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Polarimetric information has been shown to provide means for potentially enhancing the capacity of electro-optical sensors in areas such as target detection, recognition and identification. The potential benefit must be weighed against the added complexity of the sensor and the occurrence and robustness of polarimetric signatures. While progress in the design of novel systems for snapshot polarimetry may result in compact and lightweight polarimetric sensors, the aim of this work is to report on the design, characterization and performance of a polarimetric imager, primarily designed for polarimetric signature assessment of static scenes in the long wave thermal infrared. The system utilizes the division-of-time principle and is based on an uncooled microbolometer camera and a rotating polarizing filter. Methods for radiometric and polarimetric calibrations are discussed. A significant intrinsic polarization dependency of the microbolometer camera is demonstrated and it is shown that the ability to characterize, model and compensate for various instrument effects play a crucial role for polarimetric signature assessment.

J. Lönnqvist on työryhmän Psychiat Genomics Consortium jäsen. Genetic correlation is a key population parameter that describes the shared genetic architecture of complex traits and diseases. It can be estimated by current state-of-art methods, i.e., linkage disequilibrium score regression (LDSC) and genomic restricted maximum likelihood (GREML). The massively reduced computing burden of LDSC compared to GREML makes it an attractive tool, although the accuracy (i.e., magnitude of standard errors) of LDSC estimates has not been thoroughly studied. In simulation, we show that the accuracy of GREML is generally higher than that of LDSC. When there is genetic heterogeneity between the actual sample and reference data from which LD scores are estimated, the accuracy of LDSC decreases further. In real data analyses estimating the genetic correlation between schizophrenia (SCZ) and body mass index, we show that GREML estimates based on similar to 150,000 individuals give a higher accuracy than LDSC estimates based on similar to 400,000 individuals (from combinedmeta-data). A GREML genomic partitioning analysis reveals that the genetic correlation between SCZ and height is significantly negative for regulatory regions, which whole genome or LDSC approach has less power to detect. We conclude that LDSC estimates should be carefully interpreted as there can be uncertainty about homogeneity among combined meta-datasets. We suggest that any interesting findings from massive LDSC analysis for a large number of complex traits should be followed up, where possible, with more detailed analyses with GREML methods, even if sample sizes are lesser.

Virtual commissioning (VC) is a method used to virtually visualize and test production systems, control logic and material flows. The focus of this paper is to further extend this concept using Virtual Reality (VR). The introduction of VR in VC enhances the concept by adding a more realistic visualization and movement tracking which extends the possibilities of its validation. The changes to the validation aspect are mainly due to the fact that it is now possible to interact with the running virtual production in a realistic and intuitive way. The interaction gives designers and operators a new possibility to go from being observers to actors in the design phase. They are now able to validate the production system, test security protocols and validate the human interaction with the system, using VR.

To formulate the problem of the relation between body and soul in terms of how one should understand the relation between consciousness and the brain, or in terms of explaining how mind can arise out of matter, is a modern and far from innocent tendency that has instigated the whole spectrum of theories and answers suggested by the philosophy of mind of the so-called Analytic tradition during the 20th century. During the last 5 decades, we have seen a number of attempts at incorporating Freud into this discussion about the relation between body and soul. In this article, the author develops an argument according to which the philosophy of mind of the Analytic tradition is not really an appropriate intellectual environment for Freud´s theory of the body and its constitutive role. Rather, we should turn to phenomenology and transcendental philosophy where the body is thematized, not in terms of matter taken to give rise to consciousness in an empirical sense, but rather in terms of the “lived body” that is ...

The neurotoxin β-N-methylamino- l -alanine (BMAA) and its putative role in multiple neurodegenerative diseases have been intensely studied since 2005 when the toxin was discovered to be produced by worldwide-distributed cyanobacterial species inhabiting terrestrial, marine, brackish, and freshwater ecosystems. Recently, BMAA production was also associated with one eukaryotic group, namely, diatoms, raising questions about its production by other phytoplanktonic groups. To test for BMAA bioavailability in ecosystems where abundant phytoplanktonic blooms regularly occur, samples of filter-feeding shellfish were collected in two Portuguese transitional water bodies. BMAA content in cockles ( Cerastoderma edule ) collected weekly between September and November 2009 from Ria de Aveiro and at least once a month from May to November from Ria Formosa, fluctuated from 0.079 ± 0.055 to 0.354 ± 0.066 μg/g DW and from below the limit of detection to 0.434 ± 0.110 μg/g DW, respectively. Simultaneously to BMAA occurrence in cockles, paralytic shellfish toxins were detected in shellfish as a result of Gymnodinium catenatum blooms indicating a possible link between this marine dinoflagellate and BMAA production. Moreover, considerable high BMAA levels, 0.457 ± 0.186 μg/g DW, were then determined in a laboratory grown culture of G. catenatum . This work reveals for the first time the presence of BMAA in shellfish from Atlantic transitional water bodies and consubstantiate evidences of G. catenatum as one of the main sources of BMAA in these ecosystems.

