bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hook2, a microtubule-binding protein, interacts with Par6α and controls centrosome orientation during polarized cell migration
Authors: Pallesi-Pocachard Emilie , Bazellieres Elsa , Viallat-Lieutaud Annelise , Delgrossi Marie-Hélène , Barthelemy-Requin Magali , Le Bivic André , Massey-Harroche Dominique
Published: September 2016

Polarity protein complexes function during polarized cell migration and a subset of these proteins localizes to the reoriented centrosome during this process. Despite these observations, the mechanisms behind the recruitment of these polarity complexes such as the aPKC/PAR6α complex to the centrosome are not well understood. Here we identify Hook2 as an interactor for the aPKC/PAR6α complex that functions to localize this complex at the centrosome. We first demonstrate that Hook2 is essential for the polarized Golgi re-orientation towards the migration front. Depletion of Hook2 results in a decrease of PAR6α at the centrosome during cell migration, while overexpression of Hook2 in cells induced the formation of aggresomes with the recruitment of PAR6α, aPKC and PAR3. In addition, we demonstrate that the interaction between the C-terminal domain of Hook2 and the aPKC-binding domain of PAR6α localizes PAR6α to the centrosome during cell migration. Our data suggests that Hook2, a microtubule binding protein, plays an important role in the regulation of PAR6α recruitment to the centrosome to bridge microtubules and the aPKC/PAR complex. This data reveals how some of the polarity protein complexes are recruited to the centrosome and might regulate pericentriolar and microtubule organization and potentially impact on polarized migration.
Two-Dimensional Fluorescence Difference Spectroscopy to Characterize Nanoparticles and their Interactions
Authors: Hurst Miranda N. , DeLong Robert K.
Published: September 2016

Two dimensional fluorescence difference spectroscopy (2D FDS) detects nanoparticle interactions following surface functionalization and biomolecule loading by generating a spectral signature of the fluorescent intensity per excitation and emission wavelengths. Comparing metal oxide nanoparticles revealed a unique spectral signature per material composition. 2D FDS showed to be sensitive to changes in surface properties between ZnO NPs synthesized by different methods. ZnO NP loaded with glycol chitosan, polyacrylic acid (PAA), or methoxy polyethylene glycol (mPEG) exhibited a distinct spectral signature shift. ZnO NP loaded with Torula Yeast RNA (TYRNA)(640 nm), polyinosinic: polycytidylic acid (pIC)(680 nm), or splice switching oligonucleotide (SSO)(650 nm) each revealed a shift in emission. Ras-Binding domain (RBD) at three concentrations (25, 37.5, 50 μg/mL) showed that fluorescent intensity was inversely related to the concentration of protein loaded. These data support 2D FDS as a novel technique in identifying nanoparticles and their surface interactions as a quality assurance tool.
Complement C5a induces PD-L1 expression and acts in synergy with LPS through Erk1/2 and JNK signaling pathways
Authors: An Ling-Ling , Gorman Jacob V. , Stephens Geoffrey , Swerdlow Bonnie , Warrener Paul , Bonnell Jessica , Mustelin Tomas , Fung Michael , Kolbeck Roland
Published: September 2016

Severe bacterial infection results in both uncontrolled inflammation and immune suppression in septic patients. Although there is ample evidence that complement activation provokes overwhelming pro-inflammatory responses, whether or not it plays a role in immune suppression in this case is unclear. Here, we identify that complement C5a directly participates in negative regulation of immune responses to bacteria-induced inflammation in an ex vivo model of human whole blood. Challenge of whole blood with heat-killed Pseudomonas aeruginosa induces PD-L1 expression on monocytes and the production of IL-10 and TGF-β, which we show to be inhibited by C5a blockade. The induction of PD-L1 expression by C5a is via C5aR1but not C5aR2. Furthermore, C5a synergises with P. aeruginosa LPS in both PD-L1 expression and the production of IL-10 and TGF-β. Mechanistically, C5a contributes to the synergy in PD-L1 expression by specifically activating Erk1/2 and JNK signaling pathways. Our study reveals a new role for C5a in directly promoting immunosuppressive responses. Therefore, aberrant production of complement C5a during bacterial infection could have broader effect on compromising host defense including the induction of immune suppression.
Comprehensive approach for predicting toxicological effects of ionic liquids on several biological systems using unified descriptors
Authors: Cho Chul-Woong , Stolte Stefan , Yun Yeoung-Sang
Published: September 2016

The challenge and opportunity for design of environmentally-benign ionic liquids (ILs) would start from prediction of their toxicological effects on several endpoints solely based on the structural formulas. Especially, a comprehensive yet simple equation able to predict several biological responses to IL toxicity is of much advantage. Therefore, based on 50 toxicity testing systems on ILs a comprehensively approachable prediction method was developed. For the modelling, approximately 1600 toxicity values measured by several biological systems and an amended linear free energy relationship (LFER) model were used. Since the toxicological activities of an IL could be differently described according to sensitivity of toxicity testing systems, the sensitivity of each of toxicity testing systems was also estimated in the modelling. By statistical analysis with the calculated descriptors, a LFER model was built. Also the sensitivity value of each system on the basis of the comprehensively approachable model was numerically estimated. In results, it was observed that the combination of single model and sensitivity terms was able to predict each of 50 toxicological effects of ILs with R2 of 0.593~0.978, and SE of 0.098~0.699 log unit, and the total data set with R2 of 0.901 and SE of 0.426 log unit.
Characterization of human mitochondrial ferritin promoter: identification of transcription factors and evidences of epigenetic control
Authors: Guaraldo Michela , Santambrogio Paolo , Rovelli Elisabetta , Di Savino Augusta , Saglio Giuseppe , Cittaro Davide , Roetto Antonella , Levi Sonia
Published: September 2016

