2,444 research outputs found

    Latest Cretaceous Vertebrates from the Hateg Basin, Romania

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    The Late Cretaceous was a crucial time for the evolution of life on land, and despite its importance, this period is incompletely understood in many places around the world. The uppermost Cretaceous continental deposits of the Haţeg Basin in western Romania have yielded one of the richest and most diverse vertebrate assemblages of Europe, thus being of paramount importance for understanding European Late Cretaceous ecosystems. Although the Haţeg Basin looks back on a research history of more than 120 years, many open questions about the latest Cretaceous vertebrate assemblages remain. This includes, in particular, their diversity, their phylogenetic and biogeographical relationships, as well as palaeoecological aspects. In order to assess these questions, four key specimens were examined for this thesis, a partial turtle skeleton, two ornithopod braincases and one partial skull of a rhabdodontid dinosaur. The first specimen can be confidently referred to the Dortokidae, a European endemic clade of basal Pleurodires. It is morphologically similar to the genus Dortoka but differs significantly from all previously described species of that genus and thus is assigned to a new species, Dortoka vremiri. Phylogenetic analyses recovered the new taxon in a sister-group relationship with a Paleocene dortokid from western Romania, indicating local survival of the lineage across the K/Pg extinction, as opposed to subsequent immigration, as well as the presence of two distinct dortokid lineages, an eastern and a western European one. Additionally, it was possible to demonstrate that the new species occupied a different ecological niche than the only other sympatric turtle taxon from the Haţeg Basin described before, Kallokibotion bajazidi. The two ornithopod braincase specimens have previously been referred to the rhabdodontid Zalmoxes, although they differ markedly from other braincase specimens of that genus described before. A detailed comparison with basal and more derived ornithopods demonstrated that the peculiar morphology of these two specimens is exclusively found in hadro-sauroids. Therefore, the two specimens are re-assigned to the basal hadrosauroid Telmatosaurus. The final specimen examined is a partial skull that resembles rhabdo-dontid dinosaurs. Despite these similarities, the specimen differs considerably from all other rhabdodontid skulls reported thus far and shows a unique and highly auta-pomorphic anatomy, and therefore, it is assigned to a new genus and species, Transylvanosaurus platycephalus. Two sets of phylogenetic analyses placed the new taxon within Rhabdodontidae but were unable to resolve the in-group relationships. Based on the high degree of similarity between Transylvanosaurus and Rhabdodon from southern France, a particularly close relationship between those taxa is suggested, which indicates a more complex biogeographical history than previously recognised. In addition, Transylvanosaurus differs widely from the sympatric rhabdo-dontid Zalmoxes in its skull proportions, indicating a certain degree of niche partitioning between the two genera. The results of this dissertation show that the alpha-level taxonomic diversity of certain groups was higher than previously thought. Moreover, the phylogenetic relationships of the new taxa indicate more complex biogeographical histories than reconstructed before and differential distribution patterns for different vertebrate groups. Finally, it was possible to detect some degree of niche partitioning between the members of the vertebrate groups.Die Oberkreide (100.5–66 