On 6 August 2014, a spacecraft landed on the surface of a comet for the first time in history. The European Space Agency's Rosetta orbiter landed its Philae probe 10 years after being launched from...

Iron losses during calcium carbide based hot metal desulphurisation have been studied via large scale investigations of slag from the slag pit as well as slag sampling during desulphurisation at SSAB EMEA in Lulea. The desulphurisation slag, after injection of calcium carbide, is normally solid and contains large amounts of iron. An alkali containing mineral, nepheline syenite, was mixed together with the calcium carbide to form a more fluid slag as the iron losses originate from enclosed metal droplets in the slag as well as drawn off hot metal during slag skimming. The slag amount after slag skimming decreased from 28·1 to 25·1 kg t−1 hot metal with addition of 5 wt-% nepheline syenite to the calcium carbide, and the magnetic fraction of the slag from the slag pit decreased from 2·5 to 1·9%. Finally, no negative effect on the reagent efficiency was observed during the trials with addition of nepheline syenite.

This paper challenges the commonly held perception that grand theory is irrelevant for policy. Policy, it is often argued, is in need of detailed case-oriented empirical analysis and instrumental policy recommendations rather than any sweeping generalizations or lofty ideas emanating from grand theory. Notwithstanding, this paper argues that grand theory has an underestimated relevance for policy. To be able to see and appreciate this, the notion of policy relevance must be expanded. Whereas grand theory and grand concepts such as Realism, Liberalism, Constructivism, or Marxism do not provide case-specific knowledge or recommendations, they provide general roadmaps, conceptualization of world affairs, and also have a symbolic function, legitimating or challenging established policy paradigms. Policymakers, akin to grand theorists, arguably like to make sweeping statements and generalizations. Drawing on theory and findings in public policy studies, here applied to international relations and foreign policy, this paper suggests conditions under which grand theory can be relevant for policy.

How is outer space governed? This article argues that private authority is gaining salience in space politics, even with respect to the traditionally state-centric security and military aspects of ...

The IEC 61499 standard provides means to specify distributed control systems in terms of function blocks. For the deployment, each device may hold one or many logical resources, each consisting of a function block network with service interface blocks at the edges. The execution model is event driven (asynchronous), where triggering events may be associated with data (and seen as messages). In this paper, we propose a low-complexity implementation technique allowing to assess end-to-end response times of event chains spanning over a set of networked devices. Based on a translation of IEC 61499 to RTFM1 -tasks and resources, the response time for each task in the system at the device-level can be derived using established scheduling techniques. In this paper, we develop a holistic method to provide safe end-to-end response times taking both intra and interdevice delivery delays into account. The novelty of our approach is the accuracy of the system scheduling overhead characterization. While the device-level (RTFM) scheduling overhead was discussed in previous works, the network-level scheduling overhead for switched Ethernets is discussed in this paper. The approach is generally applicable to a wide range of commercial offthe-shelf Ethernet switches without a need for expensive custom solutions to provide hard real-time performance. A behavior characterization of the utilized switch determines the guaranteed response times. As a use case, we study the implementation onto (single-core) Advanced RISC Machine (ARM)-cortex-based devices communicating over a switched Ethernet network. For the analysis, we define a generic switch model and an experimental setup allowing us to study the impact of network topology as well as 802.1Q quality of service in a mixed critical setting. Our results indicate that safe sub millisecond end-to-end resp

We propose an experimental setup based on a streak camera approach inside an energy filter to measure time resolved properties of materials in the transmission electron microscope (TEM). In order to put in place the streak camera, a beam sweeper was built inside an energy filter. After exciting the TEM sample, the beam is swept across the CCD camera of the filter. We describe different parts of the setup at the example of a magnetic measurement. This setup is capable to acquire time resolved diffraction patterns, electron energy loss spectra (EELS) and images with total streaking times in the range between 100ns and 10μs.