Mitochondrial ferritin (FtMt) is an iron storage protein belonging to the ferritin family but, unlike the cytosolic ferritin, it has an iron-unrelated restricted tissue expression. FtMt appears to be preferentially expressed in cell types characterized by high metabolic activity and oxygen consumption, suggesting a role in protecting mitochondria from iron-dependent oxidative damage. The human gene (FTMT) is intronless and its promoter region has not been described yet. To analyze the regulatory mechanisms controlling FTMT expression, we characterized the 5′ flanking region upstream the transcriptional starting site of FTMT by in silico enquiry of sequences conservation, DNA deletion analysis, and ChIP assay. The data revealed a minimal promoter region and identified the presence of SP1, CREB and YY1 as positive regulators, and GATA2, FoxA1 and C/EBPβ as inhibitors of the transcriptional regulation. Furthermore, the FTMT transcription is increased by acetylating and de-methylating agent treatments in K562 and HeLa cells. These treatments up-regulate FtMt expression even in fibroblasts derived from a Friedreich ataxia patient, where it might exert a beneficial effect against mitochondrial oxidative damage. The expression of FTMT appears regulated by a complex mechanism involving epigenetic events and interplay between transcription factors.
Identification of Viruses in Cases of Pediatric Acute Encephalitis and Encephalopathy Using Next-Generation Sequencing
Authors: Kawada Jun-ichi , Okuno Yusuke , Torii Yuka , Okada Ryo , Hayano Satoshi , Ando Shotaro , Kamiya Yasuko , Kojima Seiji , Ito Yoshinori
Published: September 2016

Acute encephalitis/encephalopathy is a severe neurological syndrome that is occasionally associated with viral infection. Comprehensive virus detection assays are desirable because viral pathogens have not been identified in many cases. We evaluated the utility of next-generation sequencing (NGS) for detecting viruses in clinical samples of encephalitis/encephalopathy patients. We first determined the sensitivity and quantitative performance of NGS by comparing the NGS-determined number of sequences of human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) in clinical serum samples with the HHV-6 load measured using real-time PCR. HHV-6 was measured as it occasionally causes neurologic disorders in children. The sensitivity of NGS for detection of HHV-6 sequences was equivalent to that of real-time PCR, and the number of HHV-6 reads was significantly correlated with HHV-6 load. Next, we investigated the ability of NGS to detect viral sequences in 18 pediatric patients with acute encephalitis/encephalopathy of unknown etiology. A large number of Coxsackievirus A9 and mumps viral sequences were detected in the cerebrospinal fluid of 2 and 1 patients, respectively. In addition, Torque teno virus and Pepper mild mottle viral sequences were detected in the sera of one patient each. These data indicate that NGS is useful for detection of causative viruses in patients with pediatric encephalitis/encephalopathy.
Traceless directing group mediated branched selective alkenylation of unbiased arenes
Authors: Agasti Soumitra , Dey Aniruddha , Maiti Debabrata
Published: September 2016

–COOH group assisted branched selective olefination of simple arenes.
Correction: Simulations of the water exchange dynamics of lanthanide ions in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethyl sulfate ([EMIm][EtSO4]) and water
Authors: Tu Yi-Jung , Allen Matthew J. , Cisneros G. Andrés
Published: September 2016

Correction for ‘Simulations of the water exchange dynamics of lanthanide ions in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethyl sulfate ([EMIm][EtSO4]) and water’ by Yi-Jung Tu et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2016, DOI: 10.1039/c6cp04957e.
Catalytic hydrogenation and one step hydrogenation-esterification to remove acetic acid for bio-oil upgrading: model reaction study
Authors: Zhou Minghao , Liu Peng , Wang Kui , Xu Junming , Jiang Jianchun
Published: September 2016

NiMo/CNT catalysts exhibited satisfactory catalytic activity for the conversion of acetic acid by either hydrogenation or hydrogenation-esterification with acetaldehyde.
Counterion-dominating chirality transfer between chiral and achiral polyoxometalates
Authors: Shi Lei , Jiang Fengrui , Li Bao , Wu Lixin
Published: September 2016

The chirality transfer between inorganic polyoxometalate clusters is realized by the suitable mediation of counterions through multi-interactions in aqueous solution.
Novel synthesis of a four-electron-reduced ruthenium(ii) NADH-type complex under water-gas-shift reaction conditions
Authors: Ohtsu Hideki , Fujii Sho , Tsuge Kiyoshi , Tanaka Koji
Published: September 2016

A novel four-electron-reduced ruthenium(ii) complex having an NADH-type ligand, [Ru(bbnpH4)(CO)2Cl](PF6), has been successfully synthesized under moderate water-gas-shift reaction conditions.
{[Ir3(cod)3(μ3-S)2](μ3-S)SnCl}2 – a ternary Ir–Sn–S cluster with the iridium atoms in three different chemical environments
Authors: Leusmann Eliza , Geringer Eugenie , Weinert Bastian , Dehnen Stefanie
Published: September 2016

