The dark side of price cap regulation: a laboratory experiment

In a nutshell, price cap regulation is meant to establish a quid pro quo: regulators are obliged by law to intervene only at rare, previously defined points in time, and only by imposing an upper bound on prices; firms are meant to justify regulatory restraint by adopting socially beneficial innovations. In the policy debate, a potential downside of the arrangement has featured less prominently: the economic environment is unlikely to be stable while the cap is in place. If regulators take this into account, they have to decide under uncertainty and also anticipate how regulated firms will react. In a lab experiment, we manipulate the degree of regulatory uncertainty. We compare a baseline when regulators have the same information as firms about demand with treatments wherein they receive only a noisy signal and another when they know only the distribution from which demand realizations are taken. In the face of uncertainty, regulators impose overly generous price caps, which firms exploit. In the experiment, the social damage is severe, and does not disappear with experience.     

Differentiation of epithelial cell types by cell diameter

Genital swabs play an important role in cases of alleged sexual assault. The aim of our study was to see if epithelial cells from the vagina, glans penis, or mouth could be distinguished on the basis of size. Vaginal swabs were taken from 12 women in different phases of their menstrual cycles; penile swabs were taken from 5 men, and mouth swabs were taken from 6 men and 6 women. For each swab, a sample was smeared across a microscope slide and allowed to dry. The dried epithelial samples were then viewed without any further processing with a "SteReoLumar.V12" stereo microscope. The microscope slide surfaces were divided into grids and all single epithelial cells whose contours could be clearly distinguished were photographed. The maximum diameter for each photographed cell was digitally determined using the Axiovision software. In total, 995 vaginal epithelial cells, 211 penile epithelial cells, 329 male oral epithelial cells, and 525 female oral epithelial cells were measured. Menstrual cycle phase did not affect vaginal epithelial cell diameter. The mean vaginal epithelial cell diameter was 63.95 microm (min. = 28.08 microm, max. = 108.06 microm, s = 11.50 microm). The mean penile epithelial cell diameter was 39.24 microm (min. = 28.38 microm, max. = 51.02 microm, s = 4.84 microm). The diameter of oral epithelial cells hardly differed for both sexes, although the female cells were, on the whole, slightly larger. On the basis of these results, it is not possible to conclude that epithelial cells of less than a certain diameter found in the assessment of a vaginal swab must be of penile origin. It is also not possible to usefully distinguish vaginal epithelial cells from male or female oral epithelial cells on the basis of the diameter. However, finding epithelial cells with a diameter distinctly greater than 50 microm in a penile swab sample suggests the presence of vaginal or oral epithelial cells. Epithelial cells examined with the presented method can be used without restrictions for further examinations, such as single-cell DNA analysis after single-cell picking with the micromanipulator developed by Aura Optik (Jena).     

Maklerprovision – kein wirtschaftlich gleichwertiges Geschäft bei Kauf einer Eigentumswohnung anstelle des Kaufs der gesamten Liegenschaft

In der Beurteilung des Kaufs eines Liegenschaftsanteils verbunden mit WE zum Preis von 340.000 € als ein ein dem Kauf der gesamten Liegenschaft zum Preis von 1 Mio € wirtschaftlich nicht gleichwertiges Gesch?ft iSd § 6 Abs 3 MaklerG liegt keine unvertretbare Fehlbeurteilung.     

Wettbewerbsversto? durch irreführende Ankündigung eines Immobilienmaklers

Kündigt ein Immobilienmakler blickfangartig die "Vertragsabwicklung" als Teil der eigenen Leistung bei Immobiliengesch?ften an, so versteht ein Durchschnittsverbraucher darunter auch die Errichtung des grundbuchsf?higen Vertrags. Er wird daher annehmen, dass der Makler auch diese Leistung anbietet, und ihm daher m?glicherweise den Vorzug vor anderen Immobilienmaklern geben, die sich auf die Vermittlung im engeren Sinn beschr?nken. Erbringt die Maklergesellschaft diese und weitere Leistungen (etwa das Verfassen von Grundbuchseingaben und die Treuhandabwicklung von Vertr?gen) nicht selbst, sondern vermittelt sie dafür blo? einen (an ihr beteiligten) Rechtsanwalt, liegt in der nicht weiter eingeschr?nkten Ankündigung der "Vertragsabwicklung" jedenfalls eine irreführende Gesch?ftspraktik iSv § 1 Abs 3 Z 2 iVm § 2 UWG.     

Besprechungen

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Mechanismen der Europäisierung: nationale Regulierungsmuster und europäische Integration

Der Schwerpunkt bisheriger Europaforschung konzentriert sich auf die Frage, in welchem Ausmass nationale Bedingungen den Aufbau von Institutionen und die politische Entscheidungsfindung auf der europäischen Ebene beeinflussen. Die Auswirkungen der europäischen Integration auf die Politikgestaltung und institutionelle Strukturen in den Mitgliedstaaten sind hingegen nur wenig erforscht worden. Erst seit kurzem gibt es eine zunehmende Anzahl von Analysen, die sich explizit mit der Europäisierung von nationalen Institutionen beschäftigen. Von besonderem Interesse ist dabei die Frage, in welchem Ausmass die Implementation europäischer Policies mit Veränderungen in bestehenden Regulierungsmustern auf nationaler Ebene einhergeht. Der Beitrag identifiziert drei Mechanismen, um die Wirkungsweise europäischer Policies auf nationale Regulierungsmuster zu charakterisieren. Europäische Politik kann ein konkretes institutionelles Modell für die nationale Umsetzung vorschreiben; sie kann sich auf die Beeinflussung nationaler Opportunity Structures beschränken; oder sie kann primär über die Veränderung nationaler Ideen und Überzeugungen (Framing) wirken.     

The New UNESCO Convention on Cultural Diversity: A Counterbalance to the WTO?

On 20 October 2005, the 33rd UNESCO General Conference adoptedby a majority of 148 votes to two the Convention on the Protectionand Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (CCD).The major objectives of the CCD are the recognition of the dualnature of cultural expressions as objects of trade and artefactsof cultural value and the recognition of the sovereign rightof governments to formulate and implement cultural policiesand measures for the protection and promotion of cultural diversity.The ambitious role assigned to the CCD by its proponents isto fill an existing lacuna for cultural objectives in publicinternational law and to serve as a cultural counterbalanceto the World Trade Organization (WTO) in future conflicts betweentrade and culture. Opponents, however, have criticized the CCDas an instrument of disguised protectionism and claimed thatit violates freedom of expression and information. This articleendeavours to explain how cultural diversity has become an issueof international law and provides a critical assessment of thestrengths and weaknesses of the CCD. It explores in particularthe possible linkages between the CCD and the WTO.     

Cerebral hypoxia and ischemia: the forensic point of view: a review

In cases with suspected brain anoxia/ischemia and hypoxia/hypoxemia a neuropathological investigation should give additional information to elucidate the cause of death and its pathophysiological mechanisms. Primary ischemic brain damage is associated with morphological and biochemical alterations. While acute ischemic neuronal injury reveals axon sparing and selective neuronal lesions due to the release of large quantities of glutamate, late neuronal death is associated with antiapoptotic growth factors, and decreased expression of microtubule-associated proteins and tubulin. On the morphological level ischemia can be detected by necrosis of neurons, proliferation of microglia, and astrocytes in vulnerable regions of the brain. In cases of permanent ischemia the so-called pale nervous cell injury is observed, in cases of partial perfusion the so-called dark nerve cell injury and apoptosis are detectable. In spite of the considerable advantages of recent research, presently there is no reliable qualitative marker to ascertain death due to acute hypoxic or ischemic events.