WorldWideScience

Sample records for euro-mediterranean agreement establishing

  1. Euro-Mediterranean Partnership; State of affairs and key policy and research issues

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kuiper, M.H.; dell' Aquila, C.

    2004-01-01

    This study draws on a body of existing literature to take stock of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (EMP), which focuses on establishing a Mediterranean Free Trade Area. Despite considerable scope for reducing barriers on Mediterranean trade, current agreements are limited to a quasi-unilateral

  2. Euro-Mediterranean Partnership

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Brach, Juliane

    2007-01-01

    The EU and 12 countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) engaged in 1995 in the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (EMP) in political, economic and cultural matters with the aim to foster cooperation, stability and prosperity around the Mediterranean Basin. The Economic and Financial...... and the past performance of the EFP. It analyses the association agreements, economic cooperation and financial assistance, discusses the major obstacles, and outlines the potential of the EFP to shape the European Neighborhood Policy....

  3. Euro-mediterranean partnership in the energy field

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perrin, F.

    1996-01-01

    The conference for a Euro-Mediterranean partnership in the energy field took place from the seventh to ninth of June 1996 and convened the officials of 15 european countries and 10 mediterranean countries; the discussions were about five themes: the adhesion of mediterranean countries to the european chart of energy or their association to this treaty; the harmonization of legislations and regulations concerning investments; the development of gas and electric networks in this area; the positioning of a system to guarantee energy investments; the creation of an Euro-Mediterranean energy forum proposed by the commission which allowed to associate the different partners to the following of this cooperation. (N.C.)

  4. The Euro-Mediterranean Tsunami Catalogue

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alessandra Maramai

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available A unified catalogue containing 290 tsunamis generated in the European and Mediterranean seas since 6150 B.C. to current days is presented. It is the result of a systematic and detailed review of all the regional catalogues available in literature covering the study area, each of them having their own format and level of accuracy. The realization of a single catalogue covering a so wide area and involving several countries was a complex task that posed a series of challenges, being the standardization and the quality of the data the most demanding. A “reliability” value was used to rate equally the quality of the data for each event and this parameter was assigned based on the trustworthiness of the information related to the generating cause, the tsunami description accuracy and also on the availability of coeval bibliographical sources. Following these criteria we included in the catalogue events whose reliability ranges from 0 (“very improbable tsunami” to 4 (“definite tsunami”. About 900 documentary sources, including historical documents, books, scientific reports, newspapers and previous catalogues, support the tsunami data and descriptions gathered in this catalogue. As a result, in the present paper a list of the 290 tsunamis with their main parameters is reported. The online version of the catalogue, available at http://roma2.rm.ingv.it/en/facilities/data_bases/52/catalogue_of_the_euro-mediterranean_tsunamis, provides additional information such as detailed descriptions, pictures, etc. and the complete list of bibliographical sources. Most of the included events have a high reliability value (3= “probable” and 4= “definite” which makes the Euro-Mediterranean Tsunami Catalogue an essential tool for the implementation of tsunami hazard and risk assessment.

  5. Les transformations des relations euro-méditerranéennes après le cinquième élargissement de l’UE : Portée et limites des cadres de voisinage euro-méditerranéens

    OpenAIRE

    Mourad , Ali

    2014-01-01

    With the launch of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (EMP) in 1995, the relation between the relationship between the EU and Mediterranean countries witnessed a significant evolution. With the establishment of a multilateral framework supplemented by the conclusion of association agreements, this Partnership represents a break with past Mediterranean policies. In the context of the fifth enlargement of the European Union on May 1st, 2004, the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) transforms th...

  6. The New Coordinates of Globalization and Regional Integration: Resizing the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership

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    Marcel Moldoveanu

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available The increasingly strong process of interdependence between globalization and regionalization - in the context of the end of the bipolar power at world level - has engendered a new philosophy regarding the evolution of the world, a reconsideration of the strategy of political and diplomatic, economic and also cultural and human relationships. In my opinion, in a multipolar world, that will bring into the first line of international relations new big actors of regional and universal vocation (China, Rusia, Brasil, India, the European Union will play an extensive role in participating at the geostrategic, regional and global equilibrium, through promotion of an „open diplomacy” that will allow – by dialogue and cooperation – the resolving more rapidly and efficiently the great challenges of the beginning of the century and millenium: the reduction of the great development gaps, the regional and global security, in a very solid economic background. A new dimension of the EU enlargement policy at regional scale is represented by the cooperation relations and the attraction into the European circuit of material and spiritual values of the countries in the Central and Eastern Europe. In the context of deepening the interdependence and complementarities at regional and global level, more focus should be put on the viable ways and modalities to intensify the cooperation in the Danube-Black Sea and Euro-Mediterranean geo-economic and strategic areas. The two big geo-strategic regions of the world belong to the same civilization and are subject to similar changes as the other regions of the world, despite some specific features of history and culture. The intensification and diversification of the cooperation at the Central and South-Eastern European level, as well as the Euro-Mediterranean and Danube-Black Sea region, does not represent an alternative to the general objective process of integration into the Euro-Atlantic structures, but a

  7. Technological Language as a Common Language for Euro-Mediterranean Population

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    Augusto Sebastio

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available The internet and social networks provide new forms of public spaces, virtual continents populated by people of different races, languages, and religions that communicate with a single language, in one unique mode and with one unique tool. In the era of extreme social participation, it is impossible not to consider the role of future policies of education. We cannot ignore the basic language in which the Euro-Mediterranean people recognize themselves, allowing them to interact on all sides of the Mediterranean basin. Technology provides a dialogue bridge, as well as mutual recognition and accreditation for the people who share the Mediterranean Sea and the world. The Internet is the true centre of the Union membership and provides a common good, which generates shared recognition and willingness to communicate; furthermore, it results in the renunciation of personal data protection, as well as the management of its powers to private entities. The aim of this paper is to envisage the effects of the electronic society on the Mediterranean Policies.

  8. Wind power in the Euro-Mediterranean region: development and prospects; Energia eolica en la region euromediterranea: desarrollo y perspectivas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fernandez Latorre, F. M.; Ventura Fernandez, J.

    2011-07-01

    This work is a first approach to wind development in the Euro-Mediterranean region and identifies the major initiatives underway as well as development conditions. It includes a study case of wind power management in the Strait of Gibraltar area. Wind development is analyzed in the Euro-Mediterranean territories by comparing Spanish regions with different States using various indicators. Key countries are noted for their potential and policies to promote wind based alternatives. (Author)

  9. The mediterranean solar plan, the symbol of a Euro-Mediterranean partnership? the european investment bank at the service of a policy for renewable energy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fontaine-Vive, Ph. de

    2009-01-01

    The European Investment Bank (EIB) was created in 1958 following the adoption of the Rome Treaty, this bank has lent support to economic growth and solidarity inside and outside the European Union. The energy sector is exemplary of the bank's ability to adapt and of its concern for a certain idea of Europe. This priority is examined from three complementary angles: the EIB and renewable energy; the EIB and the partnership for energy with our Mediterranean neighbors; and the EIB and the Mediterranean Solar Plan. It is recalled that in 2008, the EIB invested more than 10*10 9 euros in the energy sector including 2.2*10 9 euros for renewable energies

  10. Markup heterogeneity, export status ans the establishment of the euro

    OpenAIRE

    Guillou , Sarah; Nesta , Lionel

    2015-01-01

    We investigate the effects of the establishment of the euro on the markups of French manufacturing firms. Merging firm-level census data with customs data, we estimate time-varying firm-specific markups and distinguish between eurozone exporters from other firms between 1995 and 2007. We find that the establishment of the euro has had a pronounced pro-competitive impact by reducing firm markups by 14 percentage points. By reducing export costs, the euro represented an opp...

  11. The Arab Uprisings and Euro-Mediterranean Security: The Regional Security Agenda of the European Union

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    Schima Viktoria Labitsch

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The 2010 Arab uprisings led to profound changes in the political landscape of the Southern Mediterranean, and came at a time of staggering Euro-Mediterranean relations. With prevailing turmoil and violence in Europe’s closest proximity, the Euromed relationship – heavily dominated by security objectives and concerns in the past – is facing new social, political and economic challenges. This work analyses what challenges have made it onto the security agenda of the European Union in response to the uprisings in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt between December 2010 and 2013. It does so by analysing the discourse of three institutions: the European Commission, the European Council and the Council of Ministers. Accordingly, it argues that security in the Euro-Mediterranean context may be analysed in the framework of the wider constructivist Copenhagen school of security studies, treating threats as politically constructed in the process of securitization. It emphasizes the different degrees of institutional involvement in framing the regional security agenda, and the vast application of security logic to migration and mobility as well as its absence in areas of biological and chemical weapons, extremism and weapons of mass destruction. This work’s final argument is that whilst the overall level of securitization throughout the three years remains low and partially inconsistent with the security priorities before 2010, the EU exhibited a particularly strong regional focus on Libya as well as a thematic one on migration and external borders.

  12. The mediterranean solar plan, the symbol of a Euro-Mediterranean partnership? the european investment bank at the service of a policy for renewable energy;Le plan solaire mediterraneen: un symbole du partenariat euro-mediterraneen? la banque europeenne d'investissements au service d'une politique renouvelee de l'energie

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fontaine-Vive, Ph. de [Banque Europeenne d' investissement (BEI) (Luxembourg)

    2009-11-15

    The European Investment Bank (EIB) was created in 1958 following the adoption of the Rome Treaty, this bank has lent support to economic growth and solidarity inside and outside the European Union. The energy sector is exemplary of the bank's ability to adapt and of its concern for a certain idea of Europe. This priority is examined from three complementary angles: the EIB and renewable energy; the EIB and the partnership for energy with our Mediterranean neighbors; and the EIB and the Mediterranean Solar Plan. It is recalled that in 2008, the EIB invested more than 10*10{sup 9} euros in the energy sector including 2.2*10{sup 9} euros for renewable energies

  13. Siracusa, EuroMediterranean Smart City

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luigi Minozzi

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available About three years ago, the City of Siracusa has started a serious reflection about the crisis, about its model of development and its problems related to its territorial marginality. In this context, it lodged a service "Complex Programs and EU Policies" internal the Department of Public Works as the first embryo of the future Urban Center in Siracusa. The Smarter Cities Challenge program, sponsored by IBM, provides, for the years 2011-2012-2013 a selection through a call, a hundred cities around the world that offer a program of counseling on territorial issues, urban, social, exposed by the city in challenge. The program for 2012, selected Siracusa, the only Italian city in a hundred choices, with a theme that emphasizes the need to find methods (smart to integrate the two systems, the industrial and the historical, cultural, into the overall Siracusa system territorial. The advent of smart policies also confirms the trend that characterized the most evolved from the most marginal realities in Europe. For the realities of the Euro-Mediterranean area, such as Siracusa, the winners model’s urban policies originate from the most evolved and developed, where the economy is more structured and able to assume the active role of actors development and urban transformations. So, a universal language of transformations really exist? The same model development produces the same results everywhere, regardless the places and the people tribe? To promote smart Siracusa means, not only, economic innovation promotion, social inclusion and environmental sustainability, but also: Siracusa intends to strengthen its image as innovation land and to evolve into a center of excellence for smart policies.

  14. Space and time variability of heating requirements for greenhouse tomato production in the Euro-Mediterranean area.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mariani, Luigi; Cola, Gabriele; Bulgari, Roberta; Ferrante, Antonio; Martinetti, Livia

    2016-08-15

    The Euro-Mediterranean area is the seat of a relevant greenhouse activity, meeting the needs of important markets. A quantitative assessment of greenhouse energy consumption and of its variability in space and time is an important decision support tool for both greenhouse-sector policies and farmers. A mathematical model of greenhouse energy balance was developed and parameterized for a state-of-the-art greenhouse to evaluate the heating requirements for vegetables growing. Tomato was adopted as reference crop, due to its high energy requirement for fruit setting and ripening and its economic relevance. In order to gain a proper description of the Euro-Mediterranean area, 56 greenhouse areas located within the ranges 28°N-72°N and 11°W-55°E were analyzed over the period 1973-2014. Moreover, the two 1973-1987 and 1988-2014 sub-periods were separately studied to describe climate change effects on energy consumption. Results account for the spatial variability of energy needs for tomato growing, highlighting the strong influence of latitude on the magnitude of heat requirements. The comparison between the two selected sub-periods shows a decrease of energy demand in the current warm phase, more relevant for high latitudes. Finally, suggestions to reduce energy consumptions are provided. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Rethinking Professional Study Programs and Continuing Education in the Euro-Mediterranean Region: Action Agenda and Recommendations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karim Moustaghfir

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available the newcompetitive and changing dynamics made knowledge resources the most strategic assets to create and sustain competitive advantage in today’s business landscape. Businesses and public organizations alike need knowledge workers to streamline their processes, differentiate their product and service offerings, and generate value for their stakeholders. The discrepancy between the demand for such distinctive profiles and the current supply of human resources is causing higher education institutions to rethink their learning practices and the process whereby knowledge resources are developed, applied, and renewed. This article analyzes these dynamics and sheds more light on the changes that are affecting the learning processes with regards to professional study programs and continuing education, particularly in the Euro-Mediterranean region. The article draws up an action agenda to make such programs more valuable emphasizing the role of innovative pedagogical approaches, the importance of instructional design, the adding-value of information technologies, and the required structural and human resource changes at the level of universities’ organizational design. Building on the participants’ input gathered during the Emuni’s 2013 HR&R Conference, the article suggests specific recommendations on how the Euro-Mediterranean universities can play a catalyst role in reshaping, leading, and implementing competitive and targeted professional study programs based on network-based structures and on mapping and leveraging different partners’ distinctive capabilities and core competences.

  16. Rapid earthquake hazard and loss assessment for Euro-Mediterranean region

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erdik, Mustafa; Sesetyan, Karin; Demircioglu, Mine; Hancilar, Ufuk; Zulfikar, Can; Cakti, Eser; Kamer, Yaver; Yenidogan, Cem; Tuzun, Cuneyt; Cagnan, Zehra; Harmandar, Ebru

    2010-10-01

    The almost-real time estimation of ground shaking and losses after a major earthquake in the Euro-Mediterranean region was performed in the framework of the Joint Research Activity 3 (JRA-3) component of the EU FP6 Project entitled "Network of Research Infra-structures for European Seismology, NERIES". This project consists of finding the most likely location of the earthquake source by estimating the fault rupture parameters on the basis of rapid inversion of data from on-line regional broadband stations. It also includes an estimation of the spatial distribution of selected site-specific ground motion parameters at engineering bedrock through region-specific ground motion prediction equations (GMPEs) or physical simulation of ground motion. By using the Earthquake Loss Estimation Routine (ELER) software, the multi-level methodology developed for real time estimation of losses is capable of incorporating regional variability and sources of uncertainty stemming from GMPEs, fault finiteness, site modifications, inventory of physical and social elements subjected to earthquake hazard and the associated vulnerability relationships.

  17. Risk of Zika virus transmission in the Euro-Mediterranean area and the added value of building preparedness to arboviral threats from a One Health perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Escadafal, Camille; Gaayeb, Lobna; Riccardo, Flavia; Pérez-Ramírez, Elisa; Picard, Marie; Dente, Maria Grazia; Fernández-Pinero, Jovita; Manuguerra, Jean-Claude; Jiménez-Clavero, Miguel-Ángel; Declich, Silvia; Victoir, Kathleen; Robert, Vincent

    2016-12-03

    In the alarming context of risk of Zika virus (ZIKV) transmission in the Euro-Mediterranean area, there is a need to examine whether capacities to detect, diagnose and notify ZIKV infections in the region are in place and whether ongoing capacity-building initiatives are filling existing gaps.The MediLabSecure network, created in 2014, comprises 55 laboratories of virology and medical entomology and 19 public health institutions in 19 countries in the Balkans, North-Africa, the Middle-East and the Black Sea regions. It aims to set up awareness, risk assessment, monitoring and control of emerging and re-emerging vector-borne viruses. We here examine the actions and strategies that MediLabSecure has been implementing and how they will contribute to the prevention and control of the ZIKV threat in the Euro-Mediterranean area.Capacity-building for arbovirus diagnostics is a major objective of the project and follows a methodological rather than disease-driven approach. This enables the implementation of laboratory trainings on techniques that are common to several arboviruses, including ZIKV, and putting into action appropriate diagnostic tools in the target region.Moreover, by its One Health approach and the interaction of its four sub-networks in human virology, animal virology, medical entomology and public health, MediLabSecure is fostering intersectoral collaboration, expertise and sharing of information. The resulting exchanges (methodological, communication and operational) across disciplines and across countries, dedicated research on intersectoral collaboration and increasing diagnostic capacities are providing new paths and tools to public health professionals to face emerging viral threats such as a ZIKV epidemic in the Euro-Mediterranean region.

  18. Risk of Zika virus transmission in the Euro-Mediterranean area and the added value of building preparedness to arboviral threats from a One Health perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Camille Escadafal

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract In the alarming context of risk of Zika virus (ZIKV transmission in the Euro-Mediterranean area, there is a need to examine whether capacities to detect, diagnose and notify ZIKV infections in the region are in place and whether ongoing capacity-building initiatives are filling existing gaps. The MediLabSecure network, created in 2014, comprises 55 laboratories of virology and medical entomology and 19 public health institutions in 19 countries in the Balkans, North-Africa, the Middle-East and the Black Sea regions. It aims to set up awareness, risk assessment, monitoring and control of emerging and re-emerging vector-borne viruses. We here examine the actions and strategies that MediLabSecure has been implementing and how they will contribute to the prevention and control of the ZIKV threat in the Euro-Mediterranean area. Capacity-building for arbovirus diagnostics is a major objective of the project and follows a methodological rather than disease-driven approach. This enables the implementation of laboratory trainings on techniques that are common to several arboviruses, including ZIKV, and putting into action appropriate diagnostic tools in the target region. Moreover, by its One Health approach and the interaction of its four sub-networks in human virology, animal virology, medical entomology and public health, MediLabSecure is fostering intersectoral collaboration, expertise and sharing of information. The resulting exchanges (methodological, communication and operational across disciplines and across countries, dedicated research on intersectoral collaboration and increasing diagnostic capacities are providing new paths and tools to public health professionals to face emerging viral threats such as a ZIKV epidemic in the Euro-Mediterranean region.

  19. Uppermost mantle seismic velocity and anisotropy in the Euro-Mediterranean region from Pn and Sn tomography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Díaz, J.; Gil, A.; Gallart, J.

    2013-01-01

    In the last 10-15 years, the number of high quality seismic stations monitoring the Euro-Mediterranean region has increased significantly, allowing a corresponding improvement in structural constraints. We present here new images of the seismic velocity and anisotropy variations in the uppermost mantle beneath this complex area, compiled from inversion of Pn and Sn phases sampling the whole region. The method of Hearn has been applied to the traveltime arrivals of the International Seismological Center catalogue for the time period 1990-2010. A total of 579 753 Pn arrivals coming from 12 377 events recorded at 1 408 stations with epicentral distances between 220 km and 1 400 km have been retained after applying standard quality criteria (maximum depth, minimum number of recordings, maximum residual values …). Our results show significant features well correlated with surface geology and evidence the heterogeneous character of the Euro-Mediterranean lithosphere. The station terms reflect the existence of marked variations in crustal thickness, consistent with available Moho depths inferred from active seismic experiments. The highest Pn velocities are observed along a continuous band from the Po Basin to the northern Ionian Sea. Other high velocity zones include the Ligurian Basin, the Valencia Trough, the southern Alboran Sea and central part of the Algerian margin. Most significant low-velocity values are associated to orogenic belts (Betics, Pyrenees, Alps, Apennines and Calabrian Arc, Dinarides-Hellenides), and low-velocity zones are also identified beneath Sardinia and the Balearic Islands. The introduction of an anisotropic term enhances significantly the lateral continuity of the anomalies, in particular in the most active tectonic areas. Pn anisotropy shows consistent orientations subparallel to major orogenic structures, such as Betics, Apennines, Calabrian Arc and Alps. The Sn tomographic image has lower resolution but confirms independently most of the

  20. Continuous osteological characters in the reconstruction of phylogenetic relationships of the six Euro-Mediterranean mullet species (Mugilidae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Antović, Ivanka

    2013-09-01

    Sixty-three continuous osteological characters (18 skull continuous characters and the total length of neurocranium, 45 continuous characters of 15 elements of the viscerodermal skeleton) were analyzed and included in the reconstruction of phylogenetic relationships of the six Euro-Mediterranean mullet species from the South Adriatic Sea: Mugil cephalus Linnaeus, 1758; Liza saliens Risso, 1810; Liza aurata Risso, 1810; Liza ramada Risso, 1826; Chelon labrosus Risso, 1826 and Oedalechilus labeo Cuvier, 1829. The study reveals that Sphyraenidae was separated clearly from Mugilidae, C. labrosus and three Liza species form a common cluster (L. ramada and L. saliens being the closest), while O. labeo and M. cephalus cluster together.

  1. Aerosol indirect effects on summer precipitation in a regional climate model for the Euro-Mediterranean region

    Science.gov (United States)

    Da Silva, Nicolas; Mailler, Sylvain; Drobinski, Philippe

    2018-03-01

    Aerosols affect atmospheric dynamics through their direct and semi-direct effects as well as through their effects on cloud microphysics (indirect effects). The present study investigates the indirect effects of aerosols on summer precipitation in the Euro-Mediterranean region, which is located at the crossroads of air masses carrying both natural and anthropogenic aerosols. While it is difficult to disentangle the indirect effects of aerosols from the direct and semi-direct effects in reality, a numerical sensitivity experiment is carried out using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, which allows us to isolate indirect effects, all other effects being equal. The Mediterranean hydrological cycle has often been studied using regional climate model (RCM) simulations with parameterized convection, which is the approach we adopt in the present study. For this purpose, the Thompson aerosol-aware microphysics scheme is used in a pair of simulations run at 50 km resolution with extremely high and low aerosol concentrations. An additional pair of simulations has been performed at a convection-permitting resolution (3.3 km) to examine these effects without the use of parameterized convection. While the reduced radiative flux due to the direct effects of the aerosols is already known to reduce precipitation amounts, there is still no general agreement on the sign and magnitude of the aerosol indirect forcing effect on precipitation, with various processes competing with each other. Although some processes tend to enhance precipitation amounts, some others tend to reduce them. In these simulations, increased aerosol loads lead to weaker precipitation in the parameterized (low-resolution) configuration. The fact that a similar result is obtained for a selected area in the convection-permitting (high-resolution) configuration allows for physical interpretations. By examining the key variables in the model outputs, we propose a causal chain that links the aerosol

  2. Cooperation Agreement between the European Central Bank and Europol for Combating Euro Counterfeiting. Some Critical Opinions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bogdan Birzu

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Within this paper there has been examined the Agreement between the European Police Office (Europol and the European Central Bank (ECB for preventing and combating euro counterfeiting, focusing on certain provisions which take into account the aim and the exchange of information between the two European institutions. The novelty of this paper relates to the achieved examination, where it is highlighted the importance of European legal instrument and the critical opinions and proposals for improving the agreement. The paper can be useful to academics and practitioners who conduct their activity within this area.

  3. The 4th Euro-Mediterranean Conference of Natural Products and Drug Discovery: Back to Mother Nature (BioNat-IV, Cairo/Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, March 3–7, 2015

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    Ashraf A. Khalil

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available The 4th Euro-Mediterranean Conference of Natural Products and Drug Discovery: Back to Mother Nature (BioNat-IV was recently (from March 3rd through 7th, 2015 convened in Cairo and Sharm El-Sheikh along the Red Sea coast of Egypt. Overall, the meeting provided a platform for scientists from different nations to discuss emerging ideas that focused on cell signaling in cancer; the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases; the identification and use of natural products as well as novel drug delivery approaches for the treatment of cancer, arthritis, diabetes, tuberculosis, fungal infection, etc.; and untapped or unconventional sources for natural products. This fourth in a row conference tried to bridge the gap not only between basic research and clinical applications, but also between developed nations and developing countries. With the continuing success of these past meetings, the fifth Euro-Mediterranean Conference of Natural Products and Drug Discovery (BioNat-V is slated to be in February 2017.

  4. The agony of unemployment in the Euro Area

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    Ristanović Vladimir

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper looks at the evolution of the unemployment problem in the Euro Area. Our goal is to look at what are the roots of the unemployment problem and to devise reasons of the already chronic unemployment problem. We show the main factors that prolong the agony of unemployment and whether it is likely that in the near future, the problem of unemployment in the Euro Area will bi past. In the Euro Area we follow the analysis of basic macroeconomic indicators of balance in an economy - GDP, inflation and unemployment. We consider whether the monetary strategy of inflation targeting has contributed to the unemployment problem, by reducing the potential output, but also to confirm that within the current global crisis there are some deviations from the theoretical concepts of basic macroeconomic relationships - Okun's law and the Phillips curve. We show that only Germany, with a 'small' sacrifice, can save the real sector in the peripheral Mediterranean countries, as well as in the entire Euro Area.

  5. Climate change: The 2015 Paris Agreement thresholds and Mediterranean basin ecosystems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guiot, Joel; Cramer, Wolfgang

    2016-10-28

    The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Paris Agreement of December 2015 aims to maintain the global average warming well below 2°C above the preindustrial level. In the Mediterranean basin, recent pollen-based reconstructions of climate and ecosystem variability over the past 10,000 years provide insights regarding the implications of warming thresholds for biodiversity and land-use potential. We compare scenarios of climate-driven future change in land ecosystems with reconstructed ecosystem dynamics during the past 10,000 years. Only a 1.5°C warming scenario permits ecosystems to remain within the Holocene variability. At or above 2°C of warming, climatic change will generate Mediterranean land ecosystem changes that are unmatched in the Holocene, a period characterized by recurring precipitation deficits rather than temperature anomalies. Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

  6. Crisis and adjustment variables of Mediterranean oil states

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beraud, Philippe; Jablanczy, Adrienne

    2010-01-01

    This paper deals with the performance of the Mediterranean and the other Arabian oil exporting countries. As far as the resource-based industry is concerned, it could be interesting to notice that the performance of these countries is linked to sectoral mix, nature of industry, type of enterprise, nature of joint-venture contracts and obviously macro-economic policies. The studies on the relationship between oil resources, oil production and valorization and global growth show that oil sector is not reliable, especially if we take into account the gap between low and high absorbing countries in the Arab world. In the first group of countries, oil revenues have a positive and significant effect on economic growth and development. In the second group of countries, oil revenues often copy with the Dutch-disease type resource reallocation process and have a negative effect on growth and development. Three alternative ways seem to be opened for these countries. And we study each of them: growing influence of profit sharing contracts between the state-owned companies and the international oil companies linked to technology transfers agreements, entrepreneurial and managerial trajectories coping with the influence of small and medium enterprises, effects of the regional integration in the framework of the Euro-Mediterranean trade agreements

  7. Security and Political Stability in the Mediterranean

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    Antonio Marquina

    1997-09-01

    Full Text Available The author revises with a critical eye the treatment given the issue of security during the Euro-Mediterranean process from the Declaration of Barcelona to the Conference at Malta. According to Marquina, no idea of security exists which gives backbone to theEuro-Mediterranen process and the documents themselves contain incoherencies and significant imprecisions, especially regarding the concepts of cooperative security, preventative diplomacy and ‘good neighbor’ relations. These principles appear to be rather underexplained in both their conceptual and operative aspects. On one hand, the information about matters that affect security is exchanged on both a voluntary and official basis and can be, as such, thus opaque and not always reliable; on the other hand, the issues thataffect security are so wide-ranging that the operative approach - the communications network, mechanisms for early-warning, the conciliation and peaceful resolution of controversies - seems hardly realistic. With respect to confidence-building measures, the author considers that these should be linked to arms control agreements, which are more in accord with the stated objectives of defense sufficiency and the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Marquina also maintains that the role of civil society and the importance of cultural dialogue - both fundamental to conflict prevention - have not been reinforced even though the principal problems of security in the region are due to structural imbalances –military, economical, political– and, precisely the disparities amongcultures. In this sense, the EU states might consider putting forward unilateral policies that restrict such disparities, provided that a certain reciprocity of policy is put forth from the southern states in the Mediterranean.

  8. EURO ZONE AND ITS MONETARY POLICY

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    Dorel Dumitru CHIRIŢESCU

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available In this article I have tried to make a short presentation of the Euro Zone and it’s monetary policy. At the present moment the Euro Zone has 16 countries that have adopted the Euro as a national currency and also 4 small countries that have monetary agreements with their neighbours. The monetary policy represents all the regulations of the money supply and interest rates adopted by the European Central Bank in order to control the inflation rate and to stabilize a specific currency, in this case, the Euro. Stabilizing the inflation rate to certain levels is the main goal of the monetary policy. The monetary policy is the second policy, next to the fiscal one which in which a government, in this case the European Union’s official bodies, can impact the economic situation of the Eurozone. The fiscal policy represents the way a government spends, borrows or applies different types of taxes. The Monetary policy can be either expansionary, when unemployement and recessions needs to be combated, or contractionary, when inflation is conbated byt raising the interest rates.

  9. Cooperation of Spain’s Local World in the Euro-Mediterranean Space

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    Paqui Santonja Mayor

    2007-12-01

    Full Text Available The growing participation of Spain’s regions, provinces and municipalities in international cooperation has had and continues to have a particular importance in the Mediterranean area, though this has not always been sufficiently acknowledged and supported by the relevant Mediterranean and European authorities. In this cooperation space, two key elements are conjugated: firstly, the process of regional integration in the European space and, secondly, thepromotion of a common area around the Mediterranean. At a time in which foreign policies and classic means of cooperation have shown signs of limitation in terms of the way in which they operate in the region, it seems a suitable moment to reflect on the role that public decentralised cooperation organised by Spain’s local governments could have in the framework of the EU’s new European Policy of Neighbourhood and Association.

  10. Grandidierella bonnieroides Stephensen, 1948 (Amphipoda, Aoridae)-first record of an established population in the Mediterranean Sea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brutto, Sabrina Lo; Iaciofano, Davide; Lubinevsky, Hadas; Galil, Bella S

    2016-03-17

    The first record in the Mediterranean Sea of the invasive aorid amphipod crustacean Grandidierella bonnieroides is presented. A widespread circumtropical species, recorded off the Saudi coast of the Arabian Gulf, the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, it may have been introduced into the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal. This tube-builder species of soft bottoms recently established a population in the polluted Haifa Bay, Israel. Further, this is the first Mediterranean record of the genus.

  11. SME's contribution to the creation of the Euro-Mideterranean Region

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gallina, Andrea

    The paper focuses on the manufacturing sector of 10 Mediterranean Partners, in particular on the industrial structures and their relationship with the market. The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, and in particular the project of the free trade area, is placing the North-South relationship in a new...... industrial units are family businesses concentrated in traditional sectors utilizing low technology equipment, and supplying to the local markets. They are facing a shrinking purchasing power with changing patterns of consumption. Industrial modernization and export-oriented strategies can have an effect...... only on a particular type of SME while excluding the majority of the enterprises. The features of the local markets show that development strategies should take increasingly into account the structural characteristics of the production systems and of the markets in which they are embedded...

  12. Structure and frame conditions for power exchange agreements with the Continent

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wiedswang, R.

    1996-01-01

    The conference paper relates to the obtained agreements between Norway and the Continent on the exchange of electric power. The paper discusses the structure and frame conditions for the ELSAM, PreussenElektra, SEP and EuroStrom agreements. ELSAM covers the agreement with Denmark which started on 27 July 1995. The PreussenElektra agreement includes the exchange of power with the German PreussenElektra AG which starts on 1 October 1998. SEP covers the agreement with the Netherlands which is planned to start on 1 October 2001, and the EuroStrom agreement with the German EST EuroStrom Trading GmbH in Hamburg which is planned to start on 1 January 2003. 8 figs

  13. Current account imbalances in the euro area

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Klára Plecitá

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available While the current account balance for the euro area as a whole has been in balance, divergences in current account positions among the euro-area members have widened since the introduction of the common currency euro. During the last 13 years Portugal, Greece and Spain have run large and persistent current account deficits, whereas Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Finland or Germany have displayed during the same period large and persistent surpluses. However, there is no unambiguous agreement among economists, whether this divergence of current account positions of the euro-area countries mirrors growing intra-euro-area imbalances (Gros, 2012 or just reflects proper functioning of the European integration process (Schmitz and von Hagen, 2009. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to estimate equilibrium current account position for each of the original 12 euro area countries so that it is possible to assess whether the divergence of intra-euro current account balances could be explained on the basis of economic fundamentals or it just reflects misallocation of resources and thus macroeconomic imbalances. The equilibrium current account balance is estimated using a panel-econometric technique for a sample of 30 industrial countries, which represent euro-area member states and their main business partners, over the period 1993–2011. Economic fundamentals affecting the equilibrium current account position are selected on the basis of the saving-investment balance, the trade balance and the net income balance, to ensure that we take into an account all theoretically important explanatory variables. We find that the main determinants of current account norms in our sample are fiscal balance, a country’s net international investment position, oil balance and a country’s stage of economic development. The major part of the euro-area countries exhibits current account positions close to their equilibrium levels with the exception of the Netherlands and

  14. Travelling in the eastern Mediterranean with landscape character assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abu Jaber, N.; Abunnasr, Y.; Abu Yahya, A.; Boulad, N.; Christou, O.; Dimitropoulos, G.; Dimopoulos, T.; Gkoltsiou, K.; Khreis, N.; Manolaki, P.; Michael, K.; Odeh, T.; Papatheodoulou, A.; Sorotou, A.; Sinno, S.; Suliman, O.; Symons, N.; Terkenli, T.; Trigkas, Vassilis; Trovato, M. G.; Victora, M.; Zomeni, M.; Vogiatzakis, I. N.

    2015-06-01

    Following its application in Northern Europe, Landscape Character Assessment has also been implemented in Euro-Mediterranean countries as a tool for classifying, describing and assessing landscapes. Many landscape classifications employed in the Euro-Mediterranean area are similar in philosophy and application to the ones developed in Northern Europe. However, many aspects of landform, climate, land-use and ecology, as well as socio-economic context are distinctive of Mediterranean landscapes. The paper discusses the conceptual and methodological issues faced during landscape mapping and characterisation in four East-Mediterranean countries (within the MEDSCAPES project): Cyprus, Greece, Jordan and Lebanon. The major hurdles to overcome during the first phase of methodology development include variation in availability, quality, scale and coverage of spatial datasets between countries and also terminology semantics around landscapes. For example, the concept of landscape - a well-defined term in Greek and English - did not exist in Arabic. Another issue is the use of relative terms like 'high mountains,' `uplands' `lowlands' or ' hills'. Such terms, which are regularly used in landscape description, were perceived slightly differently in the four participating countries. In addition differences exist in nomenclature and classification systems used by each country for the dominant landscape-forming factors i.e. geology, soils and land use- but also in the cultural processes shaping the landscapes - compared both to each other and to the Northern-European norms. This paper argues for the development of consistent, regionally adapted, relevant and standardised methodologies if the results and application of LCA in the eastern Mediterranean region are to be transferable and comparable between countries.

  15. Comparison of post-fire seedling establishment between scrub communities in mediterranean and non-mediterranean climate ecosystems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carrington, M.E.; Keeley, J.E.

    1999-01-01

    I Both fire regimes and the conditions under which fires occur vary widely. Abiotic conditions (such as climate) in combination with fire season, frequency and intensity could influence vegetation responses to fire. A variety of adaptations facilitate post-fire recruitment in mediterranean climate ecosystems, but responses of other communities are less well known. We evaluated the importance of climate by comparing sites with mediterranean and subtropical climates. 2 We used paired burned and mature sites in chamise chaparral, mixed chaparral and coastal sage scrub (California), and rosemary scrub, sand pine scrub and sand-hill (Florida), to test whether (i) patterns of pre-fire and post-fire seedling recruitment are more similar between communities within a region than between regions, and (ii) post-fire stimulation of seedling establishment is greater in regions with marked fire-induced contrasts in abiotic site characteristics. 3 Post-fire seedling densities were more similar among sites within climatic regions than between regions. Both seedling densities and proportions of species represented by seedlings after fires were generally higher in California. 4 The only site characteristic showing a pre-fire-post-fire contrast was percentage open canopy, and the effect was greater in California than in Florida. Soil properties were unaffected by fire. 5 Mediterranean climate ecosystems in other regions have nutrient-poor soils similar to our subtropical Florida sites, but show post-fire seedling recruitment patterns more similar to the nutrient-rich sites in California. Climate therefore appears to play a more major role than soil characteristics.

  16. Convective phenomena at high resolution over Europe and the Mediterranean. The join EURO-CORDEX and Med-CORDEX flagship pilot study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coppola, E.; Sobolowski, S.

    2017-12-01

    The join EURO-CORDEX and Med-CORDEX Flagship Pilot Study dedicated to the frontier research of using convective permitting (CP) models to address the impact of human induced climate change on convection, has been recently approved and the scientific community behind the project is made of 30 different scientific European institutes. The motivations for such a challenge is the availability of large field campaigns dedicated to the study of heavy precipitation events; the increased computing capacity and model developments; the emerging trend signals in extreme precipitation at daily and mainly sub-daily time scale in the Mediterranean and Alpine regions and the priority of convective extreme events under the WCRP Grand Challenge on climate extremes. The main objective of this effort are to investigate convective-scale events, their processes and changes in a few key regions of Europe and the Mediterranean using CP RCMs, statistical models and available observations. To provide a collective assessment of the modeling capacity at CP scale and to shape a coherent and collective assessment of the consequences of climate change on convective event impacts at local to regional scales. The scientific aims of this research are to investigate how the convective events and the damaging phenomena associated with them will respond to changing climate conditions in different European climates zone. To understand if an improved representation of convective phenomena at convective permitting scales will lead to upscaled added value and finally to assess the possibility to replace these costly convection-permitting experiments with statistical approaches like "convection emulators". The common initial domain will be an extended Alpine domain and all the groups will simulate a minimum of 10 years period with ERA-interim boundary conditions, with the possibility of other two sub-domains one in the Northwest continental Europe and another in the Southeast Mediterranean. The scenario

  17. Migration, financial flows and development in the Euro-Mediterranean area

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gallina, Andrea

    2006-01-01

    as to the conclusions: that by the turn of the twenty-first century migration would become an explosive issue for the Mediterranean region, and that today we are facing the consequences. The risk described as a ‘demographic bomb’ is no longer a risk; it has exploded and can be seen in the daily dramas along the Italian...

  18. The EuroSITES network: Integrating and enhancing fixed-point open ocean observatories around Europe

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lampitt, Richard S.; Larkin, Kate E.; EuroSITES Consortium

    2010-05-01

    EuroSITES is a 3 year (2008-2011) EU collaborative project (3.5MEuro) with the objective to integrate and enhance the nine existing open ocean fixed point observatories around Europe (www.eurosites.info). These observatories are primarily composed of full depth moorings and make multidisciplinary in situ observations within the water column as the European contribution to the global array OceanSITES (www.oceansites.org). In the first 18 months, all 9 observatories have been active and integration has been significant through the maintenance and enhancement of observatory hardware. Highlights include the enhancement of observatories with sensors to measure O2, pCO2, chlorophyll, and nitrate in near real-time from the upper 1000 m. In addition, some seafloor missions are also actively supported. These include seafloor platforms currently deployed in the Mediterranean, one for tsunami detection and one to monitor fluid flow related to seismic activity and slope stability. Upcoming seafloor science missions in 2010 include monitoring benthic biological communities and associated biogeochemistry as indicators of climate change in both the Northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean. EuroSITES also promotes the development of innovative sensors and samplers in order to progress capability to measure climate-relevant properties of the ocean. These include further developing current technologies for autonomous long-term monitoring of oxygen consumption in the mesopelagic, pH and mesozooplankton abundance. Many of these science missions are directly related to complementary activities in other European projects such as EPOCA, HYPOX and ESONET. In 2010 a direct collaboration including in situ field work will take place between ESONET and EuroSITES. The demonstration mission MODOO (funded by ESONET) will be implemented in 2010 at the EuroSITES PAP observatory. Field work will include deployment of a seafloor lander system with various sensors which will send data to shore in real

  19. Euro Membership as a Real Option Trigger

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Aabo, Tom; Pantzalis, Christos

    2007-01-01

    -adopters (UK, Sweden, and Denmark) to exercise various forms of real options such as to establish alliances / partnerships, to enter new markets / market segments, to switch suppliers, and to generally expand in the Euro-area. The study furthermore shows that small, profitable and financially constrained firms...... are particularly likely to exercise such real options triggered by the introduction of the Euro. The results go beyond the immediate trade effects, which empirical studies have shown to be weak and without trade diversion as to the three non-adopters, and provide important insights about the potential long...

  20. History vs. legend: Retracing invasion and spread of Oxalis pes-caprae L. in Europe and the Mediterranean area.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alessio Papini

    Full Text Available Oxalis pes-caprae L. is a South African geophyte that behaves as an invasive in the eurimediterranean area. According to a long-established hypothesis, O. pes-caprae may have invaded Europe and the Mediterranean area starting from a single plant introduced in the Botanical Garden of Malta at the beginning of the 19th century. The aim of this work was to test this hypothesis, to track the arrival of O. pes-caprae in different countries of the Euro-Mediterranean area and to understand the pathways of spreading and particularly its starting point(s. Historical data attesting the presence of the plant in the whole Euro-Mediterranean region were collected from different sources: herbarium specimens, Floras and other botanical papers, plant lists of gardens, catalogs of plant nurseries and plant dealers. First records of the plant (both cultivated and wild for each Territorial Unit (3rd level of NUTS were selected and used to draw up a diachronic map and an animated graphic. Both documents clearly show that oldest records are scattered throughout the whole area, proving that the plant arrived in Europe and in the Mediterranean region more times independently and that its spreading started in different times from several different centers of invasion. Botanical gardens and other public or private gardens, nurseries and plant dealers, and above all seaside towns and harbors seemingly played a strategic role as a source of either intentional and unintentional introduction or spread. A geographic profiling analysis was performed to analyse the data. We used also techniques (Silhouette, Kmeans and Voronoi tessellation capable of verifying the presence of more than one independent clusters of data on the basis of their geographical distribution. Microsatellites were employed for a preliminary analysis of genetic variation in the Mediterranean. Even if the sampling was insufficient, particularly among the populations of the original area, our data supported

  1. Assessment of gridded observations used for climate model validation in the Mediterranean region: the HyMeX and MED-CORDEX framework

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Flaounas, Emmanouil; Drobinski, Philippe; Borga, Marco; Calvet, Jean-Christophe; Delrieu, Guy; Morin, Efrat; Tartari, Gianni; Toffolon, Roberta

    2012-01-01

    This letter assesses the quality of temperature and rainfall daily retrievals of the European Climate Assessment and Dataset (ECA and D) with respect to measurements collected locally in various parts of the Euro-Mediterranean region in the framework of the Hydrological Cycle in the Mediterranean Experiment (HyMeX), endorsed by the Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX) of the World Climate Research Program (WCRP). The ECA and D, among other gridded datasets, is very often used as a reference for model calibration and evaluation. This is for instance the case in the context of the WCRP Coordinated Regional Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX) and its Mediterranean declination MED-CORDEX. This letter quantifies ECA and D dataset uncertainties associated with temperature and precipitation intra-seasonal variability, seasonal distribution and extremes. Our motivation is to help the interpretation of the results when validating or calibrating downscaling models by the ECA and D dataset in the context of regional climate research in the Euro-Mediterranean region. (letter)

  2. Diesel passenger car PM emissions: From Euro 1 to Euro 4 with particle filter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tzamkiozis, Theodoros; Ntziachristos, Leonidas; Samaras, Zissis

    2010-03-01

    This paper examines the impact of the emission control and fuel technology development on the emissions of gaseous and, in particular, PM pollutants from diesel passenger cars. Three cars in five configurations in total were measured, and covered the range from Euro 1 to Euro 4 standards. The emission control ranged from no aftertreatment in the Euro 1 case, an oxidation catalyst in Euro 2, two oxidation catalysts and exhaust gas recirculation in Euro 3 and Euro 4, while a catalyzed diesel particle filter (DPF) fitted in the Euro 4 car led to a Euro 4 + DPF configuration. Both certification test and real-world driving cycles were employed. The results showed that CO and HC emissions were much lower than the emission standard over the hot-start real-world cycles. However, vehicle technologies from Euro 2 to Euro 4 exceeded the NOx and PM emission levels over at least one real-world cycle. The NOx emission level reached up to 3.6 times the certification level in case of the Euro 4 car. PM were up to 40% and 60% higher than certification level for the Euro 2 and Euro 3 cars, while the Euro 4 car emitted close or slightly below the certification level over the real-world driving cycles. PM mass reductions from Euro 1 to Euro 4 were associated with a relevant decrease in the total particle number, in particular over the certification test. This was not followed by a respective reduction in the solid particle number which remained rather constant between the four technologies at 0.86 × 10 14 km -1 (coefficient of variation 9%). As a result, the ratio of solid vs. total particle number ranged from ˜50% in Euro 1-100% in Euro 4. A significant reduction of more than three orders of magnitude in solid particle number is achieved with the introduction of the DPF. However, the potential for nucleation mode formation at high speed from the DPF car is an issue that needs to be considered in the over all assessment of its environmental benefit. Finally, comparison of the

  3. The Danish Euro

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ravn Sørensen, Anders

    2014-01-01

    In this article, I analyse the political debate leading up to the Danish euro referendum in 2000. I show how the euro-positive government unintentionally reinforced the arguments of the euro-sceptics by framing the euro as something belonging to the nation-state. I argue that this paradoxical...... campaign strategy stems from the Danish conceptualisation of nation and state and from the close connection between national currencies and feelings of community and citizenship more general. The analysis confirms the suggestion made by Gilbert that new monetary organisation, such as European Monetary...

  4. A reform strategy of the energy sector of the 12 countries of North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Patlitzianas, Konstantinos D.; Doukas, Haris; Kagiannas, Argyris G.; Askounis, Dimitris Th.

    2006-01-01

    The development of an energy reform strategy based on the market economy so as to introduce competition in the market segments is of crucial importance for provision of a stable and favourable environment for energy investments. Reform strategies have begun developing in most of the 12 Mediterranean Countries of North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean, especially in the context of the Euro-Mediterranean Free Trade Area. Even though energy sector reforms have been initiated, they are still at an early stage in most of these countries. The majority of energy utilities remain state owned, vertically integrated monopolies. Few of these countries have established energy regulators, and where they have, these institutions have many difficulties in effective development. In addition, competition is virtually absent from the sector, and private participation has been confined to independent power plants, which tend to be introduced into unreformed sectors. The aim of this paper is to propose energy reform strategies for the reform of the sector by 2010 in terms of the development of the regional oil, gas and electricity sectors in these countries

  5. In or Out: The Effect of Euro Membership on the Exercise of Real Business Options

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Aabo, Tom; Pantzalis, Christos

    2011-01-01

    This empirical study of manufacturing firms (NAICS 33) in the EU15 countries goes beyond the trade statistics that have indicated only a small to negligible effect from the introduction of the Euro and shows that the introduction of the Euro has made Euro firms (firms based in one of the twelve...... Euro countries) more inclined than non-Euro firms (firms based in one of the three non-Euro countries: UK, Sweden and Denmark) to undertake various forms of real actions (exercise real business options) such as to establish alliances / partnerships, to enter new markets / market segments, to switch...

  6. Value Chain Dynamics of Agri-Food Exports from Southern Mediterranean to the European Union: End-Market Perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Samir Mili

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available This contribution explores the buyer side of the value chains of the main agricultural products exported from the Mediterranean Partner Countries (MPCs to the EU, taking Spain as an explorative case study in the broader European context. It draws on the Global Value Chain (GVC approach to provide new survey-based evidence for better profiling the opportunities and constraints for EU trade for orange, strawberry, tomato and olive oil imported from Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and Turkey. The approach used complements inquiries using quantitative trade models usually based on aggregate sectoral level. Results show differences depending on the product and the country studied. There are in all cases multiple challenges to be solved at the origin of the value chain including better chain organization, further transparency and security, improvement in infrastructure and logistics, keeping transaction costs manageable at the same time. Consumer preferences in buyer markets when sourcing must be taken on the first place. The findings can have relevant policy implications in terms of prospective Euro-Mediterranean Partnership Agreements on agriculture and food.

  7. Mediterranean Thermohaline Response to Large-Scale Winter Atmospheric Forcing in a High-Resolution Ocean Model Simulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cusinato, Eleonora; Zanchettin, Davide; Sannino, Gianmaria; Rubino, Angelo

    2018-04-01

    Large-scale circulation anomalies over the North Atlantic and Euro-Mediterranean regions described by dominant climate modes, such as the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), the East Atlantic pattern (EA), the East Atlantic/Western Russian (EAWR) and the Mediterranean Oscillation Index (MOI), significantly affect interannual-to-decadal climatic and hydroclimatic variability in the Euro-Mediterranean region. However, whereas previous studies assessed the impact of such climate modes on air-sea heat and freshwater fluxes in the Mediterranean Sea, the propagation of these atmospheric forcing signals from the surface toward the interior and the abyss of the Mediterranean Sea remains unexplored. Here, we use a high-resolution ocean model simulation covering the 1979-2013 period to investigate spatial patterns and time scales of the Mediterranean thermohaline response to winter forcing from NAO, EA, EAWR and MOI. We find that these modes significantly imprint on the thermohaline properties in key areas of the Mediterranean Sea through a variety of mechanisms. Typically, density anomalies induced by all modes remain confined in the upper 600 m depth and remain significant for up to 18-24 months. One of the clearest propagation signals refers to the EA in the Adriatic and northern Ionian seas: There, negative EA anomalies are associated to an extensive positive density response, with anomalies that sink to the bottom of the South Adriatic Pit within a 2-year time. Other strong responses are the thermally driven responses to the EA in the Gulf of Lions and to the EAWR in the Aegean Sea. MOI and EAWR forcing of thermohaline properties in the Eastern Mediterranean sub-basins seems to be determined by reinforcement processes linked to the persistency of these modes in multiannual anomalous states. Our study also suggests that NAO, EA, EAWR and MOI could critically interfere with internal, deep and abyssal ocean dynamics and variability in the Mediterranean Sea.

  8. Boarding the Euro Plane : Euro Adoption in the Czech Republic and Slovakia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dandashly, Assem; Verdun, Amy

    2015-01-01

    What explains euro adoption strategies in the Czech Republic and Slovakia? How have each of these two countries performed under the regime they joined (Czech Republic: flexible exchange rates; Slovakia: in the euro area)? How has that experience affected Czech and Slovak policies towards euro

  9. THE EURO AT CERN

    CERN Multimedia

    Your UBS branch at CERN

    2001-01-01

    As part of the changeover to the euro, the UBS is pleased to announce the following information: From 28 December 2001, the cash dispensing machines will no longer issue French francs (FRF). At the beginning of January, all machines in the network will be modified to issue 50-euro notes. The wall machines in Buildings 500 and 504 will also issue 100-euro notes. Until 28 February 2002, it will be possible to sell notes in IN currencies (currencies of member countries of the economic and monetary union) in exchange for CHF over bank counters. In Switzerland, IN currencies are not directly convertible into euros. The conversion of cash from an IN currency to cash in euros is equivalent to a purchase and sale operation via Swiss francs. The UBS does not purchase or sell coins in euros (including IN currencies). Until 28 February 2002, it will be possible at all branches to deposit old coinage in IN currencies in Unicef 'Change for Good' envelopes. Until the second half of 2002, euro-denominated accounts will be a...

  10. L’euro, una moneta completa (The Euro Becomes a Complete Money

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giacomo Vaciago

    2002-09-01

    Full Text Available The euro changeover has been a success as millions of Europeans have become accustomed to using the new coins and banknotes. What comes next? So far the benefits of the euro are a product of the "vices" which have been taken away from us. In the case of Italy, the gains have been very low inflation and interest rates. Much more has still to come. First, the euro-zone has to become an optimum currency area: all national markets are required to integrate into one larger and more efficient market. This will lead to faster growth in line with Adam Smith's theory. Second, we still need to transfer foreign policy and defense, along with the euro, to a European level thereby completing the Union.

  11. Ademe et Vous. International Newsletter No. 29, July-August 2014. MEDENER: promoting the energy transition in the Mediterranean

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martin, Valerie; Seguin-Jacques, Catherine; Tappero, Denis

    2014-07-01

    A number of Euro-Mediterranean stakeholders from the public and private sectors gathered in Marseille, France, on 24 April for the second international conference on energy transition in the Mediterranean, organised by the Mediterranean Association of National Agencies for Energy Conservation (MEDENER). Overview and outlook. Alongside strategies designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, local authorities need to anticipate climate change and put in place relevant measures to adapt accordingly. Launched in January 2012, the European ShMILE 2 project aimed to help the tourism industry professionals in six Mediterranean countries open up to sustainable tourism and raise awareness of the European Ecolabel. The project recently ended, with very encouraging results

  12. Backlog at December 31, 2007: euro 39,8 billion, up by 55% from year-end 2006. 2007 sales revenue: euro 11.9 billion, up by 9.8% (+10.4% like-for-like)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2008-01-01

    The AREVA group's backlog reached a record level of euro 39.834 billion as of December 31, 2007, up by 55% from that of year-end 2006. In Nuclear, the backlog was euro 34.927 billion at year-end 2007 (+58%), due in particular to the signature of a contract in a record amount with the Chinese utility CGNPC. The series of agreements concluded provide among other things for the construction of two new-generation EPR nuclear islands and the supply of all of the materials and services needed for their operation through 2027. CGNPC also bought 35% of the production of UraMin, the mining company acquired by AREVA in August 2007. Industrial cooperation in the Back End of the cycle was launched with the signature of an agreement between China and France. In addition, the group signed several long-term contracts in significant amounts, particularly with KHNP of South Korea, EDF and Japanese utilities. The Transmission and Distribution division won several major contracts in Libya and Qatar at the end of the year approaching a total of euro 750 million. For the entire year, new orders grew by 34% to euro 5.816 billion. The backlog, meanwhile, grew by 40% to euro 4.906 billion at year-end. The group cleared sales revenue of euro 11.923 billion in 2007, up by 9.8% (+10.4% like-for-like) in relation to 2006 sales of euro 10.863 billion. Sales revenue for the 4. quarter of 2007 rose to euro 3.858 billion, for growth of 16.7% (+18.8% like-for-like) over one year. Sales revenue for the year was marked by: - Growth of 7.6% (+10.6% like-for-like) in Front End sales revenue, which rose to euro 3.140 billion. The division's Enrichment operations posted strong growth. - Sales were up by 17.5% (+15.2% like-for-like) to euro 2.717 billion in the Reactors and Services division. Sales revenue was driven in particular by the growth of Services operations, after weak demand in 2006, by progress on OL3 construction, and by the start of Flamanville 3, the second EPR. For the Back End division

  13. L’euro, una moneta completa (The Euro Becomes a Complete Money

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giacomo Vaciago

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available The euro changeover has been a success as millions of Europeans have become accustomed to using the new coins and banknotes. What comes next? So far the benefits of the euro are a product of the "vices" which have been taken away from us. In the case of Italy, the gains have been very low inflation and interest rates. Much more has still to come. First, the euro-zone has to become an optimum currency area: all national markets are required to integrate into one larger and more efficient market. This will lead to faster growth in line with Adam Smith's theory. Second, we still need to transfer foreign policy and defense, along with the euro, to a European level thereby completing the Union.   

  14. Roots of the weaknesses of the euro. Euro nõrkuste juured

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mart Sõrg

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the euro was to speed up the integration process and economic development in Europe. History of euro showed us that these optimistic goals have been only partly fulfilled. This modest result has several essential roots. Our research showed that Europe have not been and is even not today the optimal currency area. The architecture of the EMU was incomplete: in building up it was not given enough power to ECB, also were underestimated vitality national interests in member states. Therefore common interests in euro area were not enough protected. Last global financial and economic crisis showed clearly main weaknesses of euro and enforced to start to liquidate them. We conclude that resent reforms and enlargement of the EMU (Estonia probably will strengthen this union

  15. Monetary union and forest products trade- The case of the euro

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joseph Buongiorno

    2015-01-01

    The objective of this study was to determine if the establishment of a monetary union in European countries had affected the international trade of forest products between the euro-using countries. A differential gravity model of bilateral trade flows was developed and estimated with panel data for the bilateral trade between 12 euro countries from 1988 to 2013, for...

  16. Evaluation of uncertainties in mean and extreme precipitation under climate change for northwestern Mediterranean watersheds from high-resolution Med and Euro-CORDEX ensembles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colmet-Daage, Antoine; Sanchez-Gomez, Emilia; Ricci, Sophie; Llovel, Cécile; Borrell Estupina, Valérie; Quintana-Seguí, Pere; Llasat, Maria Carmen; Servat, Eric

    2018-01-01

    The climate change impact on mean and extreme precipitation events in the northern Mediterranean region is assessed using high-resolution EuroCORDEX and MedCORDEX simulations. The focus is made on three regions, Lez and Aude located in France, and Muga located in northeastern Spain, and eight pairs of global and regional climate models are analyzed with respect to the SAFRAN product. First the model skills are evaluated in terms of bias for the precipitation annual cycle over historical period. Then future changes in extreme precipitation, under two emission scenarios, are estimated through the computation of past/future change coefficients of quantile-ranked model precipitation outputs. Over the 1981-2010 period, the cumulative precipitation is overestimated for most models over the mountainous regions and underestimated over the coastal regions in autumn and higher-order quantile. The ensemble mean and the spread for future period remain unchanged under RCP4.5 scenario and decrease under RCP8.5 scenario. Extreme precipitation events are intensified over the three catchments with a smaller ensemble spread under RCP8.5 revealing more evident changes, especially in the later part of the 21st century.

  17. The Euro-mediterranean conference of Tunis recommends a deepening of energy cooperation in the region

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perrin, F.

    1995-01-01

    The demographic development in the mediterranean basin supposes an increasing of energy consumption until 2010. It is necessary to increase the economic development in the same way and to find the financing for the necessary investments. The European Union (UE) can afford all the investments and it is obvious that private financing have to be found. But to get that mediterranean countries have to liberalize their economies and to practice the non discrimination between national and foreign investments

  18. RTE, at the heart of the Euro market - mediterranean of the electric power

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2006-01-01

    This document presents the mediterranean electric power activity: the global environment, a panorama of the sector organization, the international cooperation and exchanges, the today context, the perspectives and the RTE place in North africa. (A.L.B.)

  19. HPV genotype-specific concordance between EuroArray HPV, Anyplex II HPV28 and Linear Array HPV Genotyping test in Australian cervical samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cornall, Alyssa M; Poljak, Marin; Garland, Suzanne M; Phillips, Samuel; Machalek, Dorothy A; Tan, Jeffrey H; Quinn, Michael A; Tabrizi, Sepehr N

    2017-12-01

    To compare human papillomavirus genotype-specific performance of two genotyping assays, Anyplex II HPV28 (Seegene) and EuroArray HPV (EuroImmun), with Linear Array HPV (Roche). DNA extracted from clinican-collected cervical brush specimens in PreservCyt medium (Hologic), from 403 women undergoing management for detected cytological abnormalities, was tested on the three assays. Genotype-specific agreement were assessed by Cohen's kappa statistic and Fisher's z-test of significance between proportions. Agreement between Linear Array and the other 2 assays was substantial to almost perfect (κ = 0.60 - 1.00) for most genotypes, and was almost perfect (κ = 0.81 - 0.98) for almost all high-risk genotypes. Linear Array overall detected most genotypes more frequently, however this was only statistically significant for HPV51 (EuroArray; p = 0.0497), HPV52 (Anyplex II; p = 0.039) and HPV61 (Anyplex II; p=0.047). EuroArray detected signficantly more HPV26 (p = 0.002) and Anyplex II detected more HPV42 (p = 0.035) than Linear Array. Each assay performed differently for HPV68 detection: EuroArray and LA were in moderate to substantial agreement with Anyplex II (κ = 0.46 and 0.62, respectively), but were in poor disagreement with each other (κ = -0.01). EuroArray and Anyplex II had similar sensitivity to Linear Array for most high-risk genotypes, with slightly lower sensitivity for HPV 51 or 52. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. HPV genotype-specific concordance between EuroArray HPV, Anyplex II HPV28 and Linear Array HPV Genotyping test in Australian cervical samples

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alyssa M. Cornall

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: To compare human papillomavirus genotype-specific performance of two genotyping assays, Anyplex II HPV28 (Seegene and EuroArray HPV (EuroImmun, with Linear Array HPV (Roche. Methods: DNA extracted from clinican-collected cervical brush specimens in PreservCyt medium (Hologic, from 403 women undergoing management for detected cytological abnormalities, was tested on the three assays. Genotype-specific agreement were assessed by Cohen's kappa statistic and Fisher's z-test of significance between proportions. Results: Agreement between Linear Array and the other 2 assays was substantial to almost perfect (κ = 0.60 − 1.00 for most genotypes, and was almost perfect (κ = 0.81 – 0.98 for almost all high-risk genotypes. Linear Array overall detected most genotypes more frequently, however this was only statistically significant for HPV51 (EuroArray; p = 0.0497, HPV52 (Anyplex II; p = 0.039 and HPV61 (Anyplex II; p=0.047. EuroArray detected signficantly more HPV26 (p = 0.002 and Anyplex II detected more HPV42 (p = 0.035 than Linear Array. Each assay performed differently for HPV68 detection: EuroArray and LA were in moderate to substantial agreement with Anyplex II (κ = 0.46 and 0.62, respectively, but were in poor disagreement with each other (κ = −0.01. Conclusions: EuroArray and Anyplex II had similar sensitivity to Linear Array for most high-risk genotypes, with slightly lower sensitivity for HPV 51 or 52. Keywords: Human papillomavirus, Genotyping, Linear Array, Anyplex II, EuroArray, Cervix

  1. Innovative MAN Euro V engines without exhaust aftertreatment; Innovative MAN Euro V Motorisierung ohne Abgasnachbehandlung

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Held, W.; Raab, G.; Schaller, K.V.; Gotre, W.; Lehmann, H.; Moeller, H.; Schroeppel, W. [MAN Nutzfahrzeuge AG, Muenchen (Germany); MAN Nutzfahrzeuge AG, Nuernberg (Germany); MAN Nutzfahrzeuge AG, Steyr (Austria)

    2009-07-01

    MAN Nutzfahrzeuge AG (Munich, Federal Republic of Germany) always is eager to offer products for the respective markets whereby the products are interesting for the customer under economic criteria. Additionally, the products shall not lack in the travelling comfort under consideration of the legal emission borders. Thus, a AdBlue {sup registered} free technology for all MAN series was already offered before the legal introduction of EURO IV. This technology is based on an internal-motor solution with external, cooled AGR and a PM-Cat {sup registered} -filter. This solution is esteemed highly by our customers because apart from the well-known advantages in relation to a SCR technology there were no losses with the operating cost. With EURO V which is inserted in some countries MAN Nutzfahrzeuge AG returns to a long-term experience with SCR technology. The motivation for the development of a AdBlue {sup registered} free solution was the positive feedback of our customers on the basis of MAN EURO IV AGR/PM Cat technology. With the developed EURO V AGR solution, other EURO IV solutions in line with market conditions for the 'Emerging markets' can be derived with which a technology without exhaust post-treatment can be offered worldwide for our customers. This technology presents the basis for a platform concept EURO IV/V and EURO VI. In this concept, EURO IV can be presented without subsequent treatment of exhaust gases, EURO V in connection with an Oxicat and EURO VI with a SCRT system. Here, the vehicle/engine concept presents the most important components for the individual series in particular. By means of these components, the goal EURO V was achieved internal-motor without losses of operating cost and life span in relation to SCR technologies.

