(1,1)-forms acting on Spinors on K\"ahler Surfaces

It is known that, for Dirac operators on Riemann surfaces twisted by line bundles with Hermitian-Einstein connections, it is possible to obtain estimates for the first eigenvalue in terms of the topology of the twisting bundle \cite{JL2}. Attempts to generalize topological estimates for higher rank bundles or higher dimensional manifolds have been so far unsuccessful. In this work we construct a class of examples which indicates one problem that arises on such attempts to derive topological estimates

On the spectrum of the twisted Dolbeault Laplacian over K\"ahler manifolds

We use Dirac operator techniques to a establish sharp lower bound for the first eigenvalue of the Dolbeault Laplacian twisted by Hermitian-Einstein connections on vector bundles of negative degree over compact K\"ahler manifolds.Comment: 14 pages. Completely revised: estimates corrected and shown to be shar

Do "polites" ao "kosmopolites"

En este artículo, el autor se propone abordar los cambios políticos, económicos y sociales que han caracterizado la sustitución del mundo de la polis por la realidad más amplia de los reinos helenísticos. Al dejar, paulatinamente, de tomar parte en los objetivos comunes de la polis, se van produciendo unos cambios, los intereses privados son mantenidos en un segundo plano, la sociedad evoluciona hacia un nuevo estado donde la felicidad individual se vuelve más importante que la comunidad como un todo, en la misma medida en que esa comunidad ya no es capaz de implicar a cada ciudadano en la administración directa de la polis, llevando los objetivos comunes de la polis a la esfera privada de sus intereses personales. El “polites” era así sustituido por el “kosmopolites”, de la misma forma que la polis se veía suplantada por la nueva realidad “globalizada” de la “oikoumene”.In this paper, the author makes an approach to the political, economic and social changes that characterized the substitution of the world of the polis by the wider reality of the Hellenistic kingdoms. By progressively leaving aside the inner demand of commitment with the common interests of the polis, where private concerns were to be kept at a secondary level of importance, society evolved to a new stage where individual happiness became more central than the community as a whole, because this same community was no longer able to involve their individual citizens in the direct administration of the polis, thus liberating them for the private sphere of their personal interests. The “polites” was being replaced by the “kosmopolites”, just as the polis was in the process of being supplanted by the new “globalizing” reality of the “oikoumene”.peerReviewe

Empirical thermal comfort evaluation of single and double skin façades

In this paper, the topic of thermal comfort for buildings with double skin façades and single skin façades is demonstrated and discussed. A long-term monitoring was performed in 280 office rooms distributed over 28 buildings in Germany. The survey methods were based on sensor measurements and data simultaneously gathered from questionnaire given to office users. The authors take into consideration the operative temperature, vertical gradient temperature, draught rate, radiation asymmetry, relative humidity and carbon dioxide concentration. The aim is to determine the individual sensory perception of the indoor environment and compare it to the actually measured indoor climate in buildings with double skin façades and single skin façades. In regards to the thermal comfort results, in general, it is shown that double skin façades buildings have slight advantages in relation to single skin façades buildings. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Fil: Huckemann, Volker. Technical University of Braunschweig; AlemaniaFil: Kuchen, Ernesto. Technical University of Braunschweig; Alemania. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Leão, Marlon. Technical University of Braunschweig; AlemaniaFil: Leão, Érika F. T. B.. Technical University of Braunschweig; Alemani

Gonadotropin therapy in assisted reproduction: an evolutionary perspective from biologics to biotech

Gonadotropin therapy plays an integral role in ovarian stimulation for infertility treatments. Efforts have been made over the last century to improve gonadotropin preparations. Undoubtedly, current gonadotropins have better quality and safety profiles as well as clinical efficacy than earlier ones. A major achievement has been introducing recombinant technology in the manufacturing processes for follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and human chorionic gonadotropin. Recombinant gonadotropins are purer than urine-derived gonadotropins, and incorporating vial filling by mass virtually eliminated batch-to-batch variations and enabled accurate dosing. Recombinant and fill-by-mass technologies have been the driving forces for launching of prefilled pen devices for more patient-friendly ovarian stimulation. The most recent developments include the fixed combination of follitropin alfa + lutropin alfa, long-acting FSH gonadotropin, and a new family of prefilled pen injector devices for administration of recombinant gonadotropins. The next step would be the production of orally bioactive molecules with selective follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone activity