Ma) war eine entscheidende Periode in der Entwicklungs-geschichte des Lebens an Land und trotz dieser Bedeutung, ist dieser Zeitabschnitt in vielen Teilen der Erde nur unvollständig verstanden. Die kontinentale Oberkreide des Haţeg Beckens hat eine der reichhaltigsten und diversesten Ansammlungen von Wirbeltieren aus dieser Zeit geliefert, und ist daher von zentraler Bedeutung für unser Verständnis für die oberkretazischen Ökosysteme Europas. Obwohl das Haţeg Becken auf eine mehr als 120-jährige Forschungsgeschichte zurückblickt, bleiben viele Fragen über die oberkretazischen Wirbeltiere noch immer offen. Dies beinhaltet im Besonderen ihre Diversität, ihre phylogenetischen und biogeographischen Beziehungen, sowie paläoökologische Aspekte. Um diese Fragen zu beantworten, wurden vier Wirbeltierfossilien für diese Doktorarbeit untersucht, ein Teilskelett einer Schildkröte, zwei Hirnschädel ornithopoder Dinosaurier und ein Teilschädel eines rhabdodontiden Dinosauriers. Das erste Fossil kann eindeutig den Dortokiden zugeordnet werden, einer endemischen Gruppe basaler Pleurodiren. Es ähnelt morphologisch der Gattung Dortoka, unterscheidet sich aber erheblich von allen anderen bisher bekannten Arten dieser Gattung und wird daher einer neuen Art zugeordnet, Dortoka vremiri. Phylogenetische Analysen ergaben eine Schwester-gruppen-Beziehung der neuen Art mit Dortokiden aus dem Paläozän West-Rumäniens, was auf das lokale Überleben dieser Gruppe während des K/T Aussterbeereignisses hindeutet und nicht auf spätere Immigration, sowie auf die Existenz zweier getrennter Dortokiden-Gruppen in Ost- bzw. Westeuropa. Des Weiteren konnte nachgewiesen werden, dass die neue Art eine andere ökologische Nische besetzte als die einzig andere bekannte Schildkröte aus dem Haţeg Becken, Kallokibotion bajazidi. Die zwei Ornithopoden Hirnschädel wurden zuvor dem Rhabdo-dontiden Zalmoxes zugeordnet, obwohl sie sich stark von anderen fossilen Hirn-schädeln dieser Gattung unterscheiden. Ein detaillierter Vergleich mit basalen und abgeleiteten Ornithopoden zeigte, dass die eigenartige Morphologie dieser beiden Stück ansonsten ausschließlich bei Hadrosauroiden vorkommt. Daher werden beide Stücke stattdessen dem basalen Hadrosauroiden Telmatosaurus zugeordnet. Das letzte untersuchte Fossil ist ein Teilschädel der Ähnlichkeiten zu rhabdodontiden Dinosauriern aufweist. Trotz dieser Ähnlichkeiten, unterscheidet sich der Schädel deutlich von dem aller anderen Rhabdodontiden und zeigt eine einzigartige und stark autapomorphe Anatomie, und wird folglich einer neuen Gattung und Art zugeordnet, Transylvanosaurus platycephalus. Zwei voneinander unabhängige phylogenetische Analysen ergaben, dass das neue Taxon den Rhabdodontiden angehört, waren indes aber nicht in der Lage die Verwandtschaftsverhältnisse innerhalb der Gruppe aufzulösen. Aufgrund der starken Ähnlichkeit zwischen Transylvanosaurus und Rhabdodon aus Südfrankreich, wird eine besonders nahe Verwandschaft zwischen diesen Taxa angenommen, was wiederum auf eine kompliziertere biogeographische Vergangenheit hinweist als bisher vermutet. Zudem deutet die stark unterschiedliche Schädelanatomie zwischen Transylvanosaurus und dem sympatrischen Zalmoxes auf die Besetzung unterschiedlicher ökologischer Nischen hin. Die Ergebnisse diser Dissertation zeigen, dass die Diversität bestimmter Gruppen höher war als bisher gedacht. Des Weiteren deuten die phylogentischen Beziehungen der neuen Taxa darauf hin, dass die Biogeographie komplizierter war als zuvor rekonstruiert und dass die verschiedenen Wirbeltiergruppen unterschiedliche Verbreitungsmuster aufweisen. Schließlich war es möglich die Bestzung unterschiedlicher ökologischer Nischen bei angehörigen derselben Gruppe aufzuzeigen

