bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
LA COUR PÉNALE INTERNATIONALE ET LA RÉPUBLIQUE DÉMOCRATIQUE DU CONGO : 10 ANS APRÈS. ÉTUDE DE L’IMPACT DU STATUT DE ROME DANS LE DROIT INTERNE CONGOLAIS
Authors: Kazadi Mpiana Joseph
Published: September 2020

Dix ans après l’entrée en vigueur du Statut de Rome de la Cour pénale internationale, le droit congolais a connu des réformes intégrant dans la législation congolaise certaines dispositions pertinentes du Statut de Rome. Le principe de coopération entre la Cour pénale internationale (CPI) et la République Démocratique du Congo (RDC) a été mis en exergue et se manifeste au travers de la situation de la RDC pendante devant la CPI. Il en est de même du principe de complémentarité qui s’exerce par le biais de la répression des crimes internationaux aussi bien devant la CPI que devant les juridictions congolaises. Celles-ci ont produit une jurisprudence prolifique digne d’attention pouvant s’inscrire dans la contribution des juridictions congolaises au développement du droit international pénal et humanitaire. Notre article examine le parcours d’adaptation du droit congolais au Statut de Rome de la CPI en scrutant les forces et faiblesses.
AU COEUR DE LA RECONSTRUCTION IVOIRIENNE : LA RÉCONCILIATION
Authors: Labelle Timothée , Trudel Jean-Nicholas
Published: September 2020

Suite à la crise politique et au conflit armé non-international ayant déchiré la Côte d’Ivoire entre novembre 2010 et mai 2011, le gouvernement d’Alassane Ouattara mit sur pied une Commission dialogue, vérité et réconciliation calquée sur le modèle des Commissions vérité et réconciliation (CVR). La réconciliation comme outil de justice transitionnelle doit surmonter certains obstacles, tant sur le plan théorique que pratique. Cette courte étude vise à soulever les enjeux entourant la pratique des CVR au moyen d’une analyse de leurs fondements théoriques et de leurs implications sur le terrain. Deux études de cas, les CVR de la Sierra Leone et du Libéria, serviront de points de comparaison pour établir les enjeux sociaux et institutionnels qui devront être pris en compte par les commissaires et décideurs ivoiriens. Il en ressort que la réconciliation est un véhicule efficace de justice transitionnelle, mais qui doit répondre à certaines nécessités résultant de leur utilisation dans un contexte post-conflit.
L’ORGANISATION MONDIALE DE L’ENVIRONNEMENT : COMMENT RENAÎTRE DES CENDRES DE LA CONFÉRENCE DE COPENHAGUE SUR LES CHANGEMENTS CLIMATIQUES DE DÉCEMBRE 2009 ?
Authors: Manga Sylvestre-José-Tidiane
Published: September 2020

Le multilatéralisme a vécu les plus sombres moments de son histoire contemporaine à la Conférence de Copenhague sur les changements climatiques de décembre 2009. Parmi les espoirs déjoués contre toute attente, on comptait l’avènement d’un organe de surveillance de l’application des décisions en faveur du développement durable. Il faut dire que cette approche européenne française pour l’essentiel ne trouvât pas d’écho favorable auprès des économies émergentes comme la Chine et l’Inde pour qui la contrainte environnementale est un frein au développement. Mais c’était sans compter avec les louables initiatives ainsi que les plaidoyers en faveur de l’avènement de l’Organisation mondiale de l’environnement (OME) dans la période post-Copenhague. Cette note relate un optimisme légitime quant à la renaissance de l’OME de ses centres de Copenhague. L’optimisme exprimé se justifie par le déterminisme de l’Europe avec la France ainsi que de l’initiative des Ministres de l’environnement mise en place pour promouvoir la création de l’OME. Enfin, la recherche évoque la possibilité que ce Groupe ministériel de haut niveau ainsi créé puisse conduire le PNUE à s’allier à l’UE pour saisir l’Assemblée générale des Nations Unies en vue d’obtenir une résolution constitutive de l’OME.
LA RÉPRESSION INTERNATIONALE DE L’ESCLAVAGE : LES LEÇONS DE L’ARRÊT DE LA COUR DE JUSTICE DE LA COMMUNAUTÉ ÉCONOMIQUE DES ÉTATS DE L’AFRIQUE DE L’OUEST DANS L’AFFAIRE HADIJATOU MANI KORAOU c. NIGER (27 octobre 2008)
Authors: Hamuli Kabumba Yves
Published: September 2020

Créée pour résoudre des litiges nés de l’application et de l’interprétation des textes de la Communauté économique des États de l’Afrique de l’ouest (CEDEAO), la Cour de justice de la CEDEAO (CJCEDEAO) est habilitée, depuis 2005, à connaître des cas de violation des droits fondamentaux de la personne consacrés par la Charte africaine des droits de l’homme et des peuples. C’est ainsi que, saisie d’une affaire d’esclavage, opposant la République du Niger à Mme Hadijatou Mani Koraou, elle a donné gain de cause à celle-ci sur fond quasi-exclusivement de la jurisprudence du Tribunal pénal international pour l’ex-Yougoslavie qui, pourtant, avait émis de réserves quant à la généralisation de sa conception de l’esclavage. Par ailleurs, la jurisprudence et la doctrine des droits fondamentaux de la personne semblent aller à contre courant de ladite conception. Le présent article donne une vue d’ensemble de la CJCDEAO et de la définition de l’esclavage dans diverses disciplines du droit international. Il suggère qu’en dépit d’incontestables mérites de l’arrêt Hadijatou, l’on peut affirmer qu’en omettant d’examiner la jurisprudence et la doctrine pertinentes des droits fondamentaux de la personne, la CJCEDEAO a adopté une vue tronquée de l’esclavage et que, partant, il convient de relativiser sa contribution à la compréhension de la définition de l’esclavage en droit international. Enfin, l’article propose quelques pistes d’amélioration générale de la qualité du travail de la CJCDEAO en matière des droits fondamentaux de la personne.
LE RÔLE DES PROVINCES LORS DE LA CONCLUSION DES TRAITÉS : LES LEÇONS À TIRER DES PRATIQUES COMMUNAUTAIRES
Authors: Morrissette France
Published: September 2020

