One year of Ukraine’s De-communisation. A change in the historical narrative. OSW COMMENTARY NUMBER 211/16.05.2016

A year ago, the Parliament of Ukraine adopted four bills on the policy of national memory: on granting access to the archives of the repressive organs of the Communist totalitarian regime in the years 1917–1991, on the legal status and commemoration of Ukrainian independence fighters in the twentieth century, on the immortalisation of the victory over Nazism in the Second World War, 1939–1945, and on the condemnation of the Communist and National Socialist (Nazi) totalitarian regimes and the forbidding of their symbolism from being promoted. The laws came into force on 21 May 2015. After a year, it can be stated that only the latter two are being observed – the official narrative regarding World War II has been changed, mainly due to the activity of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance (UINR), but also as a result of public statements by President Petro Poroshenko. The process of removing from public places the names and commemorations referring to the Soviet era is underway, and the fears that this may trigger serious conflicts have not proved true. From roughly a thousand placenames subject to de-communisation some two thirds have been changed so far (parliamentary bills regarding the remaining ones are awaiting approval) and most statues of Communist leaders have been removed. However, the law concerning independence fighters, which raised the most serious controversies, did not have any practical consequences. Moreover, nothing suggests that this could change. The implementation of the de-communisation laws is associated with a significant change in Ukrainian patriotic narrative: it is no longer focused on national martyrdom and it is beginning to emphasize heroic motives, which is in line with wartime needs. The fact that some of these motives are likely to trigger problems in Ukraine’s relations with Poland seems to be viewed as a marginal ‘by-product’.

Aproveitamento de subproduto de maçã da indústria agroalimentar

Neste trabalho foi estudado um subproduto derivado da indústria agroalimentar produtora de sumo concentrado de maçã, conhecido por bagaço de maçã, com o objetivo de avaliar condições de extração de compostos fenólicos, o teor de compostos fenólicos totais, flavonóides e proantocianidinas e ainda a atividade antioxidante. Foram efetuadas extrações a partir do bagaço de maçã variando as condições de tempo, temperatura, razão massa:volume e solvente e os extratos obtidos avaliados quanto ao seu teor em compostos fenólicos totais pelo método FolinCiocalteu. O extrato aquoso do bagaço de maçã para uma temperatura de 100 ºC a um tempo de 2x4h e concentração de 50 mg/mL, apresentou o teor de compostos fenólicos mais elevado (9,37 mgEAG/g de bagaço de maçã, na base seca) em relação a todas as outras temperaturas, tempos de extração e solventes utilizados, como etanol (50% e 70%) e metanol. O doseamento de flavonóides totais baseou-se no método espetrofotométrico, usando o reagente cloreto de alumínio e a rutina como padrão. Os melhores resultados foram obtidos usando etanol (70%) como solvente à temperatura ambiente, cerca de 4,35 mgER/g. A amostra extraída com água apresentou valores bastante similares ao etanol, cerca de 4,27 mgER/g, usando uma temperatura de 100 ºC durante 2x4h. O conteúdo em proantocianidinas foi determinado pelo método 4-dimetilamino cinamaldeído (DMAC). O bagaço de maçã estudado demonstrou ser pobre no seu conteúdo de proantocianidinas, obtendo valores de 0,77 mgEEC/g. A atividade antioxidante do bagaço de maçã foi avaliada através de dois métodos distintos: 2,2-difenil-1-picril-hidrazilo (DPPH∙) e método do poder redutor (FRAP). O extrato aquoso obtido a 100 ºC a um tempo de 2x4h, demonstrou ser aquele com maior potencial, com uma capacidade antioxidante mais elevada que os restantes extratos, com valores de IC50 de 0,48 mg/mL e 0,65 mg/mL, para os métodos de DPPH∙ e FRAP, respetivamente.

An SDF approach to hedge funds’ tail risk: evidence from Brazilian funds

The main purpose of this paper is to propose a methodology to obtain a hedge fund tail risk measure. Our measure builds on the methodologies proposed by Almeida and Garcia (2015) and Almeida, Ardison, Garcia, and Vicente (2016), which rely in solving dual minimization problems of Cressie Read discrepancy functions in spaces of probability measures. Due to the recently documented robustness of the Hellinger estimator (Kitamura et al., 2013), we adopt within the Cressie Read family, this specific discrepancy as loss function. From this choice, we derive a minimum Hellinger risk-neutral measure that correctly prices an observed panel of hedge fund returns. The estimated risk-neutral measure is used to construct our tail risk measure by pricing synthetic out-of-the-money put options on hedge fund returns of ten specific categories. We provide a detailed description of our methodology, extract the aggregate Tail risk hedge fund factor for Brazilian funds, and as a by product, a set of individual Tail risk factors for each specific hedge fund category.