A plant trial has been performed, with recycling of ladle slag to the LD converter at SSAB EMEA, Lulea, Sweden. The effect of ladle slag addition on the slag and steel composition, together with the slag weight, was investigated with sampling both during the blow and at blow end. The addition of ladle slag resulted in an increase in slag weight between 1 and 2 t throughout the blow and an increase of 3 wt-% in the slag Al2O3 content. This indicated that the ladle slag melted during the initial stages of the blow and enhanced the early slag formation. Lime additions were reduced with 3·5 kg t−1 liquid steel without drawbacks on the phosphorus or sulphur refining. Heats with added ladle slag had an increase in blowing time with ∼4% and an increased tendency for slopping. However, this can be handled by different lance and addition programmes.

The influence of recycled ladle slag on the basic oxygen furnace (BOF) process under production conditions was investigated in plant trials. More specifically, 25 heats with ladle slag additions and 23 heats without ladle slag additions were studied. Both steel and slag samples were collected, from which the chemical compositions were determined. In addition, several process parameters were monitored. Overall, it was found that recirculation of ladle slag during normal production conditions works fine. On the positive side, it was seen that the steel quality concerning the phosphorus and sulphur contents of liquid steel has, in accordance with previous studies, not been affected by the ladle slag additions. Furthermore, no major differences in the slag composition occur when the recycling of ladle slag to BOF is performed. Finally, in comparison to previous studies, the increased tendency for slopping when adding ladle slag could be eliminated with a change in the lance schedule. However, on the n...

Epitaxially grown single layer graphene on silicon carbide (SiC) resistive sensors were characterised for NO2 response at room and elevated temperatures, with an n-p type transition observed with increasing NO2 concentrations for all sensors. The concentration of NO2 required to cause this transition varied with different graphene samples and is attributed to varying degrees of substrate induced Fermi-level pinning above the Dirac point. The work function of a single layer device demonstrated a steady increase in work function with increasing NO2 concentration indicating no change in reaction mechanism in the concentration range measured despite a change in sensor response direction. Epitaxially grown graphene device preparation is challenging due to poor adhesion of the graphene layer to the substrate. A field effect transistor (FET) device is presented which does not require wire bonding to contacts on graphene.

The long-lasting debate over the status of psychoanalysis with respect to its orientation within the natural scientific and human scientific paradigms has been largely centered on the question of how to characterize Freudian metapsychology Are the basic assumptions of metapsychology to be taken as empirical hypotheses principally verifiable or falsifiable by the results of experimental, natural scientific research? Or is metapsychology better understood as a speculative theory which generates pure ideas without factual referents, ideas that would work as help-constructions, at all times alterable due to pragmatic concerns, and whose value for clinical theory and practice would thus lie on a merely heuristic level? In close dialogue with the transcendental philosophies of Kant, Husserl and Heidegger, the author develops an argument according to which Freudian psychoanalysis should be understood as a science of subjectivity, and according to which metapsychology should be understood as the formal apriori of...

An analytical method for the quantification of thyroid hormones (3,5,3',5'-tetraiodo-L-thyronine, 3,3',5-triiodo-L-thyronine, 3,3',5'-triiodothyronine, 3,5-diiodothyronine, 3,3'-diiodothyronine) in different water matrices has been developed. The method, consisting of solid phase extraction (SPE) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), was validated for tap and surface water as well as raw and treated waste water. The limits of quantifications (LOQs) were lowest in tap water, where they ranged from 1.1 to 13.3 ng L(-1), and highest in raw wastewater (10.5-84.9 ng L(-1)). Of the target analytes 3,5,3',5'-tetraiodo-L-thyronine (T(4)) could be quantified in the influent and effluent of a waste water treatment plant (WWTP) in Finland. The study showed that despite a relatively high removal rate during treatment (66%), part of the incoming T(4) will reach the aquatic environment and, due to the high endocrine activity of this compound, further studies are needed in order to assess its environmental fate and impact on natural ecosystems.

This article discusses how and under what conditions ideas coming from International Relations (IR) scholarship are used in foreign policy. We argue that the focus on policy relevance, which dominates the IR literature on the research-policy interface, is limited. Focusing instead on political utilisation highlights types and mechanisms of political impact, which are overlooked in studies on policy relevance. The fruitfulness of this change in focus is showed in an analysis of how Samuel Huntington's ‘clash of civilizations’ notion and Joseph Nye's ‘soft power’ concept have been used in US foreign policy. George W. Bush's explicit critique and reframing of ‘the clash’ thesis should not be interpreted as absence of impact, but as a significant symbolic utilisation, which has helped legitimate US foreign policy. Likewise, in the few instances in which the notion of ‘soft power’ has been used explicitly, it has played a conceptual and symbolical rather than instrumental role. More generally, this article argues that accessible framing and paradigm compatibility are essential for political utilisation of ideas.

