bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Functional brain networks assessed with surface electroencephalography for predicting motor recovery in a neural guided intervention for chronic stroke
Authors: Sun Rui , Wong Wan-Wa , Wang Jing , Wang Xin , Tong Raymond K Y
Published: September 2021

Predicting whether a chronic stroke patient is likely to benefit from a specific intervention can help patients establish reasonable expectations. It also provides the basis for candidates selecting for the intervention. Recent convergent evidence supports the value of network-based approach for understanding the relationship between dysfunctional neural activity and motor deficits after stroke. In this study, we applied resting-state brain connectivity networks to investigate intervention-specific predictive biomarkers of motor improvement in 22 chronic stroke participants who received either combined action observation with EEG-guided robot-hand training (Neural Guided-Action Observation Group, n = 12, age: 34–68 years) or robot-hand training without action observation and EEG guidance (non-Neural Guided-text group, n = 10, age: 42–57 years). The robot hand in Neural Guided-Action Observation training was activated only when significant mu suppression (8–12 Hz) was detected from participant's EEG signals in ipsilesional hemisphere while it was randomly activated in non-Neural Guided-text training. Only the Neural Guided-Action Observation group showed a significant long-term improvement in their upper-limb motor functions (p < 0.5). In contrast, no significant training effect on the paretic motor functions was found in the non-Neural Guided-text group (p > 0.5). The results of brain connectivity estimated via EEG coherence showed that the pre-training interhemispheric connectivity of delta, theta, alpha and contralesional connectivity of beta were motor improvement related in the Neural Guided-Action Observation group. They can not only differentiate participants with good and poor recovery (interhemispheric delta: p = 0.047, Hedges' g = 1.409; interhemispheric theta: p = 0.046, Hedges' g = 1.333; interhemispheric alpha: p = 0.038, Hedges' g = 1.536; contralesional beta: p = 0.027, Hedges' g = 1.613) but also significantly correlated with post-training intervention gains (interhemispheric delta: r = -0.901, p < 0.05; interhemispheric theta: r = -0.702, p < 0.05; interhemispheric alpha: r = -0.641, p < 0.05; contralesional beta: r = -0.729, p < 0.05). In contrast, no EEG coherence was significantly correlated with intervention gains in the non-Neural Guided-text group (all ps > 0.05). Partial least square regression showed that the combination of pre-training interhemispheric and contralesional local connectivity could precisely predict intervention gains in the Neural Guided-Action Observation group with a strong correlation between predicted and observed intervention gains (r = 0.82) and between predicted and observed intervention outcomes (r = 0.90). In summary, EEG-based resting-state brain connectivity networks may serve clinical decision-making by offering an approach to predicting Neural Guided-Action Observation training-induced motor improvement.
Graded motor imagery modifies movement pain, cortical excitability and sensorimotor function in complex regional pain syndrome
Authors: Strauss Sebastian , Barby Silke , Härtner Jonas , Pfannmöller Jörg Peter , Neumann Nicola , Moseley G Lorimer , Lotze Martin
Published: September 2021

