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The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) is a critical element of Earth's climate system and it is currently weakening. While this weakening is frequently explained by freshwater-driven dis- ruptions to deep-water formation, uncertainties about the impacts of prolonged freshening limit our capacity to predict its future state. For example, during the warm and unusually long marine isotope stage (MIS) 11 interglacial, ~424 to 374 ka, several lines of evidence suggest that a strong AMOC persisted concomitant with fresher-than-present conditions in the Nordic Seas, challenging our current under- standing of deep-water formation. Here, we present new foraminifer-bound nitrogen isotope data along with multiple additional geochemical reconstructions of upper-ocean hydrography in the Nordic Seas during this anomalous interval. Our data suggest that a weak summer stratification was driven by the prolonged upper-ocean accumulation of freshwater beginning at the onset of the climatic optimum, ~410 to 407 ka, which could have helped precondition the region for deep-water formation. A box model constrained by paleo-proxy data additionally suggests that the density gradient between the subpolar North Atlantic and Nordic Seas was favorable for the onset of deep-water formation in the Nordic Seas during the climatic optimum. It is thus likely that the Nordic Seas became a locus of deep-water for- mation around this time. Enhanced northern-hemisphere heating driven by deep-water formation in the Nordic Seas may have been important for delaying glacial conditions, thereby driving the extended warming characteristic of MIS 11. Such findings may also be relevant for near-future changes under a relatively fresher high-latitude North Atlantic.

The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) is a critical element of Earth's climate system and it is currently weakening. While this weakening is frequently explained by freshwater-driven dis- ruptions to deep-water formation, uncertainties about the impacts of prolonged freshening limit our capacity to predict its future state. For example, during the warm and unusually long marine isotope stage (MIS) 11 interglacial, ~424 to 374 ka, several lines of evidence suggest that a strong AMOC persisted concomitant with fresher-than-present conditions in the Nordic Seas, challenging our current under- standing of deep-water formation. Here, we present new foraminifer-bound nitrogen isotope data along with multiple additional geochemical reconstructions of upper-ocean hydrography in the Nordic Seas during this anomalous interval. Our data suggest that a weak summer stratification was driven by the prolonged upper-ocean accumulation of freshwater beginning at the onset of the climatic optimum, ~410 to 407 ka, which could have helped precondition the region for deep-water formation. A box model constrained by paleo-proxy data additionally suggests that the density gradient between the subpolar North Atlantic and Nordic Seas was favorable for the onset of deep-water formation in the Nordic Seas during the climatic optimum. It is thus likely that the Nordic Seas became a locus of deep-water for- mation around this time. Enhanced northern-hemisphere heating driven by deep-water formation in the Nordic Seas may have been important for delaying glacial conditions, thereby driving the extended warming characteristic of MIS 11. Such findings may also be relevant for near-future changes under a relatively fresher high-latitude North Atlantic.

Highlights • Hydrography and convection reconstructed in the Nordic Seas during MIS 11. • Active convection in the Nordic Seas occurred during prolonged freshwater input. • Freshwater input does not always impede convection on interglacial timescales. • Onset of polar convection may have helped to sustain interglacial conditions. Abstract The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) is a critical element of Earth's climate system and it is currently weakening. While this weakening is frequently explained by freshwater-driven disruptions to deep-water formation, uncertainties about the impacts of prolonged freshening limit our capacity to predict its future state. For example, during the warm and unusually long marine isotope stage (MIS) 11 interglacial, ∼424 to 374 ka, several lines of evidence suggest that a strong AMOC persisted concomitant with fresher-than-present conditions in the Nordic Seas, challenging our current understanding of deep-water formation. Here, we present new foraminifer-bound nitrogen isotope data along with multiple additional geochemical reconstructions of upper-ocean hydrography in the Nordic Seas during this anomalous interval. Our data suggest that a weak summer stratification was driven by the prolonged upper-ocean accumulation of freshwater beginning at the onset of the climatic optimum, ∼410 to 407 ka, which could have helped precondition the region for deep-water formation. A box model constrained by paleo-proxy data additionally suggests that the density gradient between the subpolar North Atlantic and Nordic Seas was favorable for the onset of deep-water formation in the Nordic Seas during the climatic optimum. It is thus likely that the Nordic Seas became a locus of deep-water formation around this time. Enhanced northern-hemisphere heating driven by deep-water formation in the Nordic Seas may have been important for delaying glacial conditions, thereby driving the extended warming characteristic of MIS 11. Such findings