This article addresses the relationship between scientific expertise and policy in European chemicals regulation. We argue that the role of scientific expertise in the European regulation of chemicals varies across decision-making levels, countries, and stages of the policy process. Our case study of the role of scientific expertise in the regulation of brominated flame retardants illustrates considerably different manifestations of this interconnected process across regulatory arenas, even though this case concerns a single group of substances. On the European Union level, we find a mix of technocracy and politicization; in Sweden, a clear-cut politicization; and in Poland, noninvolvement. Such differences can be explained by a combination of factors, in particular frame dominance, and mobilization of advocacy coalitions.

(2010). Freud and philosophy. The Scandinavian Psychoanalytic Review: Vol. 33, No. 2, pp. 142-148.

Among other developments, the technological revolution has lead to introduction of new chemicals to better serve in instruments and materials. The consequences of the extensive increase in use of new chemicals can be detected in the environment world wide, i.e. in wildlife and humans. To ensure this problem to be minimised in the future, new chemicals need to be subjected to predictive assessments before commercialised. To facilitate screening, qualitative structure-activity relationships, quantitative structure-activity relationships may be applied to describe reactivity of chemicals. Physico-chemical properties of chemicals such as partition coefficients and half-lives for the various environmental compartments are essential input data in multimedia environmental fate models. In this study we examine how structural characteristics can quantitatively describe laboratory determined photolytic half-lives of halogenated compounds of different classes, such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), hydroxylated brominated diphenyl ethers (OH-PBDEs), and other organohalogens. A total of 30 chemicals with experimentally measured half-lives are used. Results reveal that the most important descriptors for describing the half-lives of the brominated compounds are the energy gap (GAP-1) between HOMO-1 and LUMO, the lowest partial charge on a halogen atom (Qhal-), topological polar surface area (TPSA), the atom with highest radical superdelocalizability (Rad-super+) and LUMO density (LUMO+).

The area of fire protection has grown over the last decades with an increasing use of brominated flame retardants (BFRs). Some of the BFRs are phenolic compounds as applied, e.g. tetrabromobisphenol A and 2,4,6-tribromophenol. Others, like the polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), can be metabolized to phenolic compounds, i.e. polybrominated phenoxyphenols (OH-PBDEs). OH-PBDEs, have to our knowledge never been commercially produced, but some are well known natural products, and found in high concentrations in biota. The present study is aimed to determine the susceptibility of OH-PBDEs to undergo photolysis when dissolved in water and to compare their reactivity with a couple of PBDE congeners. A previously developed method for studies of photolysis was applied and adapted to include OH-PBDEs in water at pH 7 and 11, water/methanol and water/hydrogen peroxide. The results indicate a change in reaction rates for the photolysis of OH-PBDE in different aqueous media and pH dependence. The results from the present study show that hydroxylated compounds rapidly undergo photolytic transformations in water. The OH-PBDEs are more rapidly transformed then PBDE congeners with similar numbers of bromine substituents. All the OH-PBDEs, independent of structure, are rapidly transformed, with approx. the same rate, when hydrogen peroxide is present, indicating another route of reaction. Polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PBDDs) are indicated as transformation products upon photolysis of OH-PBDEs with a favorable bromine substitution pattern.

The central contention of this article holds that scholars do not adequately assess and explain the influence of transboundary security issues on government behaviour. Their assessment is not adequate because they do not fully conceptualize the relationship between internal and external security concerns. Their explanations are not adequate because existing theories cannot fully explain how and why states respond to transboundary security issues. To rectify these concerns, stimulate and structure further research, and encourage scholarly dialogue, we build an analytical framework for (a) understanding what we describe as the ‘nexus’ of internal and external security matters, and (b) explaining why that nexus may change state behaviour on transboundary security issues. The resulting framework encourages a strong focus on the nature of transboundary problems before studying their implications for changes in perceptions, policies, politics and polity.