Patients with complex regional pain syndrome suffer from chronic neuropathic pain and also show a decrease in sensorimotor performance associated with characteristic central and peripheral neural system parameters. In the brain imaging domain, these comprise altered functional sensorimotor representation for the affected hand side. With regard to neurophysiology, a decrease in intracortical inhibition for the sensorimotor cortex contralateral to the affected hand has been repetitively verified, which might be related to increased primary somatosensory cortex functional activation for the affected limb. Rare longitudinal intervention studies in randomized controlled trials have demonstrated that a decrease in primary somatosensory cortex functional MRI activation coincided with pain relief and recovery in sensorimotor performance. By applying a randomized wait-list control crossover study design, we tested possible associations of clinical, imaging and neurophysiology parameters in 21 patients with complex regional pain syndrome in the chronic stage (>6 months). In more detail, we applied graded motor imagery over 6 weeks to relieve movement pain of the affected upper limb. First, baseline parameters were tested between the affected and the non-affected upper limb side and age-matched healthy controls. Second, longitudinal changes in clinical and testing parameters were associated with neurophysiological and imaging parameters. During baseline short intracortical inhibition, as assessed with transcranial magnetic stimulation, was decreased only for hand muscles of the affected hand side. During movement of the affected limb, primary somatosensory cortex functional MRI activation was increased. Hand representation area size for somatosensory stimulation in functional MRI was smaller on the affected side with longer disease duration. Graded motor imagery intervention but not waiting, resulted in a decrease of movement pain. An increase of somatosensory hand representation size over graded motor imagery intervention was related to movement pain relief. Over graded motor imagery intervention, pathological parameters like the increased primary somatosensory cortex activation during fist movement or decreased short intracortical inhibition were modified in the same way as movement pain and hand performance improved. No such changes were observed during the waiting period. Overall, we demonstrated characteristic changes in clinical, behaviour and neuropathology parameters applying graded motor imagery in patients with upper limb complex regional pain syndrome, which casts light on the effects of graded motor imagery intervention on biomarkers for chronic neuropathic pain.
The Impact of Prior Infection and Age on Antibody Persistence After Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Messenger RNA Vaccine
Authors: Fraley Elizabeth , LeMaster Cas , Khanal Santosh , Banerjee Dithi , Pastinen Tomi , Grundberg Elin , Selvarangan Rangaraj , Bradley Todd
Published: September 2021

Determining the duration of immunity to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines is critical for informing the timing of booster immunization. Many genetic and environmental factors could influence both the magnitude and persistence of the antibody response. Here, we showed that SARS-CoV-2 infection before vaccination and age affected the decay of antibody responses to the SARS-CoV-2 messenger RNA vaccine.
Chronological Sailfish Optimizer for Preserving Privacy in Cloud Based on Khatri-Rao Product
Authors: Kalpana Parsi
Published: September 2021

The innovative trends of cloud computing acquired the interest of several individuals or enterprises that started outsourcing data to the cloud servers. Recently, numerous techniques are introduced for facilitating privacy protection on untrusted cloud platforms. However, the classical privacy-preserving techniques failed to prevent leakage and incur huge information loss. This paper introduces the efficient technique, named the chronological sailfish optimizer (CSFO) algorithm for privacy preservation in cloud computing. The proposed CSFO is devised by integrating the chronological concept in SailFish optimizer. The input data are fed to a privacy-preservation process wherein hamming weight-based RSA and Khatri-Rao products are utilized for data privacy. Here, the hamming weighted-based RSA is determined by combining the sha256 algorithm with the hamming weight with Rivest–Shamir–Adleman (HRSA) system. Hence, an optimization-driven algorithm is utilized to evaluate optimal matrix generation to handle both the utility and the sensitive information. Here, the fitness function is newly devised considering, realism, privacy and fitness. The experimentation is performed using four datasets, like Pathway Interaction Database, Hungarian, Cleveland and Switzerland. The proposed CSFO provided superior performance with maximal privacy of 0.2173, maximal realism 0.9456 and maximal fitness of 0.5416.
Multi-Class Liver Cancer Diseases Classification Using CT Images
Authors: Krishan A , Mittal D
Published: September 2021

Liver cancer is the fourth common cancer in the world and the third leading reason of cancer mortality. The conventional methods for detecting liver cancer are blood tests, biopsy and image tests. In this paper, we propose an automated computer-aided diagnosis technique for the classification of multi-class liver cancer i.e. primary, hepatocellular carcinoma, and secondary, metastases using computed tomography (CT) images. The proposed algorithm is a two-step process: enhancement of CT images using contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization algorithm and extraction of features for the detection and the classification of the different classes of the tumor. The overall achieved accuracy, sensitivity and specificity with the proposed method for the classification of multi-class tumors are 97%, 94.3% and 100% with experiment 1 and 84% all of them with experiment 2, respectively. By automatic feature selection scheme accuracy is deviated maximum by 10.5% from the overall and the ratio features accuracy decreases linearly by 5.5% with 20 to 5 selected features. The proposed methodology can help to assist radiologists in liver cancer diagnosis.
Collective Action and the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: The Case of the Panama Papers Protest in Iceland
Authors: Bernburg Jón Gunnar
Published: September 2021

