bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigation of the interface characteristics of Y2O3/GaAs under biaxial strain, triaxial strain, and non-strain conditions
Authors: Shi Li-Bin , Liu Xu-Yang , Dong Hai-Kuan
Published: September 2016

We investigate the interface behaviors of Y2O3/GaAs under biaxial strain, triaxial strain, and non-strain conditions. This study is performed by first principles calculations based on density functional theory (DFT). First of all, the biaxial strain is realized by changing the lattice constants in ab plane. Averaged electrostatic potential (AEP) is aligned by establishing Y2O3 and GaAs (110) surfaces. The band offsets of Y2O3/GaAs interface under biaxial strain are investigated by generalized gradient approximation and Heyd–Scuseria–Ernzerhof (HSE) functionals. The interface under biaxial strain is suitable for the design of metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) devices because the valence band offsets (VBO) and conduction band offsets (CBO) are larger than 1 eV. Second, the triaxial strain is applied to Y2O3/GaAs interface by synchronously changing the lattice constants in a, b, and c axis. The band gaps of Y2O3 and GaAs under triaxial strain are investigated by HSE functional. We compare the VBO and CBO under triaxial strain with those under biaxial strain. Third, in the absence of lattice strain, the formation energies, charge state switching levels, and migration barriers of native defects in Y2O3 are assessed. We investigate how they will affect the MOS device performance. It is found that VO+2 and Oi−2 play a very dangerous role in MOS devices. Finally, a direct tunneling leakage current model is established. The model is used to analyze current and voltage characteristics of the metal/Y2O3/GaAs.
BabyMEG: A whole-head pediatric magnetoencephalography system for human brain development research
Authors: Okada Yoshio , Hämäläinen Matti , Pratt Kevin , Mascarenas Anthony , Miller Paul , Han Menglai , Robles Jose , Cavallini Anders , Power Bill , Sieng Kosal , Sun Limin , Lew Seok , Doshi Chiran , Ahtam Banu , Dinh Christoph , Esch Lorenz , Grant Ellen , Nummenmaa Aapo , Paulson Douglas
Published: September 2016

We developed a 375-channel, whole-head magnetoencephalography (MEG) system (“BabyMEG”) for studying the electrophysiological development of human brain during the first years of life. The helmet accommodates heads up to 95% of 36-month old boys in the USA. The unique two-layer sensor array consists of: (1) 270 magnetometers (10 mm diameter, ∼15 mm coil-to-coil spacing) in the inner layer, (2) thirty-five three-axis magnetometers (20 mm × 20 mm) in the outer layer 4 cm away from the inner layer. Additionally, there are three three-axis reference magnetometers. With the help of a remotely operated position adjustment mechanism, the sensor array can be positioned to provide a uniform short spacing (mean 8.5 mm) between the sensor array and room temperature surface of the dewar. The sensors are connected to superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) operating at 4.2 K with median sensitivity levels of 7.5 fT/√Hz for the inner and 4 fT/√Hz for the outer layer sensors. SQUID outputs are digitized by a 24-bit acquisition system. A closed-cycle helium recycler provides maintenance-free continuous operation, eliminating the need for helium, with no interruption needed during MEG measurements. BabyMEG with the recycler has been fully operational from March, 2015. Ongoing spontaneous brain activity can be monitored in real time without interference from external magnetic noise sources including the recycler, using a combination of a lightly shielded two-layer magnetically shielded room, an external active shielding, a signal-space projection method, and a synthetic gradiometer approach. Evoked responses in the cortex can be clearly detected without averaging. These new design features and capabilities represent several advances in MEG, increasing the utility of this technique in basic neuroscience as well as in clinical research and patient studies.
Scintillator-based fast ion loss measurements in the EAST
Authors: Chang J. F. , Isobe M. , Ogawa K. , Huang J. , Wu C. R. , Xu Z. , Jin Z. , Lin S. Y. , Hu L. Q. ,   EAST Team
Published: September 2016

A new scintillator-based fast ion loss detector (FILD) has been installed on Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) to investigate the fast ion loss behavior in high performance plasma with neutral beam injection (NBI) and ion cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH). A two dimensional 40 mm × 40 mm scintillator-coated (ZnS:Ag) stainless plate is mounted in the front of the detector, capturing the escaping fast ions. Photons from the scintillator plate are imaged with a Phantom V2010 CCD camera. The lost fast ions can be measured with the pitch angle from 60° to 120° and the gyroradius from 10 mm to 180 mm. This paper will describe the details of FILD diagnostic on EAST and describe preliminary measurements during NBI and ICRH heating.
Tracer-Encapsulated Solid Pellet (TESPEL) injection system for the TJ-II stellarator
Authors: Tamura N. , McCarthy K. J. , Hayashi H. , Combs S. K. , Foust C. , García R. , Panadero N. , Pawelec E. , Hernández Sánchez J. , Navarro M. , Soleto A.
Published: September 2016

