bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Pilot Study to Determine the Efficacy of a Social StoryTM Intervention for a Child with Autistic Disorder, Intellectual Disability and Limited Language Skills
Authors: Reynhout Georgina , Carter Mark
Published: February 2017

Social StoriesTM have gained wide acceptance as an intervention for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) yet extant research provides only circumscribed empirical evidence in support of their efficacy. While it is claimed that Social Stories may be appropriate to children with significant levels of intellectual disability and basic language skills, limited research has been conducted with this group. This pilot study employed an ABC design using a Social Story intervention to target looking at a book during group reading time. The participant was a child with autistic disorder who had intellectual disability and limited language skills. The intervention was unsuccessful, highlighting the need to further investigate the role that both language skills and intellectual ability play in moderating response to the intervention.
Measurement of agitation and aggression in adult and aged neuropsychiatric patients: review of definitions and frequently used measurement scales
Authors: Volicer Ladislav , Citrome Leslie , Volavka Jan
Published: February 2017

Agitation and aggression in adult psychiatric patients with psychoses and in persons with dementia increase the burden of disease and frequently cause hospitalization. The implementation of currently available management strategies and the development of new ones is hindered by inconsistent terminology that confuses agitation with aggression. This confusion is maintained by many rating scales that fail to distinguish between these two syndromes. We review the frequently used rating scales with a particular focus on their ability to separate agitation from aggression. Agitation and aggression are two different syndromes. For example, reactive aggression is often precipitated by rejection of care and may not be associated with agitation per se. We propose, in treatment studies of behavioral symptoms of dementia and challenging behaviors in psychoses, that outcomes should be evaluated separately for agitation and aggression. This is important for investigation of drug effectiveness since the medication may be effective against one syndrome but not the other. Separate assessments of agitation and aggression should be a general principle of trial design with particular salience for registration studies of medications proposed for approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory bodies.
SN1991bg-like supernovae are a compelling source of most Galactic antimatter
Authors: Panther Fiona H. , Crocker Roland M. , Seitenzahl Ivo R. , Ruiter Ashley J.
Published: February 2017

The Milky Way Galaxy glows with the soft gamma ray emission resulting from the annihilation of ~5 × 1043 electron-positron pairs every second. The origin of this vast quantity of antimatter and the peculiar morphology of the 511keV gamma ray line resulting from this annihilation have been the subject of debate for almost half a century. Most obvious positron sources are associated with star forming regions and cannot explain the rate of positron annihilation in the Galactic bulge, which last saw star formation some 10 Gyr ago, or else violate stringent constraints on the positron injection energy. Radioactive decay of elements formed in core collapse supernovae (CCSNe) and normal Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) could supply positrons matching the injection energy constraints but the distribution of such potential sources does not replicate the required morphology. We show that a single class of peculiar thermonuclear supernova - SN1991bg-like supernovae (SNe 91bg) - can supply the number and distribution of positrons we see annihilating in the Galaxy through the decay of 44Ti synthesised in these events. Such 44Ti production simultaneously addresses the observed abundance of 44Ca, the 44Ti decay product, in solar system material.
The high SNR rate in the Galactic Center: origin of the cosmic rays excess?
Authors: Jouvin L. , Lemière A. , Terrier R.
Published: February 2017

The center of our Galaxy hosts a Super-Massive Black Hole (SMBH) of about 4 × 106 M⊙. Since it has been argued that the SMBH might accelerate particles up to very high energies, its current and past activity could contribute to the population of Galactic cosmic-rays (CRs). Additionally, the condition in the Galactic Center (GC) are often compared with the one of a starburst system. The high supernovae (SN) rate associated with the strong massive star formation in the region must create a sustained CR injection in the GC via the shocks produced at the time of their explosion.

The presence of an excess of very high energy (VHE) cosmic rays in the inner 100 pc of the Galaxy in close correlation with the massive gas complex known as the central molecular zone (CMZ) has been revealed in 2006 by the H.E.S.S. collaboration. Recently, by analysing 10 years of H.E.S.S. data, the H.E.S.S. collaboration confirmed the presence of this extended VHE diffuse emission and deduced a CR density peaked toward the GC. The origin of the CR over-abundance in the GC still remains mysterious: Is it due to a single accelerator at the center or to multiple accelerators filling the region?

In order to investigate the presence of these multiple CR accelerators, and in particular the impact of their spatial distribution on the VHE emission morphology, we build a 3D model of CR injection and diffusive propagation with a realistic 3D gas distribution. We discuss the CR injection in the region by a spectral and morphological comparison with H.E.S.S. data.

