318 research outputs found
International criminal court, surrender of accused persons and transfer of criminal proceedings
The present research focuses on analysing the judicial uncertainty in the
implementation, interpretation and application of the ICC Statute both in
international and national arenas. In this context examined are the parameters
of state sovereignty as the main source of theoretical as well as practical
contemporary debate on the relationship between lex specialis character of
ICC norms and domestic legal regimes. Varying and frequently inconsistent
degrees of international and national compliance with international criminal
law due to the multiplicity of legal regimes are scrutinised by analysing the
relationship between national and ICC measures with regard to aspects of pretrial proceedings, such as surrender of accused persons and transfer of criminal
proceedings, rights of suspects and defendants as well as some aspects of
sentencing in so far as they affect the prima facie jurisdiction.
One of the main objectives of the ICC Treaty is to advance the unification of
international criminal law. Whilst it may be contended that this body of law is
acquiring a great degree of specificity and uniformity in content through the
Statute, both its development and importantly its scope are fundamentally
reliant on interpretation and application at national level; it is here that
international criminal law is fragmented. Consequently, its understanding and
enforcement are inconsistent.
The ICC Statute presents issues that are the result of the fusion of common and
civil law traditions as well as a blend of diverse criminal laws within each one of those systems. Distinguishing between Anglo-American and Continental
European criminal procedures has become increasingly complex and
transgressed. Such blend of legal traditions, whilst it must ensure that justice is rendered with equality, fairness and effectiveness, generates nevertheless everincreasing lack of legal orientation. The aim of this pastiche is therefore to
establish an international, uniform standard across contemporary justice
systems. However, the application of the ICC provisions will depend on
particular method of implementation of the Rome Treaty into domestic law,
local political situation, the nature of a conflict (armed conflict is where most of the ICC crimes are likely to occur), any peace process involving regional
amnesties and pardons and domestic policies and rules on sentencing.
The general perception of the ICC and the law it represents is that of a
powerful, centralised regime. Contrary to this belief, a proposition is made
here for a less hierarchical international criminal justice that is fundamentally reliant upon national courts and law enforcement agencies. Such a proposition
emphasises the need for the ICC involvement at a local level. In this context,
the thesis sets out to clarify the ICC law and related Statute enforcement
issues
Management of Women — Risk or Opportunity?
A lot has been written about women. Throughout human civilization women have been the foundation of families, but also wars were waged over women, and through marriages friendships were created or expanded, agreements forged between friends, etc. Even today women are the entity, without which one can not imagine the existence of the universe. In other words, evolution is a process in which cells (male and female) are connected resulting in growth and development, but also in the ability to connect with other cells which
leads to the formation of living beings, including man as the most complex living being which operates on the principles of selforganization. However, when it comes to politics, business and the general performance of complex and traditional activities that are practiced by men, women are marginalized and discriminated against on numerous issues. Stereotypes and negative attitudes toward business women or women managers have been carefully maintained over centuries. Not far from the truth is statement according to which women must be
twice as good as men, to take up important positions in organizations. The aim of this paper is to point out certain indisputable facts when it comes to female management and to answer the question of whether female management is a risk or a chance
Use of Probiotics as Growth Promoters and Immunostimulators in Fingerlings of Cyprinid Fish Species
Intensive aquaculture production has required the development of an individual’s resistance to disease rather than depending upon antibiotics or chemotherapeutics. The role of gastrointestinal microflora in disease resistance has been established in many fish species, which has led to the concept of manipulating gastrointestinal microflora for better health management. A number of studies has been conducted in different fish species with various useful microorganisms called ‘probiotics’ to amplify gastrointestinal microflora to fight against various infectious diseases. Probiotics are beneficial microorganisms which protect the host from diseases. Probiotic protection can be achieved by various mechanisms. Most probiotics used in aquaculture belong to the lactic acid bacteria, the genus Bacillus, the photosynthetic bacteria, the yeast, notwithstanding other genera and species have also been used. The immunostimulatory effect of probiotics has been established in many fish species, but their direct involvement in the immune response is not well established. It has also been proven that the application of probiotics in aquaculture has beneficial effects on growth of fish as well as on the environment. At present, data about the efficacy of probiotics in commercial aquaculture of Serbia is still lacking. This review discusses mainly the studies and applications about effects, problems and perspectives of probiotics used in fingerlings of cyprinid fish species, and highlights immunostimulatory effects and growth promotion effects of commercial probiotic products. In the present paper the results that show positive influence of probiotics in cyprinides nutrition on production performance and immune system are summarized. Special accent is given to criteria for proper selection of probiotics in cyprinides production
IL-33/ST2 axis in innate and acquired immunity to tumors
Interleukin-33, a ligand for ST2/T1, has an important role in allergy, autoimmunity and inflammation. The role of IL-33/ST2 axis in cancer is not elucidated. Using metastatic breast cancer model we provide evidence that lack of ST2 signaling led to reduced tumor growth and metastasis and enhanced anti-tumor immunity
Electronic Devices Based on Purified Carbon Nanotubes Grown By High Pressure Decomposition of Carbon Monoxide
