On Borders: From Ancient to Postmodern Times

The article deals with the evolution of the concept of borders between human groups and with its slow evolution from the initial no men's land zones to the ideal single-dimension linear borders. In ancient times the first borders were natural, such as mountain ranges or large rivers until, with the development of Geodesy, astronomical borders based on meridians and parallels became a favourite natural base. Actually, Modern States adopted these to fix limits in unknown conquered territories. The postmodern thought led give more importance to cultural borders until, in the most recent times, is becoming rather impossible to fix borders in the virtual cyberspace

An Attempt to Teach Multiculturalism: Introducing the Holocaust into History Classes in post-Soviet Ukraine

This articles describes the collaboration of Ukrainian and international association in the efforts to introduce the Holocaust as a topic of study in the Ukrainian schools. The author reveals that the teaching of the history of anti-Semitism and the Shoah has been interpreted not simply as a part of history but as a way to teach students the value of tolerance and foster a multi-cultural society. This article stresses the important civic role played by the teaching of WWII in post-Soviet Ukraine

Private Copying Levy in Cross-Border Transactions: CJEU’s stance in Stichting v Opus

On 16 June 2011 the Court of Justice of the European Court (CJEU) gave its decision in Stichting de Thuiskopie v Opus Supplies Deutschland GmbH, Mijndert van der Lee, Hananja van der Lee (Case C-462/09). The Court held that the Member States which have introduced the private copying exception are required to guarantee an adequate compensation to right holders by ensuring the collection of the levy even in case of transaction with cross-border elements

Exceptions to Public Lending Rights and Remuneration to Authors: CJEU’s stance in Vewa v Belgium

On 30 June 2011 the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) gave its decision in Vereniging van Educatieve en Wetenschappelijke Auters (Vewa) v Belgium (Case C-271/10). The CJEU interpreted Article 6(1) of Directive 2006/115, which allows Member States to derogate from the exclusive rights provided in respect of “public lending”, provided that authors receive a remuneration. It was held that such remuneration cannot be purely symbolic but it must be determined on the basis of the number of both the works made available and of the users of the public establishment suitable for the lending

Isoenergetic-practical and semi-purified diets for protein requirement determination in Hermetia illucens larvae: consequences on life history traits

BACKGROUND: Black soldier fly (BSF) is one of the most promising species for the intensive breeding of insects given its adaptability and its efficiency in the conversion of waste. To maximize the production and use waste as substrates, it is essential to determine the larvae nutritional requirements. The study aims to evaluate the effects of 5 practical, semi-purified and isoenergetic diets (PSPID) with increasing protein levels (10%, CP10; 14%, CP14; 16%, CP16; 19%, CP19) on BSF life history traits. A total of 2000 six-day-old larvae were weighed and divided into groups of 100 (4 replicates/treatment [PSPID and Gainesville diet (GA) used as environmental control]). In larva-prepupa stage, sampling was carried out on 30 individuals/replicate, while in prepupa-adult stage on 35. RESULTS: In the whole larval stage, the CP16 treatment performed better when compared to the other groups. At 18 days old, the CP14 treatment showed a higher weight than the CP19 (P < 0.01), while the CP10 and CP16 weights were intermediate. On the contrary, the CP10 prepupae weight was higher than the CP19 (P < 0.01). The CP10 and CP14 pupae performed better in terms of weight when compared to the others (P < 0.01). The dietary treatments did not affect the adult parameters. The sex significantly influenced both the exuvia weight, which was the greatest in females (P < 0.001), and the fly lifespan, longest in males (P < 0.05). Fly lifespan was also influenced by the interaction between treatment and sex, with the CP19 females showing a longer life than the others (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the optimal protein level considering the whole larval stage is 16% on dry matter (DM). At 18 days old, looking at the size intended for the meal production, it can be considered 14% on DM. The result obtained on adult emergence in PSPID may not be attributable to the protein content. Further researches on macronutrients requirements determination have to be conducted to evaluate the substrates composition effects on BSF life history traits

Catalytic Activity of Myoglobin Immobilized on Zirconium Phosphonates.

The adsorption and catalytic activity of myoglobin (Mb) on zirconium phosphonates (R-zirconium benzenephosphonate (R-ZrBP), R-zirconium carboxyethanephosphonate (R-ZrCEP), and a novel layered zirconium fluoride aminooctyl-N,N-bis(methylphosphonate) (ZrC8)) were investigated. The maximum adsorption was reached after 16 h of contact and was greater on hydrophobic supports such as R-ZrBP and ZrC8 compared to hydrophilic supports such as R-ZrCEP. The equilibrium adsorption isotherms fitted the Langmuir equation, suggesting the presence of a monolayer of protein molecules on the support surfaces. The catalytic activities of free Mb and of the obtained biocomposites were studied in terms of the oxidation of two aromatic substrates, o-phenylenediamine and 2-methoxyphenol (guaiacol), by hydrogen peroxide. The oxidation catalyzed by immobilized myoglobin followed the Michaelis-Menten kinetics, similar to oxidation by free Mb. The kinetic parameters, kcat and KM, were significantly affected by the adsorption process. Mb/R-ZrCEP was the most efficient biocatalyst obtained, probably because of the hydrophilic nature of the support. The effect of immobilization on the stability of Mb toward inactivation by hydrogen peroxide was also investigated, and an increased resistance was found. The biocomposites obtained can be stored at 4 °C for months without a significant loss of catalytic activity