  2. Corporate Image and the Establishment of Euro Disney: Mickey Mouse and the French Press.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Forman, Janis

    1998-01-01

    Considers interweaving themes that characterized the construction of Euro Disney, drawing upon articles in the French press. Offers analysis of the historical context for and the implications of the park's construction, using the literature of French cultural studies and cross-cultural studies for support. Discusses possible consequences to the…

  3. AREVA net income: 649 million euros

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2007-03-15

    This document presents the financial statements for 2006 of Areva group: net income: 649 million euros; backlog up by 24.6% to 25.6 billion euros; steady growth of sales revenue: + 7.3%1 to 10.863 billion euros; operating income of 407 million euros: excellent divisional performance and constitution of a significant provision for the OL3 project in Finland; dividend proposed to Annual General Meeting of Shareholders: 8.46 euros per share.

  4. AREVA net income: 649 million euros

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2007-03-01

    This document presents the financial statements for 2006 of Areva group: net income: 649 million euros; backlog up by 24.6% to 25.6 billion euros; steady growth of sales revenue: + 7.3%1 to 10.863 billion euros; operating income of 407 million euros: excellent divisional performance and constitution of a significant provision for the OL3 project in Finland; dividend proposed to Annual General Meeting of Shareholders: 8.46 euros per share

  5. The Texts of the Agency's Agreements with the Republic of Austria. V. Supplemental Agreement on the Establishment of an Agency Commissary

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1973-03-08

    The text of the Supplemental Agreement on the Establishment of an Agency Commissary is reproduced in this document for the information of all Members. The Supplemental Agreement entered into force on 1 April 1972 pursuant to Article VII, hereby superseding the Supplemental Agreement which was the subject of documents INFCIRC/15, part V and INFCIRC/15/Add. 1.

  6. The Texts of the Agency's Agreements with the Republic of Austria. V. Supplemental Agreement on the Establishment of an Agency Commissary

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1973-01-01

    The text of the Supplemental Agreement on the Establishment of an Agency Commissary is reproduced in this document for the information of all Members. The Supplemental Agreement entered into force on 1 April 1972 pursuant to Article VII, hereby superseding the Supplemental Agreement which was the subject of documents INFCIRC/15, part V and INFCIRC/15/Add. 1

  7. Areva At December 31, 2010: Revenue rises to euros 9.104 bn: + 6.7% Backlog rises to euros 44.2 bn: + 2.0%

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2011-01-01

    In 2010, AREVA's consolidated revenue rose 6.7% to 9.104 billion euros (+ 5.1% growth like-for-like) compared with 2009. The Mining-Front End Business Group and the Reactors and Services Business Group were the leading growth engines, with revenue growth of 6.7% and 8.9% respectively. Foreign exchange had a positive impact of 141 million euros and the scope of consolidation remained stable over the period. Fourth quarter 2010 revenue totaled 2.936 billion euros, an increase of 7.7% (+4.8% like-for-like) compared with the fourth quarter of 2009, due in particular to 18.1% growth in the Mining-Front End BG. Foreign exchange had an impact of 58 million euros over the period. The group's backlog came to 44.2 billion euros at December 31, 2010, up 2.0% in relation to December 31, 2009. The backlog grew in the Mining-Front End and Renewable Energies BGs. Installed Base Business operations held up well, replenishing the backlog for the Reactors and Services BG. The agreement with the Indian utility NPCIL concerning the construction of two EPR TM reactors and fuel cycle supply for 25 years was not recorded in the backlog at December 31, 2010. The change in the Back End BG's backlog reflects the implementation of contracts signed in previous years. Nearly one billion euros in letters of intent signed in 2010 with US utilities corresponding to pre-sold production from the future enrichment plant were not included in the Mining-Front End BG's backlog. The backlog of the Mining-Front End BG came to 28.902 billion euros at December 31, 2010, up 4% compared with the end of 2009. Contracts won in 2010 include: - the 10-year uranium supply contract with CGNPC for approximately 3.5 billion dollars; - several other multi-year contracts signed in the front end of the cycle with US and Asian utilities. For the full year of 2010, the Mining-Front End BG reported revenue of 3.704 billion euros, an increase of 6.7% on a reported basis and of 4.2% LFL. Foreign exchange had a positive

  8. Backlog at December 31, 2007: euro 39,8 billion, up by 55% from year-end 2006. 2007 sales revenue: euro 11.9 billion, up by 9.8% (+10.4% like-for-like); Carnet de commandes au 31 decembre 2007: 39,8 milliards d'euros, en progression de 55% par rapport a fin 2006. Chiffre d'affaires de l'exercice 2007: 11,9 milliards d'euros, en progression de 9,8% (+10,4% en donnees comparables)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2008-01-15

    The AREVA group's backlog reached a record level of euro 39.834 billion as of December 31, 2007, up by 55% from that of year-end 2006. In Nuclear, the backlog was euro 34.927 billion at year-end 2007 (+58%), due in particular to the signature of a contract in a record amount with the Chinese utility CGNPC. The series of agreements concluded provide among other things for the construction of two new-generation EPR nuclear islands and the supply of all of the materials and services needed for their operation through 2027. CGNPC also bought 35% of the production of UraMin, the mining company acquired by AREVA in August 2007. Industrial cooperation in the Back End of the cycle was launched with the signature of an agreement between China and France. In addition, the group signed several long-term contracts in significant amounts, particularly with KHNP of South Korea, EDF and Japanese utilities. The Transmission and Distribution division won several major contracts in Libya and Qatar at the end of the year approaching a total of euro 750 million. For the entire year, new orders grew by 34% to euro 5.816 billion. The backlog, meanwhile, grew by 40% to euro 4.906 billion at year-end. The group cleared sales revenue of euro 11.923 billion in 2007, up by 9.8% (+10.4% like-for-like) in relation to 2006 sales of euro 10.863 billion. Sales revenue for the 4. quarter of 2007 rose to euro 3.858 billion, for growth of 16.7% (+18.8% like-for-like) over one year. Sales revenue for the year was marked by: - Growth of 7.6% (+10.6% like-for-like) in Front End sales revenue, which rose to euro 3.140 billion. The division's Enrichment operations posted strong growth. - Sales were up by 17.5% (+15.2% like-for-like) to euro 2.717 billion in the Reactors and Services division. Sales revenue was driven in particular by the growth of Services operations, after weak demand in 2006, by progress on OL3 construction, and by the start of Flamanville 3, the second EPR. For the Back End

  9. Assessing Shifts of Mediterranean and Arid Climates Under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 Climate Projections in Europe

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barredo, José I.; Mauri, Achille; Caudullo, Giovanni; Dosio, Alessandro

    2018-04-01

    The Mediterranean basin is the richest biodiversity region in Europe and a global hotspot of biological diversity. In spite of that, anthropogenic climate change is one of the most serious concerns for nature conservation in this region. One of the climatic threats is represented by shifts of the Mediterranean climate and expansion of the arid climate. In this paper, we present an assessment of changes in the spatial range of the Mediterranean climate in Europe and the conversion into arid climate under different greenhouse gas forcings, namely RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. We used 11 simulations in two future 30-year periods of state-of-the-art regional climate models from EURO-CORDEX. Our results indicate that by the end of the century under RCP8.5 the present Mediterranean climate zone is projected to contract by 16%, i.e. an area ( 157,000 km2) equivalent to half the size of Italy. This compares with the less severe scenario RCP4.5 that projected only a 3% reduction. In addition, the Mediterranean climate zone is projected to expand to other zones by an area equivalent to 24 and 50% of its present extent under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, respectively. Our study indicates that expansion of the arid zone is almost always the cause for contraction of the Mediterranean zone. Under RCP8.5 the arid zone is projected to increase by more than twice its present extent, equivalent to three times the size of Greece. Results of this study are useful for identifying (1) priority zones for biodiversity conservation, i.e. stable Mediterranean climate zones, (2) zones requiring assisted adaptation, such as establishment of new protected areas, implementation of buffer zones around protected areas and creating ecological corridors connecting stable Mediterranean zones.

  10. Short term clinical disease progression in HIV-1 positive patients taking combination antiretroviral therapy : The EuroSIDA risk-score

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mocroft, A; Ledergerber, B; Zilmer, K

    2007-01-01

    /death in patients taking cART. A score was derived for 4169 patients from EuroSIDA and validated on 5150 patients from the Swiss HIV Cohort Study (SHCS). RESULTS: In EuroSIDA, 658 events occurred during 22 321 person-years of follow-up: an incidence rate of 3.0/100 person-years of follow-up [95% confidence interval...... (CI), 2.7-3.3]. Current levels of viral load, CD4 cell count, CD4 cell slope, anaemia, and body mass index all independently predicted new AIDS/death, as did age, exposure group, a prior AIDS diagnosis, prior antiretroviral treatment and stopping all antiretroviral drugs. The EuroSIDA risk...... in the risk-score was associated with a 2.70 times higher incidence of clinical progression (95% CI, 2.56-2.84) in EuroSIDA and 2.88 (95% CI, 2.75-3.02) in SHCS. CONCLUSIONS: A clinically relevant prognostic score was derived in EuroSIDA and validated within the SHCS, with good agreement. The EuroSIDA risk...

  11. Areva: 1. quarter 2015 revenue down, at euros 1.762 bn: -1.1% vs. March 2014 (-0.9% like for like)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Repaire, Philippine du

    2015-01-01

    In the 1. quarter of 2015, AREVA generated consolidated revenue of 1.762 billion euros, representing a decrease of 1.1% (-0.9% like for like) compared with the same period in 2014. Foreign exchange had a positive impact of 36 million euros over the period, while consolidation scope had a negative impact of 39 million euros. At March 31, 2015, the group had 47.520 billion euros in backlog, a 1.4% increase in relation to December 31, 2014 (46.866 billion euros) reflecting a favorable foreign exchange impact. It should be noted that the backlog does not include the amount from agreements signed with EDF in October 2013 for the EPR reactors project at Hinkley Point in the United Kingdom or for the related fuel. The order intake totaled 881 million euros in the 1. quarter of 2015, an increase compared with the 1. quarter of 2014 (668 million euros)

  12. 31 CFR 535.210 - Direction for establishing an escrow agreement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Direction for establishing an escrow agreement. 535.210 Section 535.210 Money and Finance: Treasury Regulations Relating to Money and Finance... Government of the United States of America and the Government of Islamic Republic of Iran with respect to the...

  13. Medgrid: a major industrial initiative for Mediterranean power grids - Opening new electricity paths for a sustainable energy development of the Union for the Mediterranean area countries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Merlin, Andre; Pouliquen, Herve

    2011-01-01

    The development of new electricity networks in the Mediterranean region has given rise to a lot of new hope. Electricity is truly at the heart of economic and social development, but also represents an appropriate solution for improving the energy efficiency of many end use applications and for increasing the environmental protection where it is produced from renewable forms of energy. Launched under the framework of Union for the Mediterranean, a key project of the Mediterranean Solar Plan, Medgrid was set up at the instigation of the French government; it now gathers twenty industrial shareholders from different economic sectors: power generation, transmission, distribution and supply, financing and the sustainable development service industry, who are joining together to study the feasibility of a large transmission grid between the south and north rims of the Mediterranean Sea. Medgrid forms part of a new dynamic - set in motion over ten years ago - in Euro-Mediterranean relations, in environmental initiatives and in energy infrastructure development policies. It is important to be reminded of the main features of these initiatives and of their results in order to fully understand the huge diversity of the context in which Medgrid is going to operate, be it in the political, institutional, economic, industrial and technological spheres. (authors)

  14. Imaging the Mediterranean upper mantle by p- wave travel time tomography

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Morelli

    1997-06-01

    Full Text Available Travel times of P-waves in the Euro-Mediterranean region show strong and consistent lateral variations, which can be associated to structural heterogeneity in the underlying crust and mantle. We analyze regional and tele- seismic data from the International Seismological Centre data base to construct a three-dimensional velocity model of the upper mantle. We parameterize the model by a 3D grid of nodes -with approximately 50 km spacing -with a linear interpolation law, which constitutes a three-dimensional continuous representation of P-wave velocity. We construct summary travel time residuals between pairs of cells of the Earth's surface, both inside our study area and -with a broader spacing -on the whole globe. We account for lower mantle heterogeneity outside the modeled region by using empirical corrections to teleseismic travel times. The tomo- graphic images show generai agreement with other seismological studies of this area, with apparently higher detail attained in some locations. The signature of past and present lithospheric subduction, connected to Euro- African convergence, is a prominent feature. Active subduction under the Tyrrhenian and Hellenic arcs is clearly imaged as high-velocity bodies spanning the whole upper mantle. A clear variation of the lithospheric structure beneath the Northem and Southern Apennines is observed, with the boundary running in correspon- dence of the Ortona-Roccamonfina tectonic lineament. The western section of the Alps appears to have better developed roots than the eastern, possibly reflecting à difference in past subduction of the Tethyan lithosphere and subsequent continental collision.

  15.  Euro Membership as a Real Option Trigger: An Empirical Study of EU15 Manufacturing Firms

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Aabo, Tom

    ) to exercise real options such as to establish alliances / partnerships, to enter new markets / market segments, to switch suppliers, and to generally expand in the Euro-area. The results are robust after controlling for the size of the firms and their sales in the Euro-area. The results go beyond what...

  16. Ist der Euro gefährdet? Is the European currency euro put at risk?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Armin Rohde

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Due to high national debt in several member states of the Euro-Currency-Area which led to huge relief programmes the single European currency Euro seems to be at risk. Bur neither inflation rates nor exchange rate movements of the Euro since 1999 up to 2011 give reasons to believe that an up to now success story of the Euro will come to a sudden end in shortness. On the other hand it often had been argued that increasing national debt will inevitably lead to higher inflation rates and will endanger a currency by permanent devaluation. But the institutional and legal framework of the European monetary policy, if used correctly, will give sufficient protection against inflation pressure due to increasing national debt. The most danger for the European currency or for the European-Currency-Area can be seen in drifting apart of national competiveness between the member states of the Euro- Area, especially due to an existing lack of coordination in wage policy. Different wage policies in the member states of the Euro-Area in the past had led to different national inflation rates and had caused calculated real exchange rate movements which had lasting influence on national competiveness, which hamper international trade in the case of real appreciation or which promote international trade in the case of real depreciation..

  17. Euro NCAP : een veiligheidsinstrument.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    2007-01-01

    Het programma Euro NCAP test sinds 1996 de (bots)veiligheid van de meest gangbare personen-auto’s. Het feit dat de testresultaten bekend zijn bij de consumenten stimuleert de autofabrikanten om personenauto’s produceren die veelal veiliger zijn dan wettelijk is vereist. Euro NCAP test de

  18. The demand for euros

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Arnold, I.J.M.; Roelands, S.

    2010-01-01

    This paper investigates the demand for euros using panel data for 10 euro area countries covering the period from 1999 to 2008. Monetary aggregates are constructed to ensure that money is a national concept by excluding deposits owned by non-residents and including external deposits owned by

  19. 160 Adopting the Euro: A Long Path towards National Consensus within the Euro Area Candidate Countries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adina Criste

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The global financial crisis outbreak after 2007 has profoundly changed the course of the history of relations in the world economy, creating a complicated framework of political relations between countries and economic regions. In this context, it is important to depict the economic convergence stage of Euro Area candidate countries and to what extent this crisis has or has not changed the euro adoption objective for these countries. The present paper aimed to shed a light on this issue by analyzing both the state of the convergence process and the public attitude regarding euro adoption in four Euro Area candidate countries which have the same monetary policy strategy (inflation targeting. The research results show the way in which the global financial crisis “deviates” the convergence trajectory of the nominal indicators, but also the political and public sentiment against the euro adoption in the selected countries. The results represent a valuable groundwork for analyzing the way in which National Central Banks candidate to the Eurosystem are implied into the processing for euro adoption during turbulence times

  20. RTE, at the heart of the Euro market - mediterranean of the electric power; RTE, au coeur du marche euro - mediterraneen de l'electricite

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2006-07-01

    This document presents the mediterranean electric power activity: the global environment, a panorama of the sector organization, the international cooperation and exchanges, the today context, the perspectives and the RTE place in North africa. (A.L.B.)

  1. Recursive and non-linear logistic regression: moving on from the original EuroSCORE and EuroSCORE II methodologies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poullis, Michael

    2014-11-01

    EuroSCORE II, despite improving on the original EuroSCORE system, has not solved all the calibration and predictability issues. Recursive, non-linear and mixed recursive and non-linear regression analysis were assessed with regard to sensitivity, specificity and predictability of the original EuroSCORE and EuroSCORE II systems. The original logistic EuroSCORE, EuroSCORE II and recursive, non-linear and mixed recursive and non-linear regression analyses of these risk models were assessed via receiver operator characteristic curves (ROC) and Hosmer-Lemeshow statistic analysis with regard to the accuracy of predicting in-hospital mortality. Analysis was performed for isolated coronary artery bypass grafts (CABGs) (n = 2913), aortic valve replacement (AVR) (n = 814), mitral valve surgery (n = 340), combined AVR and CABG (n = 517), aortic (n = 350), miscellaneous cases (n = 642), and combinations of the above cases (n = 5576). The original EuroSCORE had an ROC below 0.7 for isolated AVR and combined AVR and CABG. None of the methods described increased the ROC above 0.7. The EuroSCORE II risk model had an ROC below 0.7 for isolated AVR only. Recursive regression, non-linear regression, and mixed recursive and non-linear regression all increased the ROC above 0.7 for isolated AVR. The original EuroSCORE had a Hosmer-Lemeshow statistic that was above 0.05 for all patients and the subgroups analysed. All of the techniques markedly increased the Hosmer-Lemeshow statistic. The EuroSCORE II risk model had a Hosmer-Lemeshow statistic that was significant for all patients (P linear regression failed to improve on the original Hosmer-Lemeshow statistic. The mixed recursive and non-linear regression using the EuroSCORE II risk model was the only model that produced an ROC of 0.7 or above for all patients and procedures and had a Hosmer-Lemeshow statistic that was highly non-significant. The original EuroSCORE and the EuroSCORE II risk models do not have adequate ROC and Hosmer

  2. Record of an established population of Palaemon macrodactylus Rathbun, 1902 (Decapoda, Palaemonidae in the Mediterranean Sea: confirming a prediction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. A. CUESTA

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available The capture of larvae of Palaemon macrodactylus off Mallorca (Balearic Islands has been recently reported as evidence of a potential presence of a population of this species in the Mediterranean Sea. Photos of this species, taken during dives in the Sacca di Goro (northern Adriatic were published in the same year, but no specimen could be collected at that time. Herein we report the capture in 2013 of numerous individuals of the oriental shrimp, including ovigerous females, both in the Sacca di Goro and in the Lagoon of Marano and Grado (northern Adriatic Sea, Italy, confirming the existence of a well-established population of this species in the Mediterranean Sea.

  3. Areva at September 30, 2013: Backlog of euro 42 bn Robust revenue growth to euro 6.847 bn: +4.7% vs. Sept. 2012 (+7.6% like for like) Strong organic growth (+9.9%) in the nuclear operations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Duperray, Julien; Berezowskyj, Katherine; Grange, Aurelie; Rosso, Jerome; Thebault, Alexandre; Scorbiac, Marie de; Repaire, Philippine du

    2013-01-01

    After a remarkable first half and as anticipated, Areva's third quarter revenue was stable in the nuclear operations compared with the third quarter of 2012. Globally, Areva's nuclear operations generated organic growth of 10% in the first nine months of 2013. This performance demonstrates the strength of Areva's commercial positions in the installed base market, where the company continues to innovate while improving its competitiveness. The success of Areva's integrated offers and of its Safety Alliance and Forward Alliance programs are perfect examples of this. Moreover, agreements signed for the EDF project at Hinkley Point strengthen Areva's position in the new builds market and bolster the credibility of Areva's EPR TM offers to other customers. In the Renewable Energies BG, revenue is below Areva's Action 2016 plan outlook, mainly due to the current indecisiveness in the renewable markets. Based on Areva's performance over the past nine months, the company confirms its revenue outlook for its business as a whole in 2013. AREVA generated consolidated revenue of 6.847 billion euros in the first nine months of 2013, representing growth of 4.7% (+7.6% like for like) compared with the same period in 2012. Revenue growth was fueled by a 7.7% increase in recurring business (+11.0% like for like). Revenue from nuclear operations was 6.453 billion euros in the first nine months of 2013, compared with 6.035 billion euros in the first nine months of 2012, a 6.9% increase (+9.9% like for like). Revenue was led by growth in all nuclear Business Groups (BG): the Mining BG (+31.8% like for like), the Front End BG (+9.8% like for like), the Reactors and Services BG (+1.5% like for like) and the Back End BG (+10.3% like for like). Revenue fell 24.6% like for like in the renewable operations. Foreign exchange had a negative impact of 71 million euros during the period. The change in consolidation scope had a negative impact of 106 million euros. In the third quarter of 2013

  4. The European Union's Mediterranean Policy in the Context of the "Arab Spring"

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Victoria A. Latkina

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The article discusses the policy of the European Union aimed at the export of its democratic values, acquis communautaire and governance models to the neighbour countries in the Southern Mediterranean. The process of Europeanization reflects a particular case of global megatrend -democratization which in its turn positioned as democracy promotion through soft power instruments. From the EU point of view the goal of the Barcelona process launched in 1995 was to construct Euro-Mediterranean Partnership and common identity in order to promote democratic transitions in Southern Mediterranean. While the EU Foreign Policy in the Mediterranean region was historically conditioned by the security interests of the European Union, it suffered from securitization/democratization dilemma. The article analyses the process of external Europeanization in the Southern Mediterranean as a regional dimension of global democratization process in the context of Union for the Mediterranean development before and after the Arab Spring and new approach in the framework of the ENP Partnership for Democracy and Shared Prosperity with the Southern Mediterranean. The article proposes that the lack of political strategic vision in the EU toward the Arab democratic transition during 2011-2013 narrows its role as a transformative democratic power, hinders Europeanization/ democratization process in the macro-region of North Africa and Middle East and presents the EU with a new dilemma - to continue its traditional democratization policy or to shift towards a more pragmatic approach to cooperating with new Arab regimes.

  5. EuroFIR eBASIS: application for health claims submissions and evaluations

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kiely, M.; Black, L.J.; Plumb, J.; Kroon, P.; Hollman, P.C.H.; Larsen, J.C.; Speijers, G.; Kapsokefalou, M.; Sheehan, D.; Gry, J.; Finglas, P.M.

    2010-01-01

    Background: The European Food Information Resource (EuroFIR) network has established the eBASIS (Bioactive Substances in Food Information System) online food composition and biological effects database for plant-derived bioactive compounds (phytochemicals). On the basis of submitted evidence, the

  6. Cognitive processing of currency: Euros and Dollars.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Macizo, Pedro; Morales, Luis

    2015-11-01

    In the current study, we evaluated whether the processing of currency was determined by familiarity of people with banknotes. In Experiment 1, participants who used the Euro currency named sequences of Euro banknotes and Dollar banknotes blocked by category or mixed with exemplars of other categories. The participants showed an interference effect in the blocked context with Dollar banknotes but not with Euro banknotes. In Experiment 2, the interference effect was observed with Euro banknotes when participants were not familiar with the Euro currency. These results suggest that the semantic processing of banknotes depends on the participants' familiarity with currency. © 2015 The British Psychological Society.

  7. The Euro crisis. Causes and Symptoms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christoph S. Weber

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The Euro crisis is mainly a consequence of the international financial crisis of 2008. Thereby, the term Euro crisis is misleading as there is no currency crisis. First, the article shows some of the birth defects of the Euro. Second, it shows that the increase in public debt was caused by rescue measures for banks and anti-cyclical fiscal policy. Third, we argue that the Euro crisis is not just one crisis (a sovereign debt crisis but it is a combination of several macroeconomic crises including a growth crisis, a labour market crisis, a public debt crisis, and a current account crisis.

  8. Areva - 2013 revenue of euro 9.3 bn thanks to sustained level of activity. Organic growth in the nuclear operations: + 7%, above our financial outlook. Backlog of euro 41.6 bn

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Duperray, Julien; Berezowskyj, Katherine; Grange, Aurelie; Rosso, Jerome; Thebault, Alexandre; Scorbiac, Marie de; Repaire, Philippine du

    2014-01-01

    104 million euros over the period. Fourth quarter 2013 revenue was 2.632 billion euros, down 1.3% (-0.3% like for like), mainly due to a lower level of business in the Reactors and Services BG and the Back End BG compared with the fourth quarter of 2012. Foreign exchange had a negative impact of 30 million euros over the period. The impact of changes in consolidation scope for the quarter was negligible. The group's backlog was 41.6 billion euros at December 31, 2013, a decrease compared with December 31, 2012 (44.7 billion euros) and stable compared with the backlog at September 30, 2013. The year-on-year order intake was 7.6 billion euros. It excludes orders associated with agreements concluded in October 2013 with the EDF group for the Hinkley Point EPR TM project

  9. ROMANIA’S FISCAL STRUCTURE IN VIEW OF EURO ADOPTION. A MULTIDIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria-Isadora Lazar

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to conclude whether the adoption of the single currency induced a trend of structural resemblance, and if so, to determine groups of countries with similar fiscal structures inside the Euro Area. Taking into consideration total revenues, indirect taxation, direct taxation and social contributions, we analyzed primary data and completed it with multidimensional classification. Having in view Romania’s objective of adopting Euro currency we aim to establish to which subgroup is Romania more similar in terms of fiscal structure and whether this resemblance enhanced since the accession to the European Union.

  10. The euro and the European Central Bank

    OpenAIRE

    Jeffrey M. Wrase

    1999-01-01

    The formation of a monetary union by 11 European countries has received a lot of notice from the press since January 1, 1999, when the union's common currency, the euro, was officially introduced. To facilitate adoption of a single currency, these same countries have established a central bank that sets a common monetary policy for the members of the monetary union. In this article, Jeff Wrase gives some background on the European monetary union, outlines the procedure for introduction of the...

  11. Euro roll rahvusvahelise valuutana / Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Padoa-Schioppa, Tommaso

    2003-01-01

    Autor käsitleb euro erakasutust rahvusvahelises ulatuses, analüüsib euro ametlikku rolli reservvaluutana välisvaluutareservide mitmekesistamise üleüldise arengu tingimustes ning vaatleb euro kasutamist euroalale geograafiliselt lähedastes piirkondades. Lühendatud tõlge autori kõnest 2002. aasta 22. novembril Frankfurdis toimunud Euroopa panganduskongressil

  12. Why are the French so Different from the Germans? Underpricing of IPOs on the Euro New Markets

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Goergen, M.; Khurshed, A.; Renneboog, L.D.R.

    2006-01-01

    Abstract: IPOs on the EuroNMs have shown very high underpricing. The majority of these IPOs possess specific characteristics such as lock-up agreements, venture-capital financing, ownership by the underwriter and over-allotment options. We study how these characteristics influence the underpricing

  13. Purchasing Power Parity and the Euro Area

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    C.G. Koedijk (Kees); B. Tims (Ben); M.A. van Dijk (Mathijs)

    2004-01-01

    textabstractThis paper analyzes purchasing power parity (PPP) for the euro area. We study the impact of the introduction of the euro in 1999 on the behavior of real exchange rates. We test the PPP hypothesis for a panel of real exchange rates within the euro area over the period 1973-2003. Our

  14. PUBLIC SERVICES AND THE EURO-REGIONAL COOPERATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Badulescu Alina

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Besides the goods and private services, covering the specific needs of individual or groups based on specific mechanisms of demand and supply, human needs can be addressed also through public services. They are designed to meet the general interests of members of a community or society at large and established by public authorities, subject to certain fundamental principles of organization and operation, such as: the principle of efficiency, the principle of equity, the principle of continuity, the principle of movability and the principle of decentralization. In the same time, public services involve in many areas of economic and social life is not just a national issue, but also have characteristics and provision ways at international, regional and euro-regional level. This paper underlines the main areas of euro-regional co-operation interest in the public services sectors, such as: the sectors of environment, agriculture and territorial planning, the sectors of transportation, security and telecommunication, the sector of the economy and labour force, the sector of cross-border populations: social protection and public health, the sectors of education, research and culture.

  15. Why are the French so Different from the Germans? Underpricing of IPOs on the Euro New Markets

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Goergen, M.; Khurshed, A.; Renneboog, L.D.R.

    2009-01-01

    IPOs on the EuroNMs have shown very high underpricing. The majority of these IPOs possess specific characteristics such as lock-up agreements, venture-capital financing, ownership by the underwriter and over-allotment options. We study how these characteristics influence the underpricing of firms

  16. Why are the French so Different from the Germans? Underpricing of IPOs on the Euro New Markets

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Goergen, M.; Khurshed, A.; Renneboog, L.D.R.

    2006-01-01

    IPOs on the EuroNMs have shown very high underpricing.The majority of these IPOs possess specific characteristics such as lock-up agreements, venture-capital financing, ownership by the underwriter and over-allotment options.We study how these characteristics influence the underpricing of firms

  17. Trends of NO-, NO 2-, and NH 3-emissions from gasoline-fueled Euro-3- to Euro-4-passenger cars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heeb, Norbert V.; Saxer, Christian J.; Forss, Anna-Maria; Brühlmann, Stefan

    Vehicular emissions of reactive nitrogen compounds (RNCs) such as nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO 2), and ammonia (NH 3) have a substantial impact on urban air quality. NO and NO 2 support the photochemical formation of ozone, and NH 3 is involved in the atmospheric formation of secondary aerosols. Vehicular NO is mainly formed during combustion, whereas NO 2 and NH 3 are both secondary pollutants of the catalytic converter systems. Herein we report on tail-pipe RNC emissions of gasoline-fueled Euro-3- and Euro-4-passenger cars at transient driving from 0 to 150 km h -1. Two sets of 10 in-use vehicles with comparable engine size and mileage were studied with time-resolved chemical ionization-mass spectrometry (CI-MS). Each vehicle was tested in 7 different driving cycles including the legislative European (EDC) and the US FTP-75 driving cycles. Mean emission factors (EFs) for different traffic situations are reported and effects of cold start, velocity, acceleration, and deceleration are discussed. Furthermore, critical operating conditions supporting the de novo formation of NH 3 have been identified. In the EDC, mean NO- and NH 3-EFs of 57±26 and 16±12 mg km -1 were obtained for Euro-3-vehicles; those of the Euro-4-technology were lower by about 25% and 33% at the levels of 43±46 and 10±7 mg km -1, respectively. NO 2 emissions of the investigated three-way catalyst (TWC) vehicles accounted for exhaust. Velocity and acceleration had pronounced effects on the RNC emission characteristics. Mean velocity-dependent EFs for NO and NH 3 varied by about one order of magnitude from 10 to 74 and 15 to 161 mg km -1 for Euro-3-vehicles and from 12 to 44 and 7 to 144 mg km -1 for the Euro-4 fleet. We conclude that the investigated Euro-3- and Euro-4-vehicles are mainly operated under slightly reducing conditions, where the NH 3 emissions dominate over those of the NO. Under these conditions, both vehicle fleets on an average fulfilled the valid Euro-3 and Euro-4

  18. Real-world NOx emissions of Euro V and Euro VI heavy duty vehicles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vermeulen, R.; Dekker, H.; Vonk, W.

    2012-04-15

    TNO regularly performs measurements to determine the in-service performance and durability with respect to the pollutant emissions of heavy-duty vehicles under representative driving conditions. The 2011 measurement programme yields new insights regarding the emission performance of the upcoming Euro VI technology for heavy-duty vehicles, mandatory as of 31 December 2013 and, together with the results from earlier performed programmes, leads to conclusions on the emission performance of past and present generations of heavy-duty vehicles (Euro V, EEV)

  19. Romanian Policy-Mix to Adopting Euro

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cristian Socol

    2007-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper evaluates the present estate of Euro implementation in Monetary and EconomicUnion (EMU and Romanian position in this context. The Romanian admittance in EU at January 2007increased the interest to study the transmission and coordination mechanisms, related to mix commonmonetary policy – different fiscal policy across the countries in the Euro area. Our study focuses on theconsequences of Romanian admittance in Euro Zone in 2014 and optimal policy-mix to good preparationto accomplish this target. The controversies between economists regarding the construction processof EMU remain large. What are the consequences of implementing the “tye-hands” strategy for Romanianfinancial authorities? Can Romania solve the potential conflict between real and nominal convergencerelating the European integration? What is the best strategy for Romania with the aim to obtain afaster real convergence with the European Union countries? Can Romania maximize the benefits toadopting Euro in 2014?

  20. On the EMSC and its roles in the Euro-Med region

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bossu, R.; Godey, S.; Mazet-Roux, G.

    2009-04-01

    The Euro-Med seismological Centre (EMSC) is a scientific non-profit NGO created back in 1975 by the seismological community to collate data, make them available and provide earthquake information at a Euro-Med and global scales. The aim of this talk is to provide an overview of the EMSC's activities and its roles in the integration of the seismological community. Its first activity has been rapid earthquake information on its web site (www.emsc-csem.org) as well as earthquake notification services (SMS, email) for potentially damaging earthquakes. More recently, online macroseismic questionnaires were introduced in more than 20 different languages as well as tools to collect pictures of the earthquake's effects from the public. An innovative way to map the area where an earthquake was felt within 5 to 8 minutes of its occurrence was developed. It plots the geographical origin of the observed surges of traffic following felt events. This method is now being implemented in several other institutes. The Euro-Med seismological bulletin, which started in 1998, complements this service by offering a reference bulletin for the region. It significantly improved the data availability especially on the fringes of the region and the data collection is now comprehensive. Thanks to its 84 institutes from 55 different countries, EMSC offers a significant networking capacity and it plays a significant role in the integration of our community in close collaboration with ORFEUS, the second European organisation in seismology. It devotes significant efforts to improve collaboration especially towards Northern Africa and the Middle East. For example, it recently led an EC-project to improve coordination of the earthquake surveillance of the Western Mediterranean region and improve data exchanges. It contributes to the initiation of the NERIES project. It is involved, within this framework, in improving accelerometric data availability, developing rapid loss estimates and it it is in

  1. Heart valve surgery: EuroSCORE vs. EuroSCORE II vs. Society of Thoracic Surgeons score

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muhammad Sharoz Rabbani

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Background This is a validation study comparing the European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE II with the previous additive (AES and logistic EuroSCORE (LES and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons’ (STS risk prediction algorithm, for patients undergoing valve replacement with or without bypass in Pakistan. Patients and Methods Clinical data of 576 patients undergoing valve replacement surgery between 2006 and 2013 were retrospectively collected and individual expected risks of death were calculated by all four risk prediction algorithms. Performance of these risk algorithms was evaluated in terms of discrimination and calibration. Results There were 28 deaths (4.8% among 576 patients, which was lower than the predicted mortality of 5.16%, 6.96% and 4.94% by AES, LES and EuroSCORE II but was higher than 2.13% predicted by STS scoring system. For single and double valve replacement procedures, EuroSCORE II was the best predictor of mortality with highest Hosmer and Lemmeshow test (H-L p value (0.346 to 0.689 and area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC curve (0.637 to 0.898. For valve plus concomitant coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG patients actual mortality was 1.88%. STS calculator came out to be the best predictor of mortality for this subgroup with H-L p value (0.480 to 0.884 and ROC (0.657 to 0.775. Conclusions For Pakistani population EuroSCORE II is an accurate predictor for individual operative risk in patients undergoing isolated valve surgery, whereas STS performs better in the valve plus CABG group.

  2. NOVOS ENFOQUES SOBRE O FORMATIVO EURO

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carlos Alexandre V. Gonçalves

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available No presente artigo, discute-se o estatuto morfológico do formativo euro-, em construções como ‘euro-mercado’, ‘euro-cêntrico’ e ‘euro-trocínio’, observando como se comporta esse elemento morfológico em relação aos critérios propostos por Kastvosky (2009 e por Gonçalves & Andrade (2012 para diferenciar afixos de radicais. Com a realização deste trabalho, verifica-se em que medida o formativo comporta-se como radical e em que aspectos equivale a um afixo. Para tanto, procedeu-se à coleta de dados em dicionários (HOUAISS, 2009; COROMINAS & PASCUAL, 1980; CUNHA, 1982; MACHADO, 1967 e na rede mundial de computadores (uso da ferramenta eletrônica de busca Google. Recorreu-se, ainda, ao artigo de Correia (1989, que apresenta um apêndice com os dados utilizados para análise do formativo no português europeu. Palavras-chave: Morfologia. Composição. Derivação. Abstract In this paper, we discuss the status of the formative euro- in constructions as ‘euro-mercado’ (European market, ‘eurocêntrico’ (someone who finds the center of the world is the Europe and ‘eurotrocínio’ (sponsorship of Europe, noting how this element behaves in relation to morphological criteria proposed by Kastvosky (2009 and Goncalves & Andrade (2012 to differentiate affixes by radicals. With this work, we verify to what extent euro-behaves as a radical and in what respects is equivalent to an affix. Therefore, we collect data in dictionaries (HOUAISS, 2009; COROMINAS & PASCUAL, 1980; CUNHA, 1982; MACHADO, 1967 and in the World Wide Web (with the help of Google. We also used the paper by Correia (1989, which presents an appendix with the data used for the analysis of this formative in European Portuguese. Keywords: Morphology. Compounding. Derivation.

  3. The effect of climate change on electricity needs – A case study from Mediterranean Europe

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zachariadis, Theodoros; Hadjinicolaou, Panos

    2014-01-01

    This paper assesses additional electricity requirements and the associated costs in the Mediterranean island of Cyprus by the mid-21st century because of projected anthropogenic climate change, following an interdisciplinary approach that combines climate science with economics. An econometric model of electricity demand is used, in conjunction with climate projections from a state-of-the-art Global Circulation Model with a regional focus on the Eastern Mediterranean. Annual electricity demand is projected to rise by about 6% compared to a ‘no climate change’ case. Although these additional power requirements are not very remarkable on an annual basis, total costs up to 2050, which may exceed 730 million Euros at today's prices, imply that the country may need to forgo one or two years of economic growth in order to cope with extra electricity needs due to climate change. This outlook indicates that a reasonable future energy path in regions with Mediterranean climate would involve substantial deployment of solar-powered electricity generation, which can meet peak load requirements while reducing the country's energy dependence. Moreover, this forecast highlights the need for adaptation to climate change through investments in the improvement of the energy performance of the building stock. - Highlights: • Assessment of additional electricity needs in Cyprus because of climate change. • Use of econometric model of electricity demand and regional climate projections. • Annual electricity demand to rise by 6% by 2050 due to climate change. • Welfare losses of up to more than 150 million Euros (at 2010 prices) per year. • Impacts can be tackled by use of solar power and energy efficiency improvements

  4. ROMANIA: THE WAY TO EURO

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raluca Gabriela DULGHERIU

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available This article provides an overview of the Romanian process to join the euro, under the terms of the current economic-financial crisis. The purpose of this study is to analyze the degree of achieving real and nominal convergence criteria, along with offering perspectives regarding European monetary integration. The adoption of the unique currency represents an important challenge and opportunity for Romania during the post-adherence period, which forces the political and administrative environment to conceive and implement coherent and responsible politics meant to ensure a simultaneous fulfillment of nominal and real convergence criteria of the Romanian economy. The results of this analysis illustrate that, despite the fact that the Romanian economy recorded significant progresses on the fulfillment of the Maastricht criteria, the current economic context has introduced an additional uncertainty factor and significantly made the adoption of a single currency harder, and the enforcement of real convergence criteria has become much more difficult. Under these circumstances, the National Bank of Romania gave up the target that 2015 represented, and also the one of establishing a new target-date to enter the eurozone, the perspective of joining a single currency exceeding the horizon of this decade. In order to achieve a real, profound and sustainable reorganization of the Romanian economy and to successfully recover the discrepancies between Romania and the EU standards, the road to the euro must be paved with much caution and wisdom.

  5. Areva at September 30, 2012: Backlog at a record level of euros 47 bn (+10.1% year on year). Revenue up sharply to euros 6.542 bn (+10.0% compared with September 2011, +8.5% like for like)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marie, Patricia; Briand, Pauline; Thebault, Alexandre; Rosso, Jerome; Scorbiac, Marie de; Repaire, Philippine du

    2012-01-01

    AREVA generated consolidated revenue of 6.542 billion euros over the first nine months of 2012, representing growth of 10.0% (+8.5% growth like for like) compared with the same period in 2011. Revenue growth was fueled by a 7.0% increase in recurring business (+5.6% like for like) and ramp-up of the renewable business. Revenue from nuclear operations was 6.035 billion euros over the first nine months of 2012, compared with 5.731 billion euros for the first nine months of 2011, representing a 5.3% increase (+3.9% like for like). Like for like, revenue was led by the Mining BG (+28.0%), the Reactors and Services BG (+2.1%) and the Back End BG (+11.8%), offsetting the downturn in business in the Front End BG (-12.1%). Revenue was up 272% like for like in renewable energies. Foreign exchange had a positive impact of 130 million euros over the period. The change in consolidation scope had a negative impact of 52 million euros. Revenue growth was balanced between France and internationally, reflecting AREVA's ability to capture market opportunities while capitalizing on long-standing relations with its customers. Sales revenue for the third quarter of 2012 was 2.214 billion euros, an increase of 13.4% (+12.4% like for like) compared with the third quarter of 2011. Foreign exchange had a positive impact of 52 million euros over the period, while the change in consolidation scope had a negative impact of 34 million euros. At September 30, 2012, the consolidated backlog for the nuclear and renewable energy businesses was the highest since the Group was established, at a total of 47 billion euros. This represents an increase of 10.1% in relation to September 30, 2011 (42.7 billion euros) and an increase of 4.1% in relation to June 30, 2012 (45.2 billion euros). The increase is attributable mainly to the Mining, Front End and Reactors and Services BGs. Order intakes over the first nine months of the year were up 87% compared with first nine months of 2011. Order cancellations

  6. Agreement for the Establishment in Cairo of a Middle Eastern Regional Radioisotope Centre for the Arab Countries

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1962-10-18

    On 14 September 1962 the Board of Governors approved an Agreement for the establishment in Cairo of a Middle Eastern regional radioisotope centre for the Arab countries. The text of this Agreement is reproduced in this document for the information of all Members.

  7. Agreement for the Establishment in Cairo of a Middle Eastern Regional Radioisotope Centre for the Arab Countries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1962-01-01

    On 14 September 1962 the Board of Governors approved an Agreement for the establishment in Cairo of a Middle Eastern regional radioisotope centre for the Arab countries. The text of this Agreement is reproduced in this document for the information of all Members

  8. Hydrological assessment of atmospheric forcing uncertainty in the Euro-Mediterranean area using a land surface model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gelati, Emiliano; Decharme, Bertrand; Calvet, Jean-Christophe; Minvielle, Marie; Polcher, Jan; Fairbairn, David; Weedon, Graham P.

    2018-04-01

    Physically consistent descriptions of land surface hydrology are crucial for planning human activities that involve freshwater resources, especially in light of the expected climate change scenarios. We assess how atmospheric forcing data uncertainties affect land surface model (LSM) simulations by means of an extensive evaluation exercise using a number of state-of-the-art remote sensing and station-based datasets. For this purpose, we use the CO2-responsive ISBA-A-gs LSM coupled with the CNRM version of the Total Runoff Integrated Pathways (CTRIP) river routing model. We perform multi-forcing simulations over the Euro-Mediterranean area (25-75.5° N, 11.5° W-62.5° E, at 0.5° resolution) from 1979 to 2012. The model is forced using four atmospheric datasets. Three of them are based on the ERA-Interim reanalysis (ERA-I). The fourth dataset is independent from ERA-Interim: PGF, developed at Princeton University. The hydrological impacts of atmospheric forcing uncertainties are assessed by comparing simulated surface soil moisture (SSM), leaf area index (LAI) and river discharge against observation-based datasets: SSM from the European Space Agency's Water Cycle Multi-mission Observation Strategy and Climate Change Initiative projects (ESA-CCI), LAI of the Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS), and Global Runoff Data Centre (GRDC) river discharge. The atmospheric forcing data are also compared to reference datasets. Precipitation is the most uncertain forcing variable across datasets, while the most consistent are air temperature and SW and LW radiation. At the monthly timescale, SSM and LAI simulations are relatively insensitive to forcing uncertainties. Some discrepancies with ESA-CCI appear to be forcing-independent and may be due to different assumptions underlying the LSM and the remote sensing retrieval algorithm. All simulations overestimate average summer and early-autumn LAI. Forcing uncertainty impacts on simulated river discharge are

  9. The organisation and role of the Euro skin bank

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Van Baare, J.

    1999-01-01

    In the treatment of burns, either superficial or deep, partial or full thickness, where sufficient autograft is lacking, wound covering by fresh or stored allogencic human skin is currently preferred over the use of (bio-) synthetic dressings by most physicians involved in burn care. Several methods to preserve, store and provide sufficient quantities of allograft (homo- or xeno-) at any given time have been developed over the last decades and have been extensively documented. Skin banks differ in their mode of operation (local, regional, national and international) and the techniques applied for preservation and storage of human skin. The Dutch National Skin Bank was established in 1976 as a subsidiary to the Dutch Bums Foundation with no other goal than providing human allograft skin for the treatment of bum victims to the Red Cross Hospital Bum Unit and later to other Dutch bum centres and general hospitals. The initial preservation technique the skin bank used was cryopreservation. In 1984 there was an important change in the preservation technique. Based on literature high concentrations of glycerol were introduced to preserve human skin for long-term storage. Meanwhile, a gradual increase in the yearly number of skin donors from 1984 onwards was observed, and by 1989 regular requests from bum centres in other countries for glycerol preserved donor skin were received. In 1992 the skin bank changed their name into Euro Skin Bank to express their international collaboration. The Euro Skin Bank operates on a non-profit basis and was until recently dependent on financial support of the Dutch Bums Foundation. Due to the large amount of requests for donor skin, the Euro Skin Bank started to set up satellite skin banks in various European countries. With this initiative it was not only possible to help the specific countries to supply their own bum centres with allograft skin, but also an amount of skin was send back to the Euro Skin Bank in order to distribute the

  10. Hbo's: 1000 euro extra per allochtone leerling

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    De Volkskrant

    2006-01-01

    De vier grote hogescholen in de Randstad willen 1000 euro extra voor elke student van laag opgeleide ouders. Bestuursvoorzitter Pim Breebaart van de Haag-se Hogeschool verwacht dat dit de schatkist bijna 20 miljoen euro zal kosten.

  11. TARGET - NEW PAYMENT SYSTEM FOR THE EURO AREA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ELENA VIOLETA DRĂGOI

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available At EU level, the funds transfer systems have undergone significant changes starting with the introduction of euro. The launch of the euro, the emergence of new technologies, introduction of financial innovations and the globalization have led to reorganization of funds transfer systems` infrastructure. The paper aims to offer an analysis of actual payment system for Euro area, a trans-European funds transfer system with gross settlement in real-time for payments in euro TARGET- to increase economical and operational efficiency of payments and also to reduce the risks in the electronic funds transfer system by creating efficient and secure payment systems.

  12. Perception of Euro in Poland – Economic and Psychological Factors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marcin Matyja

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: Diagnosis of the opportunities and threats associated with the introduction of the euro in Poland was the main focus of this study. The research had two main objectives: exploratory and operational. The exploratory objective was to capture the structure of convictions affecting Poles’ attitudes toward the introduction of the euro. The operational objective was to verify which of those convictions have the most infl uence on the lack of support for the introduction of the euro. Methodology: The research was conducted with a national random sample (n=509 of Polish citizens. The CAPI/ CASI face-to-face questionnaire was used. Findings: There exists a multi-level structure of attitudes towards the euro. The attitude toward the introduction of the euro is explained by attitudes toward the euro and the Polish zloty, perceived gains and losses from introduction of the euro and life attitudes. One cannot force another individual to support the introduction of the euro. However, one can act upon the convictions of the nation, which has a major impact on raising euro acceptance. The most impact is from strengthening of national beliefs, which strongly and positively affect the level of euro acceptance, whereas any reduction lowers the acceptance of the introduction of a new currency. Limitations: As any other social phenomena, money perception is very dynamic and dependent on current political and social issues. Therefore, despite the fact that the model seems to defi ne the factors and their influence on euro perception very accurately, it is essential that every time it is applied, the current state of mind of the society is measured. Furthermore, additional research should be conducted for groups deviating from the average results for the society. Originality: The practical aspect of this research is the opportunity to point out convictions, which need to be modified to increase euro acceptance.

  13. The exclusive economic zone debates in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea and fisheries

    OpenAIRE

    Başeren, Bayram Öztürk and Sertaç Hami; Öztürk, Bayram

    2015-01-01

    Abstract Delimitation and proclamations of the Exclusive Economic Zone in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea is important issue for several reasons for the bordering nations. The Mediterranean Sea is unique case due to geographical characteristics and some conflicts already existed on maritime delimitations among some nations. It’s a matter of fact that; all States will have to reach agreement, regarding proclamations of the delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone in the Eastern Mediterranean ...

  14. The exclusive economic zone debates in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea and fisheries

    OpenAIRE

    Başeren, Bayram Öztürk and Sertaç Hami

    2008-01-01

    Abstract Delimitation and proclamations of the Exclusive Economic Zone in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea is important issue for several reasons for the bordering nations. The Mediterranean Sea is unique case due to geographical characteristics and some conflicts already existed on maritime delimitations among some nations. It’s a matter of fact that; all States will have to reach agreement, regarding proclamations of the delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone in the Eastern Mediterranean ...

  15. Seasonal predictions of Fire Weather Index: Paving the way for their operational applicability in Mediterranean Europe

    OpenAIRE

    Joaquín Bedia; Nicola Golding; Ana Casanueva; Maialen Iturbide; Carlo Buontempo; Jose Manuel Gutiérrez

    2018-01-01

    Managers of wildfire-prone landscapes in the Euro-Mediterranean region would greatly benefit from fire weather predictions a few months in advance, and particularly from the reliable prediction of extreme fire seasons. However, in some cases model biases prevent from a direct application of these predictions in an operational context. Fire risk management requires precise knowledge of the likely consequences of climate on fire risk, and the interest for decision-makers is focused on multi-var...

  16. HIGH IMPACT HEAT WAVES OVER THE EURO-MEDITERRANEAN REGION AND TURKEY - IN CONCERT WITH ATMOSPHERIC BLOCKING AND LARGE DYNAMICAL AND PHYSICAL ANOMALIES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Meral Demirtaş

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The increase in high impact heat waves in the Euro-Mediterranean region and Turkey is related to a number of concurring factors that include the persistent anticyclonic weather regimes. The present study investigates the June-July-August (JJA of 2000, 2007 and 2010 heat wave events in concert with some meteorological anomalies (the 500 hPa geopotential height, 850 hPa temperature, sea surface temperature and soil wetness and blocking anticyclones, focusing on heat wave occurrences on a grid point base. Detection methods for atmospheric blocking and heat wave are introduced and applied for the mentioned years. During the 2000 JJA very high temperatures were recorded over the Balkan Peninsula and in Turkey where 42 cities had breaking all time highest temperature records for June, but the duration of heat wave was the shortest. The 2007 summer was also abnormally hot for the region and record breaking temperatures were observed in Greece, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey where 34 cities had highest temperature records for June and July, and the highest total heat wave duration was 60-70 days. The 2010 JJA period was extremely hot over Russia and nearby countries including Turkey where 9 cities had highest temperature records for August. The 2010 case was marked for; large anomalies, the longest heat wave duration and the highest heat wave intensity. In all cases, heat wave occurrences found to be particularly high over the western part of Turkey. The abnormally hot summers of 2000, 2007 and 2010 could reflect summers to come. The results indicate that summer climate might experience a pronounced increase in year-to-year variability. Increase in variability might be able to explain the high impact heat waves, and would strongly affect their incidence in the future. The results may also contribute to a better understanding of heat waves in context of climate variability.

  17. THE CERN HEALTH INSURANCE SCHEME AND THE EURO

    CERN Document Server

    Human Resources Division

    2002-01-01

    Since 1 January 2002, the euro is the common currency of 12 European countries and some 300 million people. Of course, such a change has some consequences on our Health Insurance Scheme. As you know, when filling in the medical expenses claim form, you are required to indicate a currency code, i.e. the currency in which you have incurred medical expenses. You may have noticed that the euro is not yet on the list of currencies which appear on the bottom left of the existing form. This will be changed very soon, once the stock of existing forms has been used up. Until then, please note that the currency code for the euro is 002 (easy to remember since the code for the Swiss franc is 001). If you forget this code, don't worry! Just indicate «euro» next to the amount of your medical bill, or simply use the euro symbol!

  18. Areva excellent business volume: backlog as of december 31, 2008: + 21.1% to 48.2 billion euros. 2008 revenue: + 10.4% to 13.2 billion euros

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2009-01-01

    AREVA's backlog stood at 48.2 billion euros as of December 31, 2008, for 21.1% growth year-on-year, including 21.8% growth in Nuclear and 16.5% growth in Transmission and Distribution. The Nuclear backlog came to 42.5 billion euros at December 31, 2008. The Transmission and Distribution backlog came to 5.7 billion euros at year-end. The group recognized revenue of 13.2 billion euros in 2008, for year-on-year growth of 10.4% (+9.8% like-for-like). Revenue outside France was up 10.5% to 9.5 billion euros, representing 72% of total revenue. Revenue was up 6.5% in the Nuclear businesses (up 6.3% LFL), with strong performance in the Reactors and Services division (+10.9% LFL) and the Front End division (+7.2% LFL). The Transmission and Distribution division recorded growth of 17% (+15.8% LFL). Revenue for the fourth quarter of 2008 rose to 4.1 billion euros, up 5.2% (+1.6% LFL) from that of the fourth quarter of 2007. Revenue for the Front End division rose to 3.363 billion euros in 2008, up 7.1% over 2007 (+7.2% LFL). Foreign exchange (currency translations) had a negative impact of 53 million euros. Revenue for the Reactors and Services division rose to 3.037 billion euros, up 11.8% over 2007 (+10.9% LFL). Foreign exchange (currency translations) had a negative impact of 47 million euros. Revenue for the Back End division came to 1.692 billion euros, a drop of 2.7% (-2.5% LFL). Foreign exchange (currency translations) had a negative impact of 3.5 million euros. Revenue for the Transmission and Distribution division rose to 5.065 billion euros in 2008, up 17.0% (+15.8% LFL)

  19. Long-memory exchange rate dynamics in the euro era

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barkoulas, John T.; Barilla, Anthony G.; Wells, William

    2016-01-01

    We investigate the long-run dynamics of a system of eight major exchange rates in the euro era using both integer and fractional cointegration methodologies. Contrary to the fragile evidence in the pre-euro era, robust evidence of linear cointegratedness is obtained in the foreign exchange market during the euro era. Upon closer examination, deviations from the cointegrating relationship exhibit nonstationary, long-memory dynamic behavior (Joseph effect). We find the long-memory evidence to be temporally stable in the most recent era. Finally, the foreign exchange system dynamics appears to be characterized by less persistence (smaller fractional exponent) in the euro era (as compared to pre-euro time periods), potentially indicating increased policy coordination by central banks in the recent period.

  20. EuroCirCol kick-off event

    CERN Multimedia

    Hardre, Julie

    2015-01-01

    The EuroCirCol (http://cern.ch/eurocircol) kick-off event at CERN on June 2-4 brought together 62 participants to constitute governance bodies, commit to the project plan and align the organisation, structures and processes of 16 institutions from 10 countries. The goal of the project is to conceive a post-LHC research infrastructure around a 100 km circular energy-frontier hadron collider capable of reaching 100 TeV collisions. The project officially started on June 1 and will run for four years. The total estimated budget of 11.2 million Euros includes a 2.99 million Euro contribution from the Horizon 2020 programme on developing new world-class research infrastructures (http://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/194962_en.html).

  1. Plant biodiversity in French Mediterranean vineyards

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cohen, Marianne; Bilodeau, Clelia; Alexandre, Frédéric; Godron, Michel; Gresillon, Etienne

    2017-04-01

    In a context of agricultural intensification and increasing urbanization, the biodiversity of farmed plots is a key to improve the sustainability of farmed landscapes. The medium life-duration of the vineyards as well as their location in Mediterranean region are favorable to plant biodiversity. We studied 35 vineyards and if present, their edges, located in three French Mediterranean terroirs: Bandol, Pic Saint Loup and Terrasses du Larzac. We collected botanical information (floral richness et diversity, biological traits), and analyzed their relationships with different factors: social (management, heritage or professional concern), environmental (slope, exposition, geology), spatial (edges, surrounding landscape in a 500 meters radius, distance to the nearest large city). Vineyards are generally heavily disturbed by intensive practices like tilling and application of herbicides, and for this reason their floral diversity is low. This is particularly true in Bandol terroir, in accordance with the standards of the Bandol PDO wine sector. Farmed landscapes and proximity to a large town impact on functional groups, generalist species being overrepresented. If vineyards are surrounded with natural edges, it doubles the floral richness at the plot and edges scale. Species present in vineyards edges are perennial herbaceous species with Euro- Asian and Mediterranean distribution ranges characteristic of prairie and wasteland stages, increasing the functional diversity of vineyards (generalist species). Environmental factors have a lower influence: vineyards are generally located on flat lands. These results suggest that some practices should be encouraged to avoid the biological degradation of vineyards: conservation of tree-lined edges and their extensive management, reduction of chemical weeding, grass-growing using non-cosmopolitan species. These recommendations should also contribute to soil conservation.

  2. Dilution effects on ultrafine particle emissions from Euro 5 and Euro 6 diesel and gasoline vehicles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Louis, Cédric; Liu, Yao; Martinet, Simon; D'Anna, Barbara; Valiente, Alvaro Martinez; Boreave, Antoinette; R'Mili, Badr; Tassel, Patrick; Perret, Pascal; André, Michel

    2017-11-01

    Dilution and temperature used during sampling of vehicle exhaust can modify particle number concentration and size distribution. Two experiments were performed on a chassis dynamometer to assess exhaust dilution and temperature on particle number and particle size distribution for Euro 5 and Euro 6 vehicles. In the first experiment, the effects of dilution (ratio from 8 to 4 000) and temperature (ranging from 50 °C to 150 °C) on particle quantification were investigated directly from tailpipe for a diesel and a gasoline Euro 5 vehicles. In the second experiment, particle emissions from Euro 6 diesel and gasoline vehicles directly sampled from the tailpipe were compared to the constant volume sampling (CVS) measurements under similar sampling conditions. Low primary dilutions (3-5) induced an increase in particle number concentration by a factor of 2 compared to high primary dilutions (12-20). Low dilution temperatures (50 °C) induced 1.4-3 times higher particle number concentration than high dilution temperatures (150 °C). For the Euro 6 gasoline vehicle with direct injection, constant volume sampling (CVS) particle number concentrations were higher than after the tailpipe by a factor of 6, 80 and 22 for Artemis urban, road and motorway, respectively. For the same vehicle, particle size distribution measured after the tailpipe was centred on 10 nm, and particles were smaller than the ones measured after CVS that was centred between 50 nm and 70 nm. The high particle concentration (≈106 #/cm3) and the growth of diameter, measured in the CVS, highlighted aerosol transformations, such as nucleation, condensation and coagulation occurring in the sampling system and this might have biased the particle measurements.

  3. EURO AREA FISCAL STRUCTURES. A MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    HURDUZEU Gheorghe

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available The European framework for fiscal policies is constructed mainly on the objective of monitoring budget balances and public debt, allowing national governments to decide on the specific fiscal policy that is more suitable to their internal context and public needs. However, for Euro Area member states this autonomy is restricted by the conditions imposed through the Stability and Growth Pact. As the recent macroeconomic dynamics underlined the necesity of improving the fiscal outcomes, the fiscal framework was updated and modified by the provisions of the new European economic governance meant to avoid unsound and unsustainable fiscal policies that could affect the stability of other Euro Area member states. The Six-Pack, the Fiscal Compact and the other conditions imposed by the reform of the fiscal governance framework are meant to ensure more discipline in drafting and executing national budgets. Even so, national authorities maintain their fiscal sovereignty and the decision regarding fiscal structures remains at their disposal, as long as the drafts are approved and the outcomes are maintained in the limits imposed through the supranational fiscal framework. Regardless of the numerous differences between member states, similar trends regarding tax mixes can be noticed in time. The objectives of this paper is to analyze fiscal structures of Euro Area member states and to determine, if any, groups with similar fiscal structures, their composition and the similarities that characterize Euro Area in this respect. In order to have a clear overview of fiscal structures within Euro Area, we analyzed data for 17 member states, for year 2012, taking into consideration total general government revenue, indirect taxation, direct taxation and social contributions. As one of the aims of this paper is to determine whether in Euro Area the main contributors are corporations or individuals, we also analyzed the structure of direct taxation, dividing it into

  4. Disequilibria Management at the Euro Area Level

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Iulia Lupu

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available The current crisis has shown that an economic integration through a political and monetary approach is wrong. It seems to be more appropriate a social and economic approach, meaning both a betterpreparedness of the new countries joining the euro area and more flexibility of the economic structures of the old members of the euro zone, in order to make the more "harmonious" the way of the monetary area operation. For that purpose, this article has made an analysis of the imbalances management issue in the euro area in order to provide a few theoretical solutions for a better functioning of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU, based on the observation of developments in the euro area countries. This paper enriches theeconomic literature, but also it is relying on the research workings made by the authors in the field of European integration. The originality of this article arises from the extremely topical issue examined and its way of approach, but also from the conclusions outlined.