Dans cette étude, nous faisons d’abord l’analyse des procédures canadienne et communautaire de conclusion des accords internationaux. Ensuite, sur cette toile de fond, nous décrivons puis évaluons les mécanismes existants d’intervention des provinces canadiennes et des États membres de la Communauté européenne, afin de mesurer jusqu’à quel point le Canada et la Communauté s’efforcent et réussissent à y assurer le respect du principe fédéral. Finalement, le but ultime de notre étude est de réfléchir sur l’existence de remèdes qui seraient de nature à garantir aux provinces un rôle actif, prévisible et constant à l’occasion de la procédure canadienne de conclusion des traités. C’est précisément avec cette idée en tête, que nous avons étudié les solutions communautaires sur ce point, en pensant qu’elles pourraient possiblement constituer pour nous une source d’inspiration originale et intéressante.
LA COUR DE BABEL : ENTRE L’INCERTITUDE SCIENTIFIQUE ET L’INSTABILITE JURIDIQUE – UN CAS D’ANALYSE : L’AFFAIRE MOX
Authors: Halde Normand
Published: September 2020

La gestion des déchets radioactifs, comme le reste de la normativité nucléaire, fait l’objet d’un cadre juridique international et national et est composée de normes conventionnelles et de soft law. Le cas de Sellafield, site d’une usine MOX, en Angleterre, est analysé dans un contexte national et international. En effet, un parcours interne démontre des différences de perception par les tribunaux britanniques des différents points en litige et notamment de la perception du risque technologique et l’information nécessaire afin de faire un choix sociétal d’une technologique comportant des risques. Dans un cadre international qui comporte des facettes du droit de la mer ainsi que du droit international de l’environnement, les décisions rendues nous portent à arriver à la même conclusion. On constate que les questions fondamentales rattachées au risque technologique et les conclusions apportées par les différentes instances judiciaires au niveaux interne et international nous portent à croire qu’il existe une véritable Cour de Babel où plusieurs langages juridiques sont parlés mais sans toutefois pouvoir définir un langage commun et compréhensible.
CHRONIQUE DE LA JURISPRUDENCE DU SYSTÈME INTERAMÉRICAIN DES DROITS DE L’HOMME (2006)
Authors: Duhaime Bernard , Dulitzky Ariel
Published: September 2020

La Commission et la Cour interaméricaine des droits de l’homme sont deux organes de l’Organisation des États américains (OÉA) chargés de veiller à la protection des droits humains dans les Amériques. Les deux instances sont habilitées à instruire des recours individuels intentés contre des États Membres et portant sur des allégations de violations des droits de la personne. La présente chronique porte sur la jurisprudence de ces deux instances pour l’année 2006.
QUAND LA TOILE PORTE L’ÉTOILE : INTERNET AU SERVICE DE LA CHARTE INTERNATIONALE DES DROITS DE L’HOMME ?
Authors: Tournier David
Published: September 2020

Le réseau Internet a probablement causé un tourbillon économique et social sans équivalent dans l’histoire du monde moderne. De tels bouleversements ont amené plusieurs personnes à s’interroger sur la puissance de cet outil, sa liberté et son impact sur l’humanité. Nombreux sont ceux qui ont ainsi voulu attribuer à Internet un rôle primordial dans l’ensemble des maux de notre siècle, notamment en l’accusant de favoriser la propagation des messages de haine, la perversion des moeurs et le contournement de la loi. L’auteur se propose ici de prendre le contre-pied de ce courant pessimiste et de faire la démonstration d’avancées considérables que cet outil merveilleux a permises dans le domaine des droits économiques et sociaux. En s’appuyant sur les textes internationaux ayant donné naissance à ces droits voulus pragmatiques, l’auteur précise d’abord le contenu de prérogatives qui concernent directement le quotidien de chacun, sans pour autant faire l’objet d’une réelle application. Il met ensuite en parallèle l’objectif initial recherché par le législateur international et les avancées concrètes permises par le réseau dans des domaines aussi variés que la liberté d’expression, l’accès au droit et la participation de tous à la vie culturelle et politique de la société. Cet article est une tentative de redonner au réseau ses lettres de noblesse et d’encourager les lecteurs à utiliser mieux encore ses fantastiques ressources.
LES ALÉAS DU DÉBIT DE L’EAU FACE À LA RIGUEUR FINANCIÈRE DU PROTOCOLE ADDITIONNEL À LA CONVENTION RELATIVE À LA PROTECTION DU RHIN CONTRE LES CHLORURES : ARBITRAGE SUR LA LIQUIDATION DES COMPTES OPPOSANT LES PAYS-BAS ET LA FRANCE
Authors: Rainaud Anne
Published: September 2020

