Europe and the digital cold war: is the EU technologically vulnerable?

The tech rivalry between China and the United States has been characterised by some observers as a ‘Digital Cold War’. Dimitar Lilkov argues that in the technological arms race of the future, the EU may quickly find itself falling behind

Will the energy crisis dampen EU climate ambitions?

Rising energy prices and reduced gas deliveries are putting European economies under strain. Dimitar Lilkov assesses whether these pressures are likely to have a negative impact on Europe’s climate policies

An experimental investigation of laser scabbling of concrete

Laser scabbling of concrete is the process of removal of surface material using a high power laser beam. The main aim of this investigation was to establish an experimental procedure for assessing the effects of various parameters that may be critical for the effectiveness of the process, such as material composition and initial moisture content. The study shows that the key characteristics of the process can be detected by monitoring surface temperature variations. This experimental procedure is used to provide data on the effects of each parameter to explain the mechanisms that drive the process. The results suggest that scabbling is mainly driven by pore pressures in the cement paste, but strongly affected by other factors. Reducing permeability by adding PFA to the cement paste resulted in significant increase in volume removal; but reducing moisture content by air-drying of the material did not result in the expected reduction in volume removal

A step too far?: the Commission’s proposal to tie EU budget payments to compliance with the rule of law

The difficult process of negotiating the EU’s next seven-year budget covering the years 2021-27 is already under way. However, as Dimitar Lilkov writes, the negotiations may well prove more contentious than ever due to a proposal to allow the European Commission to suspend EU funding for states that threaten the rule of law

Theoriging painting in the middle of the 20th century : studying of the writings by same painters : Henry Valensi, Charles Blanc-Gatti, Léopold Survage and exchanges with their contemporaries

Cette thèse est centrée sur les écrits théoriques des artistes Henry Valensi, Charles Blanc-Gatti et Léopold Survage. Valensi et Blanc-Gatti, cofondateurs du Musicalisme, et Léopold Survage, apparenté au Cubisme,représentent des figures pionnières aussi bien dans le domaine de la peinture abstraite que dans celui du cinéma d'animation. Leurs apports dans les transformations plastiques du début du XXème siècle n'ont été mis en avant que récemment et un certain nombre de leurs manuscrits demeurent encore à découvrir. La présente étude est fondée principalement sur ces textes inédits, en grande partie datés d'après la Seconde Guerre mondiale, au sein desquels les peintres réfléchissent essentiellement sur l'avenir de l'art, son impact sur la société ainsi que sur les rapports entre les arts et les sciences. Les différentes correspondances qu'ils ont eu avec de nombreux autres artistes et spécialistes y sont également analysées, celles-ci renseignant sur un grand nombre de projets communs (théoriques, artistiques ou encore d'exposition) qu'ils ont mené collectivement.This thesis is focused on theorical manuscripts by the painters Henry Valensi, Charles Blanc-Gatti and Leopold Survage. Valensi and Blanc-Gatti were cofounders of the Musicalist movement, and the Cubist Leopold Survage, and were pioneers in both abstract painting and animated movies. Their contributions in the plastic revolution during the Belle Époque have been valorized only recently and some of their writings still haven’tbeen studied. This study firstly analyzes these unpublished texts, which mostly date from after World War II. Itdeals above all with the future of artistic expressions and its impact on society and relationships between art and sciences. Different correspondences between Valensi, Blanc-Gatti, Survage and other artists or specialists are also a subject of the present thesis as they give important information about common projects (theorical,artistic or exhibitions) that they had organized collectively

Microscopic and laser granulometric analyses of hydrating cement suspensions

The results from microscopic and laser granulometric analyses of hydrating cement suspensions, containing active mineral additives are presented. Conclusions are drawn about the specific hydration processes of the investigated cements, as well as the applicability of laser granulometry for the study of cement and hydration products