Gerlach, Alice Fee: Geltungsdauer von Planfeststellungsbeschlüssen

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Environmental Impact Assessments in International Law

The purpose of this article is to assess what the current state of play with regard to environmental impact assessments (EIAs) is in international law. This question is posed because of the casual use of the term, and the often fundamental misunderstandings of what EIAs can and cannot do. This paper aims to clarify the current strength of EIAs in the international context, and provide guidance on how they may be applied.     

Patent construction after Amgen: are patent claims construed more widely or narrowly than previously?

Legal context. This article considers the UK Courts' approachto patent construction since the House of Lords' decision inKirin-Amgen Inc v Hoechst Marion Roussel Limited, which washanded down in October 2004, and seeks to examine whether theUK Courts' construction of patents is wider or narrower thanpreviously. Key points. The available data appear to suggest that thereis little difference in outcome, whether the old Improver testis applied or the new Kirin-Amgen test; of more significanceremains the nature of the wording of the patent claims themselvesand the correct identification by the trial judge of the inventionunderlying the patent. Practical significance. By eschewing a literal approach andrefining the test used in order to ensure both compliance withthe EPC and consistency with courts in other European countries,the UK Courts continue to provide an attractive forum for resolutionof patent disputes.     

Family Psychopathology and Perceived Stress of Both Domestic Violence and Negative Life Events as Predictors of Women’s Mental Health Symptoms

Using a diathesis–stress model, this study examined the development of depressive and anxiety symptoms in women who experience stressors of domestic violence (DV) and/or negative life events (NLEs) over the course of three years. Family history of affective mental health problems represented the diathesis. Using a person-oriented approach, 182 women were grouped into 6 risk profiles based on varying levels of DV and NLEs. Results showed that family history of psychopathology increased vulnerability to mental health disorders; however, the best predictor of symptoms was the presence of either stressor at any time. A quadratic relationship between the risk pattern and mental health symptoms indicated that fluctuations in depression were related to the pattern of stress experienced. Results support the diathesis–stress model for occurrence of depressive but not anxiety symptoms in women with DV and/or NLEs.     

Diplomacy in the Roman world (c.500 BC-AD 235)

This paper tries to establish that diplomacy had an important place in the management of the Romans' relations firstly with other rival communities in Italy and then with foreign peoples as they established an empire. The Romans developed a distinctive procedure of diplomacy, which embodied principles that were to be important in the evolution of diplomatic method, notably respect for treaties, good faith, equivalence, personal contact, formal meetings and protocol. However, the Romans often used offensive diplomacy, in that the threat of their powerful army enabled them to get what they wanted without fighting.