Международно-правовое регулирование труда трудящихся мигрантов на универсальном уровне

Раскрываются особенности правовых актов МОТ, которые отличают данные акты от документов других специализированных учреждений ООН и международных договоров в области прав человека, принятых Генеральной Ассамблеей ООН.Analyse, it is necessary to open in brief at first features of legal acts of ILO, which distinguish the given acts from documents of other specialised institutions of the United Nations and the international contracts in human rights sphere accepted by the United Nations General Assembl

Impact of climate change on the stream flow of the lower Brahmaputra: Trends in high and low flows based on discharge-weighted ensemble modelling

Climate change is likely to have significant effects on the hydrology. The Ganges-Brahmaputra river basin is one of the most vulnerable areas in the world as it is subject to the combined effects of glacier melt, extreme monsoon rainfall and sea level rise. To what extent climate change will impact river flow in the Brahmaputra basin is yet unclear, as climate model studies show ambiguous results. In this study we investigate the effect of climate change on both low and high flows of the lower Brahmaputra. We apply a novel method of discharge-weighted ensemble modeling using model outputs from a global hydrological models forced with 12 different global climate models (GCMs). Our analysis shows that only a limited number of GCMs are required to reconstruct observed discharge. Based on the GCM outputs and long-term records of observed flow at Bahadurabad station, our method results in a multi-model weighted ensemble of transient stream flow for the period 1961-2100. Using the constructed transients, we subsequently project future trends in low and high river flow. The analysis shows that extreme low flow conditions are likely to occur less frequent in the future. However a very strong increase in peak flows is projected, which may, in combination with projected sea level change, have devastating effects for Bangladesh. The methods presented in this study are more widely applicable, in that existing multi-model streamflow simulations from global hydrological models can be weighted against observed streamflow data to assess at first order the effects of climate change for specific river basins. © Author(s) 2011

The outer limiting membrane (OLM) revisited: clinical implications

PURPOSE: The outer limiting membrane (OLM) is considered to play a role in maintaining the structure of the retina through mechanical strength. However, the observation of junction proteins located at the OLM and its barrier permeability properties may suggest that the OLM may be part of the retinal barrier. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Normal and diabetic rat, monkey, and human retinas were used to analyze junction proteins at the OLM. Proteome analyses were performed using immunohistochemistry on sections and flat-mounted retinas and western blotting on protein extracts obtained from laser microdissection of the photoreceptor layers. Semi-thin and ultrastructure analyses were also reported. RESULTS: In the rat retina, in the subapical region zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), junction adhesion molecule (JAM), an atypical protein kinase C, is present and the OLM shows dense labeling of occludin, JAM, and ZO-1. The presence of occludin has been confirmed using western blot analysis of the microdissected OLM region. In diabetic rats, occludin expression is decreased and glial cells junctions are dissociated. In the monkey retina, occludin, JAM, and ZO-1 are also found in the OLM. Junction proteins have a specific distribution around cone photoreceptors and Müller glia. Ultrastructural analyses suggest that structures like tight junctions may exist between retinal glial Müller cells and photoreceptors. CONCLUSIONS: In the OLM, heterotypic junctions contain proteins from both adherent and tight junctions. Their structure suggests that tight junctions may exist in the OLM. Occludin is present in the OLM of the rat and monkey retina and it is decreased in diabetes. The OLM should be considered as part of the retinal barrier that can be disrupted in pathological conditions contributing to fluid accumulation in the macula

Analytic simplification of animated characters

Traditionally, levels of detail (LOD) for animated characters are computed from a single pose. Later techniques refined this approach by considering a set of sample poses and evaluating a more representative error metric. A recent approach to the character animation problem, animation space, provides a framework for measuring error analytically. The work presented here uses the animation-space framework to derive two new techniques to improve the quality of LOD approximations. Firstly, we use an animation-space distance metric within a progressive mesh-based LOD scheme, giving results that are reasonable across a range of poses, without requiring that the pose space be sampled. Secondly, we simplify individual vertices by reducing the number of bones that influence them, using a constrained least-squares optimisation. This influence simplification is combined with the progressive mesh to form a single stream of simplifications. Influence simplification reduces the geometric error by up to an order of magnitude, and allows models to be simplified further than is possible with only a progressive mesh. Quantitative (geometric error metrics) and qualititative (user perceptual) experiements confirm that these new extensions provide significant improvements in quality over traditional, naïve simplification; and while there is naturally some impact on the speed of the off-line simplification process, it is not prohibitive