The cluster {[Ir3(cod)3(μ3-S)2](μ3-S)SnCl}2 with an unprecedented topology of Sn, Ir, and S atoms was obtained by reactions of organo-functionalized tinsulfide clusters with [IrCl(cod)]2.
Emerging investigators series: frontier review: occurrence and speciation of chromium in drinking water distribution systems
Authors: Chebeir Michelle , Chen Gongde , Liu Haizhou
Published: September 2016

Chromium can exist as both trivalent Cr(iii) and hexavalent Cr(vi) in typical drinking water conditions, with Cr(vi) being of particular concern due to its high toxicity and new regulatory perspectives.
New enzymatic methods for the synthesis of primary α-aminonitriles and unnatural α-amino acids by oxidative cyanation of primary amines withd-amino acid oxidase from porcine kidney
Authors: Kawahara Nobuhiro , Yasukawa Kazuyuki , Asano Yasuhisa
Published: September 2016

Oxidation of amino groups in amines or amino acids activates the sp3Cα–H bond to form imines, making the alpha carbon atom a preferable target for nucleophilic reagents such as cyanide.
A systematic exploration of the effects of flexibility and basicity on sigma (σ) receptor binding in a series of substituted diamines
Authors: Conroy Trent , Manohar Madhura , Gong Yu , Wilkinson Shane M. , Webster Michael , Lieberman Brian P. , Banister Samuel D. , Reekie Tristan A. , Mach Robert H. , Rendina Louis M. , Kassiou Michael
Published: September 2016

Investigating amide and open chain piperazine analogues to target the sigma 1 receptor to fight neurological disorders.
Cu(i)-Catalyzed amino-yne click polymerization
Authors: He Benzhao , Zhen Shijie , Wu Yongwei , Hu Rongrong , Zhao Zujin , Qin Anjun , Tang Ben Zhong
Published: September 2016

The first example of Cu(i)-catalyzed regio-specific and stereo-selective amino-yne click polymerization was established.
A cross-coupling-annulation cascade from peri-dibromonaphthalimide to pseudo-rylene bisimides
Authors: Seifert Sabine , Schmidt David , Würthner Frank
Published: September 2016

A novel synthetic strategy based on cascade C–C cross-coupling and C–H arylation afforded structurally unique polycyclic aromatics with desirable optical and redox properties.
Ionic liquid binary mixtures: how different factors contribute to determine their effect on the reactivity
Authors: Marullo Salvatore , D'Anna Francesca , Campodonico Paola R. , Noto Renato
Published: September 2016

We studied how mixing ionic liquids affected the rate of the Diels Alder reaction between 9-anthracenemethanol and N-ethylmaleimide.
BiOX/BiOY (X, Y = F, Cl, Br, I) superlattices for visible light photocatalysis applications
Authors: Wang Guangzhao , Luo Xukai , Huang Yuhong , Kuang Anlong , Yuan Hongkuan , Chen Hong
Published: September 2016

BiOF/BiOI, BiOCl/BiOBr, BiOCl/BiOI, and BiOBr/BiOI superlattices are suitable for visible light photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants.
The excellent photocatalytic synergism of PbBiO2Br/UiO-66-NH2 composites via multiple coupling effects
Authors: Li Sunfeng , Wang Xing , Xu Yanli , Yang Hanbiao , Wei Fengyu , Liu Xueting
Published: September 2016

PbBiO2Br/UiO-66-NH2 composites synthesized by a facile solvothermal method have a core–shell structure with UiO-66-NH2 forming the shell around a PbBiO2Br core.
Adsorptive removal of dimethyl disulfide from methyl tert-butyl ether using an Ag-exchanged ZSM-5 zeolite
Authors: Zhao Ya-wei , Shen Ben-xian , Sun Hui
Published: September 2016

Ag+-exchange improves the DMDS adsorption amount by 7.7 times compared to parent HZSM-5.
Eu2O3 modified CeO2 nanoparticles as a heterogeneous catalyst for an efficient green multicomponent synthesis of novel phenyldiazenyl-acridinedione-carboxylic acid derivatives in aqueous medium
Authors: Vijay Kumar P. Sagar , Suresh L. , Vinodkumar T. , Chandramouli G. V. P.
Published: September 2016

Synthesis of phenyldiazenyl-acridinedione-carboxylic acids by a one-pot multicomponent coupling of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds, substituted-phenyl-diazenyl-benzaldehydes and glycine using Eu2O3 modified CeO2 as the catalyst in aqueous medium.
Near-infrared luminescence and energy transfer processes in LaOF:Nd3+, Yb3+
Authors: Shi Shiman , Shi Qiufeng , Cui Cai'e , Wang Lei , Tian Yue , Huang Ping
Published: September 2016

The cross-relaxation energy transfer from Nd3+ (4D3/2 → 4G5/2) to Yb3+ (2F7/2 → 2F5/2) was confirmed.
NIR-laser-triggered smart full-polymer nanogels for synergic photothermal-/chemo-therapy of tumors
Authors: Meng Zhouqi , Chen Xiaoliang , Liu Zixiao , Chen Shaohua , Yu Nuo , Wei Peiling , Chen Zhigang , Zhu Meifang
Published: September 2016

