has gained acceptance in the cervical spine. METHODS:. Twenty-five patients received The Chattanooga Procedure between 7/24/98 and 4/8/99. All patients had anterior discectomies and carpectomies, placement of a Harms cage packed with carpectomy bone, and application ofDePuy-Acromed DOC. Fusion was defined by radiographic evidence of trabecular bone bridging across the Harms cage. CT scans were performed on twelve randomly chosen patients to verify fusion. No external bracing was used except a soft collar as needed. Pre- and post-operative pain and functional capacity data were collected and statistically analyzed using paired t-tests. RESULTS: There were no cases of pseudoarthrosis, major neurological, vascular, or wound complications. Only one case of unresolved dysphasia was noted. The average operative time (11 0 minutes) was comparable to standard instrumented multi-level anterior cervical fusion surgeries. The average estimated blood loss was 113 ml (range, 50-750 ml). Both visual analog pain scale and Oswestry functional capacity data were significantly improved post-operatively (p\u3c 0.01). DISCUSSION: Advantages of the Chattanooga Procedure include immediate stability, support, elimination of donor site pain to iliac crest bone autograft, and a decrease in pseudoarthrosis by dividing the fusion surfaces by half. Concerns regarding this technique include an increased risk for dysphasia due to the DOC\u27s high profile. Pseudoarthrosis or instrumentation migration could also become problematic since the removal of the Harms cage could be difficult if necessary

Remote or in-person work: how does personality and qualifications relate to performance

After the COVID 19 pandemic forced many office workers to work remotely, many employers are now trying to bring their employees back to the office. However, many employees are resisting these calls, with claims that they can be equally, if not more productive while working remotely. Anecdotal evidence suggests that work performance can fluctuate in remote or in-person environments and from person to person. However, which environment generates better performance on average has not been well understood. In addition, whether there are differences in predictors of performance in remote vs. in-person settings is another under-researched area. Accordingly, acknowledging that this is an empirical question, this study will investigate work performance of individuals in remote or in-person work environments and attempt to explain why each person’s work performance was inhibited or enhanced. The participants will be shown two different tasks and instructed to perform each task within both environments. Once participants complete their tasks, they will be invited to a survey measuring their personality and other potentially relevant constructs to explain the reasons they may have to perform better when doing remote work instead of in-person, or vice versa

Revisiting fetal dose during radiation therapy: evaluating treatment techniques and a custom shield [JACMP, 17(5), 2016]

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/139980/1/acm212191_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/139980/2/acm212191.pd

SafetyNet: streamlining and automating QA in radiotherapy

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135420/1/acm20387-sup-0002.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135420/2/acm20387.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135420/3/acm20387-sup-0003.pd