Autonomous cyber weapons and command responsibility

Autonomous cyber weapons have made their way onto the battlefield, raising the question of whether commanders can be held criminally responsible under command responsibility when war crimes are committed. The doctrine of command responsibility has a long history in international criminal law and comprises three core elements: the existence of a superior-subordinate relationship, the commander’s knowledge of the crime, and the commander’s failure to prevent or repress the subordinate’s criminal actions. This article unpacks the content of these elements and applies them to autonomous cyber weapons by treating them as being analogous to soldiers since they operate within an organized system of command and control. The article goes on to address the important question of whether autonomous cyber weapons as subordinates can commit crimes and then examines the element of causality for the purposes of command responsibility. This article also explains the nature of command responsibility and offers conclusions as to its utility in establishing accountability when war crimes are committed by autonomous cyber weapons

The Crisis in Crimea and the Principle of Non-Intervention

During the civil unrest in Ukraine in early 2014 Russia began supplying rebel groups in Crimea with military equipment, deployed military forces into Crimea and encouraged and supported Crimea’s secession from Ukraine. This article claims that Russia’s conduct between February and March 2014 constitutes unlawful intervention and not a use of force. It reaches this conclusion by, first, exploring the meaning and content of the principles of non-intervention and the non-use of force and then, second, by examining Russia’s justifications namely, that it intervened at the request of Ukraine’s competent authorities, to protect endangered Russian citizens and to support Crimea’s claim to self-determination. The overall aim of this article is to highlight the content and meaning as well as the legal boundaries of the principle of (non)intervention as an international legal norm distinct from the prohibition against the use of force

Intervention by invitation and the scope of state consent

In July 2023, the democratically elected president in Niger was overthrown in a military coup. The ousted president called on the international community to help restore democracy in Niger and ECOWAS threatened to use force to achieve this objective. This article explores whether ECOWAS’s threat of force was lawful under international law on the basis of the doctrine of intervention by invitation and considers two possible grounds. First, given Niger’s membership of ECOWAS and the AU, it examines whether Niger has consented to intervention under these organisations’ constitutive agreements. Second, it assesses whether Niger’s deposed democratic president can provide ad hoc consent to intervention on the basis of his government’s democratic credentials even though it does not exercise effective control over Niger’s territory and population. More generally, this article uses Niger as a springboard to elaborate on when consent can be invoked as a justification for military intervention

A protocol for enumeration of aquatic viruses by epifluorescence microscopy using Anodisc™ 13 membranes

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Epifluorescence microscopy is a common method used to enumerate virus-like particles (VLP) from environmental samples and relies on the use of filter membranes with pore sizes < 0.02 μm; the most commonly used protocols employ 25 mm Anodisc™ membranes with a built-in support ring. Other filters with small pore sizes exist, including the 13 mm Anodisc™ membranes without a support ring. However, the use of these membranes for viral enumeration has not been previously reported.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here we describe a modified protocol for 13 mm Anodisc membranes that uses a custom filter holder that can be readily constructed in individual investigators' laboratories from commercially available Swinnex^®filter holders. We compared VLP concentrations obtained from phage lysates and seawater samples using both Anodisc membranes, as well as Nuclepore™ small pore-size membranes (0.015 or 0.030 μm). The 13 mm Anodisc membranes gave comparable estimates of VLP abundance to those obtained with the 25 mm Anodisc membranes when similar staining methods were employed. Both Nuclepore membranes typically gave an order of magnitude lower VLP abundance values for environmental samples.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The 13 mm Anodisc membranes are less costly and require smaller sample volumes than their 25 mm counterpart making them ideal for large-scale studies and sample replication. This method increases the options of reliable approaches available for quantifying VLP from environmental samples.</p

