274 research outputs found
In search of coherence and consistency in European contract law: a way forward
No full textIn 2001 the European Commission began a far reaching consultation to ascertain whether obstacles arise for the proper functioning of the internal market and for crossborder trade from the existing divergent and fragmentary state of European contract law at the EU and national levels. This question was answered in the affirmative. Action was needed to simplify the regulatory environment for cross-border trade; to provide businesses and consumers with a single, comprehensive, and directly applicable contractual framework for cross-border transactions in the internal market. This thesis offers a solution to the current obstacles to cross-border trade on the basis of the Commission’s principal proposals for future action; the review of the acquis communautaire, the creation of a Common Frame of Reference, and the adoption of optional instruments of European contract law. It undertakes a chronological and critical assessment of the proposals and progress to date, in order to determine the most appropriate way forward for European contract law. It seeks to do so against a wider debate which highlights the economic, socio-cultural and political issues and interests which bear on the suitability and desirability of the Commission’s proposals and which must be accommodated within the final response. It also draws on existing examples of trade regulation, in particular, harmonised instruments, which share the objective of facilitating cross-border trade, at the international level. Such examination assists the understanding of the regulatory approach that must be taken to European contract law, and more particularly determines the extent to which the objectives of action at the European level can be realised within the internal market. It is against this background, and at a time when the EU is looking to the internal market, and the facilitation of cross-border trade as a means for Europe to emerge from economic crisis, that this thesis presents necessary action for the immediate development of the European contract law project. It concludes that the adoption of optional instruments present the most appropriate way forward. This is not, however, an absolute solution. The review of the acquis and the resulting proposal for a Consumer Rights Directive has an integral part to play moving forward. In search of coherence and consistency in European contract law however the CFR, both as a legislative toolbox and basis for the optional instruments, must underpin the future regulatory response. It is clear that all three of the Commission’s proposals must figure in the way forwar
Modelling and simulation of combustion of dilute syngas fuels in a CFR engine
No full text2019 Fall.Includes bibliographical references.With increasing interest towards discovery of alternative fuels to act as sources of energy, many conventional internal combustion engines are being modified to operate on these new fuels. Optimization of engine specifications including compression ratio, intake/piston geometry, valve timing, and combustion phasing, can greatly improve performance when an engine is modified to operate on alternative fuels such as syngas and producer gas. However, the inability to predict the combustion characteristics of the alternative fuel, such as burn rates and auto-ignition conditions, is a significant challenge when simulation-based design of an engine is intended. The following thesis describes the development of a predictive model to simulate the combustion of a dilute syngas fuel in a Cooperative Fuel Research (CFR) spark ignited engine. The laminar flame speeds of the unique fuel mixtures calculated using CHEMKIN were coupled with the geometric features of the CFR engine to create a combustion model of the CFR engine in GT-POWER. Using two-zone modelling and detailed chemical kinetics, the model is also able to determine the performance of the engine along with any associated knocking tendency of the fuel and its corresponding operating conditions. Validation and tuning of the combustion parameters were performed through comparison to experimental pressure data taken from the CFR engine. The completed engine model can support the design and selection of operating conditions to maximize efficiency of other spark ignited internal combustion engines when powered by the dilute syngas fuel
Cfr-mediated linezolid-resistance among methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci from infections of humans.
