bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Development and evaluation of a long‐range 300‐m leaky coaxial cable in the 2.4‐GHz band for IEEE 802.11 b/g wireless network access
Authors: Nakamura Masayuki , Takagi Hideaki , Einaga Kiyoshi , Nishikawa Toshiyuki , Moriyama Naoshi , Wasaki Katsumi
Published: November 2010

In installing wireless access systems for indoor use using IEEE 802.11b/g‐complied 2.4‐GHz band wireless local area network (LAN) units, problems that arise include blind zones and interferences caused by radio waves transmitted by neighboring access point units. To solve these problems, the use of leaky coaxial cables (LCXs) is a promising method. However, commercially available flexible LCXs with small diameters for 2.4‐GHz wireless LAN were not long enough for use in tunnels, underground facilities, and so on, and the communication characteristics of LCXs long enough for these places using wireless LAN units have not been reported. We have developed a flexible 300‐m long LCX for the 2.4‐GHz band and IEEE 802.11b/g‐complied wireless LAN units with high sensitivity. We evaluated its performance with four cable configurations and confirmed that this LCX provides wireless connections over 300 m along the cable and over 20 m lateral to the cable in an open‐air environment. We also found the coverage could be extended by a method of cable‐to‐cable links.IEEJ Trans2010 DOI: 10.1002/tee.20604
Paradigms representing the relationship between the inner of a brain and the outer world
Authors: Kudoh Suguru N. , Kiyohara Ai , Tokuda Minori , Taguchi Takahisa
Published: November 2010

Neuroscience was initially based on simple computer models, and the resulting assumption of blocks of information and step‐by‐step information processing disregards the dynamic features of living neuronal networks. Building semiartificial intelligence in a culture dish using a simple living neuronal network makes comparison with an engineering model easier than when analyzing a complicated brain network. We hypothesize that the status of the neuronal network changes autonomously according to both its own internal state and input from the outer world. Our investigation of such network suggests that an electrical stimulus can make the living neuronal network shift to a particular state, and the response pattern to each input is loosely coupled rather than strictly linked. The critical point we propose regarding brain‐like information processing is that the internal state of the autonomous neuronal network is modified by input from the outer world. Copyright © 2010 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
A maximum power point tracking control method suitable for compact wind power generators with the passive self‐pitch‐controlled blade structure
Authors: Mutoh Nobuyoshi , Nagasawa Atsushi
Published: November 2010

This paper describes a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) control method for propeller‐type compact wind power generators with passive self‐pitch‐controlled blades, which quickly makes the output current and voltage converge on the maximum power point based on wind speeds detected from an anemometer. The voltage and current output from these wind power generators vary with wind speeds at locations such as the roofs of buildings. Transient characteristics of the voltage output from compact wind power generators have two modes because of the self‐pitch‐controlled blades: mode I in which the output voltage hardly increases and mode II in which it rapidly increases. Thus, in order to acquire the generated power effectively, irrespective of how the wind speeds may change, a method to perform the MPPT control while searching for mode II is needed. Thus, by judging the mode from the change of the sign of the time differential of the voltage deviation between sampling times, the MPPT control method proposed here makes the output current converge on the maximum point using relationships between the maximum power and optimal current which give the maximum power and the wind speed. Effectiveness of the proposed MPPT control method is verified through simulations and experiments using a wind tunnel.IEEJ Trans2010 DOI: 10.1002/tee.20609
Recognition of control chart patterns using swarm intelligence and neural networks based on the statistical and shape features
Authors: Ebrahimzadeh Ataollah , Ranaee Vahid
Published: November 2010

Automatic recognition of abnormal patterns in control charts has seen increasing demands nowadays in the manufacturing processes. In this paper, a hybrid intelligent system is proposed for the recognition of control chart patterns. In this system, we have used a proper set of shape features and statistical features as the efficient characteristics of the patterns. Then we proposed a hybrid heuristic recognition system based on particle swarm optimization to improve the generalization performance of the radial basis function neural network classifier. For this purpose, we have optimized the classifier design by searching for the best value of the parameters that tune its discriminate function. The obtained results show that the proposed technique has high recognition accuracy in comparison with other techniques. This recognition accuracy is achieved with fewer training samples.IEEJ Trans2010 DOI: 10.1002/tee.20610
Treatment of volatile organic compounds contained in soil by pulsed intense relativistic electron beam irradiation
Authors: Imada Go
Published: November 2010

A volatile organic compound (VOC) contained in soil was treated by irradiation with a pulsed intense relativistic electron beam (PIREB). A treatment chamber was filled with the molded soil sample containing formaldehyde solution as a VOC, and was irradiated by a PIREB (2 MeV, 0.4 kA, 70 ns). The soil sample was a mixture of red and black clay representing the Kanto loam in Japan. The diffused formaldehyde of 64% is resolved by firing five shots of the PIREB at the initial concentration of 55 ppm. Copyright © 2010 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Early first‐trimester maternal serum placental growth factor in trisomy 21 pregnancies
Authors: Cowans N. J. , Stamatopoulou A. , Tørring N. , Spencer K.
Published: November 2010

Objectives

To measure maternal serum placental growth factor (PlGF) levels in trisomy 21 cases and controls in samples drawn before 11 weeks' gestation.

