Preventing Mass Human-Rights Violations and Atrocity Crimes

The problem of preventing mass human-rights violations and atrocity crimes is one of the key issues in international relations. The book presents the capacity of the international community in the field. The available instruments of early warning, preventive diplomacy as well as legal, economic, and military measures of prevention are included. Cases of Chechnya, Rwanda, Côte d'Ivoire and Libya allowed the analysis of international engagement in typical situations involving mass human-rights violations and atrocity crimes related to self-determination, ethnic tensions, power struggles and attempts to overthrow a dictatorship. They show that although the international community has significantly increased its capacity to prevent, it has not created a coherent system of prevention

Imaging epileptogenic tubers in children with tuberous sclerosis complex usingΑ-[ 11 C]Methyl- L -tryptophan positron emission tomography

Several reports have indicated that cortical resection is effective in alleviating intractable epilepsy in children with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). Because of the multitude of cortical lesions, however, identifying the epileptogenic tuber(s) is difficult and often requires invaise intracranial electroencephalographic (EEG) monitoring. As increased concentrations of serotonin and serotonin-immunoreactive processes have been reported in resected human epileptic cortex, we used Α-[ 11 C]methyl-L-tryptophan ([ 11 C]AMT) position emission tomography (PET) to test the hypothesis that serotonin synthesis is increased interictally in epileptogenic tubers in patients with TSC. Nine children with TSC and epilepsy, aged 1 to 9 years (mean, 4 years 1 month), were studied. All children underwent scalp video-EEG monitoring, PET scans of glucose metabolism and serotonin synthesis, and EEG monitoring during both PET studies. [ 11 C]AMT scans were coregistred with magnetic resonance imaging and with glucose metabolism scans. Whereas glucose metabolism PET showed multifocal cortical hypometabolism corresponding to the locations of tubers in all 9 children, [ 11 C]AMT uptake was increased in one tuber (n = 3), two tubers (n = 3), three tubers (n = 1), and four tubers (n = 1) in 8 of the 9 children. All other tubers showed decreased [ 11 C]AMT uptake. Ictal EEG data available in 8 children showed seizure onset corresponding to foci of increased [ 11 C]AMT uptake in 4 children (including 2 with intracranial EEG recordings). In 2 children, ictal EEG was nonlocalizing, and in 1 child there was discordance between the region of increased [ 11 C]AMT uptake and the region of ictal onset on EEG. The only child whose [ 11 C]AMT scan showed to no regions of increased uptake had a left frontal seizure focus on EEG; however, at the time of his [ 11 C]AMT PET scan, his seizures had come under control. [ 11 C]AMT PET may be a powerful tool in differentiating between epileptogenic and nonepileptogenic tubers in patients with TSC.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/50368/1/410440603_ftp.pd

New functional safety standardization works - result of the technological progress

Scharakteryzowano zmiany wprowadzone w ciągu ostatnich 5 lat w normach bezpieczeństwa funkcjonalnego: serii podstawowej IEC 61508, sterowników programowalnych, sieci komunikacyjnych i wymagań kompatybilności elektromagnetycznej.There are characterized amendments introduced during last 5 years to standards concerning functional safety: basic series IEC 61508, programmable controllers, communication networks and electromagnetic compatibility requirements

Fort La Présentation and its time

The history of Fort La Présentation is presented interwoven with the 18th century struggle between France and Great Britain. At stake was the domination of world trade and the political and military influence protecting it. The double vocation--religious and military--of the fort-mission complex is investigated and its influence on the planning, construction and the selection of its location is discussed. The evolution of the principle of the separation of two communities--European and autochthon--living inside quasi-independent fortified compounds, located side by side, is investigated. The conclusion reached is that the politico-military aspect of the fort-mission complex of La Présentation was the main one and that its religious role, no matter how successful it was, served only as a cover-up

Paradigms and Safety Requirements for a New Generation of Workplace Equipment

A workplace in the manufacturing industry consists of not only stationary equipment (e.g., machining centres, fixed robots) but also mobile equipment (e.g., automated guided vehicles, mobile robots), with both kinds cooperating directly with workers. Workplace equipment should not only be safe, it should also not generate fear or anxiety; still better if it should inspire calm and confidence. In view of robot laws, this article presents selected examples of robot–human co-operation, reviews safety requirements and safety functions developed to date. It also proposes a package of selected new safety functions, necessary to fulfil this paradigm. It also suggests and presents examples of actions that can make the workplace a human-friendly environment and presents examples of such actions

