Hasil untuk "Commercial law"

Christiane Rahe, Heinrich Ditler, Thorsten Tegetmeyer-Kleine et al.

Lithium (Li) plating on graphite is a significant degradation mechanism in Li-ion batteries. While numerous experimental techniques have been used to study Li plating in laboratory cells, investigations of commercial high-energy cells often rely on electrochemical methods. Here we present and classify various methods for detecting Li plating on a commercial A123 pouch cell. In a round robin study across multiple battery research laboratories, Li-plated graphitic electrode material was analyzed using electrochemical, microscopic, and spectroscopic methods capable of detecting metallic Li deposits. After cell opening, their overall distribution on the anode surface was examined using a flatbed scanner to ensure comparability of the samples. Optical and electron microscopy provided detailed surface and, in combination with a focused ion beam, subsurface structure and morphology. Spectroscopic methods confirmed the presence and onset of plated Li with varying sensitivity. Moreover, spectroscopic and imaging techniques were combined correlatively where possible. Availability and measurement duration of each technique was compared. Optical methods are fast and easy to use; thus, they are recommended for most samples, with spectroscopic confirmation reserved for reference samples. This multimodal study demonstrates a range of methods that can be used alone or in combination to qualitatively or quantitatively detect Li-plating.

Juvenal Domingos Júnior, Augusto Faria, E. Seiti de Oliveira et al.

This paper presents BR-TaxQA-R, a novel dataset designed to support question answering with references in the context of Brazilian personal income tax law. The dataset contains 715 questions from the 2024 official Q\&A document published by Brazil's Internal Revenue Service, enriched with statutory norms and administrative rulings from the Conselho Administrativo de Recursos Fiscais (CARF). We implement a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) pipeline using OpenAI embeddings for searching and GPT-4o-mini for answer generation. We compare different text segmentation strategies and benchmark our system against commercial tools such as ChatGPT and Perplexity.ai using RAGAS-based metrics. Results show that our custom RAG pipeline outperforms commercial systems in Response Relevancy, indicating stronger alignment with user queries, while commercial models achieve higher scores in Factual Correctness and fluency. These findings highlight a trade-off between legally grounded generation and linguistic fluency. Crucially, we argue that human expert evaluation remains essential to ensure the legal validity of AI-generated answers in high-stakes domains such as taxation. BR-TaxQA-R is publicly available at https://huggingface.co/datasets/unicamp-dl/BR-TaxQA-R.

Xi Long, Paul P. Plucinsky, Terrance J. Gaetz et al.

We present results from the Chandra X-ray Observatory Large Project (878 ks in 28 observations) of the Large Magellanic Cloud supernova remnant N132D. We measure the expansion of the forward shock in the bright southern rim to be $0.\!^{\prime\prime}10 \pm 0.\!^{\prime\prime}02$ over the $\sim14.5$ yr baseline, which corresponds to a velocity of $1620\pm400~\mathrm{km\,s^{-1}}$ after accounting for several instrumental effects. We measure an expansion of $0.\!^{\prime\prime}23 \pm 0.\!^{\prime\prime}02$ and a shock velocity of $3840\pm260~\mathrm{km\,s^{-1}}$ for two features in an apparent blowout region in the northeast. The emission-measure-weighted average temperature inferred from X-ray spectral fits to regions in the southern rim is $0.95\pm0.17$ keV, consistent with the electron temperature implied by the shock velocity after accounting for Coulomb equilibration and adiabatic expansion. In contrast, the emission-measure-weighted average temperature for the northeast region is $0.77\pm0.04$ keV, which is significantly lower than the value inferred from the shock velocity. We fit 1-D evolutionary models for the shock in the southern rim and northeast region, using the measured radius and propagation velocity into a constant density and power-law profile circumstellar medium. We find good agreement with the age of $\sim2500$ years derived from optical expansion measurements for explosion energies of $1.5-3.0 \times 10^{51}\,\mathrm{erg}$, ejecta masses of $2-6 \,\mathrm{M_{\odot}}$ and ambient medium densities of $\sim0.33-0.66$ $\mathrm{amu~cm}^{-3}$ in the south and $\sim0.01-0.02$ $\mathrm{amu~cm}^{-3}$ in the northeast assuming a constant density medium. These results are consistent with previous studies that suggested the progenitor of N132D was an energetic supernova that exploded into a pre-existing cavity.