Highlights • Hydrography and convection reconstructed in the Nordic Seas during MIS 11. • Active convection in the Nordic Seas occurred during prolonged freshwater input. • Freshwater input does not always impede convection on interglacial timescales. • Onset of polar convection may have helped to sustain interglacial conditions. Abstract The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) is a critical element of Earth's climate system and it is currently weakening. While this weakening is frequently explained by freshwater-driven disruptions to deep-water formation, uncertainties about the impacts of prolonged freshening limit our capacity to predict its future state. For example, during the warm and unusually long marine isotope stage (MIS) 11 interglacial, ∼424 to 374 ka, several lines of evidence suggest that a strong AMOC persisted concomitant with fresher-than-present conditions in the Nordic Seas, challenging our current understanding of deep-water formation. Here, we present new foraminifer-bound nitrogen isotope data along with multiple additional geochemical reconstructions of upper-ocean hydrography in the Nordic Seas during this anomalous interval. Our data suggest that a weak summer stratification was driven by the prolonged upper-ocean accumulation of freshwater beginning at the onset of the climatic optimum, ∼410 to 407 ka, which could have helped precondition the region for deep-water formation. A box model constrained by paleo-proxy data additionally suggests that the density gradient between the subpolar North Atlantic and Nordic Seas was favorable for the onset of deep-water formation in the Nordic Seas during the climatic optimum. It is thus likely that the Nordic Seas became a locus of deep-water formation around this time. Enhanced northern-hemisphere heating driven by deep-water formation in the Nordic Seas may have been important for delaying glacial conditions, thereby driving the extended warming characteristic of MIS 11. Such findings

The aim of this work is the improvement of model-based data worth analysis for groundwater systems with the use of surrogate models. Physically-based groundwater models are wide-spread tools used to make diverse predictions for research and management problems. They allow incorporation of system knowledge and a multitude of data. Often, this complexity is accompanied with high model run times. This is especially problematic for applications such as uncertainty analysis or data worth analysis, which necessitate many model runs. Surrogate models aim to address these challenges with run time reduction through simplification of the model, usually through techniques of the following three major categories: projection-based methods, data-driven methods and structural reduction methods. The run time reduction through the use of surrogate models is associated with impairments regarding their applicability, accuracy of system representation, predictive uncertainty quantification and integration of system knowledge. In light of these potential limitations, this thesis compares the ability of three different surrogate models in reproducing diverse model predictions and data worth estimates of a complex, real-world benchmark model. The surrogates used are a spatially and parametrically simplified physically-based model, a set of artificial neural networks (ANNs) and a projection-based 'proper orthogonal decomposition' (POD) model. In the first part of this dissertation, the potentials and shortcomings of the popular POD method in regard to boundary representation are detailed and an extension of the method for accurate boundary depiction is proposed. The explicit treatment of boundary conditions is shown to eliminate reduction-induced errors at Dirichlet and Neumann boundaries (and reduce errors at Cauchy boundaries) for a small trade-off in general groundwater head accuracy. Ease of implementation and the potential for purposeful application of the extension allow modelers a t, Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist die Verbesserung modellbasierter Datenwertanalyse in Grundwassersystemen mittels Ersatzmodellen. Vielfältige Fragestellungen im Fachgebiet Grundwasser werden in Wissenschaft und Praxis mithilfe von physikalisch basierten Modellen beantwortet. Solche Modelle können hierbei vorhandene Kenntnisse über das System sowie eine Vielzahl gemessener Daten einbinden. Jedoch führt die zugrundeliegende Komplexität häufig zu langen Modelllaufzeiten, was insbesondere für Anwendungen mit vielen Modellläufen, wie Unsicherheits- oder Datenwertanalyse, problematisch ist. Hier greifen Ersatzmodelle an: eine Vereinfachung des Modells reduziert die zugehörigen Laufzeiten. Solche Ersatzmodelle lassen sich in drei Kategorien einteilen: projektionsbasierte Methoden, datengetriebene Methoden und strukturreduzierende Methoden. Ersatzmodelle haben jedoch auch verschiedene Nachteile: eingeschränkte Anwendbarkeit, geringere Genauigkeit der Systemabbildung, verringerte Qualität ihrer Vorhersage- und Unsicherheitsschätzung, sowie Restriktionen bei der Integrierung vorhandener Systemkenntnisse. Zur Abschätzung dieser möglichen Einschränkungen vergleicht diese Arbeit drei verschiedene Ersatzmodelle mit einem realen, komplexen Benchmarkmodell in Bezug auf ihre Fähigkeit, verschiedene Modellvorhersagen und Datenwertabschätzungen glaubhaft zu reproduzieren. Die drei Ersatzmodelle sind: ein räumlich und parametrisch vereinfachtes, physikalisch basiertes Modell, ein Verbund künstlicher neuronaler Netze und ein projektionsbasiertes 'proper orthogonal decomposition' (POD) Modell. Der erste Teil der Arbeit widmet sich den Ungenauigkeiten der weitverbreiteten POD Methode bei der Abbildung von Randbedingungen und zeigt eine Erweiterung der Methode zur präziseren Darstellung der Randbedingungen in POD auf. Es wird nachgewiesen, dass diese explizite Behandlung der Randbedingungen in POD reduktionsbasierte Fehler in den Dirichlet- und Neumann-Randbedingungen eliminiert sowie Fehler in