A tracer-encapsulated solid pellet (TESPEL) injection system for the TJ-II stellarator was recently developed. In order to reduce the time and cost for the development, we combined a TESPEL injector provided by National Institute for Fusion Science with an existing TJ-II cryogenic pellet injection system. Consequently, the TESPEL injection into the TJ-II plasma was successfully achieved, which was confirmed by several pellet diagnostics including a normal-incidence spectrometer for monitoring a tracer impurity behavior.
Assessment of the micro-structure and depletion potentials in two-dimensional binary mixtures of additive hard-disks
Authors: Perera-Burgos Jorge Adrián , Méndez-Alcaraz José Miguel , Pérez-Ángel Gabriel , Castañeda-Priego Ramón
Published: September 2016

Depletion forces are a particular class of effective interactions that have been mainly investigated in binary mixtures of hard-spheres in bulk. Although there are a few contributions that point toward the effects of confinement on the depletion potential, little is known about such entropic potentials in two-dimensional colloidal systems. From theoretical point of view, the problem resides in the fact that there is no general formulation of depletion forces in arbitrary dimensions and, typically, any approach that works well in three dimensions has to be reformulated for lower dimensionality. However, we have proposed a theoretical framework, based on the formalism of contraction of the description within the integral equations theory of simple liquids, to account for effective interactions in colloidal liquids, whose main feature is that it does not need to be readapted to the problem under consideration. We have also shown that such an approach allows one to determine the depletion pair potential in three-dimensional colloidal mixtures even near to the demixing transition, provided the bridge functions are sufficiently accurate to correctly describe the spatial correlation between colloids [E. López-Sánchez et al., J. Chem. Phys. 139, 104908 (2013)]. We here report an extensive analysis of the structure and the entropic potentials in binary mixtures of additive hard-disks. In particular, we show that the same functional form of the modified-Verlet closure relation used in three dimensions can be straightforwardly employed to obtain an accurate solution for two-dimensional colloidal mixtures in a wide range of packing fractions, molar fractions, and size asymmetries. Our theoretical results are explicitly compared with the ones obtained by means of event-driven molecular dynamics simulations and recent experimental results. Furthermore, to assess the accuracy of our predictions, the depletion potentials are used in an effective one-component model to reproduce the structure of either the big or the small disks. This demonstrates the robustness of our theoretical scheme even in two dimensions.
Effect of magnetic nanoparticle shape on flux amplification in inductive coil magnetic resonance detection
Authors: Barbic Mladen , ElBidweihy Hatem
Published: September 2016

We model and analyze the effect of particle shape on the signal amplification in inductive coil magnetic resonance detection using the reversible transverse magnetic susceptibility of oriented magnetic nanostructures. Utilizing the single magnetic domain Stoner-Wohlfarth model of uniform magnetization rotation, we reveal that different ellipsoidal particle shapes can have a pronounced effect on the magnetic flux enhancement in detection configurations typical of magnetic resonance settings. We compare and contrast the prolate ellipsoids, oblate ellipsoids, and exchange-biased spheres and show that the oblate ellipsoids and exchange-biased spheres have a significantly higher flux amplification effect than the prolate ellipsoids considered previously. In addition, oblate ellipsoids have a much broader polarizing magnetic field range over which their transverse flux amplification is significant. We show the dependence of transverse flux amplification on magnetic resonance bias field and discuss the resulting signal-to-noise ratio of inductive magnetic resonance detection due to the magnetic nanoparticle-filled core of the magnetic resonance detection coil.
Interface water diffusion in silicon direct bonding
Authors: Tedjini M. , Fournel F. , Moriceau H. , Larrey V. , Landru D. , Kononchuk O. , Tardif S. , Rieutord F.
Published: September 2016

The kinetics of water diffusion through the gap formed by the direct bonding of two silicon wafers is studied using two different techniques. X-ray reflectivity is able to monitor the interface density changes associated with the water front progression. The water intake is also revealed through the defect creation upon annealing, creating a rim-like pattern whose extent also gives the water diffusion law. At room temperature, the kinetics observed by either technique are consistent with the Lucas-Washburn law for diffusion through a gap width smaller than 1 nm, excluding any significant no-slip layer thickness.
Action principle for Coulomb collisions in plasmas
Authors: Hirvijoki Eero
Published: September 2016

An action principle for Coulomb collisions in plasmas is proposed. Although no natural Lagrangian exists for the Landau-Fokker-Planck equation, an Eulerian variational formulation is found considering the system of partial differential equations that couple the distribution function and the Rosenbluth-MacDonald-Judd potentials. Conservation laws are derived after generalizing the energy-momentum stress tensor for second order Lagrangians and, in the case of a test-particle population in a given plasma background, the action principle is shown to correspond to the Langevin equation for individual particles.
Two-electron atoms under spatially compressed Debye plasma
Authors: Saha Jayanta K. , Bhattacharyya S. , Mukherjee T. K.
Published: September 2016