Priyanka Rushikesh Chaudhary, Rajib Ranjan Maiti

Protocol fuzzing is a scalable and cost-effective technique for identifying security vulnerabilities in deployed Internet of Things devices. During their operational phase, IoT devices often run lightweight servers to handle user interactions, such as video streaming or image capture in smart cameras. Implementation flaws in transport or application-layer security mechanisms can expose IoT devices to a range of threats, including unauthorized access and data leakage. This paper addresses the challenge of uncovering such vulnerabilities by leveraging protocol fuzzing techniques that inject crafted transport and application-layer packets into IoT communications. We present a mutation-based fuzzing tool, named IoTFuzzSentry, to identify specific non-trivial vulnerabilities in commercial IoT devices. We further demonstrate how these vulnerabilities can be exploited in real-world scenarios. We integrated our fuzzing tool into a well-known testing tool Cotopaxi and evaluated it with commercial-off-the-shelf IoT devices such as IP cameras and Smart Plug. Our evaluation revealed vulnerabilities categorized into 4 types (IoT Access Credential Leakage, Sneak IoT Live Video Stream, Creep IoT Live Image, IoT Command Injection) and we show their exploits using three IoT devices. We have responsibly disclosed all these vulnerabilities to the respective vendors. So far, we have published two CVEs, CVE-2024-41623 and CVE-2024-42531, and one is awaiting. To extend the applicability, we have investigated the traffic of six additional IoT devices and our analysis shows that these devices can have similar vulnerabilities, due to the presence of a similar set of application protocols. We believe that IoTFuzzSentry has the potential to discover unconventional security threats and allow IoT vendors to strengthen the security of their commercialized IoT devices automatically with negligible overhead.

Łukasz Dębowski

We inspect the deductive connection between the neural scaling law and Zipf's law -- two statements discussed in machine learning and quantitative linguistics. The neural scaling law describes how the cross entropy rate of a foundation model -- such as a large language model -- changes with respect to the amount of training tokens, parameters, and compute. By contrast, Zipf's law posits that the distribution of tokens exhibits a power law tail. Whereas similar claims have been made in more specific settings, we show that the neural scaling law is a consequence of Zipf's law under certain broad assumptions that we reveal systematically. The derivation steps are as follows: We derive Heaps' law on the vocabulary growth from Zipf's law, Hilberg's hypothesis on the entropy scaling from Heaps' law, and the neural scaling from Hilberg's hypothesis. We illustrate these inference steps by a toy example of the Santa Fe process that satisfies all the four statistical laws.

Ryutaro Kurai, Hikari Yanagawa, Yuichi Hiroi et al.

While the integration of IoT devices in virtual spaces is becoming increasingly common, technical barriers to controlling custom devices in multi-user Virtual Reality (VR) environments remain high, particularly limiting new applications in educational and prototyping settings. We propose MetaGadget, a framework for connecting IoT devices to commercial metaverse platforms that implements device control through HTTP-based event triggers without requiring persistent client connections. Through two workshops focused on smart home control and custom device integration, we explored the potential application of IoT connectivity in multi-user metaverse environments. Participants successfully implemented new interactions unique to the metaverse, such as environmental sensing and remote control systems that support simultaneous operation by multiple users, and reported positive feedback on the ease of system development. We verified that our framework provides a new approach to controlling IoT devices in the metaverse while reducing technical requirements, and provides a foundation for creative practice that connects multi-user VR environments and physical spaces.

Chairul Anwar, Dwi Suryahartati, Windarto Windarto

Internet access (ISP) implementation is based on Law No. 36/1999 on telecommunications. Internet poles and fiber optic cables are often located next to PLN electricity poles. Many people have been disturbed by the presence of unlicensed poles and chaotic cables. The law regulates the use of land and buildings belonging to individuals for telecommunications implementation purposes and requires the consent of the relevant parties. However, this is rarely realized, resulting in similar issues in various places. This study aims to determine and analyze the provider's obligations as the implementing party and the indicators of errors and omissions in ISP implementation. The study employs normative legal research methodologies, encompassing the analysis of legislation and additional secondary data. This study found that providers are responsible for goods under their control. The aggrieved community can hold providers accountable for clear problems resulting from their errors or negligence. It is expected that adjusting existing rules to the status quo will address the problem of fiber optic poles and cables for communities in various regions with similar cases. This will make providers more careful when implementing the internet.