The aim of this work is the improvement of model-based data worth analysis for groundwater systems with the use of surrogate models. Physically-based groundwater models are wide-spread tools used to make diverse predictions for research and management problems. They allow incorporation of system knowledge and a multitude of data. Often, this complexity is accompanied with high model run times. This is especially problematic for applications such as uncertainty analysis or data worth analysis, which necessitate many model runs. Surrogate models aim to address these challenges with run time reduction through simplification of the model, usually through techniques of the following three major categories: projection-based methods, data-driven methods and structural reduction methods. The run time reduction through the use of surrogate models is associated with impairments regarding their applicability, accuracy of system representation, predictive uncertainty quantification and integration of system knowledge. In light of these potential limitations, this thesis compares the ability of three different surrogate models in reproducing diverse model predictions and data worth estimates of a complex, real-world benchmark model. The surrogates used are a spatially and parametrically simplified physically-based model, a set of artificial neural networks (ANNs) and a projection-based 'proper orthogonal decomposition' (POD) model. In the first part of this dissertation, the potentials and shortcomings of the popular POD method in regard to boundary representation are detailed and an extension of the method for accurate boundary depiction is proposed. The explicit treatment of boundary conditions is shown to eliminate reduction-induced errors at Dirichlet and Neumann boundaries (and reduce errors at Cauchy boundaries) for a small trade-off in general groundwater head accuracy. Ease of implementation and the potential for purposeful application of the extension allow modelers a t, Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist die Verbesserung modellbasierter Datenwertanalyse in Grundwassersystemen mittels Ersatzmodellen. Vielfältige Fragestellungen im Fachgebiet Grundwasser werden in Wissenschaft und Praxis mithilfe von physikalisch basierten Modellen beantwortet. Solche Modelle können hierbei vorhandene Kenntnisse über das System sowie eine Vielzahl gemessener Daten einbinden. Jedoch führt die zugrundeliegende Komplexität häufig zu langen Modelllaufzeiten, was insbesondere für Anwendungen mit vielen Modellläufen, wie Unsicherheits- oder Datenwertanalyse, problematisch ist. Hier greifen Ersatzmodelle an: eine Vereinfachung des Modells reduziert die zugehörigen Laufzeiten. Solche Ersatzmodelle lassen sich in drei Kategorien einteilen: projektionsbasierte Methoden, datengetriebene Methoden und strukturreduzierende Methoden. Ersatzmodelle haben jedoch auch verschiedene Nachteile: eingeschränkte Anwendbarkeit, geringere Genauigkeit der Systemabbildung, verringerte Qualität ihrer Vorhersage- und Unsicherheitsschätzung, sowie Restriktionen bei der Integrierung vorhandener Systemkenntnisse. Zur Abschätzung dieser möglichen Einschränkungen vergleicht diese Arbeit drei verschiedene Ersatzmodelle mit einem realen, komplexen Benchmarkmodell in Bezug auf ihre Fähigkeit, verschiedene Modellvorhersagen und Datenwertabschätzungen glaubhaft zu reproduzieren. Die drei Ersatzmodelle sind: ein räumlich und parametrisch vereinfachtes, physikalisch basiertes Modell, ein Verbund künstlicher neuronaler Netze und ein projektionsbasiertes 'proper orthogonal decomposition' (POD) Modell. Der erste Teil der Arbeit widmet sich den Ungenauigkeiten der weitverbreiteten POD Methode bei der Abbildung von Randbedingungen und zeigt eine Erweiterung der Methode zur präziseren Darstellung der Randbedingungen in POD auf. Es wird nachgewiesen, dass diese explizite Behandlung der Randbedingungen in POD reduktionsbasierte Fehler in den Dirichlet- und Neumann-Randbedingungen eliminiert sowie Fehler in

The aim of this work is the improvement of model-based data worth analysis for groundwater systems with the use of surrogate models. Physically-based groundwater models are wide-spread tools used to make diverse predictions for research and management problems. They allow incorporation of system knowledge and a multitude of data. Often, this complexity is accompanied with high model run times. This is especially problematic for applications such as uncertainty analysis or data worth analysis, which necessitate many model runs. Surrogate models aim to address these challenges with run time reduction through simplification of the model, usually through techniques of the following three major categories: projection-based methods, data-driven methods and structural reduction methods. The run time reduction through the use of surrogate models is associated with impairments regarding their applicability, accuracy of system representation, predictive uncertainty quantification and integration of system knowledge. In light of these potential limitations, this thesis compares the ability of three different surrogate models in reproducing diverse model predictions and data worth estimates of a complex, real-world benchmark model. The surrogates used are a spatially and parametrically simplified physically-based model, a set of artificial neural networks (ANNs) and a projection-based 'proper orthogonal decomposition' (POD) model. In the first part of this dissertation, the potentials and shortcomings of the popular POD method in regard to boundary representation are detailed and an extension of the method for accurate boundary depiction is proposed. The explicit treatment of boundary conditions is shown to eliminate reduction-induced errors at Dirichlet and Neumann boundaries (and reduce errors at Cauchy boundaries) for a small trade-off in general groundwater head accuracy. Ease of implementation and the potential for purposeful application of the extension allow modelers a t, Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist die Verbesserung modellbasierter Datenwertanalyse in Grundwassersystemen mittels Ersatzmodellen. Vielfältige Fragestellungen im Fachgebiet Grundwasser werden in Wissenschaft und Praxis mithilfe von physikalisch basierten Modellen beantwortet. Solche Modelle können hierbei vorhandene Kenntnisse über das System sowie eine Vielzahl gemessener Daten einbinden. Jedoch führt die zugrundeliegende Komplexität häufig zu langen Modelllaufzeiten, was insbesondere für Anwendungen mit vielen Modellläufen, wie Unsicherheits- oder Datenwertanalyse, problematisch ist. Hier greifen Ersatzmodelle an: eine Vereinfachung des Modells reduziert die zugehörigen Laufzeiten. Solche Ersatzmodelle lassen sich in drei Kategorien einteilen: projektionsbasierte Methoden, datengetriebene Methoden und strukturreduzierende Methoden. Ersatzmodelle haben jedoch auch verschiedene Nachteile: eingeschränkte Anwendbarkeit, geringere Genauigkeit der Systemabbildung, verringerte Qualität ihrer Vorhersage- und Unsicherheitsschätzung, sowie Restriktionen bei der Integrierung vorhandener Systemkenntnisse. Zur Abschätzung dieser möglichen Einschränkungen vergleicht diese Arbeit drei verschiedene Ersatzmodelle mit einem realen, komplexen Benchmarkmodell in Bezug auf ihre Fähigkeit, verschiedene Modellvorhersagen und Datenwertabschätzungen glaubhaft zu reproduzieren. Die drei Ersatzmodelle sind: ein räumlich und parametrisch vereinfachtes, physikalisch basiertes Modell, ein Verbund künstlicher neuronaler Netze und ein projektionsbasiertes 'proper orthogonal decomposition' (POD) Modell. Der erste Teil der Arbeit widmet sich den Ungenauigkeiten der weitverbreiteten POD Methode bei der Abbildung von Randbedingungen und zeigt eine Erweiterung der Methode zur präziseren Darstellung der Randbedingungen in POD auf. Es wird nachgewiesen, dass diese explizite Behandlung der Randbedingungen in POD reduktionsbasierte Fehler in den Dirichlet- und Neumann-Randbedingungen eliminiert sowie Fehler in

