The evolution of European policies on investment arbitration.

Over the last two decades, the European Commission radically altered its attitude towards investment arbitration and became its fierce opponent. This article considers the history of this change, attempts to fathom the pragmatic thinking of the European policy-makers, and considers its wisdom. The article analyses legal instruments that allowed the EU to implement the reform, examines their compliance with the Washington Convention 1965 and the Energy Charter Treaty and considers their practical effects on investment in Europe. It makes use of the historical and comparative legal methodology and occasionally relies on statistical data. The reasons behind the EU policies might have included the global backlash against the current system, the dissatisfaction with the Member States being targeted as respondents, the aspirations to move the Union towards a more centralised federation, and possibly the populist motives. Having started with the intra-EU BITs, the EU authorities are now leading the way of the global reform of ISDS with the idea of permanent tribunals bearing a strong resemblance to the state judiciary. Many remain sceptical, and the initial economic effects were unfavourable. A surprising aspect was the role the CJEU had to play. It delivered a decisive blow to the existing system in alignment with the Commission's policies, but without openly admitting the motives behind its decisions, and relying instead on the principle of autonomy of the EU law

Impact of Friction Stir Processing Parameters on Forming the Structure and Properties in AISI 420 Steel Surface Layer

Research has been done into the influence of friction thermomechanical treatment parameters on forming the structure and properties in a surface layer of 20X13 steel. The paper presents a theoretical approach towards controlling the process variables. A hardened layer with a thickness of 1,7 mm was obtained after 20X13 steel had been subjected to the process. The thickness of the layer that had a microhardness of ≥600HV0,05 turned out to be about 0,75mm while the microstructure of the hardened layer was martensitic, martensitic and perlitic with dispersed inclusions of carbides. It was established that the feed has the biggest influence on the thickness of the hardened layer.     Keywords: friction stir processing, rotation speed, tool feed, normal force, microhardness, microstructure

Analysis of the hydropower potential of the Krasnoufimsky District

The article deals with the hydropower potential of the existing reservoirs of the Krasnoufimsky district. The results of power calculations and calculated power generation at the existing dams of the Krasnoufimsky district under different types of regulation are presented.В статье рассматривается гидроэнергетический потенциала существующих водохранилищ Красноуфимского района. Приведены результаты расчетов мощностей и расчетной выработки электроэнергии на существующих плотинах Красноуфимского района при различных видах регулирования

Renormalization of the vacuum angle in quantum mechanics, Berry phase and continuous measurements

The vacuum angle $\theta$ renormalization is studied for a toy model of a quantum particle moving around a ring, threaded by a magnetic flux $\theta$. Different renormalization group (RG) procedures lead to the same generic RG flow diagram, similar to that of the quantum Hall effect. We argue that the renormalized value of the vacuum angle may be observed if the particle's position is measured with finite accuracy or coupled to additional slow variable, which can be viewed as a coordinate of a second (heavy) particle on the ring. In this case the renormalized $\theta$ appears as a magnetic flux this heavy particle sees, or the Berry phase, associated with its slow rotation.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Charged Particle with Magnetic Moment in the Aharonov-Bohm Potential

We considered a charged quantum mechanical particle with spin ${1\over 2}$ and gyromagnetic ratio $g\ne 2$ in the field af a magnetic string. Whereas the interaction of the charge with the string is the well kown Aharonov-Bohm effect and the contribution of magnetic moment associated with the spin in the case $g=2$ is known to yield an additional scattering and zero modes (one for each flux quantum), an anomaly of the magnetic moment (i.e. $g>2$) leads to bound states. We considered two methods for treating the case $g>2$. \\ The first is the method of self adjoint extension of the corresponding Hamilton operator. It yields one bound state as well as additional scattering. In the second we consider three exactly solvable models for finite flux tubes and take the limit of shrinking its radius to zero. For finite radius, there are $N+1$ bound states ($N$ is the number of flux quanta in the tube).\\ For $R\to 0$ the bound state energies tend to infinity so that this limit is not physical unless $g\to 2$ along with $R\to 0$. Thereby only for fluxes less than unity the results of the method of self adjoint extension are reproduced whereas for larger fluxes $N$ bound states exist and we conclude that this method is not applicable.\\ We discuss the physically interesting case of small but finite radius whereby the natural scale is given by the anomaly of the magnetic moment of the electron $a_e=(g-2)/2\approx 10^{-3}$.Comment: 16 pages, Latex, NTZ-93-0