Masood Amani, Morteza Najaf Abadi Farahani

‌ ∴ Introduction ∴ ‌The regulation of profit distribution in joint-stock companies is a critical legal and financial consideration, particularly in jurisdictions that emphasize the protection of shareholders and creditors. In Iranian law, as well as in many other legal systems, profit distribution mechanisms and restrictions aim to safeguard the financial integrity of companies and prevent harm to creditors and non-beneficiary shareholders. This article focuses on the issue of "fictitious profits" within the context of Iranian joint-stock companies, drawing comparisons with French law, where similar legal provisions address this issue under the concepts of Dividende réel (actual profit) and Dividende fictive (fictitious profit). In the Iranian context, fictitious profits are defined as distributions that do not adhere to legally mandated procedures, potentially jeopardizing the company’s capital, which is considered collateral for creditor claims.     The consequences of distributing fictitious profits are significant and encompass both civil and criminal repercussions, including imprisonment for company officers under specific provisions of the Iranian Commercial Code. However, despite the gravity of these implications, there is limited focus on the concept and boundaries of fictitious profit distribution in Iranian law, particularly in joint-stock companies. This gap in legal clarity raises various questions regarding the interpretation of Article 240 of the 1968 amendment to the Iranian Commercial Code, which addresses fictitious profit distributions under certain conditions. This article seeks to clarify the scope of this article by exploring whether it applies strictly to the stipulated formalities or extends to a broader interpretation, potentially covering distributions to non-shareholders or violations beyond those explicitly listed.‌ ∴ Research Question ∴ ‌This research addresses several interrelated questions surrounding the legal framework for fictitious profit distribution in Iranian joint-stock companies. Specifically, the article seeks to determine the following:     Does Article 240 of the Iranian Commercial Code restrict fictitious profit distribution only to the formalities mentioned, or does it apply more broadly to any distributions that violate the statutory framework?     Is Article 240’s scope limited exclusively to joint-stock companies, or does it also cover other forms of commercial entities?     What civil and criminal sanctions are applicable to those responsible for fictitious profit distributions, and under what legal grounds can these claims be pursued?     How does Iranian law compare to French law regarding the regulation of fictitious profit distribution, and what lessons might be drawn from French practices and doctrines to enhance the Iranian regulatory framework?‌ ∴ Research Hypothesis ∴ ‌The primary hypothesis of this article is that Article 240 of the Iranian Commercial Code encompasses a broader interpretation of fictitious profit distribution, beyond the explicit formalities. Under this interpretation, fictitious profit distribution includes any profit allocations that contravene the legal requirements of the Commercial Code, providing grounds for judicial intervention and sanctions. It is hypothesized that this provision does not merely represent an enumerative list of conditions but instead sets forth essential formalities that, if violated, warrant legal recourse. Additionally, it is assumed that while Article 240 explicitly addresses joint-stock companies, its principles may extend to other commercial entities, where similar distributions could endanger the company’s capital and creditor rights.‌ ∴ Methodology & Framework, if Applicable ∴ ‌This study adopts a doctrinal and comparative approach, utilizing Iranian and French legal doctrines to examine the interpretation and enforcement of fictitious profit regulations within joint-stock companies. The methodology involves an in-depth analysis of Iranian Commercial Code provisions, specifically Articles 240 and 258, with a focus on statutory interpretation and judicial application in cases involving fictitious profits. Key legal sources include the Iranian Commercial Code amendments of 1932 and 1968, along with relevant jurisprudence, academic literature, and legislative commentary.     A comparative framework is employed to provide context and depth to the analysis. This framework leverages French law as a benchmark due to its detailed and stringent regulations surrounding profit distribution in commercial entities. By juxtaposing the Iranian and French approaches, this article aims to illuminate the strengths and limitations of Iranian law, exploring whether elements of the French legal framework might offer valuable insights for reforming and enhancing the regulatory mechanisms governing fictitious profit distribution in Iran. Specifically, French legal doctrine’s distinctions between actual and fictitious profits serve as a point of reference for assessing the conceptual clarity and practical application of similar provisions in Iranian law.