Bringing Occupation into the 21st Century: The effective implementation of occupation by proxy

This article examines the law of occupation by proxy which was identified by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in the Tadić case. In particular, this article reviews the necessary nature of occupation by proxy, the case law development of the concept and then its substantive content. The article next uses Eastern Ukraine as a practical example of a possible occupation by proxy situation. Lastly, the effectiveness of the concept is analysed to see if it could be applied in a conflict today and how the concept could be development and brought to the forefront of international humanitarian law

The Effect of ‘Stabilization’ in the Mandates and Practice of UN Peace Operations

In the last decade UN peace operations have begun to explicitly seek ‘stabilization’ in the states to which they are deployed. Despite the term being included in the titles of four missions, three of which are amongst the four largest operations currently deployed, and stabilization activities being included in the mandates, there is no UN-wide interpretation of the term. Instead, the mandates include varying activities under the heading of stabilization depending on the mission. Concurrently, stabilization missions have seen the use of language such as ‘robust posture’ and ‘active patrolling’, increased logistical capabilities from Western military hardware, the encroachment of a counter-terrorism rhetoric, operations alongside host state forces, and an emphasis on (re)establishing the rule of law. This article examines the legal effects these trends could have. Due to the competing interests introduced by stabilization it is suggested that the mandates issued by the UN Security Council require further clarity and harmonisation to prevent the pursuit of lasting peace from being undermined

Competition of magnetic and hydrodynamic forces on ellipsoidal particles under shear: Influence of the Earth's magnetic field on particle alignment in viscous media

International audience[1] We present a model that describes the rotation of ellipsoidal magnetic particles in a viscous fluid under the influence of hydrodynamic and magnetic forces, with an aim to better understand how sediments acquire their remanent magnetizations. Analyses of the governing equations elucidate how magnetic particles will rotate for different values of leading parameters including particle shape, remanent and induced magnetic intensity, magnetic field intensity and direction, strain rate, shear direction, and viscosity. Numerical solution of the governing equations makes it possible to visualize the rotation path and the magnetic direction of a particle through time. Thus the model can discern the timescales and trajectories of magnetic particles rotating due to torque of the magnetic field couple while simultaneously entrained in a velocity gradient. For example, in a layer of viscosity 10 4 Pa s, prolate magnetite starting at any initial orientation and subjected to simple shear with a strain rate of 3.17 Â 10 À8 s À1 needs 4 months to rotate within 3° of the Earth's field direction. Under the same conditions, hydrodynamic forces will govern the orientation of oblate hematite whose moment will be perpetually randomly oriented with respect to the magnetic field direction. When applied to laboratory experiments, the viscous model successfully matches the observed data, particularly after accounting for mechanical interaction and flocculation effects. Magnetic anisotropies calculated from multiparticle systems of hematite yield typical sedimentary fabrics with relatively low percentages of anisotropy (<5%) and maximum principal axes that lie in the sedimentation plane. Citation: Jezek, J., and S. A. Gilder (2006), Competition of magnetic and hydrodynamic forces on ellipsoidal particles under shear: Influence of the Earth's magnetic field on particle alignment in viscous media

PAI1 blocks NMDA receptor-mediated effects of tissue-type plasminogen activator on cell signaling and physiology

The fibrinolysis proteinase tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA, also known as PLAT) triggers cell signaling and regulates cell physiology. In PC12 cells, Schwann cells and macrophages, the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDA-R) mediates tPA signaling. Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI1, also known as SERPINE1) is a rapidly acting inhibitor of tPA enzyme activity. Although tPA-initiated cell signaling is not dependent on its enzyme active site, we show that tPA signaling is neutralized by PAI1. In PC12 cells, PAI1 blocked the ERK1/2 activation mediated by tPA as well as neurite outgrowth. In Schwann cells, PAI1 blocked tPA-mediated ERK1/2 activation and cell migration. In macrophages, PAI1 blocked the ability of tPA to inhibit IκBα phosphorylation and cytokine expression. The cell signaling activity of tPA-PAI1 complex was rescued when the complex was formed with PAI1R76E, which binds to LRP1 with decreased affinity, by pre-treating cells with the LRP1 antagonist receptor-associated protein and upon LRP1 gene silencing. The inhibitory role of LRP1 in tPA-PAI1 complex-initiated cell signaling was unanticipated given the reported role of LRP1 as an NMDA-R co-receptor in signaling responses elicited by free tPA or α2-macroglobulin. We conclude that PAI1 functions as an in-hibitor not only of the enzyme activity of tPA but also of tPA receptor-mediated activities

