631 research outputs found

    The European Socio-Economic Models of a Knowledge-based society. Main findings and conclusions

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    The paper presents the main results and conclusion of the European project ESEMK (FP6, Priority 7) discussing the variety of capitalism within the European Union (2004-08). In Part 1 is abstracted the methodological framework, articulating the macro levels (diversity of socio-economic models or forms of capitalism), the micro level of firms (productive models) and the meso level (industry or sector). Part 2 analyses the main institutional changes occurring in Europe regarding product market regulation, wage-labour relationships and financialisation. Part 3 concludes that the Lisbon process which will not contribute to the emergence of a European model.variety of capitalism; European Union; European model; product market regulation; wage labour nexus; financialisation; sectorial analysis

    C-O-H fluid solubility in Haplo-basalt under reducing conditions: An experimental study

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    International audienceWe conducted an experimental study to constrain the C-H-O solubility and speciation in hydrous silicate melts equilibrated under reduced fO2 conditions. Haplo-basaltic glasses in the NCMAS-C-O-H system were synthesised using IHPV at 1250 °C, 200-300 MPa with variable applied fH2 so as to vary fO2. Recovered rapidly quenched glasses were characterized using various spectroscopic methods: Micro-FTIR, Raman and 13C-MAS NMR. Glass CO2 content changes from 680 to 1320 ppm between ΔFMQ-2.6 and ΔFMQ + 2.6 independently of H2O content changing from 1.3 to 4.0 wt.%. Recent thermodynamic modelling of isobaric CO2-H2O solubility fails to reproduce our CO2-H2O solubility trend under reducing conditions. The lower CO2 solubility in the melt as compared to more oxidized conditions is directly correlated to the decrease of fCO2 within the fluid phase under reducing conditions. Carbonate groups (CO32-), OH- and H2Omol are the volatile species in the glasses. No evidence for CH4, carbides or organic compounds was observed. 13C MAS NMR analysis suggests that several carbonate units are coexisting in the glasses. {1H} 13C-CPMAS NMR suggests that all CO32- units are surrounded by OH groups. Those environments appear to slightly change with changing fO2 conditions suggesting different degree of hydrogenation in the vicinity of the carbonate groups. Our data show that the presence of a significant amount of dissolved does not increase the solubility of species such as CO or CH4. In other words, such species remain insoluble in basaltic melts, as established under dry conditions. Altogether, our CO2 solubility results show that a wet but reduced basalt will degass more C-species than if oxidized, owing to the lower prevailing fCO2 and insoluble character of CO. The presence of an important fraction of CO in the fluid phase will have a large impact on the primitive atmospheric compositions of Mars and the Earth

    The European Socio-Economic Models of a Knowledge-based society. \r\nMain findings and conclusion \r\n

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    The paper presents the main results and conclusion of the European project ESEMK (FP6, Priority 7) discussing the variety of capitalism within the European Union (2004-08). In Part 1 is abstracted the methodological framework, articulating the macro levels (diversity of socio-economic models or forms of capitalism), the micro level of firms (productive models) and the meso level (industry or sector). Part 2 analyses the main institutional changes occurring in Europe regarding product market regulation, wage-labour relationships and financialisation. Part 3 concludes that the Lisbon process which will not contribute to the emergence of a European model.variety of capitalism, European Union, European model, product market regulation, wage labour nexus, financialisation, sectorial analysis

    Energy Resource Scheduling Optimization for Smart Power Distribution Grids - Hour-Ahead Horizon

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    As the use of renewable energy sources grows, the energy aggregator company plays an increasingly significant role in ensuring extremely flexible supply and demand, as requested by the smart grid architecture. This study presents a model for the problem of intraday energy resource scheduling (hour-ahead). The model is solved using the CPLEX solver and is developed as mixed integer linear programming. A distribution network with 180 buses located in Portugal considering high distributed energy resources penetration is used to demonstrate the application of the proposed model. The findings indicate how forecast errors and contractual restrictions with energy storage systems and electric car charging stations affect hour-ahead scheduling costs.This research has received funding from FEDER funds through the Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalization (COMPETE 2020) and National Funds through the FCT Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, under Projects PTDC/EEI-EEE/28983/2017 (CENER-GETIC), CEECIND/02814/2017 (Joao Soares grant), and UIDB/000760/2020.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