‌ ∴ Results & Discussion ∴ ‌The analysis of Iranian and French legal frameworks regarding fictitious profit distribution reveals nuanced differences and highlights key interpretive challenges in applying these laws. Article 240 of the Iranian Commercial Code, as amended in 1968, emphasizes strict adherence to formalities in profit distribution, covering actions such as the general assembly’s approval of financial accounts, the precise calculation and verification of distributable profits, authorization of distribution from reserves, and the method of profit allocation. Iranian law considers any failure to meet these formalities as a breach, deeming the distribution fictitious, irrespective of whether these failures are explicitly detailed within Article 240 or other related statutes. This establishes a general rule against any profit distribution that conflicts with the overarching legal framework.     In comparison, the French legal approach, represented by Article L232-12 of the French Commercial Code, restricts the designation of fictitious profit distribution to non-compliance specifically within the article’s formalities. However, French law provides an alternative course through criminal prosecution under Article 314-1 of the French Penal Code, allowing charges of criminal breach of trust against directors who distribute profits in ways that endanger shareholder or creditor interests, such as distributions made to non-shareholders. This approach contrasts with Iran’s, which does not extend fictitious profit provisions beyond the specific commercial entities identified in its Commercial Code. Thus, Iranian law takes a broader perspective in defining fictitious profits, whereas French law narrows its scope but compensates with additional protections under criminal law.     The broader application of Article 240 in Iranian law raises questions regarding its extension to non-joint-stock commercial entities. Some scholars advocate for a universal application of fictitious profit regulations across all commercial companies, arguing that the absence of specific provisions for other company types should not imply approval of fictitious profit distributions. However, this interpretation clashes with several fundamental legal principles, such as the legality of crime and penalties, which mandates explicit legislative backing for criminal sanctions. This is reinforced by the principles of in dubio pro reo (favoring the accused) and provisions in the 2013 Islamic Penal Code (Article 120), which suggest that extending criminal liability without clear legislative mandate is legally unsound. Thus, while the Iranian framework may offer stricter guidelines for joint-stock companies, applying these provisions to other commercial entities remains contentious without legislative reform.     In terms of enforcement, the Iranian legal system provides both preventive and remedial measures against fictitious profit distribution. Preventive steps include the potential removal of directors before profit distribution is finalized. Post-distribution, legal recourse is available, including criminal complaints against company executives under Article 258 of the Iranian Commercial Code, as well as various civil claims. These civil actions include the invalidation of unlawful company decisions related to fictitious profits under Article 270, compensation claims against inspectors under Articles 154 and 148, damage claims against directors, the recovery of distributed fictitious profits from shareholders, and the right to demand calculation and payment of distributable profits in adherence to proper civil procedures. These remedies provide a multi-tiered legal framework to protect shareholder and creditor rights in Iranian law, albeit with some limitations due to interpretative uncertainties in applying these provisions to other commercial entities.‌ ∴ Conclusion ∴ ‌In conclusion, Article 240 of the Iranian Commercial Code introduces a broad interpretation of fictitious profit distribution, establishing that any profit distribution contrary to the law is deemed fictitious. This general rule implies that legal violations related to profit distribution extend beyond the explicit formalities of Article 240, covering any act that disregards statutory provisions. This expansive view contrasts with the French legal approach, which confines fictitious profit distribution to failures in meeting specific formalities outlined in Article L232-12. However, French law compensates for this narrower scope by allowing directors to face criminal charges for breaches of trust in profit distribution under Article 314-1 of the French Penal Code.     The application of Article 240 to entities beyond joint-stock companies in Iran remains legally ambiguous and is met with resistance due to foundational legal principles that safeguard against extending criminal liability without explicit legislative direction. Although certain scholars argue for the universal application of fictitious profit distribution prohibitions, such an extension lacks the clear legal mandate necessary for enforceability, given the restrictive interpretations required in penal matters.

