Valley of Kidron Commemorative Coin

Obverse: 1/2 Sheqel silver coin. Reverse: View on the historical monuments in the Valley of Kidron

Beit She'an Commemorative Medal

Obverse: A composition of the main historical monuments in Beit She'an. Reverse: A city coin minted in 189 CE. The coin depicts Dionysius.

Ashkelon Commemorative Medal

Obverse: Monuments from Ashkelon. Reverse: Antique bronze Ashkelon coin, it shows the prow of a vessel and oars.

Industrial Removal Office records undated, 1899-1922

Contains Board of Directors minutes (1903, 1907), Executive Committee minutes (1907), Removal Committee minutes (1903-1917), Annual Reports (1910, 1913), Monthly Reports (1901-1919), Monthly Bulletins (1914-1915), studies of those removed, Bressler's "The Removal Work, Including Galveston," and several papers relating to the IRO and immigration. Financial papers include a budget (1914), comparative per capita cost figures (1909-1922), audits (1915-1918), receipts and expenditures (1918-1922), investment records, bank balances (1907-1922), removal work cash book (1904-1911), office expenses cash account (1903-1906), and the financial records of other agencies working with the IRO (1906). Includes also removal case records of first the Jewish Agricultural Society (1899-1900), and then of the IRO (1901-1922) when it took over its work, family reunion case records (1901-1904), and the follow-up records of persons removed to various cities (1903-1914). Contains also the correspondence of traveling agents' contacts throughout the U.S. from 1905-1914, among them Stanley Bero, Henry P. Goldstein, Philip Seman, and Morris D. Waldman.

Assessment of conjunctival goblet cell density using laser scanning confocal microscopy versus impression cytology

Purpose To determine the association between conjunctival goblet cell density (GCD) assessed using in vivo laser scanning confocal microscopy and conjunctival impression cytology in a healthy population. Methods Ninety (90) healthy participants undertook a validated 5-item dry eye questionnaire, non-invasive tear film break-up time measurement, ocular surface fluorescein staining and phenol red thread test. These tests where undertaken to diagnose and exclude participants with dry eye. The nasal bulbar conjunctiva was imaged using laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM). Conjunctival impression cytology (CIC) was performed in the same region a few minutes later. Conjunctival goblet cell density was calculated as cells/mm2. Results There was a strong positive correlation of conjunctival GCD between LSCM and CIC (ρ = 0.66). Conjunctival goblet cell density was 475 ± 41 cells/mm2 and 466 ± 51 cells/mm2 measured by LSCM and CIC, respectively. Conclusions The strong association between in vivo and in vitro cellular analysis for measuring conjunctival GCD suggests that the more invasive CIC can be replaced by the less invasive LSCM in research and clinical practice.

