The panhellenic Socialist movement and European integration: the primacy of the leader

What kind of Europe do social democratic parties prefer? What is the origin of their preferences? Are they shaped by interests, institutions or ideas? If so, how? Why do social democratic political parties respond differently to the crucial question of the future of the European Union? While many social democratic parties initially opposed European integration either in principle or because of the form it took, gradually they came to lend their full, though often critical, support to it. Despite this evolution, important differences between them have remained. This book examines the preferences of social democratic parties in Germany, France, the UK, Sweden and Greece towards European integration, in comparative perspective. Using a variety of sources, including interviews with key party officials, the contributors explore what kind of Europe these parties want, and seek to explain the formation and evolution of these preferences over time. They examine the interplay of national peculiarities and cross-national factors and their impact on preferences on European integration. In addition to highlighting the role of party leaders, they reveal that, far from being united on European integration, these parties disagree with each other in part because they have retreated – to varying degrees – from key social democratic principles. Making an important contribution to the scholarship on preference formation and the research that links the European Union with the nation state, it will be of interest to students and scholars of the EU, comparative politics and political parties

France and the EU under Sarkozy: between European ambitions and national objectives?

The early phase of Nicolas Sarkozy's presidency proved highly proactive, particularly during the French presidency of the European Union (EU). However, little of practical import resulted. Moreover, there is much that connects Sarkozy's policies to those of his predecessors. Constrained both at home and abroad, he was sometimes unable to carry through his preferred policies. In addition, Sarkozy has done nothing to resolve a long-standing tension of French EU policy between enormous ambitions for the Union and reluctance to empower its institutions. Intergovernmental co-operation has been the theme linking all of Sarkozy's initiatives. The jury is, of necessity, still out on the long-term impact Sarkozy will have. Early indications are that, whilst there has been no shortage of initiatives, it is open to question whether these either diverge much from those of his predecessors, or will have much impact on the workings and effectiveness of the Union itself

Flowering time and its relationship to vegetative development in maize (Zea mays L.)

All organisms go through distinct phases of development during ontogenesis. In plants, shoot development has traditionally been divided into two phases of development distinguished by the the ability to flower. The non-flowering, juvenile phase of development is followed by the adult phase of development, during which flowering can occur. Frequently observed modifications in the vegetative morphology of the shoot are thought to reflect the transition to a phase in which the shoot is competent to flower, yet conclusive evidence for this assumption is lacking. An alternative model proposed here may provide a better framework for the genetic analysis of shoot development. In this model, shoot development is partitioned into three phases: the early vegetative and late vegetative phases of development, which are defined by phase-specific vegetative traits, and a reproductive phase of development. These phases are expressed in a spatial sequence as a result of the polar nature of shoot growth. In maize, the early vegetative phase is marked by traits such as the presence of a visible form of epicuticular leaf wax and round epidermal leaf cells in cross section. In the late vegetative phase, the visible leaf wax is absent, the epidermal cells are more rectangular in cross section and trichomes are expressed on the leaf blades. The reproductive phase of development is characterised first by a brief, photoperiod sensitive period and later by the differentiation of inflorescences. The aim of this study is to investigate whether this three-phase model provides an adequate conceptual framework. To this end, the relationship between the transition from early vegetative to late vegetative growth and flowering in maize is studied using a genetic approach.Results show that the early flowering trait does not alter the rate of leaf initiation. Rather, the overall length of the vegetative development is reduced in early flowering plants, resulting in the production of fewer leaves. This reduction in leaf number affects the vegetative phases of development in different ways; either only the late vegetative phase of development is reduced or the early vegetative and the late vegetative phases are both shortened, as determined by phase-specific traits. This difference is dependent on the inbred background and not on the early flowering trait, as determined by genetic, molecular, and physiological techniques. Therefore, in one species, but in different inbred backgrounds, vegetative phase change and reproductive maturity can be independent or regulated coordinately, indicating that a three-phase model of shoot development is an adequate conceptual framework. Finally, the early flowering trait is placed in a pathway regulating the reproductive phase of development. In the late flowering genotypes examined, a longer vegetative phase is reflected only in a longer late vegetative phase. The expression of the early vegetative phase is unaffected. A working model of shoot development in maize is proposed

Fighting Terror with Error: Effects of Fact-free Policy Making

Remittances

Powering the Hydrogen Economy from Waste Heat: A Review of Heat‐to‐Hydrogen Concepts

Ever‐increasing energy demands and environmental concerns require new and clean energy supplies, many of which are intermittent and do not correlate with demand. To balance supply with demand, a universal energy vector should be employed such that intermittent renewable energy can be stored and transported and then used when needed. Hydrogen is the perfect universal energy vector and a possible solution that ensures environmental cleanliness, maximum utilization of renewable energy sources, and high efficiency, whereby the combustion of the fuel yields only water. One abundant and freely available energy source—both anthropogenic and natural—is heat. Heat can be obtained from industrial processes and is indeed often viewed as a waste product with a premium to remove but is notoriously difficult to capture, store, and transport. Capturing and storing low‐grade heat therefore provides a significant opportunity and can be achieved by coupling thermoelectric generators and water electrolyzers. A thermoelectric generator is placed within a thermal energy gradient and produces a flow of current that is fed to the electrolysis unit with which it produces hydrogen and oxygen as the final products. The hydrogen can be stored for long periods and transported for “on‐demand” use in fuel cells for electricity from hydrogen burners for a return to thermal energy. This Review summarizes the current state‐of‐the‐art research into implementing thermoelectric generators and utilizing heat as a primary energy source to produce hydrogen, which could replace the need for extra electric power to run hydrogen production units. Furthermore, suitable requirements, modifications, and other related aspects associated with such a new and novel method of hydrogen generation are discussed. Hydrogen produced from otherwise‐wasted energy sources can be considered to be green