Decabromodiphenyl ether (DecaBDE) is used as an additive flame retardant in polymers. It has become a ubiquitous environmental contaminant, particularly abundant in abiotic media, such as sediments, air, and dust, and also present in wildlife and in humans. The main DecaBDE constituent, perbrominated diphenyl ether (BDE-209), is susceptible to transformations as observed in experimental work. This work is aimed at identifying and assessing the relative amounts of products formed after UV irradiation of BDE-209.BDE-209, dissolved in tetrahydrofuran (THF), methanol, or combinations of methanol/water, was exposed to UV light for 100 or 200 min. Samples were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (electron ionization) for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), dibenzofurans (PBDFs), methoxylated PBDEs, and phenolic PBDE products.The products formed were hexaBDEs to nonaBDEs, monoBDFs to pentaBDFs, and methoxylated tetraBDFs to pentaBDFs. The products found in the fraction containing halogenated phenols were assigned to be pentabromophenol, dihydroxytetrabromobenzene, dihydroxydibromodibenzofuran, dihydroxytribromodibenzofuran, and dihydroxytetrabromodibenzofuran. The PBDEs accounted for approximately 90% of the total amount of substances in each sample and the PBDFs for about 10%.BDE-209 is a source of PBDEs primarily present in OctaBDEs but also to some extent in PentaBDEs, both being commercial products now banned within the EU and in several states within the USA. It is notable that OH-PBDFs have not been identified or indicated in any of the photolysis studies performed to date. Formation of OH-PBDFs, however, may occur as pure radical reactions in the atmosphere.Photolysis of decaBDE yields a wide span of products, from nonaBDEs to hydroxylated bromobenzenes. It is evident that irradiation of decaBDE in water and methanol yields OH-PBDFs and MeO-PBDFs, respectively. BDE-202 (2,2',3,3',5,5',6,6'-octabromodiphenyl ether) is identified as a marker of BDE-209 photolysis.BDE-209, the main constituent of DecaBDE, is primarily forming debrominated diphenyl ethers with higher persistence which are more bioaccumulative than the starting material when subjected to UV light. Hence, DecaBDE should be considered as a source of these PBDE congeners in the environment.

An existing substitution reaction method was improved as part of a system to measure the persistency of selected chemicals in the environment by evaluating their chemical reactivity. Hexachlorobenzene (HCB), pentachlorobenzene, 1,2,4,5-tetrachlorobenzene and 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene were selected as model compounds. Sodium methoxide in methanol was used as a nucleophile and found to be stable for at least 35 days after preparation. The substitution reaction system was modified so that nitrogen protection was not necessary to avoid oxidation and hydrolysis effects, which led to improved results. The reactivity of polychlorinated benzenes (PCBz), which substituted chlorine for methoxide according to a second-order rate constant, increased as the number of chlorine atoms on the benzene ring increased. HCB was selected as a standard for the k 2 calculations of the substitution reactions. A normalized k 2 ( k N ) was calculated as k N = k PCBz / k HCB . GC–MS analysis confirmed that the reactions were pure nucleophilic aromatic substitutions without side reactions.

Editors’ Note: Does the global diffusion of the Internet signify the final end of the state's ability to control society, or is the state on the contrary maintaining or even strengthening its hold of society? Several observers have taken the latter position, most recently Goldsmith and Wu (2006) , authors of Who Controls the Internet?, while critics claim this is grossly misleading, and that international regimes and a myriad of nonstate actors such as private firms and nongovernmental organizations play a much greater role in Internet governance ( Mathiason 2007 ). In our view, thus structured, such debate risks reiterating a much older (and largely stalemated) debate about whether the nation-state is “obstinate or obsolete” ( Hoffman 1966 ), mirrored also in the larger debate about globalization. The goal of the present Forum 1 is to reexamine and ultimately problematize this debate by discussing what actors are controlling what aspects of Internet usage, and under what conditions. A brief introduction to this is given in the first essay, written by the Editors. The following contributions demonstrate that, rather than seeking a final word on who controls the Internet, it is more fruitful to unpack the complexity of control in the digital age, and indeed the diversity and preliminary nature of available analyses. It is also for this reason we have invited contributors who elaborate a variety of perspectives, including a stout defender of state-centrism (Hamoud Salhi), a contributor who unravels the complexity of public–private partnerships in Internet control (Myriam Dunn Cavelty), and advocates of more critical perspectives emphasizing complexity (J.P. Singh), interactivity and discourse (M.I. Franklin). We believe that the global scope and spatial origins of the authors in this Forum imply experiences and outlooks which help reveal new insights and cross-fertilizations, which goes beyond the dominant US-centered perspectives on international relations in general …

