Human Rights, Sovereignty, and the Final Status of Kosovo

The final political status of Kosovo is ultimately a human rights issue, and a just and viable solution must balance the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia with the human rights of Kosovar Albanians. A century ago Woodrow Wilson publicly endorsed self-determination as a fundamental principle linked to the equal rights of all peoples. Today it is broadly accepted as one of the essential principles of contemporary international law. Despite this exalted normative status, the principle of self-determination is limited by its inherent ambiguities. Self-determination is a group right, to be exercised only by peoples, but there is no clear standard on how to define an eligible people. Even if Kosovar Albanians do constitute a people, they might still only be entitled to internal forms of self-determination, involving a degree of self-government within Serbia. International law neither demands, nor excludes, the possibility of independence for Kosovo. It does, however, require an outcome consistent with the fundamental human rights of all concerned as well as with the maintenance of international peace and security. Determining Kosovo\u27s final political status will be inherently difficult. No one relishes the prospect of compromise on sensitive issues of sovereignty, but only negotiations without unrealistic preconditions can fully explore the possibilities for compromise and agreement. A negotiated solution will require outside political intervention by the Security Council and key states. So far that intervention has come principally in the form of mediation and political guidance. The message in that guidance, both for Kosovo and for Serbia, is that both groups should engage in a realistic and meaningful dialogue. Should the parties fail to reach agreement, the Security Council, acting to protect international peace and security, might eventually have to assume responsibility for deciding upon Kosovo\u27s final political status. There is little reason to believe that an externally imposed solution would satisfy Albanians, Serbs, or any of the other parties. For their own self-interest, these parties should accept responsibility for negotiating their own future

Primacy or Complementarity: Reconciling the Jurisdiction of National Courts and International Criminal Tribunals

When the Security Council created the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), several of its key members expressed reservations concerning the scope of the Tribunal\u27s \u27primacy, or priority over the jurisdiction of national courts. One aspect of that primacy is the obligation of states to cooperate with international investigations, arrests, and prosecutions, but so far the Security Council has done little to enforce this obligation against recalcitrant states. The lack of consensus on primacy limits the effectiveness of the ICTY as a whole. Current proposals for treaty language creating a permanent International Criminal Court (ICC) anticipate a more limited complementary jurisdiction for that institution, meaning that, in general, it will have jurisdiction over a case only when no national legal system can fairly and effectively deal with it. Some states nonetheless fear the jurisdiction of an independent ICC, and favor further limits, including complex state consent requirements and a formal role for the Security Council in initiating or blocking investigations and prosecutions. This Article argues, based upon the experience of the ICTY, that additional limits upon the ICC are unnecessary and ill-advised. Complementary international jurisdiction will be credible and effective only if there is an impartial, reliable, and non-political process for identifying important cases of international concern, evaluating the action of any national justice systems involved, and triggering the jurisdiction of the ICC when truly necessary. Since even the ICTY, with its primacy, depends upon the support of the Security Council, states have little reason to fear abuse of the ICC\u27s lesser complementary jurisdiction. Complementarity will require the ICC to defer to national jurisdiction in most cases, and its defacto dependence upon the Security Council for enforcement and support will operate as an additional safeguard of legitimate state interests

Reversible optical tuning of GeSbTe phase-change metasurface spectral filters for mid-wave infrared imaging.

Tunable narrowband spectral filtering across arbitrary optical wavebands is highly desirable in a plethora of applications, from chemical sensing and hyperspectral imaging to infrared astronomy. Yet, the ability to reconfigure the optical properties, with full reversibility, of a solid-state large-area narrowband filter remains elusive. Existing solutions require either moving parts, have slow response times, or provide limited spectral coverage. Here, we demonstrate a 1-inch diameter continuously tunable, fully reversible, all-solid-state, narrowband phase-change metasurface filter based on a GeSbTe-225 (GST)-embedded plasmonic nanohole array. The passband of the presented device is ∼74nm with ∼70% transmittance and operates across the 3-5 µm thermal imaging waveband. Continuous, reconfigurable tuning is achieved by exploiting intermediate GST phases via optical switching with a single nanosecond laser pulse, and material stability is verified through multiple switching cycles. We further demonstrate multispectral thermal imaging in the mid-wave infrared using our active phase-change metasurfaces. Our results pave the way for highly functional, reduced power, compact hyperspectral imaging systems and customizable optical filters for real-world system integration

8-HQA adjusts the number and diversity of bacteria in the gut microbiome of Spodoptera littoralis

Quinolinic carboxylic acids are known for their metal ion chelating properties in insects, plants and bacteria. The larval stages of the lepidopteran pest, Spodoptera littoralis, produce 8-hydroxyquinoline-2-carboxylic acid (8-HQA) in high concentrations from tryptophan in the diet. At the same time, the larval midgut is known to harbor a bacterial population. The motivation behind the work was to investigate whether 8-HQA is controlling the bacterial community in the gut by regulating the concentration of metal ions. Knocking out the gene for kynurenine 3-monooxygenase (KMO) in the insect using CRISPR/Cas9 eliminated production of 8-HQA and significantly increased bacterial numbers and diversity in the larval midgut. Adding 8-HQA to the diet of knockout larvae caused a dose-dependent reduction of bacterial numbers with minimal effects on diversity. Enterococcus mundtii dominates the community in all treatments, probably due to its highly efficient iron uptake system and production of the colicin, mundticin. Thus host factors and bacterial properties interact to determine patterns of diversity and abundance in the insect midgut