No full textFour methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (MRCoNS), one Staphylococcus haemolyticus and three Staphylococcus cohnii, from infections of humans collected via the Ministry of Health National Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Net (Mohnarin) program in China were identified as linezolid-resistant. These four isolates were negative for the 23S rRNA mutations, but positive for the gene cfr. Mutations in the gene for the ribosomal protein L3, which resulted in the amino acid exchanges Gly152Asp and Tyr158Phe, were identified in S. haemolyticus 09D279 and S. cohnii NDM113, respectively. In each isolate, the cfr gene was located on a plasmid of ca. 35.4 kb, as shown by S1 nuclease pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and Southern blotting experiments. This plasmid was indistinguishable from the previously described plasmid pSS-02 by its size, restriction pattern, and a sequenced 14-kb cfr-carrying segment. Plasmid pSS-02 was originally identified in staphylococci isolated from pigs. This is the first time that a cfr-carrying plasmid has been detected in MRCoNS obtained from intensive care patients in China. Based on the similarities to the cfr-carrying plasmid pSS-02 from porcine coagulase-negative staphylococci, a transmission of this cfr-carrying plasmid between staphylococci from pigs and humans appears to be likely
The Common Frame of Reference (CFR) and the Principles of European Law on Commercial Agency, Franchise and Distribution Contracts
No full text At the beginning of 2008, the draft Common Frame of Reference (CFR) will be presented to the European Commission by the Joint Network on European Private Law. The author gives an overview of the manifold discussions that have been held as to the purpose, content and scope of the CFR. The main part of the article then explains in depth the recently published Principles of European Law on Commercial Agency, Franchise and Distribution Contracts (PEL CAFDC). Both texts are very similar, as the Draft CFR is directly inspired by the Principles. The article focusses on the Principles and shows how the PEL CAFDC go much further than formulating a simple common terminology. It presents the general structure and content of the PEL CAFDC, then shows its relationship to other soft and hard law instruments and finally discusses some of the duties and obligations found in the PEL CAFDC/DCF
Fuel-air mixing in motored CFR engine at research octane number (RON) relevant condition
No full textFunding Information: The authors acknowledge the computational resources provided by the Aalto Science-IT project and Aalto Research Software Engineers (RSEs). We thank Olli Ranta and Otto Blomstedt for assistance. The submitted manuscript was created partly by UChicago Argonne, LLC, Operator of Argonne National Laboratory. Argonne, a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science laboratory, is operated under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357. Funding Information: The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This study is financially supported by the Research Council of Finland (grant no. 346918 and 332835). Financial support from Neste Oy is gratefully acknowledged. Publisher Copyright: © IMechE 2023.This paper presents a three-dimensional (3-D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) study of a motored cooperative fuel research (CFR) engine at research octane number (RON) relevant condition. The boundary conditions for 3-D simulations were generated with a one-dimensional GT-Power model. For the first time in literature, a carburetor was added to a virtual CFR engine model with 3-D CFD. Therefore, the proposed setup can simulate the fuel and thermal stratifications inside the engine cylinder with realistic detail. The transient simulations in this work were performed within the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) framework with a Realizable k-ε turbulence model. Major conclusions from the present work are: (1) The in-cylinder flow of the CFR engine is swirl-dominated due to the existence of the intake valve shroud. (2) There is a significant amount of liquid droplets entering the cylinder during the intake stroke. The maximum instantaneous amount of liquid for 50% PRF 87 (containing 87% iso-octane and 13% n-heptane (v/v)) and 50% ethanol mixture is indicated to be around 26% of total injected fuel mass. (3) The heat of vaporization (HoV) of the fuel is responsible for creating both temperature and charge stratification inside the cylinder.Peer reviewe
