bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Screening for Deleterious non-synonymous SNPs in Human CCL21 Gene using in-silico analysis
Authors: Ali Yasir , Akhtar Mehran , Khan Kainat , Farooqi Nadia , Gohar Shahla , Ishfaq Ahmad Syed , Ayaz Madeeha , Ul Islam Zia , Arshad Maria , Jalil Fazal 
Published: March 2022

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, systematic, and progressive inflammatory disorder, causing severe damage to joints and hence increase mortality. The Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 21 (CCL21), a member cytokines family, is involved in immuno-inflammatory and regulatory processes. Therefore, identifying the important SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) in the CCL21 gene is of key importance to evaluate their structural and functional significance and to discover novel therapeutic targets for immune-related diseases, including RA. In this study, we used in silico approaches for identifying the most damaging non-synonymous SNPs (nsSNPs), playing a significant structural and functional role in CCL21 protein. The primary tools used for this study included PROVEAN, SNPs&GO, SIFT and PolyPhen2. Other tools, its stability, Structure and functional effect as well as the conservation profile, were verified using I-Mutant, MutPred, and ConSurf. The site of post-translational modification also predicted. The 3-D modeling of proteins was carried out using I-TASSER which were then visualized in Chimera v1.11. Furthermore, the gene-gene interactions were predicted using STRING and gene MANIA. It was observed that the nsSNPs D30Y (rs753133670), I62N (rs1170851787), R75C (rs759733358), R75S (rs776954599) and A83V (rs776954599) were the most damaging nsSNPs in the CCL21 gene. These nsSNPs might have a significant role in CCL2 protein’s malfunctioning and possibly causing different autoimmune diseases including RA. Our study concluded that, to study the correlation of the CCL21 gene with certain autoimmune disorders, i.e. Crohn’s Disease (CD), RA and other immune-associated diseases, these SNPs could be the most important ones. In addition, these SNPs need to be studied in animal models and cell cultures in association with certain diseases, to identify if they could be of use for the gene therapy and pharmacogenomics.
Phosphorus Sorption Characteristics of Red Soils from Lampung, West- and Central Java
Authors: Siradz Syamsul Arifin 
Published: March 2022

Phosphorus Sorption Characteristics of Red Soils from Lampung, West- and Central Java (S.A. Siradz and R.J. Gilkes): Red soil is a common name used to identify any soil showing yellowish to reddish colour, these soils mainly occur in tropical and subtropical regions. The term is frequently used to convey an image of red, infertile, acid soils in the tropics and is associated with tropical and subtropical climates which are characterized by high temperature and humidity. Major soil constraints to crop production may include low pH, low available P and high P fixation capacity, toxicity due to Al and sometimes Mn and Fe, deficiencies of N, Ca, Mg, K, and micronutrients e.g. Mo, Zn and Cu, low CEC and low base saturation, and very low content of weatherable minerals. The aim of this study was to determine the phosphorus sorption characteristics of red soils from Lampung, West Java and Central Java. Soils were sampled at depth of 0-20 cm from minimally disturbed sites after discarding the uppermost few cm consisting of an accumulation of litter. The samples were air-dried, crushed using a ceramic mortar and pestle and then passed through a 0.5 mm stainless steel sieve. Measurements of P sorption were conducted by equilibrating 200 mg of air dry soil (<0.5 mm) in 20 mL 0.2 M KCl containing 0-30 mg PmL-1. P concentrations in filtrate were determined by the molybdate blue method. Phosphorus sorption data for soils were fitted to simple Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm equations and both equations described the data equally well. Langmuir P sorption maximum (xm) for soil ranged from 719-2747 µg Pg-1, with median values of 1.825 µg Pg-1. There were systematic decreases in the values of Langmuir sorption maximum (xm) for soils from Lampung > West Java and Central Java. Values of pH(NaF), Ald, and exchangeable Ca were most predictive of P sorption in these soils.
A Critical Examination of Percussion and Drums in the Collegiate Curriculum
Authors: Smith Gareth Dylan , Davis Virginia Wayman 
Published: March 2022

