bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Determining the viability response of pine pollen to atmospheric conditions during long‐distance dispersal
Authors: Bohrerova Zuzana , Bohrer Gil , Cho Ki Don , Bolch M. Adam , Linden Karl G.
Published: March 2009

Pollen of forest trees can move on the scales of tens to hundreds of kilometers, but the question of its viability during this long distance dispersal (LDD) has yet to be answered. While empirical studies of pollen viability in forest tree species are rare, controlled and scalable data to outdoor studies of the contribution of UV irradiation on pollen viability are not available.

A simple protocol that allows the quantification of the viability response of pollen to UV, temperature, and humidity is developed and described here. Bench‐scale conditions that approximate a wide range of atmospheric conditions including different humidity, temperature, and UV irradiation condition are used to determine the independent effects of each abiotic stress factor, and empirical functions are fitted and used to scale these bench‐scale experiments to outdoor conditions.

As a case study, pollen was sampled from two populations ofPinus taedaduring two years and was used to quantify the decrease in viability due to atmospheric conditions during LDD. Contrary to maize pollen,P. taedapollen viability decreased due to humid and cold conditions. The viability response of pollen to UV‐A and UV‐B corresponded to a viability reduction of about 10% after a full day of exposure. These laboratory findings were corroborated by an outdoor solar exposure experiment.

The Fu‐Liou online radiation model and a data set of radiosonde observations were used to estimate the typical conditions that would be encountered by LDD pollen. If initially caught in a strong updraft, dispersingP. taedapollen could be carried many days and thousands of kilometers in the air. The empirical equations forP. taedapollen viability reduction due to abiotic stresses predicted that 50% of the pollen would survive 24 hours of LDD under typical external conditions. The viable range of the pollen is, therefore, shorter than the physical dispersal distance.

The methods used in our experiments are applicable for determination of dispersing pollen viability, especially when effects of different adverse conditions need to be separated. The empirical viability equations that resulted from our experiments can be used in an atmospheric dispersal model to estimate the viable range of tree pollen.
Indicators of regime shifts in ecological systems: What do we need to know and when do we need to know it
Authors: Contamin Raphael , Ellison Aaron M.
Published: March 2009

Because novel ecological conditions can cause severe and long‐lasting environmental damage with large economic costs, ecologists must identify possible environmental regime shifts and pro‐actively guide ecosystem management. As an illustrative example, we applied six potential indicators of impending regime shifts to S. R. Carpenter and W. A. Brock's model of lake eutrophication and analyzed whether or not they afforded adequate advance warning to enable preventative interventions. Our initial analyses suggest that an indicator based on the high‐frequency signal in the spectral density of the time‐series provides the best advance warning of a regime shift, even when only incomplete information about underlying system drivers and processes is available. In light of this result, we explored two key factors associated with using indicators to prevent regime shifts. The first key factor is the amount of inertia in the system; i.e., how fast the system will react to a change in management, given that a manager can actually control relevant system drivers. If rapid, intensive management is possible, our analyses suggest that an indicator must provide at least 20 years advance warning to reduce the probability of a regime shift to <5%. As time to intervention is increased or intensity of intervention is decreased, the necessary amount of advance warning required to avoid a regime shift increases exponentially. The second key factor concerns the amount and type of variability intrinsic to the system, and the impact of this variability on the power of an indicator. Indicators are considered powerful if they detect an impending regime shift with adequate lead time for effective management intervention, but not so far in advance that interventions are too costly or unnecessary. Intrinsic “noise” in the system obscures the “signal” provided by all indicators, and therefore, the power of the indicators declines rapidly with increasing within‐ and between‐year variability in measurable variables or parameters. Our results highlight the key role of human decisions in managing ecosystems and the importance of pro‐active application of the precautionary principle to avoid regime shifts.
Forest fuel reduction alters fire severity and long‐term carbon storage in three Pacific Northwest ecosystems
Authors: Mitchell Stephen R. , Harmon Mark E. , O'Connell Kari E. B.
Published: March 2009