Rayleigh–Ritz variational method has been employed to estimate precise energy-eigenvalues of spherically compressed two-electron atoms (Z=1−10) embedded in Debye plasma with a view to modelling atom under dense plasma environment. The trial wave function is expanded in terms of explicitly correlated Hylleraas-type basis set satisfying Dirichlet's boundary condition. The combined effect of decrease in the size of spatial confinement domain and increase in Debye screening parameter pushes the system towards gradual destabilization and subsequent ionization or complete fragmentation of the system. Present results are in reasonable agreement with other results existing in literature. Within finite domain, the thermodynamic pressure experienced by the ions due to the plasma electrons is also estimated.
Drift–Alfven turbulence of a parallel shearing flow of the finite beta plasma with warm ions
Authors: Mikhailenko V. V. , Mikhailenko V. S. , Lee Hae June
Published: September 2016

It was predicted [Mikhailenko et al., Phys. Plasmas 23, 020701 (2016)] that two distinct drift–Alfven instabilities may be developed in the parallel shearing flow of finite beta plasmas (1≫β≫me/mi) with comparable ion and electron temperatures. The first one is the shear-flow-modified drift–Alfven instability, which develops due to the inverse electron Landau damping and exists in the shearless plasma as well. The second one is the shear-flow-driven drift–Alfven instability, which develops due to the combined effect of the velocity shear and ion Landau damping and is absent in the shearless plasma flows. In the present paper, these drift–Alfven instabilities are examined numerically and analytically by including the electromagnetic response of the ions. The levels of the drift–Alfven turbulence, resulted from the development of both instabilities, are determined from the renormalized nonlinear dispersion equation, which accounts for the nonlinear effect of ion scattering by the electromagnetic turbulence. The renormalized quasilinear equation for the ion distribution function, which accounts for the same nonlinear effect of ion scattering, is derived and employed for the analysis of the ion viscosity and ions heating resulting from the interactions of ions with drift–Alfven turbulence.
Use of the drift-time method to measure the electron lifetime in long-drift-length CdZnTe detectors
Authors: Bolotnikov A. E. , Camarda G. S. , Chen E. , Gul R. , Dedic V. , De Geronimo G. , Fried J. , Hossain A. , MacKenzie J. M. , Ocampo L. , Sellin P. , Taherion S. , Vernon E. , Yang G. , El-Hanany U. , James R. B.
Published: September 2016

The traditional method for electron lifetime measurements of CdZnTe (CZT) detectors relies on using the Hecht equation. The procedure involves measuring the dependence of the detector response on the applied bias to evaluate the μτ product, which in turn can be converted into the carrier lifetime. Despite general acceptance of this technique, which is very convenient for comparative testing of different CZT materials, the assumption of a constant electric field inside a detector is unjustified. In the Hecht equation, this assumption means that the drift time would be a linear function of the distance. This condition is not fulfilled in practice at low applied biases, where the Hecht equation is most sensitive to the μτ product. As a result, researchers usually take measurements at relatively high biases, which work well in the case of the low μτ-product material, <10−3 cm2/V, but give significantly underestimated values for the case of high μτ-product crystals. In this work, we applied the drift-time method to measure the electron lifetimes in long-drift-length (4 cm) standard-grade CZT detectors produced by the Redlen Technologies. We found that the electron μτ product of tested crystals is in the range 0.1–0.2 cm2/V, which is an order of the magnitude higher than any value previously reported for a CZT material. In comparison, using the Hecht equation fitting, we obtained μτ = 2.3 × 10−2 cm2/V for a 2-mm thin planar detector fabricated from the same CZT material.
Overtone resonance enhanced single-tube on-beam quartz enhanced photoacoustic spectrophone
Authors: Zheng Huadan , Dong Lei , Sampaolo Angelo , Patimisco Pietro , Ma Weiguang , Zhang Lei , Yin Wangbao , Xiao Liantuan , Spagnolo Vincenzo , Jia Suotang , Tittel Frank K.
Published: September 2016

A single-tube on-beam quartz enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (SO-QEPAS) spectrophone, which employs a custom-made quartz tuning fork (QTF) having a prong spacing of 700 μm and operating at the 1st overtone flexural mode, is reported. The design of QTF prong geometry allows the bare QTF to possess twice higher Q-factor values for the 1st overtone resonance mode falling at ∼17.7 kHz than in the fundamental resonance mode at ∼2.8 kHz, resulting in an 8 times higher QEPAS signal amplitude when operating in the 1st overtone resonance mode. Both the vertical position and length of the single-tube acoustic micro-resonator (AmR) were optimized to attain optimal spectrophone performance. Benefiting from the high overtone resonance frequency and the quasi 1st harmonic acoustic standing waves generated in the SO-QEPAS configuration, the AmR length is reduced to 14.5 mm. This allows the realization of compact spectrophone and facilitates the laser beam alignment through the QTF + AmR system. The signal enhancement in the overtone resonance mode and the high acoustic coupling efficiency between the AmR and QTF in the SO-QEPAS configuration yields an overall sensitivity enhancement factor of ∼380 with respect to the bare custom QTF operating in the fundamental resonance mode.
Age, growth and maturity of oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus) from Papua New Guinea
Authors: D'Alberto Brooke M. , Chin Andrew , Smart Jonathan J. , Baje Leontine , White William T. , Simpfendorfer Colin A.
Published: September 2016