Social theory implies that a rise in the expectation that many will participate in collective action can make participation in the action widely rational, giving rise to a ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’. I address this classic, yet understudied, proposition by surveying participation in a demonstration that the ‘Panama Papers Leak’ triggered in Iceland in 2016. The demonstration was preceded by a sudden rise of large-turnout expectations, and attracted one-fifth of an urban population, allowing me to obtain event-specific, population-representative survey measures of the focal constructs (N = 821). The findings support hypotheses about the role of large-turnout expectations in collective action. They confirm that protest support (i.e. the value placed in the goal of the collective action) both raises large-turnout expectations and moderates their effects on protest participation. In fact, large-turnout expectations were associated with participation only if individuals supported the protest. Also, the findings imply that large-protest expectations trigger interpersonal relational dynamics that further motivate participation. The study thus supports and yet qualifies the role of the self-fulfilling prophecy in collective action.
Imputation and General Structure of Crime in International Criminal Law
Authors: Ambos Kai
Published: September 2021

This chapter explains the general part (GP) and special part (SP) of the criminal law, which encompasses the general rules of attribution or imputation and the relevant international crimes. It applies these concepts to International Criminal Law, especially adjusting the rules of imputation and individual responsibility to the peculiar features of the commission of crimes in a macrocriminal, collective contextIt also recounts how international criminal law had been applied with only a rudimentary system for the imputation of criminal responsibility, largely undertheorized as compared to national criminal justice systems. In fact, the chapter shows how little room was given to criminal law or even doctrinal considerations during the negotiations on ICL instruments, especially the Rome Statute of the ICC. Thus, the ICL-making process appears as largely unprincipled, policy driven, and pragmatic. It is argued however, that applied ICL is ultimately criminal law and thus must be guided by its liberal principles, especially legality, culpability and fairness.
International Law of Taxation
Authors: Hongler Peter
Published: September 2021

International law of taxation is a very dynamic discipline, and a book such as this is just a snapshot of the current international tax regime. The goal of this book is to provide the reader with insights on how the international tax regime is embedded in a broader context in the international law regime. The focus of this book, therefore, is on the interaction of the international tax law regime with other legal regimes, such as the international trade law or the investment law regime. Moreover, this book outlines the main elements of the European Union (EU) tax system. Of course, besides these cross-disciplinary areas, this book discusses the functioning of double tax treaties as the main legal sources of the international tax regime. The more recently crafted treaty-based rules of the international tax regime, such as the mutual exchange provisions in various international treaties, are also discussed. This book can and should serve as a course book for a course on international tax law. Depending on how such course is structured, the entire book or large parts of it may be of interest to the students. The book should also serve as a go-to source for practitioners. It is of course impossible to cover all the topics pertinent to the international tax regime in a comprehensive way, but no major area has been left out. Moreover, case law from around the world are referred to and discussed rather than approaching the topic with reference only to a specific jurisdiction.
Introduction
Authors: Hongler Peter
Published: September 2021

The first chapter of the book starts with some definitions of important terms used throughout the book such as ‘international law of taxation’, ‘international tax law’, or ‘the international tax regime’. Afterwards, reference is made to the history of the international tax regime. Moreover, the competences and the functioning of some of the most important institutions relevant for the international law of taxation are discussed. This includes the UN, the OECD, the Inclusive Framework, and the Global Forum. A particular chapter is dedicated to the question of sovereignty in tax matters. This is necessary for a comprehensive understanding of the sources of the international law of taxation as outlined in Chapter 2.
Sources of the International Law of Taxation
Authors: Hongler Peter
Published: September 2021

Chapter 2 is the main part of the book and it is structured along the different sources of the international law of taxation. This includes (i) treaties, (ii) customary international law, (iii) general principles of international law, and (iv) soft law. The chapter contains a comprehensive outline of the functioning of double tax treaties and other treaties focusing on tax matters such as treaties on mutual exchange of taxpayer information. The entire OECD MC is discussed and reference is made to brief case studies in order to allow the reader a better understanding of the international tax regime. A particular focus is in on the functioning the allocation rules in Arts 6–22 OECD model convention, however, this chapter also includes general remarks on the interpretation of tax treaties and soft law used in international tax matters. The chapter closes with a concise overview of the EU tax system.
Emergency Arbitration
Authors: Sim Cameron
Published: September 2021