Microbially assisted recording of the Earth's magnetic field in sediment

Sediments continuously record variations of the Earth's magnetic field and thus provide an important archive for studying the geodynamo. The recording process occurs as magnetic grains partially align with the geomagnetic field during and after sediment deposition, generating a depositional remanent magnetization (DRM) or post-DRM (PDRM). (P) DRM acquisition mechanisms have been investigated for over 50 years, yet many aspects remain unclear. A key issue concerns the controversial role of bioturbation, that is, the mechanical disturbance of sediment by benthic organisms, during PDRM acquisition. A recent theory on bioturbation-driven PDRM appears to solve many inconsistencies between laboratory experiments and palaeomagnetic records, yet it lacks experimental proof. Here we fill this gap by documenting the important role of bioturbation-induced rotational diffusion for (P) DRM acquisition, including the control exerted on the recorded inclination and intensity, as determined by the equilibrium between aligning and perturbing torques acting on magnetic particles

Microbially assisted recording of the Earth's magnetic field in sediment

Sediments continuously record variations of the Earth's magnetic field and thus provide an important archive for studying the geodynamo. The recording process occurs as magnetic grains partially align with the geomagnetic field during and after sediment deposition, generating a depositional remanent magnetization (DRM) or post-DRM (PDRM). (P) DRM acquisition mechanisms have been investigated for over 50 years, yet many aspects remain unclear. A key issue concerns the controversial role of bioturbation, that is, the mechanical disturbance of sediment by benthic organisms, during PDRM acquisition. A recent theory on bioturbation-driven PDRM appears to solve many inconsistencies between laboratory experiments and palaeomagnetic records, yet it lacks experimental proof. Here we fill this gap by documenting the important role of bioturbation-induced rotational diffusion for (P) DRM acquisition, including the control exerted on the recorded inclination and intensity, as determined by the equilibrium between aligning and perturbing torques acting on magnetic particles

Preservation, Regulations, and Policy to Protect and Grow Baltimore’s Forests

Organizations and city agencies in Baltimore, MD are working together to better protect forests and trees through a combination of preservation efforts, policies, and regulations. Non-profit Baltimore Green Space (BGS), Baltimore’s Department of Recreation and Parks (BCRP), and Baltimore’s Office of Sustainability (BOS) have played major roles in this work. To further advance these efforts, a process is underway to propose new regulations that would better protect and mitigate impacts of development on trees and forested natural areas

The underrepresentation of women in science: differential commitment or the queen bee syndrom?

We examined possible explanations for the underrepresentation of women among university faculty, in two different national contexts. In the Netherlands, a sample of doctoral students (N = 132) revealed no gender differences in work commitment or work satisfaction. Faculty members in the same university (N = 179), however, perceived female students to be less committed to their work and female faculty endorsed these gender-stereotypical perceptions most strongly. A second study, in Italy, replicated and extended these findings. Again, no gender differences were obtained in the self-descriptions of male and female doctoral students (N = 80), while especially the female faculty (N = 93) perceived female students as less committed to their work than male students. Additional measures supported an explanation in social identity terms, according to which individual upward mobility (i.e. of female faculty) implies distancing the self from the group stereotype which not only involves perceiving the self as a non-prototypical group member, but may also elicit stereotypical views of other in-group members