La sentence arbitrale du 12 mars 2004 résout une divergence d’interprétation née entre la France et les Pays-Bas lors de l’application du Protocole du 25 septembre 1991 additionnel à la Convention du 3 décembre 1976 relative à la protection du Rhin contre la pollution par les chlorures. Ce Protocole, prévu pour la période allant de 1991 à 1998, a notamment permis aux différents riverains du Rhin de financer régulièrement les mesures à prendre par la France (stockage à terre) pour éviter qu’elle ne rejette des chlorures au-delà d’un certain seuil dans le fleuve. Ce litige surgit en 1999, au moment de l’apurement des comptes, c’est-à-dire lors du solde définitif de ceux-ci. La France a stocké moins que prévu et elle doit restituer les sommes perçues en trop et versées par les États parties à cette convention. Une divergence d’interprétation du Protocole sur les modalités de calcul à retenir pour déterminer le montant de la restitution conduit l’affaire devant l’arbitrage. L’interprétation selon les moyens de la Convention de Vienne sur le droit des traités mettra en exergue les articles 31 et 32, considérés comme étant complémentaires par le Tribunal arbitral. Il ressortira de la sentence que les parties ont imaginé un système dominé par des considérations financières, dans lequel les fluctuations du débit du Rhin n’ont pas été suffisamment prises en compte, et ce, de façon délibérée. La règle « pacta sunt servanda » trouve ainsi une illustration dans cette affaire où la France est tenue par les termes du Protocole qu’elle a négocié avec les autres parties et auquel elle a adhéré. Le Protocole est certes imparfait dans sa conception, puisque les circonstances de son application ne correspondront pas aux prévisions faites, surtout dans le cas de la France, mais il demeure la loi des parties. La France devra donc restituer les sommes conformément au coût stipulé dans le Protocole sans que l’on puisse considérer explicitement cette solution comme étant déraisonnable.
SOUVERAINETÉ ÉTATIQUE ET PRINCIPE DE LÉGITIMITÉ DÉMOCRATIQUE
Authors: Kokoroko Dodzi
Published: September 2020

Selon les grandes théories du droit international classique, l’instauration et la consolidation de la démocratie relèvent essentiellement de la compétence discrétionnaire de chaque État. Si on assiste à leur assouplissement au nom du patrimoine constitutionnel commun des sociétés politiques depuis 1990, cette étude, qui met en jeu « Souveraineté étatique et principe de légitimité démocratique » constate cependant leur incompatibilité dans les faits sur le fondement de la fétichisation de la souveraineté politique, à distinguer de la souveraineté juridique, en dépit de quelques succès.

Loin de les considérer comme antinomiques, les deux concepts devraient se rencontrer dès lors qu’aucun des deux ne s’arc-boute sur des approches maximalistes. Une telle rencontre positive se fonderait sur le principe de l’autolimitation volontaire de l’État en droit international, en référence à la souveraineté juridique des États. À défaut d’un tel consensus, un droit d’intervention démocratique s’avère nécessaire pour faire triompher le principe de légitimité démocratique face à des gouvernements décidés à être les coryphées de la dictature électorale. Plus que tout, l’idée d’un ordre démocratique international, susceptible d’obtenir l’adhésion la plus large de la part d’entités souveraines, nécessite une volonté politique réaffirmée des gouvernements en place et le recours à la morale internationale.
ENDS AND MEANS IN POLITICS: INTERNATIONAL LAW AS FRAMEWORK FOR POLITICAL DECISION-MAKING
Authors: Kapferer Sibylle
Published: September 2020

The international legal system in place since 1945 is based on two core principles: the repudiation of violence as a means of political action, and the protection of fundamental human rights and freedoms. It reflects the conviction that threats to international peace and security are best addressed collectively, through the procedures and institutions established for that purpose. The reality brought to the fore in the aftermath of September 11th, 2001 is very different. This paper argues that the military intervention in Afghanistan and other anti-terrorism measures undertaken by states have revealed a profound disregard for the principles and standards of international law. Far from constituting an effective response to current security concerns, the resort to force in a manner neither in keeping with the legal criteria for self-defense nor authorized by the UN Security Council, coupled with excessive restrictions of human rights, poses a threat to the very essence of the present international legal order. The paper makes a case for international law as basis for the conduct of international relations and framework for political decision-making, arguing that it is in the interest of all that those involved in political processes accept and implement its standards and principles. The paper specifically addresses the way in which international law applies to states’ efforts to respond to crimes such as those of September 11th and emphasizes the need to strengthen the rule of law not only as a sine qua non for any effective anti-terrorism strategy, but also as a matter of national self-interest.
Charles Darwin’s The Life of Erasmus Darwin
Authors: Harris Stuart
Published: September 2020

This article addresses the family and intellectual relationship between Charles Darwin and his grandfather Dr Erasmus Darwin. After establishing the publishing history of Charles’s ‘sketch’ of his grandfather’s life, the article shows how Charles approaches his subject by a characteristic biological route: the inheritance of family characteristics. His examination of Erasmus’s life and work establishes inherited talents, especially that for poetry.