Ecological consequences of genetic modifications - an invasion analysis approach

Biological invasions are considered as one of the greatest threats to biodiversity, as they may lead to disruption and homogenization of natural communities, and in the worst case, to native species extinctions. The introduction of gene modified organisms (GMOs) to agricultural, fisheries and forestry practices brings them into contact with natural populations. GMOs may appear as new invasive species if they are able to (1) invade into natural habitats or (2) hybridize with their wild relatives. The benefits of GMOs, such as increased yield or decreased use of insecticides or herbicides in cultivation, may thus be reduced due the potential risks they may cause. A careful ecological risk analysis therefore has to precede any responsible GMO introduction. In this thesis I study ecological invasion in relation to GMOs, and what kind of consequences invasion may have in natural populations. A set of theoretical models that combine life-history evolution, population dynamics, and population genetics were developed for the hazard identification part of ecological risks assessment of GMOs. In addition, the potential benefits of GMOs in management of an invasive pest were analyzed. In the first study I showed that a population that is fluctuating due to scramble-type density dependence (due to, e.g., nutrient competition in plants) may be invaded by a population that is relatively more limited by a resource (e.g., light in plants) that is a cause of contest-type density dependence. This result emphasises the higher risk of invasion in unstable environments. The next two studies focused on escape of a growth hormone (GH) transgenic fish into a natural population. The results showed that previous models may have given too pessimistic a view of the so called Trojan gene -effect, where the invading genotype is harmful for the population as a whole. The previously suggested population extinctions did not occur in my studies, since the changes in mating preferences caused by the GH-fish were be ameliorated by decreased level of competition. The GH-invaders may also have to exceed a threshold density before invasion can be successful. I also showed that the prevalence of mature parr (aka. sneaker) strategy among GH-fish may have clear effect on invasion outcome. The fourth study assessed the risks and developed methods against the invasion of the Colorado Potato Beetle (CPB, Leptinotarsa decemlineata). I showed that the eradication of CPB is most important for the prevention of their establishment, but the cultivation of transgenic Bt-potato could also be effective. In general, my results emphasise that invasion of transgenic species or genotypes to be possible under certain realistic conditions and resulting in competitive exclusion, population decline through outbreeding depression and genotypic displacement of native species. Ecological risk assessment should regard the decline and displacement of the wild genotype by an introduced one as a consequence that is as serious as the population extinction. It will also be crucial to take into account different kinds of behavioural differences among species when assessing the possible hazards that GMOs may cause if escaped. The benefits found of GMO crops effectiveness in pest management may also be too optimistic since CPB may evolve resistance to Bt-toxin. The models in this thesis could be further applied in case specific risk assessment of GMOs by supplementing them with detailed data of the species biology, the effect of the transgene introduced to the species, and also the characteristics of the populations or the environments in the risk of being invaded.

Process makes perfect: High-performance design creates healthy environments for high-performance learning

Considering the staggering benefits of high-performance schools, it seems an obvious choice to “go green.” High-performance schools offer an exceptionally cost-effective means to enhance student learning, using on average 33 percent less energy than conventionally designed schools, and provide substantial health gains, including reduced respiratory problems and absenteeism. According to the 2006 study, Greening America's Schools, Costs and Benefits, co-sponsored by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and Capital E, a green building consulting firm, high-performance lighting is a key element of healthy learning environments, contributing to improved test scores, reduced off-task behavior, and higher achievement among students. Few argue this point more convincingly than architect Heinz Rudolf, of Portland-Oregon-based Boora Architects, who has designed sustainable schools for more than 80 school districts in Oregon, Washington, Colorado, and Wyoming, and has pioneered the high-performance school movement. Boora's recently completed project, the Baker Prairie Middle School in Canby, Oregon is one of the most sustainable K-12 facilities in the state, and illustrates Rudolf's progressive and research-intensive approach to school design.

Novel phase-transition behavior in an aqueous electrolyte solution

We have investigated the near-critical behavior of the susceptibility of a ternary liquid mixture of 3-methylpyridine. water, and sodium bromide as a function of the salt concentration. The susceptibility was determined from light-scattering measurements performed at a scattering angle of 90 degrees in the one-phase region near the locus of lower consolute points. A sharp crossover from asymptotic Ising behavior to mean-field behavior has been observed at concentrations ranging from 8 to 16.5 mass% NaBr. The range of asymptotic Ising behavior shrinks with increasing salt concentration and vanishes at a NaBr concentration of about 17 mass%. where complete mean-field-like behavior of the susceptibility is observed. A simultaneous pronounced increase in the background scattering at concentrations above 15 mass%, as well as a dip in the critical locus at 17 mass % NaBr, suggests that this phenomenon can be interpreted as mean-field tricritical behavior associated with the formation of a microheterogeneous phase due to clustering of the molecules and ions. An analogy with tri critical behavior observed in polymer solutions as well as the possibility of a charge-density-wave phase is also discussed. In addition, we, have observed a third soap-like phase an the liquid-liquid interface in several binary and ternary liquid mixtures.

