1,721,088 research outputs found
How to balance respect for diversity and the rights of the vulnerable? (Non-)recognition of forced and underage marriage under the lens of the European Convention on Human Rights
No full textPartly in view of the migratory phenomenon to which Europe is exposed, forced and underage marriages nowadays deserve careful consideration both as social phenomena and as legal institutions. This paper aims to verify whether and to what extent forced and underage marriages should be recognised in Europe. On the one hand, recognising the validity of these acts could arguably clash with fundamental values and rights protected by the European Convention on Human Rights and the Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence. On the other hand, it is not possible to a priori exclude that a flat refusal to recognise a marriage validly established abroad might entail a violation of further rights of the spouses and ultimately have detrimental consequences for the parties that the refusal aims to protect. The aim is to assess whether private international law tools and techniques can offer a proper balance between respect for the fundamental values of reception societies and protection of the rights and interests of the parties involved
WHERE DOES AIRSPACE END AND OUTER SPACE BEGIN?
No full textSince the launch of Sputnik I, delimitation between airspace and outer space has been the object of passionate debate within the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, with States holding divergent views not only on the best way to make this delimitation but also on the need to define and delimit outer space. Besides a «wait and see» position, two main positions have crystallised: a «spatialist» approach in favour of a specific altitude where sovereign airspace ends and outer space begins; and a «functionalist» approach which considers that space and air activities should be assessed and regulated in accordance with their objectives regardless of where they occur. This paper discusses both approaches and analyses international practice to assess whether some fixed points can be set in what is traditionally described as the vexata quaestio of the international law of outer space
THE USE OF FURA-2 FLUORESCENCE TO MONITOR THE MOVEMENT OF FREE CALCIUM-IONS INTO THE MATRIX OF PLANT-MITOCHONDRIA (PISUM- SATIVUM AND HELIANTHUS-TUBEROSUS)
No full textPurified mitochondria isolated from pea (Pisum sativum 1. cv
Alaska) stems and Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus 1. cv
061) tubers were loaded with the acetoxymethyl ester of the
fluorescent Caz+ indicator fura-2. This made possible the continuous
monitoring of free [Ca”] in the matrix ([Ca”],) without
affecting the apparent viability of the mitochondria. Pea stem
mitochondria contained an initial [Ca2+], of approximately 60 to
100 nM, whereas [Caz+], was severalfold higher (400-600 nM) in
mitochondria of Jerusalem artichoke tubers. At low extramitochondrial
Ca2+c oncentrations ( ~ 1 0 0nM ), there was an energy-dependent
membrane potential increase in [Ca’+],; the final [Caz+], was
phosphate-dependent in Jerusalem artichoke but was phosphateindependent
in pea stem mitochondria. The data presented indicate
that (a) there is no absolute requirement for phosphate in Caz+
uptake; (b) plant mitochondria can accumulate externa1 free Caz+
by means of an eledrophoretic Caz+ uniporter with an apparent
affinity for CaZ+ (K, approximately 150 nM) that is severalfold
lower than that measured by conventional methods (isotopes and
Ca2+-sensitive electrodes); and (c) [Ca”], is within the regulatory
range of mammalian intramitochondrial dehydrogenases
OXIDATION OF EXTERNAL NAD(P)H BY MITOCHONDRIA FROM TAPROOTS AND TISSUE-CULTURES OF SUGAR-BEET (BETA-VULGARIS)
No full textThe present study compares the exogenous NAD(P)H oxidation
and the membrane potential (A of mitochondria from
cold-stored taproots and from tissue cultures was not affected by
free Caz+ ions, whereas free CaZ+ was required for the mitochondrial
NADPH oxidation by in vitro-grown cells and cytosolic NADH
oxidation by mitochondria from fresh taproots. A tentative model
accounting for the different response to Caz+ ions of the NADH
dehydrogenase in mitochondria from cold-stored taproots and
tissue cultures of B. vulgaris is discussed
Spatial distribution of elements in near surface sediments as a consequence of sediment origin and anthropogenic activities in a coastal area in northern Italy