Some lessons learned from engaging in WaSH participatory action research in Melanesian informal settlements

In Melanesian countries there has been a large flux of people from rural to urban and peri-urban areas, resulting an in increased number living in informal settlements. These settlements often lack connections to mains water and sewerage lines and formal solid waste collection. Our project used a participatory action research (PAR) approach to work in partnership with informal settlement communities and enabling actors to achieve the self-determined WaSH conditions which participants felt would improve the well-being of those living in informal settlements. Because the PAR approach encourages reflection and adaptation, we learned lessons that were incorporated into the design of ongoing and future processes, and this paper presents five such lessons which we judge to be of practical use for WaSH enabling actors

Human resource management, Lean processes and outcomes for employees: towards a research agenda

Lean management or lean thinking is a process improvement technique that along with Six Sigma is used in an increasing range of workplaces. This special issue focuses on the use of Lean in developed countries. This increased usage reflects a growing propensity for managers to launch initiatives to upgrade the efficiency and productivity of the enterprises that they manage, usually in an attempt to enhance the cost- effectiveness of operations. This special issue of the IJHRM includes eight articles in addition to this one on various aspects of the connections between lean management, human resource management (HRM) and outcomes for employees. The present article reviews the context for the increasing popularity of lean ideas among managers. Drawing on research in a range of countries, the articles in the special issue provide interesting insights into the relationships between process improvement innovations and HRM, as well as raise further important questions for research, which enable us to suggest an agenda for future research. This includes asking: what are the differences in the ways that Lean is implemented, for example the differences that may reflect industry, regional and national variables

Adapting Translational Research Methods to Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene

Translational research applies scientific techniques to achieve practical outcomes, connecting pure research and pure practice. Many translational research types have arisen since the mid-1900s, reflecting the need to better integrate scientific advancement with policy and practice. Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) development efforts have aimed to reduce morbidity and mortality and improve service delivery; thus, associated research has a strong orientation toward applied studies that use diverse methods to support decision-making. Drawing from knowledge that emerged to support other professional fields, such as manufacturing and clinical healthcare, we characterize different types of translational research and clarify nomenclature and principles. We describe study approaches relevant to translational research questions, and offer overarching recommendations, specific examples, and resources for further study as practical advice to professionals who seek to apply translational methods to WaSH problems. To enhance collective outcomes, professionals should mindfully align projects within the translational spectrum. We further recommend overarching good practices such as documenting intervention adaptations, overtly considering contextual factors, and better distinguishing efficacy from effectiveness research by replicating studies in different contexts. By consciously improving the compatibility and linkages between WaSH science and practice, this guide can accelerate urgently needed progress toward global development goals

Influence of Context on Item Parameters in Forced-Choice Personality Assessments

A fundamental assumption in computerized adaptive testing (CAT) is that item parameters are invariant with respect to context – items surrounding the administered item. This assumption, however, may not hold in forced-choice (FC) assessments, where explicit comparisons are made between items included in the same block. We empirically examined the influence of context on item parameters by comparing parameter estimates from two FC instruments. The first instrument was compiled of blocks of three items, whereas in the second, the context was manipulated by adding one item to each block, resulting in blocks of four. The item parameter estimates were highly similar. However, a small number of significant deviations were observed, confirming the importance of context when designing adaptive FC assessments. Two patterns of such deviations were identified, and methods to reduce their occurrences in a FC CAT setting were proposed. It was shown that with a small proportion of violations of the parameter invariance assumption, score estimation remained stable

Chromane derivatives from underground parts of Iris tenuifolia and their in vitro antimicrobial, cytotoxicity and antiproliferative evaluation

Phytochemical investigation of the ethanol extract of underground parts of Iris tenuifolia Pall. afforded five new compounds; an unusual macrolide termed moniristenulide (1), 5-methoxy-6,7-methylenedioxy-4-O-2′-cycloflavan (2), 5,7,2′,3′-tetrahydroxyflavanone (3), 5-hydroxy-6,7-dimethoxyisoflavone-2′-O-β-d-glucopyranoside (9), 5,2′,3′-dihydroxy-6,7-dimethoxyisoflavone (10), along with seven known compounds (4–8, 11–12). The structures of all purified compounds were established by analysis of 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy and HR-ESI-MS. The antimicrobial activity of the compounds 1–3, 5, 9, and 10 was investigated using the agar diffusion method against fungi, Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. In consequence, new compound 3 was found to possess the highest antibacterial activity against Enterococcus faecalis VRE and Mycobacterium vaccae. Cell proliferation and cytotoxicity tests were also applied on all isolated compounds and plant crude extract in vitro with the result of potent inhibitory effect against leukemia cells. In particular, the newly discovered isoflavone 10 was active against both of the leukemia cells K-562 and THP-1 while 4–6 of the flavanone type compounds were active against only THP-1