The biography’s sub-text is to hint at what Charles himself inherited from his grandfather, especially an interest in natural history. However, Charles throughout his earlier life had been very reticent about any impact Erasmus’s writings on biology might have had on his own work. The reticence persists in this sketch and Charles’s focus shifts to Erasmus’s reputation as a poet, and to certain well-known ‘calumnies’ of Erasmus’s character. Charles’s discussion of the poetry reveals as much about himself as it does of Erasmus and the paper concludes with an analysis of Charles’s own poetic taste and literary-critical judgments. The article presents evidence for Charles himself being a highly cultivated reader of poetry and a defender of his grandfather’s reputation as a poet.
Charles Darwin’s “Scientific Wit”: Incongruity, Species Fixity & The Nonsense of Looking
Authors: Lee Louise
Published: September 2020

Critics have often noted Darwin’s enthusiastic curiosity (Beer, Levine, Amigoni, Schmitt, Browne) in theJournal of Researches(1839)—particularly its “intensely libidinous” nature (Beer)—but his “strange antics” and numerous instances of “amusement” have been treated as little more than biographical gloss, or charming digressions on the way to a much larger story. But re-reading these understatedly comic episodes through the interpretive prism of incongruity produces a new set of emphases, and intellectual and affective affinities. For, like Michel Foucault’s laughter at the beginning ofThe Order of Things(1966), Darwin’s “scientific wit” has distinctly taxonomic implications.1Incongruity figures the splicing of two previously un-apprehended interpretive frames, a kink in the logic of expectation. While Darwin later naturalizes (rather than spectacularizes) incongruity into his scientific method, in its first iteration in theJournal, it performs vital cultural and aesthetic work: upturning sublimity and delivering detail and present-ness rather than vastness and transcendental awe. Building on Arthur Koestler’s theory of “bisociation”, I argue that incongruity—a gentlemanly and Enlightenment theory of comedy that is fundamentally horizontal rather than vertical in its purview—operates by making Darwin’s own previous expectations, rather than any object, animal or person, the butt of the joke. The “clash” of comic frames at the point of observation limns incongruity’s usefulness as a form of visually self-stimulatingagon. These “shifts of attention” (Koestler), I propose, have significant implications in his early evolutionary theorizing: gesturing towards Darwin’s own “nonsense” aesthetic: one that is highly suggestive of non-essentialist approaches to species thinking.
“Et in Utopia ego”: Sir Thomas More and “Montesinos,” a Southey Mystery “Solved”
Authors: Duggett Tom
Published: September 2020

This essay sets out to solve the strange case of the “disappearance” of the Poet Laureate, Robert Southey, in his own 1829 book of “imaginary conversations” orColloquieswith the ghost of Sir Thomas More. There is no “Southey” in the dialogue, only a figure named “Montesinos.” But since the pessimistic ghost of More evidently speaks for Southey—as readers from theWestminster Reviewin summer 1829 onwards have noticed—then the dialogue is strangely one-sided. If More is Southey, then “who,” as Mark Storey’s biography asks, “is Montesinos?” This essay seeks to answer Storey’s biographical question, and to put it into the wider context of Southey’s ideas about national and writerly identity, and his Romantic poetics of history. The first part explores “Montesinos” as a byword for Southey’s literary utopianism. The second part then attempts the resurrection of “Montesinos,” tracing this figure in the detail of Southey’s “Hispanist” reading and in the workings of his historical imagination. I conclude with reflections on the implications of Southey’s ‘hieroglyphic’ mode of life-writing for historicist approaches to Romantic studies today, including the ‘new counterfactualism’ and the ‘speculative revivals’ of ‘Romantic biography’.
“Furnace-smoke ... wrapt him round”: Industrial Hinduism and Global Empire in The Curse of Kehama and Sir Thomas More
Authors: DeFalco Lamperez Joseph
Published: September 2020

My essay claims that Robert Southey uses Hinduism to fashion a poetics of Romantic-era technology inThe Curse of Kehama(1810). In his neglectedSir Thomas More; or, Colloquies on the Progress and Prospects of Society(1829), Southey compares the manufacturing system to Indian theology and ritual, a metaphor that relativizes religion and technology while implying that the Industrial Revolution amounts to a new breed of religious network. Southey next likens the emergent world order made possible by such technologies to the cosmic ambitions of Kehama, his own Indian tyrant-cum-demigod. TheColloquiesthus suggests an allegorical reading ofThe Curse of Kehama, whereby this tale of a king bent on cosmic rule simultaneously explores how technological and imperial networks intertwine. Accordingly, I draw from metaphor theory to read the earlierKehamaas a repository of veiled comparisons and displacements through which Southey glimpses the magnitude of the Industrial Revolution. Just as Indian wealth propels the techno-imperial enterprise described in theColloquies,Kehama’s paganism supplies the raw discursive material through which Southey fashions a poetics of manufacturing. Read alongside theColloquies,Kehamaaestheticizes the connection between imperial and technological systems, expresses the imaginative significance of twinned manufacturing novelties—the steam engine and coke smelting—and concretizes the opaque moral and poetic properties attaching to industrial power by depicting it in reference to the minutiae of Hindu religion so far as Southey understood it.
Comparison of Nonlinear Analysis Algorithms for Two Typical Asphalt Pavement Analysis Programs
Authors: Jiang Xin , Yao Kang , Gu Hanyan , Li Zhenkun , Qiu Yanjun
Published: September 2020

Two representative programs, MICH-PAVE and KENLAYER, are selected and compared to many key aspects of their analysis algorithms to achieve an in-depth understanding of the features of the Finite Element Method and elastic layered system theory in nonlinear material analysis of the structure of asphalt pavement. Furthermore, by conducting a case study, the impact of using different analysis methods on the calculation results is presented. Moreover, the feasibility of the equivalent resilient modulus obtained by the Finite Element Method is discussed. The results show that the difference among the nonlinear analysis algorithms used by the two software packages is mainly reflected in the determination of the initial resilient modulus, the stress correction, and the convergence condition. Besides, the Finite Element Method could consider the variation of the resilient modulus induced by the change in the stress condition in both the radial and the depth directions simultaneously. In contrast, the theory of the elastic layered system only considers the dependence of the resilient modulus on the stress in the depth direction. Additionally, the use of diverse nonlinear analysis methods has different levels of impact on mechanical responses. Finally, the equivalent resilient modulus obtained by nonlinear analysis can be used to calculate mechanical responses of pavement structure except the surface deflection in a linear analysis.
Phosphatidylcholines from Pieris brassicae eggs activate an immune response in Arabidopsis
Authors: Stahl Elia , Brillatz Théo , Ferreira Queiroz Emerson , Marcourt Laurence , Schmiesing André , Hilfiker Olivier , Riezman Isabelle , Riezman Howard , Wolfender Jean-Luc , Reymond Philippe
Published: September 2020