Three different series of xylosylated naphthoic acid-amino acid conjugates containing one or two amino acid residues were synthesized for the investigation of glycosaminoglycan priming and potential use as anti-tumor drugs. All xylosylated naphthoic acid-conjugates inhibited the growth of normal lung fibroblasts to some extent, whereas the growth of tumor derived T24 carcinoma cells was not affected. There was no correlation between amino acid conjugation, retention time and the antiproliferative activity. Only one compound initiated the priming of glycosaminoglycans. Modification of the naphthalene ring with one or two amino acid residues did not have any effect on proteoglycan biosynthesis or glycosaminoglycan priming in T24 carcinoma cells.

The non-protein amino acid beta-N-methyl-amino-L-alanine (BMAA) is a neurotoxin that was recently found to be produced by most cyanobacteria. The neurotoxin was discovered in 1967 in the seeds of the cycad Cycas micronesica, but this BMAA may originate from the symbiotic cyanobacterium Nostoc, which inhabits the roots of cycads. BMAA is thought to be the cause of the deadly neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/parkinsonism dementia complex (ALS/PDC), common among the Chamorro people of Guam. It was demonstrated that the Chamorros, in all probability, have been exposed to high levels of BMAA through dietary consumption of flying foxes which fed mainly on cycads seeds. BMAA production may be a common conserved evolutionary feature among cyanobacteria and due to their wide global distribution, the toxin may be a common concern and potentially involved in provoking degenerative diseases worldwide. BMAA may likewise be bioaccumulated in other cyanobacterial based food webs within ecosystems outside Guam, and it is proposed that such webs may exist in the Baltic Sea, with its massive occurrence of cyanobacteria (blooms).

Radiometric calibration and non-uniformity correction are key operations in a signature measurement, which is a special challenge in the infrared range where a large number of parameters need to be ...

Several nonsymmetric polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners form atropisomers due to steric hindrance of free rotation around the phenyl-phenyl bond. It is evident from the literature that both chiral PCB congeners and their atropisomeric methylsulfonyl-PCB metabolites, formed in higher animals and in humans, are present in biota as nonracemic mixtures. Chiral methylsulfonyl-PCBs are strongly dominated by one of the atropisomers in mammalian tissues. The aim of the present study is to examine enantioselective metabolism, retention, and excretion of 2,2',3,3',4,6'-hexachlorobiphenyl (CB-132) in rat by administration of a CB-132 racemate and pure atropisomers. Chemical analysis of liver, lung, and adipose tissue from the rats showed a strong retention of one of the CB-132 atropisomers and a similar, but even more pronounced, accumulation of one of the atropisomers of the meta- and para-methylsulfonyl-substituted CB-132 metabolites in these tissues. Metabolites with R structures were predominately formed from one of the atropisomers of CB-132. The slower metabolism of the other atropisomer of CB-132 and its pronounced excretion in feces suggest an enantioselective metabolism. The results indicate enantio-selective formation of the methylsulfonyl-CB132 metabolites and confirm the critical role of stereochemistry of chemicals for their metabolism.

In the proposed new European chemicals regulations—the REACH system—the improved control of persistent and bioaccumulating substances is stated as one of the tasks being of particular importance. In this article, the reliability and validity of the scientific basis for identification of persistent (P), bioaccumulating (B), and toxic (T) substances, and for assessing the risks that these substances may pose, are discussed. We have used the European Union risk assessment of pentabromodiphenyl ether, PentaBDE (CAS 32534-81-9) as a study case in the analysis. It is concluded that for PBT substances there is room for development both with regard to test methodology and with regard to risk assessment procedures.

The purpose of this article is twofold: to analyze the impact of the information revolution on security and to clarify what existing international relations theory can say about this challenge. These pertinent questions are initially addressed by a critical review of past research. This review shows that the concern for security issues is largely confined to a specialist literature on information warfare and cyber-security, while neither the general literature on information society nor security studies pay any serious attention to information-technology-related security issues. The specialist literature is mostly policy oriented, and only very rarely informed by theory, whether from the international relations discipline or any other field. In this article, three general international relations “schools” (realism, liberalism, and constructivism) are scrutinized with regard to what they can say about security in the digital age. It is argued that the liberal focus on pluralism, interdependence, and globalization, the constructivist emphasis on language, symbols, and images (including “virtuality”), and some elements of realist strategic studies (on information warfare) contribute to an understanding of digital-age security. Finally, it is suggested that pragmatism might help to bridge the gap between theory and practice, and overcome the dualistic, contending nature of international relations theories.

