Heaven and Hell at the Paradise Motel

This piece is taken from the novel “Heaven and Hell at the Paradise Motel” and the exegesis that together forms my PhD thesis. The three main strands of this thesis are Gothic, Noir and sense of place. The novel, ‘‘Heaven and Hell at the Paradise Motel”, is preoccupied with the natural environment, its subtle seasonal changes and the way the environment impacts on its human inhabitants and how they in turn affect it. The novel is, in a very Gothic sense, haunted by dreams, apparitions and narratives – specifically mini-narratives that reflect the nature of fairy tales, horror stories and urban myths. It contains elements of melodrama, horror, romance. The story follows a deeply dysfunctional family through a seasonal cycle: beginning in Spring and ending once again in Spring. A key focus for both the creative and the theoretical work was the everyday application of the Gothic and Noir – for example a house doesn’t have to be a castle to be haunted; people don’t have to be monsters to be monstrous. The dark, the strange, the sinister and the perverse lurk in the shadows of everyday reality, but also how these elements intertwined within the landscape

PRZEGLĄD WYBRANYCH METOD MAGAZYNOWANIA ENERGII ELEKTRYCZNEJ

The article contains basic information about selected mechanical, electrical and electrochemical techniques of electrical energy storage. Due to the rising popularity of renewable resources, electrical energy storage systems will play more and more significant role in the power engineering, electronics, car manufacturing and other key areas. This situation leads to the need to raise awareness of electrical energy storage.W artykule zawarte zostały informacje na temat obecnego stanu rozwoju wybranych metod mechanicznych, elektrycznych i elektrochemicznych magazynowania energii elektrycznej. Ze względu na wzrost popularności odnawialnych źródeł energii, magazynowanie energii elektrycznej będzie odgrywało coraz ważniejszą rolę w elektroenergetyce, elektronice oraz innych kluczowych obszarach. Ta sytuacja prowadzi do potrzeby podnoszenia świadomości w zakresie magazynowania energii elektrycznej

Energetic Feed Value of Grassland Products in Ruminants

A method for calculating the energetic feed value, based on the digestible nutrients and on the relations of the utilisation of the energy of the nutrients (carbohydrates = 100) for ATP syntheses is described. This relative scale is a nominal feed value (NFV). It characterises the ATP potential of the feedstuffs and is therefore equivalent to the efficiency of utilisation of the feed energy in the catabolic metabolism (non-thermal maintenance, muscular work (movement)) and energy costs for syntheses as well as the productive performance as energy retention in animal products. Therefore this scale secures a precise precognition of the animal performance and regulation of production for all kinds of ruminants and direction of production with the exception of the chemical heat regulation under special environmental and production conditions. The NFV can be transmitted for practical use in the other adopted and country-specific units. A general compatibility between the various feed evaluation systems could be achieved

Design Optimization of High Speed Printed Circuit Boards

The term Signal Integrity (SI) addresses two main concerns which are the timing and quality of a received signal. The goal of signal integrity analysis is to ensure reliable high-speed data transmission. This thesis project examines the need to understand and limit dominating factors encountered in high speed network devices. Industry constantly proposes new methods to increase signal propagation speeds by modifying PCB components. These modifications are aimed at improving impedance matching at discontinuities. Print circuit board (PCB) testing can be done with three-dimensional solvers governed by electromagnetic (EM) equations with appropriate boundary conditions. 3D electromagnetic field simulations will be run to extract scattering parameters (S-parameters) from the three-dimensional circuit board components. These simulations will consider the effect of non-functional pads, ground plane and return paths on signal transmission at frequencies of interest. This paper intends to show that extensive instrumental testing can be replaced with 3D analysis which would minimize the cost of board design and fabrication for testing purposes

The Virgin Mary: Bridging Muslims and Catholics

This article reflects on Maryam of Islam, and what she may say to the Virgin Mary of Christianity through our sacred scriptures. Beginning with the Qur’an, the focus is on key verses that are relevant to her birth and early life (Q 3:33-37a), the annunciation of ‘Isa (Jesus) (Q 19: 17b-21; 3:45-51), and the birth of ‘Isa (Q 19:22-26). Likewise, there is a brief consideration of the Qur’an regarding Maryam’s submission to God. The scripture traditions of the Qur’an and Bible together underline convergence as well as divergence in their distinctive journeys of faith and how they see the Virgin as a model and inspiration. This brief comparative study opens us up to the profound mystery of God that transcends the boundaries of both of our faiths. Parts of this essay reflect the author’s theological reflections on the Virgin Mary