Full-polymer smart nanogels (PNA–CS–PPy–DOX) have been developed. They exhibit excellent photothermal and drug-release abilities for the synergic therapy of tumors.
An economic and environmentally benign approach for the preparation of monolithic silica aerogels
Authors: Zhang Yuanyuan , Peng Junxia , Du Guanqun , Zhang Hongxia , Fang Yu
Published: September 2016

One step sol–gel reaction, followed by solvent exchange free ambient pressure drying resulted in various monolithic silica aerogels from super-hydrophobic to hydrophilic with densities as low as 0.026 g cm−3 and thermal conductivities lower than air.
Phase coexistence and the magnetic glass-like phase associated with the Morin type spin reorientation phase transition in SmCrO3
Authors: Tripathi Malvika , Choudhary R. J. , Phase D. M.
Published: September 2016

SmCrO3 undergoes a discontinuous Morin type spin reorientation process due to discrete flipping of Cr3+ ions from the high temperature Γ4 to low temperature Γ1 configuration.
Enantioselective bifunctional iminophosphorane catalyzed sulfa-Michael addition of alkyl thiols to unactivated β-substituted-α,β-unsaturated esters
Authors: Yang Jinchao , Farley Alistair J. M. , Dixon Darren J.
Published: September 2016

The highly enantioselective sulfa-Michael addition of alkyl thiols to unactivated β-substituted-α,β-unsaturated esters catalyzed by a bifunctional iminophosphorane (BIMP) organocatalyst is described.
A redox-responsive theranostic agent for target-specific fluorescence imaging and photodynamic therapy of EGFR-overexpressing triple-negative breast cancers
Authors: Kim Jisu , Won Youngjae , Goh Sung-Ho , Choi Yongdoo
Published: September 2016

A redox-responsive specific theranostic agent for target-cell-specific activatable fluorescence imaging and photodynamic therapy of triple-negative breast cancers.
Verlauf der kognitiven Funktionsfähigkeit von Personen mit Demenzerkrankung: Analyse der Leistungsaufzeichnungen im kognitiven Training
Authors: Stiglbauer Barbara , Böhm Martin
Published: September 2016

Ziel Es wird untersucht, wie sich die kognitive Funktionsfähigkeit von Personen mit Demenzerkrankung, die an kognitiven Trainings teilnehmen, entwickelt.

Methodik Die Trainingsaufzeichnungen von 5 Personen werden über 1,5 Jahre analysiert.

Ergebnisse Die kognitive Funktionsfähigkeit stimmt mit den MMST-Werten überein und nimmt insgesamt in mittlerer Stärke ab; der Abbau ist bei höherer Übungsanzahl geringer.

Schlussfolgerung Laufende Dokumentationen kognitiver Trainings können zur Erforschung der Rolle kognitiver Verfahren für die Therapie von Demenzerkrankungen genutzt werden.
Radar cross-section measurements of ice particles using vector network analyzer
Authors: Wang Jinhu , Ge Junxiang , Zhang Qilin , Li Xiangchao , Wei Ming , Yang Zexin , Liu Yan-An
Published: September 2016

We carried out radar cross-section (RSC) measurements of ice particles in a microwave anechoic chamber at Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology. We used microwave similarity theory to enlarge the size of particle from the micrometer to millimeter scale and to reduce the testing frequency from 94 GHz to 10 GHz. The microwave similarity theory was validated using the method of moments for single metal sphere, single dielectric sphere, and spherical and non-spherical dielectric particle swarms. The differences between the retrieved and theoretical results at 94 GHz were 0.016117%, 0.0023029%, 0.027627%, and 0.0046053%, respectively. We proposed a device that can measure the RCS of ice particles in the chamber based on the S21 parameter obtained from vector network analyzer. On the basis of the measured S21 parameter of the calibration material (metal plates) and their corresponding theoretical RCS values, the RCS values of a spherical Teflon particle swarm and cuboid candle particle swarm was retrieved at 10 GHz. In this case, the differences between the retrieved and theoretical results were 12.72% and 24.49% for the Teflon particle swarm and cuboid candle swarm, respectively.
Influence of deep cryogenic treatment on the microstructure and properties of AISI304 austenitic stainless steel A-TIG weld
Authors: Cai Y. , Luo Z. , Zeng Y.
Published: September 2016

Appropriate deep cryogenic treatment can improve comprehensive mechanical properties of the AISI304 austenitic stainless steel activating flux tungsten inert gas (A-TIG) welds. The microstructure of the welds before and after deep cryogenic treatment was all austenite with a small amount of δ-ferrite. The vermiform ferrite + austenite distributed in the whole weld, but the lath-shaped ferrite + austenite mixed components only distributed in the centre of the weld. The phases in the two welds were all Cr–Ni–Fe–C and Fe–Ni solid solutions, ferric carbide (i.e. Fe3C) and chromic carbides (i.e. Cr23C6 and Cr7C3). After deep cryogenic treatment, the grain size of the weld was decreased a certain of degree, and the carbide phase content was increased. The strength and micro-hardness of the weld joints were increased due to the grain refinement. The intergranular corrosion resistance of the weld was reduced because the precipitation of chromium carbides at the austenite grain boundary.
Feeding Larval Gulf Killifish: Total Replacement of Artemia Nauplii and Co-Feeding from Hatch
Authors: Patterson Joshua , Ohs Cortney , O’Malley Paige , Palau Andrew , D’Abramo Louis , Reigh Robert , Green Christopher
Published: September 2016

