Mapping the “invisible college of international lawyers” through obituaries

Since Oscar Schachter’s famous articulation of the concept, scholars have attempted to know more about the composition and functioning of the ‘invisible college of international lawyers’ which makes up our profession. They have done this though surveying public rosters of certain sections of the profession (arbitrators, International Court of Justice counsel), providing general anecdotal accounts about informal connections between members, or establishing certain individuals’ influence in the development of discrete legal concepts. Departing from these approaches, we use the obituaries published in the British Yearbook of International Law (1920-2017) to draw a map of the ‘invisible college of international lawyers’. Obituaries are a unique window into international law’s otherwise private inner life, unveiling professional connections between international lawyers and their shared career paths beyond a single academic or judicial institution. Employing network analysis, a method commonly used in social sciences to describe complex social phenomena such as this, we are able to demonstrate the ubiquity of informal networks whereby ideas move, and provide evidence of the community’s homogeneity. Exploring the connections between international lawyers and their shared characteristics in this novel way, we shed light on the features of the community and the impact individual personalities have on the law. These characteristics of the profession and its members may be obvious to insiders, but are seldom acknowledged. Graphic representation is a powerful tool in bolstering critiques for diversity and contestation of mainstream law-making narratives. More than an exercise in exhaustive mapping, we seek to take the ‘dead white men’ trope to an extreme, provoking the reader to question the self-image of the profession an impersonal expert science

Avaliacao de genotipos apirenicos de videira no semi-arido brasileiro.

A videira é uma das principais fruteiras cultivadas em todo o mundo, ocupa atualmente uma área de 8,1 milhões de hectares, com uma produção anual de 58 milhões de toneladas, dos quais 8,1 milhões são de uva para mesa. O continente Europeu lidera essa produção com 53% da oferta total, sendo a Itália, França e Espanha responsáveis pelas maiores participações. A Ásia aparece como segundo, tendo a Turquia como a quarta no ranking mundial. A América do Sul apresenta uma contribuição pequena, apenas 9%, sendo a Argentina, Chile e Brasil os principais fornecedores

Strength–duration relationship for intra- versus 3 extracellular stimulation with microelectrodes

Abstract—Chronaxie, a historically introduced excitability time parameter for electrical stimulation, has been assumed to be closely related to the time constant of the cell membrane. Therefore, it is perplexing that significantly larger chronaxies have been found for intracellular than for extracellular stimulation. Using compartmental model analysis, this controversy is explained on the basis that extracellular stimulation also generates hyperpolarized regions of the cell membrane hindering a steady excitation as seen in the intracellular case. The largest inside/outside chronaxie ratio for microelectrode stimulation is found in close vicinity of the cell. In the case of monophasic cathodic stimulation, the length of the primarily excited zone which is situated between the hyperpolarized regions increases with electrode–cell distance. For distant electrodes this results in an excitation process comparable to the temporal behavior of intracellular stimulation. Chronaxie also varies along the neural axis, being small for electrode positions at the nodes of Ranvier and axon initial segment and larger at the soma and dendrites. As spike initiation site can change for short and long pulses, in some cases strength–duration curves have a bimodal shape, and thus, they deviate from a classical monotonic curve as described by the formulas of Lapicque or Weis

A entrega de um filho em adoção e as vicissitudes de ser mãe

This study aimed to investigate the feelings and experiences of motherhood of a woman who delivered two daughters for adoption. Furthermore, investigate their experiences in relation to her other children not delivered and with the condition of being a mother in this context. Using a semi-structured interview, we conducted a single case study, qualitative, through clinical report. The main results indicated the social and emotional vulnerability of the participant as an important influence on the delivery and a differentiation between children who remained in their care and daughters delivered for adoption. It was also noted the maternal role strongly related to maternal care and the different emotional reactions to experiences of delivery. We conclude the relevance of providing space for these mothers elaborate their stories, beyond the need for public policies that give legal and emotional support to mothers/families who wish to make delivery of children

Phenological behavior of six seedless grape varieties in the tropical conditions of vale do rio Sao Francisco, Northeastern of Brazil.

This research aimed to characterize the different stages of phenological cycle and thermal demand of six seedless grape varieties at environmental conditions of Vale do Rio São Francisco, Northeastern of Brazil

Effects of Isometric Handgrip Training in Patients With Peripheral Artery Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial

BackgroundMeta‐analyses have shown that isometric handgrip training (IHT) can reduce brachial systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP) by >6/4 mm Hg, respectively. However, whether IHT promotes these effects among patients with peripheral artery disease, who exhibit severe impairment in cardiovascular function, is currently unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of IHT on the cardiovascular function of patients with peripheral artery disease. Methods and ResultsA randomized controlled trial with peripheral artery disease patients assigned to either the IHT or control group was conducted. The IHT group performed 3 sessions per week, for 8 weeks, of unilateral handgrip exercises, consisting of 4 sets of isometric contractions for 2 minutes at 30% of maximum voluntary contraction and a 4‐minute interval between sets. The control group received a compression ball in order to minimize the placebo effects, representing sham training. The primary outcome was brachial BP. The secondary outcomes were central BP, arterial stiffness parameters, cardiac autonomic modulation, and vascular function. The IHT program reduced diastolic BP (75 [10] mm Hg preintervention versus 72 [11] mm Hg postintervention), with no change in the control group (74 [11] mm Hg preintervention versus 74 [11] mm Hg postintervention), with this between‐group difference being significant (P=0.04). Flow‐mediated dilation improved in the IHT group (6.0% [5.7] preintervention versus 9.7% [5.5] postintervention), with no change in the control group (7.6% [5.5] preintervention versus 7.4% [5.1] postintervention), with this between‐group difference being significant (P=0.04). There was no change in other measured variables over the intervention period. ConclusionsIHT reduced brachial diastolic BP and improved local vascular function in patients with peripheral artery disease

Evaluation of six seedless grape varieties in the tropical conditions of Sao Francisco river's Valley, Northeastern-Brazil.

The results shown significative differences among varieties at different pruning times