Recognition of conserved microbial molecules activates immune responses in plants, a process termed pattern-triggered immunity (PTI). Similarly, insect eggs trigger defenses that impede egg development or attract predators, but information on the nature of egg-associated elicitors is scarce. We performed an unbiased bioactivity-guided fractionation of eggs of the butterfly Pieris brassicae. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and mass spectrometry of active fractions led to the identification of phosphatidylcholines (PCs). PCs are released from insect eggs, and they induce salicylic acid and H2O2 accumulation, defense gene expression and cell death in Arabidopsis, all of which constitute a hallmark of PTI. Active PCs contain primarily C16 to C18-fatty acyl chains with various levels of desaturation, suggesting a relatively broad ligand specificity of cell-surface receptor(s). The finding of PCs as egg-associated molecular patterns (EAMPs) illustrates the acute ability of plants to detect conserved immunogenic patterns from their enemies, even from seemingly passive structures such as eggs.
Characterization of the mechanism by which the RB/E2F pathway controls expression of the cancer genomic DNA deaminase APOBEC3B
Authors: Roelofs Pieter A , Goh Chai Yeen , Chua Boon Haow , Jarvis Matthew C , Stewart Teneale A , McCann Jennifer L , McDougle Rebecca M , Carpenter Michael A , Martens John WM , Span Paul N , Kappei Dennis , Harris Reuben S
Published: September 2020

APOBEC3B (A3B)-catalyzed DNA cytosine deamination contributes to the overall mutational landscape in breast cancer. Molecular mechanisms responsible for A3B upregulation in cancer are poorly understood. Here we show that a single E2F cis-element mediates repression in normal cells and that expression is activated by its mutational disruption in a reporter construct or the endogenous A3B gene. The same E2F site is required for A3B induction by polyomavirus T antigen indicating a shared molecular mechanism. Proteomic and biochemical experiments demonstrate the binding of wildtype but not mutant E2F promoters by repressive PRC1.6/E2F6 and DREAM/E2F4 complexes. Knockdown and overexpression studies confirm the involvement of these repressive complexes in regulating A3B expression. Altogether, these studies demonstrate that A3B expression is suppressed in normal cells by repressive E2F complexes and that viral or mutational disruption of this regulatory network triggers overexpression in breast cancer and provides fuel for tumor evolution.
Manifestaciones clínicas y evolución a largo plazo de tres casos de rosácea ocular atendidos en un hospital de alta especialidad del sureste de México
Authors: Xacur-García Fiona , Díaz-Novelo Rodrigo , Herrera-David Linnete , Moreno-Arjona Paulina , Méndez-Domínguez Nina
Published: September 2020

La rosácea es una alteración cutánea crónica que se ha asociado con factores etiológicos inespecíficos y diversas manifestaciones sistémicas. La rosácea cutánea suele evolucionar a rosácea ocular del 6 al 72 % de los pacientes. Al no existir criterios específicos que la caractericen, la rosácea ocular implica un reto diagnóstico. Para fortalecer la sospecha diagnóstica temprana, se presentan tres casos de pacientes con evolución clínica distinta, pero que tuvieron en común el retraso diagnóstico, lo que se tradujo en manifestaciones graves y daño ocular extenso.
The utility of MEWS for predicting the mortality in the elderly adults with COVID-19: a retrospective cohort study with comparison to other predictive clinical scores
Authors: Wang Lichun , Lv Qingquan , Zhang Xiaofei , Jiang Binyan , Liu Enhe , Xiao Chaoxing , Yu Xinyang , Yang Chunhua , Chen Lei
Published: September 2020

Background

Older adults have been reported to be a population with high-risk of death in the COVID-19 outbreak. Rapid detection of high-risk patients is crucial to reduce mortality in this population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognositc accuracy of the Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS) for in-hospital mortality in older adults with COVID-19.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study was conducted in Wuhan Hankou Hospital in China from 1 January 2020 to 29 February 2020. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to evaluate the predictive value of MEWS, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II), Sequential Organ Function Assessment (SOFA), quick Sequential Organ Function Assessment (qSOFA), Pneumonia Severity Index (PSI), Combination of Confusion, Urea, Respiratory Rate, Blood Pressure, and Age ≥65 (CURB-65), and the Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome Criteria (SIRS) for in-hospital mortality. Logistic regression models were performed to detect the high-risk older adults with COVID-19.

Results

Among the 235 patients included in this study, 37 (15.74%) died and 131 (55.74%) were male, with an average age of 70.61 years (SD 8.02). ROC analysis suggested that the capacity of MEWS in predicting in-hospital mortality was as good as the APACHE II, SOFA, PSI and qSOFA (Difference in AUROC: MEWS vs. APACHE II, −0.025 (95% CI [−0.075 to 0.026]); MEWS vs. SOFA, −0.013 (95% CI [−0.049 to 0.024]); MEWS vs. PSI, −0.015 (95% CI [−0.065 to 0.035]); MEWS vs. qSOFA, 0.024 (95% CI [−0.029 to 0.076]), all P > 0.05), but was significantly higher than SIRS and CURB-65 (Difference in AUROC: MEWS vs. SIRS, 0.218 (95% CI [0.156–0.279]); MEWS vs. CURB-65, 0.064 (95% CI [0.002–0.125]), all P < 0.05). Logistic regression models implied that the male patients (≥75 years) had higher risk of death than the other older adults (estimated coefficients: 1.16, P = 0.044). Our analysis further suggests that the cut-off points of the MEWS score for the male patients (≥75 years) subpopulation and the other elderly patients should be 2.5 and 3.5, respectively.