Larval Gulf Killifish Fundulus grandis hatching from air-incubated eggs are precocial, with well-developed mouths and eyes providing an immediate capacity for exogenous feeding. Live feeds are almost universally used in finfish and crustacean hatcheries, with newly hatched brine shrimp Artemia spp. nauplii being a standard. Across two experiments from hatch in Gulf Killifish, we evaluated the ability to replace Artemia nauplii with prepared diets. Experiment 1 measured growth and survival from hatch through 8 weeks in larval Gulf Killifish fed either Artemia nauplii or one of five commercially available diets. Experiment 2 measured survival and SL of Gulf Killifish larvae at 5, 10, and 15 d posthatch among treatments consisting of animals fed Artemia nauplii, the best-performing commercial diet from experiment 1, or an experimental microbound diet or “co-fed” the microbound diet and Artemia. In experiment 1, Gulf Killifish larvae fed live Artemia nauplii exhibited growth that significantly outperformed commercially available formulated diets. Mean ± SE (SEM) survival (%) among treatments ranged from 51.1 ± 7.4 to 86.2 ± 2.1. Larvae fed one commercially prepared diet outperformed larvae fed the other four commercial diets in terms of growth. In experiment 2, mean SL was significantly different among treatments by 15 d posthatch. Mean ± SEM survival (%) across all treatments in experiment 2 ranged from 87.7 ± 0.8 to 99.2 ± 0.4. Results of these experiments are some of the first to document acceptable growth and survival of finfish larvae when Artemia nauplii are completely replaced with formulated diets from hatch. The distinctive larval biology of the study species in concert with the ability to air-incubate the embryos were presumably important factors in the ability to completely replace Artemia nauplii from hatch.
Adaptive scaling of reward in episodic memory: a replication study
Authors: Mason Alice , Ludwig Casimir , Farrell Simon
Published: September 2016

Reward is thought to enhance episodic memory formation via dopaminergic consolidation. Bunzeck, Dayan, Dolan, and Duzel [(2010). A common mechanism for adaptive scaling of reward and novelty. Human Brain Mapping, 31, 1380–1394] provided functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and behavioural evidence that reward and episodic memory systems are sensitive to the contextual value of a reward—whether it is relatively higher or lower—as opposed to absolute value or prediction error. We carried out a direct replication of their behavioural study and did not replicate their finding that memory performance associated with reward follows this pattern of adaptive scaling. An effect of reward outcome was in the opposite direction to that in the original study, with lower reward outcomes leading to better memory than higher outcomes. There was a marginal effect of reward context, suggesting that expected value affected memory performance. We discuss the robustness of the reward memory relationship to variations in reward context, and whether other reward-related factors have a more reliable influence on episodic memory.
The effects of aluminium on plant growth in a temperate and deciduous aluminium accumulating species
Authors: Schmitt Marco , Watanabe Toshihiro , Jansen Steven
Published: September 2016

Aluminium (Al) is a phytotoxic element affecting the growth and yield of many crop plants, especially in the tropics. Yet, some plants are able to accumulate high levels of Al. The monogeneric family Symplocaceae represents an Al accumulating family including many tropical and evergreen species with high Al levels in their above ground plant tissues. It is unclear, however, whether Al accumulation also characterises temperate species of Symplocos , and whether or not the uptake has a beneficial growth effect. Here, we investigate if the temperate, deciduous species Symplocos paniculata is able to accumulate Al by growing seedlings and saplings in a hydroponic setup at pH 4 with and without Al. Pyrocatechol-violet (PCV) and aluminon staining was performed to visualize Al accumulation in various plant tissues. Both seedlings and saplings accumulate Al in their tissues if available. Mean Al levels in leaves were 4107 (±1474 mg kg −1 ) and 4290 (±4025 mg kg −1 ) for the seedlings and saplings, respectively. The saplings treated without Al showed a high mortality rate unlike the Al accumulating ones. The seedlings, however, showed no difference in growth and vitality between the two treatments. The saplings treated with Al showed new twig, leaf and root development, resulting in a considerable biomass increase. PCV and aluminon staining indicated the presence of Al in leaf, wood and bark tissue of the plants. S. paniculata shares the capacity to accumulate Al with its tropical sister species and is suggested to be a facultative accumulator. Whether or not Al has a beneficial effect remains unclear, due to developmental differences between seedlings and saplings. Al is suggested to be transported via the xylem transport system into the leaves, which show the highest Al levels. Radial transport via ray parenchyma to bark tissue is also likely given the high Al concentrations in the bark tissue.
UN Security Council
Authors: Bellamy Alex J.
Published: September 2016

This chapter focuses on the Security Council’s special responsibilities in relation to R2P. It argues that the adoption of R2P in 2005 reflected a growing commitment to human protection on the part of the Council, already evident in its adoption of the protection of civilians as a thematic agenda in Resolution 1265 (2000). Nevertheless, the Council was initially reluctant to embrace, let alone act upon, the responsibilities laid out by R2P largely owing to fears on the part of Russia, China, and some non-Western non-permanent members that the new concept masked an interventionist political agenda. Over time, the Council has grown significantly more supportive of R2P and comfortable with its use in both thematic and operational resolutions to the point where the inclusion of R2P language in Council resolutions has become almost habitual in situations characterized by the threat or commission of atrocity crimes.
The Role of Regional Organizations
Authors: Carment David , Winchester Sean , Landry Joe
Published: September 2016

