Gender Equality in Virtual Work II.: Regulatory Suggestions

This article focuses on gender equality in virtual work, taking special account of the regulatory challenges. It contributes to broader debates on the workers' situation in the sharing economy in two ways. Firstly, it makes an inaugural attempt to evaluate the implications of the new forms of work in the sharing economy for female virtual workers, looking at the issue of equal treatment. Secondly, it offers preliminary suggestions regarding a future regulation to improve equality between genders in virtual work. This is the second part of a paper on gender equality in virtual work. The first part (published in the 2018/1 issue of the Hungarian Labour Law E-Journal) defined "virtual work", classified its two basic forms and emphasised the specific traits of this form of work to demonstrate the need of special protection against discrimination. Subsequently, it identified the possible beneficial and adverse implications of virtual work for female workers and gender equality. This second part firstly provides a summary of the gender equality law of the European Union that serves as a point of reference when speaking about antidiscrimination law. Section 2 offers three normative perspectives and suggestions as to how to enhance gender equality in virtual work. Finally, the paper concludes

Gender Equality in Virtual Work I.: Risks

This article focuses on gender equality in virtual work, taking special account of the regulatory challenges. It contributes to broader debates on the workers' situation in the sharing economy in two ways. Firstly, it makes an inaugural attempt to evaluate the implications of the new forms of work in the sharing economy for female virtual workers, looking at the issue of equal treatment. Secondly, it offers preliminary suggestions regarding a future regulation to improve equality between genders in virtual work. The paper is divided into four main parts. The first section defines "virtual work", classifies its two basic forms and emphasises the specific traits of this form of work to demonstrate the need of special protection against discrimination. Secondly, the paper identifies the possible beneficial and adverse implications of virtual work for female workers and gender equality. Thirdly, the paper provides a summary of the gender equality law of the European Union that serves as a point of reference when speaking about antidiscrimination law. Section 4 offers three normative perspectives and suggestions as to how to enhance gender equality in virtual work. Finally, the paper concludes. This first part of this two-part paper concentrates on the risks of virtual work for equal treatment, while the second part is going to address the regulatory options and suggestions

The legal nature of Art. 30 CFREU - A human right, a fundamental right, a right?

The article provides for an analysis of the legal nature of Article 30 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, which declares "the right to protection against unjustified dismissal". In the focus of attention is the question, whether this right constitutes a human or a fundamental right or it is a right without the status of being fundamental or alternatively only a basic principle. The considerations are based on the legal theory of human rights and particularly social rights, as well as on the understanding of this right in the various international treaties and the constitutional traditions of the Member States. Furthermore, the article addresses the question of implementation of Article 30 in the national laws, scrutinizes the interpretation of Art. 51 Abs 1 of the Charter and highlights the deficiencies and possibilities. Also the image of this right mirrored in the European Union's law and the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union is examined

Some approximation results for mild solutions of stochastic fractional order evolution equations driven by Gaussian noise

We investigate the quality of space approximation of a class of stochastic integral equations of convolution type with Gaussian noise. Such equations arise, for example, when considering mild solutions of stochastic fractional order partial differential equations but also when considering mild solutions of classical stochastic partial differential equations. The key requirement for the equations is a smoothing property of the deterministic evolution operator which is typical in parabolic type problems. We show that if one has access to nonsmooth data estimates for the deterministic error operator together with its derivative of a space discretization procedure, then one obtains error estimates in pathwise H\uf6lder norms with rates that can be read off the deterministic error rates. We illustrate the main result by considering a class of stochastic fractional order partial differential equations and space approximations performed by spectral Galerkin methods and finite elements. We also improve an existing result on the stochastic heat equation

O-Arylation of Iodophenols with 2-Fluorobenzaldehyde Under Microwave Conditions

The arylation of 4-iodo-, 2-iodo- and 3-iodophenols with 2-fluorobenzaldehyde may be carried out in the presence of K2CO3 in DMF as the solvent under microwave conditions. The arylation of 4-iodophenole was promoted by the use of triethylbenzylammonium chloride (TEBAC) as the phase transfer catalyst. In the other model reactions, the use of TEBAC was harmful. By-products formed by isomerization and disproportionation were also detected