Full text linkThe study reports the results of a geochemical survey in a coastal area of northern Italy with focus on the distribution of chemical elements in near surface sediments as result of both sediment origin and anthropogenic activities. In addition to emphasizing the source-to-sink element dynamics in the area, the main purpose of this paper is to ascertain if anthropic presence could have altered the composition of near surface sediments in urban and industrial areas. We considered 173 sampling sites, and collected soil material from a depth of 90–110 cm. Major and trace elements assessment on milled 2 mm fraction was conducted using WDXRF for Al, As, Ba, Ca, Ce, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, La, Mg, Mn, Na, Nb, Ni, P, Pb, Rb, Si, Sr, Th, Ti, V, Y, Zn and Zr. In addition, Loss On Ignition (LOI) was determined. Principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) were performed for data interpretation. The distribution of element concentration is heavily related to sediment origin. The major presence of Al, Fe, K, LOI, Mg, Nb, Rb and V characterizes alluvial plain sediments. These materials of Apenninic origin have a finer texture and a major presence of carbonates in respect to the other sediments of the area. Coastal sediments display a general wider range of variation in element concentrations (i.e. Al, Ca, Cr, K, Mg, Mn, P, Si, Ti and Zr) due to a dual origin. In particular, the greater Cr, Mn and Zr content is related to sediments enriched by heavy minerals (e.g. garnet, chromite, zircon) of Alpine origin, while the lesser concentrations trace back to Apenninic origin. Near surface sediments of urban and industrial areas always contain higher Cu, Pb and Zn concentrations with respect to the same sediments not impacted by urban and industrial settlements. This is likely a consequence of the movement of materials made by men over the last 2000 years. These results suggest that the adopted depth of sampling for the calculation of background values might need to be increased in urban and industrial areas to reach unaltered near surface sediments
EFFECTS OF 3,5-DIBROMO-4-HYDROXYBENZONITRILE (BROMOXYNIL) ON BIOENERGETICS OF HIGHER-PLANT MITOCHONDRIA (PISUM-SATIVUM)
No full textThe herbicide bromoxynil (3,5-dibromo-4-hydroxybenzonitrile)
was tested on mitochondria from etiolated pea (Pisum safivum 1.
cv Alaska) stems. This compound when used at micromolar concentrations
(-20 p ~ in)hi bited malate- and succinate-dependent
respiration by intad mitochondria but not oxidation of exogenously
added NADH. Bromoxynil did not affed the adivities of the succinic
and the internal NADH dehydrogenases. Analyses of the
effects induced by this herbicide on the membrane potential, ApH,
matrix Caz+ movements, and dicarboxylate transport demonstrated
that bromoxynil is likely to a d as an inhibitor of the dicarboxylate
carrier. In addition, bromoxynil caused a mild membrane uncoupling
at concentrations 220 p ~ N.o effed on the ATPase adivity
was observed
Methyl-β-cyclodextrin-enhanced solubilization and aerobic biodegradation of polychlorinated biphenyls in two aged-contaminated soils
No full textThe bioremediation of aged polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-contaminated soils is adversely affected by the low bioavailability of the pollutants. Randomly methylated-β-cyclodextrins (RAMEB) were tested as a potential PCB-bioavailability-enhancing agent in the aerobic treatment of two aged-contaminated soils. The soils, contaminated by about 890 and 8500 mg/kg of Aroclor 1260 PCBs, were amended with biphenyl (4 g/kg), inorganic nutrients (to adjust their C:N ratio to 20:1), and variable amounts of RAMEB (0%, 0.5%, or 1.0% [w/w]) and treated in both aerobic 3-L solid-phase reactors and 1.5-L packed-bed loop reactors for 6 months. Notably, significant enhancement of the PCB biodegradation and dechlorination, along with a detectable depletion of the initial soil ecotoxicity, were generally observed in the RAMEB-treated reactors of both soils. RAMEB effects were different in the two soils, depending upon the treatment conditions employed, and generally increased proportionally with the concentration at which RAMEB was applied. RAMEB, which was slowly metabolized by the soil's aerobic microorganisms, was found to markedly enhance the occurrence of the indigenous aerobic, cultivable biphenyl-growing bacteria harboring genes homologous to those of two highly specialized PCB degraders (i.e., bphABC genes of Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes KF707 and bphA1A2A3A4BC1 genes of Rhodococcus globerulus P6) and chlorobenzoic acid-degrading bacteria as well as the occurrence of PCBs in the water phase of the soil reactors. These findings indicate that RAMEB enhanced the aerobic bioremediation of the two soils by increasing the bioavailability of PCBs and the occurrence of specialized bacteria in the soil reactors. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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