Impact of International Law on the EU Customs Union

This contribution examines the various international instruments, in both hard and soft law, that have been established by international organisations such as the WTO and WCO and scrutinises how they have been implemented into EU legislation governing the EU Customs Union, thus demonstrating the substantial influence of international instruments on the Customs Union. As the relevant international instrume

The effect of potassium on aluminous phase stability in the lower mantle

The aluminous calcium-ferrite type phase (CF) and new aluminous phase (NAL) are thought to hold the excess alumina produced by the decomposition of garnet in MORB compositions in the lower mantle. The respective stabilities of CF and NAL in the nepheline-spinel binary (NaAlSiO4 –MgAl2O4 ) are well established. However with the addition of further components the phase relations at lower mantle conditions remain unclear. Here we investigate a range of compositions around the nepheline apex of the nepheline-kalsilite-spinel compositional join (NaAlSiO4 –KAlSiO4–MgAl2O4 ) at 28–78 GPa and 2000 K. Our experiments indicate that even small amounts of a kalsilite (KAlSiO4 ) component dramatically impact phase relations. We find NAL to be stable up to at least 71 GPa in potassium-bearing compositions. This demonstrates the stabilizing effect of potassium on NAL, because NAL is not observed at pressures above 48 GPa on the nepheline-spinel binary. We also observe a broadening of the CF stability field to incorporate larger amounts of potassium with increasing pressure. For pressures below 50 GPa only minor amounts (<0.011(1) K/(K+Na+Mg) ) of potassium are soluble in CF, whereas at 68 GPa, we find a solubility in CF of at least 0.088(3) K/(K+Na+Mg). This indicates that CF and NAL are suitable hosts of the alkali content of MORB compositions at lower mantle conditions. For sedimentary compositions at lower mantle pressures, we expect K-Hollandite to be stable in addition to CF and NAL for pressures of 28–48 GPa, based on our simplified compositions

The effect of potassium on aluminous phase stability in the lower mantle

The aluminous calcium-ferrite type phase (CF) and new aluminous phase (NAL) are thought to hold the excess alumina produced by the decomposition of garnet in MORB compositions in the lower mantle. The respective stabilities of CF and NAL in the nepheline-spinel binary (NaAlSiO4–MgAl2O4) are well established. However with the addition of further components the phase relations at lower mantle conditions remain unclear. Here we investigate a range of compositions around the nepheline apex of the nepheline-kalsilite-spinel compositional join (NaAlSiO4–KAlSiO4–MgAl2O4) at 28–78 GPa and 2000 K. Our experiments indicate that even small amounts of a kalsilite (KAlSiO4) component dramatically impact phase relations. We find NAL to be stable up to at least 71 GPa in potassium-bearing compositions. This demonstrates the stabilizing effect of potassium on NAL, because NAL is not observed at pressures above 48 GPa on the nepheline-spinel binary. We also observe a broadening of the CF stability field to incorporate larger amounts of potassium with increasing pressure. For pressures below 50 GPa only minor amounts ($$<0.011(1)\frac{K}{K+Na+Mg}$$) of potassium are soluble in CF, whereas at 68 GPa, we find a solubility in CF of at least $$0.088(3)\frac{K}{K+Na+Mg}$$. This indicates that CF and NAL are suitable hosts of the alkali content of MORB compositions at lower mantle conditions. For sedimentary compositions at lower mantle pressures, we expect K-Hollandite to be stable in addition to CF and NAL for pressures of 28–48 GPa, based on our simplified compositions

Designing Transnational Hydroclimatological Observation Networks and Data Sharing Policies in West Africa

Surface observations provide ground evidence of climate change to support the scientific guidance paving the way to better adaptation and mitigation actions. The West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) has designed a multi-stakeholder initiative to rescue the deteriorated near-surface weather, climate and hydrological equipment of West African countries. The main goal for this multi-stakeholder framework was to monitor the climate and collect long term and high-quality records of essential climate variables in support of research, education, capacity building, and climate services provision. Proactive and inclusive partnership initiatives were developed to jointly (re)design and (re)implement near surface observatiories with the national meteorological and hydrological services or agencies (NMHS/As) in West Africa. The co-production scheme used by this framework succeeded in evaluating the existing observations networks, to modernizing sensors and field equipment, and densifying the sites in order to improve the quality of data collection, transmission, archiving, processing and sharing policies. After more than four years of community-of-practice, the existing regional basic hydroclimatic was increased/upgraded by 45% with automatic weather observing systems while fifty automatic water level, ten water quality sensors, three mesoscale research catchments, and several pilot sites to benefit countries’ services provision, research infrastructure, education, and capacity building. Country-specific data sharing policies were harmonized and signed to support data services delivery. This practice paper exposes the concepts, outcomes, challenges, lessons learned and the ways forward in setting-up the framework and keeping it on working to leverage the co-production of data & information services for better-informed decision-making in the field of sustainable development in West Africa