Two forest management objectives being debated in the context of federally managed landscapes in the U.S. Pacific Northwest involve a perceived trade‐off between fire restoration and carbon sequestration. The former strategy would reduce fuel (and therefore C) that has accumulated through a century of fire suppression and exclusion which has led to extreme fire risk in some areas. The latter strategy would manage forests for enhanced C sequestration as a method of reducing atmospheric CO2and associated threats from global climate change. We explored the trade‐off between these two strategies by employing a forest ecosystem simulation model, STANDCARB, to examine the effects of fuel reduction on fire severity and the resulting long‐term C dynamics among three Pacific Northwest ecosystems: the east Cascades ponderosa pine forests, the west Cascades western hemlock–Douglas‐fir forests, and the Coast Range western hemlock–Sitka spruce forests. Our simulations indicate that fuel reduction treatments in these ecosystems consistently reduced fire severity. However, reducing the fraction by which C is lost in a wildfire requires the removal of a much greater amount of C, since most of the C stored in forest biomass (stem wood, branches, coarse woody debris) remains unconsumed even by high‐severity wildfires. For this reason, all of the fuel reduction treatments simulated for the west Cascades and Coast Range ecosystems as well as most of the treatments simulated for the east Cascades resulted in a reduced mean stand C storage. One suggested method of compensating for such losses in C storage is to utilize C harvested in fuel reduction treatments as biofuels. Our analysis indicates that this will not be an effective strategy in the west Cascades and Coast Range over the next 100 years. We suggest that forest management plans aimed solely at ameliorating increases in atmospheric CO2should forgo fuel reduction treatments in these ecosystems, with the possible exception of some east Cascades ponderosa pine stands with uncharacteristic levels of understory fuel accumulation. Balancing a demand for maximal landscape C storage with the demand for reduced wildfire severity will likely require treatments to be applied strategically throughout the landscape rather than indiscriminately treating all stands.
Quantifying the multi‐scale response of avifauna to prescribed fire experiments in the southwest United States
Authors: Dickson Brett G. , Noon Barry R. , Flather Curtis H. , Jentsch Stephanie , Block William M.
Published: March 2009

Landscape‐scale disturbance events, including ecological restoration and fuel reduction activities, can modify habitat and affect relationships between species and their environment. To reduce the risk of uncharacteristic stand‐replacing fires in the southwestern United States, land managers are implementing restoration and fuels treatments (e.g., mechanical thinning, prescribed fire) in progressively larger stands of dry, lower elevation ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forest. We used a Before–After/Control–Impact experimental design to quantify the multi‐scale response of avifauna to large (∼250–400 ha) prescribed fire treatments on four sites in Arizona and New Mexico dominated by ponderosa pine. Using distance sampling and an information‐theoretic approach, we estimated changes in density for 14 bird species detected before (May–June 2002–2003) and after (May–June 2004–2005) prescribed fire treatments. We observed few site‐level differences in pre‐ and posttreatment density, and no species responded strongly to treatment on all four sites. Point‐level spatial models of individual species response to treatment, habitat variables, and fire severity revealed ecological relationships that were more easily interpreted. At this scale, pretreatment forest structure and patch characteristics were important predictors of posttreatment differences in bird species density. Five species (Pygmy Nuthatch [Sitta pygmaea], Western Bluebird [Sialia mexicana], Steller's Jay [Cyanocitta stelleri], American Robin [Turdus migratorius], and Hairy Woodpecker [Picoides villosus]) exhibited a strong treatment response, and two of these species (American Robin and Hairy Woodpecker) could be associated with meaningful fire severity response functions. The avifaunal response patterns that we observed were not always consistent with those reported by more common studies of wildland fire events. Our results suggest that, in the short term, the distribution and abundance of common members of the breeding bird community in Southwestern ponderosa pine forests appear to be tolerant of low‐ to moderate‐intensity prescribed fire treatments at multiple spatial scales and across multiple geographic locations.
Thinning affects nutrient resorption and nutrient‐use efficiency in two Pinus sylvestris stands in the Pyrenees
Authors: Blanco Juan A. , Imbert J. Bosco , Castillo Federico J.
Published: March 2009

Needle chemical composition was measured, and nutrient resorption, nutrient‐use efficiency (NUE), and other indexes were estimated for 24 months in two contrasting natural Pinus sylvestris L. forests in the western Pyrenees in Spain. For each location (Aspurz, 650 m elevation, 7% slope; Garde, 1335 m elevation, 40% slope), there were three reference plots (P0), three plots with 20% of the basal area removed (P20), and three with 30% of the basal area removed (P30). Needle P, Ca, and Mg concentrations were higher in Garde, but N concentration was higher for Aspurz, without differences for K. Nutrient‐resorption efficiency of P was higher in Aspurz, of Mg higher in Garde, and there were no differences between sites in N and K. Nutrient‐resorption proficiency was significantly higher in the site with lower soil nutrient availability, i.e., for P, Ca, and Mg in Aspurz, but N in Garde (no differences in K); this may be an indicator of nutrient conservation strategy. Annual nutrient productivity (A) was higher for all nutrients in Aspurz, whereas the mean residence time (MRT) was higher in Garde in all nutrients but P. NUE was significantly higher in Garde for all nutrients but P, which was more efficiently used in Aspurz. In both sites, N, P, and K concentrations were higher in the 2002 cohort, Ca in the 2000 cohort, and maximum Mg was found in the 2001 cohort. Thinning caused a reduction of Mg concentration in the 2001 cohort in Aspurz, an increase of Ca resorption proficiency in Aspurz and Mg resorption at both sites, and reduction of P, K, and Mg nutrient response efficiency (NRE) in Garde. Thinning may have caused an increase of the C:Mg ratio through facilitating the development of more biosynthesis apparatus in a more illuminated canopy, but it seemed not to affect resorption in a significant way. Changes in NRE in Garde after thinning show that forest management can affect how trees use nutrients. Our results indicate that the strategy to optimize NUE is different in each stand. In Aspurz (a Mediterranean ecosystem), pine trees carried out resorption more efficiently, while in Garde (a continental forest), trees used nutrients for longer periods of time and reduced their efficiency in using the available soil nutrients after reduced competition by thinning.
The Use of Finite-Element-Calculated Magnetic-Flux-Leakage Signals To Study the Characterization of Defects in Steel Coiled Tubing
Authors: Breidenthal Chase , Larín Gabriel E. , Tipton Steven M. , Stanley Roderic K.
Published: March 2009