Linear models of DC servomotors - systematisation

W analizie pracy dynamicznej i sterowania serwomechanizmów prądu stałego są wykorzystywane modele liniowe silników napędowych. Model dynamiczny silnika jest, jak wiadomo, scharakteryzowany: stałymi momentu K(T), napięcia K(E), tarcia lepkiego K(D), tarcia suchego T(F), momentem bezwładności J, rezystancją R(a), i indukcyjnością L(a) wirnika. Z parametrów tych wynikają stałe czasowe: elektromagnetyczna, elektromechaniczna i bezwładności. W zależności od konstrukcji silnika, rodzaju sterowania i zastosowania niektóre parametry można pominąć. Prowadzi to do modeli o różnym stopniu złożoności, odpowiednio mniej lub bardziej dokładnie odtwarzających zjawiska rzeczywiste. Na podstawie równań i schematów blokowych zdefiniowano 10 modeli: sześć stopnia pierwszego i cztery stopnia drugiego. Podano ich transmitancje, wyrażenia do określenia prądów, końcowych prędkości kątowych i przyspieszeń przy rozruchu.The dynamic properties of the DC servomotors are described by the set of parameters: armature polar moment of intertia - J; voltage constant - K(E); viscous damping constant - K(D); electromagnetic torque constant - K(T); dry friction torque - T(f); armature resistance - R(a); armature inductance - L(a) and resulting parameters: armature electromagnetic time constant - T(a); electromechanical time constant - T(m); inetria time constant - T(B). In relation to the servomotor construction (permanent magnet motor or electromagnetic excited motor), the kind of source of supply (voltage source or current source) and work conditions (dry friction is low or high), same of the motor parameters can be neglected by the dynamic analysis, what leads to diversity of mathematical models. The formula (1) to (9) present the basis set of equations. The diversity of models is illustrated on the block diagrams - figures 1 to 4. The diagrams - figures 1 and 4 present the case of voltage source supply, figures 2 and 3 - the case of current source supply. The formula (11), (20), (33) and (41) present the transfer functions of four mathematical models, which are developed on the basis of the diagram, fig. 1. The formula (27) and (30) present the transfer functions derived from the diagrams fig. 2. and 3. The formula (48), (58), (67) and (75) - the transfer functions derived from diagram, fig. 4. The remaining formulas describe the other characteristics of the motors. The systematic presentation of the dynamic characteristics of the DC servomotors is intended as a facility by the analysis of motion systems

Incidents and Catastrophes - what they teach us

Przedstawiono skrótowy opis dwóch katastrof lokalnych polskich (pożar w EC Żerań i katastrofa kolejowa na CEK) oraz dwóch katastrof nuklearnych w Fukushimie i Czarnobylu. Wskazano na naruszenie zasad bezpieczeństwa, które doprowadziły do tych katastrof.The synthetic description of two local polish catastrophes: fire in EC Żerań and railway incident on CMK are presented, as well as two nuclear catastrophes: Fukushima and Czarnobyl. The contravening of safety rules that leaded to the catastrophes is indicated

Principal protection requirements and principles of conformity assessment resulting from regulations, which introduce the EMC directive (89/336/EEC)

Autor omówił w artykule główne postanowienia dyrektywy kompatybilności elektromagnetycznej 89/336/EWG oraz wprowadzających ją do prawa polskiego przepisów ustawy z dnia 20 lipca 2000 r. - Prawo telekomunikacyjne oraz rozporządzenia ministra infrastruktury z dnia 2 kwietnia 2003 r. w sprawie dokonywania oceny zgodności aparatury z zasadniczymi wymaganiami dotyczącymi kompatybilności elektromagnetycznej oraz sposobu jej oznakowania.The articles presents the main provisions of the electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) directive 89/336/EEC as well as provisions of the regulations, which introduce this directive into Polish law, i.e., the law of 20 July 2000 – Telecommunication law – and the decree of the Minister of Infrastructure of 2 April 2003 on performing equipment conformity assessment with the principal protection requirements concerning electromagnetic compatibility and on the way of marking them