The WASCAL hydrometeorological observatory in the Sudan Savanna of Burkina Faso and Ghana

Watersheds with rich hydrometeorological equipment are still very limited in West Africa but are essential for an improved analysis of environmental changes and their impacts in this region. This study gives an overview of a novel hydrometeorological observatory that was established for two mesoscale watersheds in the Sudan Savanna of Southern Burkina Faso and Northern Ghana as part of the West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) program. The study area is characterized by severe land cover changes due to a strongly increasing demand of agricultural land. The observatory is designed for long-term measurements of >30 hydrometeorological variables in subhourly resolution and further variables such as CO2. This information is complemented by long-term daily measurements from national meteorological and hydrological networks, among several other datasets recently established for this region. A unique component of the observatory is a micrometeorological field experiment using eddy covariance stations implemented at three contrasting sites (near-natural, cropland, and degraded grassland) to assess the impact of land cover changes on water, energy, and CO2 fluxes. The datasets of the observatory are needed by many modeling and field studies conducted in this region and are made available via the WASCAL database. Moreover, the observatory forms an excellent platform for future investigations and can be used as observational foundation for environmental observatories for an improved assessment of environmental changes and their socioeconomic impacts for the savanna regions of West Africa

Conservation en état des infrastructures routières – deux exemples

Bund, Länder und Gemeinden in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland verfügen über ein Straßennetz mit insgesamt etwa 106.000 Straßenbrücken. Aufgrund des zunehmend schlechteren Bauwerkszustandes und infolge steigender Anforderungen durch höhere Verkehrsbelastung entsteht Handlungsbedarf an den Brückenbauwerken. Dazu wurde vom Bundesministerium für Verkehr, Bau und Stadtentwicklung eine einheitliche Strategie entwickelt, nach der die Bausubstanz zu bewerten und Entscheidungen über Ertüchtigung oder Ersatzneubau getroffen werden können. Das Ergebnis der Bestandsaufnahme für Bundesfernstraßen und kommunale Brücken sowie die Problemstellungen aus konstruktiver Sicht werden dargestellt. Das Vorgehen zur Festlegung der Prioritäten bezüglich der Bearbeitung wird erläutert und erste Ergebnisse der Nachrechnungen dargestellt. An zwei Beispielen werden Alternativen von Koppelfugensanierungen bzw. dem erforderlichen Neubau einer Brücke infolge Korrosionsschäden an Vertikalvorspannung erläutert.En République fédérale d’Allemagne, l’état fédéral, les Länder et les communes disposent d’un réseau routier avec environ 106.000 ponts routiers au total. En raison de la dégradation croissante des ouvrages et des sollicitations croissantes dues à l’augmentation de la circulation routière, il devient nécessaire d’agir au niveau des ouvrages de ponts. A cet effet le Ministère fédéral des Transports, de la Construction et du Développement urbain BMVBS a développé une stratégie d’uniformisation destinée à évaluer l’état des structures et de prendre des décisions quant au renforcement ou au remplacement par une construction nouvelle. Nous présentons ici le résultat de cet état des lieux pour les grands axes fédéraux et pour les ponts communaux de même que les problèmes qui se posent en terme de construction. Nous expliquons la démarche adoptée en vue de fixer les priorités concernant les travaux et nous présenterons les premiers résultats des vérifications théoriques. Deux exemples serviront à expliquer les alternatives à l’assainissement des joints de chaussée ou à la construction d’un nouveau pont suite à des dommages dus à la corrosion au niveau de la tension initiale verticale

Computerunterstütztes Soziales Lernen (CSSL). Ein paradigmatischer Ansatz für die Entwicklung von Sozialkompetenz im Blended Learning

Zur Entwicklung individueller sozialer Kompetenzen gilt traditionell das Präsenztraining als Königsweg; dem Einsatz digitaler Bildungstechnologien für diesen Zweck wird mit Skepsis begegnet. In diesem Beitrag wird auf Basis von Modellen zum sozialkommunikativen Handeln ein paradigmatischer Ansatz für die Einbindung neuer Lerntechnologien im Bereich des sozialen Lernens entwickelt und an einer Lernsequenz praxisnah erläutert. Abschließend werden sich ergebende Perspektiven für Didaktik und Forschung vorgestellt. (DIPF/Orig.