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Selected AbstractsFlexible manufacturing cell SCADA system for educational purposesCOMPUTER APPLICATIONS IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION, Issue 1 2008Sarah Reynard Abstract This article deals with the development of a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition SCADA system to be used in a flexible manufacturing cell for educational purposes in different automation engineering fields (SCADA development, PLC programming and industrial communications). When dealing with industrial communications or PLC programming the SCADA is employed as a supervision tool. In the other hand, when teaching SCADA systems the application will be developed by the students and the SCADA presented in this article is employed as a model. The application communicates through Internet with four controllers, by means of an OPC server, visualizes comprehensive information about the elements of the cell, includes the video streaming of an IP camera, and features traceability and report generation capabilities. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 16: 21,30, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com); DOI 10.1002/cae.20115 [source] Condition Assessment by Visual Inspection for a Bridge Management SystemCOMPUTER-AIDED CIVIL AND INFRASTRUCTURE ENGINEERING, Issue 2 2005Vincenzo Gattulli This article deals with a procedure for bridge condition assessment by visual inspection developed during the planning and preliminary design of the BMS for the public railway networks in Italy. The main modules adopted in the procedure are: bridge inventory, computer-aided visual inspection, automated defect catalog, and priority-ranking procedure. The probabilistic models used to calibrate the condition evaluation algorithm are discussed. Different levels of deficiency have been individuated for each class of bridge structure belonging to the managed stock. The procedure allows comparison and relative ranking of deficiency conditions across different types of bridge structures. The results of a visual inspection campaign conducted for a set of bridges with different structural characteristics are reported and evaluated within the framework of the developed BMS. [source] Investigating the transport dynamics and the properties of bedload material with a hydro-acoustic measuring systemEARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS, Issue 1 2008Andreas Krein Abstract This article deals with the following two questions. Are acoustic measurements in running waters appropriate for a highly resolved investigation of the bedload transport? Which characterizations of the bedload regarding mass and shape are possible via the acoustic signals? The signals were recorded by means of data recorders (Tascam Inc. DAP1 Portable Data Recorder) and hydrophones (International Transducer Corp. ITC-4001 A). The ITC-4001 is a shallow water omnidirectional transducer containing a flexural disc transducer utilizing Channelite-5400 ceramics mounted in a rugged corrosion-resistant housing. These hydrophones were screwed onto the bottom side of stainless steel plates, serving as a contact surface for the bedload in motion above them. After more than 100 series of tests in the laboratory, which indicated the basic relations between the dimension, shape and weight of the bedload and the resulting signal, field tests of the measuring system were conducted. By artificially produced flood waves in the small brooks Riverisbach, Olewiger Bach and by a winter flood wave in the River Moselle, it is possible to elaborate similar structures of the signal course of the bedload movement. The highest transport rates can be observed at the beginning of the increasing limbs and behind the peaks of the waves. At the beginning of the waves, the increasing transport power of the water and the loose material can be considered as the cause for this result. The high stream velocity behind the wave peaks explains the increase in the bedload transport so that material from the channel beds is unfastened and will be mobilized. The characterization of the bedload regarding the shape and mass is still limited regarding the field measurements and could be solved only for homogeneous grain sizes and single stones under laboratory conditions. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Gresham on horseback: the monetary roots of Spanish American political fragmentation in the nineteenth century1ECONOMIC HISTORY REVIEW, Issue 3 2009MARIA ALEJANDRA IRIGOIN This article deals with the political economic consequences of the disappearance of the Spanish silver peso standard in Spanish America, the longest monetary union that ever existed. With the Napoleonic invasion of Spain in 1808, the fiscal and political structure of the empire imploded and most colonies became independent. Regional competition for revenues exacerbated budget shortfalls driven by military expenditure. Local elites established in former colonial Treasury districts started highly diverse monetary experiments to procure funds. Those in control of mint houses started minting their own coins or debased existing silver currency. Elsewhere, inconvertible paper currency was also created to meet budget deficits. As a result, the most valuable feature of the Spanish American silver peso, its quality standard, was broken and the standard that had organized the early modern international economy for more than 300 years ceased to exist altogether. In Spanish America, as diverse monies co-existed within a formerly highly integrated economic space, a widespread Gresham's law effect exacerbated the conflict among local and regional elites. This fostered the political fragmentation of colonial Spanish America into an increasing number of political and monetary sovereign entities during the nineteenth century. [source] The role of the European Parliament in forest environment issuesENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 