Methods

Early first‐trimester maternal serum samples, drawn between 8 + 0 and 10 + 6 weeks' gestation, for 37 trisomy 21 cases and 244 unaffected controls were retrieved from frozen storage, and PlGF was retrospectively measured using a DELFIA Xpress immunoassay platform. PlGF levels were converted to multiples of the median (MoM), and trisomy 21 and unaffected groups were compared.

Results

Raw PlGF and MoM levels were significantly higher in the maternal serum of trisomy 21 cases than in controls over the 3‐week gestational window (unaffected 1.0 MoM compared with trisomy 21 1.3 MoM (P < 0.0001)). However at 8 completed weeks of gestation the increase was most significant and at 10 completed weeks there was no significant difference between trisomy 21 and unaffected PlGF levels.

Conclusions

Early PlGF levels in maternal serum in trisomy 21 cases may be increased relative to unaffected controls, however, the relationship between PlGF levels and gestational age in trisomy 21 and unaffected pregnancies in the first two trimesters of pregnancy appears to be complex and requires further study. Copyright © 2011 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Magnetic resonance imaging of the placenta identifies placental vascular abnormalities independently of Doppler ultrasound
Authors: Messerschmidt A. , Baschat A. , Linduska N. , Kasprian G. , Brugger P. C. , Bauer A. , Weber M. , Prayer D.
Published: November 2010

Objective

To evaluate the relationship between placental vascular pathology detected by prenatal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and perinatal outcome.

Methods

This was a retrospective, hospital‐based, cross‐sectional study in which all fetal MRI examinations of singleton pregnancies with vascular placental pathology (i.e. infarction with/without hemorrhage, subchorionic thrombi/hemorrhages, intervillous thrombi/hemorrhages, or retroplacental hematoma) in the period 2002–2007 were included. The extent of the pathology was expressed as a percentage of the total placental volume. Abnormalities of umbilical artery Doppler ultrasound examinations within 7 days between MRI and ultrasound examination were noted. Death in utero or postnatally was the primary outcome. Gestational age at MRI and at birth and the occurrence of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) were noted. Logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the impact of gestational age at MRI, extent of the vascular lesion and presence of pathological Doppler ultrasound measurements on the prediction of mortality.

Results

Fifty‐nine structurally normal singleton pregnancies with placental vascular abnormalities were included in the analysis. Mortality rate was 36%; among the survivors, 87% were born before 37 + 0 gestational weeks and 50% suffered from IUGR. In 55% of the pregnancies pathological umbilical artery Doppler findings were identified, of which 27% were non‐survivors. Mortality was predicted by earlier gestational age at fetal MRI for placental pathology (P < 0.05) and increasing extent of the vascular lesion (P < 0.05), but not by the presence of pathological Doppler ultrasound data. Accuracy of the prediction was 82%, sensitivity was 67% and specificity 89%.

Conclusion

MRI‐detected vascular placental pathologies may help to identify pregnancies at risk for adverse outcome and fetal death independently of umbilical artery Doppler status. Copyright © 2011 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Development of gastroschisis as seen by magnetic resonance imaging
Authors: Brugger P. C. , Prayer D.
Published: November 2010

Objectives

To describe the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) morphology and fetal development of gastroschisis.

Methods

Twenty‐seven fetal MRI studies of 24 fetuses (mean gestational age 30 (range, 21–38) weeks), with gastroschisis were retrospectively analyzed. The extra‐ and intra‐abdominal positions of the abdominal organs were assessed on T1‐ and T2‐weighted and steady‐state free‐precession sequences with emphasis on the intra‐abdominal findings.

Results

Third‐trimester fetuses (n = 16) showed a uniform morphology: the extracorporeal bowel included jejunum, ileum and colon except for parts of the sigmoid and the rectum. Intra‐abdominally the stomach was in contact with the left‐sided urinary bladder in 15 of these. Second‐trimester fetuses (n = 8) differed with respect to the amount of intra‐abdominal bowel and had longer sections of the colon and jejunum intra‐abdominally. Intrauterine follow‐up (n = 3) demonstrated exteriorization of these bowel segments. Three third‐trimester fetuses with gastroschisis complicated by small bowel obstruction, in addition to the dilated small bowel loops, had variable lengths of intra‐abdominal colon.