A primary consideration with coiled tubing (CT) is that it is consumed by fatigue loading during routine operations. Also, rugged oilfield conditions routinely lead to corrosion and other mechanical surface damage. Since fatigue is a surface phenomenon, the presence of a surface imperfection has a significant influence on fatigue-damage mechanisms. This paper describes the study of magnetic-flux-leakage (MFL) inspection signals caused by surface defects in the form of milled circumferential grooves in steel CT. The focus of the investigation is to identify and estimate the size of surface defects on the basis of characteristic MFL signal features. It is demonstrated that this effort is greatly enhanced by finite-element analysis (FEA). The ultimate objective is to extract surface-flaw dimensions accurately from conventional MFL signals. These dimensions are used in computer CT life-prediction models.

An axisymmetric FEA model is developed and used to calculate leakage flux density solutions for milled circular and rectangular shaped grooves in 1.75-in.-outside-diameter (OD), 0.156-in.-wall-thickness (WT), 90-ksi CT samples. FEA results are compared to axial and radial MFL signals measured with an experimental inspection unit. Favorable agreement is observed between experimental and FEA data. Furthermore, signal features are correlated with the known slot geometries to identify basic geometry-recognition patterns for different circumferential grooves. Signal features reveal qualitative and quantitative trends relative to surface-flaw dimensional characteristics.

The need persists to make the operator's string-management decision-making process more reliable and automatic with respect to determining fatigue life expectancy. The obstacle here is that because of the inherent inaccuracies in commonly used MFL inspection techniques, reliable real-time flaw-evaluation and -characterization capability is limited.
Flow Reversal and Mixing
Authors: Jha Raman K. , John Abraham K. , Bryant Steven L. , Lake Larry W.
Published: March 2009

Flow-reversal studies provide insights into mixing mechanisms in flow through porous media. In these studies, the direction of flow is reversed after the solute slug has penetrated into the medium (but not exited) to a predetermined distance. We simulated the effect of flow reversal on mixing in 2D porous media using two different approaches. In the first approach, we perform direct numerical simulation of a solute-slug transport (by solving Navier-Stokes and convection/diffusion equations) in a surrogate pore space. This approach allows a direct visualization of mixing in simple flow geometries. The effect of flow reversal on mixing is investigated for several diffusion coefficients, penetration depths, and flow geometries. The second approach uses particle tracking to simulate the effect of flow reversal at larger length scales. This approach is free of numerical dispersion, can be used in the absence of diffusion, and has no limits on the size of the simulation. It is, however, limited to layered-media flow.

The simulation studies presented in this paper explain the mechanism of mixing and the origin of the irreversibility of dispersion in flow through porous media. We also explain several experimental observations on flow-reversal tests found in the literature.

Mixing in porous media takes place because of interaction between convective spreading and molecular diffusion. The con-verging/diverging paths and flow around impervious sand grains cause the solute front to stretch and split. In this process, the area of contact between the solute slug and the resident fluid increases by an order of magnitude and diffusion becomes an effective mixing mechanism. This local mixing, caused by diffusion, is irreversible.

For purely convective transport, solute particles retrace their path back to the inlet upon flow reversal. Convective spreading gets canceled, and echo dispersion is 0. Diffusion, even though small in magnitude, is responsible for local mixing and making dispersion in porous media irreversible. Thus, it is important to include the effect of diffusion when analyzing miscible displacements in porous media.
Numerical Method of Evaluating Elemental Content of Oil-/Water-Saturated Formations Based on Pulsed-Neutron Gamma Inelastic Log Data
Authors: Khisamutdinov A. I. , Phedorin M. A.
Published: March 2009

A numerical method is proposed for solving an inverse problem for a pulsed-neutron gamma inelastic log. The objective is to determine a composition of the in-pore fluid and of the rock skeleton by gamma ray measurement data in spectral windows of four elements: C, O, Ca, and Si. Inversion of the data is based on an iteration procedure, on each step of which the corresponding direct problem is solved for transport equations of neutrons and gamma quanta. Results of numerical experiments are presented that confirm a convergence to exact solution for most of the unknowns. The proposed numerical method is the development of an approach for solving inverse problems in nuclear geophysics (Khisamutdinov and Blankov 1989; Khisamutdinov and Minbaev 1995; Khisamutdinov 1999; Khisamutdinov and Phedorin 2003; Khisamutdinov 2005).
Multiscale Mixed-Finite-Element Modeling of Coupled Wellbore/Near-Well Flow
Authors: Krogstad S. , Durlofsky L. J.
Published: March 2009