Comparison of adipose tissue derived genes in endogenous Cushing’s syndrome versus diet-induced obesity

Introduction: Dysregulation of adipokine secretion and action is a characteristic feature of obesity and a key clinical feature of Cushing’s syndrome (CS). We have investigated whether endogenous glucocorticoid excess influences adipose tissue-derived gene expression. Material and methods: mRNA expression of adipokines; adiponectin, resistin, tumour necrosis factor-a, interleukin-6 (IL-6), angiotensinogen (AGT), plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1, retinol binding protein 4, visfatin, and cystatin C was assessed by quantitative real-time RT-PCR in visceral adipose tissue removed during abdominal surgery of eight patients with CS, and six control patients. Results: We did not find any significant difference in the investigated genes; however, the almost significant overexpression of AGT and underexpression of IL-6 might be noteworthy (p = 0.06 in both cases). Conclusions: No significant differences were found in the expression of the investigated genes known as cardiometabolic risk factors. This indicates that there are no major differences between endogenous hypercortisolism or diet-induced obesity regarding the expression of adipokines involved in cardiometabolic disorders. However, the difference in AGT and IL-6 expression might be included in pathways affecting fat distribution in C

Role of direct bioautographic method for detection of antistaphylococcal activity of essential oils.

The aim of the present study was the chemical characterization of some traditionally used and therapeutically relevant essential oils (thyme, eucalyptus, cinnamon bark, clove, and tea tree) and the optimized microbiological investigation of the effect of these oils on clinical isolates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA). The chemical composition of the oils was analyzed by TLC, and controlled by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The antibacterial effect was investigated using a TLC-bioautographic method. Antibacterial activity of thyme, clove and cinnamon oils, as well as their main components (thymol, carvacrol, eugenol, and cinnamic aldehyde) was observed against all the bacterial strains used in this study. The essential oils of eucalyptus and tea tree showed weak activity in the bioautographic system. On the whole, the antibacterial activity of the essential oils could be related to their most abundant components, but the effect of the minor components should also be taken into consideration. Direct bioautography is more cost-effective and better in comparison with traditional microbiological laboratory methods (e.g. disc-diffusion, agar-plate technique)

Bulk composition of the Kaba meteorite by ICP OES and ICP MS

The Tenth Symposium on Polar Science/Poster presentations: [OA] Antarctic meteorites, Wed. 4 Dec. / Entrance Hall (1st floor), National Institute of Polar Researc

Regulation of ryanodine receptors by sphingosylphosphorylcholine: Involvement of both calmodulin-dependent and -independent mechanisms

Sphingosylphosphorylcholine (SPC), a lipid mediator with putative second messenger functions, has been reported to regulate ryanodine receptors (RyRs), Ca2+ channels of the sarco/endoplasmic reticulum. RyRs are also regulated by the ubiquitous Ca2+ sensor calmodulin (CaM), and we have previously shown that SPC disrupts the complex of CaM and the peptide corresponding to the CaM-binding domain of the skeletal muscle Ca2+ release channel (RyR1). Here we report that SPC also displaces Ca2+-bound CaM from the intact RyR1, which we hypothesized might lead to channel activation by relieving the negative feedback Ca2+CaM exerts on the channel. We could not demonstrate such channel activation as we have found that SPC has a direct, CaM-independent inhibitory effect on channel activity, confirmed by both single channel measurements and [3H]ryanodine binding assays. In the presence of Ca2+CaM, however, the addition of SPC did not reduce [3H]ryanodine binding, which we could explain by assuming that the direct inhibitory action of the sphingolipid was negated by the simultaneous displacement of inhibitory Ca2+CaM. Additional experiments revealed that RyRs are unlikely to be responsible for SPC-elicited Ca2+ release from brain microsomes, and that SPC does not exert detergent-like effects on sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles. We conclude that regulation of RyRs by SPC involves both CaM-dependent and -independent mechanisms, thus, the sphingolipid might play a pysiological role in RyR regulation, but channel activation previously attributed to SPC is unlikely