Improvement of the guiding performances of near infrared organic/inorganic channel waveguides

New sol-gel derived organic/inorganic hybrid single mode waveguides devices have been developed for telecommunication applications in the two near infrared windows at 1310 and 1550 nm. The overall procedure of fabrication of these devices is described and the refractive indices of the guiding, the buffer and the protective layers are adjusted by a precise control of the materials' composition. Due to the improvement of the composition of the guiding layer, the attenuation losses are significantly decreased to 0.8 dB/cm and 2dB/cm at respectively 1310 and 1550 nm

Intersektionalität und marxistische Gesellschaftstheorie: Gesellschaftliche Totalität und die Pluralität gesellschaftlicher Widersprüche

In the last years the concept of ‘intersectionality’ has enjoyed ever greater popularitiy as a way to grasp the interrelations between these multiple forms of oppression and to problematize reductionist accounts of the social that privilege specific contradictions and social struggles over others. Yet intersectional analyses themselves have been critizised by Marxists and Feminists for establishing the connections between different mechanisms of discrimination merely in an empiricist way: Focussing on the microlevel of specific identities and social contexts, intersectional analyses forfeit an understanding of the social as a comprehensive totality. Against this background, the article examines how Marx, Adorno and Althusser conceptualized the notion of totality as part of their social theorizing. Drawing from the works of Himani Bannerji, Gudrun-Axeli Knapp, Ursula Beer and Silvia Federici, this article argues that although Marxist social theorizing has tended to connect the dominance of the economic base with prioritizing the antagonism between capital and labour, it bears the potential to understand multiple forms of oppression as integral parts of the underlying structures of capitalist societies, thereby transcending merely empiricist accounts of the interrelations between multiple forms of domination.In the last years the concept of ‘intersectionality’ has enjoyed ever greater popularitiy as a way to grasp the interrelations between these multiple forms of oppression and to problematize reductionist accounts of the social that privilege specific contradictions and social struggles over others. Yet intersectional analyses themselves have been critizised by Marxists and Feminists for establishing the connections between different mechanisms of discrimination merely in an empiricist way: Focussing on the microlevel of specific identities and social contexts, intersectional analyses forfeit an understanding of the social as a comprehensive totality. Against this background, the article examines how Marx, Adorno and Althusser conceptualized the notion of totality as part of their social theorizing. Drawing from the works of Himani Bannerji, Gudrun-Axeli Knapp, Ursula Beer and Silvia Federici, this article argues that although Marxist social theorizing has tended to connect the dominance of the economic base with prioritizing the antagonism between capital and labour, it bears the potential to understand multiple forms of oppression as integral parts of the underlying structures of capitalist societies, thereby transcending merely empiricist accounts of the interrelations between multiple forms of domination

Ионно-плазменное напыление установка ионно-плазменного напыления

peer reviewedWe have studied the influence of chemical composition on the constitution and elastic properties of dense radio-frequency (RF)-sputtered hydroxyapatite (HA) coatings. The chemical composition was modified by varying the RF sputtering power density (PD). As the PD was increased by 240%, the Ca/P ratio measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy increased from ˜1.51 to ˜1.82. X-ray diffraction indicates phase pure hexagonal HA except for the sample prepared at the highest PD where CaO and Ca3(PO4)2 also form. Deviations from the stoichiometric Ca/P ratio result in reduction of the elastic modulus. For Ca/P?=?1.51?±?0.02, the elastic modulus decreases by ˜15%. This may be due to incorporation of Ca vacancies in the lattice, while for Ca/P?=?1.82?±?0.02, the average elastic modulus decreases by ˜10% due to formation of additional phases

Das Januarerwachen in Nigeria

In January 2012 popular struggles against an unheralded petrol price hike sparked all over Nigeria and gained unprecedented momentum within a few days. From the perspective of an activist engaged in the movement, this article explores the various forms of protest and organization that emerged during this period of social resistance, but also the strategies of the ruling class attempting to curb the unrest. In so doing, the article develops an overall picture of the social forces and the course of events which shaped this new wave of social struggles. While a particular focus of the article lies on the evaluation of the general strike and the developments that led to its suspension, the article concludes with a critical discussion of the prospects of future protests in Nigeria and the possibilities of reviving the dynamic that was unleashed during the ‘January Awakening’

Editorial: The EU after the Crisis: Reconfiguration or Disintegration?

Editorial: Die EU nach der Krise: Neuformierung und ZerfallThe EU after the Crisis: Reconfiguration or Disintegration

A Semi-Automated Approach for the Co-Refinement of Requirements and Architecture Models

Requirements and architecture specifications are strongly related as the second provides a solution to a problem stated by the first. This coupling is typically realized by traceability links and maintaining such links becomes extremely difficult as both requirements and architecture specifications frequently evolve, and in particular when the architecture is refined providing an increasing level of details. In such case, not only the traceability must evolve but the requirements must be refined as well. We present a novel semi-automated approach to evolve non-functional requirements and their traceability links following system's architecture refinement in the context of design space exploration and automated code generation. The approach has been prototyped for AADL models refined with the RAMSES tool and for model transformations implemented as Story Diagrams