Shrey Aryan, Michael B. Law

We establish a concavity principle for solutions to elliptic and parabolic equations on locally symmetric spaces with nonnegative sectional curvature, extending the results of Langford and Scheuer. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first general concavity principle established on spaces with non-constant sectional curvature.

Setiyo Utomo, Deny Slamet Pribadi

The advancement of information and communication technology in the digital era has significantly transformed the business landscape. This transformation has the potential to create new opportunities and challenges across various sectors, including Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). In the digital era, MSMEs have greater access to the global market through e-commerce platforms and social networks, enabling them to reach customers worldwide. However, along with these opportunities, significant legal challenges arise that can impact the legal protection of MSMEs within the context of business competition. Factors such as the dominance of large corporations, complex regulations, privacy issues, and intense competition can hinder the progress of MSMEs. From the perspective of competition law, legal protection for MSMEs is a critical aspect. Competition law aims to promote fair competition, protect consumer interests, and prevent harmful practices like monopolies and oligopolies that affect smaller entities like MSMEs. The research method employed in this paper is a type of doctrinal research that systematically explains a regulation, focusing on legal principles and legal systems. This research intends to provide in-depth insights and relevant solutions to ensure that MSMEs can compete fairly and succeed in an increasingly competitive digital environment. The study aims to address questions related to legal protection and legal challenges faced by MSMEs in the digital era.

Goran Stojićević, Sunčica Ivanović

Introduction: Bioclimatic conditions are of great importance for all forms of tourism, especially for health tourism, as they should encompass therapeutic and prophylactic characteristics. Over the last three decades, tourism in Zlatibor has been continuously growing in terms of tourist numbers and the development of tourist infrastructure. This paper presents the bioclimatic and climatic conditions on Mount Zlatibor from the perspective of their impact on tourism. More precisely, it examines their influence on tourist movements on this mountain and their significance for the development of health tourism. Materials and Methods: Research data were obtained through the analysis of temperature, air pressure, humidity, insolation, and precipitation levels. Based on these data, physiological equivalent temperature (PET) values and the universal thermal climate index (UTCI) were calculated. Results: The obtained results of bioclimatic indices (PET and UTCI) indicate potential stress due to extreme cold in the mornings and evenings from late October to the second decade of March. Pleasant warmth prevails during the summer months in the mornings and evenings. In terms of health, the climate of Zlatibor is suitable for maintaining health, as well as for treating various lung diseases, anemia, heart and blood vessel disorders, especially thyroid disorders. Bioclimatic conditions closely correlate with tourist movements on Zlatibor, as evidenced by climate data and the results obtained from PET and UTCI calculations. Conclusion: Comparing tourist numbers over a five-year period reveals that bioclimatic conditions significantly influence Zlatibor’s peak tourist season, which occurs during the summer months. This period offers the most favorable bioclimatic conditions, attracting the highest number of visitors to the mountain, especially those seeking health and recreational activities.

CARLA LORENA S. RAMOS, JOSÉ IVO A. BESERRA FILHO, DIEGO P. DE MENEZES et al.

Abstract Several countries and non-governmental organizations have discussed the use of animals in industry and biomedical areas. This work shows the progression of animal’ rights for scientific purposes in Brazil and how Brazilian Councils have advanced to follow worldwide regulations. Since the first rules about animals’ usage in Ireland in 1635, the British Cruelty to Animals Act in 1876, and the Brazilian animal protection rules in 1924 and 1934, most worldwide actions culminated in the Universal Declaration of Animal Rights (1978). In 1979, the Brazilian Law 6.638 displayed directives for didactic-scientific practice of vivisection. In 2008, the Arouca Law 11.794 filled regulatory gaps and created the National Council for the Control of Animal Experimentation (CONCEA). In 2014, the CONCEA incorporated the 3R’s philosophy and recognized substitute techniques, but only in 2023 it prohibited vertebrate animals in scientific research, development and control of personal hygiene products, cosmetics and perfumes. It is clear current Brazilian and international rules are unable to cover all aspects of animal wellbeing, even for regulations of commercial issues. Certainly, innovative tools, as organ-on-chip, in vitro techniques and bioinformatical advancements will provide a crucial animal welfare and new laws will minimize animal pain and distress, including for disregarded invertebrates.