Conclusions

Fetal development of gastroschisis is a dynamic process lasting until birth. The typical morphology of gastroschisis changes from the second to the third trimester, since intra‐abdominal bowel becomes eventrated by the end of the second trimester. This process of eventration is stopped in cases of intestinal stenosis/atresia caused by narrowing of the abdominal wall defect, resulting in different lengths of intra‐abdominal bowel. The time when this occurs may correlate with the amount of viable bowel in cases of intestinal atresia. The concept presented here explains the findings in closing gastroschisis. Copyright © 2011 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthesis of Dinuclear Cobalt Complexes Containing Trimethylphosphine and Thiophenolato Ligands
Authors: Xu Xiaofeng , Jiao Guili , Sun Hongjian , Li Xiaoyan
Published: November 2010

Benzene‐1,2‐dithiol reacted with Co(PMe3)4 or Co(PMe3)4Me to afford a dinuclear complex Co2[C6H4(SS)]2(PMe3)4 (1). The cobalt complex Co2[C6H4(NH)S]2(PMe3)4 (2) was obtained from the reaction of 2‐aminothiolphenol with Co(PMe3)4Me. From Co(PMe3)3(CO)Cl and the lithium salt of 2‐aminothiolphenol or benzene‐1,2‐dithiol dinuclear complexes Co2[C6H4(NH)S](CO)2(PMe3)4 (3) or Co2[C6H4(SS)](CO)2(PMe3)4 (4) were obtained. The molecular structures of 1 and 4 show longer metal–metal distances [Co–Co: 2.6333(6) (1) and 2.5547(12) Å (4)] than those of 2 and 3 [Co–Co: 2.4720(5) (2) and 2.457(4) Å (3)]. The possible reaction mechanisms of these reactions are proposed.
Oxidative Stability of Lipids by Means of EPR Spectroscopy and Chemiluminescence
Authors: Szterk Arkadiusz , Stefaniuk Ireneusz , Waszkiewicz‐Robak Bożena , Roszko Marek
Published: November 2010

The aim of this study was to investigate the oxidation of selected vegetable oils (CLSO, CCSO, CBO) at accelerated oxidation rates. Several seldom used analytical methods were applied including electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), spin trapping with α‐(4‐pyridyl‐1‐oxide)‐N‐tert‐butylnitrone (POBN) and 5,5‐dimethyl‐1‐pyrroline‐N‐oxide (DMPO), Fe2+‐induced chemiluminescence, Rancimat tests, and the determination of conjugated diens at λ = 233 nm. The antioxidative properties of POBN and DMPO were also investigated. The time required for each method was determined. EPR spectrometry of trapped radicals generated during oxidation turned out to be the fastest method to determine oxidative stability. Chemiluminometric determination of oxidation kinetics showed that POBN has a very strong anti‐oxidative potential: it significantly (by 160–277%) lengthened the time to the chemiluminescence peak, as well as the induction time in the Rancimat test (by 110–140%). Photo‐oxidation studies showed that superoxide anion radicals are the main factor responsible for the oxidation of lipids in the investigated oils.
The 25th Anniversary of the 1949 Geneva Conventions
Authors: Pictet Jean
Published: November 2010

August 12, 1949 was an important date in world history. It was on that day that the plenipotentiaries of some sixty States signed the fundamental charters of humanity which are known as the four Geneva Conventions, and which protect the victims of armed conflicts: the first, the military wounded and sick; the second, the victims of war at sea; the third, the prisoners of war; and the fourth—which was entirely new—civilians. After the suffering of the population in occupied countries during the Second World War, such a treaty appeared to be vitally necessary and urgent. As Max Huber said, the development towards total war has made danger and hardship equal for armies and population.
Reaffirmation and Development of International Humanitarian Law
Authors: Potapov Vassili
Published: November 2010

A line of demarcation between regular and irregular combatants was drawn up in 1907 by Articles 1, 2 and 3 of the Hague Regulations, provisions of which have been supplemented by Article 4 of Geneva Convention III of 1949, Articles 13 and 14 of Geneva Convention I of 1949, and Articles 12 and 16 of Geneva Convention II of 1949. Together, these provisions constituted the law on this subject.
San Remo Manual on International Law Applicable to Armed Conflict at Sea
Authors: Doswald-Beck Louise
Published: November 2010

The law regulating the use of force at sea has long been due fora reevaluation in the light of developments in methods and means of warfare at sea and the fact that major changes have taken place in other branches of international law of direct relevance to this issue. This need was reflected in Resolution VII of the 25th International Conference of the Red Cross, which noted that “some areas of international humanitarian law relating to sea warfare are in need of reaffirmation and clarification on the basis of existing fundamental principles of international humanitarian law” and therefore appealed to “governments to co-ordinate their efforts in appropriate fora in order to review the necessity and the possibility of updating the relevant texts of international humanitarian law relating to sea warfare”.
“Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel”: Presentation and analysis
Authors: Bouvier Antoine
Published: November 2010

On 9 December 1994 the United Nations General Assembly adopted by consensus the Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel. In so doing it completed a process of codification and progressive development of international law at an unusually fast pace, considering that the Ad Hoc Committee entrusted by the 48th General Assembly (1993) with drafting the Convention took less than nine months to complete its task.
The Red Cross and Refugees
Authors: Coursier Henri
Published: November 2010

The International Review has on a number of occasions published articles and news items on Red Cross action in favour of refugees, stateless and displaced persons. In July 1965 it brought to our readers a large part of an important study on legal assistance to refugees and the activities of the International Centre for Co-ordination of Legal Assistance, in Geneva.
Humane treatment for non-delinquent detainees
Authors: Graven Jean
Published: November 2010