4 2002Nikolaos D. Hasanagas This article deals with the potential influence of European parliamentarism on environmental policy in forested areas. It is addressed as much to policy analysts and parliamentary theorists as to those most directly involved therein, for example international lobbyists and policy-makers. The relative powers of the European Parliament, Council of Ministers and Commission and assorted interest groups (forestry and environmental activists) will be considered through the analysis of documents and expert interviews. The gradual extension of the European Parliament's power (co-operation and co-decision procedures) in combination with the parliamentary functions (control, legislation, election, articulation and communication) will be described where relevant to forest environment policy, in particular to competition, harmonization, internal markets, industry, research, land use, energy and development. The optimal lobbying terrains and prospects of environmental interest groups are also examined and the potential influence of the European Parliament on the implementation of such policy is explored. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source] Comparison of the power of the tests in one-way ANOVA type model with Poisson distributed variablesENVIRONMETRICS, Issue 3 2006Zuzana Hrdli Abstract This article deals with the one-way ANOVA type generalized linear model, the method most often used if the assumptions of the classical one-way ANOVA are not satisfied. In particular, the model with Poisson distributed response variables is considered. The article aims at the powers of tests based on the most frequent statistics,deviance, Pearson and score statistic. The asymptotic powers of the considered tests are obtained either analytically or by means of simulation. Afterwards, these powers are compared with powers of the tests obtained by an alternative method,a variance-stabilizing transformation followed by the classical linear model with known or unknown variance. Finally, a power analysis is carried out on biometrical data to find an experimental design suitable for detecting a priory given differences in expected values. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Changes in the Management of Doctoral EducationEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, Issue 1 2010LUKAS BASCHUNG This article deals with the current reform of European doctoral education. It is argued that the concrete results of the reform can be better understood by analysing changes in the management of doctoral programmes. This rests on the case study of a Norwegian PhD programme in finance and is based on an analytical framework composed of three public management narratives: New Public Management (NPM), Network Governance (NG) and Neo-Weberian-State (NWS). The latter allows for a particular focus on the instruments, actors and objectives of governance. The article concludes that the examined doctoral programme's management story can be divided into two episodes. The first , the ,internationalisation' episode , is shaped by the academic profession in finance which uses a wide range of constraining NPM instruments and applies them in a comprehensive manner to doctoral education in order to achieve its overall objective, namely to implement an internationally competitive PhD programme. The second , the ,integration' episode , is about a recently developed policy instrument with relatively non-constraining NWS elements, used by the State to establish National Research Schools. The latter are principally aimed at the better development and coordination of doctoral training between small and large higher education institutions. Due to those differences between the two episodes in terms of constraining character and scope, the reform of the examined doctoral programme is strongly shaped by the first episode. Hence, the reform essentially consists in a doctoral programme with an international and academic character. [source] Beyond Multilingualism: On Different Approaches to the Handling of Diverging Language Versions of a Community LawEUROPEAN LAW JOURNAL, Issue 1 2010Theodor Schilling This article deals with a problem created by the EU's multilingualism, the fallibility of translators and the ruses of politicians: for different reasons, it is quite common that equally authentic language versions of a Community law have different meanings if taken on their own. While the ECJ's uniform interpretation approach to this problem, which must be seen as required under the non-discrimination principle, has permitted equitable results in those cases decided by the ECJ, it would not be adequate for the simplest type of case, ie that a citizen has every reason to trust her own language version of a law. In such a case, her legitimate expectations in the equal authenticity of that version requires protection. De lege lata the article therefore proposes, in the interest of generally equitable solutions, a balancing, in the individual case, of the protection of legitimate expectations and the non-discrimination principle. De lege ferenda it proposes a more radical solution, ie that there be only one authentic version of every Community law. [source] Ordering a Profession: Swedish Nurses Encounter New Public Management ReformsFINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY & MANAGEMENT, Issue 1 2003Maria Blomgren This article deals with professional responses to and handling of New Public Management reforms in the context of Swedish health care. The focus is on Swedish nurses, and the argument is that the extent to which a profession is heterogeneous and embraces a variety of ordering processes explains differing, and even contradictory, responses within a single profession. The paper shows that the ordering processes within the Swedish nursing profession provided a wide variety of conditions for nurses' encounter with the reforms. Overall, the transformations brought