    Information actors beyond modernity and coloniality in times of climate change:A comparative design ethnography on the making of monitors for sustainable futures in Curaçao and Amsterdam, between 2019-2022

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    In his dissertation, Mr. Goilo developed a cutting-edge theoretical framework for an Anthropology of Information. This study compares information in the context of modernity in Amsterdam and coloniality in Curaçao through the making process of monitors and develops five ways to understand how information can act towards sustainable futures. The research also discusses how the two contexts, that is modernity and coloniality, have been in informational symbiosis for centuries which is producing negative informational side effects within the age of the Anthropocene. By exploring the modernity-coloniality symbiosis of information, the author explains how scholars, policymakers, and data-analysts can act through historical and structural roots of contemporary global inequities related to the production and distribution of information. Ultimately, the five theses propose conditions towards the collective production of knowledge towards a more sustainable planet

    Multidisciplinary perspectives on Artificial Intelligence and the law

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    This open access book presents an interdisciplinary, multi-authored, edited collection of chapters on Artificial Intelligence (‘AI’) and the Law. AI technology has come to play a central role in the modern data economy. Through a combination of increased computing power, the growing availability of data and the advancement of algorithms, AI has now become an umbrella term for some of the most transformational technological breakthroughs of this age. The importance of AI stems from both the opportunities that it offers and the challenges that it entails. While AI applications hold the promise of economic growth and efficiency gains, they also create significant risks and uncertainty. The potential and perils of AI have thus come to dominate modern discussions of technology and ethics – and although AI was initially allowed to largely develop without guidelines or rules, few would deny that the law is set to play a fundamental role in shaping the future of AI. As the debate over AI is far from over, the need for rigorous analysis has never been greater. This book thus brings together contributors from different fields and backgrounds to explore how the law might provide answers to some of the most pressing questions raised by AI. An outcome of the Católica Research Centre for the Future of Law and its interdisciplinary working group on Law and Artificial Intelligence, it includes contributions by leading scholars in the fields of technology, ethics and the law.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

    Climate Change and Critical Agrarian Studies

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    Climate change is perhaps the greatest threat to humanity today and plays out as a cruel engine of myriad forms of injustice, violence and destruction. The effects of climate change from human-made emissions of greenhouse gases are devastating and accelerating; yet are uncertain and uneven both in terms of geography and socio-economic impacts. Emerging from the dynamics of capitalism since the industrial revolution — as well as industrialisation under state-led socialism — the consequences of climate change are especially profound for the countryside and its inhabitants. The book interrogates the narratives and strategies that frame climate change and examines the institutionalised responses in agrarian settings, highlighting what exclusions and inclusions result. It explores how different people — in relation to class and other co-constituted axes of social difference such as gender, race, ethnicity, age and occupation — are affected by climate change, as well as the climate adaptation and mitigation responses being implemented in rural areas. The book in turn explores how climate change – and the responses to it - affect processes of social differentiation, trajectories of accumulation and in turn agrarian politics. Finally, the book examines what strategies are required to confront climate change, and the underlying political-economic dynamics that cause it, reflecting on what this means for agrarian struggles across the world. The 26 chapters in this volume explore how the relationship between capitalism and climate change plays out in the rural world and, in particular, the way agrarian struggles connect with the huge challenge of climate change. Through a huge variety of case studies alongside more conceptual chapters, the book makes the often-missing connection between climate change and critical agrarian studies. The book argues that making the connection between climate and agrarian justice is crucial

    Modernising European Legal Education (MELE) : Innovative Strategies to Address Urgent Cross-Cutting Challenges

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    This open access book presents innovative strategies to address cross-cutting topics and foster transversal competences. The modernization of European legal education presents a compelling challenge that calls for enhanced interdisciplinary collaboration among academic disciplines and innovative teaching methods. The volume introduces venues towards education innovation and engages with complex and emerging topics such as datafication, climate change, gender, and the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The insights presented not only emphasize the importance of preserving traditional approaches to legal disciplines and passing them on to future generations, but also underscore the need to critically reassess and revolutionize existing structures. As our societies become more diverse and our understanding of legitimacy, justice, and values undergoes transformations, it is imperative to reconsider the role of traditional values while exploring promising alternative approaches