Emergency arbitration enables a party to seek urgent relief from an emergency arbitrator during the period required for the constitution of an arbitral tribunal. The procedure is not a substitute for expedited or summary proceedings. It simply enables a party to bypass national courts and obtain pre-tribunal relief in the form of interim measures even before an arbitral tribunal has been formed. The limited mandate of the emergency arbitrator is to determine whether the circumstances warrant urgent relief within the period required for tribunal formation. Studies have revealed that emergency arbitrators have adopted inconsistent approaches to emergency arbitration proceedings. Parties contemplating emergency arbitration are thus faced with uncertainty both as to procedure and prospects, and a lack of clarity as to how to formulate an application for emergency measures. By identifying commonalities between emergency arbitration rules, this book aims to promote greater uniformity in the practice of emergency arbitration, thereby giving parties greater control and certainty in bringing and defending applications for emergency measures. As emergency arbitration rules confer wide discretion on the emergency arbitrator, this uniformity is promoted whilst at the same time recognising, where appropriate, the need for an element of flexibility to be maintained. The book contains seven parts. Part I sets out an overview of emergency arbitration. Parts II to V move through all phases of an emergency arbitration, starting with pre-commencement considerations and ending with enforcement. Part VI is dedicated to emergency arbitration in investment treaty arbitration. Finally, in Part VII, the future of emergency arbitration is explored.
The Foundations of Emergency Arbitration
Authors: Sim Cameron
Published: September 2021

This chapter traces the foundations of emergency arbitration, from the historic opposition to, and subsequent rapid rise of, interim measures in international arbitration, of which emergency arbitration represents the pinnacle. The concept of emergency arbitration first appeared in the rules of the American Arbitration Association (AAA), and then the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR), which is the international division of the AAA. The ICDR set ambitious standards, providing for the appointment of an emergency arbitrator within one business day of receipt of the application, and for the establishment of a procedural timetable within two business days of that appointment, but otherwise not prescribing any timeframe within which the emergency arbitrator's decision must be issued. As it transpired, the ICDR Rules (2006) not only set the emergency arbitration scene, but they also clearly defined the landscape. Statistics illustrate that emergency arbitration has filled a void in international arbitration, and that it is becoming increasingly popular.
The Seat of Emergency Arbitration
Authors: Sim Cameron
Published: September 2021

This chapter focuses on the limited role of the seat of emergency arbitration. It begins by exploring the concept of transnational norms in international arbitration, how these have been applied in the context of emergency arbitration, and whether this application is appropriate. The acceptance of a greater role for the application of transnational norms in emergency arbitration impacts on the significance of the role of the seat of emergency arbitration, and in particular, on the relevance of the lex arbitri to the proceedings. Given the limited mandate of the emergency arbitrator to determine whether urgent relief is required prior to tribunal formation, the courts of the seat of emergency arbitration are also not required to support the emergency arbitration process, although it is possible that they may be called upon to determine a challenge to the emergency arbitrator. However, the nationality of the emergency arbitrator's decision, if it is seen to constitute an award, may be relevant for enforcement purposes. The chapter then looks at the designation and the legal significance of the seat of emergency arbitration.
International Capital Markets
Authors: Jordan Cally
Published: September 2021

This book provides a critical analysis of and context to international capital markets, their regulation and their institutions. The book takes a comparative and developmental perspective, examining the characteristics, interaction and regulation of developed markets in the US, UK and the EU, as well as Asian markets such as Hong Kong and China. In addition to examining Malaysia’s efforts to create an international regulatory framework for Islamic finance, the book looks at other niche markets of the world, such as Luxembourg, Switzerland, Singapore, Ireland, Bahrain and Dubai. There is both a detailed analysis of complex concepts, supporting the competing regulatory goals and techniques, as well as a conceptual overview of the regulatory landscape, making this book an indispensable resource. Current issues such as the delineation of regulated and unregulated markets, stratification of markets, and the capital market activities of international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank are explained. Practitioners, scholars and post-graduate students will find this book to be a valuable guide to understanding the regulation and practice of international capital markets.
Making International Markets Work—Regulatory Techniques
Authors: Jordan Cally
Published: September 2021