The aim of this work is the improvement of model-based data worth analysis for groundwater systems with the use of surrogate models. Physically-based groundwater models are wide-spread tools used to make diverse predictions for research and management problems. They allow incorporation of system knowledge and a multitude of data. Often, this complexity is accompanied with high model run times. This is especially problematic for applications such as uncertainty analysis or data worth analysis, which necessitate many model runs. Surrogate models aim to address these challenges with run time reduction through simplification of the model, usually through techniques of the following three major categories: projection-based methods, data-driven methods and structural reduction methods. The run time reduction through the use of surrogate models is associated with impairments regarding their applicability, accuracy of system representation, predictive uncertainty quantification and integration of system knowledge. In light of these potential limitations, this thesis compares the ability of three different surrogate models in reproducing diverse model predictions and data worth estimates of a complex, real-world benchmark model. The surrogates used are a spatially and parametrically simplified physically-based model, a set of artificial neural networks (ANNs) and a projection-based 'proper orthogonal decomposition' (POD) model. In the first part of this dissertation, the potentials and shortcomings of the popular POD method in regard to boundary representation are detailed and an extension of the method for accurate boundary depiction is proposed. The explicit treatment of boundary conditions is shown to eliminate reduction-induced errors at Dirichlet and Neumann boundaries (and reduce errors at Cauchy boundaries) for a small trade-off in general groundwater head accuracy. Ease of implementation and the potential for purposeful application of the extension allow modelers a t, Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist die Verbesserung modellbasierter Datenwertanalyse in Grundwassersystemen mittels Ersatzmodellen. Vielfältige Fragestellungen im Fachgebiet Grundwasser werden in Wissenschaft und Praxis mithilfe von physikalisch basierten Modellen beantwortet. Solche Modelle können hierbei vorhandene Kenntnisse über das System sowie eine Vielzahl gemessener Daten einbinden. Jedoch führt die zugrundeliegende Komplexität häufig zu langen Modelllaufzeiten, was insbesondere für Anwendungen mit vielen Modellläufen, wie Unsicherheits- oder Datenwertanalyse, problematisch ist. Hier greifen Ersatzmodelle an: eine Vereinfachung des Modells reduziert die zugehörigen Laufzeiten. Solche Ersatzmodelle lassen sich in drei Kategorien einteilen: projektionsbasierte Methoden, datengetriebene Methoden und strukturreduzierende Methoden. Ersatzmodelle haben jedoch auch verschiedene Nachteile: eingeschränkte Anwendbarkeit, geringere Genauigkeit der Systemabbildung, verringerte Qualität ihrer Vorhersage- und Unsicherheitsschätzung, sowie Restriktionen bei der Integrierung vorhandener Systemkenntnisse. Zur Abschätzung dieser möglichen Einschränkungen vergleicht diese Arbeit drei verschiedene Ersatzmodelle mit einem realen, komplexen Benchmarkmodell in Bezug auf ihre Fähigkeit, verschiedene Modellvorhersagen und Datenwertabschätzungen glaubhaft zu reproduzieren. Die drei Ersatzmodelle sind: ein räumlich und parametrisch vereinfachtes, physikalisch basiertes Modell, ein Verbund künstlicher neuronaler Netze und ein projektionsbasiertes 'proper orthogonal decomposition' (POD) Modell. Der erste Teil der Arbeit widmet sich den Ungenauigkeiten der weitverbreiteten POD Methode bei der Abbildung von Randbedingungen und zeigt eine Erweiterung der Methode zur präziseren Darstellung der Randbedingungen in POD auf. Es wird nachgewiesen, dass diese explizite Behandlung der Randbedingungen in POD reduktionsbasierte Fehler in den Dirichlet- und Neumann-Randbedingungen eliminiert sowie Fehler in

