Terraskin® the paper made from stone: a study of a new writing support for forensic purposes

Can a mineral paper be called paper? Until now all known writing supports have been ancient stones and tablets, parchment, and paper of vegetable origin, such as papyrus and fiber pulp paper. Some years ago polymeric banknotes appeared in Australia, and in 2004 mineral paper (stone plus polymer) emerged as an ecological alternative to pulp paper. In this article we study the physical and elemental features of a mineral paper such as the behavior of Terraskin? paper. We also study its behavior as a writing support, either for handwriting or printing, and compare these results with those usually obtained for paper made from pulp.     

Was kommt nach der Gleichheitswidrigkeit?

In der Lehre ist schon oft gesagt worden, dass die Feststellung einer Gleichheitswidrigkeit in besonderem Maß von Wertungen abhängt. Seltener wird thematisiert, was nach der Gleichheitswidrigkeit kommt: Hat ein Gericht eine Norm als gleichheitswidrig qualifiziert, muss es diesen Verstoß regelmäßig auch korrigieren. Ob es die benachteiligte Gruppe auf das Niveau der begünstigten Gruppe heben oder das Niveau allgemein senken soll, lässt sich dem Gleichheitssatz aber in vielen Fällen nicht entnehmen. Ein Judikaturvergleich von BVerfG, EuGH und VfGH zeigt, dass Gerichte bei der Korrektur von Gleichheitsverstößen von sehr verschiedenen Erwägungen geleitet sein und zum Teil auch voneinander lernen können.     

Does a Country Effect Exist？ Issues Related to Deployment of Foreign Direct Investments in the European Union Countries

Goal of this paper shall be examination of factors which have an impact on unequal deployment of foreign direct investments （FDIs） in European Union （EU） countries. In order to achieve the desired goal, the author shall conduct analysis of FDIs＇ location based on the selection of variables which in the literature of the subject has been recognized to be potentially correlated with inflow of the FDIs.     

The role of international brokers in frozen conflicts: the case of transnistria

Asia Europe Journal - The “frozen” conflict between Moldova and its separatist Transnistrian region—which developed into a de facto state—is dynamic. Despite an active...     

Race/Ethnic-Specific Homicide Rates in New York City: Evaluating the Impact of Broken Windows Policing and Crack Cocaine Markets

The current study evaluated a range of social influences including misdemeanor arrests, drug arrests, cocaine consumption, alcohol consumption, firearm availability, and incarceration that may be associated with changes in gun-related homicides by racial/ethnic group in New York City (NYC) from 1990 to 1999. Using police precincts as the unit of analysis, we used cross-sectional, time series data to examine changes in Black, White, and Hispanic homicides, separately. Bayesian hierarchical models with a spatial error term indicated that an increase in cocaine consumption was associated with an increase in Black homicides. An increase in firearm availability was associated with an increase in Hispanic homicides. Last, there were no significant predictors for White homicides. Support was found for the crack cocaine hypotheses but not for the broken windows hypothesis. Examining racially/ethnically disaggregated data can shed light on group-sensitive mechanisms that may explain changes in homicide over time.     

Civil security in the EU: national persistence versus EU ambitions?

Noting that European Union (EU) institutions are increasingly engaged in civil protection in the member states, security governance is used as an analytical framework to assess the depth of EU engagement in delivering civil security. It is shown that a state-centric approach is no longer adequate to understand the provision of civil security across Europe. To varying degrees, the EU has acquired responsibilities to facilitate, coordinate, manage, and regulate civil security, whether before or after a civil crisis occurs. The analysis demonstrates that, whilst intergovernmental practices and inter-state cooperation remain salient features of civil security, the responsibilities undertaken by the EU institutions across the entire policy spectrum are more substantial than a strictly intergovernmental perspective would suggest.     

Partisan News and Political Participation: Exploring Mediated Relationships

This study examines mediators of the relationship between news consumption and political participation in the contemporary news environment. We test the differential effects exerted by pro- and counter-attitudinal news compared with balanced news on intended participation. Our primary objective is to model three paths that may link news exposure and participation: cognitive (i.e., perceived issue understanding), affective (i.e., emotions evoked by a news story), and attitudinal (i.e., attitude strength). We compare these paths across four issues, testing which is strongest. Relying on a large survey-based experiment on a representative sample of the American population (N = 2,300), we find that pro-attitudinal exposure increases intended participation relative to balanced news exposure, while the effects of counter-attitudinal news do not differ from those exerted by balanced news. Issue understanding, anger, positive emotions, and attitude strength all mediate the relationship between pro-attitudinal exposure and intended participation, with the route via attitude strength being strongest. These effects do not depend on whether exposure is self-selected or experimentally assigned.     

The (Null) Effects of Happiness on Affective Polarization,Conspiracy Endorsement,and Deep Fake Recognition: Evidence from Five Survey Experiments in Three Countries

Affective polarization is a key concern in America and other democracies. Although past evidence suggests some ways to minimize it, there are no easily applicable interventions that have been found to work in the increasingly polarized climate. This project examines whether irrelevant factors, or incidental happiness more specifically, have the power to reduce affective polarization (i.e., misattribution of affect or “carryover effect”). On the flip side, happiness can minimize systematic processing, thus enhancing beliefs in conspiracy theories and impeding individual ability to recognize deep fakes. Three preregistered survey experiments in the US, Poland, and the Netherlands (total N?=?3611) induced happiness in three distinct ways. Happiness had no effects on affective polarization toward political outgroups and hostility toward various divisive social groups, and also on endorsement of conspiracy theories and beliefs that a deep fake was real. Two additional studies in the US and Poland (total N?=?2220), also induced anger and anxiety, confirming that all these incidental emotions had null effects. These findings, which emerged uniformly in three different countries, among different partisan and ideological groups, and for those for whom the inductions were differently effective, underscore the stability of outgroup attitudes in contemporary America and other countries.

     

How can “Katowice as European City of Science” change Silesia region: Recognising perspectives of private companies

The study analyses, the perception of the European City of Science (ECS) initiative planned event in Katowice in the context of the city and region's development in the eyes of private companies. It has been argued that this honour may change the city's prestige and become the source of the city and the region's development, not only through building the city's recognisable brand but also its social capital. Using focus research as a method enables not only to collect empirical data but can also be treated as a form of public participation. The study results contribute to the growing body of literature on public engagement and co-creation as well as place branding. The study's findings show the companies' expectations concerning the role of universities and their participation in the region's development. They were the foundation for preparing a set of suggestions for local governments to successfully implement the ECS initiative. This paper is the first to examine the process of preparing a city to become an ECS, as demonstrated through the case study of Katowice.