Oceanic whitetip sharks (Carcharhinus longimanus) in the Western Central Pacific have been overfished and require improved assessment and management to enable planning of recovery actions. Samples from 103 individuals (70 males and 33 females; 76.0–240- and 128–235-cm total length (TL) respectively) were used to estimate age, growth and maturity parameters from sharks retained by longline fisheries in Papua New Guinea. Back-calculation was used because of the low number of juveniles and a multimodel framework with Akaike’s information criterion corrected for small sample size (AICc) estimated growth parameters. The von Bertalanffy growth model provided the best fitting growth model for both sexes. Parameter estimates for males were: asymptotic length (L∞)=315.6cm TL; growth coefficient (k)=0.059 year–1; and length at birth (L0)=75.1cm TL. For females, the parameter estimates were: L∞=316.7cm TL; k=0.057 year–1; and L0=74.7cm TL. Maximum age was estimated to be 18 years for males and 17 years for females, with a calculated longevity of 24.6 and 24.9 years respectively. Males matured at 10.0 years and 193cm TL, whereas females matured at 15.8 years and 224cm TL. C. longimanus is a slow-growing, late-maturity species, with regional variation in life history parameters, highlighting increased vulnerability to fishing pressure in this region.
Profiling bovine blastocyst microRNAs using deep sequencing
Authors: Pasquariello R. , Fernandez-Fuertes B. , Strozzi F. , Pizzi F. , Mazza R. , Lonergan P. , Gandolfi F. , Williams J. L.
Published: September 2016

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are known to control several reproductive functions, including oocyte maturation, implantation and early embryonic development. Recent advances in deep sequencing have allowed the analysis of all miRNAs of a sample. However, when working with embryos, due to the low RNA content, miRNA profiling is challenging because of the relatively large amount of total RNA required for library preparation protocols. In the present study we compared three different procedures for RNA extraction and prepared libraries using pools of 30 bovine blastocysts. In total, 14 of the 15 most abundantly expressed miRNAs were common to all three procedures. Furthermore, using miRDeep discovery and annotation software (Max Delbrück Center), we identified 1363 miRNA sequences, of which bta-miR-10b and bta-miR-378 were the most abundant. Most of the 179 genes identified as experimentally validated (86.6%) or predicted targets (13.4%) were associated with cancer canonical pathways. We conclude that reliable analysis of bovine blastocyst miRNAs can be achieved using the procedures described herein. The repeatability of the results across different procedures and independent replicates, as well as their consistency with results obtained in other species, support the biological relevance of these miRNAs and of the gene pathways they modulate in early embryogenesis.
Alternative divertor target concepts for next step fusion devices
Authors: Mazul I.V.
Published: September 2016

The operational conditions of a divertor target in the next steps of fusion devices are more severe in comparison with ITER. The current divertor designs and technologies have a limited application concerning these conditions, and so new design concepts/technologies are required. The main reasons which practically prevent the use of the traditional motionless solid divertor target are analyzed. We describe several alternative divertor target concepts in this paper. The comparative analysis of these concepts (including the advantages and the drawbacks) is made and the prospects for their practical implementation are prioritized. The concept of the swept divertor target with a liquid metal interlayer between the moving armour and motionless heat-sink is presented in more detail. The critical issues of this design are listed and outlined, and the possible experiments are presented.
Developing and validating advanced divertor solutions on DIII-D for next-step fusion devices
Authors: Guo H.Y. , Hill D.N. , Leonard A.W. , Allen S.L. , Stangeby P.C. , Thomas D. , Unterberg E.A. , Abrams T. , Boedo J. , Briesemeister A.R. , Buchenauer D. , Bykov I. , Canik J.M. , Chrobak C. , Covele B. , Ding R. , Doerner R. , Donovan D. , Du H. , Elder D. , Eldon D. , Lasa A. , Groth M. , Guterl J. , Jarvinen A. , Hinson E. , Kolemen E. , Lasnier C.J. , Lore J. , Makowski M.A. , McLean A. , Meyer B. , Moser A.L. , Nygren R. , Owen L. , Petrie T.W. , Porter G.D. , Rognlien T.D. , Rudakov D. , Sang C.F. , Samuell C. , Si H. , Schmitz O. , Sontag A. , Soukhanovskii V. , Wampler W. , Wang H. , Watkins J.G.
Published: September 2016

A major challenge facing the design and operation of next-step high-power steady-state fusion devices is to develop a viable divertor solution with order-of-magnitude increases in power handling capability relative to present experience, while having acceptable divertor target plate erosion and being compatible with maintaining good core plasma confinement. A new initiative has been launched on DIII-D to develop the scientific basis for design, installation, and operation of an advanced divertor to evaluate boundary plasma solutions applicable to next step fusion experiments beyond ITER. Developing the scientific basis for fusion reactor divertor solutions must necessarily follow three lines of research, which we plan to pursue in DIII-D: (1) Advance scientific understanding and predictive capability through development and comparison between state-of-the art computational models and enhanced measurements using targeted parametric scans; (2) Develop and validate key divertor design concepts and codes through innovative variations in physical structure and magnetic geometry; (3) Assess candidate materials, determining the implications for core plasma operation and control, and develop mitigation techniques for any deleterious effects, incorporating development of plasma-material interaction models. These efforts will lead to design, installation, and evaluation of an advanced divertor for DIII-D to enable highly dissipative divertor operation at core density (n
e/n
GW), neutral fueling and impurity influx most compatible with high performance plasma scenarios and reactor relevant plasma facing components (PFCs). This paper highlights the current progress and near-term strategies of boundary/PMI research on DIII-D.
On the W7-X divertor performance under detached conditions
Authors: Feng Y. , Beidler C.D. , Geiger J. , Helander P. , Hölbe H. , Maassberg H. , Turkin Y. , Reiter D.
Published: September 2016

