Draft Statute of the Multilateral Investment Court

Die EU strebt einen Multilateralen Investitionsgerichtshof (MIC) an, der das bestehende System der Investitionsschiedsgerichtsbarkeit ersetzen soll. Basierend auf den aktuellen Debatten in UNCITRAL und anderen Foren zeigt dieser Entwurf eines Statuts für einen MIC, dass ein neues System der Streitbeilegung möglich ist. Zum ersten Mal wird ein vollständiger Vertragsentwurf für die Ausgestaltung eines solchen MIC als neue internationale Organisation vorgelegt, der strenge rechtsstaatliche Anforderungen an die Streitbeilegung umsetzt. Eckpunkte sind neben Rule of Law-Überlegungen Kostenreduzierung, eine ständige Richterbank mit einem Berufungsgremium, Transparenz, mehr Konsistenz in der Rechtsprechung sowie die effektive Vollstreckbarkeit von MIC-Entscheidungen. Abstract The EU is aiming for a Multilateral Investment Court (MIC) to replace the existing investment arbitration system. Based on the current debates in UNCITRAL and other fora this Draft Statute of an MIC demonstrates that it is possible to have a new system of dispute settlement. For the first time, a complete draft agreement is presented for the design of such an MIC as a new international organization, implementing strict rule of law-requirements for dispute settlement. Besides rule of law-considerations, cornerstones are reduced costs, a permanent bench of judges with an appellate system, transparency, more consistency in case law as well as the effective enforceability of MIC decisions

From Bilateral Arbitral Tribunals and Investment Courts to a Multilateral Investment Court

This open access book considers the potential setup for a future Multilateral Investment Court (MIC). The option of an MIC was first discussed by the EU Commission in 2016 and has since been made an official element of the EU Common Commercial Policy. In 2017, UNCITRAL also decided to discuss the possibility of an MIC, and on 20 March 2018, the Council of the EU gave the EU Commission the mandate to negotiate the creation of an MIC. The “feasibility study” presented here is intended to contribute to a broader discussion on the options for a new international court specialized in investment protection. The cornerstones of such a new permanent court are a strict orientation on the rule of law, reduced costs of investment protection, transparency considerations, aspects of consistency in case law, and the effective enforceability of MIC decisions

Solution properties and structure of brain proteolipids

Bovine white matter proteolipids have been studied by several physical methods and have been found to exist as micelles in 2 : 1 (v/v) chloroform–methanol solution. The data would indicate the existence of a critical micelle concentration at 0.017–0.022 g/100 ml. The curve appears linear in the range 0.017–0.2 g/100 ml, but from the data at higher concentrations it would appear that a change in slope is occurring in the region 0.2–0.3 g/100 ml. Light-scattering measurements on 2 : 1 (v/v) chloroform–methanol solutions containing more than 0.2 g/100 ml of proteolipid yielded a weight-average aggregate weight of 2.9 × 10 6 and a radius of gyration of 64.5 Å. The intrinsic viscosity of the solutions was 0.32 dl/g and the Huggins constant was 1.085. Light-scattering measurements in 88.5% formic acid–0.5 M sodium formate yielded a weight-average aggregate weight of 7.1 × 10 6 and a radius of gyration of 241 Å. The intrinsic viscosity observed for this solvent system is 0.14 dl/g and the Huggins constant is 1.005. Osmotic pressure measurements in 2 : 1 (v/v) chloroform–methanol containing less than 0.2 g/ 100 ml of proteolipid yielded a number-average aggregate weight of 7.2 × 10 4 Ultracentrifugal analysis in 1.5:1 (v/v) methylene chloride–methanol showed two broad peaks with, s values of s 1.5% = 20.05 S, s 2% = 19.79 S for the minor peak and s 1.5%,2% = 1.86 S for the major peak. Optical rotatory dispersion studies revealed large changes in b 0 with change in solvent and proteolipid concentration. The present data suggest that the mode of attachment of protein to lipid is primarily of a noncovalent type. The results of this investigation also suggest that the proteolipid micelle above 0.2 g/100 ml is cylindrical (prolate ellipsoid) in 2:1 (v/v) chloroform-methanol and approaches a more spherical shape in 88.5% formic acid. A structure for the proteolipid micellar complex above concentrations of 0.2 g/100 ml is proposed.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/37822/1/360060705_ftp.pd

