Modernization of EC Competition Law: Reform of Regulation No. 17

Ladies and Gentlemen, at last year\u27s conference I presented to you a wide variety of ongoing and proposed reforms with which the European Union intends to meet actual and future challenges for its competition policy. Today, one year later, we have made considerable progress in many respects. Most importantly, with our White Paper of 28 April 1999, we have launched the process for a fundamental reform of the rules implementing Articles 81 and 82 of the Treaty establishing the European Community (‘EC Treaty‘), which are currently laid down in Council Regulation No. 17. Anticipating your expectations and my fellow panelists\u27 contributions, I will today concentrate on the reform of Regulation No. 17

The Use of International Accounting Standards in the European Union

2005 is a watershed year for the application of International Accounting Standards (1ASs) in the European Union. From the first of January this year, all listed European companies must prepare their consolidated accounts using IASs or International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs). This requirement represents a quantum leap in the use of a single consistent set of accounting standards for capital markets in the European Union

Nachtrag: Wie sieht die Zukunft Europas aus?

Nachtrag: Wie sieht die Zukunft Europas aus?Ergänzend zu dem im ifo Schnelldienst 15/2005 diskutierten Thema "Wie sieht die Zukunft Europas aus?" zieht Dr. Alexander Schaub, Europäische Kommisison, eine Bilanz der Erfolge des Europäischen Binnenmarktes und gibt einen Ausblick über seine Zukunft: "Es gibt viele Gründe, optimistisch zu sein. Europa hat seine Stärken. Schon vor der Erweiterung war der Europäische Binnenmarkt der größte in der Welt. Heute bietet er noch mehr Potential. Er ist untermauert von einer einheitlichen Währung, die eine vertiefte Integration - zumindest für die Euro-Staaten - erleichtert."EU-Binnenmarkt, Integration, EU-Staaten

Drug Checking: A prevention measure for a heterogeneous group with high consumption frequency and polydrug use - evaluation of zurich's drug checking services

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The increasing party culture in Zurich presents new challenges, especially regarding the consumption of alcohol and so-called party drugs. Streetwork, the youth advisory service of the city of Zurich, has provided onsite and stationary Drug Checking facilities since 2001 and 2006, respectively. Drug Checking always involves filling out an anonymous questionnaire, which allows the collection of important information about a largely unknown group of users and their consumption patterns.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The questionnaires assessed sociodemographic characteristics, consumption patterns, Drug Checking experiences, information behavior and social support. The collected data were statistically analyzed by the Research Institute for Public Health and Addiction (RIPHA).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The majority of Drug Checking service patrons were male and between 20 and 35 years old. These patrons reported high lifetime prevalences and high consumption frequencies of legal and illegal substances, and they often reported polydrug use. Aside from tobacco and alcohol, the most consumed drugs during typical party nights were ecstasy, amphetamines, cannabis and cocaine. Party drug consumers using Drug Checking services form a heterogeneous group with respect to sociodemographic characteristics and consumption patterns. Users of the onsite Drug Checking facilities were significantly younger, were less experienced with drug testing, and reported more polydrug use than users of the stationary Drug Checking service.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Drug Checking combined with a consultation appears to be an important harm reduction and prevention measure that reaches a group of consumers with high consumption frequency and polydrug use. Because of the heterogeneity of the target group, different prevention measures must be offered and embedded in an overall local concept.</p

Theoretical model for the images formed by a spherical particle in a coherent imaging system: comparison

A simple theoretical model is presented that allows calculation of the image produced by a spherical absorbing particle illuminated by monochromatic, coherent laser light. Results presented in this paper are restricted to a singe-lens imaging system, although generalization to more complex imaging system configurations would be straightfoward. The method uses classic Lorenz-Mie scattering theory to obtain the electromagnetic field external to an absorbing spherical particle and a Fourier optics approach to calculate the intensities in the image plane. Experimental results evaluating focus characteristics are examined for 50 um diameter water droplets using an N2 laser imaging system in conjunction with a digital image processor, and the experimental images are compared with a digital image processor, and the experimental images are compared to the results of the theoretical model. Comparative focus criteria results are particularly useful in aerosol science research involving dynamic particle size measuremetns in which criteria for focus and depth of field must be established

A Decentralized Anonymity-Preserving Reputation System with Constant-time Score Retrieval

Reputation systems are a major feature of every modern e-commerce website, helping buyers carefully choose their service providers and products. However, most websites use centralized reputation systems, where the security of the system rests entirely upon a single Trusted Third Party. Moreover, they often disclose the identities of the raters, which may discourage honest users from posting frank reviews due to the fear of retaliation from the ratees. We present a reputation system that is decentralized yet secure and efficient, and could therefore be applied in a practical context. In fact, users are able to retrieve the reputation score of a service provider directly from it in constant time, with assurance regarding the correctness of the information obtained. Additionally, the reputation system is anonymity-preserving, which ensures that users can submit feedback without their identities being associated to it. Despite this anonymity, the system still offers robustness against attacks such as ballot-stuffing and Sybil attacks

Increased respiratory viral detection and symptom burden among patients with primary antibody deficiency: results from the BIPAD study

Background Patients with primary antibody deficiency (PAD) are at increased risk of respiratory tract infections, but our understanding of their nature and consequences remains limited. Objective To define the symptomatic and microbial burden of upper airway infection in adults with PAD relative to age-matched controls. Methods Prospective 12-month observational study consisting of a daily upper and lower airway symptom score alongside fortnightly nasal swab with molecular detection of 19 pathogen targets. Results A total of 44 patients and 42 controls (including 34 household pairs) were recruited, providing more than 22,500 days of symptom scores and 1,496 nasal swabs. Swab and questionnaire compliance exceeded 70%. At enrollment, 64% of patients received prophylactic antibiotics, with a 34% prevalence of bronchiectasis. On average, patients with PAD experienced symptomatic respiratory exacerbations every 6 days compared with 6 weeks for controls, associated with significant impairment of respiratory-specific quality-of-life scores. Viral detections were associated with worsening of symptom scores from a participant's baseline. Patients with PAD had increased odds ratio (OR) for pathogen detection, particularly viral (OR, 2.73; 95% CI, 2.09-3.57), specifically human rhinovirus (OR, 3.60; 95% CI, 2.53-5.13) and parainfluenza (OR, 3.06; 95% CI, 1.25-7.50). Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae were also more frequent in PAD. Young child exposure, IgM deficiency, and presence of bronchiectasis were independent risk factors for viral detection. Prophylactic antibiotic use was associated with a lower risk of bacterial detection by PCR. Conclusions Patients with PAD have a significant respiratory symptom burden associated with increased viral infection frequency despite immunoglobulin replacement and prophylactic antibiotic use. This highlights a clear need for future therapeutic trials in the population with PAD, and informs future study design

A Pilot Study Assessing the Potential Role of non-CD133 Colorectal Cancer Stem Cells as Biomarkers

Introduction: Over 50% of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) will progress and/or develop metastases. Biomarkers capable of predicting progression, risk stratification and therapeutic benefit are needed. Cancer stem cells are thought to be responsible for tumor initiation, dissemination and treatment failure. Therefore, we hypothesized that CRC cancer stem cell markers (CRCSC) will identify a group of patients at high risk for progression