Stand-off Detection at the DLR Laser Test Range Applying Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy

The DLR laser test range at Lampoldshausen allows for optical measurements under daylight conditions at distances up to 130 m. This infrastructure is very suitable for the development of stand-off detection systems of biological, chemical and explosive hazardous substances. In a first step, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been introduced to this test site. A basic LIBS set-up and first LIBS spectra of selected samples are presented. A Nd:YAG laser beam was focussed by a Cassegrain type telescope onto different samples at distances exceeding 50 m. The light of the generated plasma plume was collected by a Newtonian telescope, and analyzed by a gated broadband CCD-spectrometer system. The Nd:YAG laser yields pulse energies up to 800 mJ at a wavelength of 1064 nm and a pulse width of 8 ns. Optionally the second and third harmonics can be extracted. LIBS spectra from 10 nm layers of gold on a silicon wafer were recorded. In addition, LIBS spectra from black powder were measured, and compared to the spectrum of potassium nitrate, which is a main component of black powder and shows very characteristic emission. LIBS spectra of the above samples have also been acquired with an excitation laser wavelength in the eye-safe region. Recorded spectra are measured as a function of the laser wavelength, pulse energy, and energy density on the target and are compared to the literature

The economics of copyright law: a stocktake of the literature

This article is a survey of publications by economists writing on copyright law. It begins with a general overview of how economists analyse these questions; the distinction is made between the economics of copying and the economic aspects of copyright law as analysed in law and economics. It then continues with sections on research on the effects of copying and downloading and the effects of unauthorised use (‘piracy’) and ends with an overall evaluation of the economics of copyright in the light of recent technological changes. Economists have always been, and still are, somewhat sceptical about copyright and question what alternatives there are to it. On balance, most accept the role of copyright law in the creative industries while urging caution about its becoming too strong. And although European authors’ rights are different in legal terms from the Anglo-American copyright, the economic analysis of these laws is essentially the same

O niektórych animizacjach i personifikacjach w twórczości Stefana Żeromskiego

Stefan Żeromski was a writer and a person with very strong ties with nature. He was especially close to the world of fauna and flora, which he knew and observed well. Żeromski largely introduced this outside world into his writings. In his representations, the author made use of different linguistic and stylistic means such as: names and designations, appositional conjunctions, periphrases, hyperboles and other, and primarily metaphors and comparisons including animization and personification. Żeromski made use of animization as a form of an extended metaphor or a comparison, mainly with reference to floral objects, to which he attributed various human characteristics— the appearance and actions, human behaviours and sensual feelings, and even the means of communication with the environment. In the texts of Żeromski, personification—as a more complete form of animization— includes plants, and, from the animal realm, mainly birds, often assuming the form of short stories. The questions presented in the article have been illustrated with extended quotations from the diaries of the writer as well as from various fabular writings of his authorship

Copyright and innovation: Fit for digitization?

It is contentious to what extent the existing copyright system contributes to the positive development of the regulated sectors of society. The present report shows that substantially more musical works and movies have been released in recent years than before the diffusion of digital copying technology. At the same time, the average quality of these works has been stable according to user assessments. Countries with stronger copyright protection do not exhibit greater supply of new works. Accordingly, the relatively strict copyright protection in some countries does not seem to promote the supply of new creative works. The present report also considers whether user-generated content (UGC) complements or substitutes professional content. An increasing supply of valuable UGC is not reflected in official economic statistics. In all probability, copyright protection promotes user-generated content less than professional content. As a result, substituting professional content with "amateur material" could reduce the socially desirable strength of copyright protection. However, we find that almost half of all works available on YouTube are professional content. Professional works are watched and recommended more frequently than the average. In addition, a large proportion of UGC on YouTube draws on professional works. There is little evidence that professional content would be widely replaced. It follows that UGC could also be supported by an efficient copyright system, which strengthens the supply of professional content without excessively limiting its further use as input for UGC

