THE RED RAIN PHENOMENON OF KERALA AND ITS POSSIBLE EXTRATERRESTRIAL ORIGIN

A red rain phenomenon occurred in Kerala, India starting from 25th July 2001, in which the rainwater appeared coloured in various localized places that are spread over a few hundred kilometers in Kerala. Maximum cases were reported during the first 10 days and isolated cases were found to occur for about 2 months. The striking red colouration of the rainwater was found to be due to the suspension of microscopic red particles having the appearance of biological cells. These particles have no similarity with usual desert dust. An estimated minimum quantity of 50,000 kg of red particles has fallen from the sky through red rain. An analysis of this strange phenomenon further shows that the conventional atmospheric transport processes like dust storms etc. cannot explain this phenomenon. The electron microscopic study of the red particles shows fine cell structure indicat- ing their biological cell like nature. EDAX analysis shows that the major elements present in these cell like particles are carbon and oxygen. Strangely, a test for DNA using Ethidium Bromide dye fluorescence technique indicates absence of DNA in these cells. In the context of a suspected link between a meteor airburst event and the red rain, the possibility for the extraterrestrial origin of these particles from cometary fragments is discussed.

Schauder – Zur Dekonstruktion eines Spürens

Zusammenfassung: Ziel der Arbeit ist den Sinn von Schauder philosophisch zu erhellen. An einem Einzelphänomen, wie es so bisher nicht behandelt wurde, wird zugleich das Geflecht von Affekt/Emotion/Gefühl, gestützt auf Hegel, Heidegger, Husserl, Freud und Lacan, in immer neuen Ansätzen kritisch reflektiert und Zug um Zug mit Derrida dekonstruiert. In einem Textverfahren, das sich auch grafisch durch gegenübergestellte Kolumnen auszeichnet, werden heterogene Ansätze zum Sinn von Schauder mit dekonstruktivistischen Einsichten konfrontiert. Die Ansätze, Schauder über Datum, Begriff, Phänomen oder Strukturelement bestimmen zu wollen, durchdringen sich dabei mit denjenigen, die sich einer solchen Bestimmung entziehen (Hegels Negativität, Heideggers Seinsentzug oder Lacans Signifikantenmangel). Am Fokus Schauder, an dem sich das Fiktive einer mit sich selbst identischen Präsenz besonders eindringlich darstellt, werden so spezifische Aporien der Metaphysik der Präsenz entfaltet und die Geschlossenheit logozentristischer Systeme in die Bewegung einer anderen Öffnung und Schließung im Sinn der Schrift bzw. des allgemeinen Textes transformiert. Neben der différance, dem Entzug der Metapher, dem Supplement und dem Gespenstischen stützt sich die Arbeit auf die Iterabilität, bei der im selben Zug die Identität des Sinns gestiftet und zerstreut wird (Dissemination). Im Kapitel Piloerection werden Ambivalenzen und Paradoxien des Schauders am Beispiel von computergestützten empirisch-psychologischen Studien aufgezeigt. Im Kapitel Atopologie des Schauders prädikative, propositionale und topologische Bedingungen zum Sinn von Schauder analysiert und dekonstruiert. Ebenso, im Folgekapitel Etymon, etymologische und technisch-mediale Bedingungen. Im Schlußkapitel Maß, Anmaß, Unmaß der Empfindung des Schauders wird am Beispiel der konkreten Beiträge zum Schauder von Aristoteles, Kant, Fechner, Otto, Klages, Lorenz und Adorno aufgezeigt, dass (1) ein Schauder nicht von einem Außen aus an-gemessen werden kann, (2) sich im Schauder die metaphysische Opposition von Fiktion und Realität in einer Unentscheidbarkeit zerstreut, (3) dass trotz der Heterogenität der Ansätze in diesen Beiträgen eine Komplizenschaft zum Ausdruck kommt: ein Begehren nach Präsenz, das durch den Ausschluß des Anderen zugleich die Gewalt des Einen produziert, (4) dass der Signifikant Schauder, der selbst in Abwesenheit eines Referenten, eines bestimmten Signifikats, einer aktuellen Bedeutungs­intention, eines Sen­ders oder Empfängers funktioniert, als verändertes Zu­rückbleiben eines differenzieller Zeichens betrachtet werden muss, als Effekt von Spuren, die sich nur in ihrem eige­nen Auslöschen ereignen. Die Arbeit schließt mit dem Vorschlag, Spüren jenseits von Arché, Telos oder Eschaton, jenseits eines Phallogozentrismus in der derridaschen Spur zu denken. Nicht zuletzt über diese Pfropfung, wie sie im Französischen [trace] so nicht möglich ist, schließt sie als deutschsprachiger Beitrag an sein Werk an.

General induction at companies - between an administrative process and a sociological phenomenon

From the example of the process of general induction into the organization and using certain sociological resources, shows paradox are specialists in human management: is to carefor the motivation and the welfare of workers to achieve its high performance, their fidelity and his tenure at the company; However, current mutations of the social architecture in general and of work in particular –as structure of organized action– force thinking that organizational loyalty tends to be increasingly unlikely and that, conversely, the current personnel administration processes appear made inappropriate notions and appear to contribute directly to the adversities of human beings in organizational settings.