This study reports a series of lectures with the didactic experiment of introducing high school religious studies students to focused readings of specific, randomly chosen passages from the central scriptures of several major world religions. The study addresses the question whether or not the students’ evaluation of the readings indicates that this didactic technique fulfills a useful purpose in regard to the Swedish School Board’s knowledge requirements for the religious studies course. Teacher candidates are required to creatively test a didactic technique and this study explores therefore the little-known area of students’ reactions to direct exposure to religious narratives in their traditional contexts. Survey questioning of the student participants is juxtapositioned with the surveying of a larger test group. The value of the reading of religious narratives is examined in regard to secularization theory and its belief/knowledge dichotomy. The study indicates that the voice of traditional wisdom contained in religious narratives deserves further attention as a means to achieve the Swedish curriculum’s citizenship and erudition goals. Keywords: scripture, religions, religious studies, knowledge requirements, didactics, survey, measurement, standpoint, secularization, citizenship, belief, Denna rapport behandlar en lektionsserie med det didaktiska experimentet att introducera gymnasieelever till läsning av specifika, slumpmässigt utvalda berättelser från vissa världsreligioners urkunder. Rapporten tar upp frågan om elevernas värdering av läsningarna visar att tekniken fyller en funktion med avseende på Skolverkets kunskapskrav för Religionskunskap 1. Lärarkandidater är förpliktigade att utveckla en didaktisk teknik och därför lyfter denna rapport fram det föga utforskade området om hur elever upplever läsning av religiösa berättelser i deras traditionella kontext. Enkätundersökningar av elevdeltagarna korstabuleras med enkätundersökningar av en större kontrollgrupp. Värdet av att läsa religiösa berättelser granskas med avseende på sekulariseringsteorin och dikotomin tro/vetande. Rapporten beskriver att religiösa berättelsers röst med traditionell visdom förtjänar mer uppmärksamhet som ett medel att uppnå skolans demokrati- och kunskapsuppdrag. Nyckelord: urkund, berättelse, religioner, religionskunskap, kunskapskrav, didaktik, enkät, mätning, ställningstagande, kontrollgrupp, sekularisering, demokrati, vetenskap, tro

This study reports a series of lectures with the didactic experiment of introducing high school religious studies students to focused readings of specific, randomly chosen passages from the central scriptures of several major world religions. The study addresses the question whether or not the students’ evaluation of the readings indicates that this didactic technique fulfills a useful purpose in regard to the Swedish School Board’s knowledge requirements for the religious studies course. Teacher candidates are required to creatively test a didactic technique and this study explores therefore the little-known area of students’ reactions to direct exposure to religious narratives in their traditional contexts. Survey questioning of the student participants is juxtapositioned with the surveying of a larger test group. The value of the reading of religious narratives is examined in regard to secularization theory and its belief/knowledge dichotomy. The study indicates that the voice of traditional wisdom contained in religious narratives deserves further attention as a means to achieve the Swedish curriculum’s citizenship and erudition goals. Keywords: scripture, religions, religious studies, knowledge requirements, didactics, survey, measurement, standpoint, secularization, citizenship, belief, Denna rapport behandlar en lektionsserie med det didaktiska experimentet att introducera gymnasieelever till läsning av specifika, slumpmässigt utvalda berättelser från vissa världsreligioners urkunder. Rapporten tar upp frågan om elevernas värdering av läsningarna visar att tekniken fyller en funktion med avseende på Skolverkets kunskapskrav för Religionskunskap 1. Lärarkandidater är förpliktigade att utveckla en didaktisk teknik och därför lyfter denna rapport fram det föga utforskade området om hur elever upplever läsning av religiösa berättelser i deras traditionella kontext. Enkätundersökningar av elevdeltagarna korstabuleras med enkätundersökningar av en större kontrollgrupp. Värdet av att läsa religiösa berättelser granskas med avseende på sekulariseringsteorin och dikotomin tro/vetande. Rapporten beskriver att religiösa berättelsers röst med traditionell visdom förtjänar mer uppmärksamhet som ett medel att uppnå skolans demokrati- och kunskapsuppdrag. Nyckelord: urkund, berättelse, religioner, religionskunskap, kunskapskrav, didaktik, enkät, mätning, ställningstagande, kontrollgrupp, sekularisering, demokrati, vetenskap, tro

This study looks into religious education practices at a traditional pilgrimage site in rural India as indicators of community sustainable de­vel­op­ment. Potentially, a role model for countless similar sites can be evinced, a con­tri­bution to the international development aim of eradication of poverty. By a religious-diversity survey at a public primary school and participant-obser­vation in private scriptural study, secularization theory is contrasted with religious identity. The Caitanya Vaisnava heritage is a traditional form of Hinduism with a long history of peaceful Hindu and Muslim coexistence at Mayapura, West Bengal. The study shows that tangible community de­velop­ment and religious education are compatible if not mutually neces­sary. It is evident that religious education and its impact on community could be added as themes to the international discourse on Sustainable Development Indicators.