Conclusions

MEWS is an efficient tool for rapid assessment of elderly COVID-19 patients. MEWS has promising performance in predicting in-hospital mortality and identifying the high-risk group in elderly patients with COVID-19.
Comparative of Different Drying Methods on the Phytochemical and Some Nutrient Components of Scent Leaf (Ocimum gratissimum)
Authors: Muhammad N. B. , Salihu S. , Umar A. I.
Published: September 2020

The effect of air, sun, and oven drying methods on scent leaf (Ocimum gratissimum) and the organic and dietary elemental composition of its leaves was evaluated using standard analytical procedures. Drying increased significantly and the concentration of organic constituents evaluated. The ash content was markedly enhanced by drying and it range from 2% in the fresh sample to 11.5% in the oven-dried sample, the fiber content range from 1.5% in the fresh sample to 5.5% in the air-dried sample, also the lipid content from 0.5% in fresh sample to 2.5% in both air-dried and oven-dried sample, the moisture content was markedly low in the drying method compared to the fresh, the carbohydrate content range from 9.46% in the fresh sample to 76.20% in the sun-dried sample, the protein content ranging from 1.54% in the fresh sample to 2.80% in the sun-dried sample. Preserving Ocimum gratissimum leaves in a more hygienic way and ensure its all-year round availability and possible elimination of most nutrient deficiencies. A significant increase in mineral content was observed upon drying except for K and Ca whose concentration was found to be high (2050±0.003 mg/kg and 1.50±0.003 mg/kg) in the fresh sample and observed low in the dried samples. All the results are expressed in MEAN±SEM (Standard Error of Mean) and a significant difference was observed among the drying methods. The result of this study suggest that drying methods increase the concentration of organic and dietary elemental compositions.
Study of Different Variants of Cv. Langra (Mangifera indica L.) Based on Morphological and Yield Characters
Authors: Anu Ankita , Kumar Ravindra , Prasad Bishun Deo , Yadav G. S.
Published: September 2020

Study of morphological and yield characters of different genotypes of mango are easy and convenient methods to identify promising and desired genotype during breeding programme. So, keeping in view, the trial was conducted under the experimental area of  BAU, Sabour with objective of morphological and yields characterization of the variants of cv. Langra during the year 2012-13. The variants of cv. Langra significantly varied in respect of tree height(6.20 m to 11.40 m), trunk girth (95.00 cm to 280.00 cm), tree spread (East-West: 8.45 m to 17.40 m, North-South: 9.15 m to 17.05 m), duration of flowering (16.00 days to 20.00 days), fruit maturity (101.00 days to 123.00 days), fruit size(length: 8.58 to 13.66 cm, breadth: 6.39 to 10.87 cm), fruit weight (182.20 g to 843.90 g), fruit volume (171.40 ml to 699.40 ml), numbers of fruit per tree (32.50 to 1127.00 fruits)  and fruit yield per tree (10.95 to 358.83 kg). These results shows the significant variations in genetic level of different variants of cv. Langra, which can be used for introduction of superior variant and further, it can also be used in breeding programs.
Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorder Symptoms and Relationship with Work Posture among Staff of a Nigerian University
Authors: Ojule I. N. , Dokubo S. S. , Emmanuel B. C. Ephraim-
Published: September 2020

Background: Improper work postures have been associated with many detrimental health outcomes including musculoskeletal disorders. Emerging evidence however suggests that some of these health concerns may be lessened by reducing sedentary behaviour at work. Musculoskeletal disorders have been ranked top among the most prevalent health problems relating directly to working conditions.

Aim: This study was thus aimed at determining the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorder symptoms and their relationship with work posture among staff of the University of Port Harcourt in Rivers State, Nigeria.

Materials and Methods: A descriptive, cross sectional design was used in conducting this study among academic and non-academic staff of the University of Port Harcourt. 256 study participants were involved in this study. They were selected using the multistage sampling technique. A self-administered semi-structured questionnaire was the study instrument. Collected data was transferred to the Microsoft Excel (2016) software for cleaning and coding. The Statistical Package for Social Science was used for analysis of the data. Descriptive and inferential statistics were computed and statistical significance was set at <0.05.

Results: Majority 172 (54.3%) of the respondents had experienced musculoskeletal pain that involved the head, neck, back and other regions of their bodies. Also, a statistically significant association was found to exist between work posture and the occurrence of pelvic and perineal pain. Dynamic postures while working was found to offer a protective effect against the occurrence of thoracic and abdominal pain (O.R. = 0.88).