An accurate well-modeling capability is important for both production- and reservoir-engineering calculations. Ideally, the models used for these two applications should be related in a logical manner. Multiscale methods allow varying degrees of resolution and can, therefore, provide a natural link between production and reservoir models. In this paper, we present a coupled wellbore-/reservoir-flow model that is based on a multi-scale mixed-finite-element formulation for reservoir flow linked to a drift/flux wellbore-flow representation. The model is able to capture efficiently the effects of near-well heterogeneity in the reservoir and phase holdup and pressure variation in the well-bore. The formulation presented here is for oil/water systems. The basic reservoir/wellbore linkage is described and validated through comparison to results from an existing simulator. The multiscale method is then applied to a heterogeneous-reservoir model. Both vertical and deviated wells are considered. Comparisons of the multiscale solution to the fully resolved (fine-scale) solution demonstrate the efficiency and high degree of accuracy of the method for both reservoir and wellbore quantities.
A Rigorous Pore-to-Field-Scale Simulation Method for Single-Phase Flow Based on Continuous-Time Random Walks
Authors: Rhodes Matthew E. , Bijeljic Branko , Blunt Martin J.
Published: March 2009

We propose a pore-to-reservoir simulation approach for single-phase flow. Transport is modeled as a continuous-time random walk (CTRW). Particles make a series of transitions between nodes with a probability ψ(t)dt that a particle will first arrive at a node from a nearest neighbor in a time t to t+dt. A top-down multi-scale approach is used to find the flow field. At the micron scale, ψ(t) for particle transitions from pore to pore are found from modeling advection and molecular diffusion in a geologically representative network model. This ψ(t) is used to compute transport on the millimeter-to-centimeter scale. At larger scales, we represent the reservoir as a network of nodes connected by links. For each node-to-node transition, we compute an upscaled ψ(t) from a simulation of transport at the smaller scale. We account for small-scale uncertainty by interpreting ψ(t) probabilistically and running simulations for different possible realizations of the reservoir model. To make the number of computations manageable, ψ(t)is parameterized in terms of subscale heterogeneity and Péclet number, meaning that only a few representative simulations are required.

We apply this method by finding ψ(t) for pore-scale flow and using it in a million-cell reservoir model. We show that the macroscopic behavior can be very different from that predicted by assuming that the advection/dispersion equation (ADE) operates at the small scale. Small-scale structure does affect macroscopic transport; increasing the pore-level heterogeneity delays breakthrough and leads to longer late-time tails of the production because the solute spends more time in slow-flowing regions of the domain. We discuss extensions to multiphase flow and the development of a novel network-based probabilistic reservoir-simulation approach.
Numerical Analysis of Condensate-Flow Impairment in Retrograde-Gas Naturally Fractured Reservoirs and Its Interplay With the Estimation of Diffusion Coefficients
Authors: Ayala Luis F. , Radespiel Eduardo , Ertekin Turgay
Published: March 2009

Previous studies dedicated to the analysis of retrograde condensation in naturally fractured gas/condensate reservoirs have concluded that the presence of a multimechanistic-flow environment in tight naturally fractured reservoirs hosting retrograde gases can have a great effect on the depletion behavior of the reservoirs (Ayala et al. 2004; Ayala et al. 2006; Ayala et al. 2007). In these systems, condensate dropout below dewpoint conditions is typically immobile and greatly impairs the flow of the other phases, adversely affecting reservoir productivity and ultimate recovery. Whenever this flow impairment becomes severe, diffusion can take over as the main recovery mechanism. In such cases, fluid recovery is driven by both molecular-concentration fields (i.e., diffusive transport governed by Fick's law of diffusion) and the pressure field (i.e., bulk transport governed by Darcy's law). Previous multimechanistic studies relied upon the assumption that the diffusive flow component could be represented as a constant value throughout the reservoir's productive life. However, diffusion coefficients in hydrocarbon systems can be shown to vary significantly during the reservoir's producing life as a function of prevailing pressure, temperature, and composition conditions. The present study captures the influence that varying composition and fluid properties, such as density and viscosity, have on the value of the diffusion coefficient at different stages of reservoir depletion. It is concluded that the assumption of constant diffusive coefficients can yield good predictions for cases where fracture-depletion rates are small in particular. Diffusion coefficients and diffusive effects are also shown to exhibit a strong dependency on fracture-depletion rates. The present work reassesses the effect of multimechanistic flow on the isothermal depletion of tight, naturally fractured retrograde-gas reservoirs while capturing the full dependencies of the diffusion coefficient on reservoir fluid properties and their interplay with the formation of the condensate bank around matrix edges.
Imaging Fractures Using Temperature Transients From Perturbation Analysis—A Novel Surveillance Technique Applied to the Belridge Diatomite
Authors: Shahin G. T. , Johnston R. M.
Published: March 2009

Results of a temperature transient analysis of data from Shell's diatomite steamdrive pilots are used to image hydraulic injection fracture lengths, angles, and heat injectivities into the low-permeability formation. The Phase I pilot is a limited-interval injection test. In Phase Π, steam is injected into two 350-ft upper and lower zones through separate hydraulic fractures. Temperature response of both pilots is monitored with 16 logging-observation wells.

