We Are All Georgians: The Neoconservative Narrative on the Russia-Georgia War

In this thesis I examine the U.S. foreign policy discussion that followed the war between Russia and Georgia in August 2008. In the politically charged setting that preceded the presidential elections, the subject of the debate was not only Washington's response to the crisis in the Caucasus but, more generally, the direction of U.S. foreign policy after the presidency of George W. Bush. As of November 2010, the reasons for and consequences of the Russia-Georgia war continue to be contested. My thesis demonstrates that there were already a number of different stories about the conflict immediately after the outbreak of hostilities. I want to argue that among these stories one can discern a “neoconservative narrative” that described the war as a confrontation between the East and the West and considered it as a test for Washington’s global leadership. I draw on the theory of securitization, particularly on a framework introduced by Holger Stritzel. Accordingly, I consider statements about the conflict as “threat texts” and analyze these based on the existing discursive context, the performative force of the threat texts and the positional power of the actors presenting them. My thesis suggests that a notion of narrativity can complement Stritzel’s securitization framework and take it further. Threat texts are established as narratives by attaching causal connections, meaning and actorship to the discourse. By focusing on this process I want to shed light on the relationship between the text and the context, capture the time dimension of a speech act articulation and help to explain how some interpretations of the conflict are privileged and others marginalized. I develop the theoretical discussion through an empirical analysis of the neoconservative narrative. Drawing on Stritzel’s framework, I argue that the internal logic of the narrative which was presented as self-evident can be analyzed in its historicity. Asking what was perceived to be at stake in the conflict, how the narrative was formed and what purposes it served also reveals the possibility for alternative explanations. My main source material consists of transcripts of think tank seminars organized in Washington, D.C. in August 2008. In addition, I resort to the foreign policy discussion in the mainstream media.

Performance Optimization of Induction Motor-Pump System Using Photovoltaic Energy Source

The optimization of a photovoltaic pumping system based on an induction motor driven pump that is powered by a solar array is presented in this paper. The motor-pump subsystem is analyzed from the point of view of optimizing the power requirement of the induction motor, which has led to an optimum u-f relationship useful in controlling the motor. The complete pumping system is implemented using a dc-dc converter, a three-phase inverter, and an induction motor-pump set. The dc-dc converter is used as a power conditioner and its duty cycle is controlled so as to match the load to the array. A microprocessor-based controller is used to carry out the load-matching.

Optimization of ion energy spread in inductively coupled plasma source designed for focused ion beam applications

The ion energy distribution of inductively coupled plasma ion source for focused ion beam application is measured using a four grid retarding field energy analyzer. Without using any Faraday shield, ion energy spread is found to be 50 eV or more. Moreover, the ion energy distribution is found to have double peaks showing that the power coupling to the plasma is not purely inductive, but a strong parasitic capacitive coupling is also present. By optimizing the various source parameters and Faraday shield, ion energy distribution having a single peak, well separated from zero energy and with ion energy spread of 4 eV is achieved. A novel plasma chamber, with proper Faraday shield is designed to ignite the plasma at low RF powers which otherwise would require 300-400 W of RF power. Optimization of various parameters of the ion source to achieve ions with very low energy spread and the experimental results are presented in this article. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Microwave driven hydrothermal synthesis of LiMn2O4 nanoparticles as cathode material for Li-ion batteries

Among the various cathode materials studied for Li-ion batteries over the past many years, spinet LiMn2O4 is found to be one of the most attractive materials. Nanoparticles of the electrode materials sustain high rate capability due to large surface to volume ratio and small diffusion path length. Nanoparticles of spinel LiMn2O4 have been synthesized by microwave hydrothermal technique using prior synthesized amorphous MnO2 and LiOH. The phase and purity of spinel LiMn2O4 are confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction. The morphological studies have been investigated using field emission scanning electron microscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The electrochemical performances of the material for Li insertion/extraction are evaluated by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge cycling and AC impedance studies. The initial discharge capacity is found to be about 89 mAh g(-1) at current density of 21 mA g(-1). (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Jätteenkeräyksen ja -siirron yhteiskunnalliset kustannukset Punavuoressa – Tarkastelussa seka-, bio-, kartonki- ja paperijäte