This chapter discusses the regulatory techniques in the international capital markets. Regulation, as it is usually understood, emanates from a national (or perhaps sub-national) authority and operates locally. Capital markets predate the nation state and have been boundary blind. So, how have modern international capital markets been regulated? Different approaches have waxed and waned in popularity, but several broad groupings can be discerned: inaction; unilateralism; formal and informal cooperative efforts; and international or supra-national initiatives. The different regulatory approaches operating in modern international capital markets are not mutually exclusive; they often coexist or interact, in both a positive and negative manner. Ultimately, the different regulatory approaches to international capital markets, which ones dominate, which ones wither away, have been shaped by the geopolitical forces of empire, the emergence of the supra-national state, and hegemony.
The Parallel System—The United States
Authors: Jordan Cally
Published: September 2021

This chapter evaluates securities regulation in the United States. For a variety of reasons, domestic US securities regulation has served as a model to the world, either directly or through its influence in international standard setting. The parallel system, however, has not been exported and so remains a somewhat unique aspect of US law, and based on the concept of the foreign private issuer (FPI), appears firmly entrenched. Going forward, it is possible that the domestic and international aspects of US markets may become more integrated, or at least coordinated. Calls for greater EU-style deference to home country regulation for non-US issuers and market participants would certainly simplify, and perhaps undermine, the US parallel system. There is no doubt as to the decline of US hegemony in regulation of international capital markets. Within the United States, level playing field arguments continue to surface, sometimes in surprising ways.
The New European Capital Markets
Authors: Jordan Cally
Published: September 2021

This chapter looks at the new European capital markets. The creation of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) was ‘an epochal date for EU financial market regulation’. Whereas ESMA's role is primarily one of overall supervision and promotion of supervisory convergence, the 2007–09 financial crisis, which led to its birth, continues incrementally to push the European legislator toward reinforcing ESMA's powers and capturing increasingly more activities under the ‘Single Rulebook’. With the proposal of a Capital Markets Union and Brexit, this trend is likely to continue. Potentially, the European Union is now well placed to forge a new paradigm for the regulation of capital markets, given the increased focus and the technical expertise which ESMA brings to bear. At least in theory, the EU should no longer be beholden to US or international models for its regulatory models.
The Paradoxes of Islamic Capital Markets
Authors: Jordan Cally
Published: September 2021

This chapter describes Islamic capital markets. Led by Malaysia and its distinct Islamic Market, Bursa Malaysia-I, Islamic finance has entered the mainstream of international capital markets, primarily in the form of ‘Islamic bonds’ (sukuk) and fund products. Saudi Arabia, with its well-publicized Saudi Aramco initial public offering (IPO) in 2019, raised, less successfully, a different flag in the international markets. Islamic finance has infiltrated conventional markets too. Non-Islamic issuers, sovereigns, corporates and international institutions, have issued sukuk, attracted by the wash of liquidity and investors in the Gulf region. Indeed, Islamic finance has been rubbing shoulders with modern conventional finance for several decades now. As ‘conventional’ finance has become less ‘conventional’, shari'a compliant finance has become more accepted. Impediments to growth persist; the imperviousness to standardization and the artificiality of the structures underlying the financial products increase costs and possibly risk, making the products uncompetitive. However, cost is not the only consideration in the marketplace. With greater interest in ethical and ESG (environmental, social, and governance) investing, Islamic finance may be the path or the way to future markets.
International Relations Theory
Authors: Lawrence Peter
Published: September 2021