We show that a peaked γ-ray profile towards the GC center is obtained using a realistic SN spatial distribution taking into account the central massive star clusters. The contribution of theses sources cannot be neglected in particular at high longitudes. In order to fit the very central excess observed with H.E.S.S., another central VHE component is probably necessary.
The AGN Jet Model of the Fermi Bubbles
Authors: Guo Fulai
Published: February 2017

The nature and origin of theFermibubbles detected in the inner Galaxy remain elusive. In this paper, we briefly discuss some recent theoretical and observational developments, with a focus on the AGN jet model. Analogous to radio lobes observed in massive galaxies, theFermibubbles could be naturally produced by a pair of opposing jets emanating nearly along the Galaxy’s rotation axis from the Galactic center. Our two-fluid hydrodynamic simulations reproduce quite well the bubble location and shape, and interface instabilities at the bubble surface could be effectively suppressed by shear viscosity. We briefly comment on some potential issues related to our model, which may lead to future progress.
FIR Spectroscopy of the Galactic Center: Hot and Warm Molecular Gas
Authors: Goicoechea Javier R. , Etxaluze Mireya , Cernicharo José , Gerin Maryvonne , Pety Jerome ,   collaborators
Published: February 2017

The angular resolution (~10″) achieved by the Herschel Space Observatory ~3.5 m telescope at FIR wavelengths allowed us to roughly separate the emission toward the inner parsec of the galaxy (the central cavity) from that of the surrounding circumnuclear disk (the CND). The FIR spectrum toward Sgr A* is dominated by intense [O iii], [O i], [C ii], [N iii], [N ii], and [C i] fine-structure lines (in decreasing order of luminosity) arising in gas irradiated by the strong UV field from the central stellar cluster. The high-J CO rotational line intensities observed at the interface between the inner CND and the central cavity are consistent with a hot isothermal component at Tk ≈ 103.1 K and n(H2)≈ 104 cm−3. They are also consistent with a distribution of lower temperatures at higher gas density, with most CO at Tk≈300 K. The hot CO component (either the bulk of the CO column density or just a small fraction depending on the above scenario) likely results from a combination of UV and shock-driven heating. If UV-irradiated and heated dense clumps do not exist, shocks likely dominate the heating of the hot molecular gas component. Although this component is beam diluted in our FIR observations, it may be resolved at much higher angular resolution. An ALMA project using different molecular tracers to characterize UV-irradiated shocks in the innermost layers of the CND is ongoing.
Molecular gas in the immediate vicinity of Sgr A* seen with ALMA
Authors: Moser Lydia , Sánchez-Monge Álvaro , Eckart Andreas , Requena-Torres Miguel A. , García-Marin Macarena , Kunneriath Devaky , Zensus Anton , Britzen Silke , Sabha Nadeen , Shahzamanian Banafsheh , Borkar Abhijeet , Fischer Sebastian
Published: February 2017

We report serendipitous detections of line emission with ALMA in band 3, 6, and 7 in the central parsec of the Galactic center at an up to now highest resolution (<0.7″). Among the highlights are the very first and highly resolved images of sub-mm molecular emission of CS, H13CO+, HC3N, SiO, SO, C2H, and CH3OH in the immediate vicinity (~1″ in projection) of Sgr A* and in the circumnuclear disk (CND). The central association (CA) of molecular clouds shows three times higher CS/X (X: any other observed molecule) luminosity ratios than the CND suggesting a combination of higher excitation - by a temperature gradient and/or IR-pumping - and abundance enhancement due to UV- and/or X-ray emission. We conclude that the CA is closer to the center than the CND is and could be an infalling clump consisting of denser cloud cores embedded in diffuse gas. Moreover, we identified further regions in and outside the CND that are ideally suited for future studies in the scope of hot/cold core and extreme PDR/XDR chemistry and consequent star formation in the central few parsecs.
The late-type stellar density profile in the Galactic Center: A statistical approach
Authors: Chappell S. N. , Ghez A. M. , Do T. , Martinez G. D. , Yelda S. , Sitarski B. N. , Lu J. R. , Morris M. R.
Published: February 2017

The late-type stellar population in the Galactic Center was first predicted to reside in a dynamically relaxed cusp (power law slope ranging from 3/2 to 7/4). However, other works - which rely on models to correct for projection effects - have suggested a flat distribution instead. The need for this correction is due to the lack of information regarding the line-of-sight distances. With a two decade long baseline in astrometric measurements, we are now able to measure significant projected radial accelerations, six of which are newly reported here, which directly constrain line-of-sight distances. Here we present a statistical approach to take advantage of this information and more accurately constrain the shape of the radial density profile of the late-type stellar population in the Galactic Center.
Hidden Star Formation in High-Velocity Gas Clouds in Clump 2 near the Edge of the CMZ
Authors: Tolls Volker , Smith Howard A. ,   HIGGS Team
Published: February 2017

We present a snapshot of our ongoing investigation of molecular clouds in Clump 2 located in the Galactic Bar region at a projected distance of ~400pc from the Galactic Center. We show that the analysis of the Clump 2 molecular clouds is complicated because of many fore- and background clouds in the line of sight. Of all clouds, IGGC 22 is the most interesting one, showing very high dust column densities, significant high-J CO emission, and, potentially harbors star formations as eluded to by the detection of [OIII] emission.
Star Formation in the Galactic Center
Authors: Kauffmann Jens
Published: February 2017

