Windiness spells in SW Europe since the last glacial maximum

Dunefields have a great potential to unravel past regimes of atmospheric circulation as they record direct traces of this component of the climate system. Along the Portuguese coast, transgressive dunefields represent relict features originated by intense and frequent westerly winds that largely contrast with present conditions, clearly dominated by weaker northwesterly winds. Optical dating and subsurface stratigraphy document three age clusters indicating main episodes of dune mobilization during: the last termination (20-11.6 ka), Middle Holocene (5.6 ka), and Late Holocene (1.2-0.98 and 0.4-0.15 ka).We find reconstructed windfields to be analogous during all episodes and dominated by strong westerlies. Yet, larger grain size diameters and dune volumes documented for the last termination support amplified patterns compatible with a southward shift and intensification of the North Atlantic westerlies during winters. Conversely, dunes deposited after the Middle Holocene are compatible with more variable windfields and weakened patterns controlled by interannual shifts towards low values of the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO).This work demonstrates that present windfield regimes in southern Europe are not compatible with past aeolian activity. Indeed, present day analogs indicate that wind intensities compatible with past aeolian activity are rare at present (sediment transport potentials below estimates in the aeolian record), but can occur if the jet stream is diverted to the south (i.e. 30 degrees N with negative NAO index) or if very deep cyclones anchor around 50 degrees N, extending their influence to the western Portuguese coast (relatively low NAO index). However, these conditions represent temporary patterns lasting around one day, while we suggest that the identified episodes of aeolian activity may represent semi-permanent conditions. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

The Dominican Crisis: An Examination of Traditional and Contemporary Concepts of International Law

In late April of 1965 the Dominican Republic became embroiled in internal revolution. On April 25th the Dominican government was toppled by supporters of former Dominican President Juan D. Bosch. For the next three days the pro-Bosch rebel regime demanded the return of the former president. Bosch\u27s return, however, was opposed by units of the Dominican naval and air forces under the command of Dominican Air Force General Elias Wessin y Wessin. The revolution appeared to collapse after heavy fighting in the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo on April 27th. That day the United States Embassy in Santo Domingo announced that the United States Navy was preparing to evacuate American citizens and other foreign nationals from the Dominican Republic.\u27 Additional naval vessels with about 1500 United States Marines were reported standing offshore. On April 28th President Johnson announced that 400 marines had been put ashore to aid in the evacuation when it was learned. that local authorities would no longer be able to guarantee the safety of United States citizens. It was also revealed at this time that known Communist leaders and agitators, including some Dominican exiles and others who had received their training in Communist Cuba, had been identified among the rebel forces. As the fighting between the military and rebels continued in Santo Domingo, additional contingents of marines and airborne troops were dispatched in an attempt to restore order and deter the Communist elements

Criminal Law and Procedure

Pennsylvania statute that authorizes a jury to impose costs on an acquitted misdemeanor defendant and subjects him to imprisonment for failure to pay such costs is invalid under the due process clause of the fourteenth amendment. Giaccio v. State of Pennsylvania, 86 Sup. Ct. 518 (1966)

Enriching Social Entrepreneurship from the Perspective of Catholic Social Teaching

In this paper, we propose that unreflective use of the term social entrepreneurship may perpetuate the idea that “entrepreneurship” is largely a financial and private reality and that this view of entrepreneurship will eventually trivialize or perhaps undermine the important benefits and the real intentions behind the social entrepreneurship movement. We believe that Catholic Social Teaching can shed important light on this dilemma by emphasizing three specific strategies inherent to entrepreneurship when assessing the moral contribution of the firm. As a result, we argue for the principles of good goods, good work and good wealth as an alternative framework for all good entrepreneurial venture

Effects of radio-frequency fields on bacterial cell membranes and nematode temperature-sensitive mutants

Membrane-related bioeffects have been reported in response to both radio-frequency (RF) and extremely low-frequency (ELF) electromagnetic fields (EMFs), particularly in neural cells. We have tested whether RF fields might cause inner membrane leakage in ML35 E. coli cells, which express β-galactosidase (lacZ) constitutively, but lack the lacY permease required for substrate entry. The activity of lacZ (indicating substrate leakage through the inner cell membrane) was increased only slightly by RF exposure (1 GHz, 0.5 W) over 45 min. Since lacZ activity showed no further increase with a longer exposure time of 90 min, this suggests that membrane permeability per se is not significantly affected by RF fields, and that slight heating (≤ 0.1°C) could account for this small difference. Temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants of the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, are wild-type at 15°C but develop the mutant phenotype at 25°C; an intermediate temperature of 21°C results in a reproducible mixture of both phenotypes. For two ts mutants affecting transmembrane receptors (TRA-2 and GLP-1), RF exposure for 24 h during the thermocritical phase strongly shifts the phenotype mix at 21°C towards the mutant end of the spectrum. For ts mutants affecting nuclear proteins, such phenotype shifts appear smaller (PHA-1) or non-significant (LIN-39), apparently confirming suggestions that RF power is dissipated mainly in the plasma membrane of cells. However, these phenotype shifts are no longer seen when microwave treatment is applied at 21°C in a modified exposure apparatus that minimises the temperature difference between sham and exposed conditions. Like other biological effects attributed to microwaves in the C. elegans system, phenotype shifts in ts mutants appear to be an artefact caused by very slight heating

Exposure to secondhand smoke and cognitive impairment in non-smokers: national cross sectional study with cotinine measurement.

addresses: Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 2SR. [email protected]: PMCID: PMC2643443types: Journal Article; Multicenter Study; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tCopyright © 2009 by the BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. This articles was first published in: BMJ, 2009, Vol. 338, pp. b462 -To examine the association between a biomarker of exposure to secondhand smoke (salivary cotinine concentration) and cognitive impairment