  5. Euro-NOTES Status Paper: from the concept to clinical practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fuchs, K H; Meining, A; von Renteln, D; Fernandez-Esparrach, G; Breithaupt, W; Zornig, C; Lacy, A

    2013-05-01

    The concept of natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) consists of the reduction of access trauma by using a natural orifice access to the intra-abdominal cavity. This could possibly lead to less postoperative pain, quicker recovery from surgery, fewer postoperative complications, fewer wound infections, and fewer long-term problems such as hernias. The Euro-NOTES Foundation has organized yearly meetings to work on this concept to bring it safely into clinical practice. The aim of this Euro-NOTES status update is to assess the yearly scientific working group reports and provide an overview on the current clinical practice of NOTES procedures. After the Euro-NOTES meeting 2011 in Frankfurt, Germany, an analysis was started regarding the most important topics of the European working groups. All prospectively documented information was gathered from Euro-NOTES and D-NOTES working groups from 2007 to 2011. The top five topics were analyzed. The statements of the working group activities demonstrate the growing information and changing insights. The most important selected topics were infection issue, peritoneal access, education and training, platforms and new technology, closure, suture, and anastomosis. The focus on research topics changed over time. The principle of hybrid access has overcome the technical and safety limitations of pure NOTES. Currently the following NOTES access routes are established for several indications: transvaginal access for cholecystectomy, appendectomy and colon resections; transesophageal access for myotomy; transgastric access for full-thickness small-tumor resections; and transanal/transcolonic access for rectal and colon resections. NOTES and hybrid NOTES techniques have emerged for all natural orifices and were introduced into clinical practice with a good safety record. There are different indications for different natural orifices. Each technique has been optimized for the purpose of finding a safe and realistic

  6. Poweo 2006 consolidated revenue at euro 244 million, up 121%; Poweo chiffre d'affaires 2006 de 244 millions euro, en hausse de 121%

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2007-01-15

    POWEO, the leading independent energy operator in France, presents in this document its key business indicators for the 4. quarter of 2006 and the full year: POWEO records again a strong rise of its annual revenue, exceeding its euro 220 million target. This progression relates to all the business components. The particularly soft climatic conditions recorded in France at the end of the year did not result in a significant fall of revenue compared to initial forecasts. The number of customer sites amounts to 80.300 at December 31, 2006, in progression of 23% compared to the end of 2005. The customer base remained overall stable during the second half of 2006, POWEO limiting voluntarily the acquisition of customers in electricity during the preparation of the opening to competition of the residential market due to take place on July 1, 2007. The gas customer base for its part more than doubled compared to end June 2006, with more than 5.000 customer sites transferred as at December 31, 2006. The Energy Management net margin, realised or un-realised, amounted to euro 49.7 million in 2006, recognised as revenue under IFRS standards. This includes the euro 22 million exceptional capital gain mentioned in previous financial releases in 2006, as well as a euro 7.9 million un-realised capital gain resulting from the transfer of some contracts into the Energy Management portfolio further to the capacity swap agreement with EDF announced publicly on January 3, 2007. The services provided by POWEO to its customers enjoy a high level of acceptance and represented revenue of euro 2.9 million in 2006. As from 2007, the revenue realised through these services will be presented separately from other components of revenue in order to better reflect its expected growth. The services offering will be indeed a key element of the marketing strategy of POWEO in the years to come, with a potentially significant impact on the results taking into account their level of gross margin which

  7. EuroGOV: Engineering a Multilingual Web Corpus

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sigurbjörnsson, B.; Kamps, J.; de Rijke, M.

    2005-01-01

    EuroGOV is a multilingual web corpus that was created to serve as the document collection for WebCLEF, the CLEF 2005 web retrieval task. EuroGOV is a collection of web pages crawled from the European Union portal, European Union member state governmental web sites, and Russian government web sites.

  8. The euro: an international currency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Riley, D.

    2000-01-01

    A number of studies and reports are now readily available on how to come grips the Euro - its calendar, conversion factors, legal, financial and accounting aspects, and so forth. Typically, they point to a fixed-for-ever rate of exchange between participating countries, which of course may have strategic consequences for the location of many types of business. This survey does not seek to be exhaustive, nor to cover what is well documented elsewhere. Rather, it attempts to examine areas where uncertainty, or controversy continue to exist, as well as focus on aspects that are pertinent to the oil and gas industries. Two questions stand out. The first is a general one, concerning how the Euro is likely to fare in international currency markets, notably relative to the US Dollar. The second is closely linked to the first, but is specific to the hydrocarbons business: will European oil and gas prices be quoted in euros and, if so, over what time frame? Finally, this review looks briefly at a selection of other impacts relevant to the energy business

  9. EURO HAWK Project Overview

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    2003-01-01

    Briefing charts from presentation on a EURO HAWK project overview; an airborne system with stand-off capability for wide-area intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance meeting European NATO countries' ISR requirements...

  10. Poweo 2006 consolidated revenue at euro 244 million, up 121%

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2007-01-01

    POWEO, the leading independent energy operator in France, presents in this document its key business indicators for the 4. quarter of 2006 and the full year: POWEO records again a strong rise of its annual revenue, exceeding its euro 220 million target. This progression relates to all the business components. The particularly soft climatic conditions recorded in France at the end of the year did not result in a significant fall of revenue compared to initial forecasts. The number of customer sites amounts to 80.300 at December 31, 2006, in progression of 23% compared to the end of 2005. The customer base remained overall stable during the second half of 2006, POWEO limiting voluntarily the acquisition of customers in electricity during the preparation of the opening to competition of the residential market due to take place on July 1, 2007. The gas customer base for its part more than doubled compared to end June 2006, with more than 5.000 customer sites transferred as at December 31, 2006. The Energy Management net margin, realised or un-realised, amounted to euro 49.7 million in 2006, recognised as revenue under IFRS standards. This includes the euro 22 million exceptional capital gain mentioned in previous financial releases in 2006, as well as a euro 7.9 million un-realised capital gain resulting from the transfer of some contracts into the Energy Management portfolio further to the capacity swap agreement with EDF announced publicly on January 3, 2007. The services provided by POWEO to its customers enjoy a high level of acceptance and represented revenue of euro 2.9 million in 2006. As from 2007, the revenue realised through these services will be presented separately from other components of revenue in order to better reflect its expected growth. The services offering will be indeed a key element of the marketing strategy of POWEO in the years to come, with a potentially significant impact on the results taking into account their level of gross margin which

  11. Heatwave classification over Europe and the Mediterranean region

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stefanon, Marc; Drobinski, Philippe; D’Andrea, Fabio

    2012-01-01

    A method for defining and classifying heatwave events in the Euro-Mediterranean region is presented. The definition is based on the 95th centile of the local temperature probability density function, with additional criteria for spatial and temporal extension. The heatwave events are then classified into six classes by cluster analysis. The six heatwave patterns of Europe are described and compared to the existing literature. The most catastrophic extreme heatwaves (e.g. 2003 in Europe, 2010 in Russia) are shown to belong to one of these classes. It is then shown that the different classes are associated with different physical mechanisms. The effect of synoptic circulation and hydrological conditions are notably investigated. In particular, a drought appears to be a pre-requisite to heatwave occurrence in some clusters but not all. (letter)

  12. Validación de EuroSCORE II en España

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antonio García-Valentín

    2014-10-01

    Conclusiones: Los pacientes españoles presentan un perfil de riesgo alto. La mortalidad cruda es aceptable, más cercana al valor de EuroSCORE II que de EuroSCORE. Ambas escalas muestran mala calibración, EuroSCORE por sobreestimación y EuroSCORE II por infraestimación. El área bajo la curva ROC muestra buena discriminación para ambos modelos.

  13. Euro-Multiculturalism and Toleration

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lægaard, Sune

    2014-01-01

    The underlying concept of multiculturalism in many European discussions is different from that made prominent by the classic cases, e.g. in Canada, that have functioned as paradigm cases which the most prominent theories of multiculturalism have been tailored to fit and justify. “Euro-multicultur......The underlying concept of multiculturalism in many European discussions is different from that made prominent by the classic cases, e.g. in Canada, that have functioned as paradigm cases which the most prominent theories of multiculturalism have been tailored to fit and justify. “Euro......, and b) that it is under-inclusive in the sense that it collapses multiculturalism into standard liberal political theory and fails to explain what is distinctive about multiculturalism. Finally the paper shows that multiculturalism in this sense can involve issues of toleration....

  14. The novel EuroSCORE II algorithm predicts the hospital mortality of thoracic aortic surgery in 461 consecutive Japanese patients better than both the original additive and logistic EuroSCORE algorithms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nishida, Takahiro; Sonoda, Hiromichi; Oishi, Yasuhisa; Tanoue, Yoshihisa; Nakashima, Atsuhiro; Shiokawa, Yuichi; Tominaga, Ryuji

    2014-04-01

    The European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE) II was developed to improve the overestimation of surgical risk associated with the original (additive and logistic) EuroSCOREs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the significance of the EuroSCORE II by comparing its performance with that of the original EuroSCOREs in Japanese patients undergoing surgery on the thoracic aorta. We have calculated the predicted mortalities according to the additive EuroSCORE, logistic EuroSCORE and EuroSCORE II algorithms in 461 patients who underwent surgery on the thoracic aorta during a period of 20 years (1993-2013). The actual in-hospital mortality rates in the low- (additive EuroSCORE of 3-6), moderate- (7-11) and high-risk (≥11) groups (followed by overall mortality) were 1.3, 6.2 and 14.4% (7.2% overall), respectively. Among the three different risk groups, the expected mortality rates were 5.5 ± 0.6, 9.1 ± 0.7 and 13.5 ± 0.2% (9.5 ± 0.1% overall) by the additive EuroSCORE algorithm, 5.3 ± 0.1, 16 ± 0.4 and 42.4 ± 1.3% (19.9 ± 0.7% overall) by the logistic EuroSCORE algorithm and 1.6 ± 0.1, 5.2 ± 0.2 and 18.5 ± 1.3% (7.4 ± 0.4% overall) by the EuroSCORE II algorithm, indicating poor prediction (P algorithms were 0.6937, 0.7169 and 0.7697, respectively. Thus, the mortality expected by the EuroSCORE II more closely matched the actual mortality in all three risk groups. In contrast, the mortality expected by the logistic EuroSCORE overestimated the risks in the moderate- (P = 0.0002) and high-risk (P < 0.0001) patient groups. Although all of the original EuroSCOREs and EuroSCORE II appreciably predicted the surgical mortality for thoracic aortic surgery in Japanese patients, the EuroSCORE II best predicted the mortalities in all risk groups.

  15. Mediterranean Diet and cancer risk: an open issue.

    Science.gov (United States)

    D'Alessandro, Annunziata; De Pergola, Giovanni; Silvestris, Franco

    2016-09-01

    The traditional Mediterranean Diet of the early 1960s meets the characteristics of an anticancer diet defined by the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRF/AIRC). A diet rich of whole grains, pulses, vegetables and fruits, limited in high-calorie foods (foods high in sugar or fat), red meat and foods high in salt, without sugary drinks and processed meat is recommended by the WCRF/AIRC experts to reduce the risk of cancer. The aim of this review was to examine whether Mediterranean Diet is protective or not against cancer risk. Three meta-analyses of cohort studies reported that a high adherence to the Mediterranean Diet significantly reduces the risk of cancer incidence and/or mortality. Nevertheless, the Mediterranean dietary pattern defined in the studies' part of the meta-analyses has qualitative and/or quantitative differences compared to the Mediterranean Diet of the early 1960s. Therefore, the protective role of the Mediterranean Diet against cancer has not definitely been established. In epidemiological studies, a universal definition of the Mediterranean Diet, possibly the traditional Mediterranean Diet of the early 1960s, could be useful to understand the role of this dietary pattern in cancer prevention.

  16. Germany's socio-economic model and the Euro crisis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael Dauderstädt

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Germany's socio-economic model, the "social market economy", was established in West Germany after World War II and extended to the unified Germany in 1990. During a prolonged recession after the adoption of the Euro in 1998, major reforms (Agenda 2010 were introduced which many consider as the key of Germany's recent success. The reforms had mixed results: employment increased but has consisted to a large extent of precarious low-wage jobs. Growth depended on export surpluses based on an internal real devaluation (low unit labour costs which make Germany vulnerable to global recessions as in 2009. Overall inequality increased substantially.

  17. New Mediterranean Biodiversity Records (July 2016

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. DAILIANIS

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available This contribution forms part of a series of collective articles published regularly in Mediterranean Marine Science that report on new biodiversity records from the Mediterranean basin. The current article presents 51 geographically distinct records for 21 taxa belonging to 6 Phyla, extending from the western Mediterranean to the Levantine. The new records, per country, are as follows: Spain: the cryptogenic calcareous sponge Paraleucilla magna is reported from a new location in the Alicante region. Algeria: the rare Atlanto-Mediterranean bivalve Cardium indicum is reported from Annaba. Tunisia: new distribution records for the Indo-Pacific lionfish Pterois miles from Zembra Island and Cape Bon. Italy: the ark clam Anadara transversa is reported from mussel cultures in the Gulf of Naples, while the amphipod Caprella scaura and the isopods Paracerceis sculpta and Paranthura japonica are reported as associated to the –also allochthonous–bryozoan Amathia verticillata in the Adriatic Sea; in the latter region, the cosmopolitan Atlantic tripletail Lobotes surinamensisis also reported, a rare finding for the Mediterranean. Slovenia: a new record of the non-indigenous nudibranch Polycera hedgpethi in the Adriatic. Greece: several new reports of the introduced scleractinian Oculina patagonica, the fangtooth moray Enchelycore anatina, the blunthead puffer Sphoeroides pachygaster (all Atlantic, and the lionfish Pterois miles (Indo-Pacific suggest their ongoing establishment in the Aegean Sea; the deepest bathymetric record of the invasive alga Caulerpa cylindracea in the Mediterranean Sea is also registered in the Kyklades, at depths exceeding 70 m. Turkey: new distribution records for two non indigenous crustaceans, the blue crab Callinectes sapidus (Atlantic origin and the moon crab Matuta victor (Indo-Pacific origin from the Bay of Izmir and Antalya, respectively; in the latter region, the Red Sea goatfish Parupeneus forsskali, is also reported

  18. Power and Changing Modes of Governance in the Euro Crisis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Carstensen, Martin B.; Schmidt, Vivien

    2017-01-01

    Which European Union actors are most powerful in the governance of the euro crisis? The euro crisis has reignited the classic debate between intergovernmentalists, who tend to stress the coercive power of dominant member states in the European Council, and supranationalists, who maintain that thr......Which European Union actors are most powerful in the governance of the euro crisis? The euro crisis has reignited the classic debate between intergovernmentalists, who tend to stress the coercive power of dominant member states in the European Council, and supranationalists, who maintain...... that through the use of institutional power, the Commission, and the European Central Bank turned out the “winners” of the crisis. This article argues that euro crisis governance is best understood not just in terms of one form of power but instead as evolving through different constellations of coercive...

  19. The EuroMyositis registry

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lilleker, James B; Vencovsky, Jiri; Wang, Guochun

    2018-01-01

    AIMS: The EuroMyositis Registry facilitates collaboration across the idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) research community. This inaugural report examines pooled Registry data. METHODS: Cross-sectional analysis of IIM cases from 11 countries was performed. Associations between clinical subtyp...

  20. [Lessons learned from a distribution incident at the Alps-Mediterranean Division of the French Blood Establishment].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Legrand, D

    2008-11-01

    The Alps-Mediterranean division of the French blood establishment (EFS Alpes-Mediterranée) has implemented a risk management program. Within this framework, the labile blood product distribution process was assessed to identify critical steps. Subsequently, safety measures were instituted including computer-assisted decision support, detailed written instructions and control checks at each step. Failure of these measures to prevent an incident underlines the vulnerability of the process to the human factor. Indeed root cause analysis showed that the incident was due to underestimation of the danger by one individual. Elimination of this type of risk will require continuous training, testing and updating of personnel. Identification and reporting of nonconformities will allow personnel at all levels (local, regional, and national) to share lessons and implement appropriate risk mitigation strategies.

  1. Areva excellent business volume: backlog as of december 31, 2008: + 21.1% to 48.2 billion euros. 2008 revenue: + 10.4% to 13.2 billion euros; Areva excellent niveau d'activite: carnet de commandes au 31/12/2008: + 21,1% a 48,2 Mds d'euros. Chiffre d'affaires de l'exercice 2008: + 10,4% a 13,2 Mds d'euros

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2009-07-01

    AREVA's backlog stood at 48.2 billion euros as of December 31, 2008, for 21.1% growth year-on-year, including 21.8% growth in Nuclear and 16.5% growth in Transmission and Distribution. The Nuclear backlog came to 42.5 billion euros at December 31, 2008. The Transmission and Distribution backlog came to 5.7 billion euros at year-end. The group recognized revenue of 13.2 billion euros in 2008, for year-on-year growth of 10.4% (+9.8% like-for-like). Revenue outside France was up 10.5% to 9.5 billion euros, representing 72% of total revenue. Revenue was up 6.5% in the Nuclear businesses (up 6.3% LFL), with strong performance in the Reactors and Services division (+10.9% LFL) and the Front End division (+7.2% LFL). The Transmission and Distribution division recorded growth of 17% (+15.8% LFL). Revenue for the fourth quarter of 2008 rose to 4.1 billion euros, up 5.2% (+1.6% LFL) from that of the fourth quarter of 2007. Revenue for the Front End division rose to 3.363 billion euros in 2008, up 7.1% over 2007 (+7.2% LFL). Foreign exchange (currency translations) had a negative impact of 53 million euros. Revenue for the Reactors and Services division rose to 3.037 billion euros, up 11.8% over 2007 (+10.9% LFL). Foreign exchange (currency translations) had a negative impact of 47 million euros. Revenue for the Back End division came to 1.692 billion euros, a drop of 2.7% (-2.5% LFL). Foreign exchange (currency translations) had a negative impact of 3.5 million euros. Revenue for the Transmission and Distribution division rose to 5.065 billion euros in 2008, up 17.0% (+15.8% LFL)

  2. The text of the Agreement establishing the Asian Regional Co-operative Project on Medical and Biological Applications of Nuclear Techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1987-04-01

    The full text of the Agreement establishing the Asian Regional Co-operative Project on Medical and Biological Applications of Nuclear Techniques between the Agency and Member States is reproduced. The Agreement entered into force on 20 May 1986 after the Governments of Japan, Bangladesh and the Philippines had notified the Agency of their acceptance of the Agreement

  3. Areva At September 30, 2010: Revenue growth to euro 6.168 bn: + 6.3%. Backlog growth to euro 42.7 bn: + 2.2%

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2010-01-01

    AREVA generated consolidated revenue of 6.168 billion euros over the first nine months of 2010 for growth of 6.3% (+5.2% like-for-like) compared with the same period in 2009. The main revenue growth engines were the Reactors and Services Business Group and the Back End Business Group, with growth of 11.5% and 7.1% respectively. Foreign exchange had a positive impact of 82 million euros over the period, while changes in consolidation scope had negligible impact. Third quarter 2010 revenue amounted to 2.011 billion euros for growth of 6.1% (+4.4% LFL) compared with the third quarter of 2009. The Reactors and Services Business Group and the Back End Business Group, posting increases of 11.2% and 9.0% respectively, continued to lead this growth. Foreign exchange had a positive impact of 39 million euros, while changes in consolidation scope had negligible impact. The group's backlog came to 42.7 billion euros at September 30, 2010, an increase of 2.2% compared with September 30, 2009 (41.8 billion euros). For the full year of 2010, the group confirms its outlook for significant revenue and backlog growth, increased operating performance excluding particular items, negative operating income, and strong growth in net income attributable to owners of the group with the contribution of the gain on the sale of the Transmission and Distribution business

  4. 1.6 billion euros for nuclear research through the 'Horizon 2020' program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    2014-01-01

    The European Union Council has approved the budget for the future European program for research and innovation called 'Horizon 2020'. A global funding of 77 billion euros has been allocated to 'Horizon 2020' for the 2014 to 2020 years. The share for nuclear sciences will reach 1.6 billion euros and will break down as follows: 316 million euros for fundamental research on fission, 728 million euros for fundamental research on fusion (ITER not included) and 560 million euros for the research projects of the European Joint Research Center (JRC). (A.C.)

  5. Business Cycle Dynamics in the Euro Area: A Factor-SVAR Approach

    OpenAIRE

    Atilim Seymen

    2009-01-01

    The study investigates the business cycle dynamics in the euro area using an empirical framework which comprises common global and euro area shocks as well as allows bilateral spillovers of country-specific shocks across the member economies. Three core questions lie at the heart of the analysis: (i) To what extent are the business cycles of the euro area countries driven by common and spillover shocks? (ii) What are the extent and sources of business cycle heterogeneity in the euro area? (ii...

  6. Quality assessment program for EuroFlow protocols: summary results of four-year (2010-2013) quality assurance rounds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kalina, Tomas; Flores-Montero, Juan; Lecrevisse, Quentin; Pedreira, Carlos E; van der Velden, Vincent H J; Novakova, Michaela; Mejstrikova, Ester; Hrusak, Ondrej; Böttcher, Sebastian; Karsch, Dennis; Sędek, Łukasz; Trinquand, Amelie; Boeckx, Nancy; Caetano, Joana; Asnafi, Vahid; Lucio, Paulo; Lima, Margarida; Helena Santos, Ana; Bonaccorso, Paola; van der Sluijs-Gelling, Alita J; Langerak, Anton W; Martin-Ayuso, Marta; Szczepański, Tomasz; van Dongen, Jacques J M; Orfao, Alberto

    2015-02-01

    Flow cytometric immunophenotyping has become essential for accurate diagnosis, classification, and disease monitoring in hemato-oncology. The EuroFlow Consortium has established a fully standardized "all-in-one" pipeline consisting of standardized instrument settings, reagent panels, and sample preparation protocols and software for data analysis and disease classification. For its reproducible implementation, parallel development of a quality assurance (QA) program was required. Here, we report on the results of four consecutive annual rounds of the novel external QA EuroFlow program. The novel QA scheme aimed at monitoring the whole flow cytometric analysis process (cytometer setting, sample preparation, acquisition and analysis) by reading the median fluorescence intensities (MedFI) of defined lymphocytes' subsets. Each QA participant applied the predefined reagents' panel on blood cells of local healthy donors. A uniform gating strategy was applied to define lymphocyte subsets and to read MedFI values per marker. The MedFI values were compared with reference data and deviations from reference values were quantified using performance score metrics. In four annual QA rounds, we analyzed 123 blood samples from local healthy donors on 14 different instruments in 11 laboratories from nine European countries. The immunophenotype of defined cellular subsets appeared sufficiently standardized to permit unified (software) data analysis. The coefficient of variation of MedFI for 7 of 11 markers performed repeatedly below 30%, average MedFI in each QA round ranged from 86 to 125% from overall median. Calculation of performance scores was instrumental to pinpoint standardization failures and their causes. Overall, the new EuroFlow QA system for the first time allowed to quantify the technical variation that is introduced in the measurement of fluorescence intensities in a multicentric setting over an extended period of time. EuroFlow QA is a proficiency test specific for

  7. 77 FR 13604 - Notice of Agreements Filed

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-03-07

    ...: Maersk Line/New World Alliance Slot Exchange Agreement. Parties: A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S trading under the... exchange space on their respective services in the trade between the U.S. Atlantic Coast and ports in Panama, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Mediterranean ports in France, Italy and Spain...

  8. EuroCirCol: A key to New Physics

    CERN Multimedia

    Johannes Gutleber

    2015-01-01

    Monday 1 June saw the start of EuroCirCol, the EC-funded part of the FCC study that will develop the conceptual design for an energy-frontier hadron collider.   Attendees at the EuroCirCol meeting at CERN. The EuroCirCol kick-off event at CERN on 2 to 4 June brought together 62 participants to constitute governance bodies, commit to the project plan and align the organisation, structures and processes of 16 institutions from 10 countries. The goal of the project is to conceive a post-LHC research infrastructure around a 100 km circular energy-frontier hadron collider capable of reaching 100 TeV collisions. The project officially started on 1 June and will run for four years. The total estimated budget of 11.2 MEUR includes a 2.99 MEUR contribution from the Horizon 2020 programme dedicated to the development of new world-class research infrastructures. EuroCirCol will deliver a design for a hadron collider as part of the broader Future Circular Collider (FCC) study. It will provide input to an...

  9. Defining the urban area for cross national comparison of health indicators: the EURO-URHIS 2 boundary study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Higgerson, James; Birt, Christopher A; van Ameijden, Erik; Verma, Arpana

    2017-05-01

    Despite much research focusing on the impact of the city condition upon health, there still remains a lack of consensus over what constitutes an urban area (UA). This study was conducted to establish comparable boundaries for the UAs participating in EURO-URHIS 2, and to test whether the sample reflected the heterogeneity of urban living. Key UA contacts ( n = 28) completed a cross-sectional questionnaire, which included where available comparison between Urban Audit city and larger urban zone (LUZ) boundaries and public health administration areas (PHAAs). Additionally, broad health and demographic indicators were sought to test for heterogeneity of the EURO-URHIS 2 sample. Urban Audit city boundaries were found to be suitable for data collection in 100% ( n = 21) of UAs where Urban Audit data were available. The remainder ( n = 7) identified PHAA boundaries akin to the 'city' level. Heterogeneity was observed in the sample for population size and infant mortality rate. Heterogeneity could not be established for male and female life expectancy. This study was able to establish comparable boundaries for EURO-URHIS 2 data collection, with the 'city' area being selected for data collection. The homogeneity of life expectancy indicators was reflective of sub-regional similarities in life expectancy, whilst population estimates and rates of infant mortality indicated the presence of heterogeneity within the sample. Future work would trial these methods with a larger number of indicators and for a larger number of UAs. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

  10. Forest changes since Euro-American settlement and ecosystem restoration in the Lake Tahoe Basin, USA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alan H. Taylor

    2007-01-01

    Pre Euro-American settlement forest structure and fire regimes for Jeffrey pine-white fir, red fir-western white pine, and lodgepole pine forests were quantified using stumps from trees cut in the 19th century to establish a baseline reference for ecosystem management in the Lake Tahoe Basin. Contemporary forests varied in different ways compared...

  11. Inter-radiologist agreement for CT scoring of pediatric splenic injuries and effect on an established clinical practice guideline.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leschied, Jessica R; Mazza, Michael B; Davenport, Matthew; Chong, Suzanne T; Smith, Ethan A; Hoff, Carrie N; Ladino-Torres, Maria F; Khalatbari, Shokoufeh; Ehrlich, Peter F; Dillman, Jonathan R

    2016-02-01

    The American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA) advocates for the use of a clinical practice guideline to direct management of hemodynamically stable pediatric spleen injuries. The clinical practice guideline is based on the CT score of the spleen injury according to the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) CT scoring system. To determine the potential effect of radiologist agreement for CT scoring of pediatric spleen injuries on an established APSA clinical practice guideline. We retrospectively analyzed blunt splenic injuries occurring in children from January 2007 to January 2012 at a single level 1 trauma center (n = 90). Abdominal CT exams performed at clinical presentation were reviewed by four radiologists who documented the following: (1) splenic injury grade (AAST system), (2) arterial extravasation and (3) pseudoaneurysm. Inter-rater agreement for AAST injury grade was assessed using the multi-rater Fleiss kappa and Kendall coefficient of concordance. Inter-rater agreement was assessed using weighted (AAST injury grade) or prevalence-adjusted bias-adjusted (binary measures) kappa statistics; 95% confidence intervals were calculated. We evaluated the hypothetical effect of radiologist disagreement on an established APSA clinical practice guideline. Inter-rater agreement was good for absolute AAST injury grade (kappa: 0.64 [0.59–0.69]) and excellent for relative AAST injury grade (Kendall w: 0.90). All radiologists agreed on the AAST grade in 52% of cases. Based on an established clinical practice guideline, radiologist disagreement could have changed the decision for intensive care management in 11% (10/90) of children, changed the length of hospital stay in 44% (40/90), and changed the time to return to normal activity in 44% (40/90). Radiologist agreement when assigning splenic AAST injury grades is less than perfect, and disagreements have the potential to change management in a substantial number of pediatric patients.

  12. Inter-radiologist agreement for CT scoring of pediatric splenic injuries and effect on an established clinical practice guideline

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leschied, Jessica R.; Smith, Ethan A.; Ladino-Torres, Maria F.; Dillman, Jonathan R.; Mazza, Michael B.; Chong, Suzanne T.; Hoff, Carrie N.; Davenport, Matthew S.; Khalatbari, Shokoufeh; Ehrlich, Peter F.

    2016-01-01

    The American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA) advocates for the use of a clinical practice guideline to direct management of hemodynamically stable pediatric spleen injuries. The clinical practice guideline is based on the CT score of the spleen injury according to the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) CT scoring system. To determine the potential effect of radiologist agreement for CT scoring of pediatric spleen injuries on an established APSA clinical practice guideline. We retrospectively analyzed blunt splenic injuries occurring in children from January 2007 to January 2012 at a single level 1 trauma center (n = 90). Abdominal CT exams performed at clinical presentation were reviewed by four radiologists who documented the following: (1) splenic injury grade (AAST system), (2) arterial extravasation and (3) pseudoaneurysm. Inter-rater agreement for AAST injury grade was assessed using the multi-rater Fleiss kappa and Kendall coefficient of concordance. Inter-rater agreement was assessed using weighted (AAST injury grade) or prevalence-adjusted bias-adjusted (binary measures) kappa statistics; 95% confidence intervals were calculated. We evaluated the hypothetical effect of radiologist disagreement on an established APSA clinical practice guideline. Inter-rater agreement was good for absolute AAST injury grade (kappa: 0.64 [0.59-0.69]) and excellent for relative AAST injury grade (Kendall w: 0.90). All radiologists agreed on the AAST grade in 52% of cases. Based on an established clinical practice guideline, radiologist disagreement could have changed the decision for intensive care management in 11% (10/90) of children, changed the length of hospital stay in 44% (40/90), and changed the time to return to normal activity in 44% (40/90). Radiologist agreement when assigning splenic AAST injury grades is less than perfect, and disagreements have the potential to change management in a substantial number of pediatric patients. (orig.)

  13. Inter-radiologist agreement for CT scoring of pediatric splenic injuries and effect on an established clinical practice guideline

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Leschied, Jessica R.; Smith, Ethan A.; Ladino-Torres, Maria F.; Dillman, Jonathan R. [University of Michigan Health System, Department of Radiology, Section of Pediatric Radiology, C.S. Mott Children' s Hospital, Ann Arbor, MI (United States); Mazza, Michael B.; Chong, Suzanne T.; Hoff, Carrie N. [University of Michigan Health System, Department of Radiology, Division of Emergency Radiology, C.S. Mott Children' s Hospital, Ann Arbor, MI (United States); Davenport, Matthew S. [University of Michigan Health System, Department of Radiology, Division of Abdominal Imaging, C.S. Mott Children' s Hospital, Ann Arbor, MI (United States); Khalatbari, Shokoufeh [University of Michigan, Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research, Ann Arbor, MI (United States); Ehrlich, Peter F. [University of Michigan Health System, Department of Surgery, Section of Pediatric Surgery, C.S. Mott Children' s Hospital, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)

    2016-02-15

    The American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA) advocates for the use of a clinical practice guideline to direct management of hemodynamically stable pediatric spleen injuries. The clinical practice guideline is based on the CT score of the spleen injury according to the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) CT scoring system. To determine the potential effect of radiologist agreement for CT scoring of pediatric spleen injuries on an established APSA clinical practice guideline. We retrospectively analyzed blunt splenic injuries occurring in children from January 2007 to January 2012 at a single level 1 trauma center (n = 90). Abdominal CT exams performed at clinical presentation were reviewed by four radiologists who documented the following: (1) splenic injury grade (AAST system), (2) arterial extravasation and (3) pseudoaneurysm. Inter-rater agreement for AAST injury grade was assessed using the multi-rater Fleiss kappa and Kendall coefficient of concordance. Inter-rater agreement was assessed using weighted (AAST injury grade) or prevalence-adjusted bias-adjusted (binary measures) kappa statistics; 95% confidence intervals were calculated. We evaluated the hypothetical effect of radiologist disagreement on an established APSA clinical practice guideline. Inter-rater agreement was good for absolute AAST injury grade (kappa: 0.64 [0.59-0.69]) and excellent for relative AAST injury grade (Kendall w: 0.90). All radiologists agreed on the AAST grade in 52% of cases. Based on an established clinical practice guideline, radiologist disagreement could have changed the decision for intensive care management in 11% (10/90) of children, changed the length of hospital stay in 44% (40/90), and changed the time to return to normal activity in 44% (40/90). Radiologist agreement when assigning splenic AAST injury grades is less than perfect, and disagreements have the potential to change management in a substantial number of pediatric patients. (orig.)

  14. Are pound and euro the same currency?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsushita, Raul; Gleria, Iram; Figueiredo, Annibal; Silva, Sergio da

    2007-01-01

    Based on long-range dependence, some analysts claim that the exchange rate time series of the pound sterling and of an artificially extended euro have been locked together for years despite daily changes [M. Ausloos, K. Ivanova, Physica A 286 (2000) 353; K. Ivanova, M. Ausloos, False EUR exchange rates vs DKK, CHF, JPY and USD. What is a strong currency? in: H. Takayasu (Ed.), Empirical Sciences in Financial Fluctuations: The Advent of Econophysics, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 2002, pp. 62-76]. They conclude that pound and euro are in practice the same currency. We assess the long-range dependence over time through Hurst exponents of pound-dollar and extended euro-dollar exchange rates employing three alternative techniques, namely rescaled range analysis, detrended fluctuation analysis, and detrended moving average. We find the result above (which is based on detrended fluctuation analysis) not to be robust to the changing techniques and parameterizing

  15. The EURO, Prudent Coherence?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    I.J.M. Arnold (Ivo); C.G. de Vries (Casper)

    1998-01-01

    textabstractA flurry of recent articles has argued on the basis of constructed European wide monetary aggregates that the demand for EURO's will be more stable than the current demand for national currencies. In policy circles this seemingly moderating effect of monetary integration figures as an

  16. The Euro: Future Prospects and Consideration for Non-Euro Countries

    OpenAIRE

    Farhad Ghannadian; Irina Penovska

    2011-01-01

    Problem statement: Many more Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) have decided to adopt the euro. Given the attraction and uncertainties associated with moving into a common currency, the potential gains and losses of a currency adoption was of academic and political interest. The economic impact of implementing a common currency was examined by studying the before and after of those countries that have joined the currency union utilizing data from Eurostat. ...

  17. Assessment of perioperative mortality risk in patients with infective endocarditis undergoing cardiac surgery: performance of the EuroSCORE I and II logistic models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Madeira, Sérgio; Rodrigues, Ricardo; Tralhão, António; Santos, Miguel; Almeida, Carla; Marques, Marta; Ferreira, Jorge; Raposo, Luís; Neves, José; Mendes, Miguel

    2016-02-01

    The European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE) has been established as a tool for assisting decision-making in surgical patients and as a benchmark for quality assessment. Infective endocarditis often requires surgical treatment and is associated with high mortality. This study was undertaken to (i) validate both versions of the EuroSCORE, the older logistic EuroSCORE I and the recently developed EuroSCORE II and to compare their performances; (ii) identify predictors other than those included in the EuroSCORE models that might further improve their performance. We retrospectively studied 128 patients from a single-centre registry who underwent heart surgery for active infective endocarditis between January 2007 and November 2014. Binary logistic regression was used to find independent predictors of mortality and to create a new prediction model. Discrimination and calibration of models were assessed by receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis, calibration curves and the Hosmer-Lemeshow test. The observed perioperative mortality was 16.4% (n = 21). The median EuroSCORE I and EuroSCORE II were 13.9% interquartile range (IQ) (7.0-35.0) and 6.6% IQ (3.5-18.2), respectively. Discriminative power was numerically higher for EuroSCORE II {area under the curve (AUC) of 0.83 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.75-0.91]} than for EuroSCORE I [0.75 (95% CI, 0.66-0.85), P = 0.09]. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test showed good calibration for EuroSCORE II (P = 0.08) but not for EuroSCORE I (P = 0.04). EuroSCORE I tended to over-predict and EuroSCORE II to under-predict mortality. Among the variables known to be associated with greater infective endocarditis severity, only prosthetic valve infective endocarditis remained an independent predictor of mortality [odds ratio (OR) 6.6; 95% CI, 1.1-39.5; P = 0.04]. The new model including the EuroSCORE II variables and variables known to be associated with greater infective endocarditis severity showed an AUC of 0

  18. EuroPlus+ Reward / Alar Hammer

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Hammer, Alar

    2000-01-01

    EuroPlus+ Reward on mitmes versioonis ilmunud inglise keele õppeprogramm, milles on ühendatud multimeedia võimalused ning distantsõpe ning mis loob täiesti uued võimalused keele omandamiseks arvuti abil

  19. Critical loads of nitrogen deposition and critical levels of atmospheric ammonia for semi-natural Mediterranean evergreen woodlands

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. Pinho

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available Nitrogen (N has emerged in recent years as a key factor associated with global changes, with impacts on biodiversity, ecosystems functioning and human health. In order to ameliorate the effects of excessive N, safety thresholds such as critical loads (deposition fluxes and levels (concentrations can be established. Few studies have assessed these thresholds for semi-natural Mediterranean ecosystems. Our objective was therefore to determine the critical loads of N deposition and long-term critical levels of atmospheric ammonia for semi-natural Mediterranean evergreen woodlands. We have considered changes in epiphytic lichen communities, one of the most sensitive comunity indicators of excessive N in the atmosphere. Based on a classification of lichen species according to their tolerance to N we grouped species into response functional groups, which we used as a tool to determine the critical loads and levels. This was done for a Mediterranean climate in evergreen cork-oak woodlands, based on the relation between lichen functional diversity and modelled N deposition for critical loads and measured annual atmospheric ammonia concentrations for critical levels, evaluated downwind from a reduced N source (a cattle barn. Modelling the highly significant relationship between lichen functional groups and annual atmospheric ammonia concentration showed the critical level to be below 1.9 μg m−3, in agreement with recent studies for other ecosystems. Modelling the highly significant relationship between lichen functional groups and N deposition showed that the critical load was lower than 26 kg (N ha−1 yr−1, which is within the upper range established for other semi-natural ecosystems. Taking into account the high sensitivity of lichen communities to excessive N, these values should aid development of policies to protect Mediterranean woodlands from the initial effects of excessive N.

  20. Problems of the adoption of the Euro in Poland and the Baltic countries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gediminas Davulis

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available The possibilities of Poland, Latvia and Lithuania to adopt the euro, which is one of most important task of the economic policy in these countries is analyzed in the article. The international importance of the euro, the advantages and disadvantages of the single currency are discussed. Experience of Germany in adopting of the euro is analyzed. The strategy of the adoption of the euro in Lithuania is presented. The analysis based on the data of Eurostat database shows that Poland is the country with most possibilities to adopt the euro. However both Lithuania and Latvia may become the euro zone member states, too, if they firstly will cope with financial problems of the government and will revitalise and develop their internal market.

  1. An Empirical Analysis of Romania’s Comovement with the Euro Zone

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nicolae Dardac

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available In light of adopting the euro in the near future, it is important to asses to which extent the Romanian business cycle evolves in a similar fashion with that of the euro zone. The present study is an empirical investigation of the degree of business cycle synchronization between Romania and the euro area, based on macroeconomic series that capture the cyclical features of the two economies. The results indicate that the most recent period, characterized by major economic and financial turmoil, has lead to an increase of the degree of comovement between of the Romanian economy with that of the euro area.

  2. First record and evidence of an established population of the North American mud crab Dyspanopeus sayi (Brachyura: Heterotremata: Panopeidae in the western Mediterranean

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christoph D. Schubart

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available The panopeid crab Dyspanopeus sayi (Smith, 1869 is reported here from the Ebro Delta (Mediterranean coast of the Iberian Peninsula. Originally endemic to the Atlantic coast of North America, D. sayiz was involuntarily introduced into Britain, France and the Netherlands, and into the Adriatic and Black Sea within the last thirty years. Here we provide the first record of this species from the western Mediterranean Sea. Occurrences of ovigerous females at different localities of the delta and in different years provide evidence that the population is well established. Mitochondrial DNA confirms the identity of the species and indicates that the introduced population consists of at least three female lineages. The first zoeal stage of D. sayi was obtained in the laboratory from an ovigerous female captured in August 2010 with embryos in an advanced stage of development. The morphology of the zoea I is described here in detail and is similar to the one previously reported for native populations.

  3. Euro Adoption in Central Europe Laggards by Default and Laggards by Choice

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dandashly, Assem; Verdun, Amy

    2016-01-01

    How can we explain the politics of euro adoption in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland? How did the euro crisis influence their positions regarding euro adoption? This article builds on the domestic politics literature and argues: (i) countries that had joined the Exchange Rate Mechanism-2 early

  4. THE FORESIGHTS OF THE ADOPTION OF EURO

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Claudia Loredana Juncu

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Even if the Euro critics showed the warning that the change of the national currency brings a loose of the control and the decision power about the monetary problems and the flexibility of the decisions, many consider that the adoption of the single currency would allow us to protect the economies from the external shocks. We have to eliminate the uncertainty, the high costs and we have to be able to avoid and / or manage the monetary fluctuations especially in situations like today’s economic crisis. One of the effects the crisis has created throughout the European Union and especially in Romania is connected with the return back in the country of the population that works in Western Europe and the reflux of money it implies. The structural problems of the Romanian economy that creates this workforce dynamic is to continue to affect the Euro adoption plan until significant solutions will be addressed in order to maintain the workforce in the country.Europe is facing a dilemma. For now there is a significant distrust in Euro. Romania needs to acknowledge the fact that a single European currency allows first of all the overpass of the actual internal fragmentation of the market and so to strengthen the national position in relation with the international. Romania can still be optimistic about the objective of adopting Euro if an efficient financial policy will be implemented.

  5. The Vocal Euro-outsider: The UK in a Two-speed Europe

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Adler-Nissen, Rebecca

    2016-01-01

    The EU is divided between member states that have adopted the euro and those that have not. This article looks at the issue of differentiated integration with particular reference to eurozone integration and the euro-outsiders. I explore the recent public debate in the UK on euro......-outsiderness, comparing this with debates in Denmark. The article highlights some striking differences between the UK and Denmark when it comes to the actual management of euro-outsiderness in Brussels as well as some of the dilemmas facing euro-outsiders such as the UK, Denmark, Sweden and Poland as the EU struggles...... to exit its crises. Finally, I discuss the future of two-speed European integration and the UK's possible exit from the EU. The UK cannot escape the dilemma of favouring either influence or autonomy; whether the UK remains in or leaves the EU, it will need to allow the eurozone to proceed in order...

  6. Comparison between Euro NCAP test results and real-world crash data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kullgren, Anders; Lie, Anders; Tingvall, Claes

    2010-12-01

    The objective of this study was 2-fold: first, to compare Euro NCAP safety ratings of cars with those published by the Folksam real-world injury ratings; and second, to compare injury risk measures between Euro NCAP 2 and 5 Star cars with real-world injury and disability outcomes using police and insurance injury data. Car models were grouped according to the Euro NCAP star rating scores. Folksam risk of injury ratings come from statistical analysis of real-world crashes using police and insurance databases. The paired comparison method using 2-car crashes was used to control for crash speed and the mass differences between cars of different weights were normalized. For all comparisons, 5-star rated Euro NCAP cars were found to have a lower risk of injury compared to 2-star rated cars (5-star cars were 10% ± 2.5% lower risk than 2-star cars). For fatal and serious injuries, the difference was 23 ± 8 percent, and for fatal injuries alone the difference was 68 ± 32 percent. By comparison, the Folksam 5-star rated cars had a relative risk of 0.020 ± 0.0024, whereas 2-star rated car risk was 0.028 ± 0.0016, corresponding to a 27 percent difference in risk between 5- and 2-star cars. Good correlation was found between Euro NCAP test results and real-world injury outcomes. The largest difference in injury risk between 2- and 5-star rated cars in Euro NCAP was found for risk of fatality, confirming that car manufacturers have focused their safety performance on serious crash outcomes. In addition, Euro NCAP crash tests were shown to be highly correlated with serious crash performance, confirming their relevance for evaluating real-world crash performance. Good concordance was found between Euro NCAP and Folksam real-world crash and injury ratings.

  7. No short-term effects of calorie-controlled Mediterranean or fast food dietary interventions on established biomarkers of vascular or metabolic risk in healthy individuals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parcina, Marijo; Brune, Maik; Kaese, Vareska; Zorn, Markus; Spiegel, Rainer; Vojvoda, Valerija; Fleming, Thomas; Rudofsky, Gottfried; Paul Nawroth, Peter

    2015-04-01

    This study addressed the question whether the composition of supposedly 'healthy' or 'unhealthy' dietary regimes has a calorie-independent short-term effect on biomarkers of metabolic stress and vascular risk in healthy individuals. Healthy male volunteers (age 29.5 ± 5.9 years, n = 39) were given a standardized baseline diet for two weeks before randomization into three groups of different dietary regimes: fast food, Mediterranean and German cooking style. Importantly, the amount of calories consumed per day was identical in all three groups. Blood samples were analyzed for biomarkers of cardiovascular risk and metabolic stress after two weeks of the baseline diet and after two weeks of the assigned dietary regime. No dietary intervention affected the metabolic or cardiovascular risk profile when compared in-between groups or compared to baseline. Subjects applied to the Mediterranean diet showed a statistically significant increase of uric acid compared to baseline and compared to the German diet group. Plasma concentrations of urea were significantly higher in both the fast food group and the Mediterranean group, when compared to baseline and compared to the German diet group. No significant differences were detected for the levels of vitamins, trace elements or metabolic stress markers (8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine, malondialdehyde and methylglyoxal, a potent glycating agent). Established parameters of vascular risk (e.g. LDL-cholesterol, lipoprotein(a), homocysteine) were not significantly changed in-between groups or compared to baseline during the intervention period. The calorie-controlled dietary intervention caused neither protective nor harmful short-term effects regarding established biomarkers of vascular or metabolic risk. When avoiding the noxious effects of overfeeding, healthy individuals can possess the metabolic capacity to compensate for a potentially disadvantageous composition of a certain diet.

  8. Adopting the EURO in Romania

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ilie ŞIMON

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available This paper addresses the adoption of the Euro currency in 2014, as estimated in the National Programme. Based on the convergence criteria analysis on the current national background, we can foresee an earlier monetary integration.

  9. Uncertainties and validation of alien species catalogues: The Mediterranean as an example

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zenetos, Argyro; Çinar, Melih Ertan; Crocetta, Fabio; Golani, Dani; Rosso, Antonietta; Servello, Gianna; Shenkar, Noa; Turon, Xavier; Verlaque, Marc

    2017-05-01

    The meticulous revision by taxonomic experts of established alien species in the Mediterranean resulted in a major revision of the list proposed by Galil et al. (2016), with 73 species to be excluded (35 species categorised as non-established and 37 as not true aliens), and 72 species added to the list. Consequently, by year 2016 the total number of established alien species in the Mediterranean reached 613, which is a 28% increase over the preceding four years. If we also consider casual species (208 species), the total number of alien species in the Mediterranean is 821. This is attributed to: new findings, change in establishment status of species previously known on the basis of few and scattered records, and results of phylogenetic studies in some cosmopolitan species. However, the true number of alien species reported here is considered to be an underestimation, as it does not include phytoplanktonic organisms, Foraminifera, cryptogenic and species known on the basis of questionable records that might turn out to be true aliens. EASIN and INVASIVESNET can play a major role in the future revision/update of the present list, which currently serves for assessing indicators that are necessary for policy, and for management of alien species in the Mediterranean Sea. An increasing trend in new arrivals since 1950, which culminated in the 2001-2010 period, appeared to decline after 2010. Whether this negative trend is an indication of improvement, or is an artefact, remains to be seen. The current list provides a reliable updated database from which to continue monitoring the arrival and spread of invasive species in the Mediterranean, as well as to provide counsel to governmental agencies with respect to management and control. Current geographical, taxonomical and impact data gaps can be reduced only by instituting harmonised standards and methodologies for monitoring alien populations in all countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea.

  10. Poweo positive net income of 7.4 million euro in 2006. First time in the black since the company's creation; Poweo benefice net de 7,4 millions euro en 2006. 1. exercice beneficiaire depuis la creation de Poweo

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2007-03-15

    .2 euro million as at December 31, 2006. POWEO achieved during the last year new steps in its evolution towards the model of integrated energy operator. The partnership with Verbund led the company to revise upwards its industrial ambitions. Within the framework of the deployment plan of five power stations by 2012, the construction of the combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plant of Pont-sur-Sambre began in December 2006. This 233 million euro investment will be financed at 78% by Verbund through a project financing, without recourse on POWEO SA. The LNG terminal project for which POWEO was selected by the Port Le Havre Authority, in partnership with the CIM, Compagnie Industrielle et Maritime, will allow the group to obtain an essential industrial infrastructure and to optimize its strategy in gas sourcing in order to face the consumption of its power plants and end customers. The first projects in wind power (Boulay and St Aubin) announced in November 2006 should be accompanied in 2007 by larger initiatives, POWEO intending to act as a consolidator in the renewable energies sector. Finally the capacity swap agreement signed with EDF in December 2006 allows POWEO to have access over the 2007-2021 period to full-base electricity generated by EDF's nuclear power plants. All these developments and 2006 financial results allow POWEO to consider with confidence and enthusiasm the next stages of its growth. With regard to 2007, POWEO intends to acquire 100,000 new sites customers, the residential sector bringing the main contribution to this growth given its liberalization from July 1. In this context, POWEO has set as an objective for the current year a consolidated revenue of 350 million euro, rising more than 40% compared to 2006. This year of transition should be also characterized by an increase of operating costs notably due to the industrial projects deployment phase and significant but essential investments in marketing. Revenue associated with the expected

  11. Balance of payments adjustment mechanisms in the Euro area

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pavel HNÁT

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available The article aims at analysing the current situation in the Euro area with respect to the balance of payments adjustment mechanism that should normally be at place. Internally, the Euro area membership represents a combination of the fixed exchange rate, capital mobility and no monetary policy autonomy; externally, the Euro area countries apply floating exchange rates with high capital mobility, and autonomous monetary policy. Member states thus cannot use the monetary instruments to prevent external influences; they can only use fiscal policies, which are limited by the Stability and Growth Pact and debt constraint. When external imbalance occurs (such as today, the economies of member states are exposed to the price and income adjustment processes as well as to their own fiscal and ECB policy impacts. This article shows that all these factors interfere and influence real effects of automatic adjustment mechanisms which in some cases cannot come forth at all. Factors within domestic economic policies that limit the restoration of external balance within the Euro area thus create an important outcome of this paper.

  12. EuroPhenome and EMPReSS: online mouse phenotyping resource.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mallon, Ann-Marie; Blake, Andrew; Hancock, John M

    2008-01-01

    EuroPhenome (http://www.europhenome.org) and EMPReSS (http://empress.har.mrc.ac.uk/) form an integrated resource to provide access to data and procedures for mouse phenotyping. EMPReSS describes 96 Standard Operating Procedures for mouse phenotyping. EuroPhenome contains data resulting from carrying out EMPReSS protocols on four inbred laboratory mouse strains. As well as web interfaces, both resources support web services to enable integration with other mouse phenotyping and functional genetics resources, and are committed to initiatives to improve integration of mouse phenotype databases. EuroPhenome will be the repository for a recently initiated effort to carry out large-scale phenotyping on a large number of knockout mouse lines (EUMODIC).

  13. Aspects of labor market flexicurity in the Mediterranean and Anglo-Saxon models

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alina Ştefania CHENIC (CREŢU

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available In the context of the economic crisis and the challenges of globalization, the paper presents and analyses relevant aspects of labor market flexicurity, especially in the Mediterranean and Anglo- Saxon model. Thus, the labor market in Spain and the United Kingdom has been studied, highlighting the reason behind existing problems, compared to other EU countries, notably in the Euro area (Italy, Greece, Portugal, Germany. Labor market flexicurity highlights labor market flexibility while, at the same time, ensuring safe transition for employees from a job to another. In this context, it should be emphasized that integration in the Economic and Monetary Union involves fulfilling a major condition in order to cope within the Union, namely labor market flexibility.

  14. Mediterranean-Paratethys connectivity during the Messinian salinity crisis : The Pontian of Azerbaijan

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Baak, Christiaan G C; Stoica, Marius; Grothe, Arjen; Aliyeva, Elmira; Krijgsman, Wout

    2016-01-01

    Prior to the onset of the Messinian Salinity Crisis, a connection was established between the Mediterranean Sea and the Paratethys region to the north. Rivers currently draining into the Caspian Sea thereby became important for the Mediterranean hydrological budget. The role of this connection and

  15. Natural gas and electrical interconnections in the Mediterranean Basin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Grenon, M.

    1992-01-01

    Intermediate and long term socio-economical and energetic scenarios have shown that mediterranean basin countries will know a great growth of energy demand, particularly power demand. The first part of this paper describes the main projects for the establishment of interconnected natural gas systems through Mediterranean sea, by pipelines (Algeria-Tunisia-Libya project, Algeria-Morocco-Spain project, Libya-Italy project). The second part describes the main projects of electrical networks with the establishment of undersea links between Spain and Morocco, and between Italy and Tunisia; beefing up the interconnections between the North African countries; and developing ties in the Near East (from Egypt to Turkey)

  16. Multinational cash management and conglomerate discounts in the euro zone

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Eije, Henk von; Westerman, Wim

    2001-01-01

    We discuss the impact of liberalisation, deregulation and the introduction of a single currency on cash management within multinationals in the euro zone. The developments in the euro zone reduce financial market imperfections in transferring cash and diminish the need for separate local cash

  17. A study on the establishment of a standard nuclear cooperation agreement and the revision of existing nuclear cooperation agreements in Korea

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oh, Keun Bae; Lee, K S; Lee, D J; Lee, B Y; Cho, I H; Ko, H S

    1997-04-01

    The objectives of this study are to suggest a standard nuclear cooperation agreement (SNCA) as a model for new nuclear cooperation agreements (NCA`s) which are expected to be concluded in the near future and to suggest a proposal text and strategy for the revision of existing NCA`s with advanced countries such as the United States. To accomplish the objectives, this study: First, establishes a framework for a NCA through clarifying the basic concept of NCA and identifying key elements of NCA. Second, draws implications for a standard NCA and revision of existing NCA`s through analyzing by comparison those NCA`s between other countries. Third, clarifies the purpose and underlying philosophy for the SNCA, determines the elements to be included in the SNCA, and suggests a final draft of the SNCA. And fourth, clarifies general concepts of the revision of NCA`s, analyzes the needs of the revision of the Korea-U.S. NCA, and assesses the position of the United States on the matter. (author). 28 refs., 5 tabs., 2 figs.

  18. Euro Heart Survey 2009 Snapshot

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Puymirat, Etienne; Battler, Alex; Birkhead, John

    2013-01-01

    Detailed data on patients admitted for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) on a European-wide basis are lacking. The Euro Heart Survey 2009 Snapshot was designed to assess characteristics, management, and hospital outcomes of AMI patients throughout European Society of Cardiology (ESC) member...

  19. Agreement on the establishment of the ITER International Fusion Energy Organization for the Joint Implementation of the ITER Project. Latest status. Declarations/reservations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2007-01-01

    The Agreement on the Establishment of the ITER International Fusion Energy Organization for the Joint Implementation of the ITER Project, for which the Director General of the IAEA is depositary, was done in Paris on 21 November 2006. Pursuant to Article 22 thereof, the Agreement on the Establishment of the ITER International Fusion Energy Organization for the Joint Implementation of the ITER Project 'shall enter into force thirty days after the deposit of instruments of ratification, acceptance or approval of this Agreement by the People's Republic of China, EURATOM, the Republic of India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation and the United States of America. The text of the Agreement is reproduced in the Annex hereto for the information of all Member States

  20. 28 milliards d’euros, c’est grand comment ?

    OpenAIRE

    Ozer, Pierre; Salmon, Marc; Theunissen, Yannick

    2009-01-01

    J’ouvre mon quotidien. Fortis : 28 milliards d’euros de pertes en 2008. Ma fille de sept ans qui commence à lire et pose sans cesse des questions sur tout me lance : « Dis-moi, papa : 28 milliards d’euros, c’est grand comment ? ». Grande question… Je réfléchis et tente de trouver une parade parlante pour un enfant qui, in fine, se pose les mêmes questions que les grandes personnes.

  1. LE BINOME EURO-DOLLAR SOUS LE SIGNE DE L’INCERTITUDE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Bal

    2009-03-01

    Full Text Available Will the Dollar remain the dominant international currency (mainly as a reserve currency? To answer this question, the paper presents in the first part the opinions of the most prominent experts concerning the determinant factors of an international currency status, in the two sphere of utilization: public and private. The most important are: the magnitude of the economies of emission, the externalities of network, the liquidity of their financial market, the confidence in their stability. Then there follows the evaluations concerning the two international currencies, Dollar and Euro, from these perspectives. Finally, the paper evaluates their role as measure of value, instrument of reserve and instrument of payment in the international economic relations. In the second part, the paper evaluates the recent tendencies of the exchange rate Euro/Dollar (2006-2008 from the point of view of fundamentals. After a period of depreciation, from the middle of the year 2008 until now, the dollar marked an unexpected appreciation towards the euro. But, the global financial and economic crisis increases the incertitude concerning the evolution of the exchange rate euro/dollar. Undoubtedly the two currencies will remain the prominent international currencies and the dollar the main reserve currency. Finally the paper presents Mundell’s proposal of stabilization of the binomial euro/dollar.

  2. New Mediterranean Biodiversity Records (October 2015

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F. CROCETTA

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available The Collective Article “New Mediterranean Biodiversity Records” of the Mediterranean Marine Science journal offers the means to publish biodiversity records in the Mediterranean Sea. The current article is divided per countries, listed according to a Mediterranean west-east geographic position. New biodiversity data are reported for 7 different countries, although one species hereby reported from Malta is overall new for the entire Mediterranean basin, and is presumably present also in Israel and Lebanon (see below in Malta. Italy: the rare native fish Gobius kolombatovici is first reported from the Ionian Sea, whilst the alien jellyfish Rhopilema nomadica and the alien fish Oplegnathus fasciatus are first reported from the entire country. The presence of O. fasciatus from Trieste is concomitantly the first for the entire Adriatic Sea. Finally, the alien bivalve Arcuatula senhousia is hereby first reported from Campania (Tyrrhenian Sea. Tunisia: a bloom of the alien crab Portunus segnis is first reported from the Gulf of Gabes, from where it was considered as casual. Malta: the alien flatworm Maritigrella fuscopunctata is first recorded from the Mediterranean Sea on the basis of 25 specimens. At the same time, web researches held possible unpublished records from Israel and Lebanon. The alien crab P. segnis, already mentioned above, is first formally reported from Malta based on specimens collected in 1972. Concomitantly, the presence of Callinectes sapidus in Maltese waters is excluded since based on misidentifications. Greece: the Atlantic northern brown shrimp Penaeus atzecus, previously known from the Ionian Sea from sporadic records only, is now well established in Greek and international Ionian waters. The alien sea urchin Diadema setosum is reported from the second time from Greece, and its first record date from the country is backdated to 2010 in Rhodes Island. The alien lionfish Pterois miles is first reported from Greece and

  3. Testing the Asymmetry of Shocks with Euro Area

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marius-Corneliu MARINAŞ

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this study is to identify the demand and supply shocks affecting 13 EU member states and to estimate their degree of correlation with the Euro area shocks. This research ensures identifying the asymmetry of shocks degree with the monetary union, depending on which it’s judging the desirability of adopting a single currency. The analysis is also useful for the economies outside the Euro area, because they are strongly commercial and financial integrated especially with the core economies from union. Applying the Blanchard and Quah methodology to estimate the shocks in the period from 1998:1- 2010:3, I have found a weak and negative correlation between demand shocks and a medium to high correlation of the supply shocks. The results obtained suggest the presence of a structural convergence process with the Euro area, in the context of domestic macroeconomic policies rather different, both inside and outside the monetary union.

  4. The DHL EuroCup: shots on goal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hemp, Paul

    2003-11-01

    Deutsche Post World Net, the German postal monopoly, faced significant challenges as it began the process of integrating three businesses: Deutsche Post Euro Express, its own ground-based parcel delivery service, and two companies it had acquired-DHL, the worldwide express delivery service, and Danzas, a worldwide air and ocean freight company. The cultural differences alone were imposing. For example, DHL was a privately held, entrepreneurial company in which most managers had international experience; Deutsche Post was until recently a state-owned monopoly in which few managers had worked outside their home country. Enter EuroCup. For 20 years, DHL employees had held a soccer tournament to strengthen company culture across national boundaries. Canceled the previous year due to budget constraints, the EuroCup tournament was revived in 2003-in part to help with the postmerger integration. But did the event really help? HBR senior editor Paul Hemp attended EuroCup 2003, joining nearly 2,500 DHL employees--about 600 of them players, the rest cheerleaders and other supporters--in the small Belgian town of Lommel. He set out to answer a number of questions relevant to any company staging an ambitious off-site intended to encourage teamwork and boost morale. How does a company determine whether such a large-scale event, even one that generates goodwill, is worth the investment? Does the team building extend to those back home who don't get to attend? Can intense competition between teams begin to overshadow the spirit of cooperation that such an event is meant to engender? In short, can a soccer tournament help a company achieve its corporate goal of creating a strong common culture?

  5. Treatment of segregated black/grey domestic wastewater using constructed wetlands in the Mediterranean basin: the zer0-m experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Masi, F; El Hamouri, B; Abdel Shafi, H; Baban, A; Ghrabi, A; Regelsberger, M

    2010-01-01

    Concerns about water shortage and pollution have received increased attention over the past few years, especially in developing countries with warm climate. In order to help local water management in these countries, the Euro-Mediterranean Regional Programme (MEDA) has financed the Zer0-m project (E-mail: www.zer0-m.org). As a part of this project, several constructed wetland (CW) pilot systems with different pre-treatments have been implemented in four Technological Demonstration Centres in Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey. The aim of this research was to establish appropriate designs for treatment of segregated domestic black (BW) and grey water (GW). We tested several different multistage CW configurations, consisting of horizontal and vertical subsurface flow CW for secondary treatment and free water systems as tertiary stage. CW removal efficiencies of TSS, COD, BOD(5), N-NH(4)(+), N-NO(3)(-), N(tot), total coliforms (TC) were evaluated for each of the implemented systems. The results from this study demonstrate the potential of CWs as a suitable technology for treating segregated domestic wastewater. A very efficient COD reduction (up to 98%) and nitrification (92-99%) was achieved for BW and GW in all systems. CW effluent concentrations were below 15 mg/L for BOD(5), 1 mg/L for N-NO(3)(-) and 0.5 mg/L for N-NH(4)(+) together with acceptable TC counts. Based on these results, we suggest adopting the design parameters used in this study for the treatment of segregated wastewater in the Mediterranean area.

  6. Effects of the euro changeover on consumer behaviour: Introduction to the special issue

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gärling, Tommy; Thøgersen, John

    2007-01-01

    This paper introduces the special issue "Effects of the euro changeover on consumer behaviour" by briefly reviewing the contents of the included papers. The introduction follows the organization of the papers in three sections each focusing on a common set of issues. In the first section, research...... revealing the perceived and actual problems consumers face after the euro changeover is described. Research illuminating learning and adaptation to the euro changeover is the focus of the second section. A special problem is the misperception of inflation after the euro changeover. Research on this problem...