Research on Galactic Center star formation is making great advances, in particular due to new data from interferometers spatially resolving molecular clouds in this environment. These new results are discussed in the context of established knowledge about the Galactic Center. Particular attention is paid to suppressed star formation in the Galactic Center and how it might result from shallow density gradients in molecular clouds.
The Galactic Center compared with nuclei of nearby galaxies
Authors: Combes Francoise
Published: February 2017

Understanding our Galactic Center is easier with insights from nearby galactic nuclei. Both the star formation activity in nuclear gas disks, driven by bars and nuclear bars, and the fueling of low-luminosity AGN, followed by feedback of jets, driving molecular outflows, were certainly present in our Galactic Center, which appears now quenched. Comparisons and diagnostics are reviewed, in particular of m = 2 and m = 1 modes, lopsidedness, different disk orientations, and fossil evidences of activity and feedback.
NIR triggered observations of Sgr A* at 43 GHz
Authors: Rauch C. , Ros E. , Krichbaum T. P. , Eckart A. , Zensus J. A. , Lu R.-S. , Shahzamanian B. , Mužić K. , Peißker F.
Published: February 2017

The compact radio and near-infrared (NIR) source Sagittarius A* has been observed in the context of two NIR triggered global VLT and VLBA campaigns at 43 GHz (7 mm) on May 16-18 2012 and October 4 2014. While on October 4 2014 Sgr A* remained in a quiescent state, a NIR flare on May 17 2012 is accompanied by an increase in flux density of 0.22 Jy at 7 mm delayed by 4.5±0.5 h. Additionally, Sgr A* seems to develop a weak secondary radio off-core component of 0.02 Jy at a position angle of 140° and an angular distance of 1.5 mas shortly before the peak of the flare. This spatial extension and the time delay are in the range of expected values for events casually connected by adiabatic expansion.
Status of GRMHD simulations and radiative models of Sgr A*
Authors: Mościbrodzka Monika
Published: February 2017

The Galactic center is a perfect laboratory for testing various theoretical models of accretion flows onto a supermassive black hole. Here, I review general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations that were used to model emission from the central object - Sgr A*. These models predict dynamical and radiative properties of hot, magnetized, thick accretion disks with jets around a Kerr black hole. Models are compared to radio-VLBI, mm-VLBI, NIR, and X-ray observations of Sgr A*. I present the recent constrains on the free parameters of the model such as accretion rate onto the black hole, the black hole angular momentum, and orientation of the system with respect to our line of sight.
Recent Developments in EU Biotech Regulation: A Possible Solution to the Deadlock on Authorizations of GM Crops?
Authors: Hristova Vessela
Published: February 2017

This section aims to update readers on decisions related to marketing products of modern biotechnology (e.g., GMOs, animal clones) at EU level and on national measures concerning their production. Special attention is devoted to problems of competence between Member States and the EU in regulating biotechnology issues; the institutional dynamics of decision making regarding products derived from modern biotechnology; the relationship between the EFSA and the EU institutions on green biotech-related issues; the evolution of EU regulatory framework and of national attitudes towards the risks and benefits of biotechnology derived products and their production. This section will also delve into the interaction between the EU legislation and WTO law regarding advances in the application of biotechnology within the agri-food value chain.
Country of Origin Labelling: The Last Frontier of the Geographic Perceptions of Food
Authors: Alemanno Alberto
Published: February 2017

EU consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about not only the characteristics and qualities of the food products that they are buying but also their origin. To address these concerns, the EU is considering – similarly to other countries – the introduction of mandatory country of origin labelling (COOL) for both unprocessed and processed food.
State Aids and Environmental Taxes: The Northern Ireland Exemption to the UK Aggregates Levy
Authors: Merchante Fernando Pastor
Published: February 2017

The General Court annuls Decision C(2004) 1614 final, in which the Commission declared that the modified exemption to the aggregates levy in Northern Ireland, as notified by the United Kingdom, fell within the scope of Article 87(1) EC [107(1) TFEU] but was compatible with the common market on the basis of Article 87(3)(c) EC [107(3)(C) TFEU] (author's headnote).
The Case of Pandemic Flu Vaccines: Some Lessons Learned
Authors: Bombillar Francisco
Published: February 2017

This section updates readers on the latest developments in pharmaceutical law, giving information on legislation and case law on various matters (such as clinical and pre-clinical trials, drug approval and marketing authorisation, the role of regulatory agencies) and providing analysis on how and to what extent they might affect health and security of the individual as well as in industry.
Comment on Risk versus Hazard – How to Regulate in the 21st Century
Authors: Forsberg Ethel
Published: February 2017

The debate as to whether chemicals should be regulated according to hazard or risk is once again under the spotlight, this time commented by Ragnar Lofstedt, PhD, Professor and Director of the Kings Centre for Risk Management at Kings College in London. He takes the reader through the history of risk assessment and chemical control, presents two interesting current case studies and sheds light on the influence of politics on the implementation of regulation.

