This thesis examines the responsibilities of flag states when encountering refugees and migrants in distress at sea. Ordinary vessels seem not to be meeting their responsibilities because the crisis in the Mediterranean, especially, is resulting in loss of life. Rescue operations are increasingly being taken up by vessels chartered by charities, but they face challenges from flag, coastal and port ...

SOLAS, The Polar Code, Soft Law and the Viking Sky

The complexity of the South China Sea (SCS) disputes matched with the tremendous exploitation potential of hydrocarbon resources have stunted the development of economic activities in the Spratly Islands for many years. The challenge facing the international community in this regard borders on how to manage or resolve the disputes in such manner that economic growth is not impeded, and the marine ...

Invasive alien species are considered one of the greatest drivers of biodiversity loss in the planet. The legal framework that regulates them is scattered but categorical, based on a three-step hierarchical system of measures for their prevention, early detection, eradication, containment and control. However, anthropogenic climate change and its consequences in the marine ecosystems add a new layer ...

During a research cruise in 2016, we isolated fungi from sediments, seawater, driftwood, fruiting bodies, and macroalgae using three different media to assess species richness and potential bioactivity of cultivable marine fungi in the High Arctic region. Ten stations from the Svalbard archipelago (73–80 °N, 18–31 °E) were investigated and 33 fungal isolates were obtained. These grouped into 22 ...

Syntaxin 17 (Stx17) has been implicated in autophagosome-lysosome fusion. Here, we report that Stx17 functions in assembly of protein complexes during autophagy initiation. Stx17 is phosphorylated by TBK1 whereby phospho-Stx17 controls the formation of the ATG13⁺FIP200⁺ mammalian pre-autophagosomal structure (mPAS) in response to induction of autophagy. TBK1 phosphorylates Stx17 ...

The world lost a very dear and brilliant man when Prof Dr Marcel Waldinger passed away this year. I am proud that I got to know him well, and had the chance to learn a lot from him as a scientist. He was passionate about his work related to men and womens sexual dysfunctions, with a special focus on PE, postorgasm illness syndrome, and persistent sexual arousal syndrome.

Studies on the feeding ecology of fish are essential for exploring and contrasting trophic interactions and population and community dynamics within and among aquatic ecosystems. In this respect, many different methods have been adopted for the analysis of fish stomach contents. No consensus has, however, been reached for a standardised methodology despite that for several decades there has been an ...

<i>Objective</i> - Group‐based physiotherapy is a common and beneficial intervention for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Most group interventions are not individually adapted to each participant's needs. Evidence on how individualization and group elements can be combined in a clinical setting is lacking. The objective of this study is to expand the knowledge base in neurological physiotherapy ...

<i>Background</i> - The use of biomarkers of environmental exposure to explore new risk factors for pancreatic cancer presents clinical, logistic, and methodological challenges that are also relevant in research on other complex diseases.<p> <p><i>Objectives</i> - First, to summarize the main design features of a prospective case-control study –nested within the European Prospective Investigation ...