Russian Contributions to International Humanitarian Law

Has Russia turned from “Paul to Saul” with regards to international humanitarian law (IHL)? This book aims to answer this question by contrasting the past and the present. Firstly, it offers a comprehensive account of the remarkable Russian contributions to IHL since 1850. Secondly, it analyses Russia’s current approach to IHL, drawing on a wide range of legislation, case law, diplomatic records, and military practice. Finally, the author contrasts the past and the present – not without embedding his findings in the changed context of our time. The book is aimed at international law experts as well as people interested in legal history. Its author is an IHL researcher and practitioner with extensive experience in the post-soviet world.PublishedHas Russia turned from “Paul to Saul” with regards to international humanitarian law (IHL)? This book aims to answer this question by contrasting the past and the present. Firstly, it offers a comprehensive account of the remarkable Russian contributions to IHL since 1850. Secondly, it analyses Russia’s current approach to IHL, drawing on a wide range of legislation, case law, diplomatic records, and military practice. Finally, the author contrasts the past and the present – not without embedding his findings in the changed context of our time. The book is aimed at international law experts as well as people interested in legal history. Its author is an IHL researcher and practitioner with extensive experience in the post-soviet world

New methods for the preparation of (bio)sensor surfaces : Molecular gradients and mixed monolayers containing oligo(ethylene glycols)

Alkanethiols form very close-packed and well ordered self-assembled monolayers on gold surfaces. The simple preparation of the organo-metal interface and the possibility to tailor the ƒç-functional group of the thiol individually for each target makes it attractive for a variety of applications. In the recent years many biosensors, for example affinity sensors, DNA chips and array systems, have been developed, which include a thiol sublayer for the covalent binding of receptor molecules. One important problem that must be avoided in biosensor design is non-specific adsorption of (bio)molecules on the sensing surface. Therefore, creating an optimal surface or basis layer is a major goal in biosensor applications. Two main directions for the preparation of thiol basis layers are described in this paper: 1) mixed monolayers and 2) molecular gradients. Oligo(ethylene glycol) terminated thiols (Eg4, Eg6 = HS-(CH2)15-CONH-(CH2)2-O)4,6-H), mercaptooctadecane (MOD), 16-mercaptohexadecan-1-ol (MHD), 16-mercaptohexadecanoic acid (MHA) and 16-mercaptohexadecan-1-amine (MDA) were chosen as model thiols for the investigations. All gold surfaces were cleaned using the TL1 procedure (NH3:H2O2:H2O 1:1:5 at 80¢XC). FT-IR spectroscopy, ellipsometry, impedance and contact angle measurements were used to characterize the monolayers. The combination of optical and electrochemical methods allows detailed statements about quality, structure and stability of the organic layer. The infrared reflection-absorption spectra were recorded at room temperature on a Bruker IFS 66, system equipped with a grazing angle (85o) infrared reflection accessory and a liquid-nitrogen-cooled MCT detector. The measurement chamber was continuously purged with nitrogen gas during the measurements. The acquisition time was around 10 min at 2 cm-1 resolution. A spectrum of a deuterated hexadecanthiolate (HS-(CD2)15-CD3) was used as reference

Literaturhaus Triest

Titelübersetzung des Autors: House of Literature TriesteDie Diplomarbeit befasst sich mit dem Entwurf eines Literaturhauses für Triest. Der Bauplatz befindet sich in der "Cittavecchia", dem historischen Zentrum der Stadt. In einer schmalen Baulücke soll ein Neubau entstehen, der über zwei Stege mit dem angrenzenden Bestandsgebäude verbunden wird. Gemeinsam mit dem neu gestalteten Vorplatz bilden sie das Ensemble des Literaturhauses.This thesis conceptualizes a house of literature in Trieste. Located in the "Cittavecchia", the historic center of the city, a new construction shall be developed in a narrow building site. Two bridges will connect the new development with the adjacent structure. These in combination with the newly developed square constitute the ensemble surrounding the house of literature.10

Capacitive monitoring of protein immobilization and antigen–antibody reactions on monomolecular alkylthiol films on gold electrodes