  7. Empirical conversion between teleseismic magnitudes (mb and Ms) and moment magnitude (Mw) at the Global, Euro-Mediterranean and Italian scale

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lolli, B.; Gasperini, P.; Vannucci, G.

    2014-11-01

    We analysed the conversion problem between teleseismic magnitudes (Ms and mb) provided by the Seismological Bulletin of the International Seismological Centre and moment magnitudes (Mw) provided by online moment tensor (MT) catalogues using the chi-square general orthogonal regression method (CSQ) that, differently from the ordinary least-square regression method (OLS), accounts for the measurement errors of both the predictor and response variables. To account for the non-linearity of the relationships, we used two types of curvilinear models: (i) the exponential model (EXP), recently proposed by the authors of the Global Catalogue sponsored by the Global Earthquake Model (GEM) Foundation and (ii) a connected bilinear (CBL) model, similar to that proposed by Ekström & Dziewonski, where two different linear trends at low and high magnitudes are connected by an arc of circle that preserves the continuity of the function and of its first derivative at the connecting points. For Ms, we found that the regression curves computed for a global data set (GBL) are likely to be biased by the incompleteness of global MT catalogues for Mw <5.0-5.5. In fact, the GBL curves deviate significantly from a similar regression curve computed for a Euro-Mediterranean data set (MED) integrated with the data provided by two regional MT catalogues including many more events with Mw < 5.0-5.5. The GLB regression curves overestimate the Mw proxies computed from Ms up to 0.5 magnitude units. Hence for computing Mw proxies at the global scale of Ms ≤ 5.5, we suggest to adopt the coefficients obtained from the MED regression. The analysis of the frequency-magnitude relationship of the resulting Mw proxy catalogues confirms the validity of this choice as the behaviour of b­-value as a function of cut-off magnitude of the GBL data set is much more stable using such approach. The incompleteness of Mw's provided from MT global catalogues also affects the mb GBL data set but in this case the

  8. How Far Along is Euro Adoption in the Czech Republic? Benefits for Businesses Still Remain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mojmír Helísek

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available The objective of the paper is to assess the reasons for the current negative position of the Czech Government towardeuro adoption and to find out whether the expected benefits of euro adoption for Czech companies still remain. Thepostponement of euro adoption in the Czech Republic has mainly been caused by the current problems of the euroarea. The benefits arising from euro adoption are subject to the reduction of the exchange rate volatility and of thetransaction costs, whereas they also depend on the degree of integration with the euro area. These benefits may stillbe expected – neither the financial crisis nor the economic recession has affected them. The integration of the Czecheconomy with the euro area is high and still growing. Therefore, euro adoption will lead to the stimulation of mutual tradeof the Czech Republic and the euro area.

  9. THE EUROPEAN UNION AS A DRIVER OF REGIONAL COOPERATION IN ITS SOUTHERN NEIGHBOURHOOD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gabriela Irina ION

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available The European Union's policy towards its southern periphery in North Africa and the Middle East has sought to promote regional cooperation both between itself and the Arab partner states and, most importantly, among the Arab states. The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, and later on, the Union for the Mediterranean introduced, after decades of superficial institutionalization of Euro-Mediterranean relations, an element of novelty in the form of the regionalism it promoted and the multilateral setting it was creating. However outstanding at its debut, this experiment of „building” a Mediterranean region, where security and peaceful change would be brought about by the states' willingness to cooperate through multilateral mechanisms has failed. The EU's efforts to create a Mediterranean region have been stymied not only by what can amount to an unrealistic perception regarding intra-Arab dynamics, but also by changes in the substance of the Euro-Mediterranean institutional setting. Namely, the region-building multilateralism of the EMP has been side-lined by the pragmatic bilateralism of the UfM.

  10. ROMÂNIA – TEMERI ŞI PREGĂTIRI PENTRU TRECEREA LA MONEDA EURO

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gherghina Negrea

    2007-05-01

    Full Text Available The New Member States are going now, after joining the European Union in 2004 (ten ofthem and 2007(Romania and Bulgaria, on a new road, the one of introduction of the Europeancurrency – EURO. As various differences between them, in the economy stage, adoption of EURO willhave different periods in the states who are expecting these. Achieving only the economic conditions isnot the essential, an economic and social environment, favorable to the adoption of EURO is neededfor a success process.In this paper, we tray to see the stage of adhesion to the Euro, the perception in the newmember states, especially of the fears that are concern of the population and, in the end, a look at thestage and future actions of our country, hoping to introduce the Euro currency in 2014.

  11. Euro NCAP, a safety instrument.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    2007-01-01

    Since early 1997, in Europe, a cooperation of consumer organizations, European governments, the European Commission, and car organizations have been doing crash tests to judge the safety of cars. This programme is called Euro NCAP. The test programme consists of four tests of new cars to see how

  12. If Parents Establish a No-Smoking Agreement with Their Offspring, Does This Prevent Adolescents from Smoking? Findings from Three Dutch Studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    den Exter Blokland, Endy A. W.; Engels, Rutger C.; Harakeh, Zeena; Hale, William W., III.; Meeus, Wim

    2009-01-01

    Data from three studies were used to investigate whether the establishment of a no-smoking agreement is related to lower odds of adolescent smoking. The prevalence of a no-smoking agreement was first explored by using a national sample involving 4,501 Dutch adolescents. Second, data from a longitudinal study among 595 early adolescents and their…

  13. Exchange of natural enemies for biological control: is it a rocky road?-the road in the Euro-Mediterranean region and the South American common market.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coutinot, D; Briano, J; Parra, J R P; de Sá, L A N; Cônsoli, F L

    2013-02-01

    The access and benefit sharing (ABS) regulations from the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) for the use of natural resources became an important issue because the biodiversity of developing countries was heavily accessed and unilaterally exploited by pharmaceutical and seed companies. However, natural enemies used for biological control are living and unmodified genetic resources which cannot be patented and have been treated as resources such as drugs, seeds, or other commercial products. Consequently, the ABS requirements have limited not only the use of natural enemies but also the positive effects that scientifically supported biological control strategies have on the society, the environment, and the economy, reducing problems of pesticide residues, water and soil contamination, and non-target effects. During the last several years, the biological control scientific community has faced new and extremely complicated legislation dictated by a high and diverse number of governmental agencies at different levels, making the access to natural resources for biocontrol purposes a rocky road. Society at large should be aware of how the strict ABS regulations affect the use of natural enemies as biological resources to secure food production, food safety, and global environmental protection. We discuss in here the current difficulties derived from CBD for the exchange of natural enemies taking as example the Euro-Mediterranean region, Argentina, and Brazil to demonstrate how long and diverse are the steps to be followed to obtain the required permits for access and exportation/importation of natural enemies. We then argue that the public visibility of biocontrol strategies should be increased and their benefits highlighted in order to persuade legislators for the development of a less bureaucratic, more expedient, and more centralized regulatory frame, greatly favoring the practice and benefits of biological control. We finally propose a general framework in

  14. The implication of the ZLE Euro-mediterranean and of the partnership for the energy sector agents strategy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chatelus, M.

    2000-09-01

    The place of the energy sector in the north-south economic relations in Mediterranean and its part in a ZLE and a partnership, zone of free exchange, justify a specific analysis. These ZLE and partnership present a non direct but important influence on the agents of the energy sector in the case of the process decided in Barcelona. In this framework, the author examines successively, a situation of the PSEM dominated by a capacity of hydrocarbons exportation and a very fast increase of the energy demand, strategy of agents weakly dependent of a ZLE, behavior influenced and results affected by the implementing of the partnership. (A.L.B.)

  15. FROM LEU TO EURO

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    SUCIU TITUS

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available After analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of adopting the euro, we come to the conclusionthat we are not ready to accomplish this objective. Practically, we are not competitive, but adopting the euroshould be our goal. In what concerns Romania ’s national interest, we propose targeting the following domains:automotive industry, ecologic agriculture, education and research. The solution is in the triad: work –organization – innovation.

  16. Familial Mediterranean Fever: Review of Literature and Report of Two Cases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shama Khan

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Familial Mediterranean fever, an autosomal recessive disorder, is a member of the periodic fever syndromes, and considered to be the most common cause of recurrent febrile episodes in children. It is important to understand the disorder as familial Mediterranean fever falls on a spectrum of various presentations; the recurrent episodes of familial Mediterranean fever may be so severe that the quality of life may be affected in such patients. Therefore, physicians should not delay the evaluation in such cases and promptly initiate treatment to not only improve quality of life but to also avoid complications, such as amyloidosis. This study reports two different cases of familial Mediterranean fever, with varying clinical presentations, and established diagnosis via genetic testing as well as cessation of symptoms with a trial of therapy. Furthermore, this study discusses the various manifestations of familial Mediterranean fever, laboratory findings, and current therapies available for management.

  17. Euro Banknote Recognition System for Blind People.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dunai Dunai, Larisa; Chillarón Pérez, Mónica; Peris-Fajarnés, Guillermo; Lengua Lengua, Ismael

    2017-01-20

    This paper presents the development of a portable system with the aim of allowing blind people to detect and recognize Euro banknotes. The developed device is based on a Raspberry Pi electronic instrument and a Raspberry Pi camera, Pi NoIR (No Infrared filter) dotted with additional infrared light, which is embedded into a pair of sunglasses that permit blind and visually impaired people to independently handle Euro banknotes, especially when receiving their cash back when shopping. The banknote detection is based on the modified Viola and Jones algorithms, while the banknote value recognition relies on the Speed Up Robust Features (SURF) technique. The accuracies of banknote detection and banknote value recognition are 84% and 97.5%, respectively.

  18. The Texts of the Instruments Concerning the Agency's assistance to Mexico in Establishing a Nuclear Power Facility. A Second Supply Agreement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1974-01-01

    As a sequel to the assistance which the Agency provided to the Government of Mexico in establishing a nuclear power facility, a Second Supply Agreement has been concluded between the Agency and that Government. The Agreement entered into force on 14 June 1974, pursuant to Article IX, and the text thereof is reproduced herein for the information of all Members.

  19. The Texts of the Instruments Concerning the Agency's assistance to Mexico in Establishing a Nuclear Power Facility. A Second Supply Agreement

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1974-10-31

    As a sequel to the assistance which the Agency provided to the Government of Mexico in establishing a nuclear power facility, a Second Supply Agreement has been concluded between the Agency and that Government. The Agreement entered into force on 14 June 1974, pursuant to Article IX, and the text thereof is reproduced herein for the information of all Members.

  20. The Texts of the Instruments connected with the Agency's Assistance to Yugoslavia in Establishing a Research Reactor Project. Second Supply Agreement

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1968-08-28

    As a sequel to the assistance which the Agency provided to the Government of Yugoslavia in establishing a research reactor project, a second Supply Agreement has been concluded between the Agency and the Governments of the United States of America and Yugoslavia. The Agreement entered into force on 20 February 1968, and the text is reproduced herein for the information of all Members.

  1. The Texts of the Instruments connected with the Agency's Assistance to Yugoslavia in Establishing a Research Reactor Project. Second Supply Agreement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1968-01-01

    As a sequel to the assistance which the Agency provided to the Government of Yugoslavia in establishing a research reactor project, a second Supply Agreement has been concluded between the Agency and the Governments of the United States of America and Yugoslavia. The Agreement entered into force on 20 February 1968, and the text is reproduced herein for the information of all Members

  2. The Mediterranean solar plan: a flagship project of the Union for the Mediterranean area - A co-development and socio-economic transition factor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mocilnikar, Antoine Tristan

    2011-01-01

    The Mediterranean Solar Plan (MSP) was launched at the Paris Summit for the Mediterranean, on July 13 2008, which saw the creation of the Union for the Mediterranean. The Summit directed the MSP to all renewable energy, interconnections needed for their deployment and energy efficiency. It mandated the UfM Secretariat for its coordination. The summit was followed by a Franco-German agreement in August 2008 which set a target of 20 GW MSP is already in deployment. In the field of wind energy, 1700 MW are built and in the solar field, several projects are in advanced stages of preparation. It targets co-development. It can also be a project of the 'Partnership of Deauville' set up at the G8 Summit on 26 and 27 May 2011 with the people of the region of North Africa and the Middle East that initiate a transition to a free, democratic and tolerant world, starting with Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan and Morocco, in partnership with countries wishing to support the transition in the region. (author)

  3. Euro-Argo: The European contribution to the global Argo ocean observations network

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gourcuff, Claire

    2017-04-01

    The international Argo programme is a major element of the global in-situ ocean observing system. More than 3900 floats are now globally measuring temperature and salinity throughout the global oceans, down to 2,000 meters depth and delivering data both in real time for operational users and after careful scientific quality control for climate change research and monitoring. Argo is the single most important in-situ observing system for the Copernicus Marine Service. The Euro-Argo research infrastructure organizes and federates European contribution to Argo. A legal and governance framework (Euro-Argo ERIC) was set up in May 2014; it allows European countries to consolidate and improve their contribution to Argo international. We will provide an overview of the development of Euro-Argo over the past years and present the now agreed Euro-Argo long term organization. The capability of the Euro-Argo infrastructure to organize Argo floats procurement, deployment and processing at European level and to conduct R&D driven by Copernicus needs will be highlighted. During the recent years, within the H2020 E-AIMS project, Euro-Argo carried R&D activities on new Argo floats, equipped with biogeochemical sensors or able to dive up to 4000m, from the floats design up to the analysis of their measurements. European Argo data centers were adapted so that they can handle the new data. Observing System Evaluations and Simulation Experiments were also conducted to provide robust recommendations for the next phase of Argo. One of the main challenges for Euro-Argo is now to implement the next phase of Argo with an extension towards biogeochemistry (e.g. oxygen, biology), the polar oceans, the marginal seas and the deep ocean. Meeting such challenges is essential for the long term sustainability and evolution of the Copernicus Marine Service. We will present Euro-Argo strategy and provide some highlights on the implementation-plan for the years to come and the Argo extensions for the

  4. Credit cycle coherence in the eurozone : Was there a euro effect?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Samarina, Anna; Zhang, Lu; Bezemer, Dirk

    2017-01-01

    This paper examines effects of the euro introduction on credit cycle coherence in the euro-zone through six channels. We construct and describe credit cycles for total bank credit, household mortgages and non-financial business loans for 16 EMU economies over 1990-2015. Credit cycle coherence is

  5. La relación euro-dólar: seis años después que el euro presentase su mínimo nivel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John Jairo García Rendón

    2007-10-01

    Full Text Available Este artículo muestra la relación del tipo de cambio euro-dólar desde que el euro empezó a circular. Específicamente, después de considerar algunos elementos teóricos que determinan el tipo de cambio, explica los principales hechos que llevaron a que el euro a partir de octubre de 2000 revertiera su tendencia decreciente frente al dólar y qué aspectos están influyendo en la actualidad sobre su desempeño, llegando a la conclusión que no es posible establecer un modelo que pondere las variables de forma racional y significativa, haciendo que el comportamiento del tipo de cambio no pueda ser explicado en su totalidad por la teoría económica existente.

  6. Poweo positive net income of 7.4 million euro in 2006. First time in the black since the company's creation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2007-03-01

    million as at December 31, 2006. POWEO achieved during the last year new steps in its evolution towards the model of integrated energy operator. The partnership with Verbund led the company to revise upwards its industrial ambitions. Within the framework of the deployment plan of five power stations by 2012, the construction of the combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plant of Pont-sur-Sambre began in December 2006. This 233 million euro investment will be financed at 78% by Verbund through a project financing, without recourse on POWEO SA. The LNG terminal project for which POWEO was selected by the Port Le Havre Authority, in partnership with the CIM, Compagnie Industrielle et Maritime, will allow the group to obtain an essential industrial infrastructure and to optimize its strategy in gas sourcing in order to face the consumption of its power plants and end customers. The first projects in wind power (Boulay and St Aubin) announced in November 2006 should be accompanied in 2007 by larger initiatives, POWEO intending to act as a consolidator in the renewable energies sector. Finally the capacity swap agreement signed with EDF in December 2006 allows POWEO to have access over the 2007-2021 period to full-base electricity generated by EDF's nuclear power plants. All these developments and 2006 financial results allow POWEO to consider with confidence and enthusiasm the next stages of its growth. With regard to 2007, POWEO intends to acquire 100,000 new sites customers, the residential sector bringing the main contribution to this growth given its liberalization from July 1. In this context, POWEO has set as an objective for the current year a consolidated revenue of 350 million euro, rising more than 40% compared to 2006. This year of transition should be also characterized by an increase of operating costs notably due to the industrial projects deployment phase and significant but essential investments in marketing. Revenue associated with the expected growth in

  7. Understanding inter-industry wage structures in the euro area

    OpenAIRE

    Genre, Véronique; Momferatou, Daphne; Kohn, Karsten

    2009-01-01

    This paper focuses on the euro area wage structure and its potential determinants from a sectoral viewpoint. Merging information from the OECD Structural Analysis database with data from the EU Labour Force Survey, we construct a cross-country panel of 22 industries in 8 euro area countries for 1991-2002. Data inspection confirms the existence of a fairly stable inter- industry wage structure that is similar across countries. We then apply panel data techniques to identify factors explaining ...

  8. Avrupa Merkez Bankası'nın (AMB Euro Yönetimindeki Etkinlik Sorununun Analizi ( Efficiency Management Problem Of European Central Bank (ECB About The Euro

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hüseyin ÖZDEŞER

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The necessity of a monetary integration process in the European Union is inarguable. Monetary Union has a corner stone role for letting Economy in the EU to act as a whole. Only 19 members of the EU take place in the Euro Zone. In this case; there is a long time needed for completion the monetary integration process. European Central Bank (ECB which is responsible for the monetary policy application in Euro Zone, will have serious weakness and desperation and having them is inevitable; because the economic and political integration of the EU is not completed yet. All kinds of conflicts in political and economic integration process of the EU and economic crises, will have negative impacts on the EU and also on Euro. ECB is helpless about any negative developments that take place or may take place in European Monetary Union (EMU Area and it does not have an efficient intervention chance for preventing the negative impacts occurring on the Euro. The aim of the study is to present the weakness and desperation of the ECB about applying policies for a stable Euro. Avrupa Birliği'nde (AB Parasal Birlik sürecinin gerekliliği tartışılmazdır. Parasal Birlik; ekonominin AB içerisinde bir bütünsel olarak hareketliliğinin sağlanabilmesi açısından köşe taşı niteliğindedir. AB'nde şu an için toplam 28 olan AB üyesi ülkeden yalnızca 19 üye euro bölgesinde yer almaktadır. Bu durum parasal entegrasyonun tamamlanabilmesi için uzun süreye ihtiyaç olduğunun göstergesidir. Euro bölgesinde para politikalarının uygylanmasından sorumlu olan Avrupa Merkez Bankası (AMB, AB'nin ekonomik ve siyasi entegrasyonunun tamamlanmamasından dolayı ciddi zaaflar ve çaresizlikler yaşamaktadır; ve yaşaması da kaçınılmazdır. AB ve euro bölgesinde yaşanan her türlü sayasi ve ekonomik entegrasyon süreçlerindeki çatışmalar ve aynı zamanda ekonomik krizler; AB'ni ve euroyu olumsuz etkilemektedir. Yalnızca euronun y

  9. Impact of Euro Adoption on Emerging European Countries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Irena Vodenska

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available We study the impact of the euro on emerging European countriesby investigating three country groups: (1 seventeen Eurozonecountries, (2 seven EU Eastern and Central European (ECEmembers using local currencies, and (3 six EU Candidates. Weanalyze macroeconomic indicators and propose models to investigatewhether similar or different indicators influence sovereigndebt for each group. We find that exports and unemployment arepositively related to sovereign debt while market capitalizationshows negative relation with sovereign debt. We argue that the recentEuropean sovereign debt crisis has raised serious challengesfor the Eurozone, and propose that EU ECE members and eu candidatesdelay the adoption of the euro.

  10. Areva At December 31, 2010: Revenue rises to euros 9.104 bn: + 6.7% Backlog rises to euros 44.2 bn: + 2.0%; Areva au 31 decembre 2010: Croissance du chiffre d'affaires a 9104 Meuros: + 6,7 % Croissance du carnet de commandes a 44,2 Mdseuros: + 2,0 %

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2011-07-01

    In 2010, AREVA's consolidated revenue rose 6.7% to 9.104 billion euros (+ 5.1% growth like-for-like) compared with 2009. The Mining-Front End Business Group and the Reactors and Services Business Group were the leading growth engines, with revenue growth of 6.7% and 8.9% respectively. Foreign exchange had a positive impact of 141 million euros and the scope of consolidation remained stable over the period. Fourth quarter 2010 revenue totaled 2.936 billion euros, an increase of 7.7% (+4.8% like-for-like) compared with the fourth quarter of 2009, due in particular to 18.1% growth in the Mining-Front End BG. Foreign exchange had an impact of 58 million euros over the period. The group's backlog came to 44.2 billion euros at December 31, 2010, up 2.0% in relation to December 31, 2009. The backlog grew in the Mining-Front End and Renewable Energies BGs. Installed Base Business operations held up well, replenishing the backlog for the Reactors and Services BG. The agreement with the Indian utility NPCIL concerning the construction of two EPR{sup TM} reactors and fuel cycle supply for 25 years was not recorded in the backlog at December 31, 2010. The change in the Back End BG's backlog reflects the implementation of contracts signed in previous years. Nearly one billion euros in letters of intent signed in 2010 with US utilities corresponding to pre-sold production from the future enrichment plant were not included in the Mining-Front End BG's backlog. The backlog of the Mining-Front End BG came to 28.902 billion euros at December 31, 2010, up 4% compared with the end of 2009. Contracts won in 2010 include: - the 10-year uranium supply contract with CGNPC for approximately 3.5 billion dollars; - several other multi-year contracts signed in the front end of the cycle with US and Asian utilities. For the full year of 2010, the Mining-Front End BG reported revenue of 3.704 billion euros, an increase of 6.7% on a reported basis and of 4.2% LFL. Foreign

  11. EuroSCORE II and STS as mortality predictors in patients undergoing TAVI

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vitor Emer Egypto Rosa

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available SUMMARY Introduction: the EuroSCORE II and STS are the most used scores for surgical risk stratification and indication of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI. However, its role as a tool for mortality prediction in patients undergoing TAVI is still unclear. Objective: to evaluate the performance of the EuroSCORE II and STS as predictors of in-hospital and 30-day mortality in patients undergoing TAVI. Methods: we included 59 symptomatic patients with severe aortic stenosis that underwent TAVI between 2010 and 2014. The variables were analyzed using Student's t-test and Fisher's exact test and the discriminative power was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC and area under the curve (AUC with a 95% confidence interval. Results: mean age was 81±7.3 years, 42.3% men. The mean EuroSCORE II was 7.6±7.3 % and STS was 20.7±10.3%. Transfemoral procedure was performed in 88.13%, transapical in 3.38% and transaortic in 8.47%. In-hospital mortality was 10.1% and 30-day mortality was 13.5%. Patients who died had EuroSCORE II and STS higher than the survivors (33.7±16.7vs. 18.6±7.3% p=0,0001 for STS and 13.9±16.1 vs. 4.8±3.8% p=0.0007 for EuroSCORE II. The STS showed an AUC of 0.81 and the EuroSCORE II of 0.77 and there were no differences in the discrimination ability using ROC curves (p=0.72. Conclusion: in this cohort, the STS and EuroSCORE II were predictors of in-hospital and 30-days mortality in patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing TAVI.

  12. Euro Banknote Recognition System for Blind People

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Larisa Dunai Dunai

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents the development of a portable system with the aim of allowing blind people to detect and recognize Euro banknotes. The developed device is based on a Raspberry Pi electronic instrument and a Raspberry Pi camera, Pi NoIR (No Infrared filter dotted with additional infrared light, which is embedded into a pair of sunglasses that permit blind and visually impaired people to independently handle Euro banknotes, especially when receiving their cash back when shopping. The banknote detection is based on the modified Viola and Jones algorithms, while the banknote value recognition relies on the Speed Up Robust Features (SURF technique. The accuracies of banknote detection and banknote value recognition are 84% and 97.5%, respectively.

  13. Constructing EuroMan

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sandberg, Marie; Andersen, Dorte

    2008-01-01

    the regional periphery in dynamic state-centred economies. In the course of the 1980s, however, interest has shifted towards regions as motors of growth, thereby making the region an actor in its own right rather than a passive receiver of subsidies. The shift in focus can be regarded a result of so...... and approaches. Eurman is possessing the ability and will to pursue rational-strategic goals and he appears in the form of an economic agent as well as a participant in political processes. Regionalisation, identity-formation and the key characteristics of EuroMan unite in EU regional policies and New...

  14. Establishing a tracer-based sediment budget to preserve wetlands in Mediterranean mountain agroecosystems (NE Spain)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Navas, Ana, E-mail: anavas@eead.csic.es [Department of Soil and Water, Estación Experimental de Aula Dei, EEAD-CSIC, Avda. Montañana 1005, 50059 Zaragoza (Spain); López-Vicente, Manuel, E-mail: mvicente@eead.csic.es [Department of Soil and Water, Estación Experimental de Aula Dei, EEAD-CSIC, Avda. Montañana 1005, 50059 Zaragoza (Spain); Gaspar, Leticia, E-mail: leticia.gaspar@plymouth.ac.uk [School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Science, Plymouth University, Plymouth, Devon PL4 8AA (United Kingdom); Palazón, Leticia, E-mail: lpalazon@eead.csic.es [Department of Soil and Water, Estación Experimental de Aula Dei, EEAD-CSIC, Avda. Montañana 1005, 50059 Zaragoza (Spain); Quijano, Laura, E-mail: lquijano@eead.cisc.es [Department of Soil and Water, Estación Experimental de Aula Dei, EEAD-CSIC, Avda. Montañana 1005, 50059 Zaragoza (Spain)

    2014-10-15

    Mountain wetlands in Mediterranean regions are particularly threatened in agricultural environments due to anthropogenic activity. An integrated study of source-to-sink sediment fluxes was carried out in an agricultural catchment that holds a small permanent lake included in the European NATURA 2000 Network. More than 1000 yrs of human intervention and the variety of land uses pose a substantial challenge when attempting to estimate sediment fluxes which is the first requirement to protect fragile wetlands. To date, there have been few similar studies and those that have been carried out have not addressed such complex terrain. Geostatistical interpolation and GIS tools were used to derive the soil spatial redistribution from point {sup 137}Cs inventories, and to establish the sediment budget in a catchment located in the Southern Pyrenees. The soil redistribution was intense and soil erosion predominated over soil deposition. On the areas that maintained natural vegetation the median soil erosion and deposition rates were moderate, ranging from 2.6 to 6 Mg ha yr{sup −1} and 1.5 to 2.1 Mg ha yr{sup −1}, respectively. However, in cultivated fields both erosion and deposition were significantly higher (ca. 20 Mg ha yr{sup −1}), and the maximum rates were always associated with tillage practices. Farming activities in the last part of the 20th century intensified soil erosion, as evidenced by the 1963 {sup 137}Cs peaks in the lake cores and estimates from the sediment budget indicated a net deposition of 671 Mg yr{sup −1}. Results confirm a siltation risk for the lake and provide a foundation for designing management plans to preserve this threatened wetland. This comprehensive approach provides information useful for understanding processes that influence the patterns and rates of soil transfer and deposition within fragile Mediterranean mountain wetlands subjected to climate and anthropogenic stresses. - Highlights: • Soil erosion threatens long

  15. USD and Euro: competitive advantages of reserve currencies and leadership tussle

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gordyachkova O. V.

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available the article describes the factors, affecting exchange rate, competitive advantages of USD and Euro as reserve currencies, the steps of fight of USD and Euro for the status of the “main” world's reserve currency. It was concluded that the main factor, affecting exchange rate, is a political impact.

  16. Real time uncertainty in fiscal planning and debt accumulation in the euro area

    OpenAIRE

    Paloviita, Maritta

    2012-01-01

    This study explores real time uncertainty in euro area fiscal policies since the late 1990s. Using real time data from the OECD Economic Outlook publications we investigate the impact of real time uncertainty on fiscal planning and debt accumulation separately for two country groups in the euro area: countries in geographical periphery (Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain) and other euro area countries (Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany and the Netherlands). The results indica...

  17. Safety assessment by Euro NCAP - objective test procedures instead of subjective inspection; Die Sicherheitsbewertung durch Euro NCAP - objektive Testverfahren statt subjektiver Fahrzeuginspektion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Seeck, A. [Bundesanstalt fuer Strassenwesen, Bergisch Gladbach (Germany); Klanner, W. [ADAC Technik Zentrum Landsberg (Germany)

    2001-07-01

    Development of objective testing procedures which may be able to replace subjective inspection of a vehicle following a crash test ist being pursued by Euro NCAP to an increasing degree. Three examples were given to show the capabilities as well as the difficulties connected with description of objective criteria and test procedures. Airbag bottoming-out was described pragmatically and clearly with the aid of criteria based on acceleration measurements in the head of the dummy. These criteria could therefore already be taken into consideration in development and layout of airbags. Practical testing at Euro NCAP has shown that head side airbags can provide considerably different protective effects in terms of accident reality during pole side impact and that these effects cannot always be recorded and differentiated using the evaluation criteria defined to date. For this reason extended and new evaluation criteria have been defined which allow differentiation of such systems. However, it was also found that marginal situations can occur which are difficult to evaluate. However, since such marginal situations can be described, it should be possible for automobile manufacturers in the future to design a system which is no longer devaluated by a modifier in cases of doubt. Evaluation of the knee impact area on the dashboard has probably caused the greatest criticism from the automotive industry to date regarding subjective inspection within the scope of Euro NCAP evaluation. A new committee from Euro NCAP is presently making efforts to define an objective test procedure with which modifiers resulting from the inspection can be refuted subsequently where applicable. However, since the knee mapping situation is very complex, it will probably not be possible to find an absolutely correct test procedure. On the contrary, a pragmatic procedure will probably be found which can then supply objective and comparable readings. This would then provide a testing method which would

  18. An ancient Mediterranean melting pot: investigating the uniparental genetic structure and population history of sicily and southern Italy.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stefania Sarno

    Full Text Available Due to their strategic geographic location between three different continents, Sicily and Southern Italy have long represented a major Mediterranean crossroad where different peoples and cultures came together over time. However, its multi-layered history of migration pathways and cultural exchanges, has made the reconstruction of its genetic history and population structure extremely controversial and widely debated. To address this debate, we surveyed the genetic variability of 326 accurately selected individuals from 8 different provinces of Sicily and Southern Italy, through a comprehensive evaluation of both Y-chromosome and mtDNA genomes. The main goal was to investigate the structuring of maternal and paternal genetic pools within Sicily and Southern Italy, and to examine their degrees of interaction with other Mediterranean populations. Our findings show high levels of within-population variability, coupled with the lack of significant genetic sub-structures both within Sicily, as well as between Sicily and Southern Italy. When Sicilian and Southern Italian populations were contextualized within the Euro-Mediterranean genetic space, we observed different historical dynamics for maternal and paternal inheritances. Y-chromosome results highlight a significant genetic differentiation between the North-Western and South-Eastern part of the Mediterranean, the Italian Peninsula occupying an intermediate position therein. In particular, Sicily and Southern Italy reveal a shared paternal genetic background with the Balkan Peninsula and the time estimates of main Y-chromosome lineages signal paternal genetic traces of Neolithic and post-Neolithic migration events. On the contrary, despite showing some correspondence with its paternal counterpart, mtDNA reveals a substantially homogeneous genetic landscape, which may reflect older population events or different demographic dynamics between males and females. Overall, both uniparental genetic

  19. Impact of the asset purchase programme on euro area government bond yields using market news

    OpenAIRE

    De Santis, Roberto

    2016-01-01

    Assessing the impact of the Asset Purchase Programme (APP) by the European Central Bank (ECB) on euro area sovereign yields is challenging, because the monetary policy announcement in January 2015 was already implicitly communicated to the market in the second half of 2014. Therefore, to identify the APP for the euro area, we rely upon Bloomberg news on euro area APP. The econometric results suggest that the impact of APP on euro area long-term sovereign yields is sizeable, albeit the program...

  20. Equilibrium of vegetation and climate at the European rear edge. A reference for climate change planning in mountainous Mediterranean regions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruiz-Labourdette, Diego; Martínez, Felipe; Martín-López, Berta; Montes, Carlos; Pineda, Francisco D

    2011-05-01

    Mediterranean mountains harbour some of Europe's highest floristic richness. This is accounted for largely by the mesoclimatic variety in these areas, along with the co-occurrence of a small area of Eurosiberian, Boreal and Mediterranean species, and those of Tertiary Subtropical origin. Throughout the twenty-first century, we are likely to witness a climate change-related modification of the biogeographic scenario in these mountains, and there is therefore a need for accurate climate regionalisations to serve as a reference of the abundance and distribution of species and communities, particularly those of a relictic nature. This paper presents an objective mapping method focussing on climate regions in a mountain range. The procedure was tested in the Cordillera Central Mountains of the Iberian Peninsula, in the western Mediterranean, one of the ranges occupying the largest area of the Mediterranean Basin. This regionalisation is based upon multivariate analyses and upon detailed cartography employing 27 climatic variables. We used spatial interpolation of data based on geographic information. We detected high climatic diversity in the mountain range studied. We identified 13 climatic regions, all of which form a varying mosaic throughout the annual temperature and rainfall cycle. This heterogeneity results from two geographically opposed gradients. The first one is the Mediterranean-Euro-Siberian variation of the mountain range. The second gradient involves the degree of oceanicity, which is negatively related to distance from the Atlantic Ocean. The existing correlation between the climatic regions detected and the flora existing therein enables the results to be situated within the projected trends of global warming, and their biogeographic and ecological consequences to be analysed.

  1. [The Euro-orphans phenomenon and the courses in therapeutic work and psychiatric treatment--a case study].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nowak, Marta; Gaweda, Agnieszka; Janas-Kozik, Małgorzata

    2012-01-01

    Today, the phenomenon of Euro-orphan is more and more frequently reported in the literature. This term refers to children with one or both parents emigrated from the country for work purposes. In connection with the social transformations of orphan-hood types described in the literature (nature, spiritual, social), the definition has been broadened by the definition ofeuro-orphan. The Ministry of Education describes the euro-orphan as the destruction of the family structure, the disorder of the socialisation process of children and reduction of the emotional exchanges among family members, as a result of migration of their parents. It provides further that not every child whose parents are not present in the country is covered as an euro-orphan. However, this group has become an increasingly larger populations. Lack of physical proximity and accessibility of important persons may have some psychological and pedagogical implications. These in turn can be shaped over time, into pathological symptoms, which are diagnostic entities in developmental psychiatry. It is not know precisely how many children in Poland are Euro-orphans. The aim of this paper is an attempt to understand the social phenomenon of Euro-orphanhood in the light of the observed psychopathologies of children and adolescents. The case study of the psychotherapy of a patient suffering from the Euro-orphanhood syndrome. Euro-orphanhood is a social phenomenon that generates Euro-orphans with a wide range of psychopathological symptoms classified in different diagnostic categories. The type and intensification of the psychopathological symptoms depend on the quality of relationships with meaningful persons prior to the Euro-orphanhood period. The course of the psychotherapeutic work with Euro-orphans should cover an individual aspect taking into consideration the maturity of defensive mechanisms as well as the work-through of negative feelings cumulated due to becoming a Euro-orphan.

  2. AREVA at December 31, 2012: Sales revenue growth to euro 9.342 bn (+5.3% vs. 2011), led by nuclear and renewables operations; Backlog replenished in 2012 to euro 45.4 bn thanks to the increase in order intake

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Duperray, Julien; Berezowskyj, Katherine; Kempkes, Vincent; Rosso, Jerome; Thebault, Alexandre; Scorbiac, Marie de; Repaire, Philippine du

    2013-01-01

    AREVA had 9.342 billion euros in consolidated sales revenue in 2012, an increase of 5.3% compared with 2011 (+4.4% like for like). This increase reflects growth in both nuclear and renewables operations: - the nuclear operations reported sales revenue of 8.633 billion euros in 2012, compared with 8.426 billion euros in 2011, a 2.4% increase. On a reported basis, growth was led by the Mining Business Group (+5.5%), the Reactors and Services BG (+7.1%) and the Back End BG (+9.5%), offsetting the expected decrease in business in the Front End BG (-10.2%); - the Renewable Energies BG reported 572 million euros in sales revenue, a sharp increase in relation to 2011 (+92.3%); - foreign exchange had a positive impact of 159 million euros over the period, while changes in consolidation scope had a negative impact of 83 million euros. Fourth quarter 2012 sales revenue totaled 2.799 billion euros. It was down 4.2% on a reported basis (-4.1% like for like), chiefly due to a lower level of activity in the Mining BG compared with a particularly high fourth quarter 2011 and following three consecutive quarters of strong growth for the BG. Foreign exchange had a positive impact of 29 million euros over the period. Changes in consolidation scope had a negative impact of 31 million euros for the quarter. The group's backlog of 45.4 billion euros at December 31, 2012 was stable in relation to December 31, 2011 (45.6 billion euros). The 10.4% increase in nuclear order intake (a total of 8% for the group) compensated for the activity level growth in 2012 and cancellations of orders in nuclear operations following the Fukushima accident (for a total amount of 936 million euros, compared with 464 million euros at December 31, 2011 and 742 million euros at September 30, 2012)

  3. The Texts of the Instruments connected with the Agency's Assistance to Pakistan in Establishing a Research Reactor Project. A Second Supply Agreement

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1968-01-12

    As a sequel to the assistance which the Agency provided to the Government of Pakistan in establishing a research reactor project, a second Supply Agreement has been concluded between the Agency and the Governments of Pakistan and the United States of America. This Agreement entered into force on 19 October 1967, and the text is reproduced herein for the information of all Members.

  4. The Texts of the Instruments connected with the Agency's Assistance to Pakistan in Establishing a Research Reactor Project. A Second Supply Agreement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1968-01-01

    As a sequel to the assistance which the Agency provided to the Government of Pakistan in establishing a research reactor project, a second Supply Agreement has been concluded between the Agency and the Governments of Pakistan and the United States of America. This Agreement entered into force on 19 October 1967, and the text is reproduced herein for the information of all Members

  5. The impact of oil price increase on the Euro area's growth

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jamet, Jean-Francois

    2008-01-01

    In a first part, the author of this article comments the increase of oil prices since 2002 and notices that the magnitude is similar to that noticed during the 1973 and 1979 oil-shocks. He outlines that several factors have limited the impact of the oil price increase in the Euro area, notably the Euro appreciation with respect to the dollar: the Euro appreciation has absorbed half of the oil price increase, the oil intensity of the European economy has decreased, a tax damping effect has been noticed, and more competitive markets limit the inflation risk. The author assesses the impact of oil price increase on the growth of the Euro zone since 2002: recessionary effect of oil price increase, an actual impact but limited by the appreciation of Euro. Perspectives for 2008 are discussed: predictable oil price evolution and its impact of growth in 2008, policy and action of the ECB (European Central Bank) in front of the impact of oil price increase on inflation and on activity

  6. Simulation and analysis of the mesoscale circulation in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. Echevin

    Full Text Available The large-scale and mesoscale circulation of the northwestern Mediterranean Sea are simulated with an eddy-resolving primitive-equation regional model (RM of 1/16° resolution embedded in a general circulation model (GM of the Mediterranean Sea of 1/8° resolution. The RM is forced by a monthly climatology of heat fluxes, precipitation and wind stress. The GM, which uses the same atmospheric forcing, provides initial and boundary conditions for the RM. Analysis of the RM results shows that several realistic features of the large-scale and mesoscale circulation are evident in this region. The mean cyclonic circulation is in good agreement with observations. Mesoscale variability is intense along the coasts of Sardinia and Corsica, in the Gulf of Lions and in the Catalan Sea. The length scales of the Northern Current meanders along the Provence coast and in the Gulf of Lions’ shelf are in good agreement with observations. Winter Intermediate Water is formed along most of the north-coast shelves, between the Gulf of Genoa and Cape Creus. Advection of this water by the mean cyclonic circulation generates a complex eddy field in the Catalan Sea. Intense anticyclonic eddies are generated northeast of the Balearic Islands. These results are in good agreement with mesoscale activity inferred from satellite altimetric data. This work demonstrates the feasibility of a down-scaling system composed of a general-circulation, a regional and a coastal model, which is one of the goals of the Mediterranean Forecasting System Pilot Project.

    Key words. Oceanography: physical (currents; eddies and mesoscale processes; general circulation

  7. Establishing length-at-age references in the red mullet, Mullus barbatus L. 1758 (Pisces, Mullidae, a case study for growth assessments in the Mediterranean Geographical Sub-Areas (GSA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.L. BIANCHINI

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Length at age data are a fundamental tool for the assessment of exploited fish populations, their use requiring the identification of the ‘unit stock’. At the present, however, the spatial reference for stock assessment in the Mediterranean Sea is based on a grid of 30 arbitrary Geographical Sub Areas (GSA. Since older data rarely respect the GSA borders, the authors propose to reconstruct the historical data within a common frame and to assess a single reference length at age, together with the corresponding von Bertalanffy growth parameters, to be used as a broad benchmark for analyses inter and intra GSAs. This approach was tested using, as a case study, the red mullet (Mullus barbatus L. 1758, one of the most investigated fish of the whole Mediterranean basin. Published and grey literature was browsed, to get direct and/or indirect length at age estimations. To establish a common baseline and maximize the use of partial information, a vBGF (L∞, total length in mm, and Ky-1 was fitted to length at age data whenever possible. 56 Mediterranean sets were utilized; an overall reference growth line was estimated by sex, discussing its adequacy to the life traits of the species.

  8. The Indian scad (Decapterus russelli, (Osteichtyes: Carangidae, a new Indo-Pacific fish invader of the eastern Mediterranean

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel Golani

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available The Indian scad, Decapterus russelli, is recorded for the first time from the Mediterranean. The presence of this Indo-Pacific species on the Mediterranean coast of Israel is evidently due to migration from the Red Sea via the Suez Canal. The collection of six specimens in the Mediterranean suggests that this species is well established in the Levant.

  9. Euro peal ja dollar all / Tõnis Arnover

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Arnover, Tõnis, 1952-

    2007-01-01

    Viimastel päevadel on euro kurss USA dollari suhtes kerkinud oma olemasolu kaheksa aasta kõrgeimale tasemele. Diagramm. Vt. samas: USA mõju kahaneb; Nõrkuse põhjus intressipoliitikas; Dollari ohud seotud eelarve ja naftaga

  10. Poland’s Public Finance Convergence with the Euro Area

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elżbieta Kawecka-Wyrzykowska

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Situation of Poland's public finances has been improving. Helped by solid economic growth in 2011, Poland has reduced its budget deficit in line with the Commission's recommendations. Contrary to earlier forecasts, in 2012 it was slightly above the ceiling of 3% of GDP. It should be further reduced to reach in 2015 the level of 1% of GDP in terms structural deficit. The slowdown of the economy in 2012 and probably in 2013 will not make this task easy, however.Public debt has risen steadily over the past few years but level has been in recent times still well below the 60% of GDP ceiling.The national reform programme and the convergence programme were adopted by Poland’s Council of Ministers on 25 April 2012. The convergence programme outlined in an integrated manner the fiscal consolidation efforts, the key structural reforms and the reforms that underpin macroeconomic stabilisation.In the medium to long term, Poland is faced with a number of challenges. A very low labour force participation rate, in particular of women, and the poor quality of vocational training and education are major concerns given an ageing population. The low level of public and private R&D spending, weak links between science and industry and the poor innovation performance call for improvements.Apart from programme of national reforms, crucial for future sustained economic growth and good performance of public finances, an additional factor stimulating activities towards fiscal improvement should be Poland’s participation in a strengthened economic governance architecture recently introduced in the EU.Euro adoption remains an important goal of Polish government. The uncertain situation in the euro zone has, however, postponed adoption of a clear timetable of joining the euro zone. The government decided that an additional condition to join the euro zone, apart from meeting the nominal convergence criteria (and legal conditions not discussed here, is stabilisation of

  11. The Mediterranean diet, its components, and cardiovascular disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Widmer, R Jay; Flammer, Andreas J; Lerman, Lilach O; Lerman, Amir

    2015-03-01

    One of the best-studied diets for cardiovascular health is the Mediterranean diet. This consists of fish, monounsaturated fats from olive oil, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes/nuts, and moderate alcohol consumption. The Mediterranean diet has been shown to reduce the burden, or even prevent the development, of cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, depression, colorectal cancer, diabetes, obesity, asthma, erectile dysfunction, and cognitive decline. This diet is also known to improve surrogates of cardiovascular disease, such as waist-to-hip ratio, lipids, and markers of inflammation, as well as primary cardiovascular disease outcomes such as death and events in both observational and randomized controlled trial data. These enhancements easily rival those seen with more established tools used to fight cardiovascular disease such as aspirin, beta-blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, and exercise. However, it is unclear if the Mediterranean diet offers cardiovascular disease benefit from its individual constituents or in aggregate. Furthermore, the potential benefit of the Mediterranean diet or its components is not yet validated by concrete cardiovascular disease endpoints in randomized trials or observational studies. This review will focus on the effects of the whole and parts of the Mediterranean diet with regard to both population-based and experimental data highlighting cardiovascular disease morbidity or mortality and cardiovascular disease surrogates when hard outcomes are not available. Our synthesis will highlight the potential for the Mediterranean diet to act as a key player in cardiovascular disease prevention, and attempt to identify certain aspects of the diet that are particularly beneficial for cardioprotection. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Relation between 234Th scavenging and zooplankton biomass in Mediterranean surface waters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schmidt, S.; Reyss, J.L.; Buat-Menard, P.; Nival, P.; Baker, M.

    1992-01-01

    Dissolved and particulate 234 Th activities were determined and phyto-and zooplankton biomass were periodically measured 8 miles off Nice (Mediterranean Sea) during spring 1987. The results show a strong variability of 234 Th distribution on short time scales in northwestern Mediterranean surface waters. The good correlation observed the zooplankton biomass and the rate of 234 Th export to deep water in particulate form is agreement with the assumption that the residence time of particulate 234 Th in oceanic surface waters is controlled by zooplankton grazing. Moreover, our results indicate the importance of salps in particular as efficient removers of small suspended particles in surface waters

  13. Soil erosion in a man-made landscape: the Mediterranean

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cerdà, A.; Ruiz Sinoga, J. D.; Cammeraat, L. H.

    2012-04-01

    the Mediterranean lands. The methods applied to measure or estimate the soil erosion should be improved to make them comparable. An agreement is necessary to decide the size of the plots, the material and equipment to be used and the future research topics. This research study is being supported by the the research project CGL2008-02879/BTE

  14. The EuroPrevall birth cohort study on food allergy: baseline characteristics of 12,000 newborns and their families from nine European countries

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    McBride, D.; Keil, T.; Grabenhenrich, L.; Dubakiene, R.; Drasutiene, G.; Fiocchi, A.; Dahdah, L.; Sprikkelman, A. B.; Schoemaker, A. A.; Roberts, G.; Grimshaw, K.; Kowalski, M. L.; Stanczyk-Przyluska, A.; Sigurdardottir, S.; Clausen, M.; Papadopoulos, N. G.; Mitsias, D.; Rosenfeld, L.; Reche, M.; Pascual, C.; Reich, A.; Hourihane, J.; Wahn, U.; Mills, E. N. C.; Mackie, A.; Beyer, K.

    2012-01-01

    It is unclear why some children develop food allergy. The EuroPrevall birth cohort was established to examine regional differences in the prevalence and risk factors of food allergy in European children using gold-standard diagnostic criteria. The aim of this report was to describe pre-, post-natal

  15. IS READY ROMANIA FOR EURO ADOPTION? FROM STRUCTURAL CONVERGENCE TO BUSINESS CYCLE SYNCHRONIZATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marinas Marius - Corneliu

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this study is to identify gaps between economic and commercial structures between Romania and the euro area and to explain whether the results obtained justify recently decision to delay euro adoption beyond 2015. According to theory of optimum currency areas, the existence of similar economic structures, increasing trade integration and synchronization of business cycles with monetary union will provide greater symmetry of shocks between Romania and the euro area. If the shocks are more symmetrical, then common monetary policy of the European Central Bank will act as a tool to neutralize the shocks in the case of Romania, and the euro adoption would have fewer adverse effects. To meet the research objective, we have structured this paper into three parts. In the first part we referred to the importance of the proposed theme in the economic literature. In the second part, we used several statistical methods to identify how divergent is Romania relative to the euro area economies. The results obtained show increasing divergence between economic structures until 2009 year using the NACE 6 methodology. In fact, Romania has the most divergent structure in EU-27 countries, being characterized by lowest contribution of services to GDP. However, structural differences do not constitute an obstacle to euro adoption, as long as Romania becomes more commercially integrated with other European countries. Thus, Romania is the seventh economy in terms of trade with the EU-27 (73.3% of exports and 74.3% of imports, and the degree of convergence between the structure of exports and imports have increased significantly compared with 2000 year. In the third part, we estimated the degree of synchronization of business cycles between Romania and the euro area, based on Hodrick-Prescott filter. Results showed an increasing correlation of business cycles as a result of increasing industrial activity and export synchronization.

  16. 26 CFR 1.1001-5 - European Monetary Union (conversion to the euro).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 11 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true European Monetary Union (conversion to the euro). 1.1001-5 Section 1.1001-5 Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY... § 1.1001-5 European Monetary Union (conversion to the euro). (a) Conversion of currencies. For...

  17. Euro crisis or public debt crisis? With a remedy for the latter case

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mario Sarcinelli

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available The European crisis did not originate with the Euro but with the excessive public debt of peripheral Eurozone countries. The ‘great moderation’ that had kept the euro sheltered from the storms proved a boon, because it granted the currency the status of a sound asset, but it was also a bane because it had led euro holders to believe that the euro area had implicitly reached such a degree of cohesion as to make a Greek or Italian government security almost as sound as a German one. If awareness of reality had dawned sooner, interest rates on the peripheral countries’ public debt would have been considerably higher and government leaders might have woken up sooner from the dream of governing a country that could outlast any storm thanks to its ample private wealth, despite its massive public debt.

  18. Snow hydrology in Mediterranean mountain regions: A review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fayad, Abbas; Gascoin, Simon; Faour, Ghaleb; López-Moreno, Juan Ignacio; Drapeau, Laurent; Page, Michel Le; Escadafal, Richard

    2017-08-01

    is suitable for hydrological applications. Further advances in our understanding of the snow processes in Mediterranean snow-dominated basins will be achieved by finer and more accurate representation of the climate forcing. While the theory on the snowpack energy and mass balance is now well established, the connections between the snow cover and the water resources involve complex interactions with the sub-surface processes, which demand future investigation.

  19. THE STRUCTURAL DEFICIT – A NEW MEASURE FOR FISCAL DISCIPLINE IN THE EURO AREA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cristina PUIU

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to assess the importance of the new limit for the government deficit in order to improve fiscal discipline in the Economic and Monetary Union in Europe. Since the introduction of the single currency there have been debates regarding the lack of fiscal integration. The monetary integration process triggered the centralization of monetary policies while the fiscal policies remained at national level. Although the member states of the euro area were subject to restrictions imposed by the Stability and Growth Pact in order to provide an assurance against asymmetric shocks, the recent financial crisis revealed high levels of public deficits. Thus, the measures were not enough to establish an environment of fiscal discipline in the currency area and the currency area proved to be suboptimal. Therefore, new limits were imposed through the Treaty of Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union. This study will provide a clear understanding of the concept of structural deficit, measures used to quantify it and the shortcomings of this indicator. Furthermore, it will show that, despite the limits of the indicator, it represents an improvement in achieving stability in the euro area.

  20. Mediterranean diet

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000110.htm Mediterranean diet To use the sharing features on this page, ... and other health problems. How to Follow the Diet The Mediterranean diet is based on: Plant-based ...

  1. A model study of ozone in the eastern Mediterranean free troposphere during MINOS (August 2001)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Roelofs, GJ; Scheeren, HA; Heland, J; Ziereis, H; Lelieveld, J

    2003-01-01

    A coupled tropospheric chemistry-climate model is used to analyze tropospheric ozone distributions observed during the MINOS campaign in the eastern Mediterranean region ( August, 2001). Modeled ozone profiles are generally in good agreement with the observations. Our analysis shows that the

  2. Agreement and Anti-Agreement in Berber: A Multiple-Feature Inheritance Account

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saleem Abdelhady

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available This study proposes understanding Agreement and Anti-Agreement in Berber from Multi-Feature Inheritance (MFI account following Branigan’s (2016 recent approach. The study aims to bridge a misunderstanding in the literature where it has been assumed that Feature Inheritance (FI can only account for Agreement relations while Anti-agreement relations can only be established by a direct Agree between C as a probe and its goal. Under MFI, it can be argued that FI can account for all aspects of Agreement/Anti-agreement. The study, therefore, presents a unification of the three mechanisms proposed by Ouali (2008. The new approach is tested on data from Berber.

  3. Post-Keynesian alternative policies to curb macroeconomic imbalances in the Euro area

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hein Eckhard

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper we outline alternative post-Keynesian policy recommendations addressing the problems of differential inflation, divergence in competitiveness and associated current account imbalances within the Euro area. We provide a basic framework in order to systematically address the related issues making use of Anthony P. Thirlwall’s (1979, 2002 model of a “balance-of-payments-constrained growth rate” (BPCGR. Based on this framework, we outline the required stance for alternative economic policies and then we discuss the implications for alternative monetary, wage/incomes and fiscal policies in the Euro area as a whole, as well as the consequences for structural and regional policies in the Euro area periphery, in particular.

  4. EUROSUNMED. Euro-Mediterranean cooperation on research and training in sun based renewable energies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Slaoui, Abdelilah

    2013-01-01

    Here we present the different aspects of the EUROSUNMED project. The scientific targets of EUROSUNMED are the development of new technologies in three energy field areas, namely photovoltaics (PV), concentrated solar power (CSP) and grid integration (GI), in strong collaboration with research institutes, universities and SMSs from Europe in the north side of the Mediterranean sea and from Morocco and Egypt from the south of the sea. the focus in PV will be on thin film (Si, CZTS) based solar cells and modules while the goal in CSP field is to design and test new heliostats as well as novel solutions for energy storage compatible with these technologies. The project aims at producing components that will be tested under specific conditions of MPC (hot climate, absence of water, etc.). Such investigations are complemented with studies on grid integration of energy sources from PV and CSP in Morocco and Egypt context. Additionally, the consortium envisages training PhD students and post-docs in these interdisciplinary fields (chemistry, physics, materials science) in a close and fruitful collaboration between academic institutions and industry from EU and MPCs. The consortium is well placed around leading academic groups in materials science and engineering devices and equipments for the development of PV and CSP, and also in the promotion of the renewable energies in general. Moreover, technology transfer and research infrastructure development in the targeted areas will be provided. Disseminating the results of the projects will be done through the organization of summer schools and stakeholders involved in the 3 selected energy area and beyond. Another outreach of the project will be the proposal for a roadmap on the technological aspects (research, industry, implementation) of the PV, CSP and grid area as well as on the best practice for the continuation of strong collaboration between the EU and MPCS partners and beyond for mutual interest. (author)

  5. Areva - First quarter 2009 revenue climbs 8.5% to 3.003 billion euros

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2009-04-01

    First quarter 2009 revenue was up 8.5% compared with the same period last year, to 3.003 billion euros. At constant exchange rates and consolidation scope, growth came to 3.9%. Currency translation had a positive impact of 57 million euros over the quarter. Changes in the consolidation scope had an impact of 66 million euros, primarily due to the consolidation of acquisitions made in 2008 in Transmission and Distribution and in Renewable Energies. The growth engines for first quarter revenue were the Reactors and Services division and the Transmission and Distribution division, with growth of 9.2% and 16.1% respectively. Outside France, revenue rose to 2.032 billion euros, compared with 1.857 billion euros in the first quarter of 2008, and represents 68% of total revenue. Orders were steady in the first quarter, particularly in the Front End, which posted several significant contracts with US and Asian utilities, and in Transmission and Distribution, with orders up sharply in Asia and South America. As of March 31, 2009, the group's backlog reached 49.5 billion euros, for 28.3% growth year-on-year, including 31.3% growth in Nuclear and 10.2% in Transmission and Distribution. For the year as a whole, the group confirms its outlook for backlog and revenue growth as well as rising operating income It should be noted that revenue may vary significantly from one quarter to the next in nuclear operations. Accordingly, quarterly data cannot be viewed as a reliable indicator of annual trends

  6. TRIPOLARISATION OF THE CURRENCIES IN THE WORLD ECONOMY: US DOLLAR – EURO – YEN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ramona TOMA

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available At present, the world economy is dominated by three poles – the USA, the European Union and Japan – among which there should be real co-operation to ensure the international stability on all levels. The introduction of the euro was perceived by the experts as the beginning of the competition among the currencies on the international financial markets. The European Monetary Union was conceived to cause an internal, not an external change, with an economic and financial purpose and as a further step of the European integration. Moreover, the international monetary system does not allow the European single currency to make gains that might cause losses to the US dollar. Both currencies have room in the world economy, but the euro has been beneficial to both the euro area and the rest of the world. At present, the euro is stronger than the sum of the twelve former national currencies. The consolidation of the national economies of the euro area becomes stronger due to the impact on liquidities, to the various investment opportunities for the entities that manage the financial portfolios and the central banks that manage the foreign currency reserves. The competition among the currencies means more opportunities in the world economy: the euro is an international currency used along with the US dollar and the yen, not against them.

  7. «EURO 2008» - EUROPEAN FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS

    CERN Multimedia

    2007-01-01

    The Permanent Mission of Switzerland wishes to alert CERN to the potential impact of the three football matches to be staged at Geneva’s La Praille Stadium on 7, 11 and 15 June 2008 as part of the "Euro 2008" European Football Championships: hotel capacity and air, rail and road infrastructures will be heavily in demand, special security and transportation measures commensurate with the exceptional nature of this event will be put in place by the relevant authorities. The Mission recommends that these circumstances should be taken into account in the planning of meetings or other events which may take place over this period, and in particular that necessary hotel bookings be made as far in advance as possible. Further information can be found at the following website: http://www.geneve.ch/euro2008/ Relations with the Host States Service Tel.: 72848 relations.secretariat@cern.ch www.cern.ch/relations

  8. «EURO 2008» - European Football Championships

    CERN Multimedia

    DSU Department

    2008-01-01

    The Permanent Mission of Switzerland wishes to alert CERN to the potential impact of the three football matches to be staged at Geneva’s La Praille Stadium on 7, 11 and 15 June 2008 as part of the "Euro 2008" European Football Championships: hotel capacity and air, rail and road infrastructures will be heavily in demand, special security and transportation measures commensurate with the exceptional nature of this event will be put in place by the relevant authorities. The Mission recommends that these circumstances should be taken into account in the planning of meetings or other events which may take place over this period, and in particular that necessary hotel bookings be made as far in advance as possible. Further information can be found at the following website: http://www.geneve.ch/euro2008/ Relations with the Host States Service Tel.: 72848 mailto:relations.secretariat@cern.chhttp://www.cern.ch/relations

  9. Uniunea fiscală și problema datoriilor Zonei euro

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ionela Bălțătescu

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available The present paper summarizes the main characteristics of the Eurozone institutional setup and the related economic and political incentives that drive Eurozone governments to increase their public debts, disregarding the limits agreed in the European treatises. The first part of the paper contains a review of the Eurozone institutional setup and of the incentives it creates for Eurozone member states to increase their deficits and public debts. The second part of the paper carries out a short review and criticism of the main strategies and policy tools to fight Eurozone debt problem: ECB bond buying, EFSF/ESM leverage, Eurobonds and Euro-TARP. The main conclusion of the paper is that establishing a fiscal union in EU does not solve by itself the public debt problem of Eurozone member states if the institutional mechanism of debt accumulation, debt rollover and risk socialization are not dismantled.

  10. Are electricity prices affected by the US dollar to Euro exchange rate? The Spanish case

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Munoz, M. Pilar; Dickey, David A.

    2009-01-01

    The objective of this paper is to investigate the relationships between Spanish electricity spot prices and the US dollar/Euro (USD/Euro) exchange rate during the period 2005-2007, taking into account the study of the association between dollar and oil prices, in order to better understand the evolution of the former over time. The first finding in this study is that Spanish electricity spots prices, the USD/Euro exchange rate and oil prices are cointegrated; therefore there is a long-run equilibrium relationship between the three variables. Short-run relationships have been detected between oil prices and Spanish electricity prices and USD/Euro exchange rate in the sense that Spanish electricity prices and USD/Euro exchange rate are affected by oil prices in the short run. There is a transmission of volatility between USD/Euro exchange rate and oil prices to Spanish electricity prices; so although Spanish electricity prices are not affected in level by the movements of USD/Euro exchange rate, they are in volatility. In this kind of scenario the conclusions confirm that for countries so dependent on external causes as Spain, one possible solution for guarantying the energy security would be the promotion of the renewable energies. Therefore we cannot ignore the impact in the internal expenses of the cost of installation and generation of green energies so there must be a balance between the increase in renewables and the reasonable market price of the electricity. (author)

  11. Land-atmosphere feedbacks in EURO-CORDEX: analysis and impact on the precipitation recycling in a changing climate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cardoso, Rita M.; Soares, Pedro M. M.; Rios, Alexandre; Trigo, Ricardo M.

