Why we need the #NewDeal4Peace on a post-2015 development agenda

Ahead of the International Dialogue for State and Peacebuilding in Washington DC, LSE alumna Katharina Neureiter argues that the New Deal for Peace could make development aspirations a realit

Tanzania’s constitutional review process should live up to its promises and reach out to its minority groups

LSE alumna Katharina Neureiter says that it is time the Tanzanian political elite pays attention to the rights of the Barbaig pastoralists during its constitutional review process

Modes of international sourcing and the competitiveness of firms: an analysis of European survey data

We draw on a recent survey of European companies to differentiate between alternative modes of international outsourcing as possible determinants of market, cost and knowledge-related aspects of the competitiveness of firms. We find that internalized modes are often superior to outside options, and using existing subsidiaries tends to be more (cost) effective than undertaking new greenfield FDI

Flat (001) surfaces of II-VI semiconductors: A lattice gas model

We present a two-dimensional lattice gas with anisotropic interactions which model the known properties of the surface reconstructions of CdTe and ZnSe. In constrast to an earlier publication [12], the formation of anion dimers is considered. This alters the behaviour of the model considerably. We determine the phase diagram of this model by means of transfer matrix calculations and Monte Carlo simulations. We find qualitative agreement with the results of various experimental investigations.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures. See http://theorie.physik.uni-wuerzburg.de/~ahr/ for related publication

Modelling (001) surfaces of II-VI semiconductors

First, we present a two-dimensional lattice gas model with anisotropic interactions which explains the experimentally observed transition from a dominant c(2x2) ordering of the CdTe(001) surface to a local (2x1) arrangement of the Cd atoms as an equilibrium phase transition. Its analysis by means of transfer-matrix and Monte Carlo techniques shows that the small energy difference of the competing reconstructions determines to a large extent the nature of the different phases. Then, this lattice gas is extended to a model of a three-dimensional crystal which qualitatively reproduces many of the characteristic features of CdTe which have been observed during sublimation and atomic layer epitaxy.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Modeling sublimation by computer simulation: morphology dependent effective energies

Solid-On-Solid (SOS) computer simulations are employed to investigate the sublimation of surfaces. We distinguish three sublimation regimes: layer-by-layer sublimation, free step flow and hindered step flow. The sublimation regime is selected by the morphology i.e. the terrace width. To each regime corresponds another effective energy. We propose a systematic way to derive microscopic parameters from effective energies and apply this microscopical analysis to the layer-by-layer and the free step flow regime. We adopt analytical calculations from Pimpinelli and Villain and apply them to our model. Key-Words: Computer simulations; Models of surface kinetics; Evaporation and Sublimation; Growth; Surface Diffusion; Surface structure, morphology, roughness, and topography; Cadmium tellurideComment: 12 pages, 6 Postscript figures, uses psfig.st

Fulminant systemic capillary leak syndrome due to C1 inhibitor deficiency complicating acute dermatomyositis: a case report

INTRODUCTION: Dermatomyositis is a chronic inflammatory disorder characterized by muscular and dermatologic symptoms with variable internal organ involvement. This is the first report on a patient with acute dermatomyositis and fulminant systemic capillary leak syndrome. CASE PRESENTATION: A 69-year-old Caucasian woman with chronic dermatomyositis presented with clinical signs of severe hypovolemic shock and pronounced hemoconcentration (hematocrit, 69%). Her colloid osmotic pressure was 4.6mmHg. Following a bolus dose of prednisolone (500mg), fluid resuscitation was initiated. During volume loading, anasarca and acute respiratory distress rapidly developed. Echocardiography revealed an underfilled, hypokinetic, diastolic dysfunctional left ventricle with pericardial effusion but no signs of tamponade. Despite continued fluid resuscitation and high-dosed catecholamine therapy, the patient died from refractory shock 12 hours after intensive care unit admission. A laboratory analysis of her complement system suggested the presence of C1 inhibitor deficiency as the cause for systemic capillary leakage. The post-mortem examination revealed bilateral pleural, pericardial and peritoneal effusions as well as left ventricular hypertrophy with patchy myocardial fibrosis. Different patterns of endomysial/perimysial lymphocytic infiltrations adjacent to degenerated cardiomyocytes in her myocardium and necrotic muscle fibers in her right psoas major muscle were found in the histological examination. CONCLUSIONS: This case report indicates that acute exacerbation of chronic dermatomyositis can result in a fulminant systemic capillary leak syndrome with intense hemoconcentration, hypovolemic shock and acute heart failure. In the presented patient, the cause for diffuse capillary leakage was most probably acquired angioedema, a condition that has been associated with both lymphoproliferative and autoimmunologic disorders

Phase correlation of laser waves with arbitrary frequency spacing

The theoretically predicted correlation of laser phase fluctuations in Lambda-type interaction schemes is experimentally demonstrated. We show, that the mechanism of correlation in a Lambda scheme is restricted to high frequency noise components, whereas in a double-$\Lambda$ scheme, due to the laser phase locking in closed-loop interaction, it extends to all noise frequencies. In this case the correlation is weakly sensitive to coherence losses. Thus the double-Lambda scheme can be used to correlate e.m. fields with carrier frequency differences beyond the GHz regime.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Production of PHB from Chicory Roots - Comparison of Three Cupriavidus necator Strains

Chicory roots from hydroponic salad cultivation are an abundant food residue in Navarra (Spain) that are underutilized to date. Aiming at a holistic utilization of resources, we report here the first process using chicory root hydrolysate for the production of poly([R]-3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB). The polymer can be used for packaging material made for the locally produced vegetables. In the first step, we developed a pre-treatment process to obtain a hydrolysate, which contained 34 g L-1 sugars and 0.7 g L-1 total Kjeldahl nitrogen. This hydrolysate was used as fermentation substrate for three PHB-producing strains. Cupriavidus necator DSM 428 reached a dry biomass concentration of 11.3 g L-1 with a PHB content of 66 % in dry mass within 5 days. C. necator DSM 531 yielded 3.5 g L-1 dry biomass containing 46 % PHB within the same period. C. necator DSM 545 was superior over the other two in that 14.0 g L-1 of biomass containing 78 % PHB after only 3 days were obtained. These results show that even within the same species, the productivities on natural substrates are very different. The produced polymers were extracted using chloroform, and several thermo-physical parameters are in good accordance with published data. Overall, our holistic approach and the encouraging results prove that chicory roots are a viable fermentation substrate for PHB-production.This work was conducted as a part of the LEAD-ERA Project CARBIO, which was financed by the Basque Goverment and co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) of the European Union

Kinetic model of II-VI(001) semiconductor surfaces: Growth rates in atomic layer epitaxy

We present a zinc-blende lattice gas model of II-VI(001) surfaces, which is investigated by means of Kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) simulations. Anisotropic effective interactions between surface metal atoms allow for the description of, e.g., the sublimation of CdTe(001), including the reconstruction of Cd-terminated surfaces and its dependence on the substrate temperature T. Our model also includes Te-dimerization and the potential presence of excess Te in a reservoir of weakly bound atoms at the surface. We study the self-regulation of atomic layer epitaxy (ALE) and demonstrate how the interplay of the reservoir occupation with the surface kinetics results in two different regimes: at high T the growth rate is limited to 0.5 layers per ALE cycle, whereas at low enough T each cycle adds a complete layer of CdTe. The transition between the two regimes occurs at a characteristic temperature and its dependence on external parameters is studied. Comparing the temperature dependence of the ALE growth rate in our model with experimental results for CdTe we find qualitative agreement.Comment: 9 pages (REVTeX), 8 figures (EPS). Content revised, references added, typos correcte