Arrest of ships in private international law: analysis of English, Scots and International Law on the arrest of ships from a private international law perspective

The arrest of ships is a truly Private International Law (PIL) institution. Its main rationale is to provide a useful device for international commerce and to compensate for the difficulty of enforcing judgments abroad. The arrest of ships is the typical provisional measure used in maritime claims; but it is as typical for maritime claims as it is atypical as a provisional measure. Arrest of ships is also a typical jurisdictional basis in the maritime sphere; but outside maritime claims it is nowadays completely atypical as a jurisdictional basis, i.e. arrest of non -maritime property to found jurisdiction is regarded as unacceptably exorbitant. Moreover, arrest of ships is a means of security, but its security- related effects are differently understood in comparative law. What is it about the arrest of ships that makes it so distinctive, particularly from a PIL perspective?This thesis analyses the theme in English and Scots law in the light of the international Conventions in the field. It examines the three main functions of arrest of ships, i.e. its protective function, its security function and its jurisdictional function, within the three classical domains of PIL, i.e. applicable law, jurisdiction, and the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. It looks at the role of the lex fori; its impact on characterization issues; its subtleties when applied qua lex causae; and its so often too far -reaching scope when applied qua lex fori. In practice its influence is unhelpful and poses a drawback to the uniformity sought by the international community. Its downside is apparent in English law where the frame in which arrest of ships currently develops is the action in rem, and where the impossibility to separate the two has complicated matters in various ways. In Scots law, due to the fact that arrestment of ships pertains to the broader law of diligence, the distinction between the different functions of the arrest of ships is clearer. Furthermore, recent law reform has brought the arrestment of ships in Scotland into line with the latest international trends in the sphere of provisional and protective measures.Central to this thesis is the jurisdictional function of arrest of ships. Forum arresti, the paradigmatic forum selection criterion in English and Scots law, has survived as a specific jurisdictional basis for maritime claims in the process of Europeanization of PIL. This thesis establishes that forum arresti in the case of arrest of ships is a cooperative forum. It advances the dynamic objective of PIL, i.e. the juridical continuity of legal relations across national borders. In this context, the conceptual distinction between jurisdiction on the merits and jurisdiction for the sole purpose of interim relief becomes paramount.Ultimately, the whole analysis shows that the combination of civilian legacy, common law creativity and international attempts for uniformity has profoundly affected the nature of arrest of ships; not only in England and in Scotland, but, through their influence on international Conventions, in the entire shipping world

The role of abiotic and biotic factors in glucosinolate changes in Brassicales

In this work the glucosinolate (GSL) contents in edible plants and the response of GSL contents to biotic and abiotic stress were analyzed. Fluctuations in GSL contents in Nasturtium officinale were determined in the course of a growing season and in administered N. officinale during a human trial. Results showed only minor changes in GSL contents, which are similar during the development of N. officinale and cultivation of different batches. Hydrolysis of GSLs was analyzed in Moringa oleifera and potential breakdown products were discussed on the basis of structurally related GSLs. Glucosinolate changes were also investigated as a result of biotic stress. Higher contents of gluconasturtiin were observed in Brassica napus infected with Verticillium longisporum. Direct growth inhibitory aspects of gluconasturtiin-derived breakdown products were discussed. Infection of B. napus with Plasmodiophora brassicae on the other hand resulted in lower contents of GSLs. Regulation of gluconasturtiin biosynthesis by more virulent pathotypes might be the cause for differing contents between plants infected with pathotypes differing in their virulence. Furthermore, the influence of abiotic stress on GSL contents in plants was analyzed in this study. Rhythmic GSL fluctuations were observed in B. napus grown in light/dark and continuous light conditions and the influence of the expression of genes involved in biosynthesis and breakdown of GSLs were discussed. The influence of salt stress on Lepidium latifolium revealed significantly higher contents of the aliphatic GSL sinigrin, which might be involved in water homeostasis in the plant. Lastly, it was observed that drought stress resulted in higher contents of the indolic GSL glucobrassicin (GB) in Arabidopsis thaliana. The investigation of deuterium incorporation into GB revealed higher biosynthesis of GB during drought stress. The expression analysis of genes responsible for breakdown of GSLs and synthesis of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) strongly suggests glucobrassicin as a source of IAA in drought-stressed plants

Networked Transitions: Policy Coordination in Socio-Technical Innovation Systems

Governments worldwide increasingly address challenges, such as climate change or sustainability transitions, through mission-oriented innovation policies, i.e. systemic policies that cut across sectors to target a societal problem. Achieving such missions requires socio-technical change and often results in so-called multi-technology innovations: technologies that comprise a set of complex, interacting sub-technologies of diverse characters and cater a multitude of socio-technical purposes. These innovations pose a challenge: They trigger coordination problems across policy domains, across government organisations with different interests, capacities, and mandates, as well as across policy design and implementation. However, although coordination problems are not new to public policy scholars, they remain largely unaddressed in the innovation policy context. Likewise, the innovation studies literature hardly considers the influence of public agencies in innovation systems. Combined, this merits the research question: How do public sector organisations and socio-technical innovation systems mutually shape each other, particularly in the context of mission-oriented policies? This thesis investigates the innovation systems of autonomous vehicles as an example of a multi-technology solution resulting from mission-oriented policies in three highly innovative economies: Singapore, Estonia, and Sweden. Relying on network analyses, semi-structured interviews, and process-tracing, it compares how hierarchical, market-based, and network-oriented policy coordination arrangements shape the public administration’s impact on the innovation system and vice-versa. In conclusion, socio-technical innovations, due to the challenges they trigger, shift policy coordination arrangements towards (intensified) network-oriented approaches. Accordingly, government organisations collaborate to enable the innovation system, rather than controlling it top-down or through market-based arrangements. ‘Networked transitions’, hence, allow systemic feedback loops to integrate policy design and implementation, to mitigate coordination failures, and to accelerate the system’s development towards fulfilling ‘the mission’

