The concept of european citizenship in the european union and a common view on the problem of democracy deficit

This study addresses the question of democratic legitimacy between the European Union and the member states and a general assessment is made on the causes and dimensions of this problem of democracy deficit. The phenomenon of European citizenship emerged in the 1970s as a part and tool of the process of creating European identity. European citizenship is different from nation-state citizenship in classical meaning. The problem of democratic legitimacy is approached from an institutional and social perspective. Debate over the existence of European People's support for integration process and the size of sovereignty between the country's constitutions and the founding treaties of the European Union; It has brought debate about which European people and countries would prefer, and caused great disagreements. “The European Union represents both the greatest hope and the greatest threat to 21st century European democracy”

Effects of Implementing Efficiency Techniques in the Plastics Industry in Germany and Western Australia – A Comparative Modelling Assessment

Plastics manufacturing is an important industry in many countries. Energy consumption in particular can be very high. Energy efficiency is an increasing area of management interest given pricing pressures on manufacturing companies around the world. In some cases simulation can help to predict the results of implementing different technologies to improve energy efficiencies. This paper focuses on the results of a simulation model which deals with the substitution of electric power with natural gas and the cooling of moulds by absorption chillers in plastics production. The methodology reviewed can result in significant reductions in energy demand and is also valuable when energy requirements for heating purposes are relevant. Germany and Western Australia both represent different climatic regions, but the modelling assessment on production facilities in both countries highlights the benefits of taking a whole systems approach to energy saving and energy efficiency in plastic production

Increased asymmetric dimethylarginine and nitric oxide levels in patients with migraine

Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) has been found as correlated with endothelial dysfunction and oxidative stress. There are few studies regarding ADMA and nitric oxide (NO) levels in patients with migraine and alterations of ADMA and NO levels during migraine attack are not well-known. Therefore, in present study, we aimed to measure NO and ADMA levels in patients with migraine and compare them with the control group to investigate the correlation between migraine, oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction. The migraine group consisted of 59 patients, including 22 suffering from migraine with aura and 37 suffering from migraine without aura. The control group consisted of 31 healthy volunteers without headache. The patients in migraine group were divided into subgroups based on whether attack period was present or not and whether it was migraine with or without aura. Plasma ADMA levels were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. Migraine patients had higher concentrations of NO (35.6 ± 7.7, 31.0 ± 6.2 μmol/L, respectively, p = 0.005) and ADMA (0.409 ± 0.028, 0.381 ± 0.044 μmol/L, respectively, p = 0.001) levels when compared with the healthy controls. During migraine attack, NO and ADMA levels were found to be significantly higher in migraine group as compared to control group (respectively, p = 0.015, p = 0.014). Similarly, NO and ADMA levels in the patients with migraine in the interictal period were found to be significantly higher as compared to control group (p = 0.011, p = 0.003). In conclusion, higher ADMA and NO levels of patients with migraine supported that oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction may have a role in migraine pathogenesis

Quenching-assisted actuation mechanisms in core-shell structured BiFeO3-BaTiO3 piezoceramics

Electromechanical actuation in piezoceramics is usually enhanced by creating chemically homogeneous materials with structurally heterogeneous morphotropic phase boundaries, leading to abrupt changes in ion displacement directions within the perovskite unit cell. In the present study, an alternative mechanism to enhance electromechanical coupling is found in both chemically and structurally heterogeneous BiFeO3-BaTiO3 lead-free piezoceramics. Such a mechanism is observed in a composition exhibiting core-shell type microstructure, associated with donor-type substitution of Ti4+ for Fe3+, and is primarily activated by thermal quenching treatment. Here, we describe the use of in situ high-energy synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction upon the application of a high electric field to directly monitor the ferroelectric and elastic interactions between these composite-like components, formed as core and shell regions within grains. Translational short or long-range ordering is observed in the BiFeO3-depleted shell regions which undergo significant structural alterations from pseudocubic Pm3m relaxor-ferroelectric in slow-cooled ceramics to rhombohedral R3c or R3m with long-range ferroelectric order in the quenched state. The strain contributions from each component are calculated, leading to the conclusion that the total macroscopic strain arises predominantly from the transformed shell after quenching. Such observations are also complemented by investigations of microstructure and electrical properties, including ferroelectric behaviour and temperature-dependent dielectric properties