The use of small volumes of test samples in subvisible particle testing by the light obscuration method

The light obscuration method described in the State Pharmacopoeia of the Russian Federation for subvisible particle testing, provides for preparation of a pooled sample with a minimum volume of 25 mL to be used in four measurements, each with 5.0 mL of the test sample. In the case of, for example, ready-to-use 0.2–0.3 mL pre-filled syringes, the method requires pooling the contents of a large number of products, which is economically costly. The use of small volumes of test samples in measurements by the light obscuration method is especially relevant for expensive medicines. Current particle counters allow for testing of 0.1 mL samples, but this requires assessment of the procedure’s accuracy. The aim of the study was to assess the accuracy of subvisible particle testing by the light obscuration method for small volumes of test samples. Materials and methods: we used an HIAC 9703+ liquid particle counter; particle count reference standards containing 0.998×106 particles/mL and 3.800 particles/mL; suspensions of standard latex particles with a known size (20 μm). Results: the study assessed the accuracy of subvisible particle determination by the light obscuration method for small test samples of 0.1‒0.5 mL: trueness was 96–100%; repeatability was 0.8–1.8%; linear correlation coefficients for the calculated versus theoretical number of particles were more than 0.999. The use of 0.1 mL test samples is impractical because of insufficient accuracy of the test results. The relative standard deviation of subvisible particle measurements obtained with 0.2–5.0 mL test samples did not exceed the measurement error of the instrument. The use of small test samples (0.2–1.0 mL) requires the use of a 1 mL sampling syringe. The study demonstrated the need for determination of the pre-run volume (not less than 0.1 mL). Comparative testing of standard (5.0 mL) and small (0.5 mL) samples of protein-based biological products showed comparable results. Conclusions: the study demonstrated that the light obscuration method could be used for small volumes of test samples

Standardisation of the method for prekallikrein activator determination in human immunoglobulin and albumin products

Assessment of prekallikrein content is essential for safety control of human immunoglobulin and albumin products. The inherent variability of human prekallikrein reagents and chromogenic substrates indicates the need for standardisation of the chromogenic assay, using the components of a reference standard (RS) not only for construction of calibration curves, but also for confirmation of validity, consistency, and reproducibility of results within different established ranges. The aim of the study was to improve the quality control of human plasma products in terms of prekallikrein activator content. Materials and methods: prekallikrein activator content was determined by the chromogenic assay according to the procedure described in General Monograph 1.8.2.0013.18 of the Russian Pharmacopoeia, using various prekallikrein reagents. An RS was developed in a spiking test, using human albumin solution and Hageman factor beta-fragment reagent. Shewhart control charts were prepared based on the results of determination of prekallikrein activator content in the RS control component.Results: a two-component RS for prekallikrein activator content with an assigned Hageman factor beta fragment content was developed using the spiking test. The authors substantiated the necessity of using a Russian-produced prekallikrein reagent as the RS component. The in-house reference standard IRS 42-28-445 was certified using all available human prekallikrein reagents, and the IRS 42-28-446 was certified using the prekallikrein reagent included in the kit. The certified prekallikrein activator content is: 51 IU in the batches 1 of IRS components intended for prekallikrein determination; 8.3–11.9 IU/mL in the IRS 42-28-445 control component, after reconstitution in 1.0 mL of purified water, and 5.4–6.6 IU/mL after reconstitution in 2.0 mL of purified water; and 9.1–11.1 IU/mL and 5.6–6.4 IU/mL in the IRS 42-28-446 control component after reconstitution in 1.0 mL and 2.0 mL of purified water, respectively. The IRS component intended for prekallikrein determination is designed for calibration curve construction, while the IRS control component is designed for assessing the validity of test results and preparation of control charts. The analysis of the control charts for the control component made it possible to evaluate the consistency of the analytical process. Conclusions: the components of the developed RSs in combination with Shewhart control charts allow for both determination of prekallikrein activator content, and control of the analytical process, as well as assessment of changes related to the replacement of the reagent batch. The RS control component allows for assessment of analytical process consistency and ensures the standardisation of the test procedure