Conclusion and Recommendations: Work-related musculoskeletal disorder symptoms were found to be prevalent in this study. The relationship between work postures and the identified symptoms among the staff was also established. It was recommended that health information on alternation between sitting and standing working postures be passed on to staff working in the study area as well as a redesigning of the work-stations of the staff to adopt ergonomic standards necessary for preventing the occurrence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders.
Identification of Antibiotic Resistance Pattern, and Detection of Virulence Genes iss, and ompT in Avian Pathogenic Escherichia coli from Broiler Chickens in Chitwan, Nepal
Authors: Sankhi Saroj , Bhattarai Rebanta Kumar , Basnet Hom Bahadur , Marasine Nirmal Raj , Luitel Himal , Nayak Mukesh , Sankhi Sabina
Published: September 2020

This study aimed to identify, evaluate the antibiotic resistance pattern and detect virulence genes iss, and ompT in avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) from broiler chickens in central Nepal. To determine the antibiotic resistance pattern of the obtained isolates, the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method was used with six different commercial antibiotic discs: Amikacin, Gentamycin, Ciprofloxacin, Doxycycline, Chloramphenicol and Levofloxacin. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was used for the selected isolates (n=40) to screen the presence of the iss and ompT genes after the extraction of DNA using the boiling method Out of 60 suspected Colibacillosis liver samples, 40 were confirmed as E. coli positive The antibiogram profile revealed maximum resistance to Doxycycline (87.5%), followed by Levofloxacin (72.5%), Ciprofloxacin (67.5%), Chloramphenicol (40.0%), Gentamycin (32.5%) and Amikacin (10.0%).. The presence of the iss and ompT genes was found to be 100.0% and 90.0%, respectively. APEC was found to be highly resistant to most of the antibiotics. Virulence-associated genes iss and ompT were obtained at high percentages from Colibacillosis suspected broiler chickens in Chitwan, Nepal. These finding suggests that the judicial use of antimicrobials is compulsory to check antibiotic resistance and Colibacillosis outbreaks in poultry farms.
CCAL1 enhances osteoarthritis through the NF‐κB/AMPK signaling pathway
Authors: Zhu Hanzhong , Yan Hongyu , Ma Junan , Zhang Hua , Zhang Jidong , Hu Zhiheng , Guo Yunliang
Published: September 2020

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic joint disease characterized by articular cartilage degeneration and secondary osteogenesis. It has been previously demonstrated that the CCAL1 locus is the gene encoding tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 11B (TNFRSF11B). The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the role of CCAL1 in OA progression and to elucidate its molecular mechanisms. We report that CCAL1 is highly expressed in the cartilage of OA patients and its expression level is positively correlated with the severity of OA. We found that CCAL1 causes a switch to the fibrosis‐prone phenotype of Human Chondrocyte‐Osteoarthritis (HC‐OA) cells. In addition, CCAL1 enhances cell viability and promotes the proliferation of HC‐OA cells. Finally, the detection of proteins associated with the NF‐κB/AMPK signaling pathway by western blot suggested that CCAL1 exerts its role on HC‐OA cells by activating the NF‐κB signaling pathway and inhibiting the AMPK signaling pathway, which was verified through the addition of NF‐κB inhibitor caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) and AMPK activator 5‐aminoimidazole‐4‐carboxamide riboside (AICAR). In summary, we report that CCAL1 may promote OA through the NF‐κB and AMPK signaling pathways.
Identification and analysis of micro‐exons in AP2/ERF and MADS gene families
Authors: Song Qi , Bari Amna , Li Huan , Chen Ling‐Ling
Published: September 2020

Micro‐exons are a set of ultrashort exons with lengths ≤ 51 nucleotides. Our previous study revealed that micro‐exons were enriched in AP2 domains and K‐box domains, which are crucial components of AP2/ERF (APETALA2/ethylene‐responsive element‐binding protein) and MADS‐box (an acronym of MCM1, AGAMOUS, DEFICIENS and SRF) genes, respectively. In this study, we analyzed micro‐exons in the AP2/ERF family from 63 species and demonstrated that 76.8% of micro‐exons are concentrated in AP2 domains. Most micro‐exons appeared in the AP2 subfamily of all the terrestrial plants, but not algae. In addition, micro‐exons and AP2 domains are conserved and under negative selection. The MIKC gene is a typical MADS‐box gene family in terrestrial plants and includes one MADS‐box domain and one K‐box domain. A total of 92.3% of micro‐exons were observed in K‐box domains, and two micro‐exons usually encoded a region of K‐box domain, which is the key to MADS‐box protein polymerization. Furthermore, the micro‐exons of the K‐box domain had higher ratios of nonsynonymous mutations than those of the AP2 domains. Overall, here we explored the relationships and differences among micro‐exons in AP2/ERF and MADS families, and revealed potential functional roles of micro‐exons in these domains.
Physician review of image registration and normal structure delineation
Authors: Turchan William Tyler , Arya Ritu , Hight Robert , Al‐Hallaq Hania , Dominello Michael , Joyce Dan , McCabe Bradley P. , McCall Anne R. , Perevalova Eugenia , Stepaniak Christopher , Yenice Kamil , Burmeister Jay , Golden Daniel W.
Published: September 2020

Introduction

Image registration and delineation of organs at risk (OARs) are key components of three‐dimensional conformal (3DCRT) and intensity‐modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) treatment planning. This study hypothesized that image registration and OAR delineation are often performed by medical physicists and/or dosimetrists and are not routinely reviewed by treating physicians.

Methods

An anonymous, internet‐based survey of medical physicists and dosimetrists was distributed via the MEDPHYS and MEDDOS listserv groups. Participants were asked to characterize standard practices for completion and review of OAR contouring, target volume contouring, and image registration at their institution along with their personal training in these areas and level of comfort performing these tasks. Likert‐type scales are reported as Median [Interquartile range] with scores ranging from 1 = “Extremely/All of the time” to 5 = “Not at all/Never.”