Tämän pro gradu -tutkielman tarkoituksena on määrittää jätteenkeräyksen ja -siirron yhteiskunnalliset kustannukset valitulla tutkimusalueella Helsingin Punavuoressa. Jätteenkeräyksen ja -siirron kustannukset vastaavat suuruudeltaan merkittävää osaa jätehuollon kokonaiskustannuksista, minkä vuoksi kustannusten tutkimiselle ja tarkastelulle löytyy kysyntää. Lisäksi keräyksen ja siirron kustannukset saattavat vaihdella suuresti johtuen erilaisista kaupunkirakenteista,keräysmenetelmistä ja teknologioista, joten tapaustarkastelun avulla pystytään selvittämään yksityiskohtaisesti alueen jätteenkeräyksen ja -siirron kustannukset. Tutkimusalue Helsingin Punavuoressa on yksi Suomen tiheimmin asutuista alueista, missä jätteidenkeräystä hankaloittaa kapeat kadut, useat sisäpihoille sijoitetut jätehuoneet ja vilkas liikenne. Erityispiirteidensä vuoksi jätteenkeräys- ja siirto aiheuttaa tutkimusalueella yksityisten kustannusten lisäksi myös useita ulkoisvaikutuksia muun muassa ilmansaasteiden ja viihtyvyyshaittojen muodossa. Tässä työssä lasketaan jätteenkeräyksen ja -siirron yhteiskunnalliset kustannukset neljän eri jätelajin osalta huomioimalla sekä yksityiset kustannustekijät että ulkoiskustannuksina syntyvien päästöjen kustannukset. Työn aineistona on käytetty erilaisia kustannuslaskelmien kirjallisuuslähteitä, asiantuntija-arvioita ja tutkimusalueella tehtyjä kellotusmittauksia. Alueen kellotusmittauksiin perustuvalla aikaperusteisella laskentatavalla jätteenkeräyksen ja -siirron jätetonnikohtaisiksi keskimääräisiksi kustannuksiksi saatiin 73 €/t. Kustannuksissa havaittiin kuitenkin suuria jätelajikohtaisia eroja, jolloin keräyksen ja siirron kustannukset heittelivät 49–125 €/t välillä. Suuret jätelajikohtaiset kustannuserot ovat selitettävissä pitkälti jätteiden koostumuksella, koska kevyiden ja paljon tilaa vievien jätelajien jätetonnikohtaiset kustannukset olivat suurimpia. Teoriataustan ja lähdeaineiston perusteella saadut tulokset myös osoittavat, että jätteenkeräyksen ja siirron kustannuksista huomioitujen ulkoiskustannusten osuus on häviävän pieni verrattuna yksityisten kustannusten tasoon.

Valistus suomalaisessa kirjakulttuurissa 1700-luvulla

The dissertation discusses the history of the book and the Enlightenment in Finland by studying the reception and diffusion of eighteenth-century books and by approaching the discourse on the Enlightenment in Finnish source material. The methods used relate to historian Robert Darnton s studies on eighteenth-century print culture and his analyses of the relations between print culture and society. The study is based on diverse eighteenth-century sources: books, pamphlets and dissertations, bibliographies, book auction protocols, parliamentary documents, estate inventory deeds, newspapers, letters, lectures, memoirs and commonplace books. By the end of the eighteenth century, book production had increased and secular literature had begun to challenge the dominance of religious literature. The books of the Enlightenment belonged to the new literature that found its way into Finnish book collections previously dominated by religious literature. Enlightenment literature is not a set selection of books but rather diverse works from different genres. Thus the study introduces a variety of printed material, from philosophical tracts and textbooks to novels and pornography. In the case of books of the Enlightenment, the works of French Voltaire and German Christian Wolff were among the most widely read and circulated books in Finland. First and foremost, the Enlightenment was an era of intellectual debate. These debates carried strong criticism of the prevailing systems of thought. Enlightenment ideas challenged the Lutheran society of Sweden and especially its sense of conformity. Contemporaries saw many of the books of the Enlightenment as vessels of new ideas and criticism. Furthermore, this kind of print material was interpreted as being dangerous for uneducated readers. Belonging to a certain estate and social class had a major impact on individuals reading habits and their acquisition of books. One specific social group stands out in the Finnish source material: the officers at the Sveaborg naval fortress possessed and distributed Enlightenment books more than the members of any other social class. Other essential social groups were scholars, the nobility and the clergy, who took part in debates concerning the ideas and benefits of the Enlightenment. In the Finnish debates at the time, the concept of Enlightenment involved three primary notions. Firstly, it referred to the French philosophers, les philosophes, and to their works as well as to the social changes that took place during the French revolution. It also carried the idea of philosophical light or the light of reason, in a sense similar to Immanuel Kant s writings. Most importantly, it referred to a belief in progress and to a trust in true knowledge that would supercede ignorance and fanaticism. Hence, it is impossible to speak about the Enlightenment era in the Swedish realm without such concepts as reason, benefit or progress. These concepts likewise marked the books of the Enlightenment in eighteenth-century Finland.