A perturbation analysis of the nonlinear pressure diffusion and heat-transport equations indicates that at a permeability of approximately 0.1 md or less, heat transport in the diatomite tends to be dominated by thermal diffusivity, and pressure diffusion is dominated by the ratio of thermal expansion to fluid compressibility. Under these conditions, the temperature observed at a logging-observation well is governed by a dimensionless quantity that depends on the perpendicular distance between the observation well and the hydraulic fracture divided by the square root of time. Using this dependence, a novel method is developed for imaging hydraulic-fracture geometry and relative heat injectivity from the temperature history of the pilot.

The azimuth of the Phase I hydraulic fracture is determined to be 14° ± 2 N-NE. The azimuth of the Phase II upper hydraulic fracture is determined to be 16° ± 2 N-NE in the northern half of the pilot, and estimated to increase to 21° ± 2 in the southern half of the pilot. The azimuth of the lower hydraulic fracture averages 19° ± 4. The hydraulic fractures are found to be symmetric around both injectors, with an estimated length of 200 ft.

Increased steam injection after the first year of pilot operations caused what is interpreted to be horizontal fractures toward the west in the G cycle and the east in the M cycle. These features are imaged to be at least 100 and 160 ft, respectively, along the hydraulic fracture azimuth.

These conclusions are compared to tiltmeter data, microseismic data, and a simulation history match of pilot performance. Microseismic events recorded in the pilot are apparently not diagnostic of heat delivery to the formation.
Inflation, Self Insurance and the Friedman Rule in Economies with Uninsurable Idiosyncratic Risks
Authors: Roy Sunanda
Published: March 2009

The paper studies asset prices and capital accumulation in a monetary economy with non-diversifiable idiosyncratic risks. A government issued unbacked currency is introduced into agent's preferences in a dynamic GEI (General Equilibrium with Incomplete market) model with CARA preferences and normal disturbances. Closed form expressions for equilibrium allocations and prices are derived. The paper identifies two new channels through which money growth affects self insurance, interest rate and capital accumulation. The paper also shows that the resulting non-linearities in the relationships between the rate of inflation, the steady state capital stock and the interest rate, may even cause an optimal rate of inflation not to exist. Further, the Friedman rule is shown to be suboptimal for some economies.
Protests and Arguments: The Citizens' Committees' Campaign against Traffic in Four Italian Cities
Authors: Piazza Gianni , Mosca Lorenzo , Lewanski Rodolfo , Andretta Massimiliano
Published: March 2009

Citizens' committees have become an increasingly frequent, relevant phenomenon in Italian local politics and policy over the last decade or so. This article examines protest campaigns concerning traffic policies in four medium-size cities in which such committees have played a pivotal role. Though the ability of such actors to successfully impose their preferences on the policy agenda appears to be at the very least uncertain, an analysis of these campaigns reveals some of the factors that can increase their chances of exerting influence on policy decisions. Such factors include the resources these campaigns can mobilize-namely various forms of human, social and political capital--, how politically opportune they are, and their ability to structure public discourse within a global framework that fosters the building of coalitions supporting their claims.
Political Taste as a Marker of Class: A Bourdieu Approach to the Study of Public Opinion Formation
Authors: Slothuus Rune
Published: March 2009

Even rough groupings of individuals according to education and occupation reveal marked differences in opinions. What explains the relation between position in the social structure and political views? Building on the work of French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu's theory on social praxis and his three-dimensional class concept, the article answers this question. A Bourdieu-inspired analysis reveals larger social differences in opinion formation than previous studies. Even within an apparently homogenous group of political science students there are clear and systematic differences in opinions that can be traced back to the individual student's social background. The article also shows that the ability to articulate an opinion is socially conditioned.
Politicization in Associations: An Empirical Study of the Relationship between Membership in Associations and Participation in Political Discussions
Authors: von Erlach Emanuel
Published: March 2009

Empirical studies clearly show that not only are members of associations more politically active than non-members, but they also take a greater interest in politics and participate more often in political debate. Based on analyses of the correlation between association membership and participation in political discussions, the following article shows that these empirical findings are attributable only in limited measure to the political socialization effects of voluntary organizations. The results of multivariate analyses suggest that it is not so much association membership as early political socialization and education that lead to greater participation in political discussions. Associations do have a politicizing effect, however, chiefly when they afford an opportunity for their members to learn or cultivate organizational and communication skills or the ability to deal with conflict.
Selling Off the "Family Silver": The Politics of Privatization
Authors: Zohlnhöfer Reimut , Obinger Herbert
Published: March 2009