Race, resistance and translation: the case of John Buchan’s UPrester John

In postcolonial translation studies, increasing attention is being given to the asymmetrical relationships between dominant and indigenous languages. This paper argues that John Francis Cele’s UPrester John (1958), is not simply a subordinated and obeisant translation of John Buchan’s adventure thriller Prester John (1910), but a more complex form of textuality that is both oppositional and complicit with the workings of apartheid. Although Cele’s translation reproduces Buchan’s story of a daring young Scotsman who single-handedly quells a black nationalist uprising, it also ameliorates the novel’s racist language and assumption. Cele’s translation practice is examined in the context of apartheid publishing and Bantu education.Web of Scienc

Sending money home: a mixed-Methods study of remittances by migrant nurses in Ireland

© 2009 Humphries et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

Prehabilitation is feasible in patients with rectal cancer undergoing neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and may minimize physical deterioration:Results from the REx trial

Aim: Rectal cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NACRT) experience physical deterioration and reductions in their quality of life. This feasibility study assessed prehabilitation (a walking intervention) before, during and after NACRT to inform a definitive multi-centred randomized clinical trial (REx trial). Methods: Patients planned for NACRT followed by potentially curative surgery were approached (August 2014–March 2016) (www.isrctn.com; 62859294). Prior to NACRT, baseline physical and psycho-social data were recorded using validated tools. Participants were randomized to either the intervention group (exercise counselling session followed by a 13–17 week telephone-guided walking programme) or a control group (standard care). Follow-up testing was undertaken 1–2 weeks before surgery. Results: Of the 296 screened patients, 78 (26%) were eligible and 48 (61%) were recruited. N = 31 (65%) were men with a mean age of 65.9 years (range 33.7–82.6). Mean intervention duration was 14 weeks with 75% adherence. n = 40 (83%) completed follow-up testing. Both groups recorded reductions in daily walking but the reduction was less in the intervention group although not statistically significant. Participants reported high satisfaction and fidelity to trial procedures. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that prehabilitation is feasible in rectal cancer patients undergoing NACRT. Good recruitment, adherence, retention and patient satisfaction rates support the development of a fully powered trial. The effects of the intervention on physical outcomes were promising

Sustained TL1A expression modulates effector and regulatory T-cell responses and drives intestinal goblet cell hyperplasia

The tumor necrosis factor (TNF) superfamily protein TNF-like 1A (TL1A) is the ligand for death receptor 3 (DR3). TL1A is induced on activated dendritic cells (DCs) and its expression has been linked to human inflammatory bowel disease. To address how TL1A might influence intestinal inflammation, we generated transgenic mice that constitutively express TL1A on DCs. TL1A transgenic mice developed striking goblet cell hyperplasia in the ileum that was associated with elevated interleukin (IL)-13 levels in the small intestine. IL-13- and IL-17-producing small intestinal lamina propria T cells were increased in TL1A transgenic mice. TL1A also enhanced regulatory T (Treg) cell turnover in vivo and directly stimulated Treg cell proliferation in vitro. The presence of TL1A attenuated the ability of Treg cells to suppress conventional T cells, an effect that required DR3 signaling in either conventional T cells or Treg cells. Our findings identify mechanisms by which chronic DR3 signaling could promote pathogenesis in inflammatory bowel disease.<br/

"I won't be staying here for long": a qualitative study on the retention of migrant nurses in Ireland

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although international nurse recruitment campaigns have succeeded in attracting large numbers of migrant nurses to countries such as Ireland, where domestic supply has not kept pace with demand, the long-term success of such initiatives from a workforce planning perspective will depend on the extent to which these nurses can be retained in destination countries.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This paper draws on qualitative, in-depth interviews undertaken with 21 migrant nurses in Ireland, focusing specifically on their future migration intentions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Our findings indicate that more than half of the respondents are considering migration onwards, for the most part because the destination country has failed to provide them with sufficient stability, particularly in terms of citizenship and family reunification. In considering onward migration, factors outside the health system were of most concern to those interviewed.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This demonstrates the need for destination countries to take a broader and more long-term approach to international nurse recruitment, rather than regarding it as an inexpensive way to fill gaps within the health care system.</p