Professor Lofstedt's assumption that two different methods of assessment exist is not a complete statement. In fact this is a confusing way to describe the scientific and political processes involved in regulation. It is not a choice between two methods, but rather a balance between political ambition and scientific facts within one method. Examples can be found where science has been more influential than policy on the actual regulatory decision, and vice versa.
Independent Scientific Advice: Comparing Policies on Conflicts of Interest in the EU and the US
Authors: Gabbi Simone
Published: February 2017

This article highlights the importance of unbiased scientific advice in the European Union's legal system. It then analyses and compares the policies in force throughout the European Food Safety Authority, European Medicines Agency and European Commission's Scientific Committees with the one implemented by the US Food and Drugs Administration. The author argues that at the present time the framework adopted and implemented by the European Food Safety Authority seems to be the most complete and stringent amongst those taken into account in the article and he advances some proposals for further improvement of the policies regulating conflict of interest.
Philip Morris v. Uruguay: The Punta del Este Declaration on the Implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
Authors: McGrady Benn
Published: February 2017

In November 2010, 171 Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) unanimously adopted the Punta del Este Declaration on implementation of the Convention. The Declaration follows the filing of an international investment claim against Uruguay by Philip Morris Products (Switzerland) and related companies. The Declaration reaffirms the commitment of the 171 WHO FCTC Parties to implementation of the Convention and addresses the relationship between the WHO FCTC and international trade and investment agreements, particularly in the context of intellectual property rights. This article outlines the Request for Arbitration, sets out the Declaration and the broader normative context in which it arose before touching briefly on the implications of the Declaration.
Back to the Future: US-Tuna II and the New Environment-Trade Debate
Authors: Arcuri Alessandra
Published: February 2017

This article discusses a number of pitfalls of the US-Tuna II Panel Report. This Report is interesting because it offers an occasion to reflect on some provisions of the Technical Barrier to Trade (TBT) Agreement, which may be crucial for the assessment of the legality of environmental labelling regimes. The most troubling part of the Report is the one dealing with the trade-restrictive nature of the measure. The Panel seems to have relied on a test by which if a measure does not reach its objectives perfectly, any other ineffective measures adopted with allegedly the same goals can be judged as a valid less-trade restrictive alternative. In other words, two wrongs seem to make a right in the view of the Panel; a conclusion that, for obvious reasons, will not be greeted with enthusiasm by environmentalists.
The Administrative Ordering of Nature and Society – Precaution and Food Safety at the Molecular and Global Levels
Authors: Hanekamp Jaap C. , Kwakman Jan , Pieterman Roel , Ricci Paolo F.
Published: February 2017

Responding to public fears and the loss of confidence in the aftermath of several food safety crises in the 1990s and 2000s, more and more regulatory laws have increasingly been affected by the precautionary principle. To clarify how those developments can have adverse consequences, we discuss two very different cases. First, at the molecular level we discuss the problems the system encounters by strictly applying the linear no-threshold (LNT) at low doses model, which was adopted in response to fears about the effects of ionizing radiations. Second, at a global scale, we discuss the problems associated with the precautionary regulation on Illegal, Unreported and Unregistered Fisheries that came into effect January 1, 2010. The technical aspects of food safety testing and their impacts are perhaps unknown to policy makers but they do dominate safety decisions. Both examples show that strict application of the precautionary principle produce deleterious side effects, which go against the very policy values that the precautionary regulation should protect. We show, in particular, that overly precautionary food safety regulation may harm food security. We conclude in the EU and other Western nations, problems of food security are much more relevant to human health and life expectancy than food safety. We recommend that current food safety regulation based on the precautionary risk-regulation reflex should normatively be re-evaluated with a complete regard for the values of food security – both within and outside the EU.
‘An Experimental Offensive against the Mishandling of Risk in Society’: Reflecting on the Pioneering Work of the Risk and Regulation Advisory Council in the UK
Authors: Burgess Adam , Macrae Donald
Published: February 2017

This article looks back at the history and legacy of the Risk and Regulation Advisory Council in the UK. The Council was the first government body to explicitly challenge a culture of overreaction to ‘public risk’, one of a number of ways in which it was a unique and interesting experiment in addressing the political dimension of contemporary regulation. Whilst the RRAC was ultimately unsuccessful in bringing about a change in how risk is managed by government it has, at least, left a useful intellectual legacy and, more practically, its work is effectively being taken forward by the Risk and Responsibility programme of the Dutch government.
No more Doubts about the Nature of Unit-Linked Products
Authors: Llavona Covadonga Díaz
Published: February 2017