This study looks into religious education practices at a traditional pilgrimage site in rural India as indicators of community sustainable de­vel­op­ment. Potentially, a role model for countless similar sites can be evinced, a con­tri­bution to the international development aim of eradication of poverty. By a religious-diversity survey at a public primary school and participant-obser­vation in private scriptural study, secularization theory is contrasted with religious identity. The Caitanya Vaisnava heritage is a traditional form of Hinduism with a long history of peaceful Hindu and Muslim coexistence at Mayapura, West Bengal. The study shows that tangible community de­velop­ment and religious education are compatible if not mutually neces­sary. It is evident that religious education and its impact on community could be added as themes to the international discourse on Sustainable Development Indicators.

This study looks into religious education practices at a traditional pilgrimage site in rural India as indicators of community sustainable de­vel­op­ment. Potentially, a role model for countless similar sites can be evinced, a con­tri­bution to the international development aim of eradication of poverty. By a religious-diversity survey at a public primary school and participant-obser­vation in private scriptural study, secularization theory is contrasted with religious identity. The Caitanya Vaisnava heritage is a traditional form of Hinduism with a long history of peaceful Hindu and Muslim coexistence at Mayapura, West Bengal. The study shows that tangible community de­velop­ment and religious education are compatible if not mutually neces­sary. It is evident that religious education and its impact on community could be added as themes to the international discourse on Sustainable Development Indicators.

This study looks into religious education practices at a traditional pilgrimage site in rural India as indicators of community sustainable de­vel­op­ment. Potentially, a role model for countless similar sites can be evinced, a con­tri­bution to the international development aim of eradication of poverty. By a religious-diversity survey at a public primary school and participant-obser­vation in private scriptural study, secularization theory is contrasted with religious identity. The Caitanya Vaisnava heritage is a traditional form of Hinduism with a long history of peaceful Hindu and Muslim coexistence at Mayapura, West Bengal. The study shows that tangible community de­velop­ment and religious education are compatible if not mutually neces­sary. It is evident that religious education and its impact on community could be added as themes to the international discourse on Sustainable Development Indicators.

This study looks into religious education practices at a traditional pilgrimage site in rural India as indicators of community sustainable de­vel­op­ment. Potentially, a role model for countless similar sites can be evinced, a con­tri­bution to the international development aim of eradication of poverty. By a religious-diversity survey at a public primary school and participant-obser­vation in private scriptural study, secularization theory is contrasted with religious identity. The Caitanya Vaisnava heritage is a traditional form of Hinduism with a long history of peaceful Hindu and Muslim coexistence at Mayapura, West Bengal. The study shows that tangible community de­velop­ment and religious education are compatible if not mutually neces­sary. It is evident that religious education and its impact on community could be added as themes to the international discourse on Sustainable Development Indicators.

When humans navigate a crowed space such as a university campus or the sidewalks of a busy street, they follow common sense rules based on social etiquette. In this paper, we argue that in order to enable the design of new algorithms that can take fully advantage of these rules to better solve tasks such as target tracking or trajectory forecasting, we need to have access to better data in the first place. To that end, we contribute the very first large scale dataset (to the best of our knowledge) that collects images and videos of various types of targets (not just pedestrians, but also bikers, skateboarders, cars, buses, golf carts) that navigate in a real-world outdoor environment such as a university campus. We present an extensive evaluation where different methods for trajectory forecasting are evaluated and compared. Moreover, we present a new algorithm for trajectory prediction that exploits the complexity of our new dataset and allows to: i) incorporate inter-class interactions into trajectory prediction models (e.g, pedestrian vs bike) as opposed to just intra-class interactions (e.g., pedestrian vs pedestrian); ii) model the degree to which the social forces are regulating an interaction. We call the latter "social sensitivity"and it captures the sensitivity to which a target is responding to a certain interaction. An extensive experimental evaluation demonstrates the effectiveness of our novel approach.

Religious diversity is the inevitable corollary of globalization and with it comes the challenge and opportunities of greatly increased interaction with religious Others. The United States was founded on an Anglo-Saxon Protestant basis but has now become "the world’s most religiously diverse nation" according to one Harvard religious studies scholar. To deal with this development, American thinkers, mainly Christians, have devoted a good deal of scholarship in the past three to four decades construing strategies how to meet and interact with the religious Other. During the 70’s and 80’s, a typology of exclusivism, inclusivism and pluralism was developed by Christians as a response to religious diversity. Many see today that it is a necessity to find an alternative to hostility and violence and therefore dialogue is the order of the day. Since Christians are still by far the largest faith-group, and the US has economic resources, US Christians have a natural predominance in dialogue. Is that good or bad from the stand point of the minority Other? One such minority is a major sub-division of Hinduism, namely Vaishnavism. Christian-Vaishnava dialogue in the US is a new phenomenon in the past two decades and an emerging minority representative is a globalized Vaishnava organization ISKCON, popularly known as the Hare Krishna movement, which has its Western roots in the counter-culture of the 1960’s. While ISKCON struggled for legitimacy in the 70’s and ‘80’s, it has in recent decades become a major factor in Hindu and especially Vaisnava representation. How American Christians respond today to Vaishnava dialogue and how this typology arose and functions as a theoretical basis for the on-going development of Christian-Vaishnava dialogue is the subject of this action-research minor field study.