This chapter evaluates the importance of international relations (IR) in international environmental law (IEL). IR theory and empirical studies provide insights into how international environmental agreements may be modified to effectively address environmental threats. Key issues include whether sanctions are essential for compliance and effectiveness, and whether the choice of hard law rather than soft law makes a difference. Reform strategies either make explicit assumptions about how international law affects state behaviour, or such assumptions remain implicit. Either way, IR theory throws light on the relationship between international law and state behaviour. The chapter then explores the relationship between power and IEL. It also addresses legitimacy and democratization, and examines how scientific knowledge can be incorporated into IEL.
Equity
Authors: Scholtz Werner
Published: September 2021

This chapter critically analyses the notion of equity in international environmental law. It begins by discussing the meaning of equity in international law and briefly reflecting on familiar examples of the manifestation of equity in international environmental law treaties. The prominence of intergenerational and intra-generational equity in international environmental law warrants a subsequent critical analysis of the content, legal status, and relationship between these forms of equity. This discussion indicates that although the two components of equity may prima facie be in conflict, they constitute important complementary aspects of sustainable development. The chapter then calls for the progressive development of aspects of intra-generational and intergenerational equity that may have profound consequences for international environmental law.
Soft Law
Authors: Boyle Alan
Published: September 2021

This chapter reviews how soft law has become a significant part of the evolutionary system of environmental law-making for three main reasons. First, it may be easier to reach agreement when the form is non-binding. The soft law approach allows states to tackle a problem collectively at a time when they do not want to shackle their freedom of action too firmly. Secondly, soft law instruments will normally be easier to supplement, amend, or replace than treaties, since all that is required is the adoption of a new resolution by the relevant international institution. Thirdly, it may be easier for some states to adhere to non-binding instruments because they can avoid the domestic treaty ratification process, and perhaps escape democratic accountability for the policy to which they have agreed. Whether soft law instruments have the same effect as a treaty, or any legal effect at all, will depend on the particular instrument and its relationship to customary international law and to specific treaties.
Private and Quasi-Private Standards
Authors: Scott Joanne
Published: September 2021

This chapter discusses the concept of private and quasi-private standards in the environmental domain. While many of these standards involve the labelling of compliant products, others do not. The chapter begins by defining the concept of private and quasi-private standards, examining their rise and the reasons for this. A standard is considered to be private when the document in question is adopted by one or more non-governmental entities, including for example firms, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and trade unions. Private standards may be firm- or sector-specific, or they may focus on a particular commodity such as sugar, palm oil, or soy. Meanwhile, the concept of a quasi-private standard is less clear and needs to be carefully defined. The chapter then looks at how these standards interact with international law in a variety of important ways. It also assesses the effectiveness and legitimacy of private and quasi-private standards.
Non-State Actors
Authors: Angstadt J. Michael , Betsill Michele
Published: September 2021

This chapter describes non-state actors (NSAs), which encompass a range of entities that collectively extend international environmental law beyond traditional state authority in numerous regimes. Characterized by considerable breadth and diversity, NSAs exist within the traditional, state-centric treaty architecture while simultaneously contesting its structure. Because diverse institutional actors can satisfy the definition of ‘non-state actor’, the chapter analyses a subset of NSAs: non-governmental organizations (NGOs). It first defines NGOs, identifying some common characteristics that influence their ability to advance international environmental law, and noting fundamental criteria used to distinguish among NGOs. The chapter then discusses three key functions that NGOs perform in contemporary international environmental law: serving as activists engaged in agenda-setting functions; performing diplomacy to shape and facilitate international rule-making processes; and contributing to rule-making, implementation, and enforcement in contemporary global governance. It concludes by forecasting strong continued NGO participation in developing non-treaty international environmental law.
Sub-National Actors
Authors: Osofsky Hari M.
Published: September 2021

This chapter explores the evolving role of sub-national actors in international environmental law. As a matter of formal law, international environmental law is formed among sovereign nation-states; sub-national actors are treated as sub-units of their nation-states. However, sub-national actors, through transnational networks, are playing a growing role in international environmental governance. The chapter focuses on three aspects of sub-national actors' participation in international environmental law. First, it considers why including sub-national actors is crucial to solving international environmental problems. Second, it examines the emergence of networks interacting with international environmental law-making and each other at transnational, national, and sub-national scales. Third, it analyses how those networks interact directly with the formal processes of international environmental law-making and develop the parallel voluntary agreements in which sub-national actors pledge to uphold commitments made by nation-states.
Investment
Authors: Miles Kate
Published: September 2021