Revisiting district six: a case study of digital heritage reconstruction from archival photographs

This paper investigates the digital reconstruction of destroyed buildings from small sets of old, uncalibrated photographs. The application domain is the heritage preservation of District Six -- a mixed race area in Cape Town that was leveled during the South African Apartheid regime and whose residents were forcibly removed. Our framework uses a combination of semi-automatic camera calibration, model-based architecture-specific photogrammetry, and texture synthesis to reconstruct the geometry and texture of a building so that it can be incorporated into a heritage-based virtual environment, such as a museum display. These techniques are well established in isolation; the purpose here is to discover if they can be adapted to damaged and uncalibrated photographs, where the time periods and chromatic schemes differ or where, in the worst case, only a single photograph is available. To test the effectiveness of the reconstruction framework we consider three representative cases of District Six architecture. All three cases were reconstructed successfully with some provisos concerning uneven ground, intricate building features, and unfavourable camera angles

Epistemological dimensions of the water–energy–food nexus approach: reply to discussions of “Challenges in operationalizing the water–energy–food nexus”

We thank the authors, Varis and Keskinen, and Nauditt, for their constructive contributions. We endorse their key comments, further referring to recent literature and events, including the UN 2018 High Level Political Forum on sustainable development. Here, we elaborate on the epistemological perspective of the water–energy–food nexus conceptualization, assessment, discourse and operationalization

Interactive Generation of Time-Evolving Snow-Covered Landscaped with Avalanches

We introduce a novel method for interactive generation of visually consistent, snow-covered landscapes and provide control of their dynamic evolution over time. Our main contribution is the real-time phenomenological simulation of avalanches and other user-guided events, such as tracks left by Nordic skiing, which can be applied to interactively sculpt the landscape. The terrain is modeled as a height field with additional layers for stable, compacted, unstable, and powdery snow, which behave in combination as a semi-viscous fluid. We incorporate the impact of several phenomena, including sunlight, temperature, prevailing wind direction, and skiing activities. The snow evolution includes snow-melt and snow-drift, which affect stability of the snow mass and the probability of avalanches. A user can shape landscapes and their evolution either with a variety of interactive brushes, or by prescribing events along a winter season time-line. Our optimized GPU-implementation allows interactive updates of snow type and depth across a large (10×10km) terrain, including real-time avalanches, making this suitable for visual assets in computer games. We evaluate our method through perceptual comparison against exiting methods and real snow-depth data

General Adaptive Neighborhood Image Restoration, Enhancement and Segmentation

12 pagesInternational audienceThis paper aims to outline the General Adaptive Neighborhood Image Processing (GANIP) approach [1–3], which has been recently introduced. An intensity image is represented with a set of local neighborhoods defined for each point of the image to be studied. These so-called General Adaptive Neighborhoods (GANs) are simultaneously adaptive with the spatial structures, the analyzing scales and the physical settings of the image to be addressed and/or the human visual system. After a brief theoretical introductory survey, the GANIP approach will be successfully applied on real application examples in image restoration, enhancement and segmentation