Abstract
The drum kit is a musical instrument comprising various items of percussion. It is ubiquitous in popular music (the majority of music produced and consumed by contemporary society) but is largely excluded as a requirement in the collegiate percussion studio. The authors contextualize this phenomenon in the wider cultural disparity between music in society (99% rock, pop, hip-hop and other contemporary styles) and music in higher education (almost exclusively Western art music and jazz). We ask the following four research questions: (1) How frequently is drum kit taught in the collegiate percussion studio, relative to other percussion instruments? (2) If drum kit is taught, what topics are taught? (3) If the participants play drum kit themselves, how did they learn? (4) What opportunities and/or challenges exist for drum kit instruction in the percussion studio? Fifty collegiate percussion instructors completed an online survey. Participants agreed that drum kit is important for music-making and teaching after leaving college, but for most, drum kit takes a backseat to snare drum, timpani, and marimba as foundational instruments of Western art music. We argue that including drum kit in the collegiate studio would require a shift in pedagogy and aesthetic orientation, but that such shifts are necessary in order for the collegiate percussion studio to remain relevant. Further research is required to understand how the percussion studio and higher music education more broadly can better serve students and society, including in music teacher education and in kindergarten through 12th grade schools. This article's exploration of drum kit and percussion underscores the importance of discussing the places and purposes of myriad musics and musicians throughout music education contexts.
How to Try Cases on Board and Management Liability After a Financial Crisis
Authors: Werlauff Erik 
Published: March 2022

Since Denmark had not had the principle of the business judgment rule finally confirmed within the financial sector confirmed, a judgment from the Danish Supreme Court on this matter was anticipated with great anxiety: whether the principle would be confirmed, and if so, how the further details of the principle would be drawn up.
tort law, business judgment rule, financial sector, Danish law
Payment of (Extraordinary) Dividends: What if the Company Law Rules are Breached?
Authors: Seehausen Jesper 
Published: March 2022

This article on payment of dividends focuses on situations where the company law rules on this subject are breached. The reason for this is that, in practice, lawyers, auditors, and others dealing with company law sometimes encounter situations where a company has paid dividends to its shareholders, but the company law rules on payment of dividends are breached. This is especially true with regard to extraordinary dividends, which is why the article focuses on such dividends. However, situations do occur where a company has paid ordinary dividends to its shareholders, but the company law rules on payment of such dividends are breached. Drawing on the Consolidated Company Law Directive (CCLD), the article starts by discussing the requirements for paying dividends. Next, still drawing on CCLD, it discusses the consequences of paying dividends if these requirements are not met. Finally, it explores the differences between CCLD and the European Model Companies Act (EMCA) with regard to payment of dividends. The article points to a number of ways in which the CCLD provisions on payment of dividends could be improved. Such improvements are necessary in order to maintain the important balance between creditor and shareholder protection.
Company Law, Consolidated Company Law Directive (CCLD), European Model Companies Act (EMCA), Dividends, Extraordinary Dividends, Interim Dividends.
Legal Challenges of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Authors: Cuatrecasas Carlota 
Published: March 2022

The world is undoubtedly changing, and the Law cannot be left behind, since it plays a crucial and challenging role in this new era. New technologies, especially Artificial Intelligence, have an enormous potential to increase the effectiveness and excellence of lawyers' work, although they can also pose a great threat to citizens’ rights. That is why it is essential to establish legal limits that both guarantee the respect of such rights and facilitate the promising evolution that is being experienced. Without doubts, there is a very interesting legal challenge to be faced.
AI, new technologies, risk, algorithm, judiciary
Blockchain and Data Protection: A Compatible Couple?
Authors: Pehlivan Ceyhun Necati , Read Inés Isidro 
Published: March 2022