    The politics of content prioritisation online governing prominence and discoverability on digital media platforms

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    This thesis examines the governing systems and industry practices shaping online content prioritisation processes on digital media platforms. Content prioritisation, and the relative prominence and discoverability of content, are investigated through a critical institutional lens as digital decision guidance processes that shape online choice architecture and influence users’ access to content online. This thesis thus shows how prioritisation is never neutral or static and cannot be explained solely by political economic or neoclassical economics approaches. Rather, prioritisation is dynamically shaped by the institutional environment and by the clash between existing media governance systems and those emerging for platform governance. As prioritisation processes influence how audiovisual media services are accessed online, posing questions about the public interest in such forms of intermediation is key. In that context, this research asks how content prioritisation is governed on digital media platforms, and what the elements of a public interest framework for these practices might be. To address these questions, I use a within case study comparative research design focused on the United Kingdom, collecting data by means of semi-structured interviews and document analysis. Through a thematic analysis, I then investigate how institutional arrangements influence both organisational strategies and interests, as well as the relationships among industry and policy actors involved, namely, platform organisations, pay-TV operators, technology manufacturers, content providers including public service media, and regulators. The results provide insights into the ‘black box’ of content prioritisation across three interconnected dimensions: technical, market, and regulatory. In each dimension, a battle between industry and policy actors emerges to influence prioritisation online. As the UK Government and regulator intend to develop new prominence rules, the dispute takes on a normative dimension and gives rise to contested visions of what audiovisual services should be prioritised to the final users, and which private- and public-interest-driven criteria are (or should) be used to determine that. Finally, the analysis shows why it is crucial to reflect on how the public interest is interpreted and operationalised as new prominence regulatory regimes emerge with a variety of sometimes contradictory implications for media pluralism, diversity and audience freedom of choice. The thesis therefore indicates the need for new institutional arrangements and a public interest-driven framework for prioritisation on digital media platforms. Such a framework conceives of public interest content standards as an institutional imperative for media and platform organisations and prompts regulators to develop new online content regulation that is appropriate to changing forms of digital intermediation and emerging audiovisual market conditions. While the empirical focus is on the UK, the implications of the research findings are also considered in the light of developments in the European Union and Council of Europe initiatives that bear on the future discoverability of public interest media services and related prominence regimes

    Systems of State-Owned Enterprises: from Public Entrepreneurship to State Shareholding

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    This thesis outlines a new analytical perspective on state ownership through the original concept of systems of state-owned enterprises (SOSOEs). It is argued that the SOSOEs concept adequately captures the evolution of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in modern capitalist economies, challenging and enriching existing economic theories as well as contributing to reinstate the policy instrumentality of state ownership. The concept is defined from a comparative case study analysis of two distinct SOSOEs, operating within the same national context in different time periods. The first case concerns the Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale (IRI), Italy’s former and most relevant state holding company, that played a central role in the Country’s post-WWII economic development. This thesis advances an interpretation of IRI’s economic function based on an original empirical investigation of its archival and documentary sources, focusing on its main public policy missions and on its display of industrial entrepreneurship features. The second case examines the current Italian system of SOEs, assessing the still relevant presence of SOEs in the Italian national context and evaluating the overall governance of the system through a set of interviews with leading executives. Despite the similarity in size and sectoral diversification, the two SOSOEs differ significantly in terms of their operating configurations. In fact, they could be assimilated to two dichotomous ideal types: the IRI SOSOEs represents a template for the policy-oriented and dynamic ‘public entrepreneurship’ model, while the current Italian SOSOEs resembles the policy-neutral and passive ‘state shareholding’ variant. Implicit in these results is the opportunity for current SOSOEs to embrace a public entrepreneurship configuration, in order to exploit the full policy potential of state ownership in driving economic change. The thesis concludes with a proposal for reforming Italy’s current SOSOEs via the creation of a state holding company
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