The 1990's have witnessed unprecedented attempts at privatizing state owned enterprises in virtually all OECD democracies. This contribution analyzes the differences in the privatization proceeds raised by EU- and OECD-countries between 1990 and 2000. It turns out that privatizations are part of a policy of economic liberalisation in previously highly regulated economies as well as a reaction to the fiscal policy challenges imposed by European integration and the globalisation of financial markets. In addition, institutional pluralism exerts significant and negative effects on privatization proceeds. Partisan differences only emerge if economic problems are moderate, while intense economic, particularly fiscal problems foreclose differing partisan strategies.
Same Procedure as Last Year? On Political Behavior amongst Senior Citizens
Authors: Berglund Frode
Published: March 2009

Traditionally, old people are regarded as political objects rather than political subjects. Political parties have not really given special attention to old voters as a political group in its own right. Regarding political engagement among old people, it was widely believed that aging implied disengagement. However, recent authors have suggested that old people constitute a political group with a common agenda and that reaching a certain age provides a base for political mobilisation. Consequently, we should expect that old people today are more engaged than before. In the article, political behaviour and issue-voting are analysed from the mid-60s to the beginning of the new century. In order to analyse the development among old people, we analyse the development among old people with respect to turn-out, party-vote, unconventional political behaviour.
Denmark as an International Actor 706-2006
Authors: Petersen Nikolaj
Published: March 2009

During its long history, Denmark was able to pursue dominant foreign policy in her historical great power roles, while balancing normally was linked with her roles as a medium power. Until the 17th century, a policy of moderate dominance was the prevailing foreign policy mode, to be followed by a balancing mode, which lasted till 1864. The stunning defeat in that war reduced Danish option to a difficult choice between acquiescence and quiescence. Both are typical small state postures because of the lack of influence, but they differ on the sensitivity variable. The sensitive small state must adapt actively or passively to outside pressures, while the less sensitive small state may succeed in dodging situations where acquiescent adaptation would be required.
War, Peace and Democracy in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Authors: Nzongola-Ntalaja Georges
Published: March 2009

What is the nature of the armed conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo? Is it a civil war, as constantly reported by the international media, or is it a war resulting from foreign aggression, as indicated by the authorities in Kinshasa? Irrespective of what one may think of the regime set up by Laurent-Désiré Kabila in the DRC, the legitimacy of his position needs to be recognised, especially considering that rebel groups only became active after the country was invaded by Rwanda and Uganda on 2 August 1998. Why did the war break out in the DRC? How is it that a country the size of an entire continent was invaded, occupied and exploited by much smaller states such as Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi? This article attempts to answer these questions.
Continuous biodisel productions: A review
Authors: Stamenkovic Ivica , Bankovic-Ilic Ivana , Stamenkovic Olivera , Veljkovic Vlada , Skala Dejan
Published: March 2009

Continuous biodiesel production on laboratory and industrial scale was analyzed, with focus on their advantages and disadvantages. Attention was paid to specific characteristics of industrial processes in order to point out the advanced technologies. The well-known base-catalyzed continuous biodiesel production processes are related to problems caused by the immiscibility of the reactants (alcohol and oil), application of relatively high operating temperature (usually the boiling temperature of alcohol or one near it) and obtained yield of methyl ester yields lower than desired. One way to overcome these problems is to employ special reactor design favoring the emulsion process and increasing the overall rate of biodiesel production process, even at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. The second way is to apply heterogeneous catalysts in continuous processes, which will probably be the optimal approach to economically justified and environmentally friendly biodiesel production.
Optimization of the procedure for the synthesis of calcium lactate pentahydrate in laboratory and semi-industrial conditions
Authors: Uscumlic Gordana , Trisovic Nemanja , Djordjevic Irena , Valentic Natasa , Petrovic Slobodan
Published: March 2009

This paper is concerned on the development of the optimal laboratory procedure for the synthesis of calcium lactate pentahydrate and the application of obtained results in a project for a semi-industrial installation for its production. Calcium lactate is used as an additive in numerous food and pharmaceutical products. Basically, it has to satisfy quality requirements. That was the reason why the procedure for its synthesis had to be optimized in aspects of selection of reactants, their molar ratio, necessary laboratory equipment, reactant addition order, working temperature, isolation of final product from the reaction mixture, yield and product quality. A semi-industrial installation for the production of calcium lactate pentahydrate is projected on the basis of the results of this investigation. The importance of this investigation arises from the fact that this salt is not produced in Serbia and the complete quantity (about 20 t per year) is imported.
Chromatography methods in investigation of lipophilicity of the biological active substances
Authors: Odovic Jadranka , Trbojevic-Stankovic Jasna
Published: March 2009