Forecasting Guidelines For Choice Steer And Heifer Prices

Never before in the history of agriculture have the prices of agricultural commodities fluctuated with such magnitude as they- have during the past 5 years. The cattle-feeding industry has been no exception. -During the period of January 1973 to-January \u27 1977 the returns for feeding a Choice 450 lb. steer calf to 1050 lbs. have varied from a positive $130;03 to a negative$161.10.\u27 Unfortunately, for .the cattle-feeder, 28 of\u2748 months during this 4 year period showed negative returns\u27 for this ^type of-feeding program (1)

The Relationship between Trait Empathy and Memory Formation for Social vs. Non-Social Information

Background: To navigate successfully through their complex social environment, humans need both empathic and mnemonic skills. Little is known on how these two types of psychological abilities relate to each other in humans. Although initial clinical findings suggest a positive association, systematic investigations in healthy subject samples have not yet been performed. Differentiating cognitive and affective aspects of empathy, we assumed that cognitive empathy would be positively associated with general memory performance, while affective empathy, due to enhanced other-related emotional reactions, would be related to a relative memory advantage for information of social as compared to non-social relevance. Methods: We investigated in young healthy participants the relationship between dispositional cognitive and affective empathy, as measured by Davis’ Interpersonal Reactivity Index (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 44, 113–126, 1983), and memory formation for stimuli (numbers presented in a lottery choice task) that could be encoded in either a social (other-related) or a non-social (self-related) way within the task. Results: Cognitive empathy, specifically perspective taking, correlated with overall memory performance (regardless of encoding condition), while affective empathy, specifically empathic personal distress, predicted differential memory for socially vs. non-socially encoded information. Conclusion: Both cognitive and affective empathy are associated with memory formation, but in different ways, depending on the social nature of the memory content. These results open new and so far widely neglected avenues of psychological research on the relationship between social and cognitive skills.<br

Experimental and numerical analysis of atmospheric propagation of high energy laser

The transmission of high power laser radiation through the atmosphere is influenced by turbulent motion of the air. As a result the beam experiences an alteration regarding its position and its distribution, which increases with increasing propagation length. In order to analyze the atmospheric influence on the laser beam propagation a disk laser with a maximum output power of 6 kW and a wavelength of 1.03 µm is operated on a 130 m long free transmission laser test range in Lampoldshausen. The test range is equipped with a variety of sensors, which continuously monitor the current status of the weather conditions. Power sensors and camera systems at the beginning and the end of the test range measure the laser beam parameters before and after propagation. The experimental results are compared with a numerical analysis of the laser beam propagation performed by the software TALAP (Turbulent Atmosphere and Laser Beam Propagation), developed at the Institute of Technical Physics of DLR. It is based on the Kolmogorov turbulence model, which considers turbulent cells of different scale sizes. First measurements of power transmission, diameter of the laser beam and variations of its center of gravity are performed on a sunny and on a rainy day. The results show a good correlations to the measurements of the turbulence strength and the visibility. A comparison to the numerical analysis has shown coincidences. Future measurements will be performed at different weather conditions and seasons. Experimental results will be used to modify the simulation software, if necessary

Application of Standoff LIF to Living and Inactivated Bacteria Samples

To minimize the impact of an airborne bio-agent output, sensitive, specific and swift detection and identification are essential. A single method can hardly meet all of these requirements. Point sensors allow highly sensitive and specific identification but are localized and comparatively slow. Most laser-based standoff systems lack selectivity and specificity but provide real-time detection and classification in a wide region with additional information about location and propagation. A combination of both methods allows benefiting from their complementary assets and may be a promising solution to optimize detection and identification of hazardous substances. Here, we present progress for an outdoor bio-detector based on laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) developed at the DLR Lampoldshausen. After excitation at 280 and 355 nm, bacteria species express unique fluorescence spectra. Upon deactivation, the spectral features change depending on the applied method