Maksym Shcherbyuk

The relevance of the article is determined by dedicating the study to the place of сommercial сases among the categories of сasesdefined in Art. 1 of the Agreement between Ukraine and the Republic of Poland on legal assistance and legal relations in civil and criminal cases of May 24, 1993. The purpose of the work is to consider the possibility of applying contractual provisions to сommercial cases, given the fact that the latter are not defined as a type of "civil cases" as well as, for example, family or work сases. Certain aspects of Polish and Ukrainian legislation in the context of understanding and correlation of civil and economic cases are highlighted. The obtained results became possible thanks to the use of methods of scientific knowledge taking into account the peculiarities of their use in legal science. The preparation of the article became possible, and the conclusions were substantiated by using general scientific and legal methods: analysis and synthesis, deduction and induction; empirical and other methods. At the same time, it is difficult to find out exactly what goals the representatives of the authorities of Poland and Ukraine pursued in the context of not including economic сases in the 1993 Agreement. However, according to the preamble, the main purpose of concluding this agreement was to maintain friendly relations between the two states and deepen cooperation in the legal field, including in civil cases. Among Polish and Ukrainian representatives of the scientific community, there is no unanimous opinion regarding the place of economic affairs in the Agreement of 1993. In the Polish doctrine, one can find the opinion that the evaluation of statements in international treaties additionally requires taking into account their effectiveness, that is, interpreting the text so that it has a certain meaning and was useful In our opinion, taking into account the preamble and Art. 1.4 of the Agreement of 1993, which extends the provisions of the treaty to legal entities formed in accordance with the legislation of each participating state, the exclusion of economic affairs from the field of international regulation would be ineffective and too unfavorable for business entities from both countries. The obtained results, in addition to the above, also consist not only in the analysis of international treaties of Poland and Ukraine with other states, which have a similar subject of regulation to the Agreement of 1993 and the place of economic affairs in them, but also in the analysis of judicial practice of the application of this type of treaties.

Weiyue Wu, Shaoshan Liu

While Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies are progressing fast, compliance costs have become a huge financial burden for AI startups, which are already constrained on research & development budgets. This situation creates a compliance trap, as many AI startups are not financially prepared to cope with a broad spectrum of regulatory requirements. Particularly, the complex and varying regulatory processes across the globe subtly give advantages to well-established and resourceful technology firms over resource-constrained AI startups [1]. The continuation of this trend may phase out the majority of AI startups and lead to giant technology firms' monopolies of AI technologies. To demonstrate the reality of the compliance trap, from a field deployment perspective, we delve into the details of compliance costs of AI commercial operations.

Elaine Gregersen

In July 2012, I delivered my first conference paper at the International Journal of Clinical Legal Education Conference: ‘Taking care of business: a new clinician’s experience of supervising and developing commercial case work.’ The audience was sparse. When the chair asked for questions, the room echoed in silence. A few years later, I was called a ‘danger’ to clinical legal education because my students provided free advice to entrepreneurs. The service was criticised as being at odds with the social justice mission of clinical legal education. I remember it being a lonely time. Only a handful of UK entrepreneurial law clinics existed, and we received little attention in research literature. A decade on, I am still taking care of the Business and Commercial Law Clinic at Northumbria Law School. Much has changed. We have seen the rapid development of commercially focused law clinics across the UK, with a diverse range of approaches. In this article I will make a major contribution to our understanding of the state of the nation for entrepreneurial law clinics in the United Kingdom today. Using elements of narrative inquiry and autobiographical writing, I will (a) reflect on my journey as one of the first UK entrepreneurial law clinic supervisors, (b) report on the increasing number and models of law clinics offering advice to businesses, and (c) argue for the further development of research in this distinctive and flourishing area of clinical practice.

Maciej Rzewuski

This article addresses an issue that is highly debatable both in the theory of civil procedural law and in the practice of jurisprudence, namely the entrepreneur’s right to a court and, consequently, the possibility of respecting the principle of material truth in a separate proceeding in commercial cases in the context of evidentiary limitations introduced by the legislator under the Act of 4 July 2019 amending the Code of Civil Procedure. Due to the fact that eponymous matters are complex and multifaceted, the present article shall describe and signal selected specific issues, which seem to raise the most doubts among representatives of the world of science and practitioners who apply civil law daily.