Les dépotoirs dans le schème d’établissement iroquoien : exemple du site Mailhot-Curran

Dans ce mémoire, intitulé « Les dépotoirs dans le schème d’établissement iroquoien: exemple du site Mailhot-Curran», je m’attèle à définir les modes de rejets des déchets dans le contexte d’un schème d’établissement sédentaire semi-permanent au Sylvicole supérieur. Les dépotoirs des sites archéologiques ne semblent pas obtenir toute l’attention analytique qui leur est due et l’étude des modes de rejets a longtemps été négligée. Pourtant, les amas de déchets sont récurrents sur les sites du Nord-Est américain et ce depuis le Sylvicole moyen. L’étude approfondie de l’organisation d’un site iroquoien se doit de passer par la compréhension des modes d’élimination des déchets, puisque la gestion des rejets est généralement le reflet de la structure du site et du type de peuplement. Les dépotoirs peuvent fournir des informations précieuses sur les zones d’activité, la fonction du site ou encore la durée d’occupation. Le village de Mailhot-Curran témoigne de plusieurs concentrations d’objets. Je souhaite établir si ces concentrations de vestiges peuvent être qualifiées de dépotoirs et si oui, peut-on en distinguer différents types? D’autre part, je m’intéresse à l’aspect social qui encadre la mise en place de dépotoirs. Bien que les dépotoirs soient des indices associés aux premières traces de sédentarité saisonnière, leur présence est précisément liée au phénomène de sédentarisation annuelle. Il s’agit également de définir le geste culturel, l’assainissement d’un village étant un schéma culturel très répandu. De ce geste de rejet découle forcément le choix d’un emplacement, ainsi que le concept de «flux de déplacement» des déchets. Il s’agit de déterminer le lien entretenu entre les aires d’activités et les aires de dépôts primaires et secondaires. Pour ce faire, il est primordial d’évaluer la densité, l’hétérogénéité et le contenu des dépotoirs. Suite à la définition de l’ensemble de ces concepts appliqués au site Mailhot-Curran, je souhaite, à travers une étude comparative, répondre à la question suivante : Les dépotoirs peuvent-ils refléter une pratique culturelle commune aux villages iroquoiens de la région de Saint-Anicet?

Census of manufactures, 1947.

Accompanied by "Product supplement." (vii, 212 p. 30 cm.) Published: Washington, U.S. Govt. Print. Off., 1950.

Combined desalination and power generation using coal energy.

Phase I report. Site selection and estimated water costs based on current technology. Phase II report. Investigation of emerging technology, by-product recovery, and very large capacities. Period of performance: June 1965-Oct. 1966.

Thomas register of American manufacturers.

Vols. for 1970-71 includes manufacturers catalogs.

National drug code directory.

Vols. for 1970-1972 published by the Public Health Service; 1976- by the Public Health Service, Food and Drug Administration; 1980- by the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Food and Drug Administration.

Steatosis: Co-factor in other liver diseases

The prevalence of fatty liver is rising in association with the global increase in obesity and type 2 diabetes. In the past, simple steatosis was regarded as benign, but the presence of another liver disease may provide a synergistic combination of steatosis, cellular adaptation, and oxidative damage that aggravates liver injury. In this review, a major focus is on the role of steatosis as a co-factor in chronic hepatitis C (HCV), where the mechanisms promoting fibrosis and the effect of weight reduction in minimizing liver injury have been most widely studied. Steatosis, obesity, and associated metabolic factors may also modulate the response to alcohol- and drug-induced liver disease and may be risk factors for the development of hepatocellular cancer. The pathogenesis of injury in obesity-related fatty liver disease involves a number of pathways, which are currently under investigation. Enhanced oxidative stress, increased susceptibility to apoptosis, and a dysregulated response to cellular injury have been implicated, and other components of the metabolic syndrome such as hyperinsulinernia and hyperglycemia are likely to have a role. Fibrosis also may be increased as a by-product of altered hepatocyte regeneration and activation of bipotential hepatic progenitor cells. In conclusion, active management of obesity and a reduction in steatosis may improve liver injury and decrease the progression of fibrosis.