    2017-04-01

    Land-atmosphere interactions are known to play a key role on climate and are expected to be critical to understand its evolution as a consequence of climate change. These land-air feedbacks are of utmost importance in those regions and periods when the intensity of evapotranspiration is high and, at the same time, controlled by soil moisture availability. In the Mediterranean Basin, the amount of rainfall coming from evapotranspiration over land represents a relevant fraction of the total precipitation in the year. Furthermore, many of these areas are affected by water limitations and are expected to be more sensitive to the impact of climate change along the upcoming decades. The latent and sensible heat fluxes in the Euro-CORDEX simulations (0.11 and 0.44) are the starting point for an assessment of the expected changes in the surface evapotranspiration and evaporative fraction (EF) in a changing climate. The changes in the heat fluxes and EF between 2071-2100 and 1971-2000 exhibit a large spread. The majority of the models forecast an increase in EF in Scandinavia and a decrease in the Mediterranean and Iberia. The WRF model, is also used to explore 3D land-atmosphere coupling over the different regions within the European CORDEX domain, at 0.44 horizontal resolution and for a high resolution domain (9km) over the Iberian Peninsula (IP). We start our analysis by computing the recycling ratio, for the hindcast (1989-2009), through the method of Eltahir and Bras, as a first approach to quantify the intensity of land-atmosphere feedbacks and their impact on the rainfall regime. This method, much more accurate than analytical Integral Moisture Budget recycling models, allows us to explore the spatial distribution of recycling over Europe and therefore focus our analysis on the most sensitive regions. The highest recycling ratio occurs in central and eastern Europe in late spring and summer; where the percentage of precipitation from evapotranspiration is higher than

  12. European contribution to the study of ROS : A summary of the findings and prospects for the future from the COST action BM1203 (EU-ROS)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Egea, Javier; Fabregat, Isabel; Frapart, Yves M; Ghezzi, Pietro; Görlach, Agnes; Kietzmann, Thomas; Kubaichuk, Kateryna; Knaus, Ulla G; Lopez, Manuela G; Olaso-Gonzalez, Gloria; Petry, Andreas; Schulz, Rainer; Vina, Jose; Winyard, Paul J; Abbas, Kahina; Ademowo, Opeyemi S; Afonso, Catarina B; Andreadou, Ioanna; Antelmann, Haike; Antunes, Fernando; Aslan, Mutay; Bachschmid, Markus M; Barbosa, Rui M; Belousov, Vsevolod; Berndt, Carsten; Bernlohr, David; Bertrán, Esther; Bindoli, Alberto; Bottari, Serge P; Brito, Paula M; Carrara, Guia; Casas, Ana I; Chatzi, Afroditi; Chondrogianni, Niki; Conrad, Marcus; Cooke, Marcus S; Costa, João G; Cuadrado, Antonio; My-Chan Dang, Pham; De Smet, Barbara; Debelec-Butuner, Bilge; Dias, Irundika H K; Dunn, Joe Dan; Edson, Amanda J; El Assar, Mariam; El-Benna, Jamel; Ferdinandy, Péter; Fernandes, Ana S; Fladmark, Kari E; Förstermann, Ulrich; Giniatullin, Rashid; Giricz, Zoltán; Görbe, Anikó; Griffiths, Helen L; Hampl, Vaclav; Hanf, Alina; Herget, Jan; Hernansanz-Agustín, Pablo; Hillion, Melanie; Huang, Jingjing; Ilikay, Serap; Jansen-Dürr, Pidder; Jaquet, Vincent; Joles, Jaap A; Kalyanaraman, Balaraman; Kaminskyy, Danylo; Karbaschi, Mahsa; Kleanthous, Marina; Klotz, Lars-Oliver; Korac, Bato; Korkmaz, Kemal Sami; Koziel, Rafal; Kračun, Damir; Krause, Karl-Heinz; Křen, Vladimír; Krieg, Thomas; Laranjinha, João; Lazou, Antigone; Li, Huige; Martínez-Ruiz, Antonio; Matsui, Reiko; McBean, Gethin J; Meredith, Stuart P; Messens, Joris; Miguel, Verónica; Mikhed, Yuliya; Milisav, Irina; Milković, Lidija; Miranda-Vizuete, Antonio; Mojović, Miloš; Monsalve, María; Mouthuy, Pierre-Alexis; Mulvey, John; Münzel, Thomas; Muzykantov, Vladimir; Nguyen, Isabel T N; Oelze, Matthias; Oliveira, Nuno G; Palmeira, Carlos M; Papaevgeniou, Nikoletta; Pavićević, Aleksandra; Pedre, Brandán; Peyrot, Fabienne; Phylactides, Marios; Pircalabioru, Gratiela G; Pitt, Andrew R; Poulsen, Henrik E; Prieto, Ignacio; Rigobello, Maria Pia; Robledinos-Antón, Natalia; Rodríguez-Mañas, Leocadio; Rolo, Anabela P; Rousset, Francis; Ruskovska, Tatjana; Saraiva, Nuno; Sasson, Shlomo; Schröder, Katrin; Semen, Khrystyna; Seredenina, Tamara; Shakirzyanova, Anastasia; Smith, Geoffrey L; Soldati, Thierry; Sousa, Bebiana C; Spickett, Corinne M; Stancic, Ana; Stasia, Marie José; Steinbrenner, Holger; Stepanić, Višnja; Steven, Sebastian; Tokatlidis, Kostas; Tuncay, Erkan; Turan, Belma; Ursini, Fulvio; Vacek, Jan; Vajnerova, Olga; Valentová, Kateřina; Van Breusegem, Frank; Varisli, Lokman; Veal, Elizabeth A; Yalçın, A Suha; Yelisyeyeva, Olha; Žarković, Neven; Zatloukalová, Martina; Zielonka, Jacek; Touyz, Rhian M; Papapetropoulos, Andreas; Grune, Tilman; Lamas, Santiago; Schmidt, Harald H H W; Di Lisa, Fabio; Daiber, Andreas

    2017-01-01

    The European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) provides an ideal framework to establish multi-disciplinary research networks. COST Action BM1203 (EU-ROS) represents a consortium of researchers from different disciplines who are dedicated to providing new insights and tools for better

  13. Book Review: Restorative justice and victimology: Euro-Africa ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Abstract. Title: Restorative Justice and Victimology: Euro-Africa Perspectives, Author: Dr Don John O. Omale, Publisher: Wolf Publishers, Price: R354, Pages: 221, Availability: Published, ISBN: 978-90-5850-861-4 ...

  14. The Mediterranean Diet: its definition and evaluation of a priori dietary indexes in primary cardiovascular prevention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    D'Alessandro, Annunziata; De Pergola, Giovanni

    2018-01-18

    We have analysed the definition of Mediterranean Diet in 28 studies included in six meta-analyses evaluating the relation between the Mediterranean Diet and primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Some typical food of this dietary pattern like whole cereals, olive oil and red wine were taken into account only in a few a priori indexes, and the dietary pattern defined as Mediterranean showed many differences among the studies and compared to traditional Mediterranean Diet of the early 1960s. Altogether, the analysed studies show a protective effect of the Mediterranean Diet against cardiovascular disease but present different effects against specific conditions as cerebrovascular disease and coronary heart disease. These different effects might depend on the definition of Mediterranean Diet and the indexes of the adhesion to the same one used. To compare the effects of the Mediterranean Diet against cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease and stroke a univocal model of Mediterranean Diet should be established as a reference, and it might be represented by the Modern Mediterranean Diet Pyramid. The a priori index to evaluate the adhesion to Mediterranean Diet might be the Mediterranean-Style Dietary Pattern Score that has some advantages in comparison to the others a priori indexes.

  15. Prospective association of the Mediterranean diet with cardiovascular disease incidence and mortality and its population impact in a non-Mediterranean population: the EPIC-Norfolk study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tong, Tammy Y N; Wareham, Nicholas J; Khaw, Kay-Tee; Imamura, Fumiaki; Forouhi, Nita G

    2016-09-29

    Despite convincing evidence in the Mediterranean region, the cardiovascular benefit of the Mediterranean diet is not well established in non-Mediterranean countries and the optimal criteria for defining adherence are unclear. The population attributable fraction (PAF) of adherence to this diet is also unknown. In the UK-based EPIC-Norfolk prospective cohort, we evaluated habitual diets assessed at baseline (1993-1997) and during follow-up (1998-2000) using food-frequency questionnaires (n = 23,902). We estimated a Mediterranean diet score (MDS) using cut-points projected from the Mediterranean dietary pyramid, and also three other pre-existing MDSs. Using multivariable-adjusted Cox regression with repeated measures of MDS and covariates, we examined prospective associations between each MDS with incident cardiovascular diseases (CVD) by 2009 and mortality by 2013, and estimated PAF for each outcome attributable to low MDS. We observed 7606 incident CVD events (2818/100,000 person-years) and 1714 CVD deaths (448/100,000). The MDS based on the Mediterranean dietary pyramid was significantly associated with lower incidence of the cardiovascular outcomes, with hazard ratios (95 % confidence intervals) of 0.95 (0.92-0.97) per one standard deviation for incident CVD and 0.91 (0.87-0.96) for CVD mortality. Associations were similar for composite incident ischaemic heart disease and all-cause mortality. Other pre-existing MDSs showed similar, but more modest associations. PAF due to low dietary pyramid based MDS (Mediterranean diet was associated with lower CVD incidence and mortality in the UK. This diet has an important population health impact for the prevention of CVD.

  16. Transferability of the Mediterranean Diet to Non-Mediterranean Countries. What Is and What Is Not the Mediterranean Diet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martínez-González, Miguel Ángel; Hershey, Maria Soledad; Zazpe, Itziar; Trichopoulou, Antonia

    2017-11-08

    Substantial evidence has verified the Mediterranean diet's (MedDiet) nutritional adequacy, long-term sustainability, and effectiveness for preventing hard clinical events from cardiovascular disease (CVD), as well as increasing longevity. This article includes a cumulative meta-analysis of prospective studies supporting a strong inverse association between closer adherence to the MedDiet and the incidence of hard clinical events of CVD. The MedDiet has become an increasingly popular topic of interest when focusing on overall food patterns rather than single nutrient intake, not only in Mediterranean countries, but also globally. However, several myths and misconceptions associated with the traditional Mediterranean diet should be clearly addressed and dispelled, particularly those that label as "Mediterranean" an eating pattern that is not in line with the traditional Mediterranean diet. The transferability of the traditional MedDiet to the non-Mediterranean populations is possible, but it requires a multitude of changes in dietary habits. New approaches for promoting healthy dietary behavior consistent with the MedDiet will offer healthful, sustainable, and practical strategies at all levels of public health. The following article presents practical resources and knowledge necessary for accomplishing these changes.

  17. The Mediterranean indicator area: from Cyprim to Hymex

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martin, E.; Ducrocq, V.; Joly, A.; Joly, B.; Nuissier, O.; Quintana-Segui, P.; Ricard, D.; Sevault, F.; Somot, S.; Drobinski, Ph.

    2007-01-01

    The Mediterranean area exhibits very special characteristics. Severe extreme events occur regularly and the area has been identified as a climate 'hot spot' in a recent study. The project CYPRIM studies the extreme rain events and the variation of their intensity or frequency under changed climate conditions. In a first step, the project characterizes these systems using their large and medium scale environment. In a second step, using a high resolution climate scenario, some extreme rain events will be simulated using the model Meso-NH. The impact on the river discharge will be evaluated using the TOPMODEL and SIM hydrological models. The interest in the Mediterranean region under the framework of the CYPRIM project and other projects leads to the HyMeX initiative. A white book is currently being written in order to obtain a wide agreement of the scientific community on a field experiment and a project on intense rain events and regional impact of climate change. (authors)

  18. Estonia's accession to the euro area / Mart Sõrg

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Sõrg, Mart, 1943-

    2006-01-01

    Eesti astumine Euroopa Liidu liikmeks mais 2004 tõi kaasa kohustuse liituda ka europiirkonnaga. Ettevalmistused kulgevad seaduse harmoniseerimise, euro kasutuselevõtu tehnilise ettevalmistuse ning majanduse stabiilsus- ja kasvupakti nõuetele vastavusse viimise osas

  19. Theoretical investigation and mathematical modelling of a wind energy system case study for Mediterranean and Red Sea

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shata, Ahmed Shata Ahmed

    2008-06-26

    Fossil fuel is getting more and more expensive every year, and is not readily available in some remote locations. Today, wind power can be harnessed to provide some or all of the power for many useful tasks such as generating electricity, pumping water and heating a house or barn. Egypt has two coastal areas that show significant promise for wind energy exploitation; the north coast on the Mediterranean Sea and the east coast on the Red Sea. The wind energy is utilized along the coast of Mediterranean Sea in Egypt on few occasions, while from national programs for wind energy utilization in Egypt, at the Red Sea coast, the master plan calls for 600 MW which are expected to be achieved by the year 2005. The contribution of fossil fuels (oil and natural gas) to electricity production in Egypt accounts for about 79% of total production, while 21% is hydropower. The demand is expected to grow rapidly to meet the large requirements of future projects. Studies showed that there is an additional need of annual electricity generation capacity around 1000 MW/year up to 2017 [14]. The purpose of this thesis is to present a new analytical method for the calculation of the wind energy potential available along the north coast of the Mediterranean Sea and the east coast of Red Sea in Egypt and moreover, it estimates the possible electrical power generated by large wind turbines and the expected cost in Euro cent/kWh for the power level of 2000 kW. It is hoped that the data analysis will help to identify good sites in Egypt for new wind turbine installations. This evaluation is hoped to trigger the use of large wind turbines at the selected sites along the coasts of Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea in Egypt. (orig.)

  20. Behavioural therapy in the treatment of obesity (II): role of the Mediterranean diet.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garaulet, Marta; Pérez de Heredia, F

    2010-01-01

    Obesity is the consequence of an imbalance between energy intake and expenditure, food intake being affected by multiple factors -psychological, social, work-related, etc. This revision discusses the role of diet in the behavioural treatment (BT) of obesity, which faces multiple approaches and focuses on patients' behaviour rather than their mere energy intake. Recent literature has been revised that deals with the health benefits of Mediterranean diet in order to assess its suitability for obesity treatment based on BT. BT helps patients to develop skills and techniques in order to adopt proper habits and attain their healthiest weight. Patients learn to establish realistic goals, both as regards weight and behaviour, and to evaluate their progress in modifying eating and exercising habits. The application of the Mediterranean diet in obesity treatment presents various advantages which are based on the principles of this diet -wide variety of food, high carbohydrate content, or high satiating capacity, which prevents specific hunger and ketogenesis-, and has been demonstrated to be effective in reducing body weight. BT based on the Mediterranean diet is a useful tool for obesity treatment. The Mediterranean diet provides the patients with a diet established on widely recognised nutritional benefits, suitable to their social and daily life, and that can be easily followed in the long term, according to the objectives of BT. For these reasons, Mediterranean diet-based BT helps to prolong both the treatment and maintenance periods and therefore contributes to a more stable weight loss.

  1. European contribution to the study of ROS: A summary of the findings and prospects for the future from the COST action BM1203 (EU-ROS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Javier Egea

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available The European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST provides an ideal framework to establish multi-disciplinary research networks. COST Action BM1203 (EU-ROS represents a consortium of researchers from different disciplines who are dedicated to providing new insights and tools for better understanding redox biology and medicine and, in the long run, to finding new therapeutic strategies to target dysregulated redox processes in various diseases. This report highlights the major achievements of EU-ROS as well as research updates and new perspectives arising from its members. The EU-ROS consortium comprised more than 140 active members who worked together for four years on the topics briefly described below. The formation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS is an established hallmark of our aerobic environment and metabolism but RONS also act as messengers via redox regulation of essential cellular processes. The fact that many diseases have been found to be associated with oxidative stress established the theory of oxidative stress as a trigger of diseases that can be corrected by antioxidant therapy. However, while experimental studies support this thesis, clinical studies still generate controversial results, due to complex pathophysiology of oxidative stress in humans. For future improvement of antioxidant therapy and better understanding of redox-associated disease progression detailed knowledge on the sources and targets of RONS formation and discrimination of their detrimental or beneficial roles is required. In order to advance this important area of biology and medicine, highly synergistic approaches combining a variety of diverse and contrasting disciplines are needed.

  2. Talking heads : the effects of ECB statements on the euro-dollar exchange rate

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jansen, DJ; De Haan, J

    This paper studies the reaction of the conditional mean and volatility of the euro-dollar exchange rate to statements by European Central Bank and national central bank officials. We focus on comments on monetary policy and the external value of the euro. We find that the Bundesbank has dominated

  3. The northward expansion of Synaptula reciprocans (Echinodermata) in the Mediterranean Sea

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ragkousis, Michail; Marmara, Dimitra; Filiz, Halit

    2017-01-01

    Synaptula reciprocans was reported in the Mediterranean Sea for the first time back in 1986. Since then there have been numerous reports, following the species' gradual expansion and establishment in the eastern Mediterranean basin. Here we report, by using citizen science methods, from the project...... titled "Is it Alien to you? Share it" of iSea, the most recent known expansion sites of S. reciprocans, including its new northern-most frontier. Furthermore, the provided photographic evidence testifies for possible interspecies relationships, for the first time....

  4. Cern faces 260m euro budget cuts

    CERN Multimedia

    Banks, Michael

    2010-01-01

    "The Cern particle-physics lab near Geneva is to slash about 260m euro ($340m) from its budget for 2011-2015. The cut, which was approved by Cern's council last month, will require the lab to scale back research into future particles accelerators" (0.5 page)

  5. The Impact of EuroSCORE II Risk Factors on Prediction of Long-Term Mortality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barili, Fabio; Pacini, Davide; D'Ovidio, Mariangela; Dang, Nicholas C; Alamanni, Francesco; Di Bartolomeo, Roberto; Grossi, Claudio; Davoli, Marina; Fusco, Danilo; Parolari, Alessandro

    2016-10-01

    The European System for Cardiac Operation Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE) II has not been tested yet for predicting long-term mortality. This study was undertaken to evaluate the relationship between EuroSCORE II and long-term mortality and to develop a new algorithm based on EuroSCORE II factors to predict long-term survival after cardiac surgery. Complete data on 10,033 patients who underwent major cardiac surgery during a 7-year period were retrieved from three prospective institutional databases and linked with the Italian Tax Register Information System. Mortality at follow-up was analyzed with time-to-event analysis. The Kaplan-Meier estimates of survival at 1 and 5 were, respectively, 95.0% ± 0.2% and 84.7% ± 0.4%. Both discrimination and calibration of EuroSCORE II decreased in the prediction of 1-year and 5-year mortality. Nonetheless, EuroSCORE II was confirmed to be an independent predictor of long-term mortality with a nonlinear trend. Several EuroSCORE II variables were independent risk factors for long-term mortality in a regression model, most of all very low ejection fraction (less than 20%), salvage operation, and dialysis. In the final model, isolated mitral valve surgery and isolated coronary artery bypass graft surgery were associated with improved long-term survival. The EuroSCORE II cannot be considered a direct estimator of long-term risk of death, as its performance fades for mortality at follow-up longer than 30 days. Nonetheless, it is nonlinearly associated with long-term mortality, and most of its variables are risk factors for long-term mortality. Hence, they can be used in a different algorithm to stratify the risk of long-term mortality after surgery. Copyright © 2016 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Proposal for the award of a blanket purchase agreement, without competitive tendering, for the supply of Burndy connectors

    CERN Document Server

    2004-01-01

    This document concerns the award of a blanket purchase agreement, without competitive tendering, for the supply of Burndy connectors. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of a blanket purchase agreement, without competitive tendering, with SOURIAU (CH), for the supply of Burndy connectors over a period of three years, for a total amount not exceeding 600 000 euros (932 000 Swiss francs), subject to revision for inflation from 1st January 2006. The amount in Swiss francs has been calculated using the present rate of exchange.

  7. Nierównowagi fiskalne i makroekonomiczne w strefie euro a nowe rozwiązania instytucjonalne

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Grzegorz Tchorek

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: The main objective of the article is to assess the impact of new regulations introduced in the EU and the euro area in the face of the economic and financial crisis. Methodology: Literature review related to the functioning of the euro area, roots of the global crisis and financial market integration. The critical literature review was focused on two issues: identification of the causes of fiscal and macroeconomic imbalances in the euro area and assessment of the implemented instruments designed to prevent them.Findings: The basic feature of the six-pack measures and the European Semester, which complements them, is deeper coordination of macroeconomic, structural and competitiveness policies among Member States. Adopted measures are a big step towards strengthening the economic pillar of the monetary union. However, the progress and quality of their implementation will be critical in improving economic governance in the EU.Research implications: identification of strengths and weaknesses of the adopted reforms allows for using these results in the assessment of the balance of costs and benefits of the future functioning of the euro area as well as the implications for macroeconomic policies in the countries intending to join the euro area.Originality: The author tries to provide an overview of the roots of the crisis in the euro area with the assessment of the reforms aiming to prevent similar crises in the future. The arguments presented in the article are against the view that the main reason for the crisis was a weak fiscal policy of the euro area countries.

  8. Euro Area Scenarios and their Economic Consequences for Slovenia and Serbia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Klaus Weyerstrass

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Since 1999, divergences in international competitiveness led to an accumulation of current account deficits in the south and surpluses in the north of the euro area. With the aid of macroeconometric models, this paper estimates the effects of an exit of Greece or of all GIIPS countries (Greece, Italy, Ireland, Portugal, Spain on the economies of Slovenia and Serbia. An exit of one or more countries would affect other economies via the trade channel and credit constraints. Euro area members would additionally suffer from an increase of public debt due to non-performing loans of the European Stability Mechanism and devaluations of public bonds purchased by the European Central Bank. An exit of Greece alone would only marginally affect the economies of Slovenia and Serbia. An exit of all GIIPS countries or a euro area breakup would have dramatic negative consequences for output, unemployment and public finances.

  9. The impact of adopting the euro currency for the Romanian economy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mandescu, I.

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Given that Romania joined the European Union in the hope that in the future the population will have a standard of living similar to that of the community, at present we should continue the efforts to fulfil all the necessary conditions of entry into the great European family. Regardless of the economic problems that our country is facing to join the euro zone, imposed by the need to fulfil the convergence criteria, the adoption of the euro by Romania can be an important achievement of our country, resulting from a sustained process that started many years ago. Although the political decision makers have set a 2015 deadline for the completion of this process, the adoption of the euro currency should not be seen as a purpose itself, but should be followed for the benefits it could bring to the Romanian population.

  10. Talking about money: public participation and expert knowledge in the Euro referendum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Evans, Robert

    2004-03-01

    This paper uses the proposed UK referendum on the single European currency as a means of investigating the effect of democratizing science on the scrutiny of conflicting expert advice. Although the referendum has not happened yet, and may not happen at all, the campaigners for and against the Euro have none the less been working for several years to ensure that if, and when, it does happen they are in a position to win it. By exploring how campaigners on both sides of the debate understand the concerns of voters, the paper shows how they are working towards a referendum in which the political dimensions of the Euro are actively minimized in order to avoid alienating key 'floating voters'. Instead, the campaign is expected to focus on the economic costs and benefits of the Euro for individuals and households, with only limited discussion of issues relating to sovereignty. Whether or not the campaign groups, particularly those that oppose the Euro, can maintain this line remains to be seen but if there is a full and frank public debate about the economic, social and political stakes, then this will be despite the referendum rather than because of it.

  11. Areva - First quarter 2009 revenue climbs 8.5% to 3.003 billion euros; Areva - Progression du chiffre d'affaires du 1. trimestre 2009: + 8,5% a 3003 millions d'euros

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2009-04-15

    First quarter 2009 revenue was up 8.5% compared with the same period last year, to 3.003 billion euros. At constant exchange rates and consolidation scope, growth came to 3.9%. Currency translation had a positive impact of 57 million euros over the quarter. Changes in the consolidation scope had an impact of 66 million euros, primarily due to the consolidation of acquisitions made in 2008 in Transmission and Distribution and in Renewable Energies. The growth engines for first quarter revenue were the Reactors and Services division and the Transmission and Distribution division, with growth of 9.2% and 16.1% respectively. Outside France, revenue rose to 2.032 billion euros, compared with 1.857 billion euros in the first quarter of 2008, and represents 68% of total revenue. Orders were steady in the first quarter, particularly in the Front End, which posted several significant contracts with US and Asian utilities, and in Transmission and Distribution, with orders up sharply in Asia and South America. As of March 31, 2009, the group's backlog reached 49.5 billion euros, for 28.3% growth year-on-year, including 31.3% growth in Nuclear and 10.2% in Transmission and Distribution. For the year as a whole, the group confirms its outlook for backlog and revenue growth as well as rising operating income It should be noted that revenue may vary significantly from one quarter to the next in nuclear operations. Accordingly, quarterly data cannot be viewed as a reliable indicator of annual trends.

  12. Expanding the global network of protected areas to save the imperiled mediterranean biome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Underwood, Emma C; Klausmeyer, Kirk R; Cox, Robin L; Busby, Sylvia M; Morrison, Scott A; Shaw, M Rebecca

    2009-02-01

    : Global goals established by the Convention on Biological Diversity stipulate that 10% of the world's ecological regions must be effectively conserved by 2010. To meet that goal for the mediterranean biome, at least 5% more land must be formally protected over the next few years. Although global assessments identify the mediterranean biome as a priority, without biologically meaningful analysis units, finer-resolution data, and corresponding prioritization analysis, future conservation investments could lead to more area being protected without increasing the representation of unique mediterranean ecosystems. We used standardized analysis units and six potential natural vegetation types stratified by 3 elevation zones in a global gap analysis that systematically explored conservation priorities across the mediterranean biome. The highest levels of protection were in Australia, South Africa, and California-Baja California (from 9-11%), and the lowest levels of protection were in Chile and the mediterranean Basin (biome only one of the six vegetation types--mediterranean shrubland--exceeded 10% protection. The remaining vegetation types--grassland, scrub, succulent dominated, woodland, and forest--each had biome, we identified biodiversity assemblages with 30% conversion and suggest that these assemblages be elevated to high-priority status in future conservation efforts.

  13. Fundamental Flaws in the Architecture of the European Central Bank: The Possible End of the Euro Zone and its Effects to East African Community (EAC Countries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nothando Moyo

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available European countries embarked on a European integration programme that saw the formation of the Euro, which has emerged as a major currency (Blair, 1999 that was introduced in 1998. With the Euro, came the establishment of the European Central Bank. Thus this study seeks to investigate the flaws in the formation of the European Central Bank that surfaced during the major economic crisis in Europe. The crisis revealing the gaps in the formation and structure of the European central bank have created major challenges for the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU. Through an extant review of literature the study will examine the East African Community Countries, investigating the ties they have to the euro zone to analyse how the crisis has affected them. Furthermore, the study will analyse what would happen to the growth patterns of the East African Countries and the various prospects they may have should the Eurozone come to an end.

  14. EuroFIR eBASIS: application for health claims submissions and evaluations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kiely, M.; Black, L.J.; Plumb, J.

    2010-01-01

    Background: The European Food Information Resource (EuroFIR) network has established the eBASIS (Bioactive Substances in Food Information System) online food composition and biological effects database for plant-derived bioactive compounds (phytochemicals). On the basis of submitted evidence......, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) expert panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies assesses whether claims made under articles 13.1, 13.5 or 14 of the Regulation (EC) 1924/2006, which governs the use of nutrition and health claims on foods, are scientifically justified. This report evaluates...... the eBASIS biological effects database in the preparation and evaluation of health claims dossiers. Methods: The eBASIS biological effects database is a compilation of expert-evaluated data extracted from the literature, prioritising human intervention studies to investigate health effects...

  15. Fisheries in the Mediterranean

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. PAPACONSTANTINOU

    2000-06-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to give a description of the Mediterranean fisheries, and its level of exploitation and to address the main questions dealing with its management. The Mediterranean is a semi-enclosed marine area with generally narrow continental shelves. The primary production of the Mediterranean is among the lowest in the world (26-50g C m-2 y-1. The Mediterranean fisheries can be broken down into three main categories: small scale fisheries, trawling and seining fisheries, which operated on demersal, small pelagic and large pelagic resources. After a general description of the state of the resources in the different areas of the Mediterranean it is concluded that (a the overall pictures from the western to the eastern Mediterranean are not considerably different, (b the total landings in the Mediterranean have been increased the last decades, and (c from the perspective of stock assessment, the very few available time series data show stable yield levels. In general fisheries management in the Mediterranean is at a rela- tively early stage of development, judging by the criteria of North Atlantic fisheries. Quota systems are generally not applied, mesh-size regulations usually are set at low levels relative to scientific advice, and effort limitation is not usually applied or, if it is, is not always based on a formal resource assessment. The conservation/management measures applied by the Mediterranean countries can be broadly separated into two major categories: those aiming to keep the fishing effort under control and those aiming to make the exploitation pattern more rational. The most acute problems in the management of the Mediterranean resources are the multispecificity of the catches and the lack of reliable official statistics.

  16. The Impact of Macroeconomic News on the Euro-Dollar Exchange Rate

    OpenAIRE

    Caruso, Alberto

    2016-01-01

    This paper studies the effect of macroeconomic "news" (market now-cast errors related to the flow of data releases on macroeconomic fundamentals) on the daily USD/EUR exchange rate. I consider a large number of real-time macroeconomic announcements from both the US and the euro-zone, and the related market expectations as reported by Bloomberg. For the euro-zone I also study country level announcements for the four biggest economies (Germany, France, Italy, Spain). The results for the whole s...

  17. Regional differences in self-reported HIV care and management in the EuroSIDA study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Laut, Kamilla Grønborg; Mocroft, Amanda; Lazarus, Jeffrey

    2014-01-01

    INTRODUCTION: EuroSIDA has previously reported a poorer clinical prognosis for HIV-positive individuals in Eastern Europe (EE) as compared with patients from other parts of Europe, not solely explained by differences in patient characteristics. We explored regional variability in self-reported HIV...... management at individual EuroSIDA clinics, with a goal of identifying opportunities to reduce the apparent inequalities in health. METHODS: A survey (www.chip.dk/eurosida/csurvey) on HIV management was conducted in early 2014 in all currently active EuroSIDA clinics. Responders in EE were compared...... with clinics in all other EuroSIDA regions combined (non-EE). Characteristics were compared between regions using Fishers exact test. RESULTS: A total of 80/97 clinics responded (82.5%, 12/15 in EE, 68/82 in non-EE). Participating clinics reported seeing a total of 133,532 patients [a median of 1300 per clinic...

  18. MONEY: FROM STATISTICAL DEFINITION TO MONETARY POLICY FOR ADOPTING EURO.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zapodeanu Daniela

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract: The evolution of monetary aggregates is closely related to the economic cycle, especially the evolution of GDP. The study aims to analyse the primary monetary aggregates (M1, the secondary (M2 and the tertiary (M3 in three Central and Eastern European countries: Romania, Bulgaria and Poland. The countries were chosen as follows: Romania and Bulgaria on the basis of the economic and geographical closeness and Poland as a benchmark for the first group. The data used are money supply, monetary aggregates: primary, secondary and tertiary, in Romania, Poland and Bulgaria, for the period January 2004 - March 2011, the monthly series are obtained from central bank websites, Poland's Central Bank and Bulgarian National Statistical Institute. The evolution of monetary aggregates of the three countries was compared with the Euro area and it was noticed a high degree of similarity between countries more developed economically as compared to less developed countries. From the viewpoint of optimum currency areas, it is necessary that the countries that adopt the Euro would respond symmetrically to external shocks and also have similar economic behaviour. Our study aims, in this respect, to analyse the components and the characteristics of the monetary aggregates, as well as the trends existing within them. The analysis of the correlation between monetary aggregates will show how the way in which the monetary mass and aggregates behave and which the sense of connection established between these countries is. We find that Romania and Bulgaria have a similar comportment, the correlation between these being the highest, we observe some differences between Romania and Bulgaria versus Poland.

  19. 6-kyr record of flood frequency and intensity in the western Mediterranean Alps - Interplay of solar and temperature forcing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sabatier, Pierre; Wilhelm, Bruno; Ficetola, Gentile Francesco; Moiroux, Fanny; Poulenard, Jérôme; Develle, Anne-Lise; Bichet, Adeline; Chen, Wentao; Pignol, Cécile; Reyss, Jean-Louis; Gielly, Ludovic; Bajard, Manon; Perrette, Yves; Malet, Emmanuel; Taberlet, Pierre; Arnaud, Fabien

    2017-08-01

    The high-resolution sedimentological and geochemical analysis of a sediment sequence from Lake Savine (Western Mediterranean Alps, France) led to the identification of 220 event layers for the last 6000 years. 200 were triggered by flood events and 20 by underwater mass movements possibly related to earthquakes that occurred in 5 clusters of increase seismicity. Because human activity could influence the flood chronicle, the presence of pastures was reconstructed through ancient DNA, which suggested that the flood chronicle was mainly driven by hydroclimate variability. Weather reanalysis of historical floods allow to identify that mesoscale precipitation events called "East Return" events were the main triggers of floods recorded in Lake Savine. The first part of this palaeoflood record (6-4 kyr BP) was characterized by increases in flood frequency and intensity in phase with Northern Alpine palaeoflood records. By contrast, the second part of the record (i.e., since 4 kyr BP) was phased with Southern Alpine palaeoflood records. These results suggest a palaeohydrological transition at approximately 4 kyr BP, as has been previously described for the Mediterranean region. This may have resulted in a change of flood-prone hydro-meteorological processes, i.e., in the balance between occurrence and intensity of local convective climatic phenomena and their influence on Mediterranean mesoscale precipitation events in this part of the Alps. At a centennial timescale, increases in flood frequency and intensity corresponded to periods of solar minima, affecting climate through atmospheric changes in the Euro-Atlantic sector.

  20. Main Introduction Way of Indo-Pacific and Red Sea Originated Benthic Foraminifers to the Eastern Mediterranean

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Engin MERİÇ

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Majority of the alien foraminifers recorded in the eastern Mediterranean are Indo-Pacific originated and entered the Mediterranean via Suez Canal. In this study, current literature on the alien benthic foraminiferal fauna of the eastern Mediterranean was reviewed and the main dispersal pathways are determined. Distribution patterns of the alien species suggests that most of the species are introduced via Suez Canal and expand their range of distributions in a counter-clockwise manner by the general surface currents of the eastern Mediterranean. However, not all, but some of the species have also been dispersed westwards along the North African coast and reached central Mediterranean. Locally abundant records of Euthymonacha polita (Chapman, Coscinospira acicularis (Batsch and Amphistegina lobifera in the Aegean Sea indicates that Suez Canal may not be the only vector for the Indo-Pacific species to enter eastern Mediterranean and submarine springs help these thermophilic species to form establish populations in cool waters of the northern Aegean and the Sea of Marmara

  1. Modelling the background aerosol climatologies (1989-2010) for the Mediterranean basin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jimenez-Guerrero, Pedro; Jerez, Sonia

    2014-05-01

    Aerosol levels and composition are influenced by multiple atmospheric physico-chemical processes that can affect them from its release point (as primary aerosol), or via gas-to-particle conversion processes that give rise to secondary aerosols. The contribution of the various aerosol sources, the role of long-range transport and the contribution of primary and secondary particulate matter to the ambient aerosol concentrations over Europe are not well known (Kulmala et al., 2009). Focusing on the Mediterranean, Querol et al. (2009) point out that there is a lack of studies on the variability of particulate matter (PM) along the Mediterranean basin, necessary for understanding the special features that differentiate aerosol processes between the western, eastern and central Mediterranean basins. In this perspective, modelling systems based on state-of-science chemistry transport models (CTMs) are fundamental elements to investigate the transport and chemistry of pollutants behaviour at different scales and to assess the impact of emissions in aerosol levels and composition. Therefore, this study aims to summarise the results on the levels and chemical composition of aerosols along the Mediterranean basin, highlighting the marked gradient between the western-central-eastern coasts. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the seasonality of PM composition and levels. For this purpose, the regional modelling system WRF-CHIMERE-EMEP has been implemented for conducting a full transient simulation for the ERA-Interim period (1989-2010) using year-to-year changing EMEP emissions. The domain of study covers Europe with a horizontal resolution of 25 km and a vertical resolution of 23 layers in the troposphere; however the analysis focuses on the Mediterranean area. The PM levels and composition are compared to the measured values reported by the EMEP network, showing a good agreement with observations for both western and eastern Mediterranean. The modelling results for

  2. Use of EuroSCORE as a predictor of morbidity after cardiac surgery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andrade, Isaac Newton Guimarães; de Moraes Neto, Fernando Ribeiro; Andrade, Tamirys Guimarães

    2014-01-01

    Objective To evaluate the use of the EuroSCORE as a predictor of postoperative morbidity after cardiac surgery. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the charts of 900 patients operated on and admitted to the intensive care unit postoperatively at the Royal Portuguese Hospital of Recife. We included all patients with complete medical records, excluding those who died during surgery, underwent transplantation or correction of congenital heart disease. We evaluated the development of respiratory infection, cerebrovascular accident, and dialysis-dependent renal failure, and the EuroSCORE was compared in terms of the three complications using the Mann-Whitney test. The calibration model for predicting the morbidities being studied was evaluated using the test set of Homer-Lemeshow goodness. The accuracy of the model was assessed using the area under the ROC curve (AUROC). Results The model showed good calibration in predicting respiratory infection, acute renal failure and stroke (P=0.285, P=0.789, P=0.45, respectively), with good accuracy for respiratory infection (AUROC=0.710 and P<0.001) and dialysis-dependent renal failure (AUROC=0.834 and P<0.001), but no accuracy to predict stroke (AUROC=0.519). The high-risk patients were more likely to develop respiratory infection (OR=9.05, P<0.001) and dialysis-dependent renal failure (OR=39.6, P<0.001). The probability of developing respiratory infection and dialysis-dependent renal failure was less than 10% with EuroSCORE up to 7 and more than 70% with EuroSCORE greater than 15. Conclusion EuroSCORE proved to be a good predictor of major postoperative morbidity in cardiac surgery: respiratory and dialysis-dependent renal failure. PMID:24896157

  3. European contribution to the study of ROS: A summary of the findings and prospects for the future from the COST action BM1203 (EU-ROS).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Egea, Javier; Fabregat, Isabel; Frapart, Yves M; Ghezzi, Pietro; Görlach, Agnes; Kietzmann, Thomas; Kubaichuk, Kateryna; Knaus, Ulla G; Lopez, Manuela G; Olaso-Gonzalez, Gloria; Petry, Andreas; Schulz, Rainer; Vina, Jose; Winyard, Paul; Abbas, Kahina; Ademowo, Opeyemi S; Afonso, Catarina B; Andreadou, Ioanna; Antelmann, Haike; Antunes, Fernando; Aslan, Mutay; Bachschmid, Markus M; Barbosa, Rui M; Belousov, Vsevolod; Berndt, Carsten; Bernlohr, David; Bertrán, Esther; Bindoli, Alberto; Bottari, Serge P; Brito, Paula M; Carrara, Guia; Casas, Ana I; Chatzi, Afroditi; Chondrogianni, Niki; Conrad, Marcus; Cooke, Marcus S; Costa, João G; Cuadrado, Antonio; My-Chan Dang, Pham; De Smet, Barbara; Debelec-Butuner, Bilge; Dias, Irundika H K; Dunn, Joe Dan; Edson, Amanda J; El Assar, Mariam; El-Benna, Jamel; Ferdinandy, Péter; Fernandes, Ana S; Fladmark, Kari E; Förstermann, Ulrich; Giniatullin, Rashid; Giricz, Zoltán; Görbe, Anikó; Griffiths, Helen; Hampl, Vaclav; Hanf, Alina; Herget, Jan; Hernansanz-Agustín, Pablo; Hillion, Melanie; Huang, Jingjing; Ilikay, Serap; Jansen-Dürr, Pidder; Jaquet, Vincent; Joles, Jaap A; Kalyanaraman, Balaraman; Kaminskyy, Danylo; Karbaschi, Mahsa; Kleanthous, Marina; Klotz, Lars-Oliver; Korac, Bato; Korkmaz, Kemal Sami; Koziel, Rafal; Kračun, Damir; Krause, Karl-Heinz; Křen, Vladimír; Krieg, Thomas; Laranjinha, João; Lazou, Antigone; Li, Huige; Martínez-Ruiz, Antonio; Matsui, Reiko; McBean, Gethin J; Meredith, Stuart P; Messens, Joris; Miguel, Verónica; Mikhed, Yuliya; Milisav, Irina; Milković, Lidija; Miranda-Vizuete, Antonio; Mojović, Miloš; Monsalve, María; Mouthuy, Pierre-Alexis; Mulvey, John; Münzel, Thomas; Muzykantov, Vladimir; Nguyen, Isabel T N; Oelze, Matthias; Oliveira, Nuno G; Palmeira, Carlos M; Papaevgeniou, Nikoletta; Pavićević, Aleksandra; Pedre, Brandán; Peyrot, Fabienne; Phylactides, Marios; Pircalabioru, Gratiela G; Pitt, Andrew R; Poulsen, Henrik E; Prieto, Ignacio; Rigobello, Maria Pia; Robledinos-Antón, Natalia; Rodríguez-Mañas, Leocadio; Rolo, Anabela P; Rousset, Francis; Ruskovska, Tatjana; Saraiva, Nuno; Sasson, Shlomo; Schröder, Katrin; Semen, Khrystyna; Seredenina, Tamara; Shakirzyanova, Anastasia; Smith, Geoffrey L; Soldati, Thierry; Sousa, Bebiana C; Spickett, Corinne M; Stancic, Ana; Stasia, Marie José; Steinbrenner, Holger; Stepanić, Višnja; Steven, Sebastian; Tokatlidis, Kostas; Tuncay, Erkan; Turan, Belma; Ursini, Fulvio; Vacek, Jan; Vajnerova, Olga; Valentová, Kateřina; Van Breusegem, Frank; Varisli, Lokman; Veal, Elizabeth A; Yalçın, A Suha; Yelisyeyeva, Olha; Žarković, Neven; Zatloukalová, Martina; Zielonka, Jacek; Touyz, Rhian M; Papapetropoulos, Andreas; Grune, Tilman; Lamas, Santiago; Schmidt, Harald H H W; Di Lisa, Fabio; Daiber, Andreas

    2017-10-01

    The European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) provides an ideal framework to establish multi-disciplinary research networks. COST Action BM1203 (EU-ROS) represents a consortium of researchers from different disciplines who are dedicated to providing new insights and tools for better understanding redox biology and medicine and, in the long run, to finding new therapeutic strategies to target dysregulated redox processes in various diseases. This report highlights the major achievements of EU-ROS as well as research updates and new perspectives arising from its members. The EU-ROS consortium comprised more than 140 active members who worked together for four years on the topics briefly described below. The formation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) is an established hallmark of our aerobic environment and metabolism but RONS also act as messengers via redox regulation of essential cellular processes. The fact that many diseases have been found to be associated with oxidative stress established the theory of oxidative stress as a trigger of diseases that can be corrected by antioxidant therapy. However, while experimental studies support this thesis, clinical studies still generate controversial results, due to complex pathophysiology of oxidative stress in humans. For future improvement of antioxidant therapy and better understanding of redox-associated disease progression detailed knowledge on the sources and targets of RONS formation and discrimination of their detrimental or beneficial roles is required. In order to advance this important area of biology and medicine, highly synergistic approaches combining a variety of diverse and contrasting disciplines are needed. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Can We Predict the Outcome of the International Football Tournaments? : the Case of Euro 2000 = Uluslararası Futbol Turnavalarının Sonuçları Tahmin Edilebir mi? Euro 2000 Örneği

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ferda HALICIOĞLU

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper statistically analyses and attempts to predict the most likely winners of the Euro 2000 football tournament on the basis of the seasonal coefficients of variation (CVs of the end-of-season points, which were computed from the top division final standings of participating countries of Euro 2000.The CV values computed from over ten seasons for the respective countries were used as a sole measurement value to rank the countries and to determine the most likely winners of Euro 2000.According to the three scenarios (long-term, mid-term, and short-term based on the respective CV values of fifteen countries, France appeared to be the most likely country to win Euro 2000 and was closely followed by Spain.

  5. The Mediterranean

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suryawanshi, Vandana

    2017-04-01

    Learning is always a joyful experience for any human being and must always remain so. Children are happiest when they learn through play. The philosophy of my life is to keep encouraging children to think beyond they could achieve easily. I understand children are adaptive to change and take things with an open mind. They are ready to experiment new things and dare to dream big. I am fortunate to be a teacher by profession and thus I always attempt experimenting, observing and participating with other children and adults. Education is not about moulding children the way you think they should be. It is about organizing the natural longing in a human being to know. From birth children are active participants in building their own understanding. I always prepare the environment to help each child build on what they already know. It is such a great pleasure to observe every young kid become excited and curious to know when we teach them. Std 8 Geography the students are very excited to learn about this continent, with the help of Videos and a wall map the Political map of Europe with its countries shown I introduced the topic by asking 'If given a chance which place they would like to visit in Europe' , students are familiar with the countries of their favourite football players and happily pointed out their destination. The Mediterranean Region is a paradise the scenic beauty, the climate, the food along with a variety of fruits which are totally different from Asia increased the curiosity among the students. With the help of case study of the Mediterranean Sea the students were able to research and present the history, the adventure sports the aquatic life and the twenty three beautiful islands located in the Mediterranean Sea. Photos and videos helped me to explain the Mediterranean Sea The Formation of the Mediterranean Sea ( Youtube Video) which is otherwise completely enclosed by land. (The evaporating Mediterranean Sea - BBC (Video) Gibraltar Breach.mov . The

  6. Incidence of abacavir hypersensitivity reactions in euroSIDA

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bannister, Wendy P; Friis-Møller, Nina; Mocroft, Amanda

    2008-01-01

    BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to investigate the incidence of abacavir-related hypersensitivity reaction (HSR) and associated deaths in EuroSIDA HIV-1-infected patients. METHODS: Poisson regression models were developed to compare incidence of abacavir discontinuation according to the line...

  7. Forgery detection and value identification of Euro banknotes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bruna, Arcangelo; Farinella, Giovanni Maria; Guarnera, Giuseppe Claudio; Battiato, Sebastiano

    2013-02-18

    This paper describes both hardware and software components to detect counterfeits of Euro banknotes. The proposed system is also able to recognize the banknote values. Differently than other state-of-the-art methods, the proposed approach makes use of banknote images acquired with a near infrared camera to perform recognition and authentication. This allows one to build a system that can effectively deal with real forgeries, which are usually not detectable with visible light. The hardware does not use any mechanical parts, so the overall system is low-cost. The proposed solution is reliable for ambient light and banknote positioning. Users should simply lean the banknote to be analyzed on a flat glass, and the system detects forgery, as well as recognizes the banknote value. The effectiveness of the proposed solution has been properly tested on a dataset composed by genuine and fake Euro banknotes provided by Italy's central bank. 

  8. Perceived value in food selection when dining out: comparison of African Americans and Euro-Americans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vinci, Debra M; Philipp, Steven F

    2007-06-01

    This descriptive study compares African Americans' and Euro-Americans' perceived value of food selection pertaining to cost, portion size, and meal satisfaction when eating away from home. A stratified sample was drawn from a southern U.S. metropolitan area (N= 1,011; 486 African American, 525 Euro-American). Analysis showed no difference between African-American and Euro-American adults by sex or how often they dined out. These two groups significantly differed across years of education, age, and answering 14 of 18 rated statements on value perceptions. African-Americans' value perceptions were influenced more by lower cost foods and larger portion sizes than those of Euro-Americans. For meal satisfaction, African Americans were more likely to agree with statements that indicate preferring foods high in energy and low in essential micronutrient density. This study supports the need for more investigation.

  9. Areva at March 31, 2014: Downturn in revenue as anticipated, to euro 1.781 bn (-17.3% like for like), Backlog of euro 40.2 bn

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Duperray, Julien; Berezowskyj, Katherine; Grange, Aurelie; Rosso, Jerome; Thebault, Alexandre; Scorbiac, Marie de; Repaire, Philippine du

    2014-01-01

    Following the marked growth of the nuclear operations in 2013, thanks in particular to the strength of recurring activities and the contribution of exceptional items such as significant uranium sales volumes and non-recurring foreign contracts, revenue in the first quarter of the year fell sharply, as Areva had anticipated. A strong seasonal effect will materialize in 2014, with greater activity to be expected in the second half of the year. As indicated when releasing 2013 annual results, the current economic environment is still unfavorable, with market prices deteriorating in the front end of the cycle and lackluster demand from customers for installed base services. AREVA's operations generated consolidated revenue of 1.781 billion euros in the first quarter of 2014, a decrease of 18.1% (-17.3 % like for like) compared with the same period in 2013. The Front End Business Group (BG) reported strong growth of +59.0% (+59.8% like for like). Revenue was down in the Mining, Reactors and Services, Back End and Renewable Energies BGs, at -63.0% (-62.3% like for like), -14.1% (-12.5% like for like), -41.7% (-41.6% like for like) and -38.2% (-34.6% like for like) respectively. Foreign exchange had a negative impact of 18 million euros over the period, while the change in consolidation scope had a negative impact of 3 million euros. The group's backlog reached 40.2 billion euros at March 31, 2014, a decrease of 2.9% compared with December 31, 2013 and of 8.8% year on year

  10. Transferability of the Mediterranean Diet to Non-Mediterranean Countries. What Is and What Is Not the Mediterranean Diet

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martínez-González, Miguel Ángel; Hershey, Maria Soledad; Zazpe, Itziar

    2017-01-01

    Substantial evidence has verified the Mediterranean diet’s (MedDiet) nutritional adequacy, long-term sustainability, and effectiveness for preventing hard clinical events from cardiovascular disease (CVD), as well as increasing longevity. This article includes a cumulative meta-analysis of prospective studies supporting a strong inverse association between closer adherence to the MedDiet and the incidence of hard clinical events of CVD. The MedDiet has become an increasingly popular topic of interest when focusing on overall food patterns rather than single nutrient intake, not only in Mediterranean countries, but also globally. However, several myths and misconceptions associated with the traditional Mediterranean diet should be clearly addressed and dispelled, particularly those that label as “Mediterranean” an eating pattern that is not in line with the traditional Mediterranean diet. The transferability of the traditional MedDiet to the non-Mediterranean populations is possible, but it requires a multitude of changes in dietary habits. New approaches for promoting healthy dietary behavior consistent with the MedDiet will offer healthful, sustainable, and practical strategies at all levels of public health. The following article presents practical resources and knowledge necessary for accomplishing these changes. PMID:29117146

  11. Transferability of the Mediterranean Diet to Non-Mediterranean Countries. What Is and What Is Not the Mediterranean Diet

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miguel Ángel Martínez-González

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Substantial evidence has verified the Mediterranean diet’s (MedDiet nutritional adequacy, long-term sustainability, and effectiveness for preventing hard clinical events from cardiovascular disease (CVD, as well as increasing longevity. This article includes a cumulative meta-analysis of prospective studies supporting a strong inverse association between closer adherence to the MedDiet and the incidence of hard clinical events of CVD. The MedDiet has become an increasingly popular topic of interest when focusing on overall food patterns rather than single nutrient intake, not only in Mediterranean countries, but also globally. However, several myths and misconceptions associated with the traditional Mediterranean diet should be clearly addressed and dispelled, particularly those that label as “Mediterranean” an eating pattern that is not in line with the traditional Mediterranean diet. The transferability of the traditional MedDiet to the non-Mediterranean populations is possible, but it requires a multitude of changes in dietary habits. New approaches for promoting healthy dietary behavior consistent with the MedDiet will offer healthful, sustainable, and practical strategies at all levels of public health. The following article presents practical resources and knowledge necessary for accomplishing these changes.

  12. Facilitated establishment of Quercus ilex in shrub-dominated communities within a Mediterranean ecosystem: do mycorrhizal partners matter?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richard, Franck; Selosse, Marc-André; Gardes, Monique

    2009-04-01

    Positive plant-plant interaction is a widespread phenomenon, especially in harsh environments, which can contribute to secondary successions. Here, we investigated whether Arbutus unedo positively influences Quercus ilex establishment in shrub communities by abiotic and/or biotic interactions in a Mediterranean forest ecosystem, where we previously showed that A. unedo and Q. ilex share numerous species of mycorrhizal fungi. In a first field experiment, patterns of Q. ilex survivorship were documented. During the summer following germination, a majority of seedlings survived in A. unedo chaparral (AU), whereas most of them died in previous succession stages dominated by Erica arborea (EA). These results showed that survival of the Q. ilex seedling is succession stage dependent, probably due to the differential effects of the summer drought. In a second experiment, Q. ilex seedlings were used as bait plants to investigate the mycorrhizal inoculum in EA and AU. Morphotyping and molecular typing revealed 2.5 times higher colonization in AU than in EA, with more diverse fungi. Our results demonstrate that A. unedo facilitates mycorrhization of Q. ilex by hosting compatible ectomycorrhizal symbionts and positively influences seedling survival by buffering abiotic conditions. A comprehensive understanding of facilitation should thus include investigations of the soil biological patterns.

  13. Systematic Review of the Mediterranean Diet for Long-Term Weight Loss.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mancini, Joseph G; Filion, Kristian B; Atallah, Renée; Eisenberg, Mark J

    2016-04-01

    Although the long-term health benefits of the Mediterranean diet are well established, its efficacy for weight loss at ≥12 months in overweight or obese individuals is unclear. We therefore conducted a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to determine the effect of the Mediterranean diet on weight loss and cardiovascular risk factor levels after ≥12 months. We systematically searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library of Clinical Trials for RCTs published in English or French and with follow-up ≥12 months that examined the effect of the Mediterranean diet on weight loss and cardiovascular risk factor levels in overweight or obese individuals trying to lose weight. Five RCTs (n = 998) met our inclusion criteria. Trials compared the Mediterranean diet to a low-fat diet (4 treatment arms), a low-carbohydrate diet (2 treatment arms), and the American Diabetes Association diet (1 treatment arm). The Mediterranean diet resulted in greater weight loss than the low-fat diet at ≥12 months (range of mean values: -4.1 to -10.1 kg vs 2.9 to -5.0 kg), but produced similar weight loss as other comparator diets (range of mean values: -4.1 to -10.1 kg vs -4.7 to -7.7 kg). Moreover, the Mediterranean diet was generally similar to comparator diets at improving other cardiovascular risk factor levels, including blood pressure and lipid levels. Our findings suggest that the Mediterranean diet results in similar weight loss and cardiovascular risk factor level reduction as comparator diets in overweight or obese individuals trying to lose weight. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Establishing the identity and assessing the dynamics of invasion in the Mediterranean Sea by the dusky sweeper, Pempheris rhomboidea Kossmann & Räuber, 1877 (Pempheridae, Perciformes)

    KAUST Repository

    Azzurro, Ernesto

    2014-12-30

    © 2014, Springer International Publishing Switzerland. We investigate the genetic diversity of the sweeper Pempheris, a biological invader that entered the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal. Two mitochondrial regions and one nuclear region were sequenced and topological reconstructions investigated from samples collected from the eastern Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea and three Indo-Pacific localities. Morphological and molecular analyses assigned samples from this study to three distinct species of Pempheris in the Red Sea (P. flavicyla, P. rhomboidea, and P. tominagai) and confirmed a misidentification of the Mediterranean sweepers, previously identified as P. vanicolensis and now recognized as P.rhomboidea. Pempheris rhomboidea clustered in a single clade including specimens from Madagascar and South Africa. Similarly to most other studied Lessepsian bioinvaders, no evidence of a genetic bottleneck in its invasive Mediterranean population was found. Yet, lowered gene flow levels were observed between Red Sea and Mediterranean populations in this species. These findings highlight the importance of molecular tools to the proper identification of morphologically challenging alien organisms and contribute to the understanding of the dynamics of Lessepsian invasions.

  15. The Mediterranean healthy eating, ageing, and lifestyle (MEAL) study: rationale and study design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grosso, Giuseppe; Marventano, Stefano; D'Urso, Maurizio; Mistretta, Antonio; Galvano, Fabio

    2017-08-01

    There is accumulating evidence suggesting that Mediterranean lifestyles, including nutrition and sleeping patterns as well as social integration, may play a role in reducing age-related diseases. However, the literature is mostly deficient of evidence provided by Italian Mediterranean islands that more closely adhered to the originally described lifestyles. In this paper, we described the rationale and the study design of the Mediterranean healthy Eating, Ageing, and Lifestyle (MEAL) study, a prospective population-based cohort established in Sicily, southern Italy. The main exposures investigated are classical determinants of health, including demographic, nutritional habits, smoking and physical activity status, as well as eating-related behaviors, sleeping habits, sun exposure, social resources, and perceived stress. Anthropometric measurements will be collected. The main outcomes included depression, quality of life, and, after the follow-up period, also cardiovascular disease and cancer. The MEAL study may provide important data to increase our knowledge regarding the prevalence, incidence, and risk factors of age-related disorders in the Mediterranean region.

  16. Mapping ground water vulnerability to pesticide leaching with a process-based metamodel of EuroPEARL

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tiktak, A.; Boesten, J.J.T.I.; Linden, van der A.M.A.; Vanclooster, M.

    2006-01-01

    To support EU policy, indicators of pesticide leaching at the European level are required. For this reason, a metamodel of the spatially distributed European pesticide leaching model EuroPEARL was developed. EuroPEARL considers transient flow and solute transport and assumes Freundlich adsorption,

  17. The serum bank of EuroPrevall - the prevalence, cost and basis of food allergy across Europe.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vieths, Stefan; Reese, Gerald; Ballmer-Weber, Barbara K; Beyer, Kerstin; Burney, Peter; Fernandez-Rivas, Montserrat; Summers, Collin; Ree, Ronald van; Mills, Clare

    2008-10-01

    EuroPrevall is an EU-funded multidisciplinary project including 62 institutions from 22 countries. EuroPrevall studies the prevalence and distribution of food allergies in infants, children, adolescents, and adults in Europe, threshold doses for allergenic foods, the role of the environment in food allergy, the socioeconomic impact of food allergy, and novel diagnostic tools for food allergies. The EuroPrevall serum bank (EPASB), containing samples from approximately 70,000 subjects, is a major tool to achieve these goals. EPASB is coordinated by the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, Langen, Germany. Local sera collections are administered at the University of Amsterdam (NL), the University Hospital of Manchester (UK), Charité Hospital (DE) and the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut. The EPASB coordinator and managing partners distribute samples for experimental work and regulate access. The overall aim is to provide sera to fulfil EuroPrevall research goals. The EPASB coordinator and managing partners suggest appropriate sera for addressing specific scientific and diagnostic questions. The serum bank will be maintained after termination of the project, but subsequent investigations must be in accordance with the original research goals of EuroPrevall. Thus, the contributors of the sera retain control over their future use. This rule prevents investigation of questions outside the scope of EuroPrevall, e.g. the allergenicity of genetically-modified foods.

  18. Areva at March 31, 2012: 2.4% revenue growth to 2026 million euros (+1.3% on a comparable basis); Backlog growth of 12 months to 45.1 billion euros (+3.7%), down slightly over 3 months (-1.0%)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marie, Patricia; Briand, Pauline; Michaut, Maxime; Rosso, Jerome; Scorbiac, Marie de; Repaire, Philippine du

    2012-01-01

    AREVA generated consolidated revenue of 2.026 billion euros in the first quarter of 2012, up 2.4% (+1.3% like for like) compared with the same period in 2011. The increase in revenue in the Mining Business Group (+11.9% reported, +6.5% like for like), the Reactors and Services Business Group (+5.8% reported, +6.0% like for like) and the Renewable Energies Business Group (+198.2% reported, +199.8% like for like) offsets the expected decrease in revenue in the Front End Business Group (-17.2% reported, -18.3% like for like). Foreign exchange had a positive impact of 29 million euros over the period, while changes in consolidation scope had a negative impact of 8 million euros. The Group had 45.1 billion euros in backlog at March 31, 2012, up 3.7% in relation to March 31, 2011 and down slightly (-1.0%) from December 31, 2011. Backlog growth in the Front End, Reactors and Services and Back End Business Groups offsets the decrease in backlog in the Mining and Renewable Energies Business Groups. Order cancellations as a result of the Fukushima accident totaled 612 million euros at March 31, 2012, compared with 464 million euros at December 31, 2011

  19. Genetics reveal the identity and origin of the lionfish invasion in the Mediterranean Sea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bariche, Michel; Kleitou, Periklis; Kalogirou, Stefanos; Bernardi, Giacomo

    2017-07-28

    Following aquarium releases, invasive lionfishes have colonized large areas of the Caribbean and western Atlantic, resulting in an immense ecological damage. The early stages of that invasion are poorly known. Indeed, a lag of time between the introduction and detection often preclude genetic characterization of that crucial phase. With elevated awareness, the recent invasion of Pterois miles was quickly detected in the Mediterranean Sea. We hereby show that the very first individuals establishing populations in the Mediterranean Sea display haplotypes that nest within the large genetic diversity of Red Sea individuals, thus indicating an invasion via the Suez Canal. We also show that only two haplotypes are detected in the Mediterranean Sea, suggesting that few individuals may have been involved in the invasion. Thus, we conclude that the Mediterranean invasion is the result of a movement of individuals from the Red Sea, rather than from other means, and that low genetic diversity does not seem to have a negative effect on the success and spread of lionfish into the Mediterranean Sea.

  20. EuroMInd-D: A Density Estimate of Monthly Gross Domestic Product for the Euro Area

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Proietti, Tommaso; Marczak, Martyna; Mazzi, Gianluigi

    EuroMInd-D is a density estimate of monthly gross domestic product (GDP) constructed according to a bottom–up approach, pooling the density estimates of eleven GDP components, by output and expenditure type. The components density estimates are obtained from a medium-size dynamic factor model...... of a set of coincident time series handling mixed frequencies of observation and ragged–edged data structures. They reflect both parameter and filtering uncertainty and are obtained by implementing a bootstrap algorithm for simulating from the distribution of the maximum likelihood estimators of the model...

  1. Adopting the euro: Romanian perspectives in the context of the global financial crisis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oros, A.

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this paper is to examine Romania’s capacity to fulfil the nominal convergence criteria in the current context, in order to follow the calendar proposed for euro adoption in 2015. The paper analyzed the evolution of all five criteria under the impact of the current financial crisis and also looked at the forecast provided by national and international authorities. The study was conducted considering the relative situation with the euro area. The main finding is that the actual target for euro adoption could be complied with, provided further progress is made. We have also fond that the target should be achieved as it would represent a strong stimulus for the local government to implement additional measures to reduce public indebtedness and inflationary pressure.

  2. First record of Dichotomaria obtusata (Ellis & Solander Lamarck (Nemaliales, Rhodophyta in the Mediterranean Sea

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. HOFFMAN

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Global climate change is causing the Mediterranean coastal area of Israel to gradually acquire tropical characteristics. Rising sea surface temperatures in the eastern Mediterranean basin have facilitated the introduction, settlement and establishment of hundreds of alien species (Zenetos et al. 2012. The vast majority of these exotic species are of Indo-Pacific origin. We report the occurrence of the genus Dichotomaria in the eastern Mediterranean on the basis of specimens identified as Dichotomaria cf. obtusata (J. Ellis & Solander Lamarck. Tetrasporophytes with sporangial initials were identified morphologically and confirmed molecularly using plastid rbcL sequences. We also discuss possible paths of introduction of this and other alien species into the Levantine Sea.

  3. THE IMPACT OF POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC NEWS ON THE EURO/RON EXCHANGE RATE: A GARCH APPROACH

    OpenAIRE

    Cristi Spulbar; Mihai Nitoi

    2012-01-01

    Within this study we try to capture the impact of political news and economic news from euro area on the exchange rate between Romanian currency and euro. In order to do this we used a GARCH model. As we observed, both variables influence the exchange rate, this fact implying national currency depreciation and a volatility growth. The political news and the economic news positively affect the euro/ron exchange rate volatility. The two factors conjugation, as it has happened in the recent peri...

  4. Development of electrical connections around the Mediterranean Basin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Persoz, H.; Nogaret, E.