In recent years, blockchain, the underlying technology behind cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, has emerged as one of the technological innovations with the greatest potential to transform the economy and society. As various European institutions and data protection authorities point out, this type of technologies may, by its very nature, be unable to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). We believe that, in order to understand the risks that the use of blockchain technology could pose, it is necessary to examine the architecture and the specific characteristics of the technology in question, in particular the way in which personal data are stored or processed. Thus, the impact of blockchain on the privacy and personal data of data subjects generally requires analysis on a case-by-case basis. We conclude that, while there are some tensions to be resolved, blockchain technology is not per se incompatible with the GDPR.
blockchain, DLT, data protection, privacy, GDPR, cryptocurrency
The ECHR Grand Chamber ‘López Ribalda II’ Judgement Dated 17 October 2019. Analysis on the Validity of Concealed Cameras Based on Case Law from the Spanish Constitutional Court
Authors: Torres Raul 
Published: March 2022

This article analyses the new ruling of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ‘López Ribalda II’ and the possibility for employers to use hidden video surveillance cameras in order to monitor employees in the workplace. The criteria of the Spanish Constitutional Court and the first judgement of the ECHR in the ‘López Ribalda’ case are also studied in order to understand the evolving criteria and the importance of the new ECHR decision for the future of labour relationships. In short, the new ruling of the ECHR ‘López Ribalda II’ justifies the installation of hidden cameras due to the existence of reasonable suspicions of employee’s irregularities when this is a proportional decision and there are no less intrusive measures.
ECHR, hidden cameras, fundamental rights, privacy, suspicions, proportionality principle, video surveillance, irregularities.
Market Power in Data (Protection) Law
Authors: P. Paal Boris 
Published: March 2022

The relationship between data protection law and antitrust law is – also and especially with regard to undertakings with a dominant position in the market of digital economy (i.e. big tech companies) – with good reason a highlighted subject of legislation and case law, legal practice and research activities. This article examines whether and to what extent the antitrust law-concept of market power may have effects in the fields of data protection law. The very elements of lawfulness laid down in Article 6 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which are decisive for the lawful processing of personal data, are used as a reference for this purpose.
Market Power, Antitrust Law, Dominant Position, Legitimate Interests, Consent, Data Portability, Voluntariness
Dark Patterns, Privacy and the LGPD
Authors: Jarovsky Luiza 
Published: March 2022

This article deals with the topic of dark patterns in personal data collection (DPPDC), arguing that they are still under the radar of lawmakers and privacy advocates, and that data protection laws such as the Brazilian Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados (LGPD) do not offer enough protection against it. The article presents the general concept of dark patterns, followed by a legal analysis of DPPDC, highlighting that their prevalence is made possible by the outdated decision making model tacitly endorsed by data protection laws. To illustrate this argument, I examine the recently enacted LGPD, which emphasizes data subjects’ autonomy without offering additional protection against malicious actors’ commonly used techniques. Turning to the legal text, I inquire whether DPPDC can be deemed legal or not given the LGPD’s current provisions regarding lawfulness of data processing. Lastly, after identifying the legal gaps that enable DPPDC to flourish, I argue that data protection law needs a paradigm change, so that data subjects can be guaranteed a fair decision making process and adequate levels of protection of their privacy.
Dark Patterns, Data Protection, Brazil, Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados (LGPD), General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Fairness, Privacy
Digital Convergence and Electronic Commerce: Customs and Trade Implications
Authors: Cannistra Daniel 
Published: March 2022