We present a theoretical/numerical predictive analysis of the performance of the W7-X island divertor under conditions of detachment characterized by intensive radiation. The analysis is based on EMC3-Eirene simulations and the earlier W7-AS experimental and numerical experience. Carbon is employed as a representative radiator. The associated drawbacks, i.e. core contamination and recycling degradation (reduced recycling flux), are evaluated by determining the carbon density at the last closed flux surface (LCFS) and the neutral pressure in the divertor chamber. Optimum conditions are explored in both configuration and plasma parameter space. This study aims to identify the key geometric/magnetic and plasma parameters that affect the performance of detached plasmas in W7-X. Emphasis is placed on what occurs when the islands are enlarged far beyond the maximum size available in W7-AS and whether an island size limit for optimal detachment operation exists, and why. Further issues addressed are the power removal ability of the W7-X edge islands, potentially limiting factors, compatibility between particle and power exhaust, and particle refueling capability of the recycling neutrals.
Metrically universal abelian groups
Authors: Doucha Michal
Published: September 2016

We give a positive answer to the question of Shkarin (Mat. Sb. 190 (1999), no. 7, 127–144) whether there exists a metrically universal abelian separable group equipped with invariant metric.

Our construction also gives an example of a group structure on the Urysohn universal space that is substantially different from the previously known examples. Under some cardinal arithmetic assumptions, our results generalize to higher cardinalities.
Nitric Oxide–Dependent Endothelial Dysfunction and Reduced Arginine Bioavailability in Plasmodium vivax Malaria but No Greater Increase in Intravascular Hemolysis in Severe Disease
Authors: Barber Bridget E. , William Timothy , Grigg Matthew J. , Piera Kim A. , Chen Youwei , Wang Hao , Weinberg J. Brice , Yeo Tsin W. , Anstey Nicholas M.
Published: September 2016

Background

Pathogenesis of severe Plasmodium vivax malaria is poorly understood. Endothelial dysfunction and reduced nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability characterize severe falciparum malaria, but have not been assessed in severe vivax malaria.

Methods

In patients with severe vivax malaria (n = 9), patients with nonsevere vivax malaria (n = 58), and healthy controls (n = 79), we measured NO-dependent endothelial function by using reactive hyperemia–peripheral arterial tonometry (RH-PAT) and assessed associations with arginine, asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), and hemolysis.

Results

The L-arginine level and the L-arginine to ADMA ratio (a measure of L-arginine bioavailability) were reduced in patients with severe vivax malaria and those with nonsevere vivax malaria, compared with healthy controls (median L-arginine level, 65, 66, and 98 µmol/mL, respectively [P = .0001]; median L-arginine to ADMA ratio, 115, 125, and 187, respectively [P = .0001]). Endothelial function was impaired in proportion to disease severity (median RH-PAT index, 1.49, 1.73, and 1.97 in patients with severe vivax malaria, those with nonsevere vivax malaria, and healthy controls, respectively; P = .018) and was associated with the L-arginine to ADMA ratio. While the posttreatment fall in hemoglobin level was greater in severe vivax malaria as compared to nonsevere vivax malaria (2.5 vs 1 g/dL; P = .0001), markers of intravascular hemolysis were not higher in severe disease.

Conclusions

Endothelial function is impaired in nonsevere and severe vivax malaria, is associated with reduced L-arginine bioavailability, and may contribute to microvascular pathogenesis. Severe disease appears to be more associated with extravascular hemolysis than with intravascular hemolysis.
The Responsibility Not to Veto
Authors: Morris Justin , Wheeler Nicholas
Published: September 2016

The responsibility to protect (R2P) and the question of UN Security Council veto constraint are intimately linked, but whilst the R2P has become increasingly embedded in diplomatic discourse and practice, the idea that in relation to it the Council’s five permanent members should recognize a ‘responsibility not to veto’ (RN2V) has fared less well. This chapter examines why this should be so. In its assessment of the prospects for, and pros and cons of, veto-restriction, the chapter argues that opposition amongst the P5 to the idea of a RN2V is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future, and it charges advocates of the idea with a failure to recognize that it is ill-conceived to believe that R2P can transcend great power cleavages in international society, whether these stem from principles of prudence, conflicting value systems, or the play of self-interest and great power jockeying for position.
UN Human Rights Council and High Commissioner for Human Rights
Authors: Strauss Ekkehard
Published: September 2016