User dyads in software testing: bypassing the need for expert observers

This paper arises out of a research study into the online help facilities provided in popular software applications such as word processors. Its particular focus is on experimental methods of evaluating the effectiveness and usability of those facilities. Focus groups, questionnaires, and online surveys had already been used in other phases of the study, but it was judged that these approaches would be unsuitable for measuring effectiveness and usability because they are susceptible to respondents' subjectivity. Direct observation of people working on set word-processing tasks was ruled out initially because of a lack of trained observers; it would have taken too long for the investigator to observe a large enough sample by himself. Automatic recording of users' actions was also rejected, as it would have demanded equipment and/or software that was not available and seemed too expensive to acquire. The approach and techniques described here were an attempt to overcome these difficulties by using observers drawn from the same population of students that provided the test subjects; as a by-product, this may also have enhanced the acceptability (and hence possibly the validity) of the experiments by reducing the exam pressure perceived by participants.

Sharp Sobolev inequality involving a critical nonlinearity on a boundary

We consider the solvability of the Neumann problem for the equation -Delta u + lambda u = 0, partial derivative u/partial derivative v = Q(x)vertical bar u vertical bar(q-2)u on partial derivative Omega, where Q is a positive and continuous coefficient on partial derivative Omega, lambda is a parameter and q = 2(N - 1)/(N - 2) is a critical Sobolev exponent for the trace embedding of H-1(Omega) into L-q(partial derivative Omega). We investigate the joint effect of the mean curvature of partial derivative Omega and the shape of the graph of Q on the existence of solutions. As a by product we establish a sharp Sobolev inequality for the trace embedding. In Section 6 we establish the existence of solutions when a parameter lambda interferes with the spectrum of -Delta with the Neumann boundary conditions. We apply a min-max principle based on the topological linking.

Divergent selection and the evolution of signal traits and mating preferences

Mating preferences are common in natural populations, and their divergence among populations is considered an important source of reproductive isolation during speciation. Although mechanisms for the divergence of mating preferences have received substantial theoretical treatment, complementary experimental tests are lacking. We conducted a laboratory evolution experiment, using the fruit fly Drosophila serrata, to explore the role of divergent selection between environments in the evolution of female mating preferences. Replicate populations of D. serrata were derived from a common ancestor and propagated in one of three resource environments: two novel environments and the ancestral laboratory environment. Adaptation to both novel environments involved changes in cuticular hydrocarbons, traits that predict mating success in these populations. Furthermore, female mating preferences for these cuticular hydrocarbons also diverged among populations. A component of this divergence occurred among treatment environments, accounting for at least 17.4% of the among- population divergence in linear mating preferences and 17.2% of the among-population divergence in nonlinear mating preferences. The divergence of mating preferences in correlation with environment is consistent with the classic by- product model of speciation in which premating isolation evolves as a side effect of divergent selection adapting populations to their different environments.

Suppression and overexpression of adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase-like protein 1 (AHCYL1) influences zebrafish embryo development A - Possible role for AHCYL1 in inositol phospholipid signaling

Adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase-like protein 1 (AHCYL1) is a novel intracellular protein with similar to 50% protein identity to adenosyl homocysteine hydrolase (AHCY), an important enzyme for metabolizing S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine, the by-product of S-adenosyl-L-homomethionine-dependent methylation. AHCYL1 binds to the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor, suggesting that AHCYL1 is involved in intracellular calcium release. We identified two zebrafish AHCYL1 orthologs(zAHCYL1A and -B) by bioinformatics and reverse transcription-PCR. Unlike the ubiquitously present AHCY genes, AHCYL1 genes were only detected in segmented animals, and AHCYL1 proteins were highly conserved among species. Phylogenic analysis suggested that the AHCYL1 gene diverged early from AHCY and evolved independently. Quantitative reverse transcription-PCR showed that zAHCYL1A and -B mRNA expression was regulated differently from the other AHCY-like protein zAHCYL2 and zAHCY during zebrafish embryogenesis. Injection of morpholino antisense oligonucleotides against zAHCYL1A and -B into zebrafish embryos inhibited zAHCYL1A and -B mRNA translation specifically and induced ventralized morphologies. Conversely, human and zebrafish AHCYL1A mRNA injection into zebrafish embryos induced dorsalized morphologies that were similar to those obtained by depleting intracellular calcium with thapsigargin. Human AHCY mRNA injection showed little effect on the embryos. These data suggest that AHCYL1 has a different function from AHCY and plays an important role in embryogenesis by modulating inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor function for the intracellular calcium release.