    Crystallization Kinetics of Alkali Feldspar in Peralkaline Rhyolitic Melts: Implications for Pantelleria Volcano

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    Peralkaline rhyolites, associated with extensional tectonic settings, are medium to low viscosity magmas that often produce eruptive styles ranging from effusive to highly explosive eruptions. The role of pre-eruptive conditions and crystallization kinetics in influencing the eruptive style of peralkaline rhyolitic magmas has been investigated and debated considering equilibrium conditions. However, experimental constraints on the effect of disequilibrium in crystallization in such magmas are currently lacking in the literature. Therefore, we performed isobaric cooling experiments to investigate alkali feldspar crystallization kinetics in peralkaline rhyolitic melts. Experiments were performed under water-saturated, water-undersaturated, and anhydrous conditions between 25 and 100 MPa, at 670–790°C and with experimental durations ranging from 0.5 to 420 h. Here we present the first data on crystallization kinetics of alkali feldspar, which is the main crystal phase in peralkaline rhyolitic melts, in order to improve our understanding of the evolutionary timescales of these melts and their ability to shift between effusive and explosive activity. Our experimental results indicate that the alkali feldspar nucleation delay can range from hours to several days as a function of undercooling and H2O content in the melt. Thus, a peralkaline rhyolitic magma can be stored at the pre-eruptive conditions for days without important variations of its crystal fraction. This suggests that crystallization may not necessarily play the main role in triggering fragmentation during explosive eruptions of peralkaline rhyolitic magmas

    Effect of alkalis on the Fe oxidation state and local environment in peralkaline rhyolitic glasses

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    International audienceIron oxidation state and coordination geometry have been determined by Fe K-edge X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES) for three sets of silicate glasses of peralkaline rhyolitic composition with different peralkalinity values. These compositions were chosen to investigate the effect of alkali content (and oxygen fugacity) on the Fe oxidation state. The samples were produced by means of hydrothermal vessels at 800 °C with oxygen fugacity conditions ranging from NNO-1.61 to NNO+2.96 log units. Comparison of the pre-edge peak data with those of Fe model compounds of known oxidation state and coordination number allowed determination of the Fe oxidation state and coordination number in all glasses analyzed. Within each group of samples, Fe tends to oxidize with increasing oxygen fugacity as expected. However, alkali content is shown to have a strong effect on the Fe3+/(Fe3++Fe2+) ratio at constant oxygen fugacity: this ratio varies from 0.25 to 0.55 (±0.05) for the least peralkaline series, and from 0.45 to 0.80 (±0.05) for the most peralkaline series. Moreover, pre-edge peak data clearly indicate that Fe3+ is in fourfold coordination in the most peralkaline glasses. Extrapolation of pre-edge peak data suggests the presence of both fourfold and fivefold coordination for trivalent Fe in the other two series. Divalent Fe is suggested to be mainly in fivefold coordination in all the three glass series. The presence of minor amounts of sixfold- and fourfold-coordinated Fe cannot be ruled out by XANES data alone. XANES data suggest that the amount of alkalis also affects the Fe3+ coordination environment resulting in a decrease in the average coordination numbers. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) data of the most oxidized and peralkaline sample indicate that Fe3+ is in tetrahedral coordination with = 1.85 Å (±0.02). This value compares well with literature data for [4]Fe3+ in crystalline phases (e.g., in tetra-ferriphlogopite or rodolicoite) or in silicate glasses (e.g., phonolite glasses) supporting the XANES-determined coordination number obtained for the most peralkaline glasses. Calculated NBO/T ratios decrease slightly with Fe oxidation because of the higher fraction of network forming Fe, thus increasing the polymerization of the tetrahedral network

    Therapeutic Frameworks in Integration Sessions in Substance-Assisted Psychotherapy: A Systematized Review