The failure of regional organizations and states to fully embrace the responsibility to protect (R2P) agenda has led to the creation of a ‘responsibility gap’ that is being filled by local actors and non-governmental organizations. This chapter examines the influence that this lack of engagement at the regional and national level has had on our ability to prevent the outbreak of conflict, mass atrocities, and crimes against humanity. In doing so, it provides an updated evaluation of the role of regional organizations in implementing R2P principles. It concludes by noting that evidence of a strengthened R2P agenda is difficult to find.
The African Union
Authors: Aning Kwesi , Okyere Frank
Published: September 2016

The African Union has been acclaimed for its effort in adopting policies that seek to protect civilian populations from mass atrocity crimes. It has transited from the principle of non-interference to non-indifference through the adoption of Article 4(h) of the Constitutive Act of 2000, which enjoins it to intervene in respect of war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity. Article 4(h) and the responsibility to protect share striking commonalities—both are rooted in the notion of sovereignty as responsibility. However, limited progress has been made in translating these normative principles into concrete action. This chapter notes the lingering issues of sovereignty and limited capacity for enforcement, as well as the state-centric approach to prevention without regard for local sources of resilience. Effective implementation of R2P should address the challenges of cooperation between the AU and other organs, and consider hybrid forms of prevention which exist in many African states.
Humanitarian Intervention in the Nineteenth Century
Authors: Rodogno Davide
Published: September 2016

The purpose of this chapter is to show that a number of interventions took place from 1815 to 1914. The chapter avoids the fabrication of a fil rouge connecting nineteenth-century interventions to more recent ones, including the one in Libya. They are not identical phenomena. The historian’s perspective emphasizes continuities and ruptures in the concept of the responsibility to protect, a term that is historicized in the chapter, and examines whether or not the amount of intervention that occurs in the present-day international system, or the seemingly original network of contemporary transnational relations, is anything but original.
Asia Pacific and South Asia
Authors: Teitt Sarah
Published: September 2016

There is a tendency to view R2P diffusion in the Asia Pacific region as a function of ‘norm containment’, which explains endorsement of R2P as a result of the weakening, deconstruction, or dilution of R2P to render it more compatible with the region’s state-centred security norms and practices. This chapter demonstrates, however, that R2P has diffused in the Asia Pacific region through a dynamic process of negotiation and compromise between international R2P norm advocates and Asia Pacific actors, which has witnessed concession and accommodation on both sides. Through case study analysis of how the governments of Japan and India have engaged with R2P, the chapter argues that the Asia Pacific’s socialization to R2P is most aptly characterized as a balance of R2P norm containment and localization, witnessed in Asia Pacific actors shaping the contours of the R2P norm and accommodating its prescriptions through gradual, incremental normative and institutional change.
Russia
Authors: Stepanova Ekatarina
Published: September 2016

While Russia officially supports the humanistic principles underlying the responsibility to protect, it has criticized the expanded interpretation and implementation of R2P by Western states. This chapter looks at Russia’s own practical experience with activities in the ‘spirit’, if not strictly the ‘letter’, of R2P and explores the genuine appealof the human protection imperative for Russia as a society rather than just a state. It argues that Russia’s involvement in the crisis in eastern Ukraine is the case when Russia has come closest to exercising its own version of R2P which was driven at least as much by a massive genuine human solidarity impulse on the part of the bulk of the Russian society as by the Kremlin’s strategic interests. The chapter identifies a growing gap between Russia’s practical experience on human protection highlighted by the Donbass case and its conservative and narrow conceptual and policy approach to R2P.
Latin America
Authors: Serrano Mónica
Published: September 2016

This chapter explores why Latin American countries have endorsed, or objected to, the principle of the responsibility to protect. Through an exploration of the various positions held by Latin American (LA) countries in international discussions on R2P the chapter aims to account for the role that the region has played in efforts to develop and consolidate the R2P norm. It finds that those countries that experienced mass atrocities have been more willing to accept R2P. Assessments of the relative costs and benefits of a multilateral solution to atrocity crimes have been influenced by the countries’ own record of massive human rights violations and democratization process. The chapter also situates current R2P discourse and practice in a context of regional contestation over human rights and rampant criminal homicidal violence. It concludes that in such a context the capacity of LA countries to engage normatively with R2P will most likely wane.
The Arab Region
Authors: Azzam Fateh , Hindawi Coralie
Published: September 2016

This chapter looks at Arab perspectives on the responsibility to protect, both at a conventional, state-focused level, and at the level of civil society. The study shows that the Arab region’s views on R2P are varied, nuanced, and subject to change, varying not only between governments and citizens, but also among citizens themselves. The positions expose a widespread tension between a strong attachment to sovereignty, and a willingness to provide support to populations facing danger, in particular fellow Arabs and Muslims. At the same time, the region is united over the perception of an international double standard, which, from an Arab perspective, is symbolized at its worst by the Security Council’s inaction on Palestine. Arab reactions to other conflicts, such as Libya or Syria, however, indicate that although explicit references to the concept are rare, a lively debate on the very idea of R2P is going on in the region.
Addressing the Gender Gap in R2P
Authors: Davies Sara
Published: September 2016