    1992-01-01

    Interconnections of electrical networks bring a great many benefits, which explains why European countries did this as early as the fifties. More recently, the nations to the south and east of the Mediterranean basin have started interconnecting, and cross-sea links are also planned, which will put all of the countries in contact with each other. The main projects in this direction concern the establishment of undersea links between Spain and Morocco and between Italy and Tunisia; beefing up the interconnections between the North African countries; and developing ties in the Near East, from Egypt to Turkey. As this system comes into being, a computerized management system will have to be installed too, to avoid operational difficulties; so the overall consistency of the various projects will have to be verified by studies conducted at the regional level. This clearly shows that cooperation is indispensable among all the countries concerned. Medelec, a liaison committee of Mediterranean electrical producer association, was created to undertake common actions in this sense. It is certain that the creation of an interconnected electrical network around the Mediterranean will go a long way toward strengthening exchanges and cooperation among these nations. 1 fig., 5 tabs

  5. Forgery Detection and Value Identification of Euro Banknotes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sebastiano Battiato

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available This paper describes both hardware and software components to detect counterfeits of Euro banknotes. The proposed system is also able to recognize the banknote values. Differently than other state-of-the-art methods, the proposed approach makes use of banknote images acquired with a near infrared camera to perform recognition and authentication. This allows one to build a system that can effectively deal with real forgeries, which are usually not detectable with visible light. The hardware does not use any mechanical parts, so the overall system is low-cost. The proposed solution is reliable for ambient light and banknote positioning. Users should simply lean the banknote to be analyzed on a flat glass, and the system detects forgery, as well as recognizes the banknote value. The effectiveness of the proposed solution has been properly tested on a dataset composed by genuine and fake Euro banknotes provided by Italy's central bank.

  6. SMEs’ Access to Finance in the Euro Area; What Helps or Hampers?

    OpenAIRE

    Bahar Öztürk; Mico Mrkaic

    2014-01-01

    The monetary transmission mechanism in the euro area has been adversely affected by the recent crises. Using survey data on thousands of euro area firms, we study factors that affect the access to finance of SMEs. We find that changes in bank funding costs and borrower leverage matter for firms’ access to finance. Increases in bank funding costs and borrowers’ debt-to-asset ratios are significantly and negatively associated with firms’ access to finance. The use of subsidies significantly imp...

  7. PAH, BTEX, carbonyl compound, black-carbon, NO2 and ultrafine particle dynamometer bench emissions for Euro 4 and Euro 5 diesel and gasoline passenger cars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Louis, Cédric; Liu, Yao; Tassel, Patrick; Perret, Pascal; Chaumond, Agnès; André, Michel

    2016-09-01

    Although implementing Diesel particulate filters (DPF) and other novel aftertreatment technologies makes it possible to achieve significant reductions in particle mass emissions, it may induce the release of ultrafine particles and emissions of many other unregulated compounds. This paper focuses on (i) ultrafine particles, black carbon, BTEX, PAH, carbonyl compounds, and NO2 emissions from Euro 4 and Euro 5 Diesel and gasoline passenger cars, (ii) the influence of driving conditions (e.g., cold start, urban, rural and motorway conditions), and (iii) the impact of additive and catalysed DPF devices on vehicle emissions. Chassis dynamometer tests were conducted on four Euro 5 vehicles and two Euro 4 vehicles: gasoline vehicles with and without direct injection system and Diesel vehicles equipped with additive and catalysed particulate filters. The results showed that compared to hot-start cycles, cold-start urban cycles increased all pollutant emissions by a factor of two. The sole exception was NO2, which was reduced by a factor of 1.3-6. Particulate and black carbon emissions from the gasoline engines were significantly higher than those from the Diesel engines equipped with DPF. Moreover, the catalysed DPF emitted about 3-10 times more carbonyl compounds and particles than additive DPF, respectively, during urban driving cycles, while the additive DPF vehicles emitted 2 and 5 times more BTEX and carbonyl compounds during motorway driving cycles. Regarding particle number distribution, the motorway driving cycle induced the emission of particles smaller in diameter (mode at 15 nm) than the urban cold-start cycle (mode at 80-100 nm). The results showed a clear positive correlation between particle, black carbon, and BTEX emissions, and a negative correlation between particles and NO2.

  8. Annotated list of marine alien species in the Mediterranean with records of the worst invasive species

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. ZENETOS

    2005-12-01

    Full Text Available This collaborative effort by many specialists across the Mediterranean presents an updated annotated list of alien marine species in the Mediterranean Sea. Alien species have been grouped into six broad categories namely established, casual, questionable, cryptogenic, excluded and invasive, and presented in lists of major ecofunctional/taxonomic groups. The establishment success within each group is provided while the questionable and excluded records are commented in brief. A total of 963 alien species have been reported from the Mediterranean until December 2005, 218 of which have been classified as excluded (23% leaving 745 of the recorded species as valid aliens. Of these 385 (52% are already well established, 262 (35% are casual records, while 98 species (13% remain “questionable” records. The species cited in this work belong mostly to zoobenthos and in particular to Mollusca and Crustacea, while Fish and Phytobenthos are the next two groups which prevail among alien biota in the Mediterranean. The available information depends greatly on the taxonomic group examined. Thus, besides the three groups explicitly addressed in the CIESM atlas series (Fish, Decapoda/Crustacea and Mollusca, which are however updated in the present work, Polychaeta, Phytobenthos, Phytoplankton and Zooplankton are also addressed in this study. Among other zoobenthic taxa sufficiently covered in this study are Echinodermata, Sipuncula, Bryozoa and Ascidiacea. On the contrary, taxa such as Foraminifera, Amphipoda and Isopoda, that are not well studied in the Mediterranean, are insufficiently covered. A gap of knowledge is also noticed in Parasites, which, although ubiquitous and pervasive in marine systems, have been relatively unexplored as to their role in marine invasions. Conclusively the lack of funding purely systematic studies in the region has led to underestimation of the number of aliens in the Mediterranean. Emphasis is put on those species that are

  9. EURO - Before Yesterday, Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow...

    OpenAIRE

    Sylwia Pangsy-Kania

    2002-01-01

    The article was divided into four integrally connected parts concerning the EURO: before yesterday, yesterday, today and tomorrow. On the 1st January 2002 the common European currency became a fact. In eleven European countries there appeared jointly over 13 billion banknotes and 76 billion coins. The introduction of a common currency in the countries of the European Union is the greatest financial operation in world history with such a huge scale and degree of complication. Before yesterdayŠ...

  10. First half 2006: sales revenue up by 5.7% to euros 5,036 million

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2006-01-01

    The AREVA group reports first half 2006 sales revenue of 5,036 million euros, up from 4,764 million euros for the same period in 2005, representing 5.7% growth in terms of reported data. Organic growth was 5.1%. In the second quarter 2006 the group had revenue of 2,560 million euros, down 0.7% from second quarter 2005 sales (-1.6% like-for-like). Nuclear operations reported first half 2006 revenue of 3,334 million euros, up 1.6% from the first half of 2005 (+1.3% like-for-like), marked by: net growth of 12.9% for the Front End Division, mainly attributable to uranium deliveries and enrichment services; the contribution from reactor projects in Finland (OL3), China (Ling Ao-Phase II) and France (Flamanville 3 EPR), which boosted sales for the Reactors and Services Division by 2.7%, despite the downturn in sales of reactor services; a 14.4% drop in the Back End Division, primarily in the used fuel treatment business. The Transmission and Distribution Division recorded sales revenue of 1,701 million euros, representing strong organic growth of 13.8%, consistent with the increase in orders booked in the second half of 2005. Orders for the first half of 2006 were up by 17.5% like-for-like compared with those of the first half of 2005. The group is targeting a net increase in revenue for 2006, like-for-like

  11. Mediterranean, our sea

    Science.gov (United States)

    Markaki, Foteini

    2017-04-01

    My school (1o EPAL Ymittos -Athens, Greece) is a technical school of secondary education and throughout this school year being drafted a program of environmental education. The main theme is the Mediterranean Sea, the biggest closed sea extending between three continents. Topics studied: 1. Biodiversity and the risks threat. 2. The geophysics that characterize (earthquakes, volcanoes explosions, etc). 3. The Mediterranean Sea as environment anthropogenesis, a mosaic of other cultures and even place current notions of social phenomena (refugees). Pedagogical Objectives: Cognitive/Enviromental: 1. To investigate and understand the biodiversity of the Mediterranean Sea and the risks to threaten and phenomena that characterize. 2. To understand the position of the Mediterranean Sea in the land and the role of the historical, cultural and social human environment. 3. To come in contact with texts literary, social, articles on the Mediterranean. Psychomotor: 1. To work together and collect information for the Mediterranean Sea. 2. Experiential approach to the natural environment. 3. Develop critical thinking. 4. Undertake responsibilities for the presentation of the program. Emotional: 1. To feel joy from participation in the program. 2. Being sensitized and configure attitudes and actions of respect towards the environment. Methodology implementation: Teamwork. Interdisciplinary - holistic to dissemination of program recordings to courses curriculum. Study in the field. Gathering information from newspapers, magazines, internet, maps, and photographs. Experiential method- Project. Assessment methods and self-assessment. Fields of courses: Greek language- History- Biology- Chemistry- Technology Dissemination of results: Make a page of social media (facebook), a blog, enhancing environmental awareness via video, make an electronic poster.

  12. Some Considerations Regarding the European Banking Union

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marius Eugen Radu

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Union Bank is a surveillance system and an EU bank resolution, which operates on the basis of EU wide rules. It aims to ensure that the banking sector in the euro area and the EU in general is safe and reliable and viable banks benefiting from resolution without recourse to taxpayer funds and with minimal impact on the real economy. Banking union members are all euro-zone countries and EU Member States that have chosen to participate. All countries will adopt the euro in the future will automatically become members of the banking union. Countries that are not part of the euro area can join by establishing a close cooperation agreement.

  13. First quarter 2006: sales up by 13.3% to euros 2,476 million

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2006-04-01

    The AREVA group's first quarter 2006 sales was euros 2,476 million, compared with euros 2,186 million for the same period in 2005, representing 13.3% growth in terms of reported data. Organic growth was 13.0%. Nuclear operations posted sales of euros 1,660 million, up 11.5% (up 11.6% like-for-like), and buoyant business volume marked by: net growth for the Front End Division (+20.4%), with 60% coming from volume-product mix effects and 40% from favorable price effects, especially for uranium supply and enrichment services; the contribution from the OL3 (Finland), Ling Ao-Phase II (China) and Flamanville 3 EPR (France) reactor projects, which boosted the Reactors and Services Division's sales by 13.2%; a slight decrease in the Back End Division (-2.5%). The Transmission and Distribution Division posted sales of euros 817 million, representing strong organic growth (up 16.6%), consistent with the increase in orders recorded in 2005. Orders booked in the first quarter of 2006 were up by 15.4% like-for-like (up 25.4% in reported data) compared with the first quarter of 2005. For 2006, the Group expects net growth in sales, like-for-like, although not at the particularly high levels of the first quarter

  14. Implementing a Mediterranean-Style Diet Outside the Mediterranean Region.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murphy, Karen J; Parletta, Natalie

    2018-05-04

    Populations surrounding the Mediterranean basin have traditionally reaped health benefits from a Mediterranean diet (MedDiet), which may benefit Westernized countries plagued by chronic disease. But is it feasible to implement beyond the Mediterranean? To answer this question, we present evidence from randomized controlled trials that achieved high dietary compliance rates with subsequent physical and mental health benefits. In the 1960s, the Seven Countries Study identified dietary qualities of Mediterranean populations associated with healthy aging and longevity. The PREDIMED study confirmed reductions in CVD-related mortality with a MedDiet; a meta-analysis in over 4.7 million people showed reduced mortality, CVD-related mortality, and reduced risk of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. Continually emerging research supports the MedDiet's benefits for chronic diseases including metabolic syndrome, cancers, liver disease, type 2 diabetes, depression, and anxiety. We summarize components of studies outside the Mediterranean that achieved high compliance to a Med-style diet: dietitian led, dietary education, goal setting, mindfulness; recipe books, meal plans, and food checklists; food hampers; regular contact between volunteers and staff through regular cooking classes; clinic visits; and recipes that are simple, palatable, and affordable. The next step is testing the MedDiet's feasibility in the community. Potential obstacles include access to dietetic/health care professionals, high meat intake, pervasive processed foods, and fast food outlets. For Western countries to promote a Med-style diet, collective support from government, key stakeholders and policy makers, food industry, retailers, and health professionals is needed to ensure the healthiest choice is the easiest choice.

  15. Postfire chaparral regeneration under mediterranean and non-mediterranean climates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keeley, Jon E.; Fotheringham, Connie J.; Rundel, Philip W.

    2012-01-01

    This study compares postfire regeneration and diversity patterns in fire-prone chaparral shrublands from mediterranean (California) and non-mediterranean-type climates (Arizona). Vegetation sampling was conducted in tenth hectare plots with nested subplots for the first two years after fire. Floras in the two regions were compared with Jaccard's Index and importance of families and genera compared with dominance-diversity curves. Although there were 44 families in common between the two regions, the dominant families differed; Poaceae and Fabaceae in Arizona and Hydrophyllaceae and Rosaceae in California. Dominance diversity curves indicated in the first year a more equable distribution of families in Arizona than in California. Woody plants were much more dominant in the mediterranean climate and herbaceous plants more dominant in the bimodal rainfall climate. Species diversity was comparable in both regions at the lowest spatial scales but not at the tenth hectare scale. Due to the double growing season in the non-mediterranean region, the diversity for the first year comprised two different herbaceous floras in the fall and spring growing seasons. The Mediterranean climate in California, in contrast, had only a spring growing season and thus the total diversity for the first year was significantly greater in Arizona than in California for both annuals and herbaceous perennials. Chaparral in these two climate regimes share many dominant shrub species but the postfire communities are very different. Arizona chaparral has both a spring and fall growing season and these produce two very different postfire floras. When combined, the total annual diversity was substantially greater in Arizona chaparral.

  16. First half 2006: sales revenue up by 5.7% to euros 5,036 million; 1. semestre 2006: chiffre d'affaires en hausse de 5,7% a 5,036 million d'euros

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2006-07-01

    The AREVA group reports first half 2006 sales revenue of 5,036 million euros, up from 4,764 million euros for the same period in 2005, representing 5.7% growth in terms of reported data. Organic growth was 5.1%. In the second quarter 2006 the group had revenue of 2,560 million euros, down 0.7% from second quarter 2005 sales (-1.6% like-for-like). Nuclear operations reported first half 2006 revenue of 3,334 million euros, up 1.6% from the first half of 2005 (+1.3% like-for-like), marked by: net growth of 12.9% for the Front End Division, mainly attributable to uranium deliveries and enrichment services; the contribution from reactor projects in Finland (OL3), China (Ling Ao-Phase II) and France (Flamanville 3 EPR), which boosted sales for the Reactors and Services Division by 2.7%, despite the downturn in sales of reactor services; a 14.4% drop in the Back End Division, primarily in the used fuel treatment business. The Transmission and Distribution Division recorded sales revenue of 1,701 million euros, representing strong organic growth of 13.8%, consistent with the increase in orders booked in the second half of 2005. Orders for the first half of 2006 were up by 17.5% like-for-like compared with those of the first half of 2005. The group is targeting a net increase in revenue for 2006, like-for-like.

  17. The use of EuroCordex in marine climate projections

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tinker, Jonathan; Palmer, Matthew; Lowe, Jason; Howard, Tom

    2017-04-01

    The Northwest European Shelf seas (NWS, including the North Sea, Irish Sea and Celtic Sea) are of economic, environmental and cultural importance to a number of European countries. However, their representation by global climate models (GCMs) is very crude, due to their inability to represent the complex geometry and the absence of tides. Therefore, there is a need to employ dynamical downscaling methods when considering the potential impacts of climate change on the European (and other) shelf seas. Using a shelf seas model to dynamically downscale of the ocean component of the GCM is a well established method. While taking open ocean lateral boundary conditions from the GCM ocean is acceptable, using surface flux forcings from the GCM atmosphere is often problematic. The CORDEX project provides an important dataset of high spatial and temporal resolution atmospheric forcings, derived from 'parent' CMIP5 GCM simulations. We drive the NEMO shelf seas model with data from CMIP5 models and EURO-CORDEX Regional Climate Model (RCM) data to produce a set of NWS climate projections. We require relatively high temporal resolution output, and run-off (for the river forcings), and so are limited to a subset of the available EURO-CORDEX RCMs. From these we select two CMIP5 GCMs with the same RCM with two emissions scenarios to give a minimum estimate of GCM model structural and emission scenario uncertainty. Other experiments allow an initial estimate of the uncertainty associated with the model structure of both the shelf seas and the RCM. Our analysis is focused on the uncertainty associated with the mean change in a number of physical marine impacts and the drivers of coastal variability and change, including sea level and the propagation of open ocean signals onto the shelf. Our work is part of the UK Climate Projections (UKCP18) and will inform the following UK Climate Change Risk Assessments, required as part of the Climate Change Act.

  18. Baltic universities build on EuroFaculty's foundations / Gustav Kristensen

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Kristensen, Gustav

    2005-01-01

    Balti Nõukogu eestvedamisel EuroFaculty programmi raames on pärast taasiseseisvumist Balti riikide ülikoolides asutatud Euroteaduskondi. 13 aastat kestnud programmi eesmärgiks oli valmistada riike ette Euroopa Liiduga liitumiseks ja anda majandus-, poliitika- ja õigusalast haridus

  19. Mediterranean Diet and Its Correlates among Adolescents in Non-Mediterranean European Countries: A Population-Based Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Novak, Dario; Štefan, Lovro; Prosoli, Rebeka; Emeljanovas, Arunas; Mieziene, Brigita; Milanović, Ivana; Radisavljević-Janić, Snežana

    2017-02-22

    Little is known about the factors which might influence the adherence to a Mediterranean diet in non-Mediterranean European countries. Thus, the main purpose of this study was to determine the associations between socioeconomic, psychological, and physical factors on a Mediterranean diet. In this cross-sectional study, participants were 14-18-year-old adolescents ( N = 3071) from two non-Mediterranean countries: Lithuania ( N = 1863) and Serbia ( N = 1208). The dependent variable was Mediterranean diet, and was assessed with the Mediterranean Diet Quality Index for children and adolescents questionnaire. Independent variables were gender, body-mass index, self-rated health, socioeconomic status, psychological distress, physical activity, and sedentary behavior. The associations between dependent and independent variables were analyzed by using logistic regression. Results showed that higher adherence to a Mediterranean diet was associated with higher self-rated health, socioeconomic status, and physical activity, yet low adherence to a Mediterranean diet was associated with being female, having higher body-mass index, psychological distress, and sedentary behavior. Our findings suggest that future studies need to explore associations between lifestyle habits-especially in target populations, such as primary and secondary school students.

  20. 22 CFR 120.23 - Distribution agreement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Distribution agreement. 120.23 Section 120.23... § 120.23 Distribution agreement. An agreement (e.g., a contract) to establish a warehouse or distribution point abroad for defense articles exported from the United States for subsequent distribution to...

  1. Poweo - 2007 revenue of 363 million euro, up 48%; Poweo - Chiffre d'affaires 2007 de 363 millions euro, en hausse de 48%

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2008-02-15

    Poweo, the leading independent energy operator in France, presents its key activity indicators for the 4. quarter 2007 and the overall 2007 year (non-audited data): electricity and gas sales, energy and service supplies, revenue, margin and income. The main results are summarized thereafter: 129.8 million euro revenue for the 4. quarter (67.1% of positive growth with respect to 2006); 363.1 million euro revenue for 2007 (48.5% increase with respect to 2006); 91431 active client sites on December 31, 2007 (80300 on December 31, 2006); 13000 new residential client sites registered since the beginning of 2008; more than 3800 MW of fossil fuel power plant projects and 1200 MW of renewable power plant projects (500 MW in offshore wind power) with 30 to 100% estimated rates of success; a 41 MW wind power capacity already in operation. (J.S.)

  2. LABOUR MOBILITY AS AN ADJUSTMENT MECHANISM IN THE EURO AREA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cristina Puiu

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to assess the capacity of labour mobility in the euro area to act as an adjustment mechanism in the event of an asymmetric shock. According to the optimum currency area theory, labour mobility has been emphasized as one of the main adjustment mechanism. Given the present situation, where there are major concerns about the future of the euro area, it is necessary to study if the mechanism for stability works and if it can be improved. Considering the difficulty of quantifying the labour mobility, we have analyzed the net migration and the regulations regarding labour market. The empirical evidence shows that labour mobility does not act as a sufficient adjustment mechanism.

  3. Cognitive aspects of sexual functioning: differences between East Asian-Canadian and Euro-Canadian women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morton, Heather; Gorzalka, Boris B

    2013-11-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the sexual beliefs of female undergraduates, as well as the thoughts they experience during sexual experiences. The study aimed to determine potential differences in these variables between East Asian-Canadians and Euro-Canadians, as well as the influence of acculturation on these variables. In addition, the relationships between sexual beliefs, automatic thoughts, and specific aspects of sexual functioning were examined. Euro-Canadian (n = 77) and East Asian-Canadian (n = 123) undergraduate women completed the Sexual Dysfunctional Beliefs Questionnaire, the Sexual Modes Questionnaire, the Female Sexual Function Index, and the Vancouver Index of Acculturation. East Asian women endorsed almost all sexual beliefs assessed in this study more than did Euro-Canadian women, and endorsement of these beliefs was associated with acculturation. In addition, East Asian-Canadian and Euro-Canadian women differed in the frequency of experiencing negative automatic thoughts. Results also revealed associations between difficulties in sexual functioning, and both sexual beliefs and automatic thoughts. Together, these results provide preliminary support for the hypothesis that differences in cognitive aspects of sexuality may underlie the differences in sexual functioning previously observed between these two groups.

  4. Structural changes in the Czech, Slovak and euro area economies during the Great Recession

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tvrz Stanislav

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The goal of this paper is to identify and compare the most important changes in the structure of the Czech economy, as a small open economy with independent monetary policy, the Slovak economy, as a small open economy that entered monetary union, and the economy of the euro area, which has a common monetary policy, during the turbulent period of the Great Recession, the subsequent anaemic recovery and recent disinflationary period. Structural changes are identified with the help of nonlinear dynamic stochastic models of general equilibrium with time-varying parameters. The model parameters are estimated using Bayesian methods and a nonlinear particle filter. The results confirm the similarity of the Czech and Slovak economies and show that in certain respects the structure of the Czech economy might be closer to that of the euro area than that of Slovakia. The time-varying estimates reveal many similarities between the parameter changes in the Czech economy and those in the euro area. In Slovakia, the situation during the Great Recession was dominated by the country’s adoption of the euro, which caused large deviations in its Calvo parameters.

  5. Euro kasutuselevõtuks ametnikel töö tehtud / Piret Reiljan

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Reiljan, Piret, 1983-

    2007-01-01

    Eesti eurole üleminekut ette valmistanud ametnike koostatud infomaterjalid ja tegevuskavad on valmis, ent euro saabumise aeg pole veel teada. Diagramm: Inflatsioonimäär. Kommenteerivad Jan Linden ja Klas Eklund

  6. Predicting European Union recessions in the euro era: The yield curve as a forecasting tool of economic activity

    OpenAIRE

    Gogas, Periklis; Chionis, Dionisios; Pragkidis, Ioannis

    2009-01-01

    Several studies have established the predictive power of the yield curve, ie: the difference between long and short term bond rates, in terms of real economic activity, for the U.S. and various European countries. In this paper we use data from the European Union (EU15), ranging from 1994:Q1 to 2008:Q3. The seasonally adjusted real GDP is used to extract the long run trend and the cyclical component of the European output, while the European Central Bank’s euro area government benchmark bonds...

  7. Assessment of Mediterranean cyclones in the multi-ensemble EC-Earth

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gil, Victoria; Liberato, Margarida L. R.; Trigo, Isabel F.; Trigo, Ricardo M.

    2015-04-01

    suggests a slight decrease of the spring maximum and a pronounced increase in the summer maximum. The cyclone characteristics obtained from the ensemble members of EC-Earth indicate that summer cyclones will tend to be slower, less intense but will have a faster deepening phase. Part of the summer enhanced activity is in areas dominated by thermal lows. Trigo I.F., G. R. Bigg and T.D. Davies, 2002: Climatology of cyclogenesis mechanisms in the Mediterranean. Mon. Wea. Rev. 130, 549-569. Trigo, I. F., 2006: Climatology and Interannual Variability of Storm-Tracks in the Euro-Atlantic sector: a comparison between ERA-40 and NCEP/NCAR Reanalyses. Clim. Dynam., 26, 127-143. Acknowledgements: This work was partially supported by FEDER (Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional) funds through the COMPETE (Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade) and by national funds through FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal) under project STORMEx FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER- 019524 (PTDC/AAC-CLI/121339/2010).

  8. Signalling fiscal stress in the euro area - a country-specific early warning system

    OpenAIRE

    Hernández de Cos, Pablo; Koester, Gerrit B.; Moral-Benito, Enrique; Nickel, Christiane

    2014-01-01

    The sovereign debt crisis in the euro area has increased the interest in early warning indicators, with the aim to indicate the build?up of fiscal stress early on and to facilitate crisis prevention by a timely counteraction of fiscal and macroeconomic policies. This paper presents possible improvements to enhance existing early warning indicators for fiscal stress, especially for the euro area. We show that a country?specific approach could strongly increase the signalling power of early war...

  9. The Greek Crisis and the Generalization of Euro in European Union

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Octavian PERPELEA

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available In December 1991 the question of a single European currency is born, perhaps the most powerful glue of a united Europe. It might sound weird, the Greek crisis finds its root causes in ambiguity and inconsistency that treaty and, in the depths of contemporary history, the decision by Churchill and Stalin to bring Greece, East-European with the most powerful communist movement in the area, under the Western sphere of influence. So it is that Greece, after has experienced extreme political (kingdom, civil war, republic, military dictatorship and strong passions left, is admitted in 1981, the EEC “(... treated recklessly and tolerant European partners who did not exercise any control over them, nor have forced on performance targets.” So, ideal conditions for real “debauchery” that this country financially practiced under the nose of the EU, especially after entering the euro zone. As a result, the global crisis was “the occasion and not the cause” of the crisis and it finds its roots in Greek behaviour – governments and the public alike. The rational “solutions” are actually are... is only one – agreement with the EU because GREXIT, although possible, is ...inconceivable.

  10. Dissolved gaseous mercury and mercury flux measurements in Mediterranean coastal waters: A short review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fantozzi L.

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available There is a general agreement in the scientific community that the marine ecosystem can be a sink and/or source of the mercury that is cycling in the global environment, and current estimates of the global mercury budget for the Mediterranean region are affected by high uncertainty, primarily due to the little progress made so far in evaluating the role of chemical, physical and biological processes in the water system and in the lower atmosphere above the sea water (air-water interface. The lack of knowledge of the magnitude of the air-sea exchange mechanisms is, therefore, one of the main factors affecting the overall uncertainty associated with the assessment of net fluxes of Hg between the atmospheric and marine environments in the Mediterranean region. Results obtained during the last 15 years in the Mediterranean basin indicate the quantitative importance of such emission in the biogeochemical cycle of this element, highlighting the need for thorough investigations on the mechanisms of production and volatilization of dissolved gaseous mercury in waters.

  11. Commercial refining in the Mediterranean

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Packer, P.

    1999-01-01

    About 9% of the world's oil refining capacity is on the Mediterranean: some of the world's biggest and most advanced refineries are on Sicily and Sardinia. The Mediterranean refineries are important suppliers to southern Europe and N. Africa. The article discusses commercial refining in the Mediterranean under the headings of (i) historic development, (ii) product demand, (iii) refinery configurations, (iv) refined product trade, (v) financial performance and (vi) future outlook. Although some difficulties are foreseen, refining in the Mediterranean is likely to continue to be important well into the 21st century. (UK)

  12. Genetic diversity and biogeographical patterns of Caulerpa prolifera across the Mediterranean and Mediterranean/Atlantic transition zone

    KAUST Repository

    Varela-Á lvarez, Elena; Balau, Ana C.; Marbà , Nú rià N.; Afonso-Carrillo, Julio; Duarte, Carlos M.; Serrã o, Ester Á lvares

    2015-01-01

    Knowledge of spatial patterns of genetic differentiation between populations is key to understanding processes in evolutionary history of biological species. Caulerpa is a genus of marine green algae, which has attracted much public attention, mainly because of the impacts of invasive species in the Mediterranean. However, very little is known about the ecological and evolutionary history of the Mediterranean native Caulerpa prolifera, a species which is currently found at sites distributed worldwide. C. prolifera provides a good model to explore the patterns of genetic diversity at different scales across the Mediterranean and Atlantic area. This study aims to investigate the biogeographical patterns of diversity and differentiation of C. prolifera in the Mediterranean, with special focus on the Mediterranean/Atlantic transition zone. We used two nuclear (ITS rDNA and the hypervariable microsatellite locus CaPr_J2) and one chloroplast (tufA) DNA markers on samples of C. prolifera from its entire range. Analyses of 51 sequences of the cpDNA tufA of C. prolifera, 87 ITS2 sequences and genotypes of 788 ramets of C. prolifera for the locus CaPr_J2 revealed three different biogeographical areas: West Atlantic, East Atlantic and a larger area representing the Mediterranean, the Mediterranean/Atlantic transition zone and a Pacific site (Bali). It was found out that the Mediterranean/Atlantic transition zone is a biogeographical boundary for C. prolifera. A lack of connectivity was revealed between Atlantic and Mediterranean types, and identical sequences found in the Mediterranean and Indo-Pacific suggest either recent gene flow along the Red Sea connection or a possible ancient Indo-Pacific origin.

  13. Genetic diversity and biogeographical patterns of Caulerpa prolifera across the Mediterranean and Mediterranean/Atlantic transition zone

    KAUST Repository

    Varela-Álvarez, Elena

    2015-01-11

    Knowledge of spatial patterns of genetic differentiation between populations is key to understanding processes in evolutionary history of biological species. Caulerpa is a genus of marine green algae, which has attracted much public attention, mainly because of the impacts of invasive species in the Mediterranean. However, very little is known about the ecological and evolutionary history of the Mediterranean native Caulerpa prolifera, a species which is currently found at sites distributed worldwide. C. prolifera provides a good model to explore the patterns of genetic diversity at different scales across the Mediterranean and Atlantic area. This study aims to investigate the biogeographical patterns of diversity and differentiation of C. prolifera in the Mediterranean, with special focus on the Mediterranean/Atlantic transition zone. We used two nuclear (ITS rDNA and the hypervariable microsatellite locus CaPr_J2) and one chloroplast (tufA) DNA markers on samples of C. prolifera from its entire range. Analyses of 51 sequences of the cpDNA tufA of C. prolifera, 87 ITS2 sequences and genotypes of 788 ramets of C. prolifera for the locus CaPr_J2 revealed three different biogeographical areas: West Atlantic, East Atlantic and a larger area representing the Mediterranean, the Mediterranean/Atlantic transition zone and a Pacific site (Bali). It was found out that the Mediterranean/Atlantic transition zone is a biogeographical boundary for C. prolifera. A lack of connectivity was revealed between Atlantic and Mediterranean types, and identical sequences found in the Mediterranean and Indo-Pacific suggest either recent gene flow along the Red Sea connection or a possible ancient Indo-Pacific origin.

  14. The serum bank of EuroPrevall - the prevalence, cost and basis of food allergy across Europe

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vieths, Stefan; Reese, Gerald; Ballmer-Weber, Barbara K.; Beyer, Kerstin; Burney, Peter; Fernandez-Rivas, Montserrat; Summers, Collin; Ree, Ronald van; Mills, Clare

    2008-01-01

    EuroPrevall is an EU-funded multidisciplinary project including 62 institutions from 22 countries. EuroPrevall studies the prevalence and distribution of food allergies in infants, children, adolescents, and adults in Europe, threshold doses for allergenic foods, the role of the environment in food

  15. Psychological costs of currency transition: evidence from the euro adoption

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Otrachshenko, V.; Popova, Olga; Tavares, J.

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 45, December (2016), s. 89-100 ISSN 0176-2680 Institutional support: RVO:67985998 Keywords : Euro introduction * currency changeover * subjective well-being Subject RIV: AH - Economics Impact factor: 1.098, year: 2016

  16. [European Blood Alliance (EBA) and EuroNet TMS: what challenges for the transfusion of tomorrow?].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Folléa, G; de Wit, J; Rouger, P

    2011-04-01

    The primary mission of the European Blood Alliance (EBA) is to contribute to the safety and efficiency of the supply of blood products, cells and tissues, in developing an active network of blood establishments in Europe (25 countries). Its strategic objectives are to improve performance (through working groups and projects funded by the European Union), to engage in regulatory affairs (particularly at the European Commission level) to promote best practices and to facilitate a network to collect and share knowledge and experiences. The main objective of EuroNet TMS, combining the blood scientific societies from more than 30 countries in Europe, is to update and publish regularly, intended for policymakers, a White Book on the transfusion chain from donor to patient and probable or possible changes in the coming 5 years. Since 2008, EBA and EuroNet TMS actively collaborate on the drafting of the 2nd edition to be published in 2011. The two presidents jointly drafted the final chapter outlining the major issues of transfusion for tomorrow, summarized thereafter. Transfusion will still be useful for a long time and for reasons of safety and ethics the voluntary and unpaid donations, with non-profit blood establishments, will remain, the cornerstone of the supply of blood products. This renders crucial the continuous improvement of donor management and optimal blood use. On the regulatory side, after 5 years of implementation, EU directives must be independently evaluated and the Blood Guide of the Council of Europe should gradually become a regulatory standard. Finally, if a competition should be introduced for the blood products, it should be strictly regulated to prevent any threat to the security of their supply and quality for patients. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  17. Is the diversification of Mediterranean Basin plant lineages coupled to karyotypic changes?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Escudero, M; Balao, F; Martín-Bravo, S; Valente, L; Valcárcel, V

    2018-01-01

    The Mediterranean Basin region, home to 25,000 plant species, is included in the worldwide list of hotspots of biodiversity. Despite the indisputably important role of chromosome transitions in plant evolution and diversification, no reference study to date has dealt with the possible relationship between chromosome evolution and lineage diversification in the Mediterranean Basin. Here we study patterns of diversification, patterns of chromosome number transition (either polyploidy or dysploidy) and the relationship between the two for 14 Mediterranean Basin angiosperm lineages using previously published phylogenies. We found a mixed pattern, with half of the lineages displaying a change in chromosome transition rates after the onset of the Mediterranean climate (six increases, one decrease) and the other half (six) experiencing constant rates of chromosome transitions through time. We have also found a heterogeneous pattern regarding diversification rates, with lineages exhibiting moderate (five phylogenies) or low (six) initial diversification rates that either increased (six) or declined (five) through time. Our results reveal no clear link between diversification rates and chromosome number transition rates. By promoting the formation of new habitats and driving the extinction of many species, the Mediterranean onset and the posterior Quaternary climatic oscillations could have been key for the establishment of new chromosomal variants in some plant phylogenies but not in others. While the biodiversity of the Mediterranean Basin may be partly influenced by the chromosomal diversity of its lineages, this study concludes that lineage diversification in the region is largely decoupled from karyotypic evolution. © 2017 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

  18. Agreement for the Establishment in Cairo of a Middle Eastern Regional Radioisotope Centre for the Arab Countries. Acceptances of the Agreement and Pledges of Additional Contributions to the Centre. Information Received up to 31 December 1963

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1964-01-01

    The Government of the United Arab Republic, the Host State of the Middle Eastern Regional Radioisotope Centre for the Arab Countries, has notified the Agency that on the dates shown the following Arab States deposited with the Government instruments of acceptance of the Agreement establishing the Centre

  19. Atmospheric conditions and weather regimes associated with extreme winter dry spells over the Mediterranean basin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raymond, Florian; Ullmann, Albin; Camberlin, Pierre; Oueslati, Boutheina; Drobinski, Philippe

    2018-06-01

    Very long dry spell events occurring during winter are natural hazards to which the Mediterranean region is extremely vulnerable, because they can lead numerous impacts for environment and society. Four dry spell patterns have been identified in a previous work. Identifying the main associated atmospheric conditions controlling the dry spell patterns is key to better understand their dynamics and their evolution in a changing climate. Except for the Levant region, the dry spells are generally associated with anticyclonic blocking conditions located about 1000 km to the Northwest of the affected area. These anticyclonic conditions are favourable to dry spell occurrence as they are associated with subsidence of cold and dry air coming from boreal latitudes which bring low amount of water vapour and non saturated air masses, leading to clear sky and absence of precipitation. These extreme dry spells are also partly related to the classical four Euro-Atlantic weather regimes are: the two phases of the North Atlantic Oscillation, the Scandinavian "blocking" or "East-Atlantic", and the "Atlantic ridge". Only the The "East-Atlantic", "Atlantic ridge" and the positive phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation are frequently associated with extremes dry spells over the Mediterranean basin but they do not impact the four dry spell patterns equally. Finally long sequences of those weather regimes are more favourable to extreme dry spells than short sequences. These long sequences are associated with the favourable prolonged and reinforced anticyclonic conditions

  20. Benefits of the Mediterranean diet beyond the Mediterranean Sea and beyond food patterns.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martínez-González, Miguel A

    2016-10-14

    Abundant and growing evidence has accrued to demonstrate that the traditional Mediterranean diet is likely to be the ideal dietary pattern for the prevention of cardiovascular disease. A landmark randomized trial (PREDIMED) together with many well-conducted long-term observational prospective cohort studies support this causal effect.A new, large British cohort study by Tong et al. assessing the association between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and cardiovascular disease was recently published in BMC Medicine. Using a superb methodology, they followed-up 23,902 participants for 12.2 years on average and observed several thousand incident cases.The results of this cohort study showed a significant beneficial effect of the Mediterranean diet on cardiovascular events. These findings support the transferability of this dietary pattern beyond the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The authors provided measures of population impact in cardiovascular prevention and estimated that 19,375 cases of cardiovascular death would be prevented each year in the UK by promoting the Mediterranean Diet.Please see related article: http://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-016-0677-4 .

  1. Instability and Nonlinearity in the Euro-area Philips Curve

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    A. Musso; A. Stracca; D.J.C. van Dijk (Dick)

    2009-01-01

    textabstractThis paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the functional form of the euro-area Phillips curve over the past three decades. In particular, compared with previous literature, we analyze the stability of the relationship in detail, especially as regards the possibility of a

  2. Large Sequence Polymorphisms of the Euro-American lineage of Mycobacterium tuberculosis: a phylogenetic reconstruction and evidence for convergent evolution in the DR locus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rindi, Laura; Lari, Nicoletta; Garzelli, Carlo

    2012-10-01

    The Euro-American lineage of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex consists of 10 sublineages, each defined by a deletion of a large genomic region (RD, region of difference); by spoligotyping, that probes the polymorphism of the Direct Repeat (DR) locus, the Euro-American strains are classified into 5 lineages (T, Haarlem, LAM, S and X) and 34 sublineages, but the relationships between the RD-defined sublineages and the spoligotype groupings are largely unclear. By testing a global sample of 158 Euro-American strains, mutually exclusive deletions of RD115, RD122, RD174, RD182, RD183, RD193, RD219, RD726 or RD761 were found in 122 strains; deletion of RD724, typical of strains from Central Africa, was not found. The RD-defined sublineages, tested for katG463/gyrA95 polymorphism, belonged to Principal Genotypic Group (PGG) 2, with the exception of RD219 sublineage belonging to PGG3; the 36 strains with no deletion were of either PGG2 or 3. Based on these polymorphisms, a phylogenetic reconstruction of the Euro-American lineage, that integrates the previously reported phylogeny, is proposed. Although certain deletions were found to be associated to certain spoligotype lineages (i.e., deletion RD115 to T and LAM, RD174 to LAM, RD182 to Haarlem, RD219 to T), our analysis indicates a general lack of concordance between RD-defined sublineages and spoligotype groupings. Moreover, of the 42 spoligotypes detected among the study strains, sixteen were shared by strains belonging to different RD sublineages. IS6110-RFLP analysis of strains sharing spoligotypes confirmed a poor genetic relatedness between strains of different RD sublineages. These findings provide evidence for the occurrence of a high degree of homoplasy in the DR locus leading to convergent evolution to identical spoligotypes. The incongruence between Large Sequence Polymorphism and spoligotype polymorphism argues against the use of spoligotyping for establishing phylogenetic relationships within the Euro

  3. CEEPRA - Collaboration Network on EuroArctic Environmental Radiation Protection and Research

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Solatie, D.; Leppaenen, A.P. [STUK-Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (Finland); Kasatkina, N. [Murmansk Marine Biological Institute (Russian Federation); Nalbandyan, A. [Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority (Norway); Paatero, J. [Finnish Meteorological Institute (Finland); Reinikainen, K.; Nissi, M. [Poeyry Finland Oy (Finland); Vaaramaa, K. [Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (Finland)

    2014-07-01

    CEEPRA (Collaboration Network on EuroArctic Environmental Radiation Protection and Research) is an EU-funded project acting under the Kolarctic ENPI CBC programme. The CEEPRA project's main aim is to develop a collaboration network between key radiation research institutions in the EuroArctic region, which will lead to improved emergency preparedness capabilities in the event of any nuclear accidents. The project is studying the current state of radioactive contamination in the terrestrial and marine ecosystems in the EuroArctic region by examining environmental samples collected from Lapland in Finland, Finnmark and Troms in Norway, the Kola Peninsula in Russia and in the Barents Sea. The results provide updated information on the present levels, occurrence and the fate of radioactive substances in the Arctic environments and food chains. Special attention is given to collection and analyses of natural products widely used by general public in Finland, Russia and Norway, such as berries, mushrooms, fish and reindeer meat. The region-specific risk assessments are carried out through modelling and studying of long-term effects of potential nuclear accidents in the EuroArctic region and possible impacts on the region's indigenous population, terrestrial and marine environments, reindeer husbandry, the natural product sector, tourism and industries. The project partners are Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) from Finland, the Murmansk Marine Biological Institute (MMBI) from Russia, the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority (NRPA), Finnish Meteorological Institute and Poeyry Finland Oy. The Southern Scientific Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SSC RAS) and Norwegian Meteorological Institute (MET) are taking part in the project as well. The main results of the project are presented in this study. Document available in abstract form only. (authors)

  4. Familial Mediterranean Fever

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adem Kucuk

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Familial Mediterranean Fever is an autosomal recessive inherited disease with a course of autoinflammation, which is characterized by the episodes of fever and serositis. It affects the populations from Mediterranean basin. Genetic mutation of the disease is on MEFV gene located on short arm of Chromosome 16. The disease is diagnosed based on clinical evaluation. Amyloidosis is the most important complication. The only agent that decreases the development of amyloidosis and the frequency and severity of the episodes is colchicine, which has been used for about 40 years. In this review, we aimed to discuss especially the most recent advances about Familial Mediterranean Fever which is commonly seen in our population.

  5. Financial and economic approach: Financial & banking sector development pact from the perspective of the euro area European economic policy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Theodoropoulos Theodore E.

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available Powerful obstacles to the further integration of repot, bond and equity markets remain the still fragmented securities settlement industry in Europe, which charges much higher fees for cross border transactions than for domestic transactions, and differences in legal systems. This paper describes the main developments in the euro area financial markets before and after the introduction of the single currency. It looks at the evolution of the euro area financial structure in the last few years. Interestingly in various dimensions the financial structure of euro area countries seems to become more diverse over time. We assess the progress towards financial integration in the most important euro-area financial segments, namely money and equity markets, as well as banking. The available data suggest that the unsecured money market strongly integrated with the introduction of the euro, as the single currency and related euro-area-wide large-value payment systems link the different countries well. Also, some progress occurred in the integration of euro-area equity markets, as stock exchanges in a few countries merged to form Euronext and professional asset managers replaced country allocation by sector allocation strategies. Overall, while asset holdings have become more international in the euro area since the introduction of the single currency, securities markets are still much less integrated than in the US. In the area of retail banking the increased homogeneity of interest rates seems to be driven more by macroeconomic convergence than by market integration. In addition we consider a wide range of other determinants, such as foreign debt or net foreign assets, terms of trade, government debt and regulated prices.

  6. Problems Regarding The Possible Withdrawal Of Some Member States From The Euro Zone

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Silviu Marius ȘEITAN

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available By taking into consideration the actual difficult macroeconomic situation of some of the Member States of the Euro Zone, as it was already published, as a scenario, the possibility of the avoiding of the member State position, the present paper will propose, as analysis subjects, the main impact elements on the other European national economies of such producing scenario. The main risks associated of such scenario, even if such process will be an administrated one, are the following ones: - the depreciation of the Euro as a result of the economic instability perception at the Euro Zone level; - the reducing of the European Budget incomes; - the reducing of the European Central banks working founds; - a very important risk which also have the character of political risk and which have an important position being a source of complex and difficult European macroeconomic problems, could be the precedent thus created towards other member states possible process of avoiding the member state position.

  7. EURO-CARES as Roadmap for a European Sample Curation Facility

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brucato, J. R.; Russell, S.; Smith, C.; Hutzler, A.; Meneghin, A.; Aléon, J.; Bennett, A.; Berthoud, L.; Bridges, J.; Debaille, V.; Ferrière, L.; Folco, L.; Foucher, F.; Franchi, I.; Gounelle, M.; Grady, M.; Leuko, S.; Longobardo, A.; Palomba, E.; Pottage, T.; Rettberg, P.; Vrublevskis, J.; Westall, F.; Zipfel, J.; Euro-Cares Team

    2018-04-01

    EURO-CARES is a three-year multinational project funded under the European Commission Horizon2020 research program to develop a roadmap for a European Extraterrestrial Sample Curation Facility for samples returned from solar system missions.

  8. Euro-FISH: A concerted action towards standardized translocation detection in pathology

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rijk, A. Van; Mason, D.; Leoncini, L.

    2007-01-01

    Background: Lymphomas are cancers originating from the lymphatic system. This specific group of cancers can be divided into two major categories; Hodgkin versus non-Hodgkin lymphomas. Their definition is based on clinical, morphological, immunophenotypic and genetic features and is generally...... at a validation of a robust, standardized FISH protocol. When implemented this procedure will be an aid in discriminating the most difficult to diagnose cases. Method: The Euro-FISH protocol is a useful tool in discerning the different types of lymphoma and available treatment options. The Euro-FISH project...... reliable results in at least 90% of the cases tested and can in principal be implemented for routine use in every pathology laboratory with access to a fluorescence microscope....

  9. Nonlinearity and fractional integration in the US dollar/euro exchange rate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kiran Burcu

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper examines the nonlinear behavior and the fractional integration property of the US dollar/euro exchange rate over the period from January 1999 to August 2010 by extending the procedure of Peter M. Robinson (1994 to the case of nonlinearity. First, using the approach developed by Mehmet Caner and Bruce E. Hansen (2001, we investigate the possible presence of nonlinearity in the series through the estimation of a two-regime threshold autoregressive model. After finding nonlinearity, we also allow for disturbances to be fractionally integrated based on the different versions of Robinson (1994 tests. The findings show that the US dollar/euro exchange rate follows a stationary process with a weak evidence for long memory.

  10. Evaluation of reported NOx emission trends between 2005 and 2013 by assimilation of OMI-NO2 data into LOTOS-EUROS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schaap, Martijn; Segers, Arjo; Curier, Lyana; Timmermans, Renske

    2016-04-01

    Consistent and long time series of remotely sensed trace gas levels may provide a useful tool to estimate surface emissions and emission trends. We use the OMI-NO2 product in conjunction with the LOTOS-EUROS CTM to estimate European emission trends through correction of the OMI-time series for meteorological variability as well as through assimilation using an ensemble kalman filter system (EnKF). The chemistry transport model captures a large fraction of the variability in NO2 columns at a synoptic timescale, although a seasonal signal in the bias between the modeled and retrieved column data remains. Prior to the assimilation, the OMI-NO2 data have been analyzed to establish the spatially variable temporal and spatial correlation lengths, required for the settings in the EnKF system. The assimilation run for 2005-2013 was performed using constant 2005 emissions to be able to quantify the emission change. The assimilation reduces the model-observation differences considerably. Significant negative trends of 2-3 % per year (as compared to 2005) were found in highly industrialized areas across Western Europe. The assimilation system also identifies the areas with major emission reductions in e.g. northern Spain as identified in earlier studies. Comparison of the trends derived from the assimilation and the data itself shows a high level of agreement, both the trends found in this way are smaller than those reported.

  11. Euro VI technologies and costs for Heavy Duty vehicles: the expert panels summary of stakeholders responses

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gense, N.L.J.; Riemersma, I.J.; Such, C.l; Ntziachristos, L.

    2006-01-01

    This report is the result of the work carried out under on the Europeans Commission’s call for tender regarding “Technical support for the Commission DG Environment on the development of Euro 5 standards for light-duty vehicles and Euro VI standards for heavy-duty vehicles” (Reference:

  12. 47 CFR 27.1315 - Establishment, execution, and application of the network sharing agreement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... the NSA: (a) Approval of NSA as pre-condition for granting the Upper 700 MHz D Block License. The... Block license has negotiated the NSA and such other agreements as the Commission may require or allow with the Public Safety Broadband Licensee, and the NSA and related agreements or documents have been...

  13. Risk assessments of regional climate change over Europe: generation of probabilistic ensemble and uncertainty assessment for EURO-CODEX

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, J.; Kopp, R. E.

    2017-12-01

    Quantitative risk analysis of regional climate change is crucial for risk management and impact assessment of climate change. Two major challenges to assessing the risks of climate change are: CMIP5 model runs, which drive EURO-CODEX downscaling runs, do not cover the full range of uncertainty of future projections; Climate models may underestimate the probability of tail risks (i.e. extreme events). To overcome the difficulties, this study offers a viable avenue, where a set of probabilistic climate ensemble is generated using the Surrogate/Model Mixed Ensemble (SMME) method. The probabilistic ensembles for temperature and precipitation are used to assess the range of uncertainty covered by five bias-corrected simulations from the high-resolution (0.11º) EURO-CODEX database, which are selected by the PESETA (The Projection of Economic impacts of climate change in Sectors of the European Union based on bottom-up Analysis) III project. Results show that the distribution of SMME ensemble is notably wider than both distribution of raw ensemble of GCMs and the spread of the five EURO-CORDEX in RCP8.5. Tail risks are well presented by the SMME ensemble. Both SMME ensemble and EURO-CORDEX projections are aggregated to administrative level, and are integrated into impact functions of PESETA III to assess climate risks in Europe. To further evaluate the uncertainties introduced by the downscaling process, we compare the 5 runs from EURO-CORDEX with runs from the corresponding GCMs. Time series of regional mean, spatial patterns, and climate indices are examined for the future climate (2080-2099) deviating from the present climate (1981-2010). The downscaling processes do not appear to be trend-preserving, e.g. the increase in regional mean temperature from EURO-CORDEX is slower than that from the corresponding GCM. The spatial pattern comparison reveals that the differences between each pair of GCM and EURO-CORDEX are small in winter. In summer, the temperatures of EURO

  14. Confidence building on euro convergence : Evidence from currency options

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Driessen, J.J.A.G.; Perotti, E.

    2011-01-01

    We study the evolution of investor confidence in 1992–1998 over the chance of individual currencies to converge to the Euro, using data on currency option prices. Convergence risk, which may reflect uncertainty over policy commitment as well as exogenous fundamentals, induces a level of implied

  15. Confidence building on Euro convergence: evidence from currency options

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Driessen, J.; Perotti, E.

    2011-01-01

    We study the evolution of investor confidence in 1992-1998 over the chance of individual currencies to converge to the Euro, using data on currency option prices. Convergence risk, which may reflect uncertainty over policy commitment as well as exogenous fundamentals, induces a level of implied

  16. THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SINGLE EURO PAYMENTS AREA IN ROMANIA AND THE EFFECTS ON EFFICIENCY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mihaita-Cosmin POPOVICI

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Adoption of the single currency, euro, on 1 January 2002, in 12 countries, then in other seven states, represents a step towards closer economic and monetary integration in the European Union. The banking market remains fragmented after euro adoption and cross-border transactions in the single currency involves high costs and long periods of settlement and clearing. European Union response to this problem came in the form of the Single Euro Payments Area. The objective of the papers is to analyze the degree of implementation of SEPA in Romania and to investigate the impact on banking efficiency. The results showed low degree of implementation, especially on direct debit, but Romania hasmore time until October 31, 2016 to make the necessary changes. The consumers will benefit from a quicker settlement and clearing and at lower costs.

  17. TERENO-MED: Observation and Exploration Platform for Water Resources in the Mediterranean

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krueger, E.; Zacharias, S.; Friesen, J.; Vereecken, H.; Bogena, H.; Kallioras, A.

    2012-04-01

    According to the latest IPCC projections, the Circum-Mediterranean region will be particularly affected by Global and Climate Change. These changes include population growth, increases in food, water and energy demands, changes in land use patterns and urbanization/industrialization, while at the same time, the renewable water resources in the region are predicted to decrease by up to 50 % within the next 100 years. However, a profound basis for estimating and predicting the long-term effects of Global and Climate Change on the development of the quantity and quality of water resources and on ecosystems is still lacking. The main reason for this is that environmental monitoring, in particular in the Mediterranean region, is strongly disciplinarily oriented, and financing is usually limited to short-term periods. The TERENO-MED (Terrestrial Environmental Observatories in the Mediterranean) initiative aims to fill the described gap. Together with partners in the region, TERENO-MED will establish a Circum-Mediterranean network of Global Change observatories, and will investigate the effects of anthropogenic impacts and of climate change on Mediterranean water resources and ecosystems. Within a set of representative catchments around the Circum-Mediterranean region (Southern Europe, Northern Africa, Near East), observatory sites will be installed with state-of-the-art and innovative monitoring equipment, in order to measure hydrological states and fluxes on a long-term basis (minimum 15 years). Monitoring equipment will cover all scales, from the point to the regional scale using ground-based and remote sensing technologies. Based on the acquired information, TERENO-MED, together with partners across the Mediterranean region will develop model scenarios that may serve as a basis for sustainable political and economical decisions. In order to gain a deep understanding of the most relevant processes and feedbacks, and to deliver reliable future scenarios for the

  18. Ecological profiles of caddisfly larvae in Mediterranean streams: implications for bioassessment methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bonada, N.; Zamora-Munoz, C.; Rieradevall, M.; Prat, N.

    2004-01-01

    Caddisflies are a well represented group with high species diversity in Mediterranean climate rivers. Although they are widely used in water quality assessment, little is known of the ecological profiles of families or species. We present a simple score for ecological profiles which measures intolerance to water quality. The ecological profiles of caddisflies are diverse and the degree of tolerance at the family level is related to species diversity and the tolerance of individual species to water quality. Comparisons with the scores used in the biotic index IBMWP show general agreement between the degree of intolerance of a family and its score in the IBMWP, with few exceptions. Studies on tolerance are required to elucidate the autecology of taxa, and to develop biological indices, especially in areas with high species diversity. - Capsule: Ecological profiles of caddisfly larvae in Mediterranean streams using water quality variables

  19. THE IMPACT OF POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC NEWS ON THE EURO/RON EXCHANGE RATE: A GARCH APPROACH

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mihai Niţoi

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Within this study we try to capture the impact of political news and economic news from euro area on the exchange rate between Romanian currency and euro. In order to do this we used a GARCH model. As we observed, both variables influence the exchange rate, this fact implying national currency depreciation and a volatility growth. The political news and the economic news positively affect the euro/ron exchange rate volatility. The two factors conjugation, as it has happened in the recent period is to be avoided because it can have financial and economic consequences with a very high cost for Romania.

  20. Investigation into the prevalence, persistence and antibiotic resistance profiles of staphylococci isolated from euro currency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gabriel, E M; Coffey, A; O'Mahony, J M

    2013-08-01

    The study set out to sample € 10 banknotes for the presence of coagulase-positive staphylococci (CPS) such as Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) in Southern Ireland, to assess the levels of antibiotic resistance among those isolated, and determine the persistence of S. aureus on € 10 banknotes and € 2 coins. We report that 97% of € 10 banknotes screened (n = 155) harboured multiple species of staphylococci. From the generated bank of strains, a total of 150 representative staphylococci isolates were used for further study, 71 were CPS and 79 were CoNS. Of these, we found that 62% of the staphylococci demonstrated resistance to at least one of the first-line antibiotics (52.11% of CPS isolates and 76.71% of the CoNS isolates). Resistance to multiple antibiotics was seen in 31.18% of the resistant isolates. In relation to persistence studies, S. aureus was shown to remain viable on euro banknotes and coins for significant periods (on average, 19.33 days on € 10 banknotes and 16.67 days on € 2 coins) as determined using bioluminescence. We advocate the expansion of antibiotic surveillance programs, with a view to tracking/monitoring antibiotic resistance dissemination among environmental contaminants. Additionally, we propose that 'cashless transactions' should be encouraged in high-risk environments such as hospitals and healthcare settings, as well as stricter infection controls. Although it is accepted that circulating currency has the potential to harbour disease-causing pathogens, studies investigating prevalence and persistence of such pathogens on euro currency are virtually nonexistent. In an attempt to rectify this, we examined the prevalence of staphylococci on € 10 banknotes in Ireland and reported relatively high levels of antibiotic resistance among the isolates. Furthermore, we have established the persistence of S. aureus on euro currency for the first time. © 2013 The Society for Applied

  1. 26 CFR 1.985-8 - Special rules applicable to the European Monetary Union (conversion to euro).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ...-8 Special rules applicable to the European Monetary Union (conversion to euro). (a) Definitions—(1... euro is substituted for that legacy currency (in accordance with the Treaty on European Union); and (B... pursuant to the Treaty on European Union signed February 7, 1992. Assume that on January 1, 1999, X changes...

  2. L'Europe prête 300 millions d'euros au CERN

    CERN Multimedia

    2003-01-01

    The BEI (Banque Européenne d'Investissement) will lent to CERN 300 millions of Euros, not only to build the new accelerator, but also to help to set up and european programm of research (1 paragraph)

  3. Mediterranean lifestyle and cardiovascular disease prevention.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Georgousopoulou, Ekavi N; Mellor, Duane D; Naumovski, Nenad; Polychronopoulos, Evangelos; Tyrovolas, Stefanos; Piscopo, Suzanne; Valacchi, Giuseppe; Anastasiou, Foteini; Zeimbekis, Akis; Bountziouka, Vassiliki; Gotsis, Efthimios; Metallinos, George; Tyrovola, Dimitra; Foscolou, Alexandra; Tur, Josep-Antoni; Matalas, Antonia-Leda; Lionis, Christos; Sidossis, Labros; Panagiotakos, Demosthenes

    2017-04-01

    Adherence to a Mediterranean dietary pattern is a well-established protective factor against cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, diet quality is only one aspect of the overall healthy lifestyle adopted by Mediterranean populations. The latter has never been evaluated as a multi-factorial composite lifestyle. Thus, the aim of the present study was to provide a broader picture of the Mediterranean lifestyle and its effects on CVD risk, among elderly individuals. During 2005-2015, 2,749 older (aged 65-100 years) from 21 Mediterranean islands (MEDIS) and the rural Mani region (Peloponnesus) of Greece were voluntarily enrolled onto the study. Dietary habits, physical activity status, socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle parameters (sleep, smoking habits, social life and educational status) and clinical profile aspects were derived through standard procedures. The overall prevalence of the traditional CVD risk factors were 62.3% for hypertension, 22.3% for diabetes mellitus (type 2) and 47.7% for hypercholesterolemia. The presence of diabetes mellitus was positively predicted by the geriatric depression scale (GDS) [odds ratio (OR) =1.13, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02-1.25] and by an urban residential environment (OR =2.57, 95% CI: 1.10-6.06) after adjusting for several confounders. Presence of hypertension was predicted by increasing age (OR =1.07, 95% CI: 1.02-1.12), increasing body mass index (BMI) (OR =1.12, 95% CI: 1.04-1.21), the habit of midday sleep (OR =2.07, 95% CI: 1.07-4.02) and inversely predicted by the frequency of socializing with friends (OR =0.767, 95% CI: 0.616-0.955). The estimated score in the GDS was the only independent positive predictor for the presence of hypercholesterolemia (OR =1.10, 95% CI: 1.01-1.21). Lifestyle parameters such as social life, midday sleep (siesta) and residential environment are strongly associated with the presence of CVD risk factors in elderly and should be part of broader CVD prevention strategies to

  4. Has the Euro Affected the Choice of Invoicing Currency?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ligthart, J.E.; Werner, S.E.V.

    2010-01-01

    We present a new approach to study empirically the effect of the introduction of the euro on currency invoicing. Our approach uses a compositional multinomial logit model, in which currency choice depends on the characteristics of both the currency and the country. We use unique quarterly panel data

  5. Regime-dependent determinants of Euro area sovereign CDS spreads

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Blommestein, H.J.; Eijffinger, Sylvester; Qian, Zongxin

    We study the determinants of sovereign CDS spreads of five Euro area countries (Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, and Spain) after the collapse of Lehman Brothers. We find that global and/or European Monetary Union (EMU)-wide factors are the main drivers of changes in the sovereign CDS spreads in

  6. Hyperkalemia by Euro-Collins solution in anesthesia for renal transplantation: a case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hirata, Eunice Sizue; Pereira, Rosa Inês Costa; Filho, Gentil Alves; Braga, Angélica de Fátima Assunção

    2013-01-01

    To describe anesthesia for renal transplantation that progressed to a sharp potassium increase after kidney reperfusion with Euro-Collins' solution in the operative field. We will also report on diagnosis and treatment used. The use of infusion solutions in the surgical field requires careful monitoring, such as electrocardiography, measurement of serum potassium, and availability of calcium gluconate, insulin, and albuterol for immediate use. The replacement of Euro-Collins' solution for saline solution immediately before the implant may be a useful option in patients with high levels of potassium.

