Combining autocracy and majority voting: the canonical succession rules of the Latin Church

The autocratic turn of the Latin Church in the XI-XIII century, a reaction to the secular power interferences, concentrated the decision-making power in the hands of the top hierarchy, and finally in the hands of the pope. A fundamental step was the change and the constitutionalisation of the procedures for leadership replacement, which were open successions where the contest for power was governed by elections. The autocratic reform limited the active electorate to the clergy only and gradually substituted the episcopal elections by the pope’s direct appointment. Besides, the voting rules changed from unanimity to the dual principle of maioritas et sanioritas (where the majority was identified with the greater part by number and wisdom) and finally to the numerical rule of qualified majority. This evolution aimed at preserving the elections from external interferences and at eliminating the elements of arbitrariness. The most important succession, the papal election, was protected by institutionalising a selectorate and its decision-making rules. The selectorate and the elections did not insert accountability and representation mechanisms but only protected the quality of the autocratic leadership and its autonomy

Process for Advanced Management and Technologies of Aircraft EOL

AbstractDifferent possibilities are available to treat aircraft end-of-life (EOL), each with positive and negative impacts on the 3 spheres of sustainable development. EOL processing includes 4 major steps: decontamination, disassembly of reused or remanufactured parts, dismantling of the remaining carcass, materials recovery and valorization and/or landfill. In this paper, we present general methods to dispose of and/or implement profitable rebirthing processes and a dedicated infrastructure for end-of-life aircraft (real Bombardier CRJ100) and helicopters operated in Canada. This work is critical to help aircraft manufacturers design current and next generation aircraft and to facilitate disposal after use. The scope of this project is well rounded and includes all aspects related to dismantling of an aircraft; from legal, to scientific and engineering. These aspects are studied using both modeling and experimental approaches

Great Saphenous Vein Ablation with Steam Injection: Results of a Multicentre Study

ObjectiveTo assess the safety and efficiency of steam vein sclerosis (SVS) of the great saphenous vein (GSV) in a multicentre open prospective cohort study.Design75 consecutive adult patients with GSV reflux, CEAP C2–C5 and vein diameter 4–13 mm.MethodsPatients treated using an SVS™ generator delivering homogenous pulses of superheated steam were followed up at 8 days and 1, 3, 6 and 12 months (clinical, duplex ultrasound, quality of life [QoL] with SF12).Results88 veins were treated in 75 patients. At 6 months, 72/75 (96%) veins were obliterated (95% CI: 89–99) and Kaplan–Meier analysis found an obliteration rate of 96.1% at 12 months. QoL increased at 6 months for both the physical and mental components (p = 0.049 and p < 0.001 respectively). SVS was well tolerated: no major complications were reported. Adverse events occurred mainly at day 8 and incidents amounted to ecchymosis (n = 60) and pain (n = 7).ConclusionsSVS achieved an obliteration rate similar to that of other thermal ablation techniques. It was well tolerated with minimal post-operative pain

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