Contamination routes and control of Listeria monocytogenes in Food Production

Listeria monocytogenes is the causative agent of the severe foodborne infection listeriosis. The number of listeriosis cases in recent years has increased in many European countries, including Finland. Contamination of the pathogen needs to be minimized and growth to high numbers in foods prevented in order to reduce the incidence of human cases. The aim of this study was to evaluate contamination routes of L. monocytogenes in the food chain and to investigate methods for control of the pathogen in food processing. L. monocytogenes was commonly found in wild birds, the pig production chain and in pork production plants. It was found most frequently in birds feeding at landfill site, organic farms, tonsil samples, and sites associated with brining. L. monococytogenes in birds, farms, food processing plant or foods did not form distinct genetic groups, but populations overlapped. The majority of genotypes recovered from birds were also detected in foods, food processing environments and other animal species and birds may disseminate L. monocytogenes into food chain. Similar genotypes were found in different pigs on the same farm, as well as in pigs on farms and later in the slaughterhouse. L. monocytogenes contamination spreads at farm level and may be a contamination source into slaughterhouses and further into meat. Incoming raw pork in the processing plant was frequently contaminated with L. monocytogenes and genotypes in raw meat were also found in processing environment and in RTE products. Thus, raw material seems to be a considerable source of contamination into processing facilities. In the pork processing plant, the prevalence of L. monocytogenes increased in the brining area, showing that the brining was an important contamination site. Recovery of the inoculated L. monocytogenes strains showed that there were strain-specific differences in the ability to survive in lettuce and dry sausage. The ability of some L. monocytogenes strains to survive well in food production raises a challenge for industry, because these strains can be especially difficult to remove from the products and raises a need to use an appropriate hurdle concept to control most resistant strains. Control of L. monocytogenes can be implemented throughout the food chain. Farm-specific factors affected the prevalence of L. monocytogenes and good farm-level practices can therefore be utilized to reduce the prevalence of this pathogen on the farm and possibly further in the food chain. Well separated areas in a pork production plant had low prevalences of L. monocytogenes, thus showing that compartmentalization controls the pathogen in the processing line. The food processing plant, especially the brining area, should be subjected to disassembling, extensive cleaning and disinfection to eliminate persistent contamination by L. monocytogenes, and replacing brining with dry-salting should be considered. All of the evaluated washing solutions decreased the populations of L. monocytogenes on precut lettuce, but did not eliminate the pathogen. Thus, the safety of fresh-cut produce cannot rely on washing with disinfectants, and high-quality raw material and good manufacturing practices remain important. L. monocytogenes was detected in higher levels in sausages without the protective culture than in sausages with this protective strain, although numbers of L. monocytogenes by the end of the ripening decreased to the level of < 100 MPN/g in all sausages. Protective starter cultures provide an appealing hurdle in dry sausage processing and assist in the control of L. monocytogenes.

How to write a passable technical paper

In my job I see many students who have not learned to write a technical paper. When they do competent work, I want them to be able to write passable reports. This article is for them. There are well established principles for citing the relevant work of others; for not copying things without giving credit; for not stealing. If a reader feels you have copied anything, a figure, even a phrase, from elsewhere without citing its source, then you are guilty of plagiarism in the eyes of that reader. Committing plagiarism is so bad that I cannot do justice to it here. So I merely say: never do it. On, then, to writing your own honest and original material. Art requires talent. In contrast, through discipline and persistence alone, you can learn how to differentiate functions and ride bicycles. Similarly, you can write a passable technical paper. You just have to realize that your job does not end with research. Writing a passable paper involves extra work.

A Shared European History? Perceptions of Imperialism and Islam in Matriculation Examination Essays and History Textbooks