Judgment of the Court (fifth Chamber) of 1 March 2012 (reference for preliminary ruling), Case C—166/11: Ángel Lorenzo González Alonso v Nationale Nederlanden Vida Cía. de Seguros y Reaseguros, S.A.E. (Spain)**

A contract concluded away from business premises, under which life assurance is offered in return for payment of a monthly premium to be invested, in varying proportions, in fixed-rate investments, variable-rate investments and financial investment products of the company offering the contract, falls outside the scope of Council Directive 85/577/ EEC of 20 December 1985, to protect the consumer in respect to contracts negotiated away from business premises, in accordance with Article 3(2)(d) thereof (official headnote).
The WHO Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products: A Next Step in International Control of Tobacco Products
Authors: Gruszczynski Lukasz
Published: February 2017

This report discusses the main provisions of the recently adopted WHO Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products. While recognizing the remarkable achievement of the global community in its efforts to curb illicit trade in tobacco products at the international level, the report also highlights those aspects of the Protocol that may undermine its effectiveness in the long–term perspective. In this context the enforcement capabilities of developing countries are cited as a main concern.
US Perspectives on the EU Medical Device Approval System, and Lessons Learned from the United States
Authors: Altenstetter Christa
Published: February 2017

The literature on the regulation of drugs at the FDA and the European Union is substantial, yet little research has provided comparative analyses and robust empirical data on the regulation of medical devices in the United States and the European Union. As medical and health markets become increasingly globalized, and the U.S. and the EU compete for leadership and recognition, salient domestic regulatory issues are becoming increasingly international and transnational policy issues. Building on Carpenter's (2010) work on drug regulation at the FDA, but taking a slightly narrower yet at the same time a broader approach by drawing on interdisciplinary studies instead of limiting ourselves to only the Political Science literature, this comparison focuses on key aspects of risk regulation and governance of medical devices in the U.S. and the EU, and shows how and why individual and organizational learning is imperative in each case.
The Seeds of Dispute: Vernon Hugh Bowman v. Monsanto Company et al.
Authors: Gambini Emanuela
Published: February 2017

In May 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court decided in Vernon Hugh Bowman v. Monsanto Company et al. in favor of Monsanto Company, affirming the judgment of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and holding that patent exhaustion does not permit a farmer to reproduce patented seeds through planting and harvesting without the patent holder's permission.

This case note gives a brief overview of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision, in which the meaning and limits of the doctrine of patent exhaustion have been examined, and discusses its implications for farmers and seed companies.
The Member States’ Long and Winding Road to Partial Regulatory Autonomy in Cultivating Genetically Modified Crops in the EU
Authors: Poli Sara
Published: February 2017

Member States wishing to cultivate genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have always been a minority in the EU. Only eight out of twenty-seven have experienced transgenic agriculture. Throughout the years, the opposition to this form of farming has become a genuinely transnational phenomenon given that many regions of different European countries declared themselves GMO-free. Moreover, Member States such as Austria, Luxembourg, Greece, Poland and, most recently, Hungary officially banned transgenic agriculture within their borders altogether. France and Germany suspended the cultivation of GM maize MON 810, respectively in 2008 and 2009.

In addition, the EU has previously authorized only two GM crops: GM maize MON 810 (authorization renewed in 2008) and GM potato EH92-527-1 (2010), known as the ‘Amflora potato.’ The cautious approach towards transgenic farming is also witnessed by the long and contested process of renewal of the permit to cultivate GM maize MON 810 and the issue of the authorization for the Amflora potato.
New Fault Lines? On Responsibility and Disasters
Authors: Lauta Kristian Cedervall
Published: February 2017

This article investigates the L'Aquila decision. It aims to present a theoretical framework from contemporary disaster research and political philosophy to better understand why blame and responsibility has come to play such a prominent role in the aftermath of disasters. Furthermore, it presents a number of examples from criminal law around the world to provide context to the decision. The central claim in tthis piece is that the decision is not an extraordinary, isolated decision on responsibility following disasters; rather the decision is emblematic to an on-going development of disaster responsibility. Thus, after disaster follows a legal process aimed at identifying, and if necessary, penalizing the mistakes leading to the horrifying outcome. In that way disasters are increasingly like any other event in society with major negative implications; it is evaluated and if appropriate adjudicated.
Stem Cell Lines and Destruction of Human Embryos: the EPO Shares the Perspective of the Court of Justice
Authors: Barazza Stefano
Published: February 2017

The Technical Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office, in case T 2221/10, held that Article 53(a) and Rule 28(c) of the European Patent Convention do not merely exclude the patentability of biotechnological inventions that make use of human embryonic stem cells obtained by de novo destruction of human embryos, but also apply to inventions which employ publicly available cell lines which were initially derived by a process resulting in the destruction of human embryos. The decision relies on the judgment of the Enlarged Board of Appeal in theWARF case, falling in line with the perspective endorsed by the Court of Justice of the European Union in Oliver Brüstle v Greenpeace.
The Past, Present and Future of the Chief Scientific Advisor
Authors: Wilsdon James
Published: February 2017

At the end of August 2014, scientists and policymakers from forty-eight countries gathered at the Heritage Hotel in Auckland, New Zealand to debate the science and art of scientific advice. Jointly hosted by Sir Peter Gluckman, chief scientific advisor to the PrimeMinister of NewZealand, and the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Auckland summit was the largest ever meeting of its kind, attracting science advisors, advisory bodies and academic experts fromAlbania to Zimbabwe, and a host of countries in between.