Insights relating to octane rating and the underlying role of autoignition
No full textIncludes bibliographical references.The methods prescribed by the ASTM for Research and Motor octane number ratings are generally accepted as indicative of the anti-knock properties of gasoline when applied in spark ignition engines. However, it has been shown by the author that the manifestation of autoignition in the CFR engine that is used for octane rating differs significantly from that which is typically experienced in a modern production engine under knocking conditions (SAE paper 2005-01-2081). The present research examines the knock measurement system prescribed by the ASTM method and demonstrates how knock intensity is defined by the pressure rise associated with bulk autoignition heat release and that it is insensitive to the high frequency pressure fluctuations
Quantification of myocardial blood flow using dynamic 320-row multi-detector CT as compared with O-15-H2O PET
No full textThis study introduces a method to calculate myocardium blood flow (MBF) and coronary flow reserve (CFR) using the relatively low-dose dynamic 320-row multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT), validates the method against O-15-H2O positron-emission tomography (PET) and assesses the CFRs of coronary artery disease (CAD) patients. Thirty-two subjects underwent both dynamic CT perfusion (CTP) and PET perfusion imaging at rest and during pharmacological stress. In 12 normal subjects (pilot group), the calculation method for MBF and CFR was established. In the other 13 normal subjects (validation group), MBF and CFR obtained by dynamic CTP and PET were compared. Finally, the CFRs obtained by dynamic CTP and PET were compared between the validation group and CAD patients (n = 7). Correlation between MBF of MDCT and PET was strong (r = 0.95, P < 0.0001). CFR showed good correlation between dynamic CTP and PET (r = 0.67, P = 0.0126). CFRCT in the CAD group (2.3 +/- 0.8) was significantly lower than that in the validation group (5.2 +/- 1.8) (P = 0.0011). We established a method for measuring MBF and CFR with the relatively low-dose dynamic MDCT. Lower CFR was well demonstrated in CAD patients by dynamic CTP. aEuro cent MBF and CFR can be calculated using dynamic CTP with 320-row MDCT. aEuro cent MBF and CFR showed good correlation between dynamic CTP and PET. aEuro cent Lower CFR was well demonstrated in CAD patients by dynamic CTP
Analysis of simulated dilute anode tail-gas combustion characteristics on a CFR engine
No full text2020 Spring.Includes bibliographical references.Recent innovations in metal-supported solid oxide fuel cells (MS-SOFC) have increased the longevity and reliability of fuel cells. These innovations drive the desire to create power generating systems that combine different ways of extracting power from a fuel to increase overall fuel conversion efficiency. This investigation assesses the feasibility of operating an internal combustion engine (ICE) with the anode tail-gas, which is a blend of H2, CO, CO2, H2O, and CH4, exhausted by a metal-supported solid oxide fuel cell (MS-SOFC). This engine would be used to support the fuel cell balance of plant equipment, including a compressor and expander, and produce excess electrical power. Seven variations of the expected anode tail-gas blends were determined by varying the dewpoint temperature of the fuel. In three of the test blends, CO2 replaced the water content of the fuel to allow for initial feasibility testing without the capital investment required to simulate the tail-gas with steam injection. Gas blends are tested by combining separate flows of each constituent, and combustion is tested using a Cooperative Fuel Research (CFR) engine. Compression ratio (CR), spark timing, intake manifold temperature (IMT), and boost pressure were manipulated to obtain optimal operating conditions. All test blends produced power and reached stable engine operation. Response surface