The excellent properties of transistors, wires, and sensors made from
single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) make them promising candidates for use
in advanced nanoelectronic systems. Gas-phase growth procedures such as the
high pressure decomposition of carbon monoxide (HiPCO) method yield large
quantities of small diameter semiconducting SWNTs, which are ideal for use in
nanoelectronic circuits. As-grown HiPCO material, however, commonly contains a
large fraction of carbonaceous impurities that degrade properties of SWNT
devices. Here we demonstrate a purification, deposition, and fabrication
process that yields devices consisting of metallic and semiconducting nanotubes
with electronic characteristics vastly superior to those of circuits made from
raw HiPCO. Source-drain current measurements on the circuits as a function of
temperature and backgate voltage are used to quantify the energy gap of
semiconducting nanotubes in a field effect transistor geometry. This work
demonstrates significant progress towards the goal of producing complex
integrated circuits from bulk-grown SWNT material.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Nature Material
Phylogeographic structure of common sage (Salvia officinalis L.) reveals microrefugia throughout the Balkans and colonizations of the Apennines
Studying the population-genetic and phylogeographic structures of a representative species of a particular geographical region can not only provide us with information regarding its evolutionary history, but also improve our understanding of the evolutionary processes underlying the patterns of species diversity in that area. By analysing eight highly polymorphic microsatellite loci and two chloroplast DNA regions, we have investigated the influence of Pleistocene climate fluctuations on the evolutionary history of Salvia officinalis L. (common sage). The populations with the highest genetic diversity were located in the central parts of the Balkan distribution range. A large group of closely related haplotypes was distributed throughout the Balkans and the central Apennines, while the private lineage occupied the southern Apennines. In addition, two highly differentiated lineages were scattered only over the Balkans. The results suggest that a single refugium of the studied species from the last glacial period was located in the central part of the range in the Balkans. Numerous microrefugia, probably spanning several glaciation cycles, were scattered across the Balkans, while colonisation of the Apennines from the Balkans occurred at least on two occasions
A Multi-Year Examination of Gardening Experience and Fruit and Vegetable Intake During College
Gardening has been positively associated with fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption based on short-term studies among children, but long-term data among adolescents and young adults are lacking. This investigation sought to elucidate the association between gardening experience and FV intake among college students over a two-year period. Students (N = 593) from eight universities were assessed at the end of their freshman (Y1) and sophomore (Y2) years during the springs of 2016 and 2017, respectively. At each time point, participants completed the NCI FV Screener and questions related to gardening experience and FV-related attitudes and behaviors. Students were then categorized into four groups based on gardening experience: Gardened only during the first or second year (Y1 only and Y2 only gardeners), gardened both years (Y1+Y2 gardeners), and non-gardeners. While both Y1 only and Y1+Y2 gardeners reported significantly higher FV intake relative to non-gardeners at Y1 (2.3 ± 0.9 and 2.6 ± 0.7 versus 1.9 ± 0.6 cup equivalents (CE)/day, respectively; p \u3c 0.01), only Y1+Y2 gardeners differed from non-gardeners at Y2 (2.4 ± 0.6 versus 1.8 ± 0.5 CE/day; p \u3c 0.001). Additionally, Y1+Y2 gardeners reported more frequent engagement of several FV-related behaviors, including shopping at farmers’ markets, eating locally grown foods, and cooking from basic ingredients; and were five times more likely to have gardened during childhood (OR: 5.2, 95%, CI: 3.5–8.8; p \u3c 0.001). Findings suggest that while isolated gardening experiences during college are associated with FV intake, reoccurring experience may be essential for sustained benefit
Field-effect transistors assembled from functionalized carbon nanotubes
We have fabricated field effect transistors from carbon nanotubes using a
novel selective placement scheme. We use carbon nanotubes that are covalently
bound to molecules containing hydroxamic acid functionality. The functionalized
nanotubes bind strongly to basic metal oxide surfaces, but not to silicon
dioxide. Upon annealing, the functionalization is removed, restoring the
electronic properties of the nanotubes. The devices we have fabricated show
excellent electrical characteristics.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figure
Patients with Refractory Ascites Treated with alfapump® System have Better Health-related Quality of Life as Compared to those Treated with Large Volume Paracentesis: The Results of a Multicenter Randomized Controlled Study
Background
Refractory ascites (RA) is a complication of cirrhosis which is treated with large volume paracentesis (LVP) as the standard of care. Alfapump® system is a fully implantable pump system which reduces the need for LVP. The aim was to assess health-related quality of life (HRQL) in patients treated with alfapump® versus LVP.
Methods
The data were collected in a multicenter open-label randomized controlled trial (clinicaltrials.gov #NCT01528410). Subjects with cirrhosis Child–Pugh class B or C accompanied by RA were randomized to receive alfapump® or LVP. The SF-36v2 and CLDQ scores were compared between the two treatment arms at screening and monthly during treatment.
Results
Of 60 subjects randomized, HRQL data were available for 58 (N = 27 received alfapump® and N = 31 received LVP only). At baseline, no differences were seen between the treatment arms (all p > 0.05): age 61.9 ± 8.4, 79.3% male, MELD scores 11.7 ± 3.3, 85.2% Child–Pugh class B, 70.7% had alcoholic cirrhosis. The mean number of LVP events/subject was lower in alfapump® than LVP (1.1 vs. 8.6, p 0.05) in the first 3 months. Multivariate analysis showed that treatment with alfapump® was independently associated with better HRQL at 3 months (total CLDQ score: beta = 0.67 ± 0.33, p = 0.05).
Conclusion
As compared to LVP, the use of alfapump® system is associated with both a reduction in the number of LVP events and improvement of health-related quality of life
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