Over two days of intense discussion, participants debated structures and methods for the provision of scientific advice in emergency situations, across national and disciplinary boundaries, and on contested topics,where science, values and politics collide. The meeting ended with a call to strengthen collaboration between advisory systems, an agreement to formalize the network, and a commitment tomeet again in 2016. As Sir Peter Gluckman said afterwards: “Our goal was to start a global conversation on the practices and challenges of conveying science advice to governments…The meeting has highlighted a real thirst among practitioners to share models and lessons.”
Better Risk Regulation Governance for a Stronger Europe
Authors: Hudig Dirk
Published: February 2017

The start of a new European Commission represents a unique opportunity to build on successful regulatory reforms and to create the institutional architecture needed to ensure that high quality scientific evidence is used effectively in EU decision–making. The appointment by President Barroso of a Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) in 2011 constituted an important springboard in this respect. The CSA Office has made a considerable and positive difference to the regulatory environment. This article argues for embedding the CSA Office into the institutional and procedural arrangements of the Commission by re–defining its organisational role and responsibilities as well as the resources allocated to it. The institutionalisation of the CSA Office and the creation of a fully–fledged risk regulation regime would provide a robust element of the EU's response to the demands for better governance by its citizens, as expressed in the recent European elections.
State Liability and Critical Infrastructure: A Comparative and Functional Analysis
Authors: van Aaken Anne , Wildhaber Isabelle
Published: February 2017

Critical Infrastructure (CI) provision is characterized by privatization of CI providers, transnational risks and a changing role of the state. We describe two paradigmatic systems of state liability with a view to CI liability, namely Germany as a fault system and Switzerland as a strict liability system. Both are unsatisfactory and not well adapted to the modern realities and exigencies of allocation of risks and liability in CI and show flaws from a functional, incentive-based perspective. Therefore, we make suggestions how those systems may be ameliorated, suggesting organizational, design and supervisory liability reforms.
Governing Critical ICT: Elements that Require Attention
Authors: Luiijf Eric , Klaver Marieke
Published: February 2017

With respect to critical information and communication technologies (ICT), nations most often declare their national critical infrastructure to include telecommunication services and in some cases critical services offered by key Internet Service Providers (ISP). This paper debates whether nations, their policy-makers, legislation and regulation largely overlook and fail to properly govern the full set of ICT elements and services critical to the functioning of their nation. The related societal and economical risk, however, needs to be closely mitigated, managed and governed. Legal and regulatory obligations to increase the ICT resilience may sometimes encourage this process.
What the United States Can Learn from the European Commission's Better Regulation Initiative
Authors: Broughel James
Published: February 2017

In May of 2015, the European Commission released a package outlining the vision for its Better Regulation initiative, a program aimed at improving outcomes of European Union (EU) regulation. The move represents a step forward for regulatory reform in the EU, and signals a potential shift in world leadership roles among countries promoting evidence-based policy. The United States (US), once at the forefront of regulatory science and analysis, may now be lagging behind. If Better Regulation is implemented as its ambitious designers envision, this could signal a new role for the EU in advancing 21st century policymaking.

Better Regulation seeks to improve the EU regulatory process in several ways. The initiative allows for more meaningful citizen and stakeholder participation at all stages of the policymaking process; it seeks to institutionalize the use of economic analysis throughout the lifecycle of a policy; and it sets up a process for reviewing the existing stock of regulations to ensure old rules do not become excessively burdensome or obsolete. All this is done in a manner intended to inform legislators as they periodically review funding levels for new and existing programs.
Dutch State Ordered to Cut Carbon Emissions
Authors: de Jong Elbert R.
Published: February 2017

District Court of The Hague, 24 June 2015, The Urgenda Foundation v. The Netherlands, ECLI:NL:RBDHA:2015:7145

The Dutch State has to ensure that the Dutch emissions in the year 2020 will be at least 25% lower than those in 1990.

The parties agree that the severity and scope of the climate problem make it necessary to take measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Based on the State's current policy, the Netherlands will achieve a reduction of 17% at most in 2020, which is below the norm of 25% to 40% for developed countries deemed necessary in climate science and international climate policy.