method (RSM) optimization was used to experimentally optimize operating parameters and determine the maximum achievable efficiency utilizing the CFR engine. Initial feasibility testing performed on test blends with CO2 in place of water showed that all combinations successfully produced power in the engine. The mixture with the highest levels of CO2 was problematic and required an increased CR of 14.4:1, advanced timing of 40° before top dead center (BTDC), and an increased IMT of 70℃. All CO2 test blends operated at brake efficiencies ranging from 12-17% during initial testing. After the feasibility of this project was determined, a steam generator and steam flow meter were installed and used to fully simulate the anode tail-gas blends with steam injection. All fully simulated anode tail-gas blends produced power in the engine, although the blend with the most water content caused operational problems with the CFR engine test stand. These problems were caused by large amounts of water entering the engine lube oil system. RSM optimization was performed on the most viable test blends which had steam injection to 40℃ and 90℃ fuel dewpoint temperatures. During optimization, the 40℃ and 90℃ dewpoint temperature blend brake efficiency increased from 20% to 22.2%, and 17% to 22.3%, respectively. This study determined that ICE operation on dilute anode tail-gas is possible. Anode tail-gas combustion data was collected and used to inform engine and combustion models to facilitate prototype engine development for further testing
El juez y el historiador. Historias. Revista de la Dirección de Estudios Históricos. Num. 26 (1991) abril-septiembre
No full text1 Cfr. A. Momigliano, "History Between Medicine and Rhetoric", Ottavo contributo alla storia degli studi classici e del mondo antico, Roma, 1987, pp. 14-25.2 C. Ginzburg, "Montrer et citer" , Le Débat, núm. 56, Septiembre-Octubre, 1989, pp. 46-64.3 Cfr. A Momigliano, "Storia antica e antiquaria", Sui fondamenti della storia antica, Torino, 1984, pp. 5-45.4 Del escrito de Griffet he consultado la segunda edición (Liege 1770). A. Johnaon, The Historian and Historical Evidence, New York , 1934 (1ª ed. 1926), p. 114, que cita el pasaje que mencioné, defime el Traité como "el libro más importante sobre el método hiatórico después de el De re diplomatica de Mabillon". Ver también Momigliano, Sui fondamenti, cit., p. 19; y, de C. Ginzburg, "Just One Witness", comunicación presentada enel Congreso, "The 'Final Solution' and the Limita of Representation", Los Angeles, 25-29 de Abril de 1990; sobre Gibbon hay que ver sobre todo los ensayos fundamentales de Momigliano reunidos en Sui fondamenti, cit., pp. 294-367.6 Cfr. K. Löwith, Significato e fine della Storia (trad. it. de The Meaning in History. The Teological lmplications of the Philosophy of History, 1949), Milán, 1963, p. 92. (Edición en español El sentido de la historia, Madrid, Aguilar, 1958.) ("La historia del mundo es el tribunal del mundo", traducción que hace que se diluya la ambigüedad del texto, debidamente subrayada por Löwith; en la p. 36 la misma frase está dada como "la historia del mundo es el juicio del mundo". Propondría "la historia del mundo es el juicio final", o algo parecido). La frase (como me sugiere Alberto Gajano) vuelve por lo menos tres veces en la obra de Hegel: cfr. Enciclopedia delle scienze filosofiche, trad. it. de B. Croce, Bari, 1951, fracción 648; Filosofia del diritto, trad. it. de F. Messineo, fracción 340; Lezioni sulla Filosofia della Storia, trad. it. de G. Calogero , Florencia, 1967, pp. 70. En general cfr. R. Koselleck, Futuro Passato, trad. it., Génova, 1986, p. 49.6 Cfr . Lord Acton, Lectures on Modem History, London, 1960, p. 17.7 De la "historiografía judicial" ha hablado con agudeza L. Ferrajoli en un artículo sobre el caso "7 de Abril", publicado en "Iln Manifesto", 23-24 de Febrero 1983.8 He utilizado provechosamente L'albero della Rivoluzione. Le interpretazioni della Rivoluzione francese, al cuidado de B. Bongiovanni y L. Guerci, Turín, 1989. Véanse en especial los apartados Alphonse Aulard y Albert Mathiez (de M. Vovelle), y Hippolyte Taine (de R. Pozzi). De Aulard, cfr., Taine historien de la Révolution française, París, 1907, introducido por la característica declaración (p. VII): "Creo