Efficient accommodation of local minima in watershed model calibration

The Gauss-Marquardt-Levenberg (GML) method of computer-based parameter estimation, in common with other gradient-based approaches, suffers from the drawback that it may become trapped in local objective function minima, and thus report optimized parameter values that are not, in fact, optimized at all. This can seriously degrade its utility in the calibration of watershed models where local optima abound. Nevertheless, the method also has advantages, chief among these being its model-run efficiency, and its ability to report useful information on parameter sensitivities and covariances as a by-product of its use. It is also easily adapted to maintain this efficiency in the face of potential numerical problems (that adversely affect all parameter estimation methodologies) caused by parameter insensitivity and/or parameter correlation. The present paper presents two algorithmic enhancements to the GML method that retain its strengths, but which overcome its weaknesses in the face of local optima. Using the first of these methods an intelligent search for better parameter sets is conducted in parameter subspaces of decreasing dimensionality when progress of the parameter estimation process is slowed either by numerical instability incurred through problem ill-posedness, or when a local objective function minimum is encountered. The second methodology minimizes the chance of successive GML parameter estimation runs finding the same objective function minimum by starting successive runs at points that are maximally removed from previous parameter trajectories. As well as enhancing the ability of a GML-based method to find the global objective function minimum, the latter technique can also be used to find the locations of many non-global optima (should they exist) in parameter space. This can provide a useful means of inquiring into the well-posedness of a parameter estimation problem, and for detecting the presence of bimodal parameter and predictive probability distributions. The new methodologies are demonstrated by calibrating a Hydrological Simulation Program-FORTRAN (HSPF) model against a time series of daily flows. Comparison with the SCE-UA method in this calibration context demonstrates a high level of comparative model run efficiency for the new method. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The cost of uniqueness in groundwater model calibration

Calibration of a groundwater model requires that hydraulic properties be estimated throughout a model domain. This generally constitutes an underdetermined inverse problem, for which a Solution can only be found when some kind of regularization device is included in the inversion process. Inclusion of regularization in the calibration process can be implicit, for example through the use of zones of constant parameter value, or explicit, for example through solution of a constrained minimization problem in which parameters are made to respect preferred values, or preferred relationships, to the degree necessary for a unique solution to be obtained. The cost of uniqueness is this: no matter which regularization methodology is employed, the inevitable consequence of its use is a loss of detail in the calibrated field. This, ill turn, can lead to erroneous predictions made by a model that is ostensibly well calibrated. Information made available as a by-product of the regularized inversion process allows the reasons for this loss of detail to be better understood. In particular, it is easily demonstrated that the estimated value for an hydraulic property at any point within a model domain is, in fact, a weighted average of the true hydraulic property over a much larger area. This averaging process causes loss of resolution in the estimated field. Where hydraulic conductivity is the hydraulic property being estimated, high averaging weights exist in areas that are strategically disposed with respect to measurement wells, while other areas may contribute very little to the estimated hydraulic conductivity at any point within the model domain, this possibly making the detection of hydraulic conductivity anomalies in these latter areas almost impossible. A study of the post-calibration parameter field covariance matrix allows further insights into the loss of system detail incurred through the calibration process to be gained. A comparison of pre- and post-calibration parameter covariance matrices shows that the latter often possess a much smaller spectral bandwidth than the former. It is also demonstrated that, as all inevitable consequence of the fact that a calibrated model cannot replicate every detail of the true system, model-to-measurement residuals can show a high degree of spatial correlation, a fact which must be taken into account when assessing these residuals either qualitatively, or quantitatively in the exploration of model predictive uncertainty. These principles are demonstrated using a synthetic case in which spatial parameter definition is based oil pilot points, and calibration is Implemented using both zones of piecewise constancy and constrained minimization regularization. (C) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.