Some time ago, the International Committee of the Red Cross suggested to the Medico-Legal Commission of Monaco to study the important question of humane treatment due to persons deprived of their freedom for reasons unconnected with common penal law. It was a question of filling a gap in the form of a guide determining the principles aimed at regulating conditions of detention in a humane manner.
New aspects of international humanitarian law
Authors: Pictet Jean S.
Published: November 2010

The International Institute of Humanitarian Law in San Remo held its fourth Round Table on Present Problems of International Humanitarian Law from 30 August to 4 September 1977. The meeting was opened by Mr. Jean Pictet, Vice-President of the International Committee of the Red Cross; some extracts from his address are given below.
Civil War
Authors: Schlögel Anton
Published: November 2010

It is known that the XXIst International Conference of the Red Cross voted a resolution (No. XVII) relative to the protection of the victims of non-international armed conflicts and by which it “asks the ICRC to devote special attention to this problem within the framework of the more general studies it has started to develop humanitarian law”. However, before the meeting at Istanbul, the author of the following article had already written a study on the subject entitled “Der Bürgerkrieg”, which is of topical interest and of which we now give extracts at some length in our own translation (Ed.).
Role of legal advisers in armed forces
Authors: Draper G.I.A.D.
Published: November 2010

There emerged at the close of the three years of preparatory work by the Government Experts convened by the ICRC, from 1971 to 1973, a provision that had no counterpart in the four Geneva Conventions of 1949. This was a provision requiring the employment of legal advisers to military Commanders. It was a bold provision, for which the Canadian Experts can claim the credit for its introduction, although the idea went through a number of changes both of substance and presentation in the course of debate.
The Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross (IX): Commentary
Authors: Pictet Jean
Published: November 2010

This heading also has three parts: universality in the strictest sense—a mixed principle comprising both substantive and organic aspects—the equality of National Societies and the solidarity among them, the latter two belonging to the organic domain.
New Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons
Authors: Doswald-Beck Louise
Published: November 2010

On 13 October 1995, the first Review Conference of the 1980 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) adopted during its first session in Vienna a new fourth Protocol entitled “Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons”. The 1980 Convention comprises a framework Convention (containing technical provisions such as applicability, entry into force and amendment) and annexed Protocols containing the substantive rules relating to certain weapons. Although many weapons had been discussed during the preparatory stages of this Convention, only three Protocols were adopted in 1980. However, the structure chosen enabled new Protocols to be added in order to accommodate future weapons which needed t o be prohibited or otherwise regulated.
Third Session of the Review Conference of States Parties to the 1980 United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW)
Authors: Herby Peter
Published: November 2010

After two years of tortuous negotiations and despite support for a total ban on anti-personnel mines by nearly half of the 51 States participating in the final session of the Review Conference of the 1980 United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), held in Geneva from 22 April to 3 May 1996, only minimal restrictions on the use of antipersonnel landmines were finally adopted. Nine years after entry into force of amended Protocol II, anti-personnel mines will have to be detectable and those scattered outside of marked minefields, by air, artillery or other means, will have to self-destruct after 30 days. However, long-lived mines will remain available for production, export and use — including indiscriminate use. Regrettably, this modest legal response to a major international humanitarian crisis, though adopted by consensus, is unlikely to significantly reduce the horrendous level of mine casualties.
Reservations to the 1949 Geneva Conventions
Authors: Pilloud Claude
Published: November 2010

By July 31, 1957, sixty-six States were bound to the Geneva Conventions, either by ratification or accession. From that date to May 31, 1965, a further 40 States acceded to these Conventions, bringing the total to 106. Several of the newly independent States confirmed their participation by delivering to the Custodian Government—the Swiss Federal Council—a declaration of continuity, that is to say, a document in which they confirmed that from the date of their independence they were committed by the ratification signed by the Powers to which they had succeeded.
Cooperation between National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross: an essential and demanding partnership
Authors: Blondel Jean-Luc
Published: November 2010

The ICRC has always maintained contacts, often close ones, with the National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. According to Article 3 of the Statutes of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, “the National Societies form the basic units and constitute a vital force of the Movement”. In this sense, the ICRC regards them as special partners in the conduct of its humanitarian activities, as it recently re-emphasized in its strategic study on the organization's future, which it shared with all the National Societies in a letter dated 16 December 1997: “As a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement — of which it is the founder — the ICRC works to ensure respect for the Fundamental Principles and cooperates primarily with the National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and their Federation” (emphasis added).
Cooperation: an essential means for conducting and developing the activities of the Cuban Red Cross
Authors: de los Ángeles de Varona Hernández María
Published: November 2010

The Cuban Red Cross, which was founded on 10 March 1909, was recognized by Presidential Decree No. 401 of the same year as an “aid society auxiliary to the public authorities”. For more than half a century its activities remained rather modest, focusing on health care for the most needy groups in Cuban society, for example by setting up dispensaries and offering medical and dental services at no charge or for a nominal fee.
British Red Cross cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross: delegated water project in Bosnia-Herzegovina
Authors: Hanley Teresa , Mitchell John
Published: November 2010

