Knee osteoarthritis, lumbar-disc degeneration and developmental dysplasia of the hip - an emerging genetic overlap

Genetics highlights relationships between biological systems, and as the number of defined osteoarthritis susceptibility alleles increases, there is the natural tendency to assess whether the alleles influence other musculoskeletal phenotypes. That has proven to be the case for the GDF5 polymorphism rs143383, a risk factor for knee osteoarthritis and several other common conditions, including lumbar-disc degeneration and developmental dysplasia of the hip. Another interesting example has recently emerged in the repeat polymorphism of the asporin gene, ASPN, which is also associated with these three phenotypes. Such discoveries increase our understanding of shared disease etiology but also emphasize the complexity of common genetic risk

Lessons from historical monetary unions - is the European monetary union making the same mistakes?

This article examines three historical monetary unions: the Latin Monetary Union (LMU), the Scandinavian Monetary Union (SMU), and the Austro-Hungarian Monetary Union (AHMU) in an attempt to derive possible lessons for the European Monetary Union (EMU). The term ‘monetary union’ can be defined either narrowly or broadly depending on how closely it conforms to Mundell’s notion of ‘Optimal Currency Area’. After examining each of the historical monetary unions from this perspective, the article concludes that none of them ever truly conformed to Mundell’s concept, nor does the EMU. Nevertheless, the article argues that some lessons may be learned from these historical experiences. First, it is necessary that there exist robust institutions such as a common central bank and a unified fiscal policy in order to withstand external shocks. The three early unions could not withstand the shock of WWI. Another important lesson is that continuing national rivalries can undermine any monetary union

State rescaling and a ‘Europe of the Regions’ in small unitary states: a damp squib?

This conclusion ties together the various contributions to the Special Issue from the perspective of the introductory framework. Based on this framework, the conclusion shows that: (i) domestic mediating factors are responsible for nuanced state rescaling outcomes in small unitary states, (ii) the EU has led to decentralization and recentralization in both phases of the EU decision-making process and (iii) the level of authority is the best predictor of SNAs’ empowerment, although this is intertwined with secondary mediating domestic factors. This concluding article sheds new light on the hybrid nature of the European polity and demonstrates that states remain the most important pieces of the European ‘puzzle’. The Special Issue arrives at two conclusions: first, we are witnessing a ‘transformation of the state’ rather than its demise, and second, the notion of a ‘Europe of the Regions’ in small unitary states is nothing more than a ‘damp squib’.This research project was supported by the Portuguese National Funding Agency for Science, Research and Technology (FCT)

The European Union, subnational mobilization and state rescaling in small unitary states: a comparative analysis

This special issue addresses the impact of the European Union (EU) on subnational mobilization in small unitary states. Located at the intersection between varied contributions from the literatures on multilevel governance and Europeanization, it offers a new theoretical framework to account for state rescaling processes in small unitary states. By means of a comparative analysis of eight small unitary states, this collection shows that the impact of the EU on state rescaling processes is filtered through domestic mediating factors which can lead to three possible outcomes: (i) decentralization, (ii) recentralization or (iii) no change. It concludes that ‘hybridity’ is the most appropriate concept for capturing the compound nature of the European polity, in which local and regional tiers of government have secured new opportunities for influencing policies and making autonomous decisions. These impacts are conditioned by nuanced domestic mediating factors without challenging the overall dominance of the nation-state.FCT -Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia(UID/CPO/00758/2013

Le Comité des Régions et la supranationalité en Europe

On peut trouver les origines de l'idée de représentation des régions au sein des institutions européennes dans la pensée politique « corporatiste » de la démocratie chrétienne ainsi que dans les courants régionalistes des années cinquante. Ce dont il faut rendre compte, ce n'est pas de la mise en oeuvre de cette conception mais du caractère tardif de sa concrétisation. C'est la crise économique des pays capitalistes au cours des années soixante-dix qui entraîna la nécessaire réforme de l'État et la relance de la construction européenne, en particulier la refonte de la politique régionale communautaire. Ces transformations ont constitué un facteur de mobilisation des régions et d'émergence du projet d’« Europe des régions » initié par les Länder allemands ; elles ont abouti à la création du Comité des régions par le traité de Maastricht. Si, du point de vue constitutionnel, le Comité est très faible, du point de vue politique, en tant que facteur de mobilisation des régions et instance de communication, il est toutefois doté d'un fort potentiel et pourrait connaître une évolution qui l'apparente à celle du Parlement européen. Le Comité ne s'est pas vraiment encore imposé sur le plan international ; il fait plutôt figure de laboratoire d'idées, au sein duquel les régions et les villes peuvent faire l'apprentissage de l'action au niveau international.The notion of representing regions in the construction of the European Union has Us origins in « corporatist » ideas of early Christian Democracy as well as in the regionalist movements of the 1950s. What is puzzling is the late application of this notion to the institutions of the Community. It was the economic crisis in capitalist countries in the 1970s, which led both to radical state reforms and to the relaunch of the Community. There were also significant reforms of European Regional Policy in this period. These transformations spawned regional mobilisations and the « Europe of the Regions » project by the German Länder. They provided the background to the setting up of the Committee of the Regions by the Treaty of Maastricht. From a constitutional-legal perspective, the Committee is very weak. From a political perspective, however, as a mobiliser of regions on the international level and as a nexus of communication among subnational levels of government, it has the potential to evolve in a manner similar to the European Parliament. Up to the present, it has not adopted a high profile on the international stage but has rather been a laboratory within which regions and local authorities may learn to do so

An annotation system for 3D fluid flow visualization

Annotation is a key activity of data analysis. However, current systems for data analysis focus almost exclusively on visualization. We propose a system which integrates annotations into a visualization system. Annotations are embedded in 3D data space, using the Post-it metaphor. This embedding allows contextual-based information storage and retrieval, and facilitates information sharing in collaborative environments. We provide a traditional database filter and a Magic Lens filter to create specialized views of the data. The system has been customized for fluid flow applications, with features which allow users to store parameters of visualization tools and sketch 3D volumes