This chapter discusses the relationship between international investment law and international environmental law. The contestation between the fields that emerged in the context of investor-state arbitration was blunt and initially resulted in the rules of international investment law being prioritized over the obligations of states under multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs), domestic environmental protection policies and decision-making, and the host state's public welfare regulatory space. Responding to that contest, the new generation bilateral investment treaties (BITs) and free trade agreements (FTAs) reflect the desire of states to work within a more balanced version of the environment/investment nexus. It is not yet, however, at a point where it can be said to be equally balanced in the engagement of international environmental law and international investment law, and there is evidently still room for significant improvements in the way in which environmental issues are understood and interpreted by arbitrators in investor-state disputes. But the culture and context in which the environment and investment are meeting is most definitely shifting and it is hoped that the trajectory continues still further in that direction.
Energy
Authors: Redgwell Catherine
Published: September 2021

This chapter assesses the dominant narratives that emerge in discussion of energy and environment. One narrative is of energy activities as a pollution threat to be prevented, reduced, controlled, and eliminated. In another, more recent narrative, energy and environmental objectives are viewed more synergistically, and this is in the context of the role of energy—especially renewable energy and energy efficiency—in environmental protection and sustainable development. It is in the sustainable energy context that one sees some alignment, even convergence, of energy and environment. This convergence arises because environmental issues are increasingly drivers of energy law and policy, both nationally and internationally. In turn, response to the adverse impacts of energy activities is a key stimulus for the development of international environmental law, both substantively in fields such as nuclear energy and marine environmental protection, and procedurally, such as the duty to consult and to notify.
Recent Work of the International Law Commission
Authors: Shelton Dinah
Published: September 2021

This chapter examines the International Law Commission's (ILC) recent consideration of the topic of jus cogens. It was not until 2015 that the ILC decided to include the topic in its program of work and appointed South African member Dire Tladi as special rapporteur for the topic. The initial report of Tladi addressed conceptual matters such as the nature and definition of jus cogens norms. At its 69th Session in 2017, the ILC had before it the second report submitted by the Special Rapporteur which aimed to set forth the criteria for the identification of peremptory norms, using the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (VCLT) as a starting point. Meanwhile, the third report of the Special Rapporteur considered the consequences and legal effects of peremptory norms of general international law. Finally, the fourth report, presented in 2019, dealt with the question of the existence of regional jus cogens and the contentious issue of whether or not to include an illustrative list of jus cogens norms in the conclusions to the study.
Functions of Jus Cogens
Authors: Shelton Dinah
Published: September 2021

This chapter explores the functions of jus cogens. The asserted functions of jus cogens are particularly important because the very definition of the term is often stated in relation to the primary function it serves, that is, on its being a norm from which no states can derogate by mutual agreement. A second function is sometimes asserted: that jus cogens imposes a duty on all states to respect such norms and as a consequence any unilateral act in violation of a jus cogens norm would be null and void. There is little state practice or jurisprudence in respect to either function; the actual function appears to be more expressive, being an important though symbolic declaration of societal values. The chapter discusses each of these functions in turn before providing some concluding remarks on jus cogens.
SYST-02. DUAL INHIBITION OF BCL-2 AND EGFR IN A PRECLINICAL MODEL OF LUNG CANCER BRAIN METASTASIS
Authors: Blethen Kathryn , Sprowls Samuel , Arsiwala Tasneem , Fladeland Ross , Panchal Dhruvi , Shah Neal , Kielkowski Brooke , Gao Weimin , Lockman Paul
Published: September 2021

