In Search of Legitimacy in Times of Crisis

At first sight, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) seems to be a least likely candidate for a regional organization (RO) prescribing and promoting (good) governance in its member states: It consists of authoritarian monarchies and is a strong proponent of the principles of national sovereignty and non- interference. This paper, however, shows that the GCC does engage in governance transfer. Reacting to a crisis of legitimacy, the rulers of the GCC states have resorted to governance transfer as a strategy of legit-imation. In certain policy fields they prescribe and promote good governance standards to suggest to their respective citizenry as well as to external investors that they are actively trying to tackle their governance problems in these fields. Governance transfer by the GCC can be conceptualized as an institutional choice by the rulers of the GCC states which is supposed to ensure their regimes’ survival in times of a crisis of legiti-macy

Die politische Rolle des ägyptischen Verfassungsgerichts nach der ägyptischen Revolution 2011

Verfassungsgerichte werden oft als bedeutende Akteure in Transformationsprozessen angesehen. Von diesen im Zuge einer Demokratisierung neu eingerichteten Verfassungsgerichten unterscheidet sich das ägyptische Verfassungsgericht (Supreme Constitutional Court, SCC) dadurch, dass es bereits mit der Verfassung von 1971 gegründet wurde; im autoritären System Ägyptens hat es mitunter eine äußerst wichtige, aber auch ambivalente Rolle gespielt. Nach dem Sturz Mubaraks ist das Gericht – trotz der Suspendierung der Verfassung durch den Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) – nicht aufgelöst worden und hat mit seinen Entscheidungen großen Einfluss auf die politischen Entwicklungen in Ägypten genommen. Das Working Paper geht anhand des ägyptischen Falls der Frage nach, welche Rolle etablierte Verfassungsgerichte in Transformationsprozessen spielen. Dabei stehen zwei zentrale Entscheidungen des Gerichts vom Juni 2012 im Mittelpunkt der Analyse. Das Paper zeigt auf, dass die frühere Rechtsprechung, das institutionelle Selbstverständnis des Gerichts und das Amtsverständnis der RichterInnen zentral sind, um die Rolle des Gerichts in der Umbruchsituation verstehen zu können

a meta-analysis

The objective of the conducted meta-analysis was to assess the efficacy of the treatment of bovine endometritis with PGF(2α) by statistical means. Postpartum uterine infections have a high prevalence and a very negative effect on reproductive performance in dairy cattle. Because of a wide discordance between research results, a meta-analysis of the efficacy of the treatment of bovine endometritis with PGF(2α) was conducted. A comprehensive literature search was performed using online databases to reveal a total of 2,307 references. In addition, 5 articles were retrieved by reviewing citations. After applying specific exclusion criteria and evaluating specific evidence parameters, 5 publications, comprising 6 trials, were eligible for being analyzed by means of meta-analysis. Data for each trial were extracted and analyzed using meta-analysis software Review Manager (version 5.1; The Nordic Cochrane Centre, Copenhagen, Denmark). Estimated effect sizes of PGF(2α) were calculated on calving to first service and calving to conception interval. Prostaglandin F(2α) treatment of cows with chronic endometritis had a negative effect on both reproductive performance parameters. Heterogeneity was substantial for calving to first service and calving to conception interval [I(2) (measure of variation beyond chance)=100 and 87%, respectively]; therefore, random-effects models were used. Sensitivity analysis as well as subgroup analysis showed that the performance of randomization was influential in modifying effect size of PGF(2α) treatment. The funnel plot illustrated a publication bias toward smaller studies that reported a prolonged calving to conception interval after a PGF(2α) treatment. We conclude that the investigation of this subject by means of meta-analysis did not reveal an improvement of reproductive performance of cows with endometritis after treatment with PGF(2α). Furthermore, there is a shortage of comparable high quality studies investigating reproductive performance after PGF(2α) treatment of cows with chronic endometritis

quality and comparability of clinical trials investigating the efficacy of prostaglandin F2α for the treatment of bovine endometritis

The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality and comparability of published literature, and to summarize the effect of prostaglandin F(2α) (PGF(2α)) for the treatment of endometritis. It has been postulated that there is a dearth of high-level evidence-based research results in veterinary medicine. Also, there is a marked variation in the quality of studies in veterinary and animal science. Post-partum uterine infections occur commonly in dairy cattle and are reported to have a negative impact on reproductive performance. A comprehensive literature search was conducted utilizing online databases revealing a total of 2723 references. After applying specific exclusion criteria, a total of 68 trials were eligible for further analysis. These articles were evaluated utilizing specific parameters listed in an evaluation form such as randomization and the involvement of control groups. The analysis revealed that more than half of the trials (51·5%) were at least 20 years old. Furthermore, we found that about one third (36·8%) of all trials were controlled and randomized, while 3 of those (4·4%) were also blinded. Of those trials which calculated a calving-to-conception interval (n=30), 50% of the authors claimed an improvement, which was statistically significant in 23·3% of the cases. We conclude that there is a wide discrepancy between research results investigating the efficacy of PGF(2α)

Dynamics Simulation and Optimal Control of a Multiple-input and Multiple-output Balancing Cube

This thesis document outlines the development of a multibody dynamics simulation of an actively stabilized multiple-input, multiple-output, coupled, balancing cube and the process of verifying the results by implementing the control algorithm in hardware. A non-linear simulation of the system was created in Simscape and used to develop a Linear Quadratic Gaussian control algorithm. To implement this algorithm in actual hardware, the system was first designed, manufactured, and assembled. The structure of the cube and the reaction wheels were milled from aluminum. DC brushless motors were installed into the mechanical system. In terms of electronics, a processor, orientation sensor, motor drivers, analog to digital converters, and a pulse width modulation board were assembled into the cube. Upon completion, the software to control the cube was developed using Simulink and run on a Raspberry Pi computer within the mechanism

Temperature effects on the molecular Raman backscatter cross-sections due to narrow-band interference filters

When electromagnetic radiation interacts with molecules, elastic and inelastic scattering processes occur. In contrast to elastic scattering, the wavelength and the state of polarization of scattered photons may change when they are scattered inelastically. In this abstract we will focus on the inelastic scattering processes, the so-called Raman scattering. In particular, we investigate the effect of atmospheric temperature on the molecular rotational-vibrational (ro-vibrational) Raman backscatter cross-section which may occur after transmission of the backscattered radiation through narrow-band interference filters (IF). To analyze the consequence of the changing temperature we apply the equations published by M. Adam [1] to calculate the temperature dependent ro-vibrational Raman backscatter cross-section for the N2 molecule at 387 nm (laser wavelength of 355 nm). These equations have been implemented and evaluated as part of the Algorithm for Rayleigh and Raman calculations (ARC) that has been developed within ACTRIS [5]. Here, we show how the central wavelength and bandwidth of the IF affects the molecular Raman backscattering cross-section of N2 for different temperature conditions

"Transforming to Where? The Cases of Egypt and Tunisia": 16th DGAP International Summer School; Berlin, August 26-September 7, 2012

Die 16. Sommerschule der DGAP (26. August bis 7. September 2012) konzentrierte sich auf die Umwandlungen in Ägypten und Tunesien und untersuchte neue Demokratiekonzepte, -theorien und -modelle. Knapp 30 vielversprechende Berufsanfänger aus Ägypten, Tunesien, der Türkei und Europa nahmen am Programm teil, welches Vorlesungen, Gesprächsrunden, Debatten und Workshops beinhaltete. Zu den Referenten gehörten Paul Nolte, Tariq Ramadan, Volker Perthes, Mustafa Kamel Al-Sayyid und Hamad Abdel Samad