This article covers emerging trade issues driven by the rapid expansion of goods incorporating digital products. Historically, trade bodies and agreements struggled to develop a uniform policy concerning software, the earliest digital product. In large part, the difficulty arose from differing rules for goods and services. As digital content expanded beyond software and became embedded in a wide array of products, the goods or services distinction grew in importance, while simultaneously becoming more difficult to administer. Recent free trade agreements (FTAs) have addressed this digital convergence through electronic commerce provisions that do not rely on traditional goods/service distinctions but seek instead to unify the treatment of digital goods across product lines and delivery means.
To appreciate the significance of the new digital commerce provisions, this article first presents the treatment of digital products in the absence of digital commerce provisions. Second, an analysis of the digital commerce provisions in recent trade agreements is presented. The expansion of digital commerce provisions and its implication on other taxes is then presented. This article concludes with a discussion of the possible relationship between most favoured nation (MFN) provisions of service agreement and digital commerce provisions and a case study concerning a recent digital convergence product – e-books.
The Question of the Benefit
Authors: Piérola Fernando 
Published: March 2022

The latest decision of the Appellate Body in Canada - Renewable Energy (412, 426) 1 establishes criteria for the determination of a subsidy granted through public procurement. In particular, the decision establishes criteria for the determination of whether the supplier of goods or services to the government has received a 'benefit', which is a prerequisite for the existence of a subsidy pursuant to Article 1.1 (b) of the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures of the WTO ('SCM Agreement'). Although the dispute was about a prohibited subsidy scheme with a local content requirement, in its discussion, the Appellate Body relies heavily on the rule established under Article 14.1(d) of this agreement, which applies to the calculation of a 'benefit' for the purpose of a countervailing duty investigation. This provision reads in relevant part as follows: [A]ny . . . method [for the calculation of a benefit in countervailing duty investigation] shall be consistent with the following guidelines: (d) the . . . purchase of goods by a government shall not be considered as conferring a benefit unless . . . the purchase is made for more than adequate remuneration. The adequacy of remuneration shall be determined in relation to prevailing market conditions for the good . . . in question in the country of . . . purchase (including price, quality, availability, marketability, transportation and other conditions of purchase or sale).
Implementation of EU Free Trade Agreements
Authors: Hannonen Marjut 
Published: March 2022

The EU has a very active trade negotiating agenda, with new negotiations starting every year and being in preparation. Increasing number of free trade agreements (FTAs) are also being concluded. Against this background, and the fact that trade policy is attracting much more attention from the public that used to be the case still a few years back, effective implementation of EU trade agreements has become an important priority for the EU Trade policy. The EU needs to demonstrate that its trade agreements work in practice and deliver the negotiated benefits to EU operators. The EU FTAs currently in force are not identical in their scope and objectives, and this has to be taken into account also when looking into their implementation. EU FTAs can be divided in different groups on the basis of their scope and objectives. Since 2006 the Commission has been negotiating comprehensive FTAs which cover a wide range of areas including also inter alia services, investment, procurement, intellectual property rights, competition and trade and sustainable development. When speaking about FTAs, normally the main point of interest is to know whether the FTAs have led to an increase of trade flows between the partners in the areas of trade in goods, services and investment. In general it can be said that in large majority of cases, the trade in goods has increased during the period than the FTAs have been in force. In terms of services and investment, it is more difficult to see the link with the FTAs in developments in these areas. Preference utilization rates (PURs) of the EU FTAs have attracted a lot of attention since the Commission started producing them after the EU–Korea FTA started to be applied. In general, the PURs for EU operators are lower than those of our trading partners. New generation FTAs have a comprehensive structure of implementation bodies. A number of subcommittees and working groups covering different areas covered by the chapters of the FTA meet annually to address problematic issues. Sanitary and phytosanitary measures, restrictions in trade of agricultural products, enforcement of geographical indicators and public procurement have been areas most often discussed in these fora. Lack of awareness of the FTAs by EU companies and difficulties in understanding them is still a real issue preventing FTAs reaching their full potential. This has led the Commission to intensify its efforts to address better the awareness gap. In addition to the Commission, Member States and their business organizations have also a crucial role in disseminating information on FTAs to their stakeholders, in particular small and medium sized enterprise (SMEs), who often require information in a local language and locally in different regions. Close cooperation between Member States’ embassies and the EU delegations in the FTA partner countries has also been identified as a key factor to ensure effective implementation of the FTAs.
Rules of Origin in the EU, a Simplification?
Authors: Rovetta Davide , Vermulst Edwin , Smiatacz Agnieszka , Rogiest Emmanuelle 
Published: March 2022