entonces estar seguro, no digo de parecer imparcial, sino de ser imparcial". Siempre a propósito de metáforas judiciales véase el título de la recopilación de ensayos de varios autores, Eine Jury für Jacques Roux, en "Sitzungsberichte der Akademie der Wissenschaften der DDR" (Gesellschaftswissens-chaften), Berlín, 1981. En un nivel infinitamente más vulgar véanse en Italia los muy recientes procesos que se han intentado sobre el Risorgimento y la resistencia antifascista.9 Cfr. M. Bloch, Apologia della storia o mestiere di storico, trad. it ., Turín, 1969, pp. 123-25 (modifico ligeramente la traducción). (Edición en español, Introducción a la historia, México, FCE, 1970).10 Véanse las observaciones sobre Mathiez de F. Furet, Dictionnaire critique de la Révolution Française, París, 1988, apartado "Histoire Universitaire de la Révolution", pp. 990-91. Sobre La Grande Peur de 1789, (Edición en español El gran pánico de 1789. La Revolución francesa y los campesinos, Barcelona, Editorial Paidós, Paidós Studio, 64, 1986.) véase la introducción de J. Revel en la edición de 1989. La contraposición entre los dos libros es puramente simbólica; no toma en cuenta, por ejemplo, La vie chère et le mouvement social sous la Terreur, 1927 (A Mathiez, Carovita e lotte sociali sotto il Terrore, Turín, 1949).11 Cfr. el apartado de George Lefebvre (de L. Guerci), L'albero della Rivoluzione , cit.12 La frase de Brecht referida por Benjamin es "río hay que partir de las buenas cosas viejas, sino de las malas cosas nuevas" (cfr. W. Benjamin, Avanguardia e rivoluzione. Scritti letterari, Turín, 1973, p. 233). (Modifico ligeramente la traducción). Sobre los ecos de Gentile en los escritos de H. White (ver más adelante) en "Just one Witness", cit.13 Marcel Mauss era de opinión diferente: cfr. "Rapports réels et pratiques de la psychologie et de la sociologie" (1924), Sociologie et Antropologie, París, 1960, p. 281-310, sobre todo la página 287, donde rechaza la tendencia a separar "la conciencia del grupo de todo el substrato material y concreto. En la sociedad, hay otra cosa que las representaciones colectivas, por más importantes o dominantes que éstas sean".14 Entre las figuras más representativas de este clima véase –desde puntos de vista diferentes- Michel de Certeau (en Francia) y Hayden White (en los EE.UU.); respectivamente La escritura de la Historia, México, UIA, 1985 y Metahistoria. La imaginación histórica en la Europa del siglo XIX, México, FCE, 1992. Sobre White cfr. A. Momigliano, "La retórica della storia e la storia della retorica: sui tropi di Hayden White", Sui fondamenti, cit., pp. 465-76; y de C. Ginzburg, "Montrer", cit., y "Just one Witness", cit. Sobre F. Hartog, Le miroir d'Hérodote, París, 1980; cfr . "Prove e possibilitá", postfacio a N. Zemon Davis, Il ritorno di Martin Guerre, Turín, 1984, pp. 143-144.15 Sobre la prueba cfr. L. Ferrajoli, Diritto e ragione. Teoria del garantismo penale, Bari, 1989, p. 108 ss.16 M. Bloch, Apología della storia, cit., pp . 117 ss.17 Cfr. Ferrajoli, Diritto e ragione, cit., p. 32.18 Cfr. A. Momigliano, Lo suiluppo del la biografia greca, Turín, 1974, p. 40. (Edición en español, Génesis y desarrollo de la biografía en Grecia, México, FCE, 1986).19 Ibid., pp. 4-5.20 Este breve escrito apareció primero en el "Censeur européen" del 12 de mayo de 1920: cfr. la introducción de R. Pozzi a A. Thierry, Scritti Storici, Turín, 1983, p. 26, que en general subraya la colaboración del joven Thierry con Saint-Simon. El ensayo fue después republicado en Dix ans d'études historiques, París, 1835; he consultado la edición Milán [París] 1843, donde se encuentra en las pp. 202-8; en la p. 207 se habla de "plaisanterie". Cfr. L. Gossman, "Augustin Thierry and Liberal Historiography",History and Theory, Beiheft 15, 1976. Ver también M. Gauchet, Les lieux de la mémoire, II, París, 1986.21 Le Crépuscule du Soir, últimos versos: "Enore la plupart n'ont-ils jamais connu La douceur du foyer et n'ont jamais vécu!". Charles Baudelaire, Les Fleúrs du Mal.22 Cfr. C. Ginzburg, "Provee possibilitá", cit.23 Cfr. A. Momigliano, "Marcel Mauss e il problema della persona nella biografia greca", Ottavo contributo, cit., pp. 179-90; A Momigliano, "The Life of St, Macrina by Gregory of Nyssa", Ibid., pp. 333-47.24 La