Linnet Taylor

This response to Yeung explores the political implications of the New Public Analytics, in relation to the theory of ‘orders of worth’. Firms engaging in NPA enter into both ethical and practical commitments with regard to their activities which impact on the public. This commentary identifies missing standards for what constitutes acceptable involvement by the private sector in facilitating, and setting the parameters for, interventions on the public. I argue that in large-scale interventions on the national or transnational scale, a conflation of public with commercial aims and values is occurring which requires a rethinking of the notion of procurement, but also of regulation. The engagements occurring under the definition of NPA raise the question of rule of law in new ways. To whom should regulation apply and at what point does a commercial firm become defined as a public-sector actor? How are firms escaping this definition, and what kind of response to this escape from scrutiny and regulation is appropriate?

Adriana Pulido Diaz, Guy Della Valle, Freddy Forero Longas

ABSTRACT Cassava crops have always been fundamental in human nutrition and industry. Nowadays, the development of new cultivars with specific properties has become a major research area. In this research, amylose-free cassava starch (WXCS) extracted from clone AM206-5 was evaluated with respect to its physicochemical, morphological, and thermorheological properties. The waxy nature of cassava starch was verified (0.54 ± 0.09% w/w amylose), showing a 16.92±0.20 µm average granule size and elliptical or spherical truncated shapes without granule aggregation. There were significant differences in the pasting profiles evaluated, with WXCS being thermally less stable (Breakdown = 698±2 cP) generating less viscous final pastes (731±16 cP) compared to a commercial amylose-free corn starch. The WXCS shear viscosity was determined in a capillary rheometer (Rheoplast®), showing an inverse linear temperature dependence, decreasing by a factor larger than 3 when the temperature changed from 100 to 120 °C, with a pseudoplastic flow described by the power law (n: 0.25-0.40), consistency index (32607 - 6695 Pa.s) and specific mechanical energy (124 - 75 J/g). The extensional viscosity was always higher than the shear viscosity, where increasing the strain rate and temperature enlarged the Trouton number (25-145). Complete WXCS transformation under real process conditions was achieved with a 30% w/w moisture content and 100 °C, which induced full granular integrity loss and crystalline structure destruction. The results confirmed a potential utilization for this new starch to obtain extruded-type food products or to serve as a biothickening agent.

Sivakumar Vishnuvardhan Mambakkam, Saadia Nasir, Wilder Acuna et al.

The discovery of topological insulators (TIs) and their unique electronic properties has motivated research into a variety of applications, including quantum computing. It has been proposed that TI surface states will be energetically discretized in a quantum dot nanoparticle. These discretized states could then be used as basis states for a qubit that is more resistant to decoherence. In this work, prototypical TI Bi2Se3 nanoparticles are grown on GaAs (001) using the droplet epitaxy technique, and we demonstrate the control of nanoparticle height, area, and density by changing the duration of bismuth deposition and substrate temperature. Within the growth window studied, nanoparticles ranged from 5-15 nm tall with an 8-18nm equivalent circular radius, and the density could be relatively well controlled by changing the substrate temperature and bismuth deposition time.

G. V. S. Gireesh, C. Kathiravan, Indrajit V. Barve et al.

The radio astronomy group in the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) has been carrying out routine observations of radio emission from the solar corona at low frequencies (${\approx}$40-440MHz) at the Gauribidanur observatory, about 100km north of Bangalore. Since IIA has been performing regular observations of the solar photosphere and chromosphere using different optical telescopes in its Kodaikanal Solar Observatory (KSO) also, the possibilities of obtaining two-dimensional radio images of the solar chromosphere using low-cost instrumentation to supplement the optical observations are being explored. As a part of the exercise, recently the group had developed prototype instrumentation for interferometric observations of radio emission from the solar chromosphere at high frequencies (${\approx}$11.2GHz) using two commercial dish TV antennas. The hardware set-up and initial observations are presented.