  7. Mediterranean Diet and Diabetes: Prevention and Treatment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Georgoulis, Michael; Kontogianni, Meropi D.; Yiannakouris, Nikos

    2014-01-01

    The aim of the present review is to examine current scientific knowledge on the association between the Mediterranean diet and diabetes mellitus (mostly type 2 diabetes). A definition of the Mediterranean diet and the tools widely used to evaluate adherence to this traditional diet (Mediterranean diet indices) are briefly presented. The review focuses on epidemiological data linking adherence to the Mediterranean diet with the risk of diabetes development, as well as evidence from interventional studies assessing the effect of the Mediterranean diet on diabetes control and the management of diabetes-related complications. The above mentioned data are explored on the basis of evaluating the Mediterranean diet as a whole dietary pattern, rather than focusing on the effect of its individual components. Possible protective mechanisms of the Mediterranean diet against diabetes are also briefly discussed. PMID:24714352

  8. Areva revenue growth in the first quarter of 2010: 8.4% like-for-like, i.e. 1.936 billion euros

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2010-01-01

    The group's first quarter 2010 consolidated revenue rose 6.5% to 1.936 billion euros (+8.4% LFL) compared with the first quarter of 2009. Growth was driven by the Reactors and Services Business Group (+18.0% LFL). Revenue from exports was up 16.6% to 1.089 billion euros, representing 56.2% of total revenue. Foreign exchange had a negative impact of 26 million euros. Changes in consolidation scope were negligible during the period. The group's backlog of 43.6 billion euros at March 31, 2010 was stable in relation to December 31, 2009. Growth in the backlog of the Reactors and Services Business Group helped offset the drawdown of the backlog in the Back End Business Group as contracts were completed. For the full year of 2010, the group confirms its outlook for significant backlog and revenue growth, rising operating income, and a strong increase in net income attributable to owners of the parent. Mining/Front End Business Group: The Mining/Front End BG reported first quarter 2010 revenue of 674 million euros, which was stable on a reported basis and up 3.5% LFL1. Foreign exchange had a negative impact of 16 million euros. - In Mining, quarterly revenue was driven by volume growth due to a favorable delivery schedule. - In Enrichment and Fuel, volumes were down compared with the first quarter of 2009, particularly due to time-lag in customer deliveries. Reactors and Services Business Group: Revenue for the Reactors and Services BG was up 16.4% in the first quarter of 2010 (up 18.0% LFL1), to 775 million euros. Foreign exchange had a negative impact of 10 million euros. - The New Builds Business reported strong growth due to significant progress on major reactor construction projects, particularly Taishan in China. - Installed Base Business was also up due to buoyant engineering operations, particularly in Germany, and to the more favorable seasonality of unit outage campaigns than in the first quarter of 2009. Back End Business Group: First quarter 2010 revenue for

  9. The implication of the ZLE Euro-mediterranean and of the partnership for the energy sector agents strategy; Les implications de la ZLE Euro-Mediterraneenne et du partenariat pour la strategie des agents du secteur energetique

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chatelus, M

    2000-09-01

    The place of the energy sector in the north-south economic relations in Mediterranean and its part in a ZLE and a partnership, zone of free exchange, justify a specific analysis. These ZLE and partnership present a non direct but important influence on the agents of the energy sector in the case of the process decided in Barcelona. In this framework, the author examines successively, a situation of the PSEM dominated by a capacity of hydrocarbons exportation and a very fast increase of the energy demand, strategy of agents weakly dependent of a ZLE, behavior influenced and results affected by the implementing of the partnership. (A.L.B.)

  10. Long-range atmospheric transport of pollutants to the Eastern Mediterranean basin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tuncel, G.; Tuncel, S.

    1994-01-01

    A permanent stations has been established in the Eastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey for continuous monitoring of aerosols and precipitation. The station is part of the MED-POL programme which includes all countries that have coasts in the Mediterranean Sea and attempts to determine the role of the atmospheric fluxes of pollutants on the pollution of the Mediterranea Sea. Aerosol and deposition samples have been collected since early 1992. Concentrations of SO 4 , NO 3 , Cl, Li, Pb, K, Ca, Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Se, Zn and Na were determined by ion chromatography and atomic absorption spectrometry. Daily samples will be screened to select the ones which correspond to transport from Europe and will be analyzed for a larger number of parameters using INAA. Method development took most of the time in 1992, and analysis are still in progress. Available data have shown that concentrations of anthropogenic elements are smaller in the Eastern Mediterranean atmosphere compared to other rural sites in the Europe. (author). 21 refs, 8 figs, 6 tabs

  11. Use of circulation types classifications to evaluate AR4 climate models over the Euro-Atlantic region

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pastor, M.A.; Casado, M.J. [Agencia Estatal de Meteorologia (AEMET), Madrid (Spain)

    2012-10-15

    This paper presents an evaluation of the multi-model simulations for the 4th Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in terms of their ability to simulate the ERA40 circulation types over the Euro-Atlantic region in winter season. Two classification schemes, k-means and SANDRA, have been considered to test the sensitivity of the evaluation results to the classification procedure. The assessment allows establishing different rankings attending spatial and temporal features of the circulation types. Regarding temporal characteristics, in general, all AR4 models tend to underestimate the frequency of occurrence. The best model simulating spatial characteristics is the UKMO-HadGEM1 whereas CCSM3, UKMO-HadGEM1 and CGCM3.1(T63) are the best simulating the temporal features, for both classification schemes. This result agrees with the AR4 models ranking obtained when having analysed the ability of the same AR4 models to simulate Euro-Atlantic variability modes. This study has proved the utility of applying such a synoptic climatology approach as a diagnostic tool for models' assessment. The ability of the models to properly reproduce the position of ridges and troughs and the frequency of synoptic patterns, will therefore improve our confidence in the response of models to future climate changes. (orig.)

  12. Deadwood Decay in a Burnt Mediterranean Pine Reforestation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carlos R. Molinas-González

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Dead wood remaining after wildfires represents a biological legacy for forest regeneration, and its decay is both cause and consequence of a large set of ecological processes. However, the rate of wood decomposition after fires is still poorly understood, particularly for Mediterranean-type ecosystems. In this study, we analyzed deadwood decomposition following a wildfire in a Mediterranean pine plantation in the Sierra Nevada Natural and National Park (southeast Spain. Three plots were established over an elevational/species gradient spanning from 1477 to 2053 m above sea level, in which burnt logs of three species of pines were experimentally laid out and wood densities were estimated five times over ten years. The logs lost an overall 23% of their density, although this value ranged from an average 11% at the highest-elevation plot (dominated by Pinus sylvestris to 32% at an intermediate elevation (with P. nigra. Contrary to studies in other climates, large-diameter logs decomposed faster than small-diameter logs. Our results provide one of the longest time series for wood decomposition in Mediterranean ecosystems and suggest that this process provides spatial variability in the post-fire ecosystem at the scale of stands due to variable speeds of decay. Common management practices such as salvage logging diminish burnt wood and influence the rich ecological processes related to its decay.

  13. Erosion and Land Degradation in Mediterranean areas as a adaptive response to Mediterranean agriiculture

    Science.gov (United States)

    Imeson, Anton

    2014-05-01

    The motivation for this session is the statement or claim that Mediterranean areas are sensitive to erosion and desertification. One result of the LEDDRA Approach, which is applying the Complex Adaptive (CAS)paradigm at study sites in Mediterranean Spain, Greece and Italy is that there is just a single socio-environmental system in which land degradation is being caused by the actions of people and the Mediterranean soils have co-eveolved with people under the influence of fire and grazing. They are therefore resilient, and this was demonstrated by Naveh and Thornes. Also the Medalus field sites showed very low rates of erosion. With examples from different Mediterranean landscapes, it is considered that Mediterranean landscapes went through an initial phase of being sensitive to erosion which ended up with the original soils before ploughing or deforestation, being eroded from most of the areas, In some places these are found. LEDDRA The Leddra approach is to consider different states which are separated by transitions. The first state is that of the deforestaion and destruction of the forest that took place 6000 10000 years ago, in the Eastern and Northern Mediterranean, and 2000 to 4,000 years ago in large areas of the Western Mediterranean, and 100 to 400 years ago in California. Australia, New Zealand and Chile. The second state involves appropriating and settling the land from indigenous people and introducing cattle and sheep and Mediterranean crops. The current state of desertification is one in which erosion occurs because of the use of specific cultivation methods and subsidies for irrigating and producing crops outside of their range. In the Mediterranean landscape State, such as found near Santiago in Chile and in Crete, society gains many cultural benefits from grazing. However, the consequences of this are that the whole ecosystem is maintained in an arid state, so that areas in Crete receiving 800-1100 mm rainfall have a semi arid vegetation, instead

  14. Integrated Methodology for Estimating Water Use in Mediterranean Agricultural Areas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    George C. Zalidis

    2009-08-01

    Full Text Available Agricultural use is by far the largest consumer of fresh water worldwide, especially in the Mediterranean, where it has reached unsustainable levels, thus posing a serious threat to water resources. Having a good estimate of the water used in an agricultural area would help water managers create incentives for water savings at the farmer and basin level, and meet the demands of the European Water Framework Directive. This work presents an integrated methodology for estimating water use in Mediterranean agricultural areas. It is based on well established methods of estimating the actual evapotranspiration through surface energy fluxes, customized for better performance under the Mediterranean conditions: small parcel sizes, detailed crop pattern, and lack of necessary data. The methodology has been tested and validated on the agricultural plain of the river Strimonas (Greece using a time series of Terra MODIS and Landsat 5 TM satellite images, and used to produce a seasonal water use map at a high spatial resolution. Finally, a tool has been designed to implement the methodology with a user-friendly interface, in order to facilitate its operational use.

  15. Massive financing of the energy transition - SFTE feasibility study: synthesis report, Energy renovation of public buildings. A euros 120 bn investment programme for the European Union's three-year Juncker Plan, Massive financing of the energy transition in schools, hospitals and other public buildings. A euros 420 bn investment programme for the European Union, Massive financing of the energy transition in schools, hospitals, etc. for a competitive EU

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2014-11-01

    The SFTE project aims to establish a broad partnership between public and private entities to stimulate the economy and deliver between euros 180 bn and euros 420 bn of investment in Europe over 10 years for the benefit of medium-sized projects (in the order of euros 1 m) that are necessary for the energy transition. It will enable EU banks to finance the energy renovation of public buildings under excellent - cheap and long-term - conditions. A feasibility study has been conducted by the AFTER association with an exemplary consortium of public and private stakeholders in France: local authorities, industry players, banks/financial institutions, NGOs, Plan Batiment Durable. Many European institutions have expressed their interest in the initiative. Now the implementation of the SFTE project requires a commitment from European and national public authorities. Such a proactive real-estate policy would significantly contribute to economic recovery, cut costs, CO_2 emissions and the external deficit and improve energy independence, and could quickly create jobs. This document is the English version of the synthesis report of the SFTE project feasibility study. Two notes are attached to the document: one is a note to decision makers on the adaptation of the project to the euro 315 bn investment plan proposed by Jean-Claude Juncker, and the other is a technical note to decision makers

  16. Coal in the Mediterranean

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sore, J.C.; Coiffard, J.

    1992-01-01

    Mediterranean countries are not traditionally coal producers. In France, the main mines were located in the North and East, and belonged to the great coal fields of northern Europe. Spain is a modest producer (ten million tonnes), as is Turkey with its three million tonnes. The only way most of these mines can stand up to international competition is by an array of protectionistic measures and subsidies. This state of affairs has marked events of quite another nature, as it relates to energy economics. That is, coal has taken on increasing importance in the energy supplies of all the countries of the Mediterranean zone over the past twenty years. In this article, we set out by describing coke supply for the Mediterranean ensemble, and then go on to analyze the development aspects of coal for electrical production, the future of Mediterranean lignite, and the supply of imported coal. 4 refs., 11 figs., 3 tabs

  17. Did public health travel advice reach EURO 2012 football fans? A social network survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Janiec, J; Zielicka-Hardy, A; Polkowska, A; Rogalska, J; Sadkowska-Todys, M

    2012-08-02

    We posted a survey on the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA)’s EURO 2012 Facebook profile to evaluate whether public health travel advice, specifically on the importance of measles vaccination,reached fans attending EURO 2012. Responses suggested that these messages were missed by 77% of fans. Social networks could serve as innovative platforms to conduct surveys, enabling rapid access to target populations at low cost and could be of use during upcoming mass gatherings such as the Olympics.

  18. On equilibrium real exchange rates in euro area: Special focus on behavioral equilibrium exchange rates in Ireland and Greece

    OpenAIRE

    Klára Plecitá; Luboš Střelec

    2012-01-01

    This paper focuses on the intra-euro-area imbalances. Therefore the first aim of this paper is to identify euro-area countries exhibiting macroeconomic imbalances. The subsequent aim is to estimate equilibrium real exchange rates for these countries and to compute their degrees of real exchange rate misalignment. The intra-area balance is assessed using the Cluster Analysis and the Principle Component Analysis; on this basis Greece and Ireland are selected as the two euro-area countries with ...

  19. Institutional diversity in the Euro area : Any evidence of convergence?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ritzen, Jo; Pérez-Moreno, Salvador; Bárcena-Martín, Elena

    2017-01-01

    The institutional characteristics of the 19 Euro countries, such as Government efficiency or undue influence or corporate ethics, have diverged in the period 2006-2015. This endangers the sustainability of the EMU, as institutional characteristics are an important element of competitiveness. We find

  20. Cultural Differences in Parents' Facilitation of Mathematics Learning: A Comparison of Euro-American and Chinese-American Families.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huntsinger, Carol S.; Jose, Paul E.

    A longitudinal study examined differences in Chinese-American and Euro-American parents' facilitation of their young children's mathematics learning. Participating in the Time 2 data collection were 36 second-generation Chinese-American and 40 Euro-American first and second graders from well-educated suburban Chicago families. Children were given…

  1. Collecting standardized urban health indicator data at an individual level for school-aged children living in urban areas: methods from EURO-URHIS 2.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pope, D; Katreniak, Z; Guha, J; Puzzolo, E; Higgerson, J; Steels, S; Woode-Owusu, M; Bruce, N; Birt, Christopher A; Ameijden, E van; Verma, A

    2017-05-01

    Measuring health and its determinants in urban populations is essential to effectively develop public health policies maximizing health gain within this context. Adolescents are important in this regard given the origins of leading causes of morbidity and mortality develop pre-adulthood. Comprehensive, accurate and comparable information on adolescent urban health indicators from heterogeneous urban contexts is an important challenge. EURO-URHIS 2 aimed to develop standardized tools and methodologies collecting data from adolescents across heterogenous European urban contexts. Questionnaires were developed including (i) comprehensive assessment of urban health indicators from 7 pre-defined domains, (ii) use of previously validated questions from a literature review and other European surveys, (iii) translation/back-translation into European languages and (iv) piloting. Urban area-specific data collection methodologies were established through literature review, consultation and piloting. School-based surveys of 14-16-year olds (400-800 per urban area) were conducted in 13 European countries (33 urban areas). Participation rates were high (80-100%) for students from schools taking part in the surveys from all urban areas, and data quality was generally good (low rates of missing/spoiled data). Overall, 13 850 questionnaires were collected, coded and entered for EURO-URHIS 2. Dissemination included production of urban area health profiles (allowing benchmarking for a number of important public health indicators in young people) and use of visualization tools as part of the EURO-URHIS 2 project. EURO-URHIS 2 has developed standardized survey tools and methodologies for assessing key measures of health and its determinants in adolescents from heterogenous urban contexts and demonstrated the utility of this data to public health practitioners and policy makers. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association

  2. Wirtschaftliche Hindernisse für den Beitritt der Tschechischen Republik zur Eurozone. Economic barriers of the Czech Republic’s euro-area accession

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mojmir Helisek

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The date of introduction of the euro in the Czech Republic has not been set. The Czech economy fulfils the inflation and interest rate convergence criteria, as well as the government debt criterion. The exchange rate stability criterion will be most likely fulfilled. The Czech economy possesses a high level of real convergence in respect of the euro area. Due to the economic recession, the government deficit criterion will probably not be fulfilled by 2012. The date of introduction of the euro in the Czech Republic is therefore postponed to 2015 at the earliest. The main reason for adopting the single currency is the growing interconnection between the Czech and the euro area economies. The exchange rate of the Czech crown to the euro has a higher stability than the exchange rate of the euro to the dollar, however, a long-term appreciation of the crown’s exchange rate weakens the competitiveness of the Czech exporters. The financial crisis and the recession have only complicated and postponed the adoption of the euro, but they have revealed no reasons to refuse the adoption.

  3. BBC VERSUS EURO NEWS: DISCOURSE AND IDEOLOGY IN NEWS TRANSLATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hosseini, F.

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The present study aimed to compare discursive strategies employed by two international news agencies including Euro News and BBC. Van Dijk’s (2004 model of CDA was adopted. Thirty pieces of news about internal affairs of Iran together with their Persian translations were downloaded from the corresponding website, i.e. 30 pieces of English news and their corresponding Persian translations from the Euro News website and 30 pieces of English news with their corresponding translations from the BBC website. The frequency of lexical items was observed to not differ significantly. Two sets of translations were compared to their source texts based on four discursive strategies of hyperbole, polarization, vagueness and euphemism. An independent-samples t-test was conducted to compare the frequency of strategies applied by the two news agencies. Results revealed no significant difference between the two agencies except for the discursive strategy of vagueness.

  4. EURO2008 - practical information from the police

    CERN Document Server

    2008-01-01

    The Geneva cantonal police have set up a toll-free telephone line to deal with questions and requests from the public as rapidly and simply as possible. The number is 0800 800 844, and the line will be open from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. every day from 2 June to 30 June 2008. 0800 800 844 Detailed security recommendations for the individual matches will be posted at http://www.ge.ch/euro2008/securite/securite_en.asp

  5. Problems of Overcoming Market Failures in the Context of Economic Crisis in the Euro Area

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexandra Y. Pluiko

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The article analyses the manifestations of a market failure problem revealed during the economic crisis in the euro area, namely business cycles, market inability to ensure money circulation and avoid inflation. It is shown that the cyclicity of economic development has revealed in various degrees of economic contraction and different rates of its recovery. These differences have been exacerbated by the new procyclical factors emerged from the transition to a single currency. As for money circulation the crisis has almost no impact on the single currency functioning: the euro has maintained its position on the world market and properly performed money functions in the domestic. The goal to achieve economic development without inflation in the euro area generally has been solved successfully by the European Central Bank (ECB. However, due to the fact that the ECB in its monetary policy does not pay sufficient attention to the increased inflation in small and relatively poor countries, the crisis has been more acute in them than in large countries with low inflation. The goals of ensuring money circulation and avoiding inflation can be settled more effectively in the euro area in case of more tight coherence in economic policy and strengthening of supranational mechanisms of economic governance.

  6. Concentrations of plutonium and americium in plankton from the western Mediterranean Sea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanchez-Cabeza, Joan-Albert; Merino, Juan; Masqué, Pere; Mitchell, Peter I; Vintró, L León; Schell, William R; Cross, Lluïsa; Calbet, Albert

    2003-07-20

    Understanding the transfer of radionuclides through the food chain leading to man and in particular, the uptake of transuranic nuclides by plankton, is basic to assess the potential radiological risk of the consumption of marine products by man. The main sources of transuranic elements in the Mediterranean Sea in the past were global fallout and the Palomares accident, although at present smaller amounts are released from nuclear establishments in the northwestern region. Plankton from the western Mediterranean Sea was collected and analyzed for plutonium and americium in order to study their biological uptake. The microplankton fractions accounted for approximately 50% of the total plutonium contents in particulate form. At Garrucha (Palomares area), microplankton showed much higher 239,240 Pu activity, indicating the contamination with plutonium from the bottom sediments. Concentration factors were within the range of the values recommended by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Continental shelf mesoplankton was observed to efficiently concentrate transuranics. In open seawaters, concentrations were much lower. We speculate that sediments might play a role in the transfer of transuranics to mesoplankton in coastal waters, although we cannot discard that the difference in species composition may also play a role. In Palomares, both 239,240 Pu and 241Am showed activities five times higher than the mean values observed in continental shelf mesoplankton. As the plutonium isotopic ratios in the contaminated sample were similar to those found in material related to the accident, the contamination was attributed to bomb debris from the Palomares accident. Concentration factors in mesoplankton were also in relatively good agreement with the ranges recommended by IAEA. In the Palomares station the highest concentration factor was observed in the sample that showed predominance of the dynoflagellate Ceratium spp. Mean values of the enrichment factors showed, on

  7. EuroCirCol - Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Action

    CERN Document Server

    AUTHOR|(CDS)2108815; Benedikt, Michael; Zimmermann, Frank; Schulte, Daniel; Tommasini, Davide; Seryi, Andrei; Perez, Francis

    2015-01-01

    EuroCirCol is a conceptual design study for a post-LHC research infrastructure based on an energy-frontier 100 TeV circular hadron collider. ​The award of the 2013 Nobel Prize for Physics acknowledged the leading role of Europe in particle physics, which has a global community of over 10'000 scientists. To reinforce its pole position throughout the 21st century, Europe must be ready to propose an ambitious post-LHC accelerator project by 2018/19. This is one of the main recommendations of the updated European Strategy for Particle Physics, adopted by the CERN Council in May 2013. The EuroCirCol conceptual design study is a direct response to this recommendation, carried out through a collaboration of institutes and universities worldwide. A new research infrastructure of such scale depends on the feasibility of key technologies pushed beyond current state of the art. Innovative designs for accelerator magnets to achieve high-quality fields up to 16 T and for a cryogenic beam vacuum system to cope with unpre...

  8. New Mediterranean Biodiversity Records (April 2015

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Α. ΖΕΝΕΤΟΣ

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The Collective Article ‘New Mediterranean Biodiversity Records’ of the Mediterranean Marine Science journal offers the means to publish biodiversity records in the Mediterranean Sea. The current article is divided in two parts, for records of native and alien species respectively. The new records of native fish species include: the slender sunfish Ranzania laevis and the scalloped ribbonfish Zu cristatus in Calabria; the Azores rockling Gaidropsarus granti in Calabria and Sicily; the agujon needlefish Tylosurus acus imperialis in the Northern Aegean; and the amphibious behaviour of Gouania willdenowi in Southern Turkey. As regards molluscs, the interesting findings include Ischnochiton usticensis in Calabria and Thordisa filix in the bay of Piran (Slovenia. The stomatopod Parasquilla ferussaci was collected from Lesvos island (Greece; the isopod Anilocra frontalis was observed parasitizing the alien Pteragogus trispilus in the Rhodes area. The asteroid Tethyaster subinermis and the butterfly ray Gymnura altavela were reported from several localities in the Greek Ionian and Aegean Seas. The new records of alien species include: the antenna codlet Bregmaceros atlanticus in Saronikos Gulf; three  new fish records and two decapods from Egypt; the establishment of the two spot cardinal fish Cheilodipterus novemstriatus and the first record of the Indo-Pacific marble shrimp Saron marmoratus in semi-dark caves along the Lebanese coastline; the finding of Lagocephalus sceleratus, Sargocentron rubrum, Fistularia commersonii and Stephanolepis diaspros around Lipsi island (Aegean Sea, Greece; the decapod Penaeus hathor in Aegean waters; the decapod Penaeus aztecus and the nudibranch Melibe viridis in the Dodecanese islands; the finding of Pinctada imbricata radiata in the Mar Grande of Taranto (Ionian Sea, Italy and the Maliakos Gulf (Greece.

  9. Dynamic Correlations of Sovereign Bond Yield Spreads in the Euro zone and the Role of Credit Rating Agencies' Downgrades

    OpenAIRE

    Antonakakis, Nikolaos

    2012-01-01

    The European debt crisis that followed the global financial crisis, erupting first with Greece, then Ireland, Portugal, Italy and Spain, has threatened the very existence of the Euro zone. In this paper we examine the evolution of dynamic co-movements of sovereign bond yield spreads (BYS) in the Euro zone and the role of credit rating agency downgrades on those co-movements. Estimation results from a multivariate DCC-GARCH model on daily BYS data for nine Euro zone countries over the period 2...

  10. Book reviews: Marsh David, The EURO – The Politics of the New Global Currency

    OpenAIRE

    Lazar, Isadora

    2011-01-01

    The EURO – The Politics of the New Global Currency, written by David Marsh and published in both English and German, is a very thorough chronicle of the birth of the European common currency, from its early days, almost half a century before, and of its development until nowadays and even beyond, as it includes considerations on short term dynamics. David Marsh describes the story of the euro in a very complex manner, through a detailed, comprehensive and up to date analysis of the gathered d...

  11. FFTF Authorization Agreement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    DAUTEL, W.A.

    2000-01-01

    The purpose of the Authorization Agreement is to serve as a mechanism whereby the U.S. Department of Energy, Richland Operations Office (RL) and Fluor Hanford (FH) jointly clarify and agree to key conditions for conducting work safely and efficiently in the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF). Work must be accomplished in a manner that achieves high levels of quality while protecting the environment and the safety and health of workers and the public, and complying with applicable contractual and regulatory requirements. It is the intent of this Agreement to address those items of significant importance in establishing and supporting the FFTF Authorization Envelope, but this Agreement in no way alters the terms and conditions of the Project Hanford Management Contract (PHMC), Contract Number DE-AC06-96RL13200

  12. Rater Agreement Indexes for Performance Assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burry-Stock, Judith A.; And Others

    1996-01-01

    It is argued that interrater agreement is a psychometric property which is theoretically different from classic reliability. Formulas are presented to illustrate a set of algebraically equivalent rater agreement indices that are intended to provide educational and psychological researchers with a practical way to establish a measure of rater…

  13. Characteristics and allowed behaviors of gay male couples' sexual agreements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mitchell, Jason W

    2014-01-01

    Research has shown that gay male couples' sexual agreements may affect their risk for HIV. Few U.S. studies have collected dyadic data nationally from gay male couples to assess what sexual behaviors they allow to occur by agreement type and the sequence of when certain behaviors occur within their relationships. In our cross-sectional study, dyadic data from a convenience sample of 361 male couples were collected electronically throughout the United States by using paid Facebook ads. Findings revealed that couples discussed their HIV status before having unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) but established their agreement some time after having UAI. About half of the couples (N = 207) concurred about having an agreement. Among these couples, 58% concurred about explicitly discussing their agreement, 84% concurred about having the same type of agreement, and 54% had both men adhering to it. A variety of sexual behaviors were endorsed and varied by agreement type. Concordance about aspects of couples' agreements varied, suggesting the need to engage couples to be more explicit and detailed when establishing and communicating about their agreements. The allowed behaviors and primary reasons for establishing and breaking sexual agreements further highlight the need to bolster HIV prevention for gay male couples.

  14. Lack of establishment of the Mediterranean tamarisk beetle Diorhabda elongata (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) on athel (Tamarix aphylla) (Tamaricaceae) in south Texas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adult Mediterranean tamarisk beetles, Diorhabda elongata (Brullé), a defoliator of exotic saltcedar (Tamarix spp.), were released into four field cages containing small saltcedar trees or closely-related exotic athel trees (Tamarix aphylla (L.). Karsten) and onto uncaged beneficial mature athel tree...

  15. Eastern Mediterranean University Quality Assurance Handbook (Volume: 7, 2012)

    OpenAIRE

    Altınay, Mehmet; Ezel, Cahit

    2012-01-01

    Higher education is an essential element of social and economic growth and prosperity. Development of a system offering high quality education is a prerequisite to gain access to knowledge which ensures development in any society. Moreover, at the micro-level, attaining high level of quality in education enables the higher education institutions (HEIs) to establish a sustainable system by attracting high caliber lecturers, researchers, and students. Being aware of this, Eastern Mediterranean ...

  16. EuroSCORE models in a cohort of patients with valvular heart disease and a high prevalence of rheumatic fever submitted to surgical procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Casalino, Ricardo; Tarasoutchi, Flávio; Spina, Guilherme; Katz, Marcelo; Bacelar, Antonio; Sampaio, Roney; Ranzani, Otavio T; Pomerantzeff, Pablo M; Grinberg, Max

    2015-01-01

    Epidemiological differences can be found between Brazilian and European valvular heart disease patients. The prevalence of heart valve diseases due to rheumatic disease is significantly higher in the Brazilian compared with the European population. Therefore, they could have different risks during and after cardiac surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate the applicability of the additive and logistic EuroSCORE and EuroSCORE II in a cohort of high-risk patients with valvular heart disease of predominantly rheumatic aetiology submitted to surgery. Between 1 February and 30 December 2009, 540 consecutive patients scheduled for valvular heart surgery were included in this study. In this set of patients, we examined the performance of the additive, logistic, and EuroSCORE II models for predicting in-hospital mortality. Calibration of each model was assessed by comparing predicted and observed in-hospital mortality and by the goodness of fit of the Hosmer-Lemeshow chi-square test. Discrimination performance of the model was evaluated with the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. The mean age was 56 ± 16 years, 50.6% were female, and the mortality rate was 16.0% (6.0% in elective surgery and 34.0% in emergency/urgency surgery). Mortality rates were estimated according to the additive and logistic EuroSCORE and EuroSCORE II at 6.1%, 8.7%, and 4.3%, respectively. The AUC was 0.76 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.70-0.81) for the additive EuroSCORE, 0.76 (95% CI 0.70-0.81) for the logistic EuroSCORE and 0.81 (95% CI 0.76-0.86) for EuroSCORE II. Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit statistics were P = 0.52, P = 0.07, and P = 0.12 for additive, logistic EuroSCORE, and EuroSCORE II. In this cohort of Brazilian patients with valvular heart disease submitted to surgical procedure, the EuroSCORE models had a good discriminatory capacity; however, the calibration was compromised because of an underestimation of the mortality rate.

  17. EURO2008 - Informations utiles de la police

    CERN Document Server

    DSU Department

    2008-01-01

    (English version next week) Durant le mois de juin, afin de garantir une proximité maximale, la Police cantonale genevoise répond à toutes les questions et sollicitations avec un numéro de téléphone vert gratuit du 2 au 30 juin 2008, de 08h00 à 02h00 au 0800 800 844 Vous trouverez toutes les informations utiles concernant la sécurité, match par match, sur le site http://www.ge.ch/euro2008/securite/securite.asp

  18. ILEWG EuroMoonMars Research, Technology, and Field Simulation Campaigns

    Science.gov (United States)

    Foing, B. H.; Lillo, A.; Evellin, P.; Kołodziejczyk, A.; Heinicke, C.; Harasymczuk, M.; Authier, L.; Blanc, A.; Chahla, C.; Tomic, A.; Mirino, M.; Schlacht, I.; Hettrich, S.; Pacher, T.; Maller, L.; Decadi, A.; Villa-Massone, J.; Preusterink, J.; Neklesa, A.; Barzilay, A.; Volkova, T.

    2017-10-01

    ILEWG developed since 2008, "EuroMoonMars" pilot research with a Robotic Test Bench (ExoGeoLab) and a Mobile Laboratory Habitat (ExoHab) at ESTEC. Field campaigns were e.g. in ESTEC, EAC, at Utah MDRS, Eifel, and LunAres base at Pila Poland in 2017.

  19. Monetary dynamics in the euro area : a disaggregate panel approach

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Liu, J.; Kool, C.J.M.

    In this paper, we use panel cointegration estimation to analyze the determinants of heterogeneous monetary dynamics in ten euro area member countries over the period 1999-2013. In particular, we investigate the role of real house prices, real equity prices and cross border bank credit. For the

  20. The Finns Party: Euroscepticism, Euro Crisis, Populism and the Media

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juha Herkman

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available In many European countries, populist right-wing parties have been most noticeable representatives of Euroscepticism. In Finland, the Finns Party (Perussuomalaiset has been a constant promoter of organisational Euroscepticism through its leader, Timo Soini. The party broke through in Finland’s ‘big bang elections’ of 2011, when the most debated issue was the European economic crisis, which was dominated by Eurosceptic Soini. Research concerning the relationship between the media, populism and Euroscepticism usually focus on national or European Parliament elections. This study analyses the media portrayal of the Eurosceptic Finns Party during times other than elections, focusing on the Finland’s overall Euro crisis press coverage in 2010–2012. The analysis shows that the populist Finns Party has been a minor player in that coverage, which was dominated by the Euro positive political and economic elites. Differences between newspapers indicate that journalistic routines and political context direct media coverage toward particular framings, even when the media proclaims itself politically independent and neutral.

  1. Mediterranean Diet and Diabetes: Prevention and Treatment

    OpenAIRE

    Georgoulis, Michael; Kontogianni, Meropi D.; Yiannakouris, Nikos

    2014-01-01

    The aim of the present review is to examine current scientific knowledge on the association between the Mediterranean diet and diabetes mellitus (mostly type 2 diabetes). A definition of the Mediterranean diet and the tools widely used to evaluate adherence to this traditional diet (Mediterranean diet indices) are briefly presented. The review focuses on epidemiological data linking adherence to the Mediterranean diet with the risk of diabetes development, as well as evidence from interventi...

  2. The Term Structure of Credit Spreads on Euro Corporate Bonds

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Landschoot, A.

    2003-01-01

    Although there is a broad literature on structural credit risk models, there has been little empirical testing of these models.In this paper we examine the term structure of credit spreads on euro corporate bonds and the empirical validation of structural credit risk models.The latter provide a

  3. Deflation Risk in the Euro Area and Central Bank Credibility

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    G. Galati (Gabriele); Z. Gorgi (Zion); R. Moessner (Richhild); C. Zhou (Chen)

    2016-01-01

    textabstractThis paper investigates how the perceived risk that the euro area will experience deflation has evolved over time, and what this risk implies for the credibility of the ECB. We use a novel data set on market participants’ perceptions of short- to long-term deflation risk implied by

  4. Monetary policy rules for convergence to the Euro

    OpenAIRE

    Orlowski, Lucjan T.

    2008-01-01

    This paper aims to devise a monetary policy instrument rule that is suitable for open economies undergoing monetary convergence to a common currency area. The open-economy convergence-consistent Taylor rule is forward-looking, consistent with monetary framework based on inflation targeting, containing input variables that are relative to the corresponding variables in the common currency area. The policy rule is tested empirically for three inflation targeting countries converging to the euro...

  5. Ecological traits and environmental affinity explain Red Sea fish introduction into the Mediterranean.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Belmaker, Jonathan; Parravicini, Valeriano; Kulbicki, Michel

    2013-05-01

    Alien species are considered one of the prime threats to biodiversity, driving major changes in ecosystem structure and function. Identifying the traits associated with alien introduction has been largely restricted to comparing indigenous and alien species or comparing alien species that differ in abundance or impact. However, a more complete understanding may emerge when the entire pool of potential alien species is used as a control, information that is rarely available. In the eastern Mediterranean, the marine environment is undergoing an unparalleled species composition transformation, as a flood of aliens have entered from the Red Sea following the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. In this study, we compile data on species traits, geographical distribution, and environmental affinity of the entire pool of reef-associated fish species in the Red Sea and more generally across the Indo-Pacific. We use this extensive data to identify the prime characteristics separating Red Sea species that have become alien in the Mediterranean from those that have not. We find that alien species occupy a larger range of environments in their native ranges, explaining their ability to colonize the seasonal Mediterranean. Red Sea species that naturally experience high maximum temperatures in their native range have a high probability of becoming alien. Thus, contrary to predictions of an accelerating number of aliens following increased water temperatures, hotter summers in this region may prevent the establishment of many alien species. We further find that ecological trait diversity of alien species is substantially more evenly spaced and more divergent than random samples from the pool of Red Sea species, pointing at additional processes, such as competition, promoting ecological diversity among alien species. We use these results to provide a first quantitative ranking of the potential of Red Sea species to become established in the eastern Mediterranean. © 2012 Blackwell

  6. Scenarios in the development of Mediterranean cyclones

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Romem

    2007-07-01

    Full Text Available The Mediterranean is one of the most cyclogenetic regions in the world. The cyclones are concentrated along its northern coasts and their tracks are oriented more or less west-east, with several secondary tracks connecting them to Europe and to North Africa. The aim of this study is to examine scenarios in the development of Mediterranean cyclones, based on five selected winter seasons (October–March. We detected the cyclones subjectively using 6-hourly Sea-Level Pressure maps, based on the NCAR/NCEP reanalysis archive.

    HMSO (1962 has shown that most Mediterranean cyclones (58% enter the Mediterranean from the Atlantic Ocean (through Biscay and Gibraltar, and from the south-west, the Sahara Desert, while the rest are formed in the Mediterranean Basin itself. Our study revealed that only 13% of the cyclones entered the Mediterranean, while 87% were generated in the Mediterranean Basin. The entering cyclones originate in three different regions: the Sahara Desert (6%, the Atlantic Ocean (4%, and Western Europe (3%.

    The cyclones formed within the Mediterranean Basin were found to generate under the influence of external cyclonic systems, i.e. as "daughter cyclones" to "parent cyclones" or troughs. These parent systems are located in three regions: Europe (61%, North Africa and the Red Sea (34.5% and the Mediterranean Basin itself (4.5%. The study presents scenarios in the development of Mediterranean cyclones during the winter season, emphasizing the cyclogenesis under the influence of various external forcing.

    The large difference with respect to the findings of HMSO (1962 is partly explained by the dominance of spring cyclones generating in the Sahara Desert, especially in April and May that were not included in our study period.

  7. Mapping ground water vulnerability to pesticide leaching with a process-based metamodel of EuroPEARL.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tiktak, A; Boesten, J J T I; van der Linden, A M A; Vanclooster, M

    2006-01-01

    To support EU policy, indicators of pesticide leaching at the European level are required. For this reason, a metamodel of the spatially distributed European pesticide leaching model EuroPEARL was developed. EuroPEARL considers transient flow and solute transport and assumes Freundlich adsorption, first-order degradation and passive plant uptake of pesticides. Physical parameters are depth dependent while (bio)-chemical parameters are depth, temperature, and moisture dependent. The metamodel is based on an analytical expression that describes the mass fraction of pesticide leached. The metamodel ignores vertical parameter variations and assumes steady flow. The calibration dataset was generated with EuroPEARL and consisted of approximately 60,000 simulations done for 56 pesticides with different half-lives and partitioning coefficients. The target variable was the 80th percentile of the annual average leaching concentration at 1-m depth from a time series of 20 yr. The metamodel explains over 90% of the variation of the original model with only four independent spatial attributes. These parameters are available in European soil and climate databases, so that the calibrated metamodel could be applied to generate maps of the predicted leaching concentration in the European Union. Maps generated with the metamodel showed a good similarity with the maps obtained with EuroPEARL, which was confirmed by means of quantitative performance indicators.

  8. Risk Factors in Euro Adoption by Romania

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roxana Maria BĂDÎRCEA

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available The costs and benefits of adopting a unique currency have been studied and outlined by the optimum currency areas theory. This theory of Mundell has suffered modifications, a series of economists identifying and introducing a series of subsequent or additional criteria in the analysis. Starting from the costs indicated by the optimum currency areas theory and its further developments, I have identified a series of factors that I believe to represent future risks for the Romanian economy within the process of adopting the unique euro currency.

  9. Modular system design for plastic euro pallets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. Tepić

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Although pallet, as a tool, yields significant and widely recognized economic effects in production and distribution systems, it is still not fully utilized, indicating that it needs to be defined and developed as a specific product. Euro pallet product was designed using PRO/ENGINEER software system CAD module, as one of the most popular Cax systems, yielding a pallet of novel modular design that meets all the operational requirements of the existing range. The chosen material ensures high pallet longevity and durability, in line with the concept of sustainable development.

  10. Euro Feast for Estonia - Feast in Time of Plague? / Andres Arrak

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Arrak, Andres, 1958-2017

    2010-01-01

    Autor leiab, et Eesti Pank ja valitsus peaksid selgitama rahvale euroga liitumise vajadust ajal, mil terve maailm kannatab majanduskriisi all ja euroala riigid ei suuda täita Maastrichti kriteeriume ning euro jaoks on saabunud rasked ajad. Kreeka majandusnäitajatest

  11. Impacts of thinning of a Mediterranean oak forest on soil properties influencing water infiltration

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Prima, Di Simone; Bagarello, Vincenzo; Angulo-Jaramillo, Rafael; Bautista, Inmaculada; Cerda Bolinches, Artemio; Campo, Del Antonio; González-Sanchis, María; Iovino, Massimo; Lassabatere, Laurent; Maetzke, Federico

    2017-01-01

    In Mediterranean ecosystems, special attention needs to be paid to forest-water relationships due to water scarcity. In this context, Adaptive Forest Management (AFM) has the objective to establish how forest resources have to be managed with regards to the efficient use of water, which needs

  12. Accuracy, calibration and clinical performance of the EuroSCORE: can we reduce the number of variables?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ranucci, Marco; Castelvecchio, Serenella; Menicanti, Lorenzo; Frigiola, Alessandro; Pelissero, Gabriele

    2010-03-01

    The European system for cardiac operative risk evaluation (EuroSCORE) is currently used in many institutions and is considered a reference tool in many countries. We hypothesised that too many variables were included in the EuroSCORE using limited patient series. We tested different models using a limited number of variables. A total of 11150 adult patients undergoing cardiac operations at our institution (2001-2007) were retrospectively analysed. The 17 risk factors composing the EuroSCORE were separately analysed and ranked for accuracy of prediction of hospital mortality. Seventeen models were created by progressively including one factor at a time. The models were compared for accuracy with a receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis and area under the curve (AUC) evaluation. Calibration was tested with Hosmer-Lemeshow statistics. Clinical performance was assessed by comparing the predicted with the observed mortality rates. The best accuracy (AUC 0.76) was obtained using a model including only age, left ventricular ejection fraction, serum creatinine, emergency operation and non-isolated coronary operation. The EuroSCORE AUC (0.75) was not significantly different. Calibration and clinical performance were better in the five-factor model than in the EuroSCORE. Only in high-risk patients were 12 factors needed to achieve a good performance. Including many factors in multivariable logistic models increases the risk for overfitting, multicollinearity and human error. A five-factor model offers the same level of accuracy but demonstrated better calibration and clinical performance. Models with a limited number of factors may work better than complex models when applied to a limited number of patients. Copyright (c) 2009 European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Are lionfish set for a Mediterranean invasion? Modelling explains why this is unlikely to occur.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnston, Matthew W; Purkis, Sam J

    2014-11-15

    identified. This paper can therefore serve as a guide to the most efficient monitoring of lionfish in the Mediterranean and to where removal efforts should be concentrated, should the species become established. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Development and Validation of a Mediterranean Oriented Culture-Specific Semi-Quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elpiniki Athanasiadou

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available The objectives were to develop a Mediterranean oriented semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ and evaluate its validity in measuring energy and nutrient intakes. For FFQ development, the main challenge was to merge food items and practices reflecting cultural Mediterranean preferences with other food choices ensuing from diet transition to more westernized dietary patterns. FFQ validity was evaluated by comparing nutrient intakes against the average of two 24-h dietary recalls for 179 pregnant women. Although the mean intake values for most nutrients and energy tended to be higher when determined by the FFQ, the Cohen’s d was below 0.3. Bland-Altman plots confirmed the agreement between the two methods. Positive significant correlations ranged from 0.35 to 0.77. The proportion of women classified correctly was between 73.2% and 92.2%, whereas gross misclassification was low. Weighted kappa values were between 0.31 and 0.78, while intraclass correlation coefficients were between 0.49 and 0.89. Our methodological approach for the development and validation of this FFQ provides reliable measurements of energy, macro- and micronutrient intakes. Overall, our culture-specific FFQ could serve as a useful assessment tool in studies aiming at monitoring dietary intakes, especially in the Mediterranean region, where countries share common cultural dietary habits.

  15. Development and Validation of a Mediterranean Oriented Culture-Specific Semi-Quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Athanasiadou, Elpiniki; Kyrkou, Charikleia; Fotiou, Maria; Tsakoumaki, Foteini; Dimitropoulou, Aristea; Polychroniadou, Eleni; Menexes, Georgios; Athanasiadis, Apostolos P; Biliaderis, Costas G; Michaelidou, Alexandra-Maria

    2016-08-25

    The objectives were to develop a Mediterranean oriented semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and evaluate its validity in measuring energy and nutrient intakes. For FFQ development, the main challenge was to merge food items and practices reflecting cultural Mediterranean preferences with other food choices ensuing from diet transition to more westernized dietary patterns. FFQ validity was evaluated by comparing nutrient intakes against the average of two 24-h dietary recalls for 179 pregnant women. Although the mean intake values for most nutrients and energy tended to be higher when determined by the FFQ, the Cohen's d was below 0.3. Bland-Altman plots confirmed the agreement between the two methods. Positive significant correlations ranged from 0.35 to 0.77. The proportion of women classified correctly was between 73.2% and 92.2%, whereas gross misclassification was low. Weighted kappa values were between 0.31 and 0.78, while intraclass correlation coefficients were between 0.49 and 0.89. Our methodological approach for the development and validation of this FFQ provides reliable measurements of energy, macro- and micronutrient intakes. Overall, our culture-specific FFQ could serve as a useful assessment tool in studies aiming at monitoring dietary intakes, especially in the Mediterranean region, where countries share common cultural dietary habits.

  16. Integration of Government Bond Market in the Euro Area and Monetary Policy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lukić Velimir

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper combines analysis of evolution in euro area government bond market integration and interference of European Central Bank with functioning of respective market recently. Since the introduction of euro, government bond yields converged in the euro area, bonds of different countries have become close substitutes in the perception of investors, and overall integration of the market was rather high. At the end of 2008, dramatic shift occurred and ever since disintegrative forces were set in motion. The paper presents the following measures of integration of the government bond markets: yield spreads, dispersion in yield spreads and beta coefficient. All three measures suggest unprecedented market disintegration as of 2010. The paper highlighted relevance of sovereign bond market for the smooth functioning of the monetary policy transmission mechanism in a monetary union context. Three ECB’s programmes aimed at sovereign debt crisis resolution were analysed in details. They proved successful in lowering peripheral countries’ yields and spreads, and calming the markets. If one takes central bank function of the lender of last resort for banks, then these programmes may be viewed as the “buyer of last resort” device for government bonds. Although warranted by exceptional circumstances and need for swift response, a due caution should be paid to these programmes since they pose certain challenges for conduct of monetary policy and might even have unintended consequences.

  17. Tooth replantation after use of Euro-Collins solution or bovine milk as storage medium: a histomorphometric analysis in dogs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sottovia, André Dotto; Sottovia Filho, Dagoberto; Poi, Wilson Roberto; Panzarini, Sônia Regina; Luize, Danielle Shima; Sonoda, Celso Koogi

    2010-01-01

    Euro-Collins solution was developed for the preservation of organs for transplantation, whose characteristics have raised interest for its use as a storage medium for avulsed teeth before replantation. This study evaluated histologically and morphometrically the healing process of dog teeth replanted after storage in Euro-Collins solution or bovine milk. Eighty roots of 4 young adult mongrel dogs were randomly assigned to 4 groups (n = 20) and the root canals were instrumented and obturated with gutta-percha and a calcium hydroxide-based sealer. After 2 weeks, the teeth were extracted and subjected to the following protocols: GI (negative control), replantation immediately after extraction; GII (positive control), bench-drying for 2 hours before replantation; GIII and GIV, immersion in 10 mL of whole bovine milk and Euro-Collins solution at 4 degrees C, respectively, for 8 hours before replantation. The animals were sacrificed 90 days postoperatively. The pieces containing the replanted teeth were subjected to routine processing for histologic and histometric analyses under light microscopy and polarized light microscopy. Root resorption was observed in all groups. GII exhibited the greatest loss of dental structure (P < .01), and inflammatory resorption was predominant in this group. Storage in milk showed poorer results than immediate replantation and storage in Euro-Collins solution (P < .01). The teeth stored in Euro-Collins solution presented similar extension of root resorption and periodontal ligament reorganization to those of immediately replanted teeth. The findings of this study suggest that the Euro-Collins solution is an adequate storage medium for keeping avulsed teeth for up to 8 hours before replantation.

  18. Overview of the Chemistry-Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment/Aerosol Direct Radiative Forcing on the Mediterranean Climate (ChArMEx/ADRIMED summer 2013 campaign

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Mallet

    2016-01-01

    biomass burning events in the region. However, numerous mineral dust plumes were observed during the campaign, with the main sources located in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, leading to aerosol optical depth (AOD values ranging between 0.2 and 0.6 (at 440 nm over the western and central Mediterranean basins. One important point of this experiment concerns the direct observations of aerosol extinction onboard the ATR-42, using the CAPS system, showing local maxima reaching up to 150 M m−1 within the dust plume. Non-negligible aerosol extinction (about 50 M m−1 has also been observed within the marine boundary layer (MBL. By combining the ATR-42 extinction coefficient observations with absorption and scattering measurements, we performed a complete optical closure revealing excellent agreement with estimated optical properties. This additional information on extinction properties has allowed calculation of the dust single scattering albedo (SSA with a high level of confidence over the western Mediterranean. Our results show a moderate variability from 0.90 to 1.00 (at 530 nm for all flights studied compared to that reported in the literature on this optical parameter. Our results underline also a relatively low difference in SSA with values derived near dust sources. In parallel, active remote-sensing observations from the surface and onboard the F-20 aircraft suggest a complex vertical structure of particles and distinct aerosol layers with sea spray and pollution located within the MBL, and mineral dust and/or aged North American smoke particles located above (up to 6–7 km in altitude. Aircraft and balloon-borne observations allow one to investigate the vertical structure of the aerosol size distribution showing particles characterized by a large size (> 10 µm in diameter within dust plumes. In most of cases, a coarse mode characterized by an effective diameter ranging between 5 and 10 µm, has been detected above the MBL. In terms of shortwave (SW

  19. Woodlands Grazing Issues in Mediterranean Basin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campos, P.

    2009-04-01

    In Mediterranean basin, woodlands grazing still continue to be important commercial owners' benefits. These owners manage woodlands vegetations as if they were not at risk of degradation and declining. Frequently, no temporally grazing set-aside is taken into account to avoid overgrazing of annual and perennial vegetations. Although less common, in the northern shore of Mediterranean basin undergrazing might increase the frequency and the number of catastrophic forest fires. This under/over grazing regime occurs in the Mediterranean basin woodlands with contrasted differences on land property rights, local economies and government livestock policy incentives. Spain and Tunisia are examples of these Mediterranean livestock contrasts. Most of Spanish Mediterranean woodlands and livestock herds are large private ownerships and owners could maintain their lands and livestock herds properties on the basis of moderate cash-income compensation against land revaluation and exclusive amenity self-consumption. The later is less tangible benefit and it could include family land legacy, nature enjoyment, country stile of life development, social status and so on. In public woodlands, social and environmental goals -as they are cultural heritage, biodiversity loss mitigation, soil conservation and employment- could maintain market unprofitable woodlands operations. Last three decades Spanish Mediterranean woodlands owners have increased the livestock herds incentivized by government subsidies. As result, grazing rent is pending on the level of European Union and Spanish government livestock subsidies. In this context, Spanish Mediterranean woodlands maintain a high extensive livestock stoking population, which economy could be called fragile and environmentally unsustainable because forest degradation and over/under grazing practices. Tunisian Mediterranean woodlands are state properties and livestock grazing is practice as a free private regimen. Livestock herds are small herd

  20. The (in)stability of money demand in the Euro Area: Lessons from a cross-country analysis

    OpenAIRE

    Nautz, Dieter; Rondorf, Ulrike

    2010-01-01

    The instability of standard money demand functions has undermined the role of monetary aggregates for monetary policy analysis in the euro area. This paper uses country-specific monetary aggregates to shed more light on the economics behind the instability of euro area money demand. Our results obtained from panel estimation indicate that the observed instability of standard money demand functions could be explained by omitted variables like e.g. technological progress that are important for ...

  1. Võlakriisi lahendused ähvardavad euro püsimist / Hans-Werner Sinn

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Sinn, Hans-Werner, 1948-

    2011-01-01

    Euro on ohus, sest viimastel aastatel on GIPS-riikide (Kreeka, Iirimaa, Portugal ja Hispaania) keskpangad raha juurde trükkinud. Lisaraha oli vajalik sisemise raharingluse tekitamiseks, et saaks kaubandusdefitsiiti säilitada ja hoida üleval kommertspankade varade väärtust

  2. Spain and Mediterranean Security Governance: Neighbours, Spaces and Actors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sarah Wolff

    2007-12-01

    Full Text Available The 1999 Tampere Summit marked the start of the development of the external dimension of the European Union’s policy of Justice and Home Affairs (JHA. This external dimension has been reflected in the inclusion of JHA in agreements with third countries, and particularly with Mediterranean countries. Furthermore, the European NeighbourhoodPolicy (ENP, in addition to bilateral and multilateral programmes, confirmed the transformation of the JHA policy into one of the EU’s foreign policy objectives. In the light of this evolution, this article examines Spain’s role in the development of the Mediterraneandimension of the JHA policy: firstly, it covers the stance of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero’s government toward the JHA policy and its external dimension; secondly, it explores the new parameters of governance in the area of security and the Spanish case through three main factors: the neighbours, spaces and actors that define this governance. Lastly, and within a context of a multiplicity of governance actors on security, it focuses on the Canary Islands,which have acquired a central importance with respect to the management of borders and the policy of development for Africa. The analysis of this period helps to explain the new security perceptions that define Spain’s policy in the Mediterranean.

  3. New Mediterranean Biodiversity Records (July 2016)

    OpenAIRE

    Dailianis, T.; Akyol, O.; Babali, N.; Bariche, M.; Crocetta, F.; Gerovasileiou, V.; Chanem, R.; Gökoğlu, M.; Hasiotis, T.; Izquierdo Muñoz, Andrés; Julian, D.; Katsanevakis, S.; Lipez, L.; Mancini, E.; Mytilineou, Ch.

    2016-01-01

    This contribution forms part of a series of collective articles published regularly in Mediterranean Marine Science that report on new biodiversity records from the Mediterranean basin. The current article presents 51 geographically distinct records for 21 taxa belonging to 6 Phyla, extending from the western Mediterranean to the Levantine. The new records, per country, are as follows: Spain: the cryptogenic calcareous sponge Paraleucilla magna is reported from a new location in the A...

  4. Cardiac manifestations of Familial Mediterranean fever

    OpenAIRE

    Alsarah, Ahmad; Alsara, Osama; Laird-Fick, Heather S.

    2017-01-01

    Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is autoinflammatory disorder characterized by sporadic attacks of fever, peritonitis, pleuritis, and arthritis. It is mainly seen in patients from Mediterranean origins, but it is now reported more frequently in Europe and North America due to immigration. To analyze the data on the cardiovascular manifestations in FMF patients, we searched PubMed using the terms “Familial Mediterranean Fever” or “FMF” in combination with other key words including “cardiovas...

  5. Euro tulek sõltub nafta hinnast maailmaturul / Signe Kalberg

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Kalberg, Signe, 1959-

    2006-01-01

    Rahandusministeeriumi majandusanalüüsi osakonna juhataja Andrus Säälik nendib, et kui nafta hind maailmaturul tõuseb, on euro kasutuselevõtt Eestis ebatõenäoline isegi 2007. aastal. Rahandusministeeriumis on välja töötatud inflatsiooni alternatiivstsenaarium, mis näeb ette lükata aasta võrra edasi 1. juuliks planeeritud tubaka- ja alkoholiaktsiiside tõusu. Graafik: Inflatsiooni areng Eestis

  6. Holocene vegetation, fire and climate interactions on the westernmost fringe of the Mediterranean Basin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morales-Molino, César; García-Antón, Mercedes; Postigo-Mijarra, José M.; Morla, Carlos

    2013-01-01

    A new palaeoecological sequence from the western Iberian Central Range significantly contributes to the knowledge on the Holocene vegetation dynamics in central Iberia. This sequence supports the existence of time-transgressive changes in the vegetation cover during the beginning of the Holocene over these central Iberian mountains, specifically the replacement of boreal birch-pine forests with Mediterranean communities. Anthracological analyses also indicate the replacement of boreal pines (Pinus sylvestris) with Mediterranean ones (Pinus pinaster) during the early Holocene. The observed vegetation changes were generally synchronous with climatic phases previously reconstructed for the western Mediterranean region, and they suggest that the climatic trends were most similar to those recorded in the northern Mediterranean region and central Europe. Several cycles of secondary succession after fire ending with the recovery of mature forest have been identified, which demonstrates that the vegetation of western Iberia was highly resilient to fire disturbance. However, when the recurrence of fire crossed a certain threshold, the original forests were not able to completely recover and shrublands and grasslands became dominant; this occurred approximately 5800-5400 cal yr BP. Afterwards, heathlands established as the dominant vegetation, which were maintained by frequent and severe wildfires most likely associated with human activities in a climatic framework that was less suitable for temperate trees. Finally, our palaeoecological record provides guidelines on how to manage protected areas in Mediterranean mountains of southwestern Europe, especially regarding the conservation and restoration of temperate communities that are threatened there such as birch stands.

  7. The Text of the Agreement of 8 July Extending the Asian Regional Co-Operative Project on Food Irradiation. Extension Agreement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1983-12-01

    The text of the Agreement to Extend the Agreement of 23 May 1980 Establishing the Asian Regional Co-operative Project on Food Irradiation within the framework of the Regional Co-operative Agreement for Research, Development and Training Related to Nuclear Science and Technology of 1972, as extended in 1977 and in 1982, is reproduced herein for the information of all Members

  8. Impact of cold temperature on Euro 6 passenger car emissions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suarez-Bertoa, Ricardo; Astorga, Covadonga

    2018-03-01

    Hydrocarbons, CO, NOx, NH 3 , N 2 O, CO 2 and particulate matter emissions affect air quality, global warming and human health. Transport sector is an important source of these pollutants and high pollution episodes are often experienced during the cold season. However, EU vehicle emissions regulation at cold ambient temperature only addresses hydrocarbons and CO vehicular emissions. For that reason, we have studied the impact that cold ambient temperatures have on Euro 6 diesel and spark ignition (including: gasoline, ethanol flex-fuel and hybrid vehicles) vehicle emissions using the World-harmonized Light-duty Test Cycle (WLTC) at -7 °C and 23 °C. Results indicate that when facing the WLTC at 23 °C the tested vehicles present emissions below the values set for type approval of Euro 6 vehicles (still using NEDC), with the exception of NOx emissions from diesel vehicles that were 2.3-6 times higher than Euro 6 standards. However, emissions disproportionally increased when vehicles were tested at cold ambient temperature (-7 °C). High solid particle number (SPN) emissions (>1 × 10 11 # km -1 ) were measured from gasoline direct injection (GDI) vehicles and gasoline port fuel injection vehicles. However, only diesel and GDI SPN emissions are currently regulated. Results show the need for a new, technology independent, procedure that enables the authorities to assess pollutant emissions from vehicles at cold ambient temperatures. Harmful pollutant emissions from spark ignition and diesel vehicles are strongly and negatively affected by cold ambient temperatures. Only hydrocarbon, CO emissions are currently regulated at cold temperature. Therefore, it is of great importance to revise current EU winter vehicle emissions regulation. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  9. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet pattern, cognitive status and depressive symptoms in an elderly non-institutionalized population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hernández-Galiot, Ana; Goñi, Isabel

    2017-03-30

    Scientific evidence indicates that adherence to the Mediterranean diet protects against the deterioration of cognitive status and depressive symptoms during aging. However, few studies have been conducted in elderly non-institutionalized subjects. This study evaluated the relation between the adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern and cognitive status and depressive symptoms in an elderly population over 75 years. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a Mediterranean city (Garrucha, Spain) in 79 elderly people over 75 (36 men and 41 women). Adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern was determined using the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS). Cognitive function was determined by the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), and depressive symptoms were assessed by the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Most of population showed a very high adherence to the Mediterranean diet pattern and optimal cognitive and affective status. They consumed olive oil as their main source of fat, high levels of fish and fruit, low levels of foods with added sugars, and a low consumption of red meat. A significant relation between the MEDAS and MMSE scores was found. However, no relationship was observed between the MEDAS and GDS. The Mediterranean diet pattern was positively related with the cognitive function, although the infl uence of a healthy dietary pattern on the symptomatology of depression was unclear. However, an effective strategy against cognitive function and depression would be to improve physical activity rates, establish lifelong healthy eating habits, and consume a nutritionally-rich diet in order to enhance quality of life of the elderly.

  10. A quantitative assessment of the reproductive system of the Mediterranean cave-dwelling triplefin blenny Tripterygion melanurus

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Geertjes, GJ; Videler, JJ

    2002-01-01

    The breeding biology of the cave-dwelling Mediterranean triplefin blenny Tripterygion melanurus (Pisces, Blennioidei) was studied in the field. Two types of reproductive male were observed, territorial males and non-territorial males. Territorial males establish territories for mating, but not

  11. The Accuracy of Forecasts Made for the Structure of Consumer Basket: A Comparative Analysis between Euro Area and Romania || La exactitud de las predicciones para la estructura de cesta del consumo: un análisis comparativo entre la zona euro y Rumanía

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bratu (Simionescu, Mihaela

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available In this study, the Markov chain method was used to predict the structure of consumer basket for euro zone and Romania, a country that tries to fulfil the entrance conditions in euro area, by using the same methodology for the determination of harmonized index of consumer prices (HICP. The ex-post assessment of forecasts for 2010-2012 evidences the superiority of forecasts accuracy for euro area based on this method. The highest degree of accuracy in each territorial unit is registered for services weights, according to U Theil's statistic, even if the absolute indicators for accuracy are lower for other weights predictions. It is anticipated that for 2013 the Markov chain method will predict the best for each consumer basket the food weights forecasts for euro area and the services weights predictions for Romania. || En este estudio se aplica el método de las cadenas de Markov para predecir la estructura de la cesta de consumo para la zona euro y para Rumanía, un país que trata de cumplir las condiciones de entrada en la zona euro. En ambos casos, se sigue la misma metodología para la determinación del índice armonizado de precios al consumo (IPCA. La evaluación ex-post de las previsiones para el período 2010-2012 pone de manifiesto la mejora de la precisión de las previsiones para la zona euro al usar este método. El mayor grado de precisión en cada unidad territorial se ha registrado para los pesos de los servicios, de acuerdo con el estadístico U de Theil, aunque los indicadores absolutos de precisión son más bajos para otras predicciones de pesos. Se considera que las predicciones para el año 2013 por el método de las cadenas de Markov serán más precisas para cada cesta de consumo en las previsiones de los pesos para los alimentos para la zona euro y para las de los pesos de los servicios para Rumanía.

  12. Empirical Studies on Asset Pricing and Banking in the Euro Area

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    G.A. Moerman (Gerard)

    2005-01-01

    textabstractEuropean capital markets have changed dramatically over the last couple of years. Due to the harmonization of monetary and policy rules and the elimination of exchange rate risk (through the introduction of the euro) countries in the European Monetary Union (EMU) are becoming more

  13. Abacavir usage patterns and hypersensitivity reactions in the EuroSIDA cohort

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Roen, A; Laut, K; Pelchen-Matthews, A

    2017-01-01

    prescribed ABC. METHODS: We calculated the proportion of EuroSIDA individuals receiving ABC-based combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) among those receiving cART after 1 January 2009. Poisson regression was used to identify demographic, and current clinical and laboratory factors associated with ABC...

  14. Distribution of transuranic nuclides in Mediterranean ecosystems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ballestra, S.; Thein, M.; Fukai, R.