With this order, the court has not entered the domain of politics. The court must provide legal protection, also in cases against the government, while respecting the government's scope for policymaking. For these reasons, the court should exercise restraint and has limited therefore the reduction order to 25%, the lower limit of the 25%-40% norm.
TTIP as a Platform for Progress in Pharma and Medtech Regulations
Authors: Vooren Bart Van , Ryckman Charlotte
Published: February 2017

Opponents of the transatlantic trade and investment partnership treaty (TTIP) fear that the EUmight lose the capacity to protect public health as it deems appropriate. The freedomto regulate would be jeopardized because TTIP would bind the EU to the United States’ regulatory interests, which are expressly or implicitly assumed to live up to a ‘lower’ standard than those in the EU. The ‘TTIP–leaks’ provide a good opportunity to examine the potential impact of the agreement on EU public health regulation. This brief contribution uses as its starting point the document “Tactical State of Play of the TTIP negotiations” (hereafter “Tactical Document”) of March 2016, and focuses on pharmaceuticals and medical devices. In light of the statements in this document, we query what would change for the EU consumer, and what would be the impact on the EU regulators’ role in protecting public health.
Risk, Uncertainty, and Learning in Nanomaterials Regulation: An Analytical Framework
Authors: Reichow Aline
Published: February 2017

The regulation of nanomaterials is still surrounded by scientific uncertainty regarding their potential human health risks. It is therefore useful to consider learning approaches in the process of regulation. Effective regulation is conceptualised with regard to collaborative activities of state and non-state actors that enable mutual learning regarding the health risks of nanomaterials. A theoretical framework is offered for studying learning processes in the area of occupational safety and health. Drawing on the network governance literature, three learning types (namely substantive, strategic, and institutional learning) are distinguished. Analytical conditions are proposed and applied to the case of nanomaterials in Germany, thereby offering insights into learning processes in industry-initiated collaborative activities. It is concluded that the development of trust among network collaborators is decisive for learning processes. Accordingly, a proposal for research into specific stages of trust development is made.
Court of Justice Upholds the Tobacco Products Directive 2014
Authors: Ó Cathaoir Katharina
Published: February 2017

C-547/14 Philip Morris Brands SARL and Others v Secretary of State for Health [2016] (not yet reported)

C-477/14 Pillbox 38 (UK) Ltd v Secretary of State for Health [2016] (not yet reported)

C-358/14 Poland v. Parliament and Council [2016] (not yet reported)

Article 114 TFEU provides an adequate legal basis for the adoption of the Tobacco Products Directive 2014 in full, including measures relating to flavoured tobacco, labelling and packaging, and electronic cigarettes. These measures also comply with the principles of proportionality, subsidiarity, legal certainty, equal treatment and free competition, and the rights of companies under the EU Charter. Member States may introduce further requirements in relation to packaging of tobacco products that are not harmonised by the Directive.
Wanted: A Comparative History of the Modern Mediterranean
Authors: Burke Edmund
Published: February 2017

There is something seriously flawed about models of social change that posit the dominant role of in-built civilizational motors. While “the rise of the West” makes great ideology, it is poor history. Like Jared Diamond, I believe that we need to situate the fate of nations in a long-term ecohistorical context. Unlike Diamond, I believe that the ways (and the sequences) in which things happened mattered deeply to what came next. The Mediterranean is a particularly useful case in this light. No longer a center of progress after the sixteenth century, the decline of the Mediterranean is usually ascribed to its inherent cultural deficiencies. While the specific cultural infirmity varies with the historian (amoral familism, patron/clientalism, and religion are some of the favorites) its civilizationalist presuppositions are clear. In this respect the search for “what went wrong” typifies national histories across the region and prefigures the fate of the Third World.
In Praise of Insult: Slogan Genres, Slogan Repertoires and Innovation
Authors: Colla Elliott
Published: February 2017

I have been thinking about Egyptian protest culture for a number of years, although not always as a scholar. For the bulk of that time, much of this protest culture was largely confined to particular segments of Egyptian society, activists, intellectuals and students. The major icon of this culture, Sheikh Imam, was clearly more revered outside of Egypt than at home. However, with the January 25 uprising, what was marginal became a dominant strand in contemporary Egyptian expressive culture. Like so many others, I found myself caught up in collecting, archiving and analyzing the explosion of revolutionary culture in Egypt. Among the first things I collected were slogans.

During the Eighteen-Day Uprising, I noticed that many observers treated slogans as if they were spontaneous linguistic statements of an unambiguouspopular will. This treatment both resonated and clashed with what I thoughtI knew about the history of protest culture in Egypt. On the one hand, it resonated with how activists themselves spoke about their own experiences interms of surprise and spontaneity, and how they routinely considered slogans to be clear proof-texts of an articulate collective voice. But it also clashed with the fact that some of these same activists had for years been planning and practicing just such an uprising, and chanting some of the same slogans that were to resound across Egypt on January 25. The more I listened to activists, the more I began to realize that the meaning of slogans could not be reduced to their immediate context or their semantic aspect, nor was their meaning so straightforward or stable.
Staging Tahrir: Laila Soliman’s Revolutionary Theatre
Authors: Mehta Brinda
Published: February 2017

If one day, a people desire to live, Then fate will answer their call And their night will then begin to fade, And their chains break and fall.