Self-assembled monolayers of v-mercaptohexadecanoic acid and vmercaptohexadecylamine on gold electrodes are stable at neutral pH and display pure capacitive behavior at frequencies around 20 Hz. Different methods of covalent immobilization of proteins on these monolayers are compared. Various reagents including succinimides, thionylchloride, p-nitrophenol and carbodiimides were used to activate the carboxy groups of the adsorbed monolayer of v-mercaptohexadecanoic acid. Glutaraldehyde, cyanuric chloride and phenylene diisocyanate were used to activate the amino groups of the monolayer of vmercaptohexadecylamine. The immobilization of albumin on the activated surface was studied by capacitive measurements. The N-hydroxysuccinimide and carbodiimide methods were identified as most suitable for protein immobilization in that they did not compromise the insulating properties of the alkylthiol layer and led to maximal increase of its dielectric thickness. These approaches were used for a layer-by-layer preparation of a capacitive immunosensor. Specifically, antibodies to human serum albumin were immobilized on the alkylthiol monolayer. Binding of the antigen led to a decrease of the electrode capacitance. The detection limit of the immunosensor is as low as 15 nM (1 mg/l)

Electrical Control of Alkanethiols Self-Assembly on a Gold Surface as an Approach for Preparation of Microelectrode Arrays

It is shown by capacitive monitoring that the self-assembly of alkanethiols on gold electrodes and desorption of these self-assembled monolayers from the electrodes are controlled by the electrode potential. At neutral pH, chemical adsorption of alkanethiols was observed at an electrode potential of +300 mV vs SCE, but only physical adsorption was detected when the electrode potential was −1400 mV vs SCE. At electrode potentials between these values (−300 mV, −600 mV), chemical adsorption of alkanethiols occurred, but the alkanethiol monolayers were not stable in the absence of the alkanethiol in the bulk solution and were desorbed from the gold electrode. The desorption rate was higher at more negative electrode potentials. These results can be used in designing methods for electrically addressable immobilization of different receptors on (micro)electrode arrays. This has been demonstrated by deposition of two different types of alkanethiols onto a two-electrode array

ILRS Reference Point Determination Using Close Range Photogrammetry

A global geodetic reference system (GGRS) is realized by physical points on the Earth’s surface and is referred to as a global geodetic reference frame (GGRF). The GGRF is derived by combining several space geodetic techniques, and the reference points of these techniques are the physical points of such a realization. Due to the weak physical connection between the space geodetic techniques, so-called local ties are introduced to the combination procedure. A local tie is the spatial vector defined between the reference points of two space geodetic techniques. It is derivable by local measurements at multitechnique stations, which operate more than one space geodetic technique. Local ties are a crucial component within the intertechnique combination; therefore, erroneous or outdated vectors affect the global results. In order to reach the ambitious accuracy goal of 1 mm for a global position, the global geodetic observing system (GGOS) aims for strategies to improve local ties, and, thus, the reference point determination procedures. In this contribution, close range photogrammetry is applied for the first time to determine the reference point of a laser telescope used for satellite laser ranging (SLR) at Geodetic Observatory Wettzell (GOW). A measurement campaign using various configurations was performed at the Satellite Observing System Wettzell (SOS-W) to evaluate the achievable accuracy and the measurement effort. The bias of the estimates were studied using an unscented transformation. Biases occur if nonlinear functions are replaced and are solved by linear substitute problems. Moreover, the influence of the chosen stochastic model onto the estimates is studied by means of various dispersion matrices of the observations. It is shown that the resulting standard deviations are two to three times overestimated if stochastic dependencies are neglected

Optimization of capacitive affinity sensors: drift suppression and signal amplification

The detection limit of capacitive affinity sensors based on the gold±alkanethiol system can be improved by optimization of sensor preparation and by signal amplification. The dissociation of the gold±sulfur binding is often a critical point leading to operative errors of such sensors. The stability of self-assembled monolayers prepared with different thiols on gold electrodes in aqueous and organic solvents was studied by the capacitive technique. The results show that monolayers made of 16- mercaptohexadecanoic acid are stable in aqueous solution and can be hardly extracted from a gold surface by ethanol, methanol, or dioxane, while a considerable damage of self-assembled monolayers was observed due to incubation in chloroform or dimethylformamide. In contrast, self-assembled monolayers made from short-chain disulfides or thiols (such as 3,30-dithio-bis(propionic acid N-hydroxysuccinimide ester) or 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid) displayed a poor stability in aqueous phase. Capacitive affinity sensors based on these short-chain thiols showed a considerable drift of the signal. The use of long-chain thiols resulted in a stable signal; it was applied to compare capacitive effects due to immobilization of different biological molecules and for preparation of different biosensors. The response of capacitive biosensors can be amplified by formation of a sandwich structure. This principle was illustrated by subsequent adsorption of polyclonal anti-HSA after binding of HSA with a sensor for HSA based on monoclonal antibodies