Cooperation between the International Committee of the Red Cross and the British Red Cross has traditionally been limited to the National Society providing cash, delegates and contributions in kind for ICRC programmes. At most, actual Society involvement in ICRC operations has extended to earmarking contributions for a particular country or programme; the Society has not been involved in planning, implementing or reviewing ICRC work. However, it has consistently contributed at least 25% of its budget for international activities to the ICRC and provided it with field delegates. The proportion is growing and, over the past three years, British Red Cross contributions to the ICRC have increased to over 50% of its international budget, more than £15 million in 1996. In addition, the Society currently provides 12% of the ICRC's delegates.
The ICRC's activities on the Indian subcontinent following partition (1947–1949)
Authors: Rey-Schirr Catherine
Published: November 2010

In 1945, at the end of the Second World War, the British government clearly stated its intention of granting independence to India.

The conflict between the British and the Indian nationalists receded into the background, while the increasing antagonism between Hindus and Muslims came to the fore. The Hindus, centred round the Congress Party led by Jawaharlal Nehru, wanted to maintain the unity of India by establishing a government made up of representatives of the two communities. The Muslims, under the banner of the Muslim League and its President, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, demanded the creation of a separate Muslim State, Pakistan. The problem was further complicated by the fact that the approximately 300 million Hindus, 6 million Sikhs and 100 million Muslims in British India were not living in geographically distinct regions, especially in Punjab and Bengal, where the population was mixed.
Women, human rights and international humanitarian law
Authors: Gardam Judith
Published: November 2010

The development in the last 50 years of the principles that comprise human rights law has had a major impact on international humanitarian law and indeed on international law generally. In more recent years, the movement for recognition of the equal rights of women has been exerting its own influence on human rights law and to some effect. In 1979, for example, the international community adopted the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), to which 155 States are now party. Consideration is currently being given to the adoption of an Optional Protocol that will allow for individual and group complaints to be brought before the CEDAW Committee. Governmental and non-governmental organizations have increasingly focused on women's human rights. As a result, a wide range of studies, reports and recommendations on various aspects of the issue is available. The topic of women is thus firmly established on the international human rights agenda.
Bridging the gap between human rights and humanitarian law: The punishment of offenders
Authors: Dugard John
Published: November 2010

In 1948, when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted, human rights and humanitarian law were treated as separate fields. Since the 1968 Tehran International Conference on Human Rights, the situation has changed dramatically and the two subjects are now considered as different branches of the same discipline. A number of factors have contributed to this merger, including the growing significance of international criminal law and the criminalization of serious violations of human rights. This is the theme of the present comment.
The minimum humanitarian rules applicable in periods of internal tension and strife
Authors: Momtaz Djamchid
Published: November 2010

Many States have in the course of their history faced internal tension and strife, sometimes so serious as to threaten their fundamental interests. These situations, characterized as they are by acts of revolt and violence committed by more or less organized groups fighting either the authorities or amongst themselves, are distinct from those termed non-international armed conflicts, in which the violence is more intense. In order to bring these internal confrontations to an end and restore order, the authorities frequently make massive use of police force or even the armed forces. The inevitable result is a weakening of the rule of law, marked by serious, large-scale human rights violations causing widespread suffering among the population.
Trends in the application of international humanitarian law by United Nations human rights mechanisms
Authors: O'Donnell Daniel
Published: November 2010

UN human rights mechanisms continue to proliferate, producing numerous decisions and voluminous reports. This article reviews the ways in which such mechanisms apply international humanitarian law, including the law of Geneva and the law of The Hague. In doing so, it focuses mainly on the practice of the rapporteurs appointed by the UN Commission on Human Rights to investigate the human rights situations in specific countries and on that of the thematic rapporteurs and working groups which the Commission has entrusted with monitoring specific types of serious human rights violations wherever they occur, in particular the Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions and the Representative of the Secretary-General on Internally Displaced Persons, whose mandates most often lead them to examine abuses occurring in the context of armed conflicts. Reference is also made to two innovative mechanisms which functioned in El Salvador: the first UN-sponsored “truth commission” and the first human rights monitoring body established as part of a comprehensive mechanism for monitoring compliance with a UN-sponsored peace agreement. Certain observations made by treaty monitoring bodies are also mentioned.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and international humanitarian law: A comment on the Tablada Case
Authors: Zegveld Liesbeth
Published: November 2010

On 30 October 1997, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (hereafter the Commission) adopted its report in the so-calledTabladacase. The case concerned an attack launched by 42 armed persons on military barracks of the national armed forces in 1989 at La Tablada, Argentina. The attack precipitated a battle lasting approximately 30 hours and resulting in the deaths of 29 of the attackers and several State agents. The surviving attackers filed a complaint with the Commission alleging violations by State agents of the American Convention on Human Rights (hereafter the American Convention) and of rules of international humanitarian law. In its report the Commission examined in detail whether it was competent to apply international humanitarian law directly. It answered this question in the affirmative.
The approach of the European Commission and Court of Human Rights to international humanitarian law
Authors: Reidy Aisling
Published: November 2010

