Experiments shed new light on nickel-fluorine reactions

Isotopic tracer experiments and scale-impingement experiments show fluorine to be the migrating species through the nickel fluoride scale formed during the fluorination of nickel. This is in contrast to nickel oxide scales, where nickel is the migrating species

Reply to Andreas L. Paulus Consensus as Fiction of Global Law

Andreas Paulus reminds us correctly that narratives of a world of sovereign states loosely cooperating in \u27coalitions of the willing\u27 no longer tell the whole story. One of the achievements of the 20th century has been the insertion of a vertical dimension within horizontal international law; a dimension created by the ICJ\u27s Traction decision and the Vienna Convention of the Law of Treaties, and within which we can observe obligations arising for states without or against their will. Any narrative that characterizes these legal norms as a simple product of interstate consensus is particularly thin if analysis focuses upon the genesis of international legal norms. Real world processes are far more complex: states are only one of many actors who seek to invoke the existence of international legal norms, and even the ICJ accentuates generalizability rather than real-world uniformity

Regime-Collisions: The Vain Search for Legal Unity in the Fragmentation of Global Law

Predictions of future events tend to be a rarity within the social sciences. It is an even more rare occurrence when predicted events come to pass. Niklas Luhmann\u27s prediction on the future of global law is a memorable exception. In 1971, while theorizing on the concept of world society, Luhmann allowed himself the speculative hypothesis that global law would experience a radical fragmentation, not along territorial, but along social sectoral lines. The reason for this would be a transformation from normative (politics, morality, law) to cognitive expectations (economy, science, technology); a transformation that would be effected during the transition from nationally organized societies to a global society

Regime-Collisions: The Vain Search for Legal Unity in the Fragmentation of Global Law

Predictions of future events tend to be a rarity within the social sciences. It is an even more rare occurrence when predicted events come to pass. Niklas Luhmann\u27s prediction on the future of global law is a memorable exception. In 1971, while theorizing on the concept of world society, Luhmann allowed himself the speculative hypothesis that global law would experience a radical fragmentation, not along territorial, but along social sectoral lines. The reason for this would be a transformation from normative (politics, morality, law) to cognitive expectations (economy, science, technology); a transformation that would be effected during the transition from nationally organized societies to a global society

Reply to Andreas L. Paulus Consensus as Fiction of Global Law

Andreas Paulus reminds us correctly that narratives of a world of sovereign states loosely cooperating in \u27coalitions of the willing\u27 no longer tell the whole story. One of the achievements of the 20th century has been the insertion of a vertical dimension within horizontal international law; a dimension created by the ICJ\u27s Traction decision and the Vienna Convention of the Law of Treaties, and within which we can observe obligations arising for states without or against their will. Any narrative that characterizes these legal norms as a simple product of interstate consensus is particularly thin if analysis focuses upon the genesis of international legal norms. Real world processes are far more complex: states are only one of many actors who seek to invoke the existence of international legal norms, and even the ICJ accentuates generalizability rather than real-world uniformity

Highly stable, reactive and ultrapure nanoporous metallic films

Nanoporous metals possess unique properties attributed to their high surface area and interconnected nanoscale ligaments. They are mostly fabricated by wet synthetic methods involving solution-based dealloying processes whose purity is compromised by residual amounts of the less noble metal. Here, we demonstrate a novel dry synthesis method to produce nanoporous metals, which is based on the plasma treatment of metal nanoparticles formed by physical vapor deposition. Our approach is general and can be applied to many metals including non-noble ones. The resultant nanoporous metallic films are impurity-free and possess highly curved ligaments and nanopores. The metal films are remarkably robust with many catalytically active sites, which is highly promising for electrocatalytic applications.Comment: 40 pages (including 13 pages of supplementary information), 5 figures, submitte

Transcatheter closure of atrial septal defects within the oval fossa: medium-term results in children using the ‘ASDOS'-technique

Abstract Objectives The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the ASDOS-tech-nique (Sulzer-Osypka GmbH, Germany) for transcatheter closure of atrial septal defects within the oval fossa. Background Although several attempts have been made to occlude defects within the oval fossa by transcatheter techniques, none of these has gained general acceptance. Methods Patients with a defect in the oval fossa measuring equal to or less than 20 mm diameter, with a residual septal rim of 5mm or greater, body weight greater than 10 kg, with clinical indications for surgical closure were considered for transcatheter closure. Follow-up investigations were performed at discharge, after 1, 3, 6 and 9 months, as well as after 1 and 2 years. Results Of 78 patients considered for closure, a device was inserted in 41 patients (53%), with success being achieved in 40 patients (98%). The ages ranged from 1.1 to 15 years (7.8 ± 1.92 years), the 'stretched' diameter of the defect from 10 to 20 mm (14.7 ± 2.60 mm), and the diameters of the inserted devices from 25 to 45 mm (33.2 ± 5.43 mm). Transient impairment of atrioventricular conduction occured in 4 patients. During the follow-up of 23.0 ± 5.6 months elective surgical closure of a residual shunt was performed 26 months after insertion of the devcie in one patient. None of the other patients required surgery, hospitalisation or medical treatment, and none is requiring further treatment of the defect within the oval fossa. Fracture of one arm of the device occurred in 4 patients, but the fractured arms are in an unchanged and stable position after a period of at least 19 months. Conclusions Our medium-term data show that transcatheter closure in children of defects within the oval fossa can be performed with a high efficacy and safety using the ASDOS-devic

A High Quality Lithograph with Integrated Environment for Computer Generated Holograms

This paper describes a complete development environment for the production of digital holograms, including simulation software and a lithographic system. The software allows to compute phase and amplitude holograms of Kinoform, Fresnel and Fourier type. The lithograph has a resolution of 0.4 5m and provides 1,000 grey values using As2S3 as a holographic film