Religious diversity is the inevitable corollary of globalization and with it comes the challenge and opportunities of greatly increased interaction with religious Others. The United States was founded on an Anglo-Saxon Protestant basis but has now become "the world’s most religiously diverse nation" according to one Harvard religious studies scholar. To deal with this development, American thinkers, mainly Christians, have devoted a good deal of scholarship in the past three to four decades construing strategies how to meet and interact with the religious Other. During the 70’s and 80’s, a typology of exclusivism, inclusivism and pluralism was developed by Christians as a response to religious diversity. Many see today that it is a necessity to find an alternative to hostility and violence and therefore dialogue is the order of the day. Since Christians are still by far the largest faith-group, and the US has economic resources, US Christians have a natural predominance in dialogue. Is that good or bad from the stand point of the minority Other? One such minority is a major sub-division of Hinduism, namely Vaishnavism. Christian-Vaishnava dialogue in the US is a new phenomenon in the past two decades and an emerging minority representative is a globalized Vaishnava organization ISKCON, popularly known as the Hare Krishna movement, which has its Western roots in the counter-culture of the 1960’s. While ISKCON struggled for legitimacy in the 70’s and ‘80’s, it has in recent decades become a major factor in Hindu and especially Vaisnava representation. How American Christians respond today to Vaishnava dialogue and how this typology arose and functions as a theoretical basis for the on-going development of Christian-Vaishnava dialogue is the subject of this action-research minor field study.

Anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation has become more complex due to the introduction of new anticoagulant agents, the number and kinds of patients requiring therapy, and the interactions of those patients in the matrix of care. The management of anticoagulation has become a "team sport" involving multiple specialties in multiple sites of care. The American College of Cardiology, through the College's Anticoagulation Initiative, convened a roundtable of experts from multiple specialties to discuss topics important to the management of patients requiring anticoagulation and to make expert recommendations on issues such as the initiation and interruption of anticoagulation, quality of anticoagulation care, management of major and minor bleeding, and treatment of special populations. The attendees continued to work toward consensus on these topics, and present the key findings of this roundtable in a state-of- the-art review focusing on the practical aspects of anticoagulation care for the patient with atrial fibrillation.

Because of the extensive computational burden and perhaps a lack of awareness of existing methods, rigorous uncertainty analyses are rarely conducted for variable-density flow and transport models. For this reason, a recently developed null-space Monte Carlo (NSMC) method for quantifying prediction uncertainty was tested for a synthetic saltwater intrusion model patterned after the Henry problem. Saltwater intrusion caused by a reduction in fresh groundwater discharge was simulated for 1000 randomly generated hydraulic conductivity distributions, representing a mildly heterogeneous aquifer. From these 1000 simulations, the hydraulic conductivity distribution giving rise to the most extreme case of saltwater intrusion was selected and was assumed to represent the "true" system. Head and salinity values from this true model were then extracted and used as observations for subsequent model calibration. Random noise was added to the observations to approximate realistic field conditions. The NSMC method was used to calculate 1000 calibration-constrained parameter fields. If the dimensionality of the solution space was set appropriately, the estimated uncertainty range from the NSMC analysis encompassed the truth. Several variants of the method were implemented to investigate their effect on the efficiency of the NSMC method. Reducing the dimensionality of the null-space for the processing of the random parameter sets did not result in any significant gains in efficiency and compromised the ability of the NSMC method to encompass the true prediction value. The addition of intrapilot point heterogeneity to the NSMC process was also tested. According to a variogram comparison, this provided the same scale of heterogeneity that was used to generate the truth. However, incorporation of intrapilot point variability did not make a noticeable difference to the uncertainty of the prediction. With this higher level of heterogeneity, however, the computational burden of generating

Thesis (S.M.)--Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2008., Includes bibliographical references (p. 54-56)., Landmines and mine-like traps are effective weapons that are difficult to detect and discriminate from a safe distance. The ability to detect landmines in their host environment at a distance and to discriminate them from other objects would be valuable for countering the landmine threat. This paper explores a standoff acoustic/laser technique to discriminate landmines from other forms of man-made objects (clutter) in an urban environment. A novel approach currently under investigation by MIT Lincoln Labs, University of Mississippi, and other groups employs a non-contact acoustic/laser technique to detect landmines from a safe standoff range. This technique uses a sound source to excite vibrations in targets with an acoustic wave. These vibrations are in turn measured remotely with a Laser Doppler Vibrometer (LDV). In this thesis, the vibration responses of landmine variants are measured, analyzed, and compared to those of common urban objects likely to be found on a landmine field or roadside. The Fourier Transform of the vibration of the target as measured by the LDV is used to generate a target vibration spectrum. Target vibration spectra in response to a sound source were experimentally measured for 59 trials, 28 of which were of simulated landmine variants and the remaining trials were of urban clutter objects. Using an algorithm adapted from a methodology for mass spectral analysis, parameters of the target signatures are estimated; then individual target signatures are classified using a Support Vector Machine (SVM) with a training set composed of parameters from the remaining members of the total population. The best results obtained from this methodology had a 71% probability of detection and a 3% false alarm rate corresponding to 20 of 28 of the simulated landmine variants correctly identified and a single clutter object misidentified as a landmine variant., by John Houston Doherty., S.M.