This paper presents the review of the methods used in research of the biological active substances hydrophobicity, a very important property. The biological activity of some substances depends on their pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. These processes depend on the molecule's capability to interact with two different media: aqueous (cells interior) and non-aqueous (cells membrane), or on the molecule lipophilicity. Today, great attention is given to investigation and systematic determination of drugs lipophilicity. In these researches chromatography methods have an important role.
Enrichment of mesophilic acidophiles from the Underground Copper Mine Bor
Authors: Conic Vesna , Cvetkovski Vladimir , Pozega Emina , Vukovic Milovan , Cvetkovska Milena
Published: March 2009

In this work, autotrophic growth of mesophilic acidophiles from the Underground Copper Mine Bor was performed. Two selected solution samples collected from the 'Tilva Ros' ore body were prepared in a 9K nutrient medium (Silverman and Lundgren, 1959). The first sample TR k-16 was obtained during the hole drilling of the ore body, and the second TR k-31 from the drainage channel. Two samples of 9K media (Silverman and Lundgren, 1959) were inoculated with two selected solution samples from the underground mine Tilva Ros. Inoculated culture media were incubated without prior autoclaving in the period of 6 days at a temperature of 28 ?C with purging air through the system with enough oxygen and carbon dioxide. Oxidation rate of ferrous ions in the first 3 days of incubation was 14.8 and 10.7 wt.% Fe2+/day, the next 3 days 17.3 and 13.6 and for the total period of 6 days 98.3 and 74.8 wt.% for the first and second sample, respectively, i.e. 100 wt.% with initial percentage of ferrous ion in each medium. After centrifugation of enriched samples of culture media at 3000 rpm for 5 min, a plenty of mesophilic acidophiles were determined by microscopic method. According to Karavaiko [6], in the processes of incubition for 9K nutrient solution cells number reach a value of 108 cells/cm3.
Optimization of the process of steel strip perforation and nickel platting for the purpose of elimination of trichloroethylene from the cleaning process of perforated steel strip
Authors: Petrovic Aleksandra , Glisic Slavica
Published: March 2009

In the production of pocket type electrodes for Ni-Cd batteries perforation of proper steel strips and then nickel platting of perforated steel strips were made. In the nickel platting process, the organic solvent, trichloroethylene, has previously been used for cleaning. Due to the carcinogenic nature of trichloroethylene and the many operations previously required during cleaning, it was considered to do cleaning of perforated steel strips without use of the mentioned organic solvent. In the purpose of elimination of trichloroethylene from the cleaning process of perforated steel strips, the tests of perforation of steel strips with use of oils of different viscosity were made. It was shown that there was no dysfunction during the work of the perforation plants, meaning there was no additional heating of the strips, deterring of the steel filings, nor excessive wearing of the perforation apparatus. The perforation percent was the same irrelevant of the viscosity of the used oil. Before being perforated using the oils with different viscosity, the nickel platting steel strips were cleaned in different degreasers (based on NaOH as well as on KOH). It was shown that efficient cleaning without the use of trichloroethylene is possible with the use of oil with smaller viscosity in the perforated steel strips process and the degreaser based on KOH in the cleaning process, before nickel platting. It also appeared that the alkali degreaser based on KOH was more efficient, bath corrections were made less often and the working period of the baths was longer, which all in summary means less quantity of chemicals needed for degreasing of perforated steel strips.
Structural victimisation and trafficking in people in Serbia: Coping strategies and criminalisation risks
Authors: Nikolic-Ristanovic Vesna
Published: March 2009

This paper tends to explore the relationship between structural victimisation and criminal behavior of people traffickers in Serbia. Looking for conditions under which people in transition and war affected societies create individual choices and motivations, the author attempted to contribute to better understanding of trafficking in people in Serbia, as the form of organized and professional crime, as well as survival strategy. The main theoretical departure of the analysis is economic approach to crime as well as concept of organized crime as criminal enterprise, which represents illegal counterpart of the legal enterprise. Trafficking in people is explored primarily from the prospective of labor market as well as criminal enterprise where division of jobs, status and power is organized in the similar way as in legal enterprise. In the concluding part, possible social responses are mapped which may be considered as alternatives or supplements to penalties for low level people traffickers.
Human trafficking in domestic legislature
Authors: Skakavac Zdravko , Simic Tatjana
Published: March 2009

Human trafficking is an occurrence that, even in our time, is present in alarming proportions, in its actuality and consequences. It is a phenomenon with a long history and has been qualified as a serious international problem and is the object of interest for a large number of international subjects. However, the key international document that defines this phenomenon is the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime from Palermo 2000; specifically its Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children. After its adoption, intensive actions were undertaken to regulate the phenomenon on the level of national legislature. It's done so in the local legislature too. According to the criminal law of the republic of Serbia, besides the concrete law against human trafficking, a number of other crimes are connected to human trafficking. This paper deals with the most important ones. The purpose of this paper is to review the legislature on the phenomenon in the domestic law, then the accordance of incrimination with international standards, as well as to indicate the need for further changes in domestic legislature.
Recognizing the trafficking in human beings victimization
Authors: Simeunovic-Patic Biljana
Published: March 2009

