2,676 research outputs found
Much Ado about Pluto? The 'Unity of the Legal Order of the European Union' Revisited
The European Union is commonly described as a temple-like construction resting upon three pillars. Whereas the first pillar, Community law, constitutes a "new legal order" of supranational character, the second and third pillar are considered to be of intergovernmental kind, i.e. traditional public international law. However, some commentators have advocated a more integrated view, claiming the "unity of the legal order of the European Union". The more recent case-law of the European courts has increasingly to deal with the relationship between the pillars as well as the legal nature of Union law. The present paper analyses this case-law and takes the opportunity to revisit the "unity thesis" as put forward in learned writings, the overall conclusion is that the claim of unity is poorly suited to solve interpretative questions that concern the aforementioned questions.European law; German Constitutional Court; legal personality; supremacy; CFSP/ESDP; Constitution for Europe; Treaty on European Union
Play Money? Contemporary Perspectives on Monetary Sovereignty
Money has always been a difficult and complex concept and the views about what money actually is could hardly be more diverse. This is all the more true in the times of completely manipulated irredeemable paper currencies, the functioning of which is based almost completely on the extent to which people believe in its trustworthiness. The final abolition of Gold as a universal standard of currencies in the early 1970s at first glance seems to have strengthened the grip of governments on money. Nevertheless, it is often argued that "national currencies" are under threat. According to this view, "monetary sovereignty" is waning, as is sovereignty as a whole. The present paper takes a different view. It argues that "monetary sovereignty" understood as a legal concept remains intact and is not even significantly limited by obligations under public international law. This leaves governments significant leeway in taking decisions regarding the setup of their monetary regime ("sovereignty games") and empirical evidence shows the large number of different options that are actually chosen.Sovereignty, Monetary Sovereignty, International Monetary Relations, Monetary Policy, Money
Numerical analysis of lognormal diffusions on the sphere
Numerical solutions of stationary diffusion equations on the unit sphere with
isotropic lognormal diffusion coefficients are considered. H\"older regularity
in sense for isotropic Gaussian random fields is obtained and related to
the regularity of the driving lognormal coefficients. This yields regularity in
sense of the solution to the diffusion problem in Sobolev spaces.
Convergence rate estimates of multilevel Monte Carlo Finite and Spectral
Element discretizations of these problems are then deduced. Specifically, a
convergence analysis is provided with convergence rate estimates in terms of
the number of Monte Carlo samples of the solution to the considered diffusion
equation and in terms of the total number of degrees of freedom of the spatial
discretization, and with bounds for the total work required by the algorithm in
the case of Finite Element discretizations. The obtained convergence rates are
solely in terms of the decay of the angular power spectrum of the (logarithm)
of the diffusion coefficient. Numerical examples confirm the presented theory.Comment: 35 pages, 1 figure; rewritten Sections 2 and 3, added numerical
experiment
Imaging of Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging: State of the Art
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a very frequent tumor worldwide. Its incidence is linked to the distribution of liver cirrhosis and viral hepatitis, which are the main risk factors for the development of HCC. For the evaluation of the cirrhotic liver and for the diagnosis of HCC, multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) proved to be a robust and reliable tool. In MDCT the diagnosis of HCC can be made based on neovascularization with increased arterial and decreased portal venous supply. With modern magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), spatial resolution and robustness increased dramatically. Beside the evaluation of neovascularization by means of gadolinium-enhanced early dynamic MRI, the main advantages of MRI are additional information on tissue composition and liver-specific function. With diffusion-weighted imaging or plain T(1)- and T(2)-weighted sequences, different tissue elements like fat, hemorrhage, glycogen, edema and cellular density can be evaluated. Liver-specific contrast agents give insight into the Kupffer cell density or the hepatocellular function. The integration of all these parts into the MR examination allows for a very high detection rate for overt HCC nowadays, although very small HCCs are still a challenge. Moreover, insight into the different stages of hepatocarcinogenesis can be possible with MRI. Despite its limited availability in some countries, it has to be rendered to be the modality of choice for the distinct evaluation of the cirrhotic liver. Copyright (C) 2009 S. Karger AG, Base