The European Union (EU) is faced with a continuous decrease in public support. There is a tension between the growing Euroscepticism and the concurrent academic discourse of a shared European identity. Informed and inspired by the current debates, this Master’s Thesis investigates the potential of a shared past to create shared identity. It also addresses the logic of cultural exclusion that is often connected to collective cultural identities. The source material is a combination of exam essays, written as answers to the history tests in the Finnish matriculation examinations of 2005-2008, and upper secondary school history textbooks. From the sources, current perceptions of Islam (as Europe’s Other) and the age of imperialism (as a debated period from Europe’s past) among the youth are studied. Through the analysis the thesis aims to indicate the level of consensus within the pupils’ identification with the past and with Europe. This objective is pursued through examining the pupils’ perceptions of Europe’s past and its relationship to non-European cultures and countries as they are manifested in the essays, and reflecting upon the level of influence that history textbooks as representatives of national hegemonic historical narratives might have on the contents, framings and emphases with and through which the pupils approach, imagine, and reproduce Europe’s past. The approach is based on previous research on the presence of history and the field of textbook research. The theoretical categories with which the sources are analyzed are derived primarily from literature on identity, European integration, history and memory, postcolonial criticism, and theorizations of European identity. Results of the research project suggest that the rhetoric of European superiority, despite its apparent demise, still resonates in contemporary understandings of Europeanness. Dominant perceptions of imperialism comprise of European agency and colonial submission, dominant perceptions of the Islamic world of fundamental difference. Identification with European history among the Finnish youth is rather shallow when examined through perceptions of imperialism; the Islamic world is perceived as Other and its representations are dominated by recent and contemporary international relations.

Tibetan Written Images : A Study of Imagery in the Writings of Dhondup Gyal

Dhondup Gyal (Don grub rgyal, 1953 - 1985) was a Tibetan writer from Amdo (Qinghai, People's Republic of China). He wrote several prose works, poems, scholarly writings and other works which have been later on collected together into The Collected Works of Dhondup Gyal, in six volumes. He had a remarkable influence on the development of modern Tibetan literature in the 1980s. Examining his works, which are characterized by rich imagery, it is possible to notice a transition from traditional to modern ways of literary expression. Imagery is found in both the poems and prose works of Dhondup Gyal. Nature imagery is especially prominent and his writings contain images of flowers and plants, animals, water, wind and clouds, the heavenly bodies and other environmental elements. Also there are images of parts of the body and material and cultural images. To analyse the images, most of which are metaphors and similes, the use of the cognitive theory of metaphor provides a good framework for making comparisons with images in traditional Tibetan literature and also some images in Chinese, Indian and Western literary works. The analysis shows that the images have both traditional and innovative features. The source domains of images often appear similar to those found in traditional Tibetan literature and are slow to change. However, innovative shifts occur in the way they are mapped on their target domains, which may express new meanings and are usually secular in nature if compared to the religiosity which often characterizes traditional Tibetan literature. Dhondup Gyal's poems are written in a variety of styles, ranging from traditional types of verse compositions and poems in the ornate kāvya-style to modern free verse poetry. The powerful central images of his free verse poems and some other works can be viewed as structurally innovative and have been analysed with the help of the theory of conceptual blending. They are often ambiguous in their meaning, but can be interpreted to express ideas related to creativity, freedom and the need for change and development.

Sonochemical synthesis of Ce1-xFexO2-delta (0 <= x <= 0.45) and Ce0.65Fe0.33Pd0.02O2-delta nanocrystallites: oxygen storage material, CO oxidation and water gas shift catalyst

Nanocrystalline Ce1-xFexO2-delta (0 <= x <= 0.45) and Ce0.65Fe0.33Pd0.02O2-delta of similar to 4 nm sizes were synthesized by a sonochemical method using diethyletriamine (DETA) as a complexing agent. Compounds were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Ce1-xFexO2-delta (0 <= x <= 0.45) and Ce0.65Fe0.33Pd0.02O2-delta crystallize in fluorite structure where Fe is in +3, Ce is in +4 and Pd is in +2 oxidation state. Due to substitution of smaller Fe3+ ion in CeO2, lattice oxygen is activated and 33% Fe substituted CeO2 i.e. Ce0.67Fe0.33O1.835 reversibly releases 0.31O] up to 600 degrees C which is higher or comparable to the oxygen storage capacity of CeO2-ZrO2 based solid solutions (Catal. Today 2002, 74, 225-234). Due to interaction of redox potentials of Pd2+/0(0.89 V) and Fe3+/2+ (0.77 V) with Ce4+/3+ (1.61 V), Pd ion accelerates the electron transfer from Fe2+ to Ce4+ in Ce0.65Fe0.33Pd0.02O1.815, making it a high oxygen storage material as well as a highly active catalyst for CO oxidation and water gas shift reaction. The activation energy for CO oxidation with Ce0.65Fe0.33Pd0.02O1.815 is found to be as low as 38 kJ mol(-1). Ce0.67Fe0.33O1.835 and Ce0.65Fe0.33Pd0.02O1.815 have also shown high activity for the water gas shift reaction. CO conversion to CO2 is 100% H-2 specific with these catalysts and conversion rate was found to be as high 27.2 mu moles g(-1) s(-1) and the activation energy was found to be 46.4 kJ mol(-1) for Ce0.65Fe0.33Pd0.02O1.815.