Lung cancer is the most prevalent malignancy to affect both men and women. Around 80% of all lung cancers are classified as non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This subtype of lung cancer is also the most likely to metastasize to the brain. Clinically, the common treatment for NSCLC is epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), due to the high occurrence of EGFR mutations. However, the cancer cells quickly develop resistance to the EGFR TKIs. This resistance and the added difficulty of delivering drugs across the blood-tumor barrier in efficacious concentrations to treat brain lesions are important to consider when developing treatment strategies for lung cancer brain metastases. Our study utilizes a NSCLC cell line, PC-9-Br6, which was developed in our laboratory to preferentially metastasize to the brain. This cell line was demonstrated by our collaborator to express higher levels of Bcl-2 in comparison to the parental PC-9-P cell line. We hypothesized combining novel Bcl-2 inhibitors (ABT-199/ABT-263) with an EGFR inhibitor (gefitinib) would increase survival and decrease tumor burden in our clinically relevant mouse model of lung cancer brain metastases.
SYST-06. PHASE II TRIAL OF PAXALISIB (GDC-0084) IN COMBINATION WITH TRASTUZUMAB FOR PATIENTS WITH HER2-POSITIVE BREAST CANCER BRAIN METASTASES (BCBM)
Authors: Leone Jose Pablo , Tayob Nabihah , Pereslete Alyssa , Ligibel Jennifer , Parsons Heather , Bi Wenya , Zhao Jean , Winer Eric , Lin Nancy
Published: September 2021

BACKGROUND

The PI3K/Akt/mTOR is an important pathway in BCBM. Mutations in PIK3CA or PTEN loss are associated with trastuzumab resistance. Inhibition of PI3K and mTOR led to durable responses in 3 of 5 patient-derived xenografts (PDX) models of BCBM. Paxalisib is a potent, brain-penetrant inhibitor of class I PI3K and mTOR.

METHODS

This is a single-center, phase II study to evaluate the efficacy of the combination of paxalisib with trastuzumab for the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) metastases in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer. Patients will receive paxalisib (45 mg daily) and trastuzumab (8 mg/kg loading dose, then 6 mg/kg every 3 weeks). Two cohorts will be enrolled: Cohort A: a single-arm, two-stage, phase II cohort; and Cohort B: a pre-surgical window cohort. Inclusion criteria include unequivocal evidence of new and/or progressive HER2-positive CNS metastases, at least one measurable (≥10 mm) CNS metastasis (Cohort A), clinical indication for CNS metastasis resection (Cohort B). Primary endpoint for Cohort A is objective response rate (ORR) in the CNS per Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology Brain Metastases (RANO-BM) criteria. For Cohort B, the primary endpoint is the correlation between p4EBP1 levels in the resected CNS tumor tissue from patients and intracranial response to paxalisib/trastuzumab in the PDX model generated from the same patient. Secondary endpoints include overall survival, safety and patient-reported outcomes. Mandatory blood and cerebrospinal fluid with optional tumor biopsy will be collected at baseline, on-treatment and at progression. In Cohort A, we will enroll 37 patients in a Simon two-stage design. If ≥4 responses are seen, the regimen will be considered successful. This design has 90% power with alpha <10%. Cohort B will enroll 10 patients. The trial opened in February, 2019 and 8 patients have been enrolled. NCT03765983.
Economic Expectations
Authors: Vermeulen Karla
Published: September 2021

The chapter “Economic Expectations” explores how Generation Disaster’s career hopes have been shaped by the depressed economy of their youth, the mortgage crisis that destroyed many families’ primary investments, and the current competition for work in a job market that was still recovering from the Great Recession and then crashed again due to the pandemic. Many members of the group express serious pessimism about their financial prospects, including their chances of securing satisfying work and being able to retire. Others are more optimistic, particularly if they started off with more resources. This divide in expectations reinforces the growing income and wealth gaps between segments of the population and demonstrates that the myth of the “American Dream” is not available to everyone.
The Embodied God
Authors: Wilson Brittany E.
Published: September 2021

This book focuses on God’s body in the New Testament. While there are various views in the New Testament regarding God’s body, this work argues that Luke-Acts stands out as an important example of a New Testament text that portrays God as visible and corporeal. According to Luke, God is a visible, concrete being who can take on a variety of different forms, as well as a being who is intimately intertwined with human fleshliness in the form of Jesus. In this way, the God of Israel does not adhere to the incorporeal deity of Platonic philosophy, especially as read through post