Noninvasive brain stimulation techniques can modulate cognitive processing
Recent methods that allow a noninvasive modulation of brain activity are able to modulate human cognitive behavior. Among these methods are transcranial electric stimulation and transcranial magnetic stimulation that both come in multiple variants. A property of both types of brain stimulation is that they modulate brain activity and in turn modulate cognitive behavior. Here, we describe the methods with their assumed neural mechanisms for readers from the economic and social sciences and little prior knowledge of these techniques. Our emphasis is on available protocols and experimental parameters to choose from when designing a study. We also review a selection of recent studies that have successfully applied them in the respective field. We provide short pointers to limitations that need to be considered and refer to the relevant papers where appropriate
The Behavior of Spontaneous Volunteers: A Discrete Choice Experiment on the Decision to Help
Modern communication technology has enabled new ways to exchange information and is one of the main drivers for citizensâ participation in disaster response. During the last decades, so-called spontaneous volunteers have become an important resource in coping with disasters. However, their unpredictable behavior has also led to several problems. Disaster managers urgently need insights into volunteersâ behavior to effectively use the offered potential. To gain and provide these insights into explaining what drives the decision to help, we performed a discrete choice experiment based on previously identified behavior-affecting attributes. Our results indicate that attributes like the scale of the disaster and the media coverage are among the most important factors in the decision to help. The model correctly predicts volunteersâ scenario-specific decisions with an accuracy of 65\%. Hence, the experiment offers valuable insights into volunteersâ behaviors for disaster research and is a sound foundation for decision support for disaster management
Cancer gene and immunotherapy: recent developments
Gene and immunotherapeutic approaches to treat human malignant tumors are reviewed. Special attention is given to the different strategies of cancer gene therapy and to recent aspects of cytokine-supported tumor immunotherapy or tumor-specific vaccination. The limitations of these therapy approaches are critically discussed especially with respect to immune escape mechanism
Genetic variability of Chilean and Peruvian surfclams (Donax marincovichi and Donax obesulus)
Exposed intertidal sandy beaches are commonly dominated by surf clams of the genus Donax. In Peru and Chile these bivalves play an important role for artisanal fisheries. Beside that, little is known about the taxonomy, biology, and the clams susceptibility to climatically induced changes. The taxonomic status of the two Donax species Donax marincovichi and Donax obesulus, distributed along the Peruvian coastline, is controversially discussed. As morphometric comparisons reveal no significant differences we possibly deal with a single rather than with two species. Furthermore, our knowledge on larval dispersal allowing gene flow among populations is scarce. Therefore, both putative Donax species were sampled at ten beaches along the coastline from northern Chile to northern Peru. Partial cytochrome oxidase I sequences were analysed in order to estimate the genetic distances between both putative species and to estimate the intraspecific gene flow along the coastline. Region specific patterns and the dependence on recruitment of local stocks are discussed
Towards Standardized Grid Emission Factors: Methodological Insights and Best Practices
Inconsistent calculation of grid emission factors (EF) can result in widely
divergent corporate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reports. We dissect this
issue through a comprehensive literature review, identifying nine key aspects -
each with two to six methodological choices - that substantially influence the
reported EF. These choices lead to relative effect variations ranging from 1.9%
to 60.9%. Using Germany's 2018-2021 data as a case study, our method yields
results that largely align with prior studies, yet reveal relative effects from
0.2% to 94.1%. This study is the first to methodically unpack the key
determinants of grid EF, quantify their impacts, and offer clear guidelines for
their application in corporate GHG accounting. Our findings hold implications
for practitioners, data publishers, researchers, and guideline-making
organizations. By openly sharing our data and calculations, we invite
replication, scrutiny, and further research.Comment: 25 pages main paper, 67 pages supplementary information, graphical
abstract on the very last page (p. 93). Code:
https://doi.org/10.24355/dbbs.084-202309131139-0, Data:
https://doi.org/10.24355/dbbs.084-202309111514-
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