On subspace method for source localization

A method of source localization in shallow water, based on subspace concept, is described. It is shown that a vector representing the source in the image space spanned by the direction vectors of the source images is orthogonal to the noise eigenspace of the covariance matrix. Computer simulation has shown that a horizontal array of eight sensors can accurately localize one or more uncorrelated sources in shallow water dominated by multipath propagation.

Bear Shields of Plains Indians : Motifs and Meanings

The study is the outcome of two research projects on the North American Indian traditions: the role of the shields within the Plains Indians traditional culture and religion, and the bear ceremonialism of the Native North America, especially the significance of the bear among the Plains Indians. This article-based dissertation includes seven separately published scholar papers, forming Chapters 6 12. The introduction formulates the objectives and frame of reference of the study and the conclusions pulls together its results. The study reconsiders the role of the Plains Indian shields with bear motifs. Such shields are found in rock art, in the Plains Indian s paintings and drawings, and in various collections, the main source material being the shields in European and North American museums. The aim is not only to study shields with bear power motifs and the meanings of the bear, but also to discuss appropriate methods for studying these subjects. There are three major aims of the study: to consider methodical questions in studying Plains Indian shields, to examine the complexity of the Plains Indian shields with the bear power motifs, and to offer new interpretations for the basic meanings of the bear among the Plains Indians and the interrelationship between individualism and collectivism in the Plains Indians visionary art that show bear power motifs on the shields. The study constructs a view on the bear shields taking account of all sources of information available and analysing the shields both as physical artefacts and religious objects from different perspectives, studying them as a part of the ensemble of Plains culture and religious traditions. The bear motifs represented the superhuman power that medicine men and warriors could exploit through visions. For the Plains Indians, the bear was a wise animal from which medicine men could get power for healing but also a dangerous animal from which warriors could get power for warfare. The shields with bear motifs represented the bear powers of the owners of the shields. The bear shield was made to represent the vision, and the principal interpretation of the symbolism was based on the individual experience of spiritual world and its powers. The study argues that the bear shield as personal medicine object is based on wider tribal traditions, and the basic meaning is derived from the collective tradition. This means that the bear seen in vision represented particular affairs and it was represented on the shield surface using conventional ways of traditional artistry. In consequence of this, the bear shields reflect not only the individual experiences of bear power but whole field of tribal traditions that legitimated the experiences and offered acceptable interpretations and conventional modes for the bear symbols.

Source and target enzyme signature in serine protease inhibitor active site sequences

Amino acid sequences of proteinaceous proteinase inhibitors have been extensively analysed for deriving information regarding the molecular evolution and functional relationship of these proteins. These sequences have been grouped into several well defined families. It was found that the phylogeny constructed with the sequences corresponding to the exposed loop responsible for inhibition has several branches that resemble those obtained from comparisons using the entire sequence. The major branches of the unrooted tree corresponded to the families to which the inhibitors belonged. Further branching is related to the enzyme specificity of the inhibitor. Examination of the active site loop sequences of trypsin inhibitors revealed that there are strong preferences for specific amino acids at different positions of the loop. These preferences are inhibitor class specific. Inhibitors active against more than one enzyme occur within a class and confirm to class specific sequence in their loops. Hence, only a few positions in the loop seem to determine the specificity. The ability to inhibit the same enzyme by inhibitors that belong to different classes appears to be a result of convergent evolution

Signal subspace approach in localization of sound source in shallow water

A new algorithm based on signal subspace approach is proposed for localizing a sound source in shallow water. In the first instance we assumed an ideal channel with plane parallel boundaries and known reflection properties. The sound source is assumed to emit a broadband stationary stochastic signal. The algorithm takes into account the spatial distribution of all images and reflection characteristics of the sea bottom. It is shown that both range and depth of a source can be measured accurately with the help of a vertical array of sensors. For good results the number of sensors should be greater than the number of significant images; however, localization is possible even with a smaller array but at the cost of higher side lobes. Next, we allowed the channel to be stochastically perturbed; this resulted in random phase errors in the reflection coefficients. The most singular effect of the phase errors is to introduce into the spectral matrix an extra term which may be looked upon as a signal generated coloured noise. It is shown through computer simulations that the signal peak height is reduced considerably as a consequence of random phase errors.