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    Serotonergic psychedelics and related substances have been explored as potential adjuncts in substance-assisted psychotherapy (SAPT) for treating various disorders. SAPT can be divided into three phases: preparation, administration, and integration. Integration is commonly defined as the comprehension and effective application of insights from psychedelic experiences into everyday life. However, there is limited research regarding the most appropriate therapeutic approach during integration sessions in SAPT. In this article, we discuss the current evidence for different therapeutic frameworks for integrations sessions when serotonergic psychedelics and entactogens are used as adjuncts to psychotherapy. We conducted a systematized review of the literature following PRISMA guidelines and searched PsycINFO, MEDLINE, and Cochrane Library databases. The final synthesis included 75 clinical trials, mixed-methods investigations, treatment manuals, study protocols, quasi-experiments, qualitative investigations, descriptive studies, opinion papers, reviews, books and book chapters, published until November 11, 2022. The effects that various therapeutic approaches for integration sessions have on therapeutic outcome have not been investigated by means of rigorous research. Most of the available evidence we retrieved was not supported by empirical data, thus limiting any conclusive statements regarding appropriate therapeutic frameworks for integration sessions for SAPT. Current clinical studies have used a range of therapeutic frameworks with the majority drawing from the humanistic-experiential tradition. While integration is regarded as crucial for the safe application of SAPTHowever, there is currently an insufficient evidence base to suggest that any type of therapy is most effective for guiding integration sessions. Systematic investigation of different therapeutic frameworks for integration and additional therapy-related factors is needed

    The Application of X-Band Radar for Characterisation of Nearshore Dynamics on a Mixed Sand and Gravel Beach

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    Remote sensing using X-band radar allows the estimation of wave parameters, near surface currents and the underlying bathymetry. This paper explores the use of radar to derive nearshore bathymetry at a complex site, at Thorpeness in Suffolk, UK. The site has a history of sporadic and focused erosion events along the beach frontage and as part of the X-Com project (X-band Radar and Evidence-Based Coastal Management Decisions) a radar system was deployed with the aim of further understanding the complex nearshore sediment processes influencing erosion. Initially, the bathymetric variation at the site is quantified through analysis of current and historic multibeam surveys. These indicate depth changes approaching 3 m. Subsequently, validation of the radar data against concurrent multibeam survey data has been undertaken. Results show that the radar derived bathymetry has a precision of ±1m at the site, with the largest errors being associated with areas of more complex bathymetry and where wave data quality was less suitable for analysis by the X-band radar bathymetry algorithms. It is concluded that although the accuracy of radar-derived bathymetry is lower than traditional multibeam survey, the low cost for high temporal coverage can be utilised for long-term monitoring of coastal sites where a cost-effective means of quantifying large-scale bathymetric changes is required

    Exploring endolysin-loaded liposomes for a transtympanic treatment of S. pneumoniae otitis media

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    Otitis media, the main reason for which antibiotics are prescribed in childhood, is often caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae. The exogenous use of recombinantly produced endolysins, peptidoglycan hydrolases encoded by bacteriophages at the end of their lytic cycle, have been shown to be very effective against this pathogen. To increase bioavailability, and consequently reduce the probability of a recurrent or chronic infection, endolysins could be applied topically in the ear. However, delivery systems with permeation enhancing characteristics are needed to surpass the barrier provided by the tympanic membrane, which separates the ear canal from the middle ear. Therefore, this work aimed to develop a novel delivery system for a transtympanic treatment of pneumococcal otitis media using endolysins. The MSlys endolysin was encapsulated into deformable liposomes composed of L-alpha-lecithin and sodium cholate (L:SC:MSlys) or PEG2000 PE (L:PEG:MSlys) with a efficiency of approximately 35% in average, being released in a controlled manner. Liposomes loaded with MSlys showed no cytotoxicity against keratinocyte and fibroblast cell lines. Moreover, MSlys-loaded liposomes interacted with S. pneumoniae cells, being able to significantly reduce planktonic and biofilm cells. Transtympanic permeation studies demonstrated that PEGylated liposomes significantly enhanced the transport of MSlys through human tympanic membranes in an ex vivo model, showing antipneumococcal effect after 2 hours. Nevertheless, degradation of MSlys occurred during extended incubation at 37 ÂșC, which affected its effectiveness. In conclusion, endolysin-loaded liposomes are a promising approach for transtympanic treatment of otitis media caused by S. pneumoniae. Nevertheless, further optimization is required in order to increase effectiveness.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

    Local discrimination of orbital angular momentum in entangled states

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    We address the use of a calcite crystal-based local detector to the discrimination of orbital angular momentum of quantum radiation produced by parametric down conversion. We demonstrate that a discrimination can be obtained exploiting the introduction of a fine and controlled spatial shift between two replicas of the state in the crystals. We believe that this technology could be used for future development of long-distance quantum communication techniques, where information encoding is based on orbital angular momentum
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