idea central de Orlando tal vez deriva de She, a History of Adventure, la novela de Henry Ridder Haggard publicada en 1887.25 Cfr. P. Viallaneix, prefacio a J. Michelet, La sorciére, París, 1966, p. 20.26 Cfr. M. M. Postan, prefacio a la Storia economica Cambridge, III, Turín, 1977, p. 13. Sobre Power vista en paralelo con Bloch, cfr . N. Zemon Davis, "History's Two Bodies ", American Historical Review, núm. 93, 1988, pp. 1-30, sobre todo pp. 18 ss.27 Cfr. E. Power, Vita nel Medioevo, Turín, 1966, p. 7.28 Ibid., p. 22 (y véase todo el capítulo, pp. 11-36).29 Ibid., pp. 32, 18. Se nota que la palabra "seguramente" significa "muy probablemente" (éste es un vicio muy difundido entre los historiadores; pero no sólo entre ellos sino también entre los jueces).30 Cfr. Zemon Davis, "History's Two Bodies", cit., p. 22, que remite también a E. Power, "On Medieval History as a Social Study", Económica, n.s., I, 1934, pp. 13-29, sobre todo pp. 20-21 (donde se critica a Max Weber).31 Cfr. R. Furet, "Pour une définition des classes inférieures à l'époque moderne", Annales ESC, XVIII, 1963, pp. 469-74, especialmente p. 459 [cit. de C. Ginzburg, Il formaggio e i vermi, Turín, 1976, pp. XIX (Edición en español, El queso y los gusanos, Barcelona, Muchnik Editores, 1981)].32 Cfr. Zemon Davis, Il ritorno, cit., pp. 6-7.33 Id., History's Two Bodies, cit.34 Cfr. C. Ginzburg, "Prove e posaibilitá", cit., especialmente pp. 134 y 146-47.35 Sobre este último punto insiste sobre todo Calamandrei, en el ensayo Il giudice e lo storico. El reconoce la verdad de la tesis formulada por Croce enFilosofia della practica, según la cual la actividad jurídica, comparable en la fase de verificación de los hechos a la actividad historiográfica, se vuelve en su fase final (la sentencia) ligada al momento de la volición, un acto político. Calamandrei observa que esta tesis, que declara verdadera en el plano puramente teórico, comporta el riesgo de tener consecuencias prácticas, extremadamente peligrosas en una situación en la cual, bajo el modelo de la Rusia soviética o de la Alemania nazi, también en Italia se pide desde varias partes al juez "expresar una voluntad política que nace y se afirma con su sentencia" (la referencia es con relación a posiciones similares a las que expresa contemporáneamente G. Maggiore en el ensayo "'Diritto penale totalitario nello stato totalitario", Rivista italiana di diritto penale, XI, 1939, p. 159. Calamandrei concluye proponiendo que el juez "se asuma nada más que un modesto y fiel historiógrafo de la ley, y no otra cosa, y actúe como tal", cometiendo "un error filosófico, pero un error prácticamente inocuo, que dejará intacta a la justicia" (p. 25). Discutir la declarada debilidad teórica de esta solución no nos interesa.36 Cfr. Ferrajoli, Diritto e ragione, cit., p. 491.37 Cfr. Momigliano, Lo suiluppo, cit., p. 8, citado por G. Levi, "'Les usages de la biographie", Annales ESC, núm. 44, 1989, pp . 1325-36.Tomado de Il giudice e lo storico. Considerazioni in margine al processo Sofri, Torino Giulio Einaudi editore, 1991. Se reproducen a continuación sólo los capítulos II y XVIII, que corresponden, respectivamente, a las páginas 8-14 y 101-110
Conference Institutional archives for research: experiences and projects in Open Access Istituto Superiore di Sanità Rome, 30 November - 1 December 2006
No full textThe Congress was organised into four sessions: 1) Open Access (OA) and authors: support from the international community; 2) OA in Italy: knowledge and tools to write and search; 3) institutional policies for OA; 4) opportunities and services to develop OA. It was aimed at achieving the following objectives: a) make authors of biomedical publications aware of the benefits of depositing research material in digital open archives and publishing in OA peer-reviewed journals; b) outline the impact of the OA publishing model on the assessment of research output; c) enhance the adoption of policies encouraging the OA paradigm; d) promote cooperation between research institutions in Italy and abroad to share resources and experiences on institutional repositories. A useful introductory bibliography on the OA publishing model in the biomedical field is included in the Appendix
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