There is a direct link between the implementation of the responsibility to protect (R2P) and the mandates of the United Nations Human Rights Council and of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). While there is general agreement that the OHCHR has an important role to play in the implementation of R2P, this role remains largely undeveloped by the organization itself and undefined by other UN entities and Member States. This chapter discusses the role played by the Council and OHCHR in the implementation of R2P since 2005 and presents the broad lines of a development far from its completion.
United States
Authors: Jentleson Bruce
Published: September 2016

This chapter provides background on United States policy on R2P, and examines four key challenges going forward: (1) Policy prioritization: how high a priority to make R2P relative to other major interests? (2) Bureaucratic institutionalization: what policy-making and implementation entities need to be created and/or adapted? (3) Strategy: even if made a priority and institutional-organizational changes are made, what are the crucial elements for an effective atrocities prevention strategy? (4) International collaboration: what role should the United States play within the United Nations and more broadly internationally on R2P? The chapter speaks to both the scope and limits of progress that has been made, analyses the problems encountered, and argues for further US efforts in its own policy and its international role to advance R2P as norm and strategy.
The R2P, Protection of Civilians, and UN Peacekeeping Operations
Authors: Williams Paul D.
Published: September 2016

This chapter analyses the relationship between the two related concepts of the responsibility to protect (R2P) and the protection of civilians (POC) with particular emphasis on how their relationship has played out in the context of United Nations peacekeeping operations. It begins by providing an overview of the main similarities and differences between R2P and POC before moving on to examine various attempts to link the two concepts with specific reference to their application within UN peacekeeping operations. The final section analyses some of the main criticisms levelled against their linkage. The chapter concludes that a de-coupling strategy is unlikely to succeed, in part because POC can never be made completely apolitical and uncontroversial. As UN peacekeepers are called upon to operationalize both the R2P and POC agendas, a key policy challenge will be ensuring that the relationship between the two does not become counter-productive.
Saving Individuals from the Scourge of War
Authors: Slim Hugo
Published: September 2016

This chapter examines the central place of the protection of the individual in international relations and compares the approach of two areas of international practice that seek to protect the individual in armed conflict: the responsibility to protect (R2P) and humanitarian action. The chapter explores three main aspects of the relationship between humanitarian action and R2P. First, it examines the individualization of armed conflict that is essential to the premise of both these international practices of protection. Second, it sets out briefly the respective histories, ethical goals, and key tenets of each approach. Finally, the main part of the chapter identifies areas of complementarity and conflict between these two approaches to the protection of the individual in times of extreme violence. It notes significant overlap and differences between the essentially apolitical emergency approach of humanitarian action and the more constructivist political and state-building approach of R2P.
The Turbulent 1990s
Authors: Weiss Thomas G.
Published: September 2016

The responsibility to protect is central to the current policy debate on humanitarian intervention in war zones, and so it is instructive to explore its immediate post-Cold War origins in the decade preceding the December 2001 release of the report by the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty. The history of the turbulent decade of the 1990s is essential to understanding the normative and policy problems that the Commission was trying to resolve as well as the remaining contestation that surrounds coming to the rescue of civilians caught in the throes of war. This chapter provides a sense of the practical and political problems that animated the development of R2P along with the distance yet to be covered to make mass atrocities an unpleasant memory instead of an ugly and continuing current reality.
Myanmar
Authors: Haacke Jürgen
Published: September 2016

Myanmar has been linked to alleged past and potential future mass atrocities by international non-governmental organizations and, at times, the UN Special Rapporteurs on Human Rights. To date there has been no international commission of inquiry, let alone any referral to the International Criminal Court. Looking beyond controversial efforts to justify the forcible delivery of assistance following Naypyidaw’s problematic response to Cyclone Nargis, this chapter contextualizes and describes the extent of alleged R2P atrocities in Myanmar, outlines how the Myanmar government as well as the United Nations and regional organizations such as ASEAN and other key actors in the international community have implemented R2P either directly or indirectly, and offers a provisional explanation as regards the limited nature of the international community’s response to concerns that Naypyidaw has at least at times failed to exercise its R2P in the contexts of internal armed conflict and communal violence.
North Korea
Authors: Kondoch Boris
Published: September 2016

North Korea ranks among the least free societies in the world. The human rights situation inside the country has been described by the first UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Vitit Muntarbhorn as sui generis (in its own category). In 2014, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea released a landmark report. In its detailed and well-written report, the Commission found that North Korea commits crimes against humanity. This chapter discusses the report from the perspective of the responsibility to protect (R2P).
Embedding R2P in a New Universal Declaration of Human Responsibilities
Authors: Mahbubani Kishore
Published: September 2016

The responsibility to protect (R2P) will soon face significant stress. As a perceived Western value, it could suffer as Western power recedes. It could also be undermined by Western double standards towards multilateral institutions and processes. To survive, R2P must be embraced by non-Western civilizations. They can do this by demonstrating that their civilizations share common values with the West, common values which actually have deep roots in the East. This chapter argues that since the sanctity of human life is a universal value, R2P could be embraced by other civilizations and survive. If R2P could be embedded into global norms of human responsibilities alongside those of human rights, it is even more likely to survive.
R2P’s Next Ten Years
Authors: Welsh Jennifer M.
Published: September 2016