Determining under which circumstances a good originates in a certain country is often an extremely complicated exercise. This is mainly caused first, by the fact that each Free Trade Agreement (‘FTA’) establishes a different set of rules of origin. Second, effectively claiming preferential treatment is also hindered by the fact that (1) preferential rules of origin are often designed in a very restrictive way and (2) a complicated administrative procedure usually needs to be followed in order for origin to be conferred to a good. Moreover, these procedures strongly differ from one FTA to another. This article analyses the ways in which the EU strives towards the application of more simple and modern rules of origin and origin procedures. More specifically, first, modernized rules of origin and origin procedures are included in FTAs recently concluded by the EU. Second, the Regional Convention on pan-Euro-Mediterranean preferential rules of origin will replace about 60 bilateral protocols on rules of origin with a single legal instrument. Third, the Registered Exporter (REX) system simplifies certification of origin of goods.
Rules of origin, Origin Procedures, EU–Japan FTA, CETA, Free Trade Agreement (FTA), Association Agreement, PEM Convention, Registered Exporter System (REX)
Rules of Origin. Notes on Challenges for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)
Authors: Jacobsz Thinus 
Published: March 2022

The African Continental Free Area Agreement aims to create a tariff-free continent and the worlds’ largest free trade area (FTA). This contribution notes some issues and challenges to be considered in the design and further development of the AfCFTA Agreement and the impact thereof on the eventual specificRules of Origin to be adopted as part of the ongoing negotiation process.
AfCFTA, ECOWAS, EAC, SACU, CEMAC, non-traditional MFN principle, Regional Economic Centres (RECs)
The European Union’s New Move Against China: Countervailing Chinese Outward Foreign Direct Investment
Authors: Evenett Simon J. , Vermulst Edwin , Sud Juhi Dion 
Published: March 2022

In the landmark glass fibre fabrics (GFF) anti-subsidy case, the EU has recently started countervailing foreign direct investment (FDI) of Chinese companies. This is an unwise move from a policy and legal perspective and will come back to haunt EU companies in the future. The timing is also unfortunate seeing how the EU and its Member States are spending billions of Euros in subsidies to support industrial sectors in the EU supposedly affected by Covid-19.
Subsidies, Countervailing duties, Foreign direct investment, China
The ‘Flexibility’ Standard in the African Union and Its Ramification for the Implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement
Authors: Abe Oyeniyi , D. Taye Sewagegnehu 
Published: March 2022

African Union’s (AU’s) integration history indicates that the continental body is plagued by flexibility hindering its goal of continental unity. This article investigates the utility of ‘flexibility’ standard in the adoption, ratification, and the implementation of AU treaties. Through an empirical analysis of the seventy treaties currently in force at the AU, thirty-four treaties have been able to secure the minimum level of ratification. Results show that a treaty that lacks the required number of signatories and ratifications creates a big challenge for the continental body. On the other hand, treaty ratification is not a guarantee for successful implementation. Historically, differing views on AU’s role, goals and effect on regional stability has forced a gravitational pull on the essence of the body. Yet, AU continues to facilitate regional free trade agreements and customs union. One of these is the recent African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement. This article argues that achieving flexibility under AfCFTA is illusionary, hence AU should strive towards attaining a clear roadmap for flexibility milieu in the implementation of AfCFTA. We argue that, for AfCFTA to be effective, all AU Member States must ratify the agreement, thereby ensuring the harmonization of regional trade agreements, and elimination of tariff and non-tariff barriers. The article concludes that the AU must utilize the principle of variable geometry to have a differentiated level and speed of integration, still achieving the same objective of a unified continent towards maximum intra-trade realization.
flexibility, African Union, AfCFTA, variable geometry, regional integration, trade barriers, and trade liberalization