about by the New Public Management reforms aligned more easily with the process of ordering nurses into administrative leaders than with the process of ordering nurses into experts in caring. [source] Mergers and acquisitions in Japan: Lessons from a Dutch-Japanese case studyGLOBAL BUSINESS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE, Issue 3 2009Frits D. J. Grotenhuis This article deals with lessons learned from mergers and acquisitions in Japan. In general, such combinations are not success stories, since 50,80 percent of them do not bring the benefits that were expected. Several reasons for such failures have been brought up in the literature, but real-life cases of the "how" and "why" are very limited or fragmented, especially in a Japanese context. This study enhances a more integral approach into Dutch-Japanese acquisitions. Based on an in-depth Dutch-Japanese case study and a literature review, it can be concluded that the preparation of mergers and acquisitions with Japanese organizations should be focused on (1) knowledge about the target company and its context, (2) strategic issues, and (3) leadership and cultural issues, in order to prevent culture clashes and misunderstandings, and increase the chances of success. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Rebellion in south-western England and the Welsh marches, 1215,17*HISTORICAL RESEARCH, Issue 208 2007Paul Latimer This study attempts a reassessment of the rebellion of 1215,17 in two regions: south-western England and the Welsh marches. After examining the historiography of the 1215,17 conflict and some problems with the evidence, the article deals with the two regions in turn. In the first, the rebellion is found to be somewhat stronger than has been appreciated and to be, to a considerable extent, one of local county communities, rather than of great barons. In the second, the rebellion is seen as much stronger than it has been portrayed, although here the great rebel barons play a significant role. In both regions, the rebellion appears as one directed against an exploitative and intrusive central government and its aggressive curial servants, while also, in the outcome of the rebellion, a degree of common interest between the rebels and baronial loyalists is suggested. Overall, although there are some contrasts between the two regions, the study stresses the elements of a common cause in the rebellion. [source] 4. THE MATERIAL PRESENCE OF THE PASTHISTORY AND THEORY, Issue 3 2006EWA DOMANSKA ABSTRACT This article deals with the material presence of the past and the recent call in the human sciences for a "return to things." This renewed interest in things signals a rejection of constructivism and textualism and the longing for what is "real," where "regaining" the object is conceived as a means for re-establishing contact with reality. In the context of this turn, we might wish to reconsider the (ontological) status of relics of the past and their function in mediating relations between the organic and the inorganic, between people and things, and among various kinds of things themselves for reconceptualizing the study of the past. I argue that the future will depend on whether and how various scholars interested in the past manage to modify their understanding of the material remnants of the past, that is, things as well as human, animal, and plant remains. In discussing this problem I will refer to Martin heidegger's distinction between an object and a thing, to bruno latour's idea of the agency of things and object-oriented democracy, and to Don Ihde's material hermeneutics. To illustrate my argument I will focus on some examples of the ambivalent status of the disappeared person (dead or alive) in argentina, which resists the oppositional structure of present versus absent. In this context, the disappeared body is a paradigm of the past itself, which is both continuous with the present and discontinuous from it, which simultaneously is and is not. Since there are no adequate terms to analyze the "contradictory" or anomalous status of the present-absent dichotomy, I look for them outside the binary oppositions conventionally used to conceptualize the present-absent relationship in our thinking about the past. for this purpose I employ Algirdas Julien Greimas's semiotic square. [source] The Ethics and Practice of Islamic Medieval CharityHISTORY COMPASS (ELECTRONIC), Issue 2 2007Yaacov Lev Charity is deeply embedded in the religious thought and teachings of the three monotheistic religions. This article, while focusing on medieval Islam, is set in a wider framework with references to both Jewish and Christian parallels. Three main topics are examined: the religious meaning of charity, the social and political ramifications of almsgiving, and the impact of the institutional form of charity (the pious endowment system, waqf pl. awqaf) on Muslim medieval society. In the course of this examination, the article deals with the motives and attitudes of the donors (mainly people of the ruling class and the wealthy) and with the recipients of charity (the poor as well as the learned class). The article equally provides an overview of the charitable institutions and functions that existed in Muslim medieval societies. [source] Change processes and ergonomic improvements in small and medium enterprisesHUMAN FACTORS AND ERGONOMICS IN MANUFACTURING & SERVICE INDUSTRIES, Issue 2 2004Johan Karltun This article deals with the question of how change processes can create ergonomic improvements in small- and medium-sized industrial enterprises. Drawing on experiences from two described and analyzed case studies in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and from ISO 9000 implementation processes previously studied, a hypothetical change framework is suggested through a theory generating approach. It separates change into action-driven change, which is an active experiential improvement process, and into vision-driven change, which is of a visionary design character. The ability to bring about problem solving into action was important for the success of the change processes. Furthermore, the nature of different hampering mechanisms concerning ergonomic improvements is discussed. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Hum Factors Man 14: 135,155, 2004. [source] The costs and benefits of lifelong learning: The case of the NetherlandsHUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY, Issue 2 2002Marko J. van Leeuwen This article deals with costs and benefits related to on-the-job training. For calculating costs and benefits of on-the-job training at the sector and macroeconomic levels, a model is developed. Model parameters are estimated using information from a survey of employers and employees in the Netherlands. Exogenous model variables are taken from the survey as well as from several official statistical sources. The model is used for running a baseline scenario and several policy scenarios. The policy scenarios describe proposed policy measures for stimulating lifelong learning in the Netherlands. The model calculates detailed costs and benefits for players in the market for on-the-job training and the macroeconomic consequences. It is shown that the differences in cost-effectiveness of policy measures can be large. Another important conclusion is that the results may differ strongly among employers, employees, and the government. [source] Recent trend of the partial discharge measurement technique using the UHF electromagnetic wave detection methodIEEJ TRANSACTIONS ON ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING, Issue 5 2007Masayuki Hikita Member Abstract The ultra high frequency (UHF) electromagnetic wave detection method has been widely studied and used in partial discharge (PD) measurement and as a diagnostic technique for insulation performance in gas-insulated switchgears (GIS) and transformers. The UHF method has advantages such as high sensitivity, wide detection range and reduced external disturbances. On the other hand, there are still some issues to be solved in the UHF methods, such as a clear understanding of the propagation characteristics of electromagnetic waves arising from the structure of the equipment, optimization of antenna design, calibration of charge, etc. This article deals with the present status and future trend of the technology of this promising UHF method of PD measurement, together with recent activities and results from our laboratory. Copyright © 2007 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [source] Iraq: The Military CampaignINTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, Issue 4 2003Timothy Garden This article draws together early military implications of a campaign where intensive operations lasted barely a month. The deeper insights will need much more time for the post operations reports to be written, detailed battle assessments to be made, and the key decision-makers to record their thinking. As far as is possible, the article deals with the purely military aspects of the campaign. The promise of a decade of development of high technology air power was expected by some to show a new way of fighting wars. The evidence from the campaign appears to give a more mixed message. Certainly, a higher proportion of air weapons was guided in this conflict than in any previous war. Strategic intelligence appears to have been less accurate than had been expected. The unexpected initial resistance by Iraqi forces, followed by later capitulation, required flexible coalition operations. The spectre of the use of chemical and biological weapons proved unfounded. The effectiveness of special operations will be one area for deeper study. The media strategy will need reviewing for future operations. At this stage, the article does no more than record the sequence of events, make broad judgements about the strategic and tactical approaches of both the Coalition and Iraqi forces, and highlights areas where further investigation may be useful to draw firmer conclusions. [source] The lattice Boltzmann method and the finite volume method applied to conduction,radiation problems with heat flux boundary conditionsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 2 2009Bittagopal Mondal Abstract This article deals with the implementation of the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) in conjunction with the finite volume method (FVM) for the solution of conduction,radiation problems with heat flux and temperature boundary conditions. Problems in 1-D planar and 2-D rectangular geometries have been considered. The radiating,conducting participating medium is absorbing, emitting and scattering. In the 1-D planar geometry, the south boundary is subjected to constant heat flux, while in the 2-D geometry the south and/or the north boundary is at constant heat flux condition. The remaining boundaries are at prescribed temperatures. The energy equation is solved using the LBM and the radiative information for the same is computed using the FVM. In the direct method, by prescribing temperatures at the boundaries, the temperature profile and heat flux are calculated. The computed heat flux values are imposed at the boundaries to establish the correctness of the numerical code in the inverse method. Effects of various parameters such as the extinction coefficient, the scattering albedo, the conduction,radiation parameter, the boundary emissivity and the total heat flux and boundary temperatures are studied on the distributions of temperature, radiative and conductive heat fluxes. The results of the LBM in conjunction with the FVM have been found to compare very well with those available in the literature. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Data assimilation and inverse problem for fluid traffic flow models and algorithmsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 6 2008P. Jaisson Abstract This article deals with traffic data assimilation and algorithms that are able to predict the traffic flow on a road section. The traffic flow is modellized by the Aw,Rascle hyperbolic system. We have to minimize a functional whose optimization variables are initial condition. We use the Roe method to compute the solution to the traffic flow modelling system. Then we compute the gradient of the functional by an adjoint method. This gradient will be used to optimize the functional. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Improving interpretability in approximative fuzzy models via multiobjective evolutionary algorithmsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, Issue 9 2007A.F. Gómez-Skarmeta Current research lines in fuzzy modeling mostly tackle improving the accuracy in descriptive models and improving of the interpretability in approximative models. This article deals with the second issue, approaching the problem by means of multiobjective optimization in which accuracy and interpretability criteria are simultaneously considered. Evolutionary algorithms are especially appropriated for multiobjective optimization because they can capture multiple Pareto solutions in a single run of the algorithm. We propose a multiobjective evolutionary algorithm to find multiple Pareto solutions (fuzzy models) showing a trade-off between accuracy and interpretability. Additionally, neural-network-based techniques in combination with ad hoc techniques for improving interpretability are incorporated into the multiobjective evolutionary algorithm to improve the efficiency of the algorithm. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Int Syst 22: 943,969, 2007. [source] On Elkan's theorems: Clarifying their meaning via simple proofsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, Issue 2 2007Radim B, lohlávek This article deals with the claims that "a standard version of fuzzy logic collapses mathematically to two-valued logic" made by Charles Elkan in two papers [Proc 11th National Conf on AI, Menlo Park, CA: AAAI Press, 1993, pp 698,703; IEEE Expert 1994;9:3,8]. Although Elkan's effort to trivialize fuzzy logic has been questioned by numerous authors, our aim is to examine in detail his formal arguments and make some new observations. We present alternative, considerably simpler proofs of Elkan's theorems and use these proofs to argue that Elkan's claims are unwarranted. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Int Syst 22: 203,207, 2007. [source] Relevancy transformation operators: Construction methodsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, Issue 2 2006M. Mas This article deals with the construction of relevancy transformation (RET) operators for fuzzy systems. The notion of pseudo-duality is introduced to obtain new RET operators, and t -norms, t -conorms, nullnorms, and uninorms are used in different ways for the same purpose. Finally, several other methods to construct new RET operators from old ones are pointed out. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Int Syst 21: 155,171, 2006. [source] Approaches to knowledge reductions in inconsistent systemsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, Issue 9 2003Wen-Xiu Zhang This article deals with approaches to knowledge reductions in inconsistent information systems (ISs). The main objective of this work was to introduce a new kind of knowledge reduction called a maximum distribution reduct, which preserves all maximum decision classes. This type of reduction eliminates the harsh requirements of the distribution reduct and overcomes the drawback of the possible reduct that the derived decision rules may be incompatible with the ones derived from the original system. Then, the relationships among the maximum distribution reduct, the distribution reduct, and the possible reduct were discussed. The judgement theorems and discernibility matrices associated with the three reductions were examined, from which we can obtain approaches to knowledge reductions in rough set theory (RST). © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] The importance of modal bandwidth in Gigabit Ethernet systemsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NETWORK MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2001David N. Koon This article deals with the evaluation of bandwidth measurements in Gigabit Ethernet Systems using an empirical data model. It concentrates on the use of multimode fibers due to the advent of Vertical Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) technology that improves the performance of multimode fiber optics. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Model order reduction of linear and nonlinear 3D thermal finite-element description of microwave devices for circuit analysisINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RF AND MICROWAVE COMPUTER-AIDED ENGINEERING, Issue 5 2005Raphaël Sommet Abstract Electrothermal models of power devices are necessary for the accurate analysis of their performances. For this reason, this article deals with a methodology to obtain an electrothermal model based on a reduced model of a 3D thermal finite-element (FE) description for its thermal part and on pulsed electrical measurements for its electrical part. The reduced thermal model is based on the Ritz vector approach, which ensures a steady-state solution in every case. An equivalent SPICE subcircuit implementation for circuit simulation is proposed and discussed. An extension of the method to a nonlinear reduced model based on the Kirchoff transformation is also proposed. The complete models have been successfully implemented in circuit simulators for several HBT or PHEMT device structures. Many results concerning devices and circuits are presented, including simulation of both the static and dynamic collector-current collapse in HBTs due to the thermal phenomenon. Moreover, the results in terms of the circuit for an X-band high-power amplifier are also presented. As for the nonlinear approach, results concerning an homogeneous structure is given. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE, 2005. [source] From lumped-element circuits to monolithic integrated circuits: A contribution to RF and microwave mixer designINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RF AND MICROWAVE COMPUTER-AIDED ENGINEERING, Issue 4 2005Peter Waldow Abstract This article deals with the mixer design for UHF-, microwave- and millimeter-wave applications. Thereby, several aspects such as the chosen technology (lumped elements, hybrid- or monolithic integration) and the applied transmission line (printed circuits, strip-, slot- or coplanar line) are considered. During the course of this contribution, the authors point out the developments in mixer design from lumped-element circuits to monolithic integrated circuits on the example of research activities in Duisburg and Kamp-Lintfort, Germany. The results of these scientific investigations, regarding both the theoretical and experimental aspects, show the feasibility of the proposed techniques. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE, 2005. [source] Nonlinear simulation of mixers for assessing system-level performanceINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RF AND MICROWAVE COMPUTER-AIDED ENGINEERING, Issue 4 2005Nuno B. Carvalho Abstract This article deals with nonlinear simulation methods intended to evaluate the impact of mixer nonidealities on the performance of a wireless system. Behavioral models capable of accurately describing the mixer's nonlinear dynamic features at the system level are currently unavailable. The possibility of using alternative circuit analysis techniques to reach this goal is discussed. After a brief review of existing mixer analysis methods, the focus is directed to the techniques amenable to efficiently handling periodic carriers modulated by complex stochastic signals. In particular, it is shown how multi-envelope transient methods coupled with a three-dimensional harmonic-balance engine can model a nonlinear dynamic mixer excited by a modulated RF signal accompanied by a strong adjacent channel interferer and with a local oscillator corrupted by phase noise. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE, 2005. [source] International law, mixed marriage, and the law of succession in North Africa: ",but some are more equal than others"INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL SCIENCE JOURNAL, Issue 184 2005Wassila Ltaief This article deals with the issues of equality in the countries of the Maghreb and Egypt, where inequality in inheritance and with respect to interreligious marriage is of major significance. As a result, international agreements and international law take on a fluid character according to the whim of existing political systems, where legislators fluctuate between cultural particularism and the need to set themselves within the modernist movement. Yet how can one claim to be modernising countries in which half of the citizens have a truncated status and reservations attached to international agreements raise insuperable barriers against any change premised on equality between men and women? The considerations offered here start from legislation in four Muslim countries with a view to assessing the likelihood that international agreements might one day bring such countries not merely to comply with them but also to give women the place that is theirs by right. [source] Diplomats Without a Flag: The Institutionalization of the Delegations of the Commission in African, Caribbean and Pacific Countries,JCMS: JOURNAL OF COMMON MARKET STUDIES, Issue 3 2006VÉRONIQUE DIMIER This article deals with the evolution of the status and role of the delegations of the European Commission in Africa from the 1960s onwards. Starting from an institutionalist approach, it tries to show to what extent this evolution reflects the bureaucratization of the external service (in the Weberian sense of a rational and professional civil service) in parallel with that of the administration of the Commission as a whole. It envisages the current reform of the external service as a new step in the construction of a mature European bureaucracy. [source] The European Union and the Securitization of MigrationJCMS: JOURNAL OF COMMON MARKET STUDIES, Issue 5 2000Jef Huysmans This article deals with the question of how migration has developed into a security issue in western Europe and how the European integration process is implicated in it. Since the 1980s, the political construction of migration increasingly referred to the destabilizing effects of migration on domestic integration and to the dangers for public order it implied. The spillover of the internal market into a European internal security question mirrors these domestic developments at the European level. The Third Pillar on Justice and Home Affairs, the Schengen Agreements, and the Dublin Convention most visibly indicate that the European integration process is implicated in the development of a restrictive migration policy and the social construction of migration into a security question. However, the political process of connecting migration to criminal and terrorist abuses of the internal market does not take place in isolation. It is related to a wider politicization in which immigrants and asylum-seekers are portrayed as a challenge to the protection of national identity and welfare provisions. Moreover, supporting the political construction of migration as a security issue impinges on and is embedded in the politics of belonging in western Europe. It is an integral part of the wider technocratic and political process in which professional agencies , such as the police and customs , and political agents , such as social movements and political parties , debate and decide the criteria for legitimate membership of west European societies. [source] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||