This chapter argues that, although the principle of R2P was initially underpinned by strongly cosmopolitan roots, since 2009 it has been defined and implemented in ways that elevate the importance of state responsibility. This trend may have fostered political consensus and given R2P added normative grounding, but it has also obscured both the challenges posed by non-state actors and the opportunities for implementation that exist beyond and below the state. R2P implementation in the next decade will be advanced by micro-level efforts to embed atrocity crime prevention and response into the work of a variety of actors in international society. This agenda requires not only increased attention to those regional or local actors in a position to prevent or respond to atrocity crimes, but also deeper engagement with the specific elements of each of the four crimes and violations specified in the 2005 Summit Outcome Document.
Bharthari on Language, Perception, and Consciousness
Authors: Vergiani Vincenzo
Published: September 2016

This chapter looks at the theory of knowledge of Bhartṛhari (c.5th cent.), the philosopher of language and grammarian, from the angle of perception and the awareness of oneself in the world. It is argued that, even though these topics are not systematically treated in Bhartṛhari’s work, in the context of his epistemology, which emphasizes the centrality of language, it is of crucial importance to show how language-based categories operate even in perception. After a brief introduction dealing with the role of grammar in the intellectual history of ancient India and Bhartṛhari’s place in the Pāṇinian tradition, the chapter examines a number of passages from his work that touch upon perception, its relation to the body, its intrinsic limitations in apprehending external objects, and the role of the mind in selecting and organizing the sense data, even when these remain at the periphery of individual awareness.
Analogy and the Fate of Reason
Authors: Desmond William
Published: September 2016

This chapter explores a plurivocity in the meaning(s) of reason and analogy, and suggests a vocation for analogy if it is to redeem its plurivocal promise. Reason is understood differently depending on which sense of being is in the ascendant. If univocity is in the ascendant, as in modern rationalism, a philosophical and theological feel for what analogy means tends to be weakened. If equivocity comes back, reason goes to school with finesse and is more attentive to figurations of being that elude precise determinations and is more hospitable to the analogical way. Analogy is explored in modern rationalism and empiricism, in Kant’s critical reason, in Hegel’s speculative reason, and in a number of post-dialectical forms. Finally, the chapter suggests there is something metaxological about analogy in trying to be true to the between-space of communication between the finite and the divine.
Denys and Later Platonic Traditions
Authors: Hankey Wayne J.
Published: September 2016

This chapter on later Platonic traditions focuses Denys, otherwise known as Ps-Dionysius the Areopagite. A late fifth- to early sixth-century theologian, influenced by the Platonist philosophers Plotinus, Damascius, and above all Proclus, Denys has been influential throughout Catholic theology. The chapter begins by placing Denys’s innovations against the background of Christian engagement with Neoplatonism since St Augustine. After tracing Denys’s influence from the ninth to the sixteenth centuries, his role in modernity is considered, tracing a path through Pierre de Bérulle and neo-scholasticism. The chapter concludes by noting Denys’s importance for some postmodern Catholic thinkers.
Hans Urs von Balthasar
Authors: Mongrain Kevin
Published: September 2016

This chapter considers the extensive corpus of Hans Urs von Balthasar by treating two architectonic themes in his thought: remembrance and beauty. In the first instance, Balthasar sees theology in modernity—especially in the form of neo-scholasticism—as marked by a failure to remember appropriately some essential principles of Christian tradition, most importantly the inseparability of theology and spirituality in an anti-Gnostic key. In the second instance, the theme of theological aesthetics is treated, initially by placing Balthasar’s conception of a true seeing of natural forms against the background of Goethe’s philosophy. The epiphanic nature of all created being, able to reveal to us the glory of God, and yet obscured from us by sin, lies at the heart of Balthasar’s theology. Ultimately, this theology is Christocentric: the crucified and risen Christ-form becomes a permanent sacramental vehicle of divine grace, restoring our sight of natural form and divine glory.
Philosophical Progress
Authors: Gutting Gary
Published: September 2016

This article begins by reflecting on the Cartesian project of beginning with a skeptically unassailable first truth and from there progressively building up a system of philosophical truths. It then presents a less problematic but similar project associated with contemporary analytic philosophy, noting, however, that it too fails to yield progress in answering the fundamental questions of philosophy. Next, the author examines the idea that philosophy might nonetheless progress in the manner of empirical science, never answering its fundamental questions but generating important intermediary results. Then, giving up the assumption that we need philosophy to ground our pre-philosophical convictions (“philosophical foundationalism”), the author proposes an alternative view of philosophy as providing rigorous theoretical formulations of general pictures, and on this basis, discusses philosophical disagreement, the role of intuitions in philosophy, philosophical knowledge, and the interaction of science and philosophy. Finally, the author presents his conclusions about philosophical progress.
Disagreement in Philosophy
Authors: Kelly Thomas
Published: September 2016