The adoption of educational technology tends to be based on the technology itself as opposed to the pedagogical needs it can serve—what we like to think of as a solution in search of a problem. In this paper we contend that appropriate application of educational technology to produce certain face-toface outcomes in a composition seminar can improve the student experience in the course. We frame our discussion in Mishra’s and Koehler’s TPACK theoretical framework (2006), where the quality teacher becomes the content expert who knows what to teach and how to teach to the novice learner while also understanding how a non-pedagogical technology can facilitate learning. Our discussion shows how we used online discussion to build a community of learners in a busy first-year honors seminar.

The Information Literacy agenda of academic libraries has recently been critically examined to uncover some of its inherent problems. This paper frames these discussions in the critical theoretical perspective present in educational research, suggesting that the emergence of critical information literacy is long overdue and in need of serious examination by library practitioners who wish to empower student learning.

The empowered intentional learner is a starting point towards a grounded theory in information literacy instruction. The authors engage this theory in a critical dialogue with instructional practice, in this instance a for-credit college freshman class built around information literacy concepts. Only through such reflection, where theory informs practice and practice informs theory, is it possible to develop a grounded theory where a less privileged role for the instruction librarian takes a back seat role to the control students should have over their own learning.

This report presents research results focused on the mitigation of both narrowband and multiple access interference in direct sequence spread spectrum communication systems. Both linear and nonlinear adaptive algorithmic approaches are developed and reported. Specific attention has been paid to making the algorithmic practicable. In addition to the algorithmic development, a software simulation for a code division multiple access system is developed using a commercially available programming environment.

A Lanthanum Hexaboride Gun was added to the electron beam fabrication system. Systems programming was advanced. The elements of a cooperative exposure effects model were developed and instituted in the programming. Exposure techniques were developed to optimize resolution and edge definition. (Author), See also Rept. no. RADC-76-289, AD-A031 154.

Techniques were developed to utilize an electron beam system to fabricate surface acoustic wave transducers. Transducers were fabricated and the electron exposure process was explored. Electron resist techniques were developed and successfully used. System programming was developed and advanced programming concepts were initiated. Procedures were developed to cover a range of geometrical configurations.

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Map surveying the streets of Brighton, located in the southwest quarter of Section 14, T8NR5E of the Mount Diablo Base and Meridian., California Revealed

Map surveying the land of Twitchell Island near the San Joaquin River. Plots of land are marked by their owners names., California Revealed

This study employs a citizen science methodology to compare the overflight noise of the Embraer E190-E2 with the older Embraer E190 aircraft at London City Airport. The study assesses whether new generation aircraft are quieter in a real-world overflight scenario away from the immediate take-off and landing area. The study uses six monitoring sites, which are an average of 9km from the airport runway and underneath the easterly wind arrivals flight path. The data was gathered using the Explane smartphone app that has a 2dB margin of error. Results from the study indicate a modest 1.7dB noise reduction in new aircraft, with instances of newer models being louder in certain locations and some of the loudest overall. This raises doubts whether a shift towards the new aircraft would create any meaningful reduction in aircraft noise for the communities overflown at London City Airport. It also raises questions about the airport expansion noise models, which are premised on the assumption that the new generation aircraft are significantly quieter. This study argues that airport stakeholders bear the obligation of conveying public environmental information with greater precision and nuance, both in terms of what is established and what remains uncertain concerning noise. They should avoid universalising and potentially misleading phrases like ‘cleaner, quieter new generation aircraft.’ The study suggests a need for a larger follow-up study of real-life noise monitoring at London City Airport using formal and citizen science methods to foster transparency and trust in airport management and policymaking.

Sudden cardiac death accounts for 35-45% of all deaths in heart failure, presumably from malignant ventricular arrhythmias. The aetiology of sudden arrhythmic death has not been fully elucidated, although a number of mechanisms exist which could potentially be arrhythmogenic. These include activation of the renin-angiotensin system, an increase in sympathetic nervous activity, electrolyte depletion and the use of inotropes and diuretics. It is likely however, that these mechanisms are secondary to the underlying electrophysiological changes in the myocardium resulting from the processes of myocyte damage and necrosis, compensatory hypertrophy and fibrosis which occur in the failing heart. In order to understand the basic mechanisms responsible for sudden death in heart failure, there is a need for animal models in which the electrophysiological changes produced by myocardial damage and the interrelationship between the myocardial electrophysiological substrate, neurohormonal activity and inducibility of arrhythmias can be studied in detail. In this study cardiac failure was induced in rabbits by injection of the cardiotoxin adriamycin 1mg/Kg twice weekly for 8 weeks. Electrophysiological recordings were made in conscious animals using bipolar pacing electrodes, implanted in the right ventricular apex. Recordings were made of the effective refractory period and the Stimulus-T interval of the paced evoked response. Neurohormonal assays and measurement of plasma electrolytes were undertaken during the study, and pathological analysis when the animals died. Progressive shortening in the stimulus-T interval and effective refractory period occurred in the adriamycin treated animals. No significant changes were seen in controls. Right ventricular papillary muscles from uninstrumented animals were used for in vitro electrophysiological studies. Action potential duration and effective refractory period were significantly shorter in the adriamycin group compared to controls.