“Will to Live” Abī al-Qāsim al-Shābī

One of the most inspiring aspects of the Egyptian revolution was the outpouring of creative expression that accompanied the uprising’s social and political movements in the form of protest songs, poetry, slogans, chants, graffiti and installation art, street theatre, cartoons, among other forms of artistic inventiveness. Creative dissidence has always been an integral part of protest movements, as argued by Iraqi poet Sinan Antoon (2011):

Poetry, novels and popular culture have chronicled and encapsulated the struggle of peoples against colonial rule and later, against postcolonial monarchies and dictatorships, so the poems, vignettes, and quotes from novels were all there in the collective unconscious.... The revolution introduced new songs, chants and tropes, but it refocused attention on an already existing, rich and living archive.... Contrary to all the brouhaha about Twitter and Facebook, what energized people in Tunisia and Egypt and elsewhere, aside from sociopolitical grievances and an accumulation of pain and anger, was a famous line of poetry by a Tunisian poet, al-Shabbi.

Antoon evokes Abū al-Qāsim al-Shābī, whose poem “The Will to Live,” referenced in the epigraph, symbolized the battle cry of Tunisians in the anti-colonial struggles of the early 1900s. Refrains from the poem echoed in both Tunisia and Egypt during the Arab spring uprisings over one century later, thereby highlighting the intimate synergies between the creative imaginary and revolutionary action.
Youth, the “Arab Spring,” and Social Movements
Authors: Anderson Charles W.
Published: February 2017

Almost two years after the inception of the so-called “Arab Spring” some of its primary constituencies remain enigmatic. To a certain degree, this is an effect of previous scholarly interest in various regimes’ strategies for maintaining their monopolization of critical resources, and, ultimately, of state power. The literature on “durable authoritarianism” has taught us much about autocratic longevity and the structures and dynamics that underpinned the management of the populace, as well as marginalization of challengers in a variety of regimes throughout the region. As some scholars have recently observed, however, the focus on authoritarian regimes’ staying power led to overestimations of their strength and, correspondingly, to underestimations of their publics. Of course studies of social movements, resistant populations, and opposition groups are plentiful and trends like the growth of Islamist groups have received copious attention.
Tadmor's Ghosts: Postscript on Syrian Art
Authors: cooke miriam
Published: February 2017

The situation in Syria has continued to deteriorate. The government has increased its aggression against the people, and outside elements with unclear motives have joined the opposition. On 21 August, the people of Ghuta suffered a chemical attack, and over a thousand died dreadful deaths. Despite his assertion in a cocky interview with Charlie Rose that he has not deployed his chemical arsenal, Bashar Al Assad is now apparently cooperating with the UN investigating team. Meanwhile, artists continue to respond to the violence with images, cartoons and films.
Competition Law and the Regulation of Buyer Power and Buyer Cartels in China and Hong Kong
Authors: Ezrachi Ariel , Williams Mark
Published: February 2017

The paper focuses on the application of competition law in HK and China to buying alliances and buyer cartels in intermediate markets. The discussion set to clarify the legality, under the competition provisions, of purchase price fixing agreements between buyers.
Gas Armour for Aircraft
Authors: Boothby F. L. M.
Published: February 2017

The greatest deterrent to the growth of air travel is the fear of fire in the minds of potential passengers. It is not a groundless fear, for there must be few members of this Society who have not lost friends and acquaintances from this cause. Unfortunately, the fuel at present in use in all aircraft is of a highly inflammable nature, as is the hydrogen with which airships are filled. So long, however, as oxygen can be kept from mixing with the gas or fuel a fire cannot occur. The problem of abolishing the risk of fire in the air resolves itself into finding the best method of excluding the oxygen from the combustible material. The means adopted must be light, otherwise the aircraft could not use them, cheap and capable of application in any part of the world.
The Effect of Temperature and Altitude of Aerodrome in the Taking off of Aeroplanes
Authors: Gundry P. G.
Published: February 2017

The Cairo-Cape flights of 1920 brought into prominence many peculiarities of conditions arising from the high temperature combined with high altitude ot the aerodromes on the route. The conditions were for the most part new, for flight from elevated aerodromes in Europe and the United States has been made as a rule in temperate climates, where the temperature at such altitude was low. These peculiarities, which led to great difficulties for the pilots, may be divided into two classes :—

(1) Engine peculiarities, especially defects of carburation and unequal heating of the cylinder jackets owing to the high temperature of the air.

(2) Aerodynamical peculiarities, owing to the tenuity of the atmosphere. In the former class the difficulties were not to be foreseen, and much valuable information has been obtained as a result of these flights.

The latter class of difficulty, on the other hand, was one that could have been predicted with certainty by anyone who has had experience in the testing of the performance of aeroplanes under varying conditions of the atmosphere.