How can policy-relevant ideas be effectively communicated to practitioners? While the existing literature has focused on what kind of theory and research are policy relevant, it does not say much about how this knowledge can be communicated. If you want to make a difference, you must know how to reach your target. We take note of the important, but in this context often overlooked opportunities for knowledge diffusion that are provided by the education of young minds and the training of mid-career officials and officers. This article first discusses three contending perspectives on the relationship between scholars and practitioners. It then makes a conceptual elaboration of conditions for communicating research to practitioners, drawing on a wide body of literature on the power of ideas. We conclude by summarizing pointers for how scholars may reflect and how we can act, if we wish to enrich foreign policy practice with research-based ideas.

Among all brominated flame retardants in use, the polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been identified as being of particular environmental concern due to their global distribution and bioaccumulating properties, as observed in humans and wildlife worldwide. Still there is a need for more data on the basic characteristics of PBDEs to better understand and describe their environmental fate. Hence, the aim of this study was to investigate the photochemical degradation of PBDEs with different degrees of bromination. The photochemical degradation of 15 individual PBDEs substituted with 4-10 bromine atoms was studied in methanol/water (8:2) by UV light in the sunlight region. Nine of these were also studied in pure methanol, and four of the nine PBDEs were studied in tetrahydrofuran. The photochemical reaction rate decreased with decreasing number of bromine substituents in the molecule but also in some cases influenced by the PBDE substitution pattern. The reaction rate was dependent on the solvent in such a way that the reaction rate in a methanol/water solution was consistently around 1.7 times lower than in pure methanol and 2-3 times lower than in THF. The UV degradation half-life of decaBDE (T1/2 = 0.5 h) was more than 500 times shorter than the environmentally abundant congener 2,2',4,4'-tetraBDE (T1/2 = 12 d) in methanol/water. The quantum yields in the methanol/water solution ranged from 0.1 to 0.3. The photochemical reaction of decaBDE is a consecutive debromination from ten- down to six-bromine-substituted PBDEs. Products with less than six bromines were tentatively identified as brominated dibenzofurans and traces of what was indicated as methoxylated brominated dibenzofurans.

The distribution of TNT* (the sum of TNT and its degradation products), aniline, and nitrobenzene between particulate organic matter (POM), dissolved soil organic matter (DOM), and free compound was studied in controlled kinetic (with and without irradiation) and equilibrium experiments with mixtures of POM and DOM reflecting natural situations in organic rich soils. The binding of TNT* to POM was fast, independent of irradiation, and adsorption isotherms had a great linear contribution (as determined by a mixed model), indicative of a hydrophobic partitioning mechanism. The binding of TNT* to DOM was slower, strongly enhanced under nonirradiated conditions, and adsorption isotherms were highly nonlinear, indicative of a specific interaction between TNT derivatives and functional groups of DOM. Nitrobenzene was associated to both POM and DOM via hydrophobic partitioning, whereas aniline binding was dominated by specific binding to POM and DOM functional groups. On the basis of nitrobenzene and TNT* adsorption parameters determined by a mixed Langmuir + linear model, POM had 2-3 times greater density of hydrophobic moieties as compared to DOM. This difference was reflected by a greater (O + N)/C atomic ratio for DOM. The sum of C-C and C-H moieties, as determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and the sum of aryl-C and alkyl-C, as determined by solid-state cross-polarization magic-angle spinning (CP-MAS) 13C NMR, could only qualitatively account for differences in adsorption parameters. Aliphatic C was found to be more important for the hydrophobic partitioning than aromatic C. On the basis of nonlinear adsorption parameters,the density of functional groups reactive with aniline and TNT derivatives was 1.3-1.4 times greater in DOM than in POM, which was in fair agreement with 13C NMR and XPS data for the sum of carboxyl and carbonyl groups as potential sites for electrostatic and covalent bonding. We conclude that in contaminated soils characterized by continuous leaching of DOM, formation of TNT derivatives (via biotic and abiotic reductive degradation) and their preference for specific functional groups in DOM may contribute to a significant transportation of potentially toxic TNT compounds into surface waters and groundwaters.