Jac. Ahrenberg ja historian perintö : Restaurointisuunnitelmat Viipurin ja Turun linnoihin 1800-luvun lopussa

Jac. Ahrenberg and Patrimony Restoration Plans for Viipuri and Turku Castles at the End of the 19th Century This dissertation examines the unrealized restoration plans for two castles in the Grand Duchy of Finland one located at Viipuri (Vyborg, nowadays in Russia), the other at Turku (in Swedish, Åbo) during the last decades of the 19th century. Both castles were used as prisons, barracks and warehouses. From the middle of the 19th century on, their restoration and transformation into museums and "national monuments" were demanded in the newspapers. The prison reform in the 1860s stimulated the documentation and debate concerning their future, but it was only at the beginning of the 1880s when their restoration became an official state-run project. The undertaking was carried out by Johan Jacob (Jac.) Ahrenberg (1847 1914), architect of the National Board of Public Buildings. By combining written sources with drawings and photographs, this dissertation examines the restoration projects, the two castles' significance and the ways in which they were investigated by scholars. The plans are analyzed in connection with restoration practices in France and Sweden and in the context of contemporary discussions concerning national art and patrimony. The thesis argues that these former castles of the Swedish crown were used to manifest the western roots of Finnish law and order, the lineage of power and the capacity of the nation to defend itself. However, because of their symbolism, their restoration became a politically delicate question concerning the role of the Swedish heritage in Finland's nation-building process. According to Jac. Ahrenberg's plans, the two castles were to be restored to their assumed appearance at the time of the Vasa dynasty. Consequently, the structures would have resembled castles in Sweden. It is suggested that one aim of the restoration plans was to transform the two buildings into monuments testifying to the common history of Sweden and Finland. They were meant to consolidate the Swedish basis of Finnish culture and autonomy and thus to secure them against the threatening implications of Russian imperialism. It seems that along with the changing ideals of architectural restoration and the need for an original Finnish architectural heritage, the political connotations associated with the castles were one reason why Jac. Ahrenberg's restoration plans were never realized.

Growth and characterization of single crystal cored fibers of organic nonlinear optical materials

The recent development of several organic materials with large nonlinear susceptibilities, high damage threshold and low melting points encouraged researchers to employ these materials in fiber form to efficiently couple diode laser pumps and obtain enhanced second harmonic generation (SHG). In this paper we report the growth of single crystal cored fibers of 4-nitro-4'-methylbenzylidene aniline, ethoxy methoxy chalcone and (-)2-((alpha) -methylbenzylamino)-5- nitropyridine by inverted Bridgman-Stockbarger technique. The fibers were grown in glass capillaries with varying internal diameters and lengths and were characterized using x-ray and polarizing microscope techniques. The propagation loss at 632.8 nm and 1300 nm were measured and SHG was studied using 1064 nm pump.

Effect of AC&DC field on the dielectric response of (Pb,La)TiO3 thin films

Lanthanum doped lead titanate thin films are the potential candidates for the capacitors, actuators and pyroelectric sensor applications due to their excellent dielectric, and ferroelectric properties. Lanthanum doped lead titanate thin films are grown on platinum coated Si substrates by excimer laser ablation technique. A broad diffused phase transition with the maximum dielectric permittivity (ϵmax) shifting to higher temperatures with the increase of frequency, along with frequency dispersion below Tc, which are the signatures of the relaxor like characteristics were observed. The dielectric properties are investigated from −60°C to 200°C with an application of different dc fields. With increasing dc field, the dielectric constant is observed to reduce and phase transition temperature shifted to higher temperature. With the increased ac signal amplitude of the applied frequency, the magnitude of the dielectric constant is increasing and the frequency dispersion is observed in ferroelectric phase, whereas in paraelectric phase, there is no dispersion has been observed. The results are correlated with the existing theories.

Return levels of hydrologic droughts under climate change

Developments in the statistical extreme value theory, which allow non-stationary modeling of changes in the frequency and severity of extremes, are explored to analyze changes in return levels of droughts for the Colorado River. The transient future return levels (conditional quantiles) derived from regional drought projections using appropriate extreme value models, are compared with those from observed naturalized streamflows. The time of detection is computed as the time at which significant differences exist between the observed and future extreme drought levels, accounting for the uncertainties in their estimates. Projections from multiple climate model-scenario combinations are considered; no uniform pattern of changes in drought quantiles is observed across all the projections. While some projections indicate shifting to another stationary regime, for many projections which are found to be non-stationary, detection of change in tail quantiles of droughts occurs within the 21st century with no unanimity in the time of detection. Earlier detection is observed in droughts levels of higher probability of exceedance. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.