Гангрена Фурнье: клиника, диагностика, лечение

The article provides a review of the literature about the problem of etiology, pathogenesis, clinical implications, characters of Fournier’s gangrene diagnostics, and experience of patients’ complex treatment that was accumulated in clinic.Materials and methods. It is shown the results of treatment of 11 patients with Fournier’s gangrene aged from 18 to 75 years in the period from 1995 to 2015.Results: During the first 2 days from the incursion of disease 4 patients (36.4 %) were admitted for treatment, in the period from 2 to 4 days – 7 patients (63.6 %) were also admitted. 9 patients (81.8 %) were presented by the fulminant disease progression (rapid progression) of Fournier’s gangrene with toxic shock syndrome. The average severity index of Fournier’s gangrene (Fournier's gangrene severity index or FGSI) was 9.1 points (varied from 0 to 15). The average FGSI for survived patients was 8.6 points, and for died patient - 12.6 points. 11 patients had microorganisms, which were exported from the focus; the spectrum of detected causative pathogen is notable for polymorphism. Limited wound defects of the scrota of 2 patients (18 %) were healed by secondary intention. For 4 patients (36 %) with extensive defects of scrota tissues and versatile exposure of testicles and funiculus spermaticus after wound cleansing there were reconstructed the scrota with closure of disemboweled organs by mobilized local tissues. Among 5 patients with common variant of Fournier’s gangrene 3 patients had a scrota reconstruction combined with surgical correction and autodermoplasty of perineum and perianal defects, and 2 patients had reconstruction combined with secondary suturation of wound defects on the abdominal parietes, inguinal region and right femoris. 1 patient (9.1 %) died as in consequence of the extension of putrid and necrotic process on the abdominal parietes, femoris and perineum tissues, rapid progression of endotoxicosis and multi-organ failure.Conclusion. Therefore, the own experience of Fournier’s gangrene treatment testify that this severe infectious process is accompanied by rapid destruction of perineum tissues with its extension beyond the anatomical region, severe intoxication with significant deficiency of homeostasis, the Systemic Inflammation Response Syndrome combined with organ damage, indicating the development of sepsis in the majority of patients (severe sepsis, and, even, septic shock). В данной статье приведен обзор литературы по вопросам этиологии, патогенеза, клинических проявлений и особенностей диагностики гангрены Фурнье (ГФ), а также опыт комплексного лечения пациентов.Материалы и методы. Представлены результаты лечения 11 пациентов с ГФ в возрасте от 18 до 75 лет в период 1995 – 2015 гг.Результаты. В течение первых 2-х суток от начала заболевания в клинику были госпитализированы 4 (36,4 %) пациентов, в интервале от 2 до 4 суток – 7 (63,6 %) человек. Фульминантное (быстро прогрессирующее) течение ГФ с проявлениями септического шока отмечено у 9 (81,8 %) больных. Средний индекс тяжести ГФ (Fournier's gangrene severity index или FGSI) составил 9,1 и при этом варьировал от 0 до 15 баллов. Средний показатель FGSI у выживших пациентов составил 8,6, а у умершего – 12,6 баллов. Из очага воспаления у всех 11 пациентов выделены микроорганизмы, спектр выявленных возбудителей отличается полиморфизмом. У 2 (18 %) пациентов ограниченные раневые дефекты мошонки заживали путем вторичного натяжения. У 4 (36 %) больных в связи с наличием обширных дефектов тканей мошонки с полным обнажением яичек и семенных канатиков после очищения ран выполнили реконструкцию мошонки с закрытием эвисцерированных органов мобилизованными местными тканями. Из 5 пациентов с распространенными вариантами ГФ у 3 реконструкцию мошонки сочетали с хирургической коррекцией и аутодермопластикой дефектов промежности и перианальной зоны, а у 2 других – с наложением вторичных швов на раневые дефекты боковой стенки живота, паховых областей и правого бедра. 1 (9,1 %) пациент умер в результате распространения гнилостно-некротического процесса на брюшную стенку, бедра и ткани промежности, быстрого прогрессирования эндотоксикоза и полиорганной недостаточности.Выводы. Таким образом, наш опыт лечения ГФ свидетельствует о том, что данный тяжелый инфекционный процесс сопровождается быстрой деструкцией тканей промежности и распространением за пределы пораженной анатомической области, выраженной интоксикацией со значимыми нарушениями гомеостаза и синдромом системного воспалительного ответа в сочетании с органными нарушениями, свидетельствуя о развитии у большинства пациентов сепсиса, в т.ч. тяжелого, и даже септического шока.