Ammon in the Hebrew Bible: a Textual Analysis and Archaeological Context of Selected References to the Ammonites of Transjordan

The study of the Transjordanian Iron-Age (ca. 1200-550 BC) state of Ammon is important to students of the Bible because of the numerous references to the Ammonites (bene \u27ammon) included in the historical and prophetic sections of the Hebrew canon. The book of Genesis traces the ancestry of the Sons of Ammon to an eponymous ancestor named Ben Ammi--son/grandson of Abraham\u27s nephew Lot (Gen 39:17). Chapter 1 points out how Ammon--though often ignored or slighted in studies up to the mid-20th century--increasingly receives scholarly attention. It also shows a need for applying the results of archaeological research to facilitate a fuller understanding of the biblical text. Chapter 2 outlines recent trends in the relationship between the fields of biblical studies and archaeology. Criteria are set forth for evaluating published works combining emphases on the fields of biblical studies and archaeology, especially as they relate to the study of the Ammonites. The term archaeological context is examined and differentiated from archaeological commentary. Chapter 3 tabulates all references to the Ammonites in the Hebrew Bible and compares key references to those in the LXX. A study of the familial relationships within the courts of David and Solomon suggests interesting possibilities for identifying a number of interrelationships which existed between the royal houses of Ammon and Israel. Many Ammonite references cluster around two important themes--tribal/kindred loyalty and honor for Yahweh\u27s temple (or a lack thereof). Chapter 4 gives a topographical and archaeological background for selected Ammonite references. Ammon\u27s heartland (near modern Amman) was centered around the head waters of the Jabbok River (Nahal Zarqa), strategically located along important trade corridors--the north-south King\u27s Highway and the east-west routes to Jerusalem and to the Canaanite coast. Districts of Ammonite control are identified, and an archaeological summary is given for each biblical site with Ammonite connections and for individuals identified as being Ammonites. Occupations of Ammonite people, the status of women in Ammonite society, and interrelations between Ammon and other contemporary states are explored. The comparative richness of Ammon\u27s cultural heritage and its rise to relative prosperity as a vassal state are chronicled. Evidence of Ammonite cult and religion--including the existence Ammonite deities Milkom and Astarte--is depicted on seals and figurines, and in the Amman Citadel Inscription which included Milkom\u27s divine oracle to be displayed publicly on the acropolis. Ammon\u27s inclusion in the Hebrew prophetic oracles is briefly mentioned. Chapter 5 summarizes the interrelationship between biblical references to Ammon and the results of archaeological research. The archaeological evidence is shown to be consistent with the biblical portrayal of Ammon in the Hebrew Bible. However, additional in-depth study of the importance of Ammon in Hebrew prophetic literature is recommended

An Integrated Formal Task Specification Method for Smart Environments

This thesis is concerned with the development of interactive systems for smart environments. In such scenario different interaction paradigms need to be supported and according methods and development strategies need to be applied to comprise not only explicit interaction (e.g., pressing a button to adjust the light) but also implicit interactions (e.g., walking to the speaker’s desk to give a talk) to assist the user appropriately. A task-based modeling approach is introduced allowing basing the implementing of different interaction paradigms on the same artifact

The Funny Side of War: British Cartoons, Visual Humour and the Great War

This thesis examines cartoons and the humour they express throughout the Great War of 1914-1918. Its aim is to highlight the relevance of visual material in an historical context, to draw upon humour as an insight to cultural moods and attitudes in wartime, and to bring an interdisciplinary approach to the cultural history of the Great War. To do this it will highlight the humour of different British cartoonists in selected newspapers and publications throughout the war and beyond. Primarily it will take a thematic and qualitative approach to visual topics expressed in cartoons analysing their connections to the rest of wartime society. Visual interpretations of public controls, entertainment, avoidance of social duty and comparisons between soldier and civilian responses to the war will be analysed. All of which will look to the use of humour in society relating to these topics in the context of war. Thereafter, the thesis will combine these themes into a formation of memory termed 'commercial' reflecting images and in turn memories sold to the public through cartoons. The thesis crosses areas of historical inquiry generating a new dialogue with the cultural history of the Great War, developing ideas of humour, media studies and visual source investigation. War, humour and newspapers are consistent points of reference throughout, combined with a broader historiography as appropriate. Cartoon sources provide the visual basis of the investigation, alongside news articles and reference to official data where applicable. Overall, the interdisciplinary dialogue created between the historiographies of war, humour and visual media promote developing historical investigations, newly bound together in an understanding of the commercial memory of humorous wartime cartoons