A method was developed for studies of the phototransformation at UV irradiation of aqueous solutions of tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), tribromobisphenol A (TriBBPA), tetrachlorobisphenol A (TCBPA), 2,4-dichlorophenol at various pHs as well as 2-chlorophenol, 2-bromophenol, 3,4-dichlorophenol and bisphenol A at pH 11. The absorbance spectra of the compounds and the emission spectra of the light-source were determined and used to calculate disappearance quantum yields of the photochemical reactions that were taking place. No major differences between the disappearance quantum yields of TBBPA and TCBPA were observed at pH 10, while the disappearance quantum yield of TriBBPA was approximately two times higher. The rate of decomposition of TBBPA was six times higher at pH 8 than at pH 6. Identification of the degradation products of TBBPA and TriBBPA, by GC-MS analysis and by comparison to synthesised reference compounds, indicated that TBBPA and TriBBPA decompose via different mechanisms. Three isopropylphenol derivatives; 4-isopropyl-2,6-dibromophenol, 4-isopropylene-2,6-dibromophenol and 4-(2-hydroxyisopropyl)-2,6-dibromophenol, were identified as major degradation products of TBBPA while the major degradation product of TriBBPA was tentatively identified as 2-(2,4-cyclopentadienyl)-2-(3,5-dibromo-4-hydroxyphenyl)propane.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is an extremely devastating neurodegenerative disease with an obscure etiology. The amino acid β-N-methylamino-l-alanine (BMAA) produced by globally widespread phytoplankton has been implicated in the etiology of human motor neuron diseases [corrected]. BMAA was recently proven to be present in Baltic Sea food webs, ranging from plankton to larger Baltic Sea organisms, some serving as important food items (fish) for humans. To test whether exposure to BMAA in a Baltic Sea setting is reflected in humans, blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from individuals suffering from ALS were analyzed, together with sex- and age-matched individuals not inflicted with ALS. Ultra high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) and multiple reaction monitoring (MRM), in conjunction with diagnostic transitions revealed BMAA in three (12%) of the totally 25 Swedish individuals tested, with no preference for those suffering from ALS. The three BMAA-positive samples were all retrieved from the CSF, while BMAA was not detected in the blood. The data show that BMAA, potentially originating from Baltic Sea phytoplankton, may reach the human central nervous system, but does not lend support to the notion that BMAA is resident specifically in ALS-patients. However, while dietary exposure to BMAA may be intermittent and, if so, difficult to detect, our data provide the first demonstration of BMAA in the central nervous system of human individuals ante mortem quantified with UHPLC-MS/MS, and therefore calls for extended research efforts.

Function Blocks provides a means to model and program industrial control systems. The recently acclaimed IEC 61499 standard allows such system models to be partitioned and executed in a distributed fashion. At device level, such models are traditionally implemented onto programmable logic controllers that underneath have an operating system and a software run-time environment which implies high resource demands. However, there is a current trend to involve small embedded systems (so called Internet of Things devices) integrated into such distributed control systems. To this end, we seek to address the outsets for real-time execution of Function Block based designs onto light-weight controllers (MCUs) with limited resources (memory and CPU). Furthermore, we propose a mapping of the Function Block execution semantics onto the RTFM-kernel, and discuss opportunities for off-line (design time) analysis with respect to response time, overall schedulability and memory requirements.

Function Blocks provides a means to model and program industrial control systems. The recently acclaimed IEC 61499 standard allows such system models to be partitioned and executed in a distributed fashion. At device level, such models are traditionally implemented onto programmable logic controllers and industrial PCs. In this paper, we discuss work in progress on developing a mapping allowing to implement a subset of IEC 61499 models onto light-weight embedded devices (MCUs). We propose and detail an event semantics, and its mapping to the notions of task and resources for Stack Resource Policy based analysis and scheduling. Moreover, we show how the proposed mapping can be efficiently implemented under the RTFM-kernel. Finally we outline a prototype tool-chain and discuss related, ongoing and future work.

The swiftness and considerable political impact of the widespread conceptualisation of IT as a security problem makes it a particularly fruitful case for analysing threat politics – how and why some threat images but not others end up on the political agenda. A conceptual framework combining theories of framing, securitisation, agenda setting and policy diffusion is developed, which is applied to the case of IT security policy in Sweden. The analysis emphasises the impact of the end of the Cold War, the uncertainty following the breakthrough of the information age, the tradition of focusing on information and technological development in military affairs, the adaptability to ‘widened security thinking’ within the military-bureaucratic establishment, and the lack of opposition to the securitisation of IT.

[Review of] "Security: A New Framework for Analysis" : Barry Buzan, Ole Waever and Jaap de Wilde