Since its inception, the responsibility to protect (R2P) principle has been progressively narrowed in its scope and application in order to capture widespread support from governments and civil society. However, as this chapter will explore, R2P came perilously close to failing to recognize the gendered dimension of mass atrocity crimes and the prevention of these crimes. The chapter examines how R2P came to be characterized as ‘gender blind’, and details how, since 2006, the principle’s supporters have engaged and responded to this challenge. The author argues that there is a need to continually theorize and engage in areas of common discourse to collectively progress the mutual agenda of gender equitable human protection.
The Use of Force
Authors: Seybolt Taylor
Published: September 2016

This chapter argues that the use of force can prevent or end the atrocities of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing. The historical record, however, shows both successes and failures, and points to certain factors—especially a coherent strategy—that improve the prospect of protecting civilians who are in imminent danger. There is broad diplomatic support among governments for military intervention in the context of the responsibility to protect (R2P) but that support has not resulted in a groundswell of interventions. In light of the risk and difficulty of military intervention, selective use of force is preferable to engaging in military intervention early and often. Caution ought to remain a guiding principle, balanced against the knowledge that R2P without the use of force is meaningless in the situations where it is needed the most.
Conflict Prevention and R2P
Authors: Reike Ruben
Published: September 2016

This chapter examines how the agenda of prevention of armed conflict relates to the principle of the responsibility to protect (R2P). While R2P was originally assumed to be fully compatible with the goals and principles of traditional conflict prevention, subsequent research has disentangled the relationship between R2P and conflict prevention, arguing that conflict prevention is a necessary but not a sufficient component of atrocity prevention, and that atrocity prevention needs to include a strategy for deterring potential perpetrators. Recent scholarship has started to examine the implications of marrying R2P to international criminal law categories. What follows from R2P’s move to crimes is an individualization of the principle, as well as a shift towards partiality, intrusion, and coercion. This means that where a threat of atrocity crimes occurs in the context of armed conflict, it cannot simply be assumed that R2P and conflict prevention are pulling in the same direction.
Responsibility while Protecting
Authors: Stuenkel Oliver
Published: September 2016

This chapter describes the ‘responsibility while protecting’ (RwP) concept, a proposed addendum authored to ensure clearer criteria and greater accountability of UN-authorized military interventions. Launched by the Brazilian government in the aftermath of the intervention in Libya, in late 2011, it temporarily turned Brazil into a key actor in the global discussions about R2P. The chapter argues that RwP made an important political and analytical contribution to the normative development of R2P. It helped bridge a growing polarization in the aftermath of the Libya intervention, moving the debate from whether to prevent mass atrocity crimes to how to go about it. In addition, RwP called for the establishment of a code of ethics for the practical operationalization of R2P, particularly in its coercive dimensions.
The International Criminal Court
Authors: Ralph Jason
Published: September 2016

The responsibility to protect and the International Criminal Court share a recent history and a similar normative structure. The responsibilities to protect and prosecute reside first and foremost in the state and both normative regimes insist that a residual responsibility rests with international society. Yet R2P has not sought to allocate residual responsibility to an institution that notionally transcends power politics. For some critics, R2P should follow the ICC’s lead and delegate decision-making on humanitarian intervention to a supranational body. By focusing on the continuing politicization of international criminal justice under the ICC this chapter illustrates how R2P’s difficulties cannot be fixed by simply creating independent judicial bodies. A more consistent approach to R2P is contingent on a changed conception of P5 responsibility. Changing legal frameworks without changing this political reality will simply add to the disappointment of those who lament the compromises made in the World Summit Outcome Document.
The Use of UN Sanctions to Address Mass Atrocities
Authors: Farrall Jeremy
Published: September 2016

The chapter demonstrates that the UN Security Council (UNSC) is increasingly applying sanctions with the aim of pursuing the individuals who have committed serious violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law. The chapter argues that, while the use of UN sanctions to respond to a mass atrocity crisis does send an important signal of global condemnation, sanctions are likely to be most influential as one element in a long-term conflict resolution strategy. Because sanctions require time to take effect, their potential impact is strongest as part of an upstream, preventive attempt to avert a budding crisis, or as part of a post-crisis effort to hold perpetrators accountable. The ability of UN sanctions to make a meaningful contribution to the promotion of the responsibility to protect will depend upon the extent to which broader sanctions reform efforts achieve their goal of making sanctions more effective and more legitimate.
The Democratic Republic of Congo
Authors: Boutellis Arthur J.
Published: September 2016

Authorized in the wake of the Srebrenica massacre and Rwandan genocide, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was the first of two UN peacekeeping missions to receive an explicit protection of civilians (POC) mandate in 2000. This chapter discusses the challenges the UN mission faced in implementing this POC mandate over 15 years of existence. It analyses how lessons from early protection crises led the mission to develop a series of innovative tools for a better peacekeeping response, up to the establishment of the Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) in 2013. This chapter concludes with some lessons including the need for a shift from a largely UN-centric and troop-intensive approach to physical protection to a greater focus on strengthening national protection capacities as part of a broader political/stabilization strategy, which encourages and empowers the host government to shoulder its primary responsibility to protect its citizens.
Libya
Authors: Adams Simon
Published: September 2016