    1982-01-01

    For the comprehensive understanding of the behaviour of transuranic elements in the marine environment, the knowledge on the distribution of these elements in various components of marine ecosystems is essential. Since the Mediterranean Sea is considered a sufficiently self-contained system, our approach for studying the processes controlling the transuranic cycling in the sea has been to follow, step by step, the redistribution of plutonium and americium in different components of the marine environment, taking Mediterranean ecosystems as examples. While the studies in the past years have supplied quantitative information on the inputs of plutonium and americium into the Mediterranean from atmospheric fallout and rivers as well as on their behaviour in the Mediterranean water column, only scattered data have been made available so far on the occurrence of the transuranic nuclides in the Mediterranean marine biota or sediments. In order to fill up this information gap, biological and sediment samples were collected from the northwestern Mediterranean region during 1975-1978 for the transuranic measurements. The results of these determinations are given in the present report

  15. Mediterranean Diet: Choose This Heart-Healthy Diet Option

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Lifestyle Nutrition and healthy eating The heart-healthy Mediterranean diet is a healthy eating plan based on typical ... Mediterranean-style cooking. Here's how to adopt the Mediterranean diet. By Mayo Clinic Staff If you're looking ...

  16. Infrastructure and distributed learning methodology for privacy-preserving multi-centric rapid learning health care: euroCAT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Timo M. Deist

    2017-06-01

    The euroCAT infrastructure has been successfully implemented in five radiation clinics across three countries. SVM models can be learned on data distributed over all five clinics. Furthermore, the infrastructure provides a general framework to execute learning algorithms on distributed data. The ongoing expansion of the euroCAT network will facilitate machine learning in radiation oncology. The resulting access to larger datasets with sufficient variation will pave the way for generalizable prediction models and personalized medicine.

  17. The features of a "Mediterranean" Bioethics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leone, Salvino

    2012-11-01

    Even if somebody considers inappropriate any geographic adjective for Bioethics, nevertheless we think that there are some specific features of "Mediterranean" Bioethics that could distinguish it from a "Northern-European and Northern-American" one. First of all we must consider that medical ethics was born and grew in Mediterranean area. First by the thought of great Greek philosophers as Aristotle (that analyse what ethics is), then by Hippocrates, the "father" of medical ethics. The ethical pattern of Aristotle was based on "virtues" and their practice. In this perspective we can already note a strong difference with actual North-European or American principialist ethics. But a second consideration concerns the role that great Mediterranean religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) had in the construction of the ethical thought especially on the matter of life and its respect. So, in our pluralistic and multicultural society is absolutely necessary to rescue an approach that considers both "lungs" of ethical thought (Mediterranean and Northern one) and highlights the role that Mediterranean Ethics still has in this way.

  18. Macroeconomic adjustment: The Baltic states versus euro area crisis countries

    OpenAIRE

    Lindner, Axel

    2011-01-01

    Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have succeeded in rapidly reducing their current account deficits despite fixed exchange rates. Which factors have played a major role in this? What similarities, and what differences, do the Baltic states show compared to Greece and Portugal? What insights can be gained for the political debate on the euro area debt crisis?

  19. Mediterranean Energy Perspectives 2011 - Executive summary

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2011-01-01

    Mediterranean Energy Perspectives 2011 provides insights into the energy situation today and over the next two decades in the Mediterranean region. Its detailed data and analyses are of interest to stakeholders on both the supply and demand sides of the energy equation. This is the third edition in the MEP series, which highlights the extensive work of OME (Observatoire Mediterraneen de l'Energie). This outlook draws upon the expertise of OME and its members. MEP 2011 provides a unique and comprehensive analysis of the energy sector in the Mediterranean. It presents data ranging from the early days of the region's energy industry to the situation today and an outlook to 2030, based on OME's supply and demand model, the Mediterranean Energy Model. Current efforts related to renewable energy sources and energy efficiency are carefully considered as they are key issues for the Mediterranean energy sector and for the whole economic and environment future of the region. MEP 2011 presents: - A description of the Mediterranean countries in a global context. - Historical and forecast data on the supply and demand balance for each segment of the Mediterranean energy sector. - Energy demand to 2030, including two cases: the Conservative and Proactive Scenarios. - Trends in past, present and future oil and natural gas production and development. - Existing and planned oil and gas infrastructure. - Evolution of electricity generation and installed capacity. - Developments in innovative and renewable energy sources. - In-depth analysis of energy efficiency measures and policies. - Prospects for CO 2 emissions and sustainable development. MEP 2011 has been prepared by a joint-team of OME experts supported by related companies and independent expertise. Bringing this expertise together provides an important reference for industry analysts and investors who wish to get a complete picture of the energy industry and markets in the Mediterranean, the way they operate and their long

  20. Confidence building on Euro conversion : theory and evidence from currency options

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Driessen, J.J.A.G.; Perotti, E.C.

    2004-01-01

    Using a new dataset of currency option prices, we study the evolution of investor confidence in 1992-98 over the chance of individual currencies to converge to the euro. Convergence risk, which may reflect uncertainty over policy commitment as well as exogenous fundamentals, induces a level of

  1. Confidence building on euro convergence: theory and evidence from currency options

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Driessen, J.; Perotti, E.

    2003-01-01

    Using a new dataset of currency option prices, we study the evolution of investor confidence in 1992-1998 over the chance of individual currencies to converge to the Euro. Convergence risk, which may reflect uncertainty over policy commitment as well as exogenous fundamentals, induces a level of

  2. Multiple recharge processes to heterogeneous Mediterranean coastal aquifers and implications on recharge rates evolution in time

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santoni, S.; Huneau, F.; Garel, E.; Celle-Jeanton, H.

    2018-04-01

    Climate change is nowadays widely considered to have major effects on groundwater resources. Climatic projections suggest a global increase in evaporation and higher frequency of strong rainfall events especially in Mediterranean context. Since evaporation is synonym of low recharge conditions whereas strong rainfall events are more favourable to recharge in heterogeneous subsurface contexts, a lack of knowledge remains then on the real ongoing and future drinking groundwater supply availability at aquifers scale. Due to low recharge potential and high inter-annual climate variability, this issue is strategic for the Mediterranean hydrosystems. This is especially the case for coastal aquifers because they are exposed to seawater intrusion, sea-level rise and overpumping risks. In this context, recharge processes and rates were investigated in a Mediterranean coastal aquifer with subsurface heterogeneity located in Southern Corsica (France). Aquifer recharge rates from combining ten physical and chemical methods were computed. In addition, hydrochemical and isotopic investigations were carried out through a monthly two years monitoring combining major ions and stable isotopes of water in rain, runoff and groundwater. Diffuse, focused, lateral mountain system and irrigation recharge processes were identified and characterized. A predominant focused recharge conditioned by subsurface heterogeneity is evidenced in agreement with variable but highly favourable recharge rates. The fast water transfer from the surface to the aquifer implied by this recharge process suggests less evaporation, which means higher groundwater renewal and availability in such Mediterranean coastal aquifers.

  3. [A lower adherence to Mediterranean diet is associated with a poorer self-rated health in university population].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barrios-Vicedo, Ricardo; Navarrete-Muñoz, Eva Maria; García de la Hera, Manuela; González-Palacios, Sandra; Valera-Gran, Desirée; Checa-Sevilla, José Francisco; Gimenez-Monzo, Daniel; Vioque, Jesús

    2014-09-15

    A higher adherence to Mediterranean diet is considered as a protective factor against the large number of deaths attributable to the main chronic degenerative diseases in developed countries. Self-rated health is established as a good indicator of population health status and as a predictor of mortality. Studies exploring the relationship between the adherence to Mediterranean diet and self-rated health are scarce, especially, in young adults. Our aim was to explore the factors related, specially the adherence to a priori-defined Mediterranean diet with self-rated health in a cohort of Spanish university students. We analyzed data from 1110 participants of Spanish DiSA-UMH (Dieta, Salud y Antropometría en universitarios de la Universidad Miguel Hernández) study. Diet was assessed using a validated food frequency questionnaire and the adherence to Mediterranean diet was calculated using the relative Mediterranean Diet Score (rMED; score range: 0-18) according to the consumption of 9 dietary components. Self-rated health was gathered from the question: "In general, how do you consider your health to be? (Excellent, good, fair, poor, very poor). Information on sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics was also collected. Multinomial logistic regression (using relative risk ratio, RRR) was used to analyze the association between the adherence to Mediterranean diet (low rMED: 0-6 points; medium: 7-10 points; high: 11-18 points) and self-rated health (Excellent (reference), good and fair/ poor/very poor). A low, medium or high adherence to Mediterranean diet conformed to 26.8%, 58.7% and 14.4% of participants, which of them reported an excellent (23.1%), good (65.1%) and fair/poor or very poor health, respectively. In multivariate analysis, a lower adherence to Mediterranean diet was significantly (p. Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.

  4. The risks of Euro adoption in Romania – an analysis based on ten criteria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marius-Corneliu MARINAŞ

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available In this study, I have proposed and examined ten criteria to analyze the challenges of joining at Monetary Union, explaining the need to include them in government and multinational companies’ strategies. The criteria adopted in the case of Romania concern the potential impact of Euro adoption on economic activities, the common monetary policy effects on the Romanian economy, synchronization with the Euro area, labour market flexibility, as a tool of shocks adjustment etc. After stating each criterion, I have made a brief analysis of how that could affect the balance of costs and benefits of giving up own currency, using conclusions of the optimum currency areas theory.

  5. 24 CFR 266.505 - Regulatory agreement requirements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... force for the duration of the insured mortgage and note or bond. The Regulatory Agreement must include a... Project Management and Servicing § 266.505 Regulatory agreement requirements. (a) General. (1) The HFA... payments due under the mortgage and note/bond. (2) Where necessary, establish a sinking fund for future...

  6. Variability and trends of migratory anticyclones affecting the Mediterranean

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hatzaki, Maria; Flocas, Helena A.; Simmonds, Ian; Kouroutzoglou, John; keay, Kevin; Rudeva, Irina

    2014-05-01

    A comprehensive climatology of migratory anticyclones affecting the Mediterranean was generated with the aid of the University of Melbourne finding and tracking algorithm, applied to 34 years (1979-2012) of ERA-Interim mean sea level pressures. The algorithm is employed for the first time to study anticyclones in this region, thus, its robustness and reliability in efficiently capturing the individual characteristics of the anticyclonic tracks in the Mediterranean were checked and verified. The tracks and the statistical properties of the migratory systems revealed two major anticyclonic routes: over the northern (i.e. from the Iberian towards the Balkan Peninsula) and over the southern (i.e. the North Africa coast) Mediterranean barriers. A transition of the system density and anticyclogenesis maxima is evident throughout the year from solely continental environments in winter and autumn to also maritime in spring and summer. These variations can be attributed to the seasonal variability of the major anticyclonic systems that are involved in this region. The interannual variability of synoptic systems can be attributed to natural low frequency variability. The interannual variations of the system density and strength were linked to the Northern Hemisphere modes of atmospheric variability; e.g. more (less) antiyclonic tracks are observed around the Mediterranean basin during periods of positive (negative) NAO, with a consequent enhancement (decline) of the pressure field. Moreover, possible trends in the frequency and intensity of the anticyclonic systems were explored in an attempt to examine any impacts of recent global warming conditions. Positive trends of system density, genesis and intensity prevail during the cold period over the greater area around the Mediterranean basin. During summer, the general increase in system density is not followed by a corresponding tendency in the number of the generating systems and the intensity. Regarding the depth of the

  7. A Comparison of Business Cycles Synchronization in the Euro Area and Some Potential Monetary Unions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stanislav Kappel

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Synchronization of business cycle is one of the main criteria for creation of a monetary union. With increasing synchronization of business cycle, a probability of occurrence of demand and supply shocks, which are asymmetric, decreases. The aim of this contribution is to evaluate synchronicity of business cycle in the euro area and some potential monetary unions. There are MERCOSUR (i.e. Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela, NAFTA (Canada, Mexico and the United States of America. For this aim, correlation analysis and two indexes of cyclical components of GDP are used. The cyclical components of GDP are obtained due to the Hodrick-Prescott filter. The results indicate a high degree of business cycles synchronization among states of the euro area (especially in countries of so called core of the euro area and states of NAFTA. In opposite, a lower degree of business cycles synchronization was reached among states of MERCOSUR. According to the criterion of business cycle synchronization, NAFTA is more appropriate candidate than MERCOSUR for creation monetary area.

  8. On Banks, Courts and International Law: The Intergovernmental Agreement on the Single Resolution Fund in Context

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fabbrini, Federico

    2014-01-01

    In May 2014, 26 Member States of the EU concluded an intergovernmental agreement on the transfer and mutualization of contribution to the Single Resolution Fund (SRF). This international treaty constitutes a core component of the second pillar of the European Banking Union – the Single Resolution...... Mechanism, to wind down failing banks in the Euro-zone – and complements an EU regulation adopted by the European Parliament and the Council creating the SRF. This article critically analyses the choice to use international law to adopt the rules on transfer and mutualization of contributions to the SRF....... Moreover, as the article explains, resort to international law is unsound from a policy point of view. The use of an international treaty to regulate the transfer and mutualization of contributions to the SRF opens the door for national courts’ review of the agreement – a prospect which contrasts...

  9. Does the introduction of the Euro affect the debt-equity choice?

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Joeveer, K.; Tóth, Peter

    -, 2006/22 (2006), s. 1-16 ISSN 1740-231x R&D Projects: GA MŠk LC542 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z70850503 Keywords : Euro introduction * external finance dependence * firm performance Subject RIV: AH - Economics http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/ec/wpapers/kerp0622.pdf

  10. Sustainability of the energy sector in the Mediterranean region

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cantore, Nicola

    2012-01-01

    Energy and climate change is a key priority issue mentioned by the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development (MSSD) which explicitly claims that “Control, reduce or stabilize GhG (Greenhouse Gas) emissions” is a crucial target for Mediterranean countries. This paper uses the integrated assessment model IFs (International Futures) to implement a scenario analysis to investigate the mitigation potential of Mediterranean regions. It analyzes if the Mediterranean regions will be able to reach the MSSD climate change target and recommends amendments of the MSSD to implement with effectiveness climate change policies in the Mediterranean area. -- Highlights: ► In the majority of scenarios emissions in Mediterranean countries are not decreasing over 2020. ► Even in scenarios incorporating multiple policy actions emissions may not be decreasing over 2020. ► The Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development needs to go beyond the 2015 deadline to promote climate policies. ► The Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development is key to promote coordinated multiple actions to reduce emissions. ► Partial interventions could compromise the effectiveness of the overall regional emissions stabilization policies.

  11. AREVA - First quarter 2011 revenue: 2.7% growth like for like to 1.979 billion euros

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2011-01-01

    The group reported consolidated revenue of 1.979 billion euros in the 1. quarter of 2011, for 2.2% growth compared with the 1. quarter of 2010 (+ 2.7% like for like). The increase was driven by the Mining / Front End Business Group (+ 20.8% LFL). Revenue from outside France rose 12.0% to 1.22 billion euros and represented 62% of total revenue. The impacts of foreign exchange and changes in consolidation scope were negligible during the period. The March 11 events in Japan had no significant impact on the group's performance in the 1. quarter of 2011. The group's backlog of 43.5 billion euros at March 31, 2011 was stable in relation to March 31, 2010. The growth in the backlog of the Mining / Front End and Renewable Energies Business Groups offset the partial depletion of the backlog in the Reactors and Services and Back End Business Groups as contracts were completed

  12. The European Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (Euro-GASP)--a sentinel approach in the European Union (EU)/European Economic Area (EEA).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spiteri, Gianfranco; Cole, Michelle; Unemo, Magnus; Hoffmann, Steen; Ison, Catherine; van de Laar, Marita

    2013-12-01

    Antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae is monitored in the European Union/European Economic Area through the European Gonococcal Antimicrobial Surveillance Programme (Euro-GASP) coordinated by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Euro-GASP includes a sentinel surveillance programme which aims to detect in a timely manner changes in resistance patterns and inform treatment guidelines. The programme aims to test a representative number of isolates from each European Union/European Economic Area member state per year for a range of therapeutically relevant antimicrobials through a biannual hybrid centralised/decentralised system. Testing is supported by an External Quality Assurance programme and a laboratory training programme. Participation in the programme has increased to 21 countries in 2012. Euro-GASP has been able to detect the rapid spread of isolates with decreased susceptibility to cefixime across Europe in 2010 and 2011. Results from the programme have informed changes in European treatment guidelines for gonorrhoea and led to the development of the 'Response plan to control and manage the threat of multidrug resistant gonorrhoea in Europe'. Future challenges for Euro-GASP include supporting countries to participate in Euro-GASP through decentralised testing, improving timeliness and epidemiological data quality, and increasing participation from Eastern Europe.

  13. Taking the pulse of the Mediterranean

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Osterberg, C.

    1977-01-01

    The staff at the International Laboratory of Marine Radioactivity in Monaco realized that they were favourably located to ?take the pulse of the Mediterranean? and begin an enquiry into its health. Practically all of the radioactivity in the water and sediments could be attributed to world-wide fallout from the nuclear tests of the 1960's. Unable to find enough radioactivity in the Mediterranean to work with in a meaningful way, the laboratory imported sediments from the Bikini-Eniwetok sites of the American thermonuclear tests, and sediments from the Irish Sea near the Windscale effluent pipe to do their experiments. Other experiments were carried out with relatively innocuous, short half-lived 237 Pu, made especially for the laboratory in Japan and in the USA. A proposal was made to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to monitor the levels of chlorinated hydrocarbons and heavy elements in the Mediterranean. This report briefly discusses that work. Three sets of studies were carried out by the Monaco group to assess the current levels of pollutants in the Mediterranean: 1) Radioactivity; 2) Chlorinated hydrocarbons (DDT's and polychlorinated biphenyls); 3) Heavy elements. As stated earlier, measurements showed that radioactivity in the ocean off Monaco is quite low, indicating that there are no major sources of radionuclides reaching the open ocean other than fallout. Polychlorinated biphenyls were measured by gas-chromatography. The results of this study were being published (Marine Pollution Bulletin, 1977) but it can be said that the data are not much different than that for the Atlantic Ocean and Saragasso Sea. The western Mediterranean is clearly higher in PCB's than the eastern Mediterranean, but not unduly so. Less can be said about the trace or heavy elements because the patterns are so variable. Atomic absorption spectrometry is used to detect and measure most trace elements. For the lower levels that appear in seawater, chemical

  14. Noortevahetus Palestiinas jääb kauaks meelde / Geiu Uusküla ; küsitlenud Ly Aunapu

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    Uusküla, Geiu

    2008-01-01

    Küsimustele vastab Põltsamaa neiu Geiu Uusküla, kes noorsoovahetuse korras viibis Palestiinas projekti "Explore, understand and promote: Respect and understanding in the Euro Mediterranean region" raames

  15. Report on the Mediterranean Solar Plan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2009-01-01

    The first part of this report presents the Mediterranean Solar Plan (MSP) as an ambitious political initiative which aims at creating a better context for the Northern (Mediterranean) countries which are looking for a secure energy supply, and for the Southern and Eastern (Mediterranean) countries where demand is strongly increasing. It highlights the fact that the cost of this plan is indeed important but still limited regarding the regional scale. Its success therefore needs projects with sufficient profitability to attract investors and to be realised within an adapted law environment. The report also outlines that the plan needs a regional vision and a cooperative approach between North and South, that it will have a strong impact of electric interconnections all around the Mediterranean Sea, and that its governance needs to be clarified to maintain the political momentum created by its co-presidents

  16. Proposal for a blanket purchase agreement for the supply and repair of subracks for the LHC experiments

    CERN Document Server

    2002-01-01

    This document concerns the award of a blanket purchase agreement for the supply and repair of subracks for the LHC experiments. Following a market survey carried out among 27 firms in seven Member States and one firm in a non-Member State, a call for tenders (IT-2916/EP) was sent on 9 November 2001 to 16 firms in five Member States. By the closing date, CERN had received six tenders. The Finance Committee is invited to agree to the negotiation of a blanket purchase agreement with WIENER, PLEIN & BAUS (DE) for the supply of subracks for a period of four years and a repair service for a period of ten years after expiry of the initial two year guarantee period, for a total amount not exceeding 5 600 000 euros, subject to revision for inflation from 1 January 2003. At the present rate of exchange, the total amount of the blanket purchase agreement is equivalent to approximately 8 300 000 Swiss francs. This requirement will be financed by the collaborating institutes of the LHC experiments and by CERN. CERN's ...

  17. Texts of the Agency's Agreements with the Republic of Austria. A further supplemental agreement to the Headquarters Agreement. Supplemental Agreement pursuant to Section 4(b) of the Agreement between the Republic of Austria and the International Atomic Energy Agency regarding the Headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1996-01-01

    The text of the exchange of Notes, dated 6 July 1995 and 29 September 1995 respectively, between the IAEA and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Austria regarding Section 4(b) of the Headquarters Agreement which allows the IAEA 'to establish and operate such additional radio and other telecommunications facilities as may be specified by supplemental agreement ....' is reproduced in this document for the information of all Members of the Agency

  18. Fiscal policy and rebalancing in the euro area: A critique of the German debt brake from a post-Keynesian perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hein Eckhard

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The German debt brake is often regarded as a great success story and has therefore served as a role model for the Euro area and it’s Fiscal Compact. In this paper we fundamentally criticise the debt brake. Firstly, we show that it suffers from serious shortcomings and that its success is far from certain even from a mainstream point of view. Secondly, we show that, from a Post-Keynesian perspective, the debt brake completely neglects the requirements for fiscal policies of member countries in a currency union like the Euro area. It will prevent fiscal policy from contributing to the necessary rebalancing in the Euro area. Thirdly, we show that alternative scenarios, which could avoid the deflationary pressures of the German Debt Brake on domestic demand and contribute to internally rebalancing the Euro area, are extremely unlikely as they would have to rely on unrealistic shifts in the functional income distribution and/or investment and savings behaviour in Germany.

  19. The practical outfall of DOE compliance agreements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smith, Leanne; Henrie, Gregory O.

    1992-01-01

    Perhaps the significant regulatory issue facing the Department of Energy (DOE or the Department) is the compliant treatment, storage, and disposal of mixed (radioactive and hazardous) waste. Since DOE'S By-Product Rulemaking in 1987, when the Department acknowledged that the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) applied to the hazardous component of mixed waste, DOE has repeatedly communicated to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and host States that, for mixed waste, DOE is not always able to strictly comply with RCRA standards and that bringing treatment on-line in an expeditious manner is proving very difficult. One of the most effective methods used between DOE and its regulators to address mixed waste management issues is the negotiation of compliance agreements. These agreements establish formal mile stones for bringing DOE sites into compliance. The milestones are not completed without overcoming technical roadblocks and a struggle for funding. However, agreements can establish technically attainable compliance methods that take into account the special problems radiation introduces into RCRA waste management. Compliance agreements help promote a cooperative relationship within the Department and between DOE and its regulators in that all parties have reached agreement and have a stake in attaining the same goal. Where agreements exist, mixed waste compliance efforts can proceed in a situation where all parties have a full understanding of each other's needs and expectations. (author)

  20. Effectiveness of the Mediterranean diet in the elderly

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Blanca Roman

    2008-03-01

    Full Text Available Blanca Roman1, Laura Carta2, Miguel Ángel Martínez-González3, Lluís Serra-Majem41Mediterranean Diet Foundation, University of Barcelona Science Park, Spain; 2Department of Biosystems and Applied Sciences, Unit of Physiology and Human Nutrition, University of Cagliari, Italy; 3Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Navarra, Spain; 4Department of Clinical Sciences, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, SpainAbstract: The Mediterranean diet is known to be one of the healthiest dietary patterns in the world due to its relation with a low morbidity and mortality for some chronic diseases. The purpose of this study was to review literature regarding the relationship between Mediterranean diet and healthy aging. A MEDLINE search was conducted looking for literature regarding the relationship between Mediterranean diet and cardiovascular disease (or risk factors for cardiovascular disease, cancer, mental health and longevity and quality of life in the elderly population (65 years or older. A selection of 36 articles met the criteria of selection. Twenty of the studies were about Mediterranean diets and cardiovascular disease, 2 about Mediterranean diets and cancer, 3 about Mediterranean diets and mental health and 11 about longevity (overall survival or mental health. The results showed that Mediterranean diets had benefits on risks factors for cardiovascular disease such as lipoprotein levels, endothelium vasodilatation, insulin resistance, the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome, antioxidant capacity, the incidence of acute myocardial infarction, and cardiovascular mortality. Some positive associations with quality of life and inverse associations with the risk of certain cancers and with overall mortality were also reported.Keywords: Mediterranean diet, elderly, health, review

  1. East is east and West is west? Management of marine bioinvasions in the Mediterranean Sea

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galil, Bella S.; Marchini, Agnese; Occhipinti-Ambrogi, Anna

    2018-02-01

    At 726 the number of recorded multicellular non indigenous species (NIS) in the Mediterranean Sea is far higher than in other European Seas. Of these, 614 have established populations in the sea. 384 are considered Erythraean NIS, the balance are mostly ship and culture-introductions. In order to effectively implement EU Regulation on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive NIS and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive in the Mediterranean Sea it is crucial that this priority pathway is appropriately managed. Three potential impediments - incomplete and inaccurate data; unknown impacts; policy mismatch - hinder implementation. Current geographical, taxonomical and impact data gaps will be reduced only by instituting harmonized standards and methodologies for monitoring NIS populations in all countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, prioritizing bridgehead sites and dispersal hubs. The option of implementing European environmental policies concerning marine NIS in member states alone may seem expedient, but piecemeal protection is futile. Since only 9 of the 23 states bordering the Mediterranean are EU member states, the crucial element for an effective strategy for slowing the influx of NIS is policy coordination with the Regional Sea Convention (Barcelona Convention) to ensure consistency in legal rules, standards and institutional structures to address all major vectors/pathways.

  2. Climate change and body size shift in Mediterranean bivalve assemblages: unexpected role of biological invasions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nawrot, Rafał; Albano, Paolo G; Chattopadhyay, Devapriya; Zuschin, Martin

    2017-08-16

    Body size is a synthetic functional trait determining many key ecosystem properties. Reduction in average body size has been suggested as one of the universal responses to global warming in aquatic ecosystems. Climate change, however, coincides with human-enhanced dispersal of alien species and can facilitate their establishment. We address effects of species introductions on the size structure of recipient communities using data on Red Sea bivalves entering the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal. We show that the invasion leads to increase in median body size of the Mediterranean assemblage. Alien species are significantly larger than native Mediterranean bivalves, even though they represent a random subset of the Red Sea species with respect to body size. The observed patterns result primarily from the differences in the taxonomic composition and body-size distributions of the source and recipient species pools. In contrast to the expectations based on the general temperature-size relationships in marine ectotherms, continued warming of the Mediterranean Sea indirectly leads to an increase in the proportion of large-bodied species in bivalve assemblages by accelerating the entry and spread of tropical aliens. These results underscore complex interactions between changing climate and species invasions in driving functional shifts in marine ecosystems. © 2017 The Author(s).

  3. The European Union in the grip of accumulated governance crises: the euro, the reform efforts, and the public-support dynamics

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mamadouh, V.D.; van der Wusten, H.H.

    2013-01-01

    This paper considers how the 2008 banking crisis and the subsequent financial and economic crises - more specifically, the sovereign debt crisis of several European Union (EU) member states and the crisis of the euro, the common currency of the euro zone - affect the political geography of the EU.

  4. Pre-collisional geodynamics of the Mediterranean Sea: the Mediterranean Ridge and the Tyrrhenian Sea

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. Chaumillon

    1997-06-01

    Full Text Available Today the Mediterranean Sea consists of a series of small-sized and almost geographically disconnected oceanic or continental crust rooted marine basins. It is also an area almost totally surrounded by mountain ranges, which chiefly belong to the alpine realm. This overall geodynamic setting results from a long term convergence between the two major, African and European, plates. Previous collisions have led to the edification of surrounding chains, while subduction and new-collisional processes tend to create new extensional back-arc basins and wide tectonized accretionary prisms. In this paper we briefly outline the most recent and almost land-locked back-arc basin that has developed in the Mediterranean,i.e., the Tyrrhenian Sea, and the Mediterranean Ridge, which may be regarded as a collisional sedimentary wedge predating a future mountain chain.

  5. Book reviews: Marsh David, The EURO – The Politics of the New Global Currency

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Isadora Lazar

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available The EURO – The Politics of the New Global Currency, written by David Marsh and published in both English and German, is a very thorough chronicle of the birth of the European common currency, from its early days, almost half a century before, and of its development until nowadays and even beyond, as it includes considerations on short term dynamics. David Marsh describes the story of the euro in a very complex manner, through a detailed, comprehensive and up to date analysis of the gathered data, making a substantial contribution to understanding the linkages between the political, historical, economic, financial, monetary, strategic and personal determinants of the evolution of the single currency.

  6. Pattern of seismic deformation in the Western Mediterranean

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Pondrelli

    1999-06-01

    Full Text Available The seismic deformation of the Western Mediterranean was studied with the aim of defining the strain pattern that characterizes the Africa-Eurasia plate boundary in this area. Within different sections along the boundary the cumulative moment tensor was computed over 90 years of seismological data. The results were compared with NUVELlA plate motion model and geodetic data. A stable agreement was found along Northern Africa to Sicily, where only Africa and Eurasia plates are involved. In this zone it is evident that changes in the strike of the boundary correspond to variations in the prevailing geometry of deformation, tectonic features and in the percentage of seismic with respect to total expected deformation. The geometry of deformation of periadriatic sections (Central to Southern Apennines, Eastern Alps and the Eastern Adriatic area agrees well with VLBI measurements and with regional geological features. Seismicity seems to account for low rates, from 3% to 31%, of total expected deformation. Only in the Sicily Strait, characterized by extensional to strike slip deformation, does the ratio reach a higher value (79%. If the amount of deformation deduced from seismicity seems low, because 90 years are probably not representative of the recurrence seismic cycle of the Western Mediterranean, the strain pattern we obtain from cumulative moment tensors is more representative of the kinematics of this area than global plate motion models and better identifies lower scale geodynamic features.

  7. Currencies, National Images and National Identities: Public Relations for and against Currencies – Historical Experiences from Germany, the Case of the Euro and the Role of Rating Agencies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael Kunczik

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available My thesis is that, in the “age of markets” in Europe the Euro is of central importance for creating (or destroying already established structures of European identity (at least in parts of Europe – with Great Britain taking a very remote position. I emphasize the theoretical aspects (Aftalion´s Psychological Theory of Exchange Rates; Simmel: Philosophie des Geldes to emphasize the importance of PR. I concentrate on historical cases – mainly German experiences – e.g. the campaign against the Rubel; the ideas of Ivy Lee; the PR-campaigns of the Nazi-government to fight inflation. The introduction of the German Mark (“die Deutsche Mark”, which became a central aspect of German national identity, and the campaign to give up this currency (“harte Währung” in order to introduce the “weak” Euro. In this context I discuss campaigns against the Euro (“only idiots want the Euro”. In the final remarks I refer to the role of rating agencies and trust in currencies and countries. It is my thesis that the analysts of the rating agencies live in a “world of literary images” and are acting in a completely irresponsible way (but even more incompetent are the politicians accepting the ratings without knowing anything about the problem of commensuration.

  8. Ordoliberalizm a polityka makroekonomiczna w obliczu kryzysu strefy euro

    OpenAIRE

    Michal Moszynski

    2015-01-01

    The global economic crisis and the crisis in the euro zone exposed the deep differences of opinion between German economists and scientists from other European countries and the US. The German approach conceptually differs in the views on the strategies and tools of anti-crisis policy, especially fiscal stimulus in the Keynesian-style, quantitative easing monetary policy of the ECB, the question of financial assistance to Greece and restructuring its debt. The other areas of difference are th...

  9. [Mediterranean diet: not only food].

    Science.gov (United States)

    da Vico, Letizia; Agostini, Susanna; Brazzo, Silvia; Biffi, Barbara; Masini, Maria Luisa

    2012-09-01

    The proposal of a Mediterranean way of life is much more than advise how to eat. The Mediterranean Diet, a model of Sustainable Diet, is an example of how to combine personal choices, economic, social and cultural rights, protective of human health and the ecosystem. There is in fact fundamental interdependence between dietary requirements, nutritional recommendations, production and consumption of food. In literature studies and nutritional and epidemiological monitoring activities at national and international level have found a lack of adherence to this lifestyle, due to the spread of the economy, lifestyles of the Western type and globalization of the production and consumption. To encourage the spread of a culture and a constant practice of the Mediterranean Diet, there are some tools that are presented in this article. The Mediterranean Diet Pyramid in addition to the recommendations on the frequency and portions of food, focuses on the choice of how to cook and eat food. The "Double Food Pyramid" encourages conscious food choices based on "healthy eating and sustainability. All the nutrition professionals and dietitians in particular should be constantly striving to encourage the adoption of a sustainable and balanced nutrition.

  10. Stan infrastruktury transportowej i bazy noclegowej w kontekście Mistrzostw Europy w Piłce Nożnej EURO 2012 = Transport infrastructure and accommodation in the context of the UEFA European Football Championship EURO 2012

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katarzyna Gilewska

    2015-05-01

      Streszczenie: Niniejsze opracowanie związane jest z międzynarodową imprezą sportową, jaką były Mistrzostwa Europy w piłce nożnej, organizowane przez Polskę i Ukrainę w 2012 roku. Artykuł omawia stanu infrastruktury transportowej w Polsce oraz wielkości bazy noclegowej w miastach gospodarzach Mistrzostw Europy w piłce nożnej Euro 2012. Zakres pracy obejmuje jednak wyłącznie polską część Mistrzostw. Wskazano poziom realizacji przygotowań Polski do organizacji turnieju. Przestawiono też m.in. liczby udzielonych noclegów w 2012 r. w czterech miastach gospodarzach mistrzostw oraz dane statystyczne z działalności lotnisk w czasie turnieju.   Abstract: This study is associated with an international sporting event, which was UEFA European Football Championship, organized by Poland and Ukraine in 2012. The article discusses the state of transport infrastructure in Poland and the size of accommodation in the cities - hosts of the UEFA European Football Championship Euro 2012. The scope of work includes but only the Polish part of the Championship. Indicated the level of implementation of Polish preparations to host the tournament. The section also includes among other things, the number of overnight stays in2012 in four cities as well as statistical data on the activities of the airports in the tournament.   Słowa kluczowe: Euro 2012, infrastruktura transportowa, baza noclegowa.   Keywords: Euro 2012, transport infrastructure, accommodation.

  11. Convergence and Heterogeneity in Euro Based Economies: Stability and Dynamics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Philip Haynes

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Cluster analysis is used to explore the performance of key macroeconomic variables in European countries that share the euro, from the inception of the currency in 2002 through to 2013. An original applied statistical approach searches for a pattern synthesis across a matrix of macroeconomic data to examine if there is evidence for country clusters and whether there is convergence of the cluster patterns over time. A number of different clusters appear and these change over time as the economies of the member states dynamically interact. This includes some new countries joining the currency during the period of examination. As found in previous research, Southern European countries tend to remain separate from other countries. The new methods used, however, add to an understanding of some differences between Southern European countries, in addition to replicating their broad similarities. Hypotheses are formed about the country clusters existing in 2002, 2006 and 2013, at key points in time of the euro integration process. These hypotheses are tested using the rigour of a bivariate analysis and the multivariate method of Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA. The results confirm the hypotheses of cluster memberships in all three periods. The confirmation analysis provides evidence about which variables are most influencing cluster memberships at each time point. In 2002 and 2006, differences between countries are influenced by their different Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP and labour productivity scores. In 2013, after the crisis, there is a noticeable change. Long term interest rates and gross government debt become key determinants of differences, in addition to the continuing influence of labour productivity. The paper concludes that in the last decade the convergence of countries sharing the euro has been limited, by the joining of new countries and the circumstances of the global economic crisis. The financial crisis has driven

  12. The Euro Crisis in Online Media

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Uldam, Julie; Kaun, Anne

    2013-01-01

    While Scandinavian countries may be coping with the Euro crisis relatively better than most other European countries, they are far from unaffected. Nonetheless, the mainstream media have represented Scandinavia and Sweden as prime examples of resilience at a governmental level (i.e. the ability...... of a national economy to withstand, adapt and overcome the financial crisis), disregarding the consequences of growing inequalities and the dismantling of welfare state. Consequently, reports on resilience at the civil society level (i.e. the ability of citizens and communities to withstand, adapt and overcome...... the financial crisis) remain largely absent from mainstream media reports. Instead, civil society initiatives that respond to the consequences of the crisis have to rely on self-representation and sharing of resources in online media. One example is the Swedish grassroots organisation, Megafonen....

  13. Guidelines, "minimal requirements" and standard of care in glioblastoma around the Mediterranean Area: A report from the AROME (Association of Radiotherapy and Oncology of the Mediterranean arEa) Neuro-Oncology working party.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-02-01

    Glioblastoma is the most common and the most lethal primary brain tumor in adults. Although studies are ongoing, the epidemiology of glioblastoma in North Africa (i.e. Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia) remains imperfectly settled and needs to be specified for a better optimization of the neuro-oncology healthcare across the Mediterranean area and in North Africa countries. Over the last years significant therapeutic advances have been accomplished improving survival and quality of life of glioblastoma patients. Indeed, concurrent temozolomide-radiotherapy (temoradiation) and adjuvant temozolomide has been established as the standard of care associated with a survival benefit and a better outcome. Therefore, considering this validated strategy and regarding the means and some other North Africa countries specificities, we decided, under the auspices of AROME (association of radiotherapy and oncology of the Mediterranean area; www.aromecancer.org), a non-profit organization, to organize a dedicated meeting to discuss the standards and elaborate a consensus on the "minimal requirements" adapted to the local resources. Thus, panels of physicians involved in daily multidisciplinary brain tumors management in the two borders of the Mediterranean area have been invited to the AROME neuro-oncology working party. We report here the consensus, established for minimal human and material resources for glioblastoma diagnosis and treatment faced to the standard of care, which should be reached. If the minimal requirements are not reached, the patients should be referred to the closest specialized medical center where at least minimal requirements, or, ideally, the standard of care should be guaranteed to the patients. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Human Aspects and Habitat Studies from EuroGeoMars Campaign

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boche-Sauvan, L.; Pletser, V.; Foing, B. H.; Eurogeomars Team

    2009-04-01

    Introduction: In a human space mission, the human factor is one of the dominant aspects, which may strongly influence work results and efficiency. To quantify such a difficult and uncontrollable aspect of space missions, it is necessary to reproduce as exactly as possible the environmental and technical conditions in which astronauts may be confronted: limited re-sources, social interactions in an isolated and cramped area… We will take the benefit of the EuroGeoMars campaign in the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS, Mars Society) in Utah to observe and measure these characteristics. EuroGeoMars campaign: The EuroGeoMars team aims at assessing the development of scientific protocols and techniques in geology and biology research in planetary conditions. In this framework, MRDS simulation constitutes its main achievement. The scientific investigations conducted in MRDS are expected to provide valuable results, beyond the simple reflection on how managing planetary specific conditions. Nevertheless, the different scientific protocols, even tailored for extreme environmental conditions, require an exhaustive analysis to evaluate how the results and their timing may possibly be affected. MDRS: The MDRS habitat will demand the crew members to work in a cramped environment, surrounded by dust and very limited manpower. Moreover, energy power and communication bandwidth will be limited to the crew members. Human aspects and habitat studies: The crewmember will work in an uncomfortable environment in the habitat: dust, cramping and crowd. Moreover, the sustainibility of the mission will relie on an optimal energy and ressources sharing. This will impose a planification of the different investigating activities. The study of the human aspects and habitat will be performed in terms of impact on scientific and technical tasks rather than in terms of crew's comfort. As any astronaut will previously be aware of the daily condition, we want to improve the working conditions

  15. Juvenile bottlenecks and salinity shape grey mullet assemblages in Mediterranean estuaries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cardona, Luis; Hereu, Bernat; Torras, Xavier

    2008-05-01

    Previous research has suggested that competitive bottlenecks may exist for the Mediterranean grey mullets (Osteichthyes, Mugilidae) at the fry stage with the exotic Cyprinus carpio (Osteichthyes, Cyprinidae) playing a central role. As a consequence, the structure of grey mullet assemblages at later stages is thought to reflect previous competition as well as differences in osmoregulatory skills. This paper tests that hypothesis by examining four predictions about the relative abundance of five grey mullet species in 42 Western Mediterranean estuary sites from three areas (Aiguamolls de l'Empordà, Ebro Delta and Minorca) differing in the salinity level and occurrence of C. carpio. Field data confirmed the predictions as: (1) Liza aurata and Mugil cephalus were scarce everywhere and never dominated the assemblage; (2) Liza saliens dominated the assemblage where the salinity level was higher than 13; (3) Liza ramado always dominated the assemblage where the salinity level was lower than 13 and C. carpio was present; and (4) Chelon labrosus dominated the assemblage only where the salinity level was lower than 13 and C. carpio was absent. The catch per unit effort of C. labrosus of any size was smaller in the presence of C. carpio than where it had not been introduced, which is in agreement with the juvenile competitive bottleneck hypothesis. Discriminant analysis confirmed that the assemblage structure was linked to the salinity level and the occurrence of C. carpio for both early juveniles and late juveniles as well as adults. The data reported here reveal that the structure of grey mullet assemblages inhabiting Mediterranean estuaries is determined by salinity and competitive interactions at the fry stage.

  16. Analysis of Structural Differences and Asymmetry of Shocks Between the Czech Economy and the Euro Area

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martin Slanicay

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The goal of this paper is to examine asymmetry of shocks and structural differences between the Czech economy and the euro area. For this purpose I use a New Keynesian DSGE model of two economies. Structural differences are examined using the posterior distributions of structural parameters. Results suggest that prices are more sticky in the Czech economy, especially in the non-tradable sector, while wages are more sticky in the euro area. It seems that the ECB smooths less the interest rate and reacts more to the development in output and inflation than the Czech National Bank. It also seems that labor supply in the Czech economy is more elastic than labor supply in the euro area. Asymmetry of shocks is examined using correlations between smoothed shocks obtained from the estimation. The most asymmetric shocks are shocks in government expenditures, labor supply shocks, and productivity shocks in the tradable sector, while the most symmetric shocks are consumption preference shocks, monetary policy shocks, and investment efficiency shocks.

  17. IRIS: A SIGNIFICANT ELEMENT OF THE MEDITERRANEAN LANDSCAPE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. UBRIZSY SAVOIA

    2000-01-01

    Full Text Available The Southern European species of Iris growing in dry, rocky places, stony ground, terra rossa, sandy, basalt and/or calcareous hills, maquis and coastal rocky slopes, are a neglected bioplasm resource of the Mediterranean landscape. These species have traditional uses and cultural significance and have inspired artists. Both natural and naturalised ornamental Iris species may help to improve and maintain the Mediterranean landscape by avoiding land erosion, fixing dunes and preserving coastal zones. These Iris species are a significant component of Mediterranean floristic diversity. Their conservation and use in traditional Mediterranean landscape gardening are emphasised.

  18. IRIS: A SIGNIFICANT ELEMENT OF THE MEDITERRANEAN LANDSCAPE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. PIGNATTI

    2000-04-01

    Full Text Available The Southern European species of Iris growing in dry, rocky places, stony ground, terra rossa, sandy, basalt and/or calcareous hills, maquis and coastal rocky slopes, are a neglected bioplasm resource of the Mediterranean landscape. These species have traditional uses and cultural significance and have inspired artists. Both natural and naturalised ornamental Iris species may help to improve and maintain the Mediterranean landscape by avoiding land erosion, fixing dunes and preserving coastal zones. These Iris species are a significant component of Mediterranean floristic diversity. Their conservation and use in traditional Mediterranean landscape gardening are emphasised.

  19. 42 CFR 137.362 - May construction project agreements be amended?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false May construction project agreements be amended? 137... of the Secretary in Establishing and Implementing Construction Project Agreements § 137.362 May construction project agreements be amended? Yes, the Self-Governance Tribe, at its discretion, may request the...

  20. Community-based naming agreement, familiarity, image agreement and visual complexity ratings among adult Indians

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    George Annamma

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available The validity of Snodgrass and Vanderwart pictures and their norms derived on a western population on naming, familiarity, imageability and visual-complexity, is not established on a population with cultural background different from the west. We developed, therefore, a set of culturally appropriate pictures for and derived norms on Indians. Line-drawings of 103 concepts (67 from Snodgrass and Vanderwart, 36 new from 10 semantic-categories were normed on 200 community-based older subjects. Only 31% of the Snodgrass and Vanderwart items showed a concept-agreement on the Indians comparable to western norms. Naming, familiarity and image-agreement mutually correlated but not with visual-complexity. Low-education and rural-residence tended to reduced concept-agreement. The output of this study will be of use in national and cross-national studies.

  1. The EuroPrevall-INCO surveys on the prevalence of food allergies in children from China, India and Russia: the study methodology

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wong, G. W. K.; Mahesh, P. A.; Ogorodova, L.; Leung, T. F.; Fedorova, O.; Holla, A. D.; Fernandez-Rivas, M.; Clare Mills, E. N.; Kummeling, I.; van Ree, R.; Yazdanbakhsh, M.; Burney, P.

    2010-01-01

    P>Background: Very little is known regarding the global variations in the prevalence of food allergies. The EuroPrevall-INCO project has been developed to evaluate the prevalence of food allergies in China, India and Russia using the standardized methodology of the EuroPrevall protocol used for

  2. On equilibrium real exchange rates in euro area: Special focus on behavioral equilibrium exchange rates in Ireland and Greece

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Klára Plecitá

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper focuses on the intra-euro-area imbalances. Therefore the first aim of this paper is to identify euro-area countries exhibiting macroeconomic imbalances. The subsequent aim is to estimate equilibrium real exchange rates for these countries and to compute their degrees of real exchange rate misalignment. The intra-area balance is assessed using the Cluster Analysis and the Principle Component Analysis; on this basis Greece and Ireland are selected as the two euro-area countries with largest imbalances in 2010. Further the medium-run equilibrium exchange rates for Greece and Ireland are estimated applying the Behavioral Equilibrium Exchange Rate (BEER approach popularised by Clark and MacDonald (1998. In addition, the long-run equilibrium exchange rates are estimated using the Permanent Equilibrium Exchange Rate (PEER model. Employing the BEER and PEER approaches on quarterly time series of real effective exchange rates (REER from 1997: Q1 to 2010: Q4 we identify an undervaluation of the Greek and Irish REER around their entrance to the euro area. For the rest of the period analysed their REER is broadly in line with estimated BEER and PEER levels.

  3. [Endemic zoonosis in Mediterranean area].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fenga, Concettina; Pugliese, Michela

    2013-01-01

    The Mediterranean is historically considered an area of high concentration of zoonoses. Mediterranean countries socio-economic features have favoured, over time, the onset of different types of zoonosis. Many of these may affect many occupational categories, first of all farmers, people working in abattoirs and processing products of animal origin. New farming activities and technologies have generated new occupational and zoonotic risks. These changes have influenced zoonosis epidemiology and have led to a gradual decrease in the number of diseases and to a reduction of some biological risks. However, brucellosis, Q fever, bovine tuberculosis cystic echinococcosis remain a strong example of zoonosis and a real risk, in the Mediterranean area especially. Therefore, an interdisciplinary collaboration between Veterinary Service, Public Health and Occupational medicine is necessary in order to plan territorial prevention.

  4. The biodiversity of the Mediterranean Sea: estimates, patterns, and threats.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marta Coll

    Full Text Available The Mediterranean Sea is a marine biodiversity hot spot. Here we combined an extensive literature analysis with expert opinions to update publicly available estimates of major taxa in this marine ecosystem and to revise and update several species lists. We also assessed overall spatial and temporal patterns of species diversity and identified major changes and threats. Our results listed approximately 17,000 marine species occurring in the Mediterranean Sea. However, our estimates of marine diversity are still incomplete as yet-undescribed species will be added in the future. Diversity for microbes is substantially underestimated, and the deep-sea areas and portions of the southern and eastern region are still poorly known. In addition, the invasion of alien species is a crucial factor that will continue to change the biodiversity of the Mediterranean, mainly in its eastern basin that can spread rapidly northwards and westwards due to the warming of the Mediterranean Sea. Spatial patterns showed a general decrease in biodiversity from northwestern to southeastern regions following a gradient of production, with some exceptions and caution due to gaps in our knowledge of the biota along the southern and eastern rims. Biodiversity was also generally higher in coastal areas and continental shelves, and decreases with depth. Temporal trends indicated that overexploitation and habitat loss have been the main human drivers of historical changes in biodiversity. At present, habitat loss and degradation, followed by fishing impacts, pollution, climate change, eutrophication, and the establishment of alien species are the most important threats and affect the greatest number of taxonomic groups. All these impacts are expected to grow in importance in the future, especially climate change and habitat degradation. The spatial identification of hot spots highlighted the ecological importance of most of the western Mediterranean shelves (and in particular

  5. The biodiversity of the Mediterranean Sea: estimates, patterns, and threats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coll, Marta; Piroddi, Chiara; Steenbeek, Jeroen; Kaschner, Kristin; Ben Rais Lasram, Frida; Aguzzi, Jacopo; Ballesteros, Enric; Bianchi, Carlo Nike; Corbera, Jordi; Dailianis, Thanos; Danovaro, Roberto; Estrada, Marta; Froglia, Carlo; Galil, Bella S; Gasol, Josep M; Gertwagen, Ruthy; Gil, João; Guilhaumon, François; Kesner-Reyes, Kathleen; Kitsos, Miltiadis-Spyridon; Koukouras, Athanasios; Lampadariou, Nikolaos; Laxamana, Elijah; López-Fé de la Cuadra, Carlos M; Lotze, Heike K; Martin, Daniel; Mouillot, David; Oro, Daniel; Raicevich, Sasa; Rius-Barile, Josephine; Saiz-Salinas, Jose Ignacio; San Vicente, Carles; Somot, Samuel; Templado, José; Turon, Xavier; Vafidis, Dimitris; Villanueva, Roger; Voultsiadou, Eleni

    2010-08-02

    The Mediterranean Sea is a marine biodiversity hot spot. Here we combined an extensive literature analysis with expert opinions to update publicly available estimates of major taxa in this marine ecosystem and to revise and update several species lists. We also assessed overall spatial and temporal patterns of species diversity and identified major changes and threats. Our results listed approximately 17,000 marine species occurring in the Mediterranean Sea. However, our estimates of marine diversity are still incomplete as yet-undescribed species will be added in the future. Diversity for microbes is substantially underestimated, and the deep-sea areas and portions of the southern and eastern region are still poorly known. In addition, the invasion of alien species is a crucial factor that will continue to change the biodiversity of the Mediterranean, mainly in its eastern basin that can spread rapidly northwards and westwards due to the warming of the Mediterranean Sea. Spatial patterns showed a general decrease in biodiversity from northwestern to southeastern regions following a gradient of production, with some exceptions and caution due to gaps in our knowledge of the biota along the southern and eastern rims. Biodiversity was also generally higher in coastal areas and continental shelves, and decreases with depth. Temporal trends indicated that overexploitation and habitat loss have been the main human drivers of historical changes in biodiversity. At present, habitat loss and degradation, followed by fishing impacts, pollution, climate change, eutrophication, and the establishment of alien species are the most important threats and affect the greatest number of taxonomic groups. All these impacts are expected to grow in importance in the future, especially climate change and habitat degradation. The spatial identification of hot spots highlighted the ecological importance of most of the western Mediterranean shelves (and in particular, the Strait of

  6. S&P ja Moody's : euro edasilükkumisest pole häda

    Index Scriptorium Estoniae

    2006-01-01

    Ilmunud ka: Finansovõi Menedzhment : infovõpusk nr. 7 sept. lk. 9. Reitinguagentuurid Standard & Poor's ning Moody's Investors Service ei pea probleemiks Eestis euro kasutuselevõtmise edasilükkumist, kuid märgivad, et euroliiduga ühinemine võib vähendada kiire majandusarenguga kaasnevaid riske

  7. The Mediterranean Solar Plan: Project proposals for renewable energy in the Mediterranean Partner Countries region

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jablonski, Sophie; Tarhini, Mohamad; Touati, Manaf; Gonzalez Garcia, David; Alario, Juan

    2012-01-01

    This paper presents a first assessment of the renewable energy projects, proposed by the nine Mediterranean Partner Countries (MPCs) under the Mediterranean Solar Plan (MSP) and the associated potential economic impacts. As one of the priority projects of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), the MSP's objective which attracted most attention until now is the intention to deploy an additional 20 GW of renewable electrical capacity in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean region (covering the MPCs plus Turkey) by 2020. The main findings of this research are: (1) as of February 2010, a total of 10.3 GW of renewable project proposals were identified in the MPCs, corresponding to about half of the 20 GW target; (2) investment needs for the identified projects could amount to EUR 21 billion by 2020, which represents about five times the amount invested by the region in conventional electricity generation in the last decade; and (3) the difference between the cost of renewable electricity generation and the economic cost of its fossil fuel alternatives could amount to EUR 1.2 billion. Insights stemming from the results of this research can generate useful regional messages for energy policy leaders in the MPCs to accelerate the development of renewable energy projects. - Highlights: ► We conducted a systematic survey of renewable energy projects in the Mediterranean. ► The identified projects correspond to half the MSP 20 GW target. ► Maturity assessment is used to classify the advancement of the projects. ► We estimated the investment needs and required subsidies in the region by 2020.

  8. Attribution of Extreme Rainfall Events in the South of France Using EURO-CORDEX Simulations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luu, L. N.; Vautard, R.; Yiou, P.

    2017-12-01

    The Mediterranean region regularly undergoes episodes of intense precipitation in the fall season that exceed 300mm a day. This study focuses on the role of climate change on the dynamics of the events that occur in the South of France. We used an ensemble of 10 EURO-CORDEX model simulations with two horizontal resolutions (EUR-11: 0.11° and EUR-44: 0.44°) for the attribution of extreme rainfall in the fall in the Cevennes mountain range (South of France). The biases of the simulations were corrected with simple scaling adjustment and a quantile correction (CDFt). This produces five datasets including EUR-44 and EUR-11 with and without scaling adjustment and CDFt-EUR-11, on which we test the impact of resolution and bias correction on the extremes. Those datasets, after pooling all of models together, are fitted by a stationary Generalized Extreme Value distribution for several periods to estimate a climate change signal in the tail of distribution of extreme rainfall in the Cévenne region. Those changes are then interpreted by a scaling model that links extreme rainfall with mean and maximum daily temperature. The results show that higher-resolution simulations with bias adjustment provide a robust and confident increase of intensity and likelihood of occurrence of autumn extreme rainfall in the area in current climate in comparison with historical climate. The probability (exceedance probability) of 1-in-1000-year event in historical climate may increase by a factor of 1.8 under current climate with a confident interval of 0.4 to 5.3 following the CDFt bias-adjusted EUR-11. The change of magnitude appears to follow the Clausius-Clapeyron relation that indicates a 7% increase in rainfall per 1oC increase in temperature.

  9. El euro, un gran laboratorio de las matemáticas cotidianas

    OpenAIRE

    Plaza, Pedro

    2006-01-01

    La sustitución de la peseta por el euro está provocando la posibilidad de observar de cerca el uso cotidiano de algoritmos matemáticos no aprendidos en la escuela, lo que nos puede servir como banco de prueba para constatar hipótesis, encontrar otras nuevas y buscar implicaciones educativas a todo ello.

  10. Screening for cocaine on Euro banknotes by a highly sensitive enzyme immunoassay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdelshafi, Nahla A; Panne, Ulrich; Schneider, Rudolf J

    2017-04-01

    This study focused on quantitative detection of cocaine on Euro banknotes in Germany. A sensitive direct competitive immunoassay was developed and optimized with a limit of detection (LOD) of 5.6ng/L. Exhaustive cocaine extraction by solvent was tested using different methanol concentrations and buffered solutions. Cross-reactivity studies were performed to determine the degree of interference of cocaine metabolites with the immunoassay. Sixty-five Euro banknotes obtained from different districts in Berlin were evaluated. A 100% contamination frequency with cocaine was detected. A comparison between the amount of cocaine extracted by cotton swabbing of one square centimeter of the banknote showed a good correlation for lower contamination levels. This assay showed high sensitivity of detecting pg of cocaine per 1cm 2 of one banknote by swabbing 1cm 2 : 0, 14, and 21pg/cm 2 . Moreover, three notes of different denominations revealed high cocaine concentration; 1.1mg/note, and twice 55µg/note. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Measuring Implicit European and Mediterranean Landscape Identity: A Tool Proposal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fornara, Ferdinando; Dentale, Francesco; Troffa, Renato; Piras, Simona

    2016-01-01

    This study presents a tool – the Landscape Identity Implicit Association Test (LI-IAT) – devoted to measure the implicit identification with European and Mediterranean landscapes. To this aim, a series of prototypical landscapes was selected as stimulus, following an accurate multi-step procedure. Participants (N = 174), recruited in two Italian cities, performed two LI-IATs devoted to assess their identification with European vs. Not-European and Mediterranean vs. Not-Mediterranean prototypical landscapes. Psychometric properties and criterion validity of these measures were investigated. Two self-report measures, assessing, respectively, European and Mediterranean place identity and pleasantness of the target landscapes, were also administered. Results showed: (1) an adequate level of internal consistency for both LI-IATs; (2) a higher identification with European and Mediterranean landscapes than, respectively, with Not-European and Not-Mediterranean ones; and (3) a significant positive relationship between the European and Mediterranean LI-IATs and the corresponding place identity scores, also when pleasantness of landscapes was controlled for. Overall, these findings provide a first evidence supporting the reliability and criterion validity of the European and Mediterranean LI-IATs. PMID:27642284

  12. Arms Control and Nonproliferation: A Catalog of Treaties and Agreements

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-07-21

    United States, Japan, the European Union, and Russia established the International Science and Technology Center ( ISTC ) in Moscow. A similar center...at their primary jobs. The Russian government announced in August 2010 that it would withdraw from the agreement on the establishing of the ISTC ...and from the protocol on temporary application of the ISTC foundation agreement. The ISTC Board decided in December 2010 that all current projects

  13. Abrupt decadal-to-centennial hydroclimate changes in the Mediterranean region since the mid-Holocene

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Hsun-Ming; Shen, Chuan-Chou; Jiang, Xiuyang; Wang, Yongjin; Mii, Horng-Sheng; Michel, Véronique

    2016-04-01

    A series of severe drought events in the Mediterranean region over the past two decades has posed a threat on both human society and biosystem. Holocene hydrological dynamics can offer valuable clues for understanding future climate and making proper adaption strategy. Here, we present a decadal-resolved stalagmite record documenting various hydroclimatic fluctuations in the north central Mediterranean region since the middle Holocene. The stalagmite δ18O sequence shows dramatic instability, characterized by abrupt shifts between dry and wet conditions Mycenaean Greece, Akkadian Empire, Egyptian Old Kingdom, and Uruk, occurred during the drought events, suggesting an important role of climate impact on human civilization. The unstable hydroclimate evolution is related to transferred North Atlantic Oscillation states. Rate of rapid transfer of precipitation patterns, which can be pin-pointed by our good chronology, improves the prediction to future climate changes in North Atlantic region. We also found that a strong correlation between this stalagmite δ18O and sea surface temperatures especially in Pacific Ocean. This agreement suggests a distant interregional climate teleconnection.

  14. A major sporting event does not necessarily mean an increased workload for accident and emergency departments. Euro96 Group of Accident and Emergency Departments

    OpenAIRE

    Cooke, M. W.; Allan, T. F.; Wilson, S.

    1999-01-01

    AIM: To determine whether there were any changes in attendance at accident and emergency departments that could be related to international football matches (Euro96 tournament). METHOD: Fourteen accident and emergency departments (seven adjacent to and seven distant from a Euro96 venue) provided their daily attendance figures for a nine week period: three weeks before, during, and after the tournament. The relation between daily attendance rates and Euro96 football matches was assessed ...

  15. Le "LHC", un défi scientifique à 6 milliards d'euros

    CERN Multimedia

    Féraud, Jean-Christope

    2006-01-01

    On the french-swiss border, CERN is building the LHC; this particle accelerator of 27km will be operational in autumn 2007; its goal: to go the heart of matter to discover the mysteries of the infinitely small. this technological challenge will cost 6 billions of euros. (2 pages)

  16. On the impact of the global financial crisis on the euro area

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    He, Xiaoli; Jacobs, Jan; Kuper, Gerard; Ligthart, Jenny

    2013-01-01

    This paper analyses the impact of the Global Financial Crisis on the Euro area utilizing a simple dynamic macroeconomic model with interaction between monetary policy and fiscal policy. The model consists of an IS curve, a Phillips curve, a term structure relation, a debt accumulation equation and a

  17. Is there a Core of Macroeconomics that Euro Area Forecasters Believe In?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Stadtmann, Georg; Pierdzioch, Christian; Ruelke, Jan

    2012-01-01

    The quantity theory of money, Okun’s law, and the Phillips curve are cornerstones of macroeconomic theory. But are they also of practical relevance? Using survey data for the euro area, we found that professional economists’ forecasts are consistent with a version of the quantity theory in which...

  18. Revised Distribution of Bactrocera tryoni in Eastern Australia and Effect on Possible Incursions of Mediterranean Fruit Fly: Development of Australia's Eastern Trading Block.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dominiak, Bernard C; Mapson, Richard

    2017-12-05

    Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) (Diptera: Tephritidae), commonly called 'Queensland fruit fly' in Australia, and Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae) are the two most economically important fruit fly in Australia with B. tryoni in the east and Mediterranean fruit fly in the west. The two species coexisted for several decades, but it is believed that B. tryoni displaced Mediterranean fruit fly. In southeastern Australia, this was deemed inadequate for export market access, and a large fruit fly free zone (fruit fly exclusion zone) was developed in 1996 where B. tryoni was eradicated by each state department in their portion of the zone. This zone caused an artificial restricted distribution of B. tryoni. When the fruit fly exclusion zone was withdrawn in Victoria and New South Wales in 2013, B. tryoni became endemic once again in this area and the national distribution of B. tryoni changed. For export markets, B. tryoni is now deemed endemic to all eastern Australian states, except for the Greater Sunraysia Pest-Free Area. All regulatory controls have been removed between eastern states, except for some small zones, subject to domestic market access requirements. The eastern Australian states now form a B. tryoni endemic trading group or block. All Australian states and territories maintain legislation to regulate the movement of potentially infested host fruit into their states. In particular, eastern states remain active and regulate the entry of commodities possibly infested with Mediterranean fruit fly. The combination of regulatory controls limits the chances of Mediterranean fruit fly entering eastern states, and if it did, Mediterranean fruit fly is unlikely to establish in the opposition to a well-established B. tryoni population. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  19. Cooperative Agreement on Pesticide Safety Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    EPA is awarding the eXtension Foundation with a cooperative agreement to establish a system to distribute EPA funds to Pesticide Safety Education Programs (PSEPs) in State Cooperative Extension Services at Land Grant Universities.

  20. External causes of euro zone inflation differentials : A re-examniation of the evidence

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Arnold, I.J.M.; Verhoef, B.

    2004-01-01

    This article focuses on external causes of Euro Zone inflation differential. Persistent inflation differences may influence inflationary expectations and can amplify regional business cycles. With a uniform nominal interest rate, the domestic real interest rates will be lower in high inflation