Results

Two hundred and ninety‐seven individuals responded to the survey. Overall, respondents indicated significantly less frequent physician review (3 [2–4] vs 2 [1–3]), and less confidence in the thoroughness of physician review (3 [2–4] vs 2 [1–3], P < 0.01) of OAR contours compared to image registration. Only 19% (95% CI 14–24%) of respondents reported a formal process by which OAR volumes are reviewed by physicians in their clinic. The presence of a formal review process was also associated with significantly higher perceived thoroughness of review of OAR volumes compared to clinics with no formal review process (2 [2–3] vs 3 [2–4], P < 0.01).

Conclusion

Despite the critical role of OAR delineation and image registration in the 3DCRT and IMRT treatment planning process, physician review of these tasks is not always optimal. Radiotherapy clinics should consider implementation of formal processes to promote adequate physician review of OARs and image registrations to ensure the quality and safety of radiotherapy treatment plans.
Acceleration of Crystallization Kinetics in Ge‐Sb‐Te‐Based Phase‐Change Materials by Substitution of Ge by Sn
Authors: Zalden Peter , Koch Christine , Paulsen Melf , Esters Marco , Johnson David C. , Wuttig Matthias , Lindenberg Aaron M. , Bensch Wolfgang
Published: September 2020

Thin films of (Ge1–xSnx)8Sb2Te11 are prepared to study the impact of Sn‐substitution on properties relevant for application in phase‐change memory, a next‐generation electronic data storage technology. It is expected that substitution decreases the crystallization temperature, but it is not known how the maximum crystallization rate is affected. Ge8Sb2Te11 is chosen from the (GeTe)y(Sb2Te3)1–y system of phase‐change materials as a starting point due to its higher crystallization temperature as compared to the common material Ge2Sb2Te5. In situ X‐ray diffraction at 5 K min−1 heating rate is performed to determine the crystallization temperature and the resulting structure. To measure the maximum crystallization rate, femtosecond optical pulses that heat the material repetitively and monitor the resulting increase of optical reflectance are used. Glasses over the entire composition range are prepared using a melt‐quenching process. While at x = 0, 97, subsequent pulses are required for crystallization, one single pulse is enough to achieve the same effect at x = 0.5. The samples are further characterized by optical ellipsometry and calorimetry. The combined electrical and optical contrast and the ability to cycle between states with single femtosecond pulses renders Ge4Sn4Sb2Te11 promising for photonics applications.
Stretchable, Washable, and Ultrathin Triboelectric Nanogenerators as Skin‐Like Highly Sensitive Self‐Powered Haptic Sensors
Authors: Jiang Yang , Dong Kai , Li Xin , An Jie , Wu Dequan , Peng Xiao , Yi Jia , Ning Chuan , Cheng Renwei , Yu Pengtao , Wang Zhong Lin
Published: September 2020

Accompanying the boom in multifunctional wearable electronics, flexible, sustainable, and wearable power sources are facing great challenges. Here, a stretchable, washable, and ultrathin skin‐inspired triboelectric nanogenerator (SI‐TENG) to harvest human motion energy and act as a highly sensitive self‐powered haptic sensor is reported. With the optimized material selections and structure design, the SI‐TENG is bestowed with some merits, such as stretchability (≈800%), ultrathin (≈89 µm), and light‐weight (≈0.23 g), which conformally attach on human skin without disturbing its contact. A stretchable composite electrode, which is formed by homogenously intertwining silver nanowires (AgNWs) with thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) nanofiber networks, is fabricated through synchronous electrospinning of TPU and electrospraying of AgNWs. Based on the triboelectrification effect, the open‐circuit voltage, short‐circuit current, and power density of the SI‐TENG with a contact area of 2 × 2 cm2 and an applied force of 8 N can reach 95 V, 0.3 µA, and 6 mW m−2, respectively. By integrating the signal‐processing circuits, the SI‐TENG with excellent energy harvesting and self‐powered sensing capability is demonstrated as a haptic sensor array to detect human actions. The SI‐TENG exhibits extensive applications in the fields of human–machine interface and security systems.
Heterogeneous Bimetallic Phosphide Ni2P‐Fe2P as an Efficient Bifunctional Catalyst for Water/Seawater Splitting
Authors: Wu Libo , Yu Luo , Zhang Fanghao , McElhenny Brian , Luo Dan , Karim Alamgir , Chen Shuo , Ren Zhifeng
Published: September 2020

Developing high‐performance and cost‐effective bifunctional electrocatalysts for large‐scale water electrolysis is desirable but remains a significant challenge. Most existing nano‐ and micro‐structured electrocatalysts require complex synthetic procedures, making scale‐up highly challenging. Here, a heterogeneous Ni2P‐Fe2P microsheet is synthesized by directly soaking Ni foam in hydrochloric acid and an iron nitrate solution, followed by phosphidation. Benefiting from high intrinsic activity, abundant active sites, and a superior transfer coefficient, this self‐supported Ni2P‐Fe2P electrocatalyst shows superb catalytic activity toward overall water splitting, requiring low voltages of 1.682 and 1.865 V to attain current densities of 100 and 500 mA cm−2 in 1 m KOH, respectively. Such catalytic performance is superior to the benchmark IrO2 || Pt/C pair and also places this electrocatalyst among the best bifunctional catalysts reported thus far. Furthermore, its enhanced corrosion resistance and hydrophilic surface make it suitable for seawater splitting. It is able to achieve current densities of 100 and 500 mA cm−2 in 1 m KOH seawater at voltages of 1.811 and 2.004 V, respectively, which, together with its robust durability, demonstrates its great potential for realistic seawater electrolysis. This work presents a general and economic approach toward the fabrication of heterogeneous metallic phosphide catalysts for water/seawater electrocatalysis.