In spite of relative prevalence of trafficking in human beings issues in the expert and general public discourse in recent years, recognition of victimization by various specialists that may come across with victims still is being estimated as unsatisfactory. Stereotypes about victims of trafficking in human beings are just one factor that imperils correct and prompt recognition of victims, i.e. victims' identification, as principal prerequisite of their protection and support. Today, there are various efforts to overcome that problem - primarily through the training of professionals and creating the identification guidelines, i.e. lists of indicators of trafficking in human beings victimization; however, these resolves only one part of the problem and reveal some new challenges at the same time.
Beyond Bailouts: On the Politics of Education after Neoliberalism
Authors: Giroux Henry A. , Giroux Susan Searls
Published: March 2009

The Obama presidency has been premised on a commitment to progressive social change in its a repudiation of unfettered free-market capitalism. It also signals the end of an era in which privatization, deregulation, and cut throat competition combined with a massive assault on the social state. While such reforms are welcome, they do not as yet go far enough in articulating economic change with an equally transformative cultural politics. This article seeks to broaden the parameters of the kind of ‘change’ that must be sought in relation to the current financial and credit crisis. We argue for the necessity of not only dismantling neoliberal economic policies and the shocking levels of inequality they have produced, but also for the necessity of transforming the culture of neoliberalism – the ideologies, values, identifications, and modes of consent – that enabled the ascendancy of market sovereignty. We seek to explore the pedagogical implications of such a project.
The New Zealand Draft Curriculum 2006: A Policy Case Study with Specific Reference to its Understanding of Teaching as an Ethical Profession
Authors: Benade Leon
Published: March 2009

The New Zealand Draft Curriculum was released in mid-2006 and intended for final implementation in September 2007. This draft policy document serves as a useful model for analysis employing a method of policy analysis proposed by Bell & Stevenson. Additionally, this article specifically asks to what extent the Draft Curriculum advances a concept of teaching as an ethical profession. Conceptions of the kind of profession teaching has become in New Zealand in the twenty-first century will be considered, and this article will attempt an account of what it might be to conceptualise teaching as an ‘ethical profession’. Against this conceptual backdrop, the New Zealand Draft Curriculum will be asked to provide its account of the teaching profession.
The Effect of Moods on Auditors’ Inventory Valuation Decisions
Authors: Chung Janne O. Y. , Cohen Jeffrey R. , Monroe Gary S.
Published: March 2009

SUMMARY: This paper investigates the effect of different mood states—specifically positive, neutral, and negative mood—on inventory valuation decisions. Psychological research suggests that different mood states can lead to different professional judgments in the performance of an ambiguous task. Compared with neutral- and negative-mood individuals, positive-mood individuals have the lowest consensus and make the least conservative judgment (i.e., the highest inventory valuation), and negative-mood individuals have the highest consensus and make the most conservative judgment (i.e., the lowest inventory valuation). An experiment conducted with 102 Australian audit professionals found that, consistent with the literature, mood states affect the dispersion and extent of conservatism in the inventory valuation judgment. A follow-up experiment conducted with 170 final-year Australian auditing students suggests that the effect of moods on judgment may be due to the mood-congruent retrieval of information by the participants. Implications for practice and research are also provided.
Solubility Enhancement of Cox-II Inhibitors by Cosolvency Approach
Authors: Babu PR Sathesh , Subrahmanyam CVS , Thimmasetty J , Manavalan R , Valliappan K , Kedarnath SA
Published: March 2009

Solubility enhancement of meloxicam and rofecoxib, which are poorly soluble in water, was attempted. These are available in the form of solid dosage forms but not in solution dosage forms due to their low aqueous solubility. In this work, aqueous solubility of meloxicam and rofecoxib was improved using the biocompatible solvents such as ethanol, propylene glycol, glycerin, and PEG 400. Physico-chemical properties of the solvents such as intermolecular interactions and the ability of the solvent to form a hydrogen bond with the drug molecules were found to be the major factors involved in the dissolution of drugs. It was found that less polar solvents were found to increase solubility by greater extent, thus accentuating hydrophobic interaction mechanism. Among the solvent blends studied, water-PEG 400 had highest solubilization potential. Thus, the study generated an important dataset so as to compare effect of various cosolvents on the solubility of the drugs. Key words: Aqueous solubility, Meloxicam, Rofecoxib, Cosolvency. doi: 10.3329/dujps.v7i2.2166 Â Â Â  Dhaka Univ. J. Pharm. Sci. 7(2): 119-126, 2008 (December)