In March 2011, for the first time in its history, the responsibility to protect (R2P) principle was invoked by the UN Security Council while imposing coercive military measures against a UN Member State without its consent. However, neither the ferocity of the subsequent diplomatic debate around R2P, nor the intensity of the current crisis in post-Gadhafi Libya, should distract us from the fact that Resolutions 1970 and 1973 constituted an appropriate response to a complex mass atrocity situation. The problem was in the disputed implementation of the civilian protection mandate. This chapter argues that when prevention fails, most future R2P cases needing coercive responses, including military force, will continue to require both coercion and consent, with legal authorization of the Security Council and active dialogue about how a state can best uphold its responsibility to protect and how the international community can both assist and compel them to do so.
Mali
Authors: Karlsrud John
Published: September 2016

This chapter examines the crisis in Mali in 2012 with regard to the principle of responsibility to protect (R2P). The chapter discusses all three pillars of R2P, but in particular the decision by the UN Security Council to mandate an African-led intervention in Mali under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, and the subsequent deployment of the French Opération Serval. While supporters of the intervention have highlighted the need to protect civilians facing the march of terrorist and extremist groups towards Bamako, other commentators warned against an international intervention that could securitize the situation and subdue the calls for a necessary political dialogue that could lead to long-term solutions for the country.
South Sudan
Authors: Giffen Alison
Published: September 2016

Two years and five months following the country’s independence from Sudan, a political crisis in South Sudan quickly devolved into a civil war marked by violence that could amount to atrocities. At the time, a United Nations peacekeeping operation, UNMISS, was the principal multinational intervention in South Sudan. UNMISS was explicitly mandated to assist the government of South Sudan to fulfil its responsibility to protect and was also authorized to protect civilians when the government was unable or unwilling to do so. Despite this role, UNMISS’s Special Representative of the Secretary-General said that no one could have predicted the scale or speed at which the violence unfolded. This chapter explores whether the atrocities could have been predicted by UNMISS, why UNMISS was unprepared, and what other peacekeeping operations can learn from UNMISS’s experience.
Sri Lanka
Authors: Nackers Kim
Published: September 2016

In spite of the adoption of the responsibility to protect (R2P) by the Sri Lankan government in 2005, both Sri Lankan and LTTE forces killed thousands of civilians during the conclusion of the civil war. In this chapter, it is shown that these atrocities occurred in large part due to existing international political dynamics, which were focused on the War on Terror, and a shortage of information on what was occurring in the conflict zone. This facilitated states in supporting the government, while diminishing criticism from others that may have been more supportive of the invocation of R2P. Yet following the conflict, with increased information on the crisis, subsequent initiatives taken by the international community have endeavoured to obtain accountability, justice, and to prevent such atrocities from occurring in the future. These initiatives have strengthened the UN’s ability to implement R2P; however, ongoing challenges remain.
Sovereignty as Responsibility
Authors: Cohen Roberta , Deng Francis M.
Published: September 2016

The concept of ‘sovereignty as responsibility’ is without question one of the foundations for the concept of the responsibility to protect (R2P). As United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon observed in 2008, R2P is built on the ‘positive and affirmative concept of sovereignty as responsibility—a concept developed by . . . Francis Deng, and his colleagues at the Brookings Institution more than a decade ago’. This chapter discusses how the concept of sovereignty as responsibility developed from discussions about governance in Africa and from the application of human rights standards to the protection of internally displaced persons. It also identifies the differences in emphasis, scope, and usage between the concept and R2P.
Resetting the Narrative on Peace and Security
Authors: Axworthy Lloyd
Published: September 2016

In little more than a decade, the responsibility to protect (R2P) has evolved from a concept that grew out of early discussions on human security to become an accepted part of global security considerations. Its adoption by the UN World Summit in 2005 introduced a different lens for looking at the threats to people and the need for international action to prevent atrocities. This chapter looks at how to broaden the scope of R2P in the next decade, as a way of responding to the multiple global risks faced by people and as an antidote to the present limitations of the Westphalian, national sovereignty based system. Innovative digital technologies and reformed global governance are especially important in driving the enhanced utility of R2P. A case is made that there are political trends that can aid in advancing such changes, using R2P as lever in reshaping global order and security.
Rwanda, Kosovo, and the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty
Authors: Thakur Ramesh
Published: September 2016

Examining the cases of Rwanda and Kosovo, this chapter explores the recent history, legality, and legitimacy of the normative architecture of a new, consensus-based, world order that seeks to bridge the divide between the competing norms of non-intervention and armed intervention. It begins by describing the default policy setting of non-intervention of the 1990s, and then discusses the policy challenge posed both by no action and unilateral action when faced with mass atrocities. After reviewing the controversy provoked by the claim of an emerging new norm of humanitarian intervention, the final section concludes with the successful effort of ICISS to reconcile, in R2P, the humanitarian imperative to protect civilians from atrocities with the normative prohibition on the use of force inside sovereign jurisdictions by external actors.
Two Theories of Motivation and Their Assessment by Jayanta
Authors: Raghunathan Rajam
Published: September 2016

This article develops the discussion surrounding motivation and action in classical Indian philosophy through the lens afforded by the early Nyāya philosopher Jayanta Bhaṭṭa (c.10th cent. ce). Through his critique of prevailing theories of action in the Mīmāṃsā text tradition, theories that endeavor to explain how Vedic injunctions prompt their hearers to act, Jayanta: (1) provides a detailed exegesis of fundamental Mīmāṃsā doctrines such as bhāvanā and niyoga; (2) indicates how these theories fall short of explaining human motivation; and (3) gestures toward a possible account of motivation as embedded in a network of associations, psychological and physical, that not only condition and constrain motivation, but also shape our understanding of what constitutes an opportunity for action.