Poldering a teaching qualification system in Higher Education in the Netherlands : a typical dutch phenomenon

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Prediction of the bulking phenomenon in wastewater treatment plants

The control and prediction of wastewater treatment plants poses an important goal: to avoid breaking the environmental balance by always keeping the system in stable operating conditions. It is known that qualitative information — coming from microscopic examinations and subjective remarks — has a deep influence on the activated sludge process. In particular, on the total amount of effluent suspended solids, one of the measures of overall plant performance. The search for an input–output model of this variable and the prediction of sudden increases (bulking episodes) is thus a central concern to ensure the fulfillment of current discharge limitations. Unfortunately, the strong interrelation between variables, their heterogeneity and the very high amount of missing information makes the use of traditional techniques difficult, or even impossible. Through the combined use of several methods — rough set theory and artificial neural networks, mainly — reasonable prediction models are found, which also serve to show the different importance of variables and provide insight into the process dynamics

The low cost phenomenon

LCC Market Development - In 1996 low cost airlines (LCCs) accounted for only 1.4% of intra-European Union capacity. By the end of 2002, low cost airlines had captured 12% of all intra-EU capacity - Currently LCCs have a 30% market share of scheduled European point-to-point passengers. According to AEA forecasts, the LC market is expected to increase to 43% of European traffic by 2011. - In 2006 140 million passengers were carried by LCCs. - Low-fare airlines have increased their presence from 13% of city pairs in 2003 to 26% in 2007. 96% of new city-pairs between 2005 and 2007 were added by LCCs. - The United Kingdom still sees the highest number of low-cost flights, followed by Spain, which has been making up a lot of ground over the last year. This is followed by Italy and Germany with slightly fewer flights. These four countries contribute to roughly three quarters of low-cost departures. France is fifth in this list with only 5% of LC flights. - easyJet and Ryanair continue to be the biggest players in the European LCC market accounting for about 40% of all LCC capacity. The top two are followed by Airberlin, which contributes another 10% leaving three carriers in control of half the European low-cost market.

The Greek debt trap: an escape plan. Bruegel Policy Contribution 2012/19, 7 November 2012

Without corrective measures, Greek public debt will exceed 190 percent of GDP, instead of peaking at the anyway too-high target ratio of 167 percent of GDP of the March 2012 financial assistance programme. The rise is largely due to a negative feedback loop between high public debt and the collapse in GDP, and endangers Greek membership of the euro area. But a Greek exit would have devastating impacts both inside and outside Greece. A small reduction in the interest rate on bilateral loans, the exchange of European Central Bank holdings, buy-back of privately-held debt, and frontloading of some privatisation receipts are unlikely to be sufficient. A credible resolution should involve the reduction of the official lending rate to zero until 2020, an extension of the maturity of all official lending, and indexing the notional amount of all official loans to Greek GDP. Thereby, the debt ratio would fall below 100 percent of GDP by 2020, and if the economy deteriorates further, there will not be a need for new arrangements. But if growth is better than expected, official creditors will also benefit. In exchange for such help, the fiscal sovereignty of Greece should be curtailed further. An extended privatisation plan and future budget surpluses may be used to pay back the debt relief. The Greek fiscal tragedy highlights the need for a formal debt restructuring mechanism

Very short delays prior to escape from potential predators may function efficiently as adaptive risk-assessment periods

Periods between predator detection and an escape response (escape delays) by prey upon attack by a predator often arise because animals trade-off the benefits such a delay gives for assessing risk accurately with the costs of not escaping as quickly as possible. We tested whether freezing behaviour (complete immobility in a previously foraging bird) observed in chaffinches before escaping from an approaching potential threat functions as a period of risk-assessment, and whether information on predator identity is gained even when time available is very short. We flew either a model of a sparrowhawk (predator) or a woodpigeon (no threat) at single chaffinches. Escape delays were significantly shorter with the hawk, except when a model first appeared close to the chaffinch. Chaffinches were significantly more vigilant when they resumed feeding after exposure to the sparrowhawk compared to the woodpigeon showing that they were able to distinguish between threats, and this applied even when time available for assessment was short (an average of 0.29 s). Our results show freezing in chaffinches functions as an effective economic risk assessment period, and that threat information is gained even when very short periods of time are available during an attack.

Description of a "Phoenix" phenomenon in the growth of Campylobacter jejuni at temperatures close to the minimum for growth

When Campylobacter jejuni cultures that had been grown in broth at 39degreesC were subcultured into fresh medium at 30degreesC, there was a transient period of growth followed by a decline in viable-cell numbers before growth resumed once more. We propose that this complex behavior is the net effect of the growth of inoculum cells followed by a loss of viability due to oxidative stress and the subsequent emergence of a spontaneously arising mutant population that takes over the culture.

Age-related decline in the ability to decode emotional prosody: primary or secondary phenomenon?

Emotion processing deficits can cause catastrophic damage to a person's ability to interact socially. While it is known that older adults have difficulty identifying facial emotions, it is still not clear whether this difficulty extends to identification of the emotion conveyed by prosody. This study investigated whether the ability of older adults to decode emotional prosody falls below that of young adults after controlling for loss of hearing sensitivity and key features of cognitive ageing. Apart from frontal lobe load, only verbal IQ was associated with the age-related reduction in performance displayed by older participants, but a notable deficit existed after controlling for its effects. It is concluded that older adults may indeed have difficulty deducing the emotion conveyed by prosody, and that while this difficulty can be exaggerated by some aspects of cognitive ageing, it is primary in origin.

The irrelevant sound phenomenon revisited: what role for working memory capacity?

High-span individuals (as measured by the operation span [CSPAN] technique) are less likely than low-span individuals to notice their own names in an unattended auditory stream (A. R. A. Conway, N. Cowan, & M F. Bunting, 2001). The possibility that OSPAN accounts for individual differences in auditory distraction on an immediate recall test was examined. There was no evidence that high-OSPAN participants were more resistant to the disruption caused by irrelevant speech in serial or in free recall. Low-OSPAN participants did, however, make more semantically related intrusion errors from the irrelevant sound stream in a free recall test (Experiment 4). Results suggest that OSPAN mediates semantic components of auditory distraction dissociable from other aspects of the irrelevant sound effect.