This article explores the epistemological significance of disagreement in philosophy in the light of some currently prominent theories of disagreement. More specifically, it asks whether the kind of pervasive and intractable disagreement that is characteristic of philosophy warrants a certain kind of skepticism about the subject. Some hold that, given the kind of disagreement found in philosophy, it would be irrational to hold confident views about controversial philosophical questions. According to this line of thought, the rational response to the diversity of opinion within philosophy is that of the philosophical agnostic, who consistently suspends judgment about controversial issues. Against this, it is argued that there is no plausible view about the epistemology of disagreement on which philosophical agnosticism is compelling.
Crossroads Regions
Authors: Scheele Judith
Published: September 2016

While the Sahara was long seen as a barrier between sub-Saharan Africa and the Maghrib, it has more recently been described as a bridge: scholarship has thus focused on trans-Saharan trade and migration. Both images exclude internal Saharan production, consumption, and agency: the “desert” remains an empty space that needs to be crossed and whose history is dictated by outside patterns of movement. This article suggests a different approach. It focuses on the circulation of goods, people, and ideas, traces patterns of internal connectivity, and denotes the close relationship among mobility, outside connections, and the making of place.
Can Clinicians Predict Readmissions? A Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Wetherell Matthew , Sweeney Megan , Weingart Saul N.
Published: September 2016

Background:

Current risk-stratification models insufficiently identify readmission risk.

Setting:

Academic medical center in Boston, MA.

Patients:

One hundred seventy-seven medicine inpatients.

Methods:

We prospectively interviewed clinicians about whether they would be surprised if patients scheduled for discharge were readmitted within 30 days and to identify one patient at the highest risk. Multivariate models examined the impact of clinicians' judgment on readmission.

Results:

The 30-day same-hospital readmission rate was 10.7%. The number of hospitalizations (odds ratio [OR], 1.16; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04–1.30), emergency department visits (1.10, 1.02–1.19), and discharge medications (1.07, 1.00–1.14) were associated with readmission in bivariate models. The negative-predictive value when clinicians would be surprised about a readmission was high (95%).

Conclusion:

Clinicians are better at predicting those not readmitted than those who are.
Automated Detection of Sepsis Using Electronic Medical Record Data: A Systematic Review
Authors: Despins Laurel A.
Published: September 2016

Severe sepsis and septic shock are global issues with high mortality rates. Early recognition and intervention are essential to optimize patient outcomes. Automated detection using electronic medical record (EMR) data can assist this process. This review describes automated sepsis detection using EMR data. PubMed retrieved publications between January 1, 2005 and January 31, 2015. Thirteen studies met study criteria: described an automated detection approach with the potential to detect sepsis or sepsis-related deterioration in real or near-real time; focused on emergency department and hospitalized neonatal, pediatric, or adult patients; and provided performance measures or results indicating the impact of automated sepsis detection. Detection algorithms incorporated systemic inflammatory response and organ dysfunction criteria. Systems in nine studies generated study or care team alerts. Care team alerts did not consistently lead to earlier interventions. Earlier interventions did not consistently translate to improved patient outcomes. Performance measures were inconsistent. Automated sepsis detection is potentially a means to enable early sepsis-related therapy but current performance variability highlights the need for further research.
Outcomes of Pancreatic Islet Allotransplantation Using the Edmonton Protocol at the University of Chicago
Authors: Tekin Zehra , Garfinkel Marc R. , Chon W. James , Schenck Lindsay , Golab Karolina , Savari Omid , Thistlethwaite J. Richard , Philipson Louis H. , Majewski Colleen , Pannain Silvana , Ramachandran Sabarinathan , Rezania Kourosh , Hariprasad Seenu M. , Millis J. Michael , Witkowski Piotr
Published: September 2016

Objective

The aim of this study was to assess short-term and long-term results of the pancreatic islet transplantation using the Edmonton protocol at the University of Chicago.

Materials and Methods

Nine patients underwent pancreatic islet cell transplantation using the Edmonton Protocol; they were followed up for 10 years after initial islet transplant with up to 3 separate islet infusions. They were given induction treatment using an IL-2R antibody and their maintenance immunosuppression regimen consisted of sirolimus and tacrolimus.

Results

Nine patients received a total of 18 islet infusions. Five patients dropped out in the early phase of the study. Greater than 50% drop-out and noncompliance rate resulted from both poor islet function and recurrent side effects of immunosuppression. The remaining 4 (44%) patients stayed insulin free with intervals for at least over 5 years (cumulative time) after the first transplant. Each of them received 3 infusions, on average 445 000 islet equivalent per transplant. Immunosuppression regimen required multiple adjustments in all patients due to recurrent side effects. In the long-term follow up, kidney function remained stable, and diabetic retinopathy and polyneuropathy did not progress in any of the patients. Patients' panel reactive antibodies remained zero and anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 antibody did not rise after the transplant. Results of metabolic tests including hemoglobin A1c, arginine stimulation, and mixed meal tolerance test were correlated with clinical islet function.

Conclusions

Pancreatic islet transplantation initiated according to Edmonton protocol offered durable long-term insulin-free glycemic control in only highly selected brittle diabetics providing stable control of diabetic neuropathy and retinopathy and without increased sensitization or impaired renal function. Immunosuppression adjustments and close follow-up were critical for patient retention and ultimate success.