Tolerance is a distinguishing feature of Western culture. Still, it varies between and within countries, as well as over time, and irrespective of whether one values it for its own sake or for its beneficial consequences, it becomes important to identify its determinants. In this study, we investigate whether the character of economic policy plays a role, by looking at the effect of changes in eco

This paper presents a fully automated method for segmentation of 3D SPECT ventilation and perfusion images. It relies on statistical information on lung shape derived by CT manual segmentation and its main processing steps are: shape model extraction, binary segmentation, positioning of mean shape in SPECT images and iterative shape adaptation based on intensity profiles and on what is considered

In the paper we address an important problem in minimum cost design of Elastic Optical Networks (EON), namely the problem of optimizing the configurations of Sliceable-Bandwidth Variable Transceivers (S-BVT) at the EON nodes. We first show how this optimization problem can be viewed and modeled as a combination of three bin-packing subproblems, with additional constraints ensuring feasibility of t

The summer precipitation (June–September) in the source region of the Yellow River accounts for about 70% of the annual total, playing an important role in water availability. This study divided the source region of the Yellow River into homogeneous zones based on precipitation variability using cluster analysis. Summer precipitation trends and teleconnections with global sea-surface temperatures

In this study, an oxygen monitoring system was demonstrated for sensitive oxygen detection. The system is based on tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) and wavelength modulation spectroscopy (WMS). Stable 2nd-harmonic signals of oxygen were detected by measuring the oxygen P9 absorption line at 764.38. nm. In the detection, a cubic diffuse integrating cavity was employed as a gas ab

Steep declines in photovoltaic (PV) technology prices have directed attention to the so-called soft costs associated with PV deployment. This paper focuses on one element of soft costs: those that arise from local permitting and inspection processes typically being handled by municipalities. Based on a literature review, the paper compares the status of local PV permitting in the US and Germany. R

Reaction of Ru3(CO)12 with tris(2-thienyl)phosphine (PTh3) in CH2Cl2 at room temperature or in THF in the presence of a catalytic amount of Na[Ph2CO] furnishes the carbonyl substitution products Ru3(CO)11(PTh3) (1), Ru3(CO)10(PTh3)2 (2), and Ru3(CO)9(PTh3)3 (3). Heating 1 in toluene affords the cyclometalated cluster Ru3(CO)9{μ-Th2P(C4H2S)}(μ-H) (4) resulting from carbonyl loss and carbon-hydrogen

The use of plastic scintillation microspheres (PSm) is an innovative technique for measuring the radioactivity of beta-emitting radionuclides. PSm can be produced via different methods; none of which has been assayed at the industrial scale. In the present paper, we evaluate the production of PSm by spray-drying on an industrial scale. Our results indicate that fluorescent solutes were indeed enca

The study investigated subjective theories of dream function (why do we dream)- measured as level of agreement with selected prescientific and contemporary views of science (N = 667) and thus explored differences in dream attitude with respect to age, educational level, and sex. A factor analysis revealed 3 factors. One can be described as seeing dreams as meaningful information processing (memory

Romani chib har talats i Sverige i 500 år. Det är inte ett enhetligt, väldefinierat språk, som man kan skriva en enkel grammatik om. Tvärtom, i Sverige talas en stor mängd väldigt olika varianter av romani chib. Några har talats här länge, andra bara en kort tid.Boken fokuserar på de tre varianter som har talats längst i Sverige: skandoromani, kelderash och kale. Förutom språken behandlar boken ta

In a composite film of Cdx Sey Zn1-x S1-y gradient core-shell quantum dots (QDs) and gold nanorods (NRs), the optical properties of the QDs are drastically affected by the plasmonic nanoparticles. We provide a careful study of the two-step formation of the film and its morphology. Subsequently we focus on QD luminescence photoactivation - a process induced by photochemical changes on the QD surfac

Wildfires are not only a threat to human property and a vital element of many ecosystems, but also an important source of air pollution. In this study, we first review the available evidence for a past or possible future climate-driven increase in wildfire emissions in Europe. We then introduce an ensemble of model simulations with a coupled wildfire-dynamic-ecosystem model, which we combine with