The ever-increasing membership of the Council of Europe, and the accompanying growth in the number of States party to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), promises to create fresh challenges for the new single European Court of Human Rights which will begin to sit full-time in Strasbourg as of 1 November 1998. Speculation varies with regard to the type of challenges that the new Court will have to face, but one which cannot be ignored is the likelihood that the new Court will have to come to terms with more cases arising from situations of conflict. Judge Jambrek, urging judicial restraint and conservatism in a dissenting opinion, warned that the Court may have to look at what happened in the Croat Region of Kraijna, in the Republika Srpska, in other parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina or in Chechnya. If the Court is so required, many cases may involve issues which call for consideration of international humanitarian law.
Non-govemmental human rights organizations and international humanitarian law
Authors: Brett Rachel
Published: November 2010

At the heart of human rights work is the attempt to protect individuals from the abuse of power or neglect on the part of their own governments. At the international level, this translates into State responsibility for the way in which the government treats its own people, supplementing the older international law regarding the treatment of aliens and the law of war which also (originally) addressed only the treatment of non-nationals.
The bases of humanitarian thought in the Pulaar society of Mauritania and Senegal
Authors: Djibril Ly
Published: November 2010

For the outside world, images of division, conflict and suffering today largely sum up the African continent. Even when these images do not reflect Afro-pessimistic cliches, they fail — deliberately or not — to take account of the secular traditions of respect for the individual and the enlightened humanity that exist virtually throughout Africa.
Activities of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Cuba 1958–1962
Authors: Perret Françoise
Published: November 2010

On 26 July 1953, a group opposing the regime of General Fulgencio Batista, led by Fidel Castro, made an abortive attempt to storm the Montecada barracks at Santiago de Cuba. Castro was captured and sentenced to 15 years in prison. In May 1955 he was released under a general amnesty; he left Cuba and emigrated to Mexico.
Arms transfers, humanitarian assistance and international humanitarian law
Authors: Herby Peter
Published: November 2010

The International Committee of the Red Cross has witnessed in its work for war victims throughout the world the increasingly devastating effects for civilian populations of the proliferation of weapons, particularly small arms. The difficulties of providing humanitarian assistance in an environment where arms have become widely available to many segments of society are well known to most humanitarian relief agencies today. However, until recently the relationships between the availability of weapons, the worsening situation of civilians during and after conflict and the challenges of providing humanitarian assistance have not been addressed directly.
Mineral Cycling and Epiphytic Lichens: Implications at the Ecosystem Level
Authors: Knops J. M. H. , Nash Iii T. H. , Boucher V. L. , Schlesinger W. H.
Published: November 2010

The nutrient contribution of lichens as litterfall in forests is discussed for a number of different ecosystems and it is hypothesized that lichens are important in capturing nutrients from wet deposition, occult precipitation, sedimentation, impaction and gaseous uptake. Most nutrients captured by these processes represent new nutrient inputs that would otherwise not be intercepted by the ecosystem. Part of these nutrients will be incorporated into lichen biomass and only become available upon death and decomposition, but a portion will be leached by precipitation and become deposited on the soil surface. Although quantifying nutrient sources, fluxes and pool sizes is a potentially complex task, we describe a simplified approach for determining whether lichens significantly affect the mineral cycling of a forest. Preliminary results for an oak woodland in California document that epiphytic lichens may reduce throughfall and alter throughfall chemistry.
Pathophysiology of obesity
Authors: Lean M. E. J.
Published: November 2010

The rapidly rising prevalence of obesity, worldwide, has prompted re-evaluations of the definitions and diagnostic criteria, and of the extent of the burden it contributes to health care services. Although categorized arbitrarily for epidemiological purposes according to BMI > 25 kg/m2 (‘overweight’) and BMI > 30 kg/m2 (‘obese’), the disease itself (ICD code E.66) is the process of excess fat accumulation. It leads to multiple organ-specific pathological consequences, particularly if there is a tendency to intra-abdominal fat accumulation. The simplest field method to identify obesity and risk of medical problems is the waist circumference, and this method has found a special role in health promotion. Risks begin with waist > 80 cm (women) or > 94 cm (men). As a broad generalization, obesity produces few symptoms below the age of 40 years, but then several symptoms often develop; tiredness, breathlessness, back pain, arthritis, sweatiness, poor sleeping, depression and menstrual disorders all being common. The symptoms are often attributed to diseases in other body systems. Metabolic diseases like diabetes, hyperlipidaemia and, hypertension develop later, but the mean BMI at diagnosis of diabetes is 28 kg/m2. Ultimately, obesity increases the likelihood of myocardial infarction, stroke and several major cancers, but its biggest impact on health, especially in the elderly, is probably the multiplicity of effects on other body systems. The greatest challenge for public health is to develop effective preventive measures, recognizing that BMI > 25 kg/m2 before the age of 20 years is a very strong predictor of obesity and ill health in adulthood.
Classification of expansive attractors on surfaces
Authors: BARGE MARCY , MARTENSEN BRIAN F.
Published: November 2010