Field-Theoretic Simulations of Polyelectrolyte Complexation

We briefly discuss our recent field-theoretic study of polyelectrolyte complexation, which occurs in solutions of two oppositely charged polyelectrolytes. Charged systems require theoretical methods beyond the mean-field (or self-consistent field) approximation; indeed, mean-field theory is qualitatively incorrect for such polyelectrolyte solutions. Both analytical (one-loop) and numerical (complex Langevin) methods to account for charge correlations are discussed. In particular, the first application of field-theoretic simulations to polyelectrolyte systems is reported. The polyelectrolyte charge-charge correlation length and a phase diagram are provided; effects of charge redistribution are qualitatively explored.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, 3 equations, LaTeX; accepted to Journal of Polymer Science B: Polymer Physics; v2: a revised and expanded version, 6 paragraphs of text and about 20 references adde

Molecules, Water, and Radiant Energy: New Clues for the Origin of Life

We here examine the putative first step in the origin of life: the coalescence of dispersed molecules into a more condensed, organized state. Fresh evidence implies that the driving energy for this coalescence may come in a manner more direct than previously thought. The sun’s radiant energy separates charge in water, and this free charge demonstrably induces condensation. This condensation mechanism puts water as a central protagonist in life rather than as an incidental participant, and thereby helps explain why life requires water

Грунти як об’єкт науки

Висвітлюються деякі аспекти розвитку наших уявлень про ґрунтознавство як науковий напрямок природознавства та про ґрунти як об’єкт науки.Освещаются некоторые аспекты развития наших представлений о почвоведении как научном направлении природоведения и о почвах как объекте науки.The author highlights several aspects of human knowledge about soil research as a field of natural science, and about soils as a research object

Structural brain changes in patients with post-COVID fatigue: a prospective observational study

BACKGROUND: Post-COVID syndrome is a severe long-term complication of COVID-19. Although fatigue and cognitive complaints are the most prominent symptoms, it is unclear whether they have structural correlates in the brain. We therefore explored the clinical characteristics of post-COVID fatigue, describe associated structural imaging changes, and determine what influences fatigue severity. METHODS: We prospectively recruited 50 patients from neurological post-COVID outpatient clinics (age 18-69 years, 39f/8m) and matched non-COVID healthy controls between April 15 and December 31, 2021. Assessments included diffusion and volumetric MR imaging, neuropsychiatric, and cognitive testing. At 7.5 months (median, IQR 6.5-9.2) after the acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, moderate or severe fatigue was identified in 47/50 patients with post-COVID syndrome who were included in the analyses. As a clinical control group, we included 47 matched multiple sclerosis patients with fatigue. FINDINGS: Our diffusion imaging analyses revealed aberrant fractional anisotropy of the thalamus. Diffusion markers correlated with fatigue severity, such as physical fatigue, fatigue-related impairment in everyday life (Bell score) and daytime sleepiness. Moreover, we observed shape deformations and decreased volumes of the left thalamus, putamen, and pallidum. These overlapped with the more extensive subcortical changes in MS and were associated with impaired short-term memory. While fatigue severity was not related to COVID-19 disease courses (6/47 hospitalised, 2/47 with ICU treatment), post-acute sleep quality and depressiveness emerged as associated factors and were accompanied by increased levels of anxiety and daytime sleepiness. INTERPRETATION: Characteristic structural imaging changes of the thalamus and basal ganglia underlie the persistent fatigue experienced by patients with post-COVID syndrome. Evidence for pathological changes to these subcortical motor and cognitive hubs provides a key to the understanding of post-COVID fatigue and related neuropsychiatric complications. FUNDING: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

Complex Coacervate-based Materials for Biomedicine

There has been increasing interest in complex coacervates for deriving and trans- porting biomaterials. Complex coacervates are a dense, polyelectrolyte-rich liq- uid that results from the electrostatic complexation of oppositely charged macroions. Coacervates have long been used as a strategy for encapsulation, par- ticularly in food and personal care products. More recent efforts have focused on the utility of this class of materials for the encapsulation of small molecules, pro- teins, RNA, DNA, and other biomaterials for applications ranging from sensing to biomedicine. Furthermore, coacervate-related materials have found utility in other areas of biomedicine, including cartilage mimics, tissue culture scaffolds, and adhesives for wet, biological environments. Here, we discuss the self- assembly of complex coacervate-based materials, current challenges in the intel- ligent design of these materials, and their utility applications in the broad field of biomedicine