We prove the conjecture of F. Rodriguez Hertz and J. Rodriguez Hertz [Expansive attractors on surfaces. Ergod. Th. & Dynam. Sys.26(1) (2006), 291–302; MR 2201950(2006j:37049)] that every non-trivial transitive expansive attractor of a homeomorphism of a compact surface is a derived from pseudo-Anosov attractor.
Intra-national IR in Africa
Authors: LEMKE DOUGLAS
Published: November 2010

Scholars debate whether Eurocentric theories of International Relations (IR) offer useful explanations of African international politics. They also debate the applicability of Eurocentric theories of state making for understanding African state making in the post-colonial era. I argue that theories like realism and war-and-state-making appear inconsistent with African political reality because when IR scholars apply these theories to Africa, they study the wrong actors. The ‘right’ actors for understanding these theories include not only the official states IR scholars traditionally analyse, but also all of the autonomous political entities that control territory, possess military resources, and struggle to survive under anarchy. I substantiate my claims about the usefulness and necessity of expanding the roster of actors studied with an historical narrative of the first six years of Congo's independence. During this time six autonomous political entities, in addition to the one official state, warred with each other, allied with each other, and struggled to make states.
TAXES, GROWTH, EQUITY, AND WELFARE
Authors: Vedder Richard
Published: November 2010

The scholarly literature suggests high or increased tax burdens tend
to reduce economic growth, lowering incomes. Some argue, however, that low
taxes and high economic growth can have adverse income distribution
consequences or can lead to utility-reducing under-consumption of needed
public goods. Evidence is presented questioning those assertions. People
seek happiness by moving, and tend to migrate to low tax areas. Moreover,
there is little evidence that governmental expansion leads to truly
greater equality. Appropriately measured, income equality is actually far
greater than typically claimed. Moreover, income data suggest that the
international equalization of incomes and global reduction of poverty
largely reflect private sector activity, namely market forces working
where the rule of law and strong protection of property rights
prevails.
Plant assemblages from the Shafer Peak Formation (Lower Jurassic), north Victoria Land, Transantarctic Mountains
Authors: Bomfleur Benjamin , Pott Christian , Kerp Hans
Published: November 2010

The Jurassic plant fossil record of Gondwana is generally meagre, which renders phytogeographic and palaeoclimatic interpretations difficult to date. Moreover, plant fossil assemblages mainly consist of impressions/compressions with rather limited palaeobiological and palaeoecological significance. We here present a detailed survey of new Early Jurassic plant assemblages from the Pliensbachian Shafer Peak Formation, north Victoria Land, Transantarctic Mountains. Some of the well-preserved fossils yield cuticle. The floras consist of isoetalean lycophytes, sphenophytes, several ferns, bennettitaleans, and conifers. In addition, three distinct kinds of conifer shoots and needles were obtained from bulk macerations. The composition of the plant communities is typical for Jurassic macrofloras of Gondwana, which underscores the general homogeneity of Southern Hemisphere vegetation during the mid-Mesozoic. Altogether, the plant fossil assemblages indicate humid and warm temperate conditions, which is in contrast to recent palaeoclimatic models that predict cool temperate climates for the continental interior of southern Gondwana during the Jurassic. However, there is no evidence for notable soil development or peat accumulation. The environmental conditions were apparently very unstable due to intense volcanic activity that resulted in frequent perturbation of landscape and vegetation, hampering the development of long-lived climax communities. Cuticles of bennettitaleans and conifers show xeromorphic features that may have been beneficial for growth in this volcanic environment.
Atomic Force Microscopy Imaging Reveals Artifacts Produced
by Commonly Used Analytical Methods
Authors: Veisfeld Nina
Published: November 2010

The atomic force microscopy is increasingly being used in
analytical laboratories to study material surface phenomena.
Whereas its use is not free of artifacts itself, the AFM, because
of the ways it produces topography images, can shed some light
on problems associated with other analytical techniques. This
article describes the use of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) in
visualizing and evaluating the extent of some well-known artifacts
produced by three techniques widely used in analytical
laboratories. The three different types of artifacts demonstrated
here are caused, respectively, (1) by a stylus profilometer
used for topography characterization of the pole tip area of
magnetic heads, (2) by an accumulation of an organic contamination
caused by a stationary electron beam positioned on an analyzed
surface during SEM/EDX analysis, (3) by an enhancement of
aluminum grain structure produced by a rastered monodirectional
sputtering ion beam during Auger depth profile analysis. The
analytical consequences of each of the presented artifacts are
discussed. The images were collected on the TOPOMETRIX TX 2000
“Discoverer” AFM, using standard 4-μm pyramidal
tips and forces within a few nanometers.
Pattern of care and survival in older women with breast cancer in India
Authors: Yadav Budhi S. , Sharma Suresh C. , Menu G. , Mohmad A. , Patel Firuza D. , Nisar K. , Sushmita G.
Published: November 2010

Purpose:To determine the pattern of care and survival in older patients with breast cancer.

Methods:The study population included 228 women aged ≥60 years with breast cancer treated between 1992 and 2002. Analysis was done for surgery, radiotherapy (RT), chemotherapy and hormonal therapy. Outcomes studied were locoregional recurrence (LRR) distant metastases, disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) using univariate and multivariate analyses. Kaplan–Meier method was used to estimate DFS and OS.

Results:Mastectomy was done in 208 (91%) patients and conservative breast surgery (CBS) only in 20 (9%) patients. Majority of the patients received adjuvant RT 179 (78.5%). Chemotherapy was given to 49 (21.5%) patients and hormones to 204 (89.5%) patients. LRR with or without distant metastases was 7% and distant metastasis rate was 19.3%. DFS at 10 years was 69%. With RT, DFS was 76% in patients aged <65 years and 73% in aged ≥65 years (p= 0.13). It was 73 and 86%, respectively, with chemotherapy (p= 0.041). DFS with hormones was 96% in patients aged ≥65 years and 79% in aged <65 years (p= 0.028). The OS was 74% at 10 years. RT improved OS in all patients. OS with chemotherapy was 94% in patients ≥65 years, and 82% in patients <65 years (p= 0.044). With hormonal therapy OS was 96% in patients aged ≥65 years and 78% in patients <65 years (p= 0.020).

Conclusion:CBS rate and chemotherapy use is very low in elderly women with breast cancer in India. Adjuvant RT, chemotherapy and hormonal therapy offered a therapeutic advantage in these patients.
Implementation of a lateral total body irradiation technique with 6 MV photons: The University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio experience
Authors: Mesa Francisco , Eng Tony Y. , Esquivel Carlos , Fuller Clifton D. , Papanikolaou Niko , Sosa Modesto
Published: November 2010

Purpose: Total body irradiation (TBI) involves delivery of marrow-ablative or suppressive dose to the entirety of the marrow habitus. In its current practice, TBI often involves positioning the patient in an uncomfortable upright body position for extended periods of time while delivering radiation dose via anteroposterior/posterioanterior (AP/PA) fields. In an effort to maximize reproducibility and patient comfort, especially for paediatric patients, a supine lateral total body irradiation (LTBI) protocol was implemented as preparatory regimen for bone marrow transplant.

Methods and Materials: One hundred and forty-five patient charts were reviewed. Patients were treated in supine position with hands clasped over the upper abdomen in a comfortable position. They were placed in a methylcrylate body box and irradiated with opposed lateral fields at extended distance of 350 cm to the midplane of the patient. Each field delivered 100 cGy with a midplane dose of 200 cGy per fraction. Dose regimes varied from 200 to 1,200 cGy total doses. Custom lead compensating filters were utilized. A 6 MV photon beam produced by a Varian Clinac 600c linear accelerator was applied. In vivo thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) readings were taken for anatomical regions of interest (ROI). TLDs were placed in each ROI under a 1.5-cm-thick bolus for maximum dose build-up.

Results and Conclusion: The resulting data demonstrate a dosimetric variability of anatomical ROI from reference prescription dose of less than 3%. LTBI has been used for more than ten years in our institution and produced favourable results for more than 100 patients. We suggest this LTBI approach to facilitate successful treatment of children who require TBI while maintaining dose uniformity as recommended by the American Association of Physicists in Medicine Report 17.
The effect of the carbon fibre insert for the Varian Exact™ couch on the attenuation and build-up of high energy photon beams
Authors: Wilson ML , Colley WP , Beavis AW
Published: November 2010

Carbon fibre couch inserts are widely used in external beam radiotherapy to provide rigid and lightweight patient support. Carbon fibre is often perceived to be essentially radiotranslucent implying that it does not interfere with the radiation beam. However, there is evidence in the literature which suggests that this perception may not be appropriate, particularly at oblique angles of incidence. Furthermore, there is evidence indicating that the use of carbon fibre significantly reduces the skin sparing effect. In this study, the radiation attenuation and surface dose enhancement characteristics of the carbon fibre insert for the Varian ExactTM couch have been investigated. It was found that attenuation increased significantly with increasing angle of incidence, resulting in in-phantom dose reductions of up to 6% at 6 MV and 4% at 15 MV. It has been shown that it is possible to model couch attenuation on a commercial treatment planning system (Elekta CMS XiO) by including the carbon fibre insert in the planning computed tomography (CT) dataset. Finally, the carbon fibre insert was found to significantly increase skin dose to the patient. The skin dose was approximately three times as large when the couch insert was added to 6 and 15 MV photon beams. However, even with this substantial increase it is highly unlikely that the skin tolerance dose will be exceeded.
Legislative Obstruction
Authors: Mayhew David R.
Published: November 2010

The Democrats dodged a bullet on health care in the spring of 2010, but the Senate filibuster is still with us. The 60-vote pivot, the cloture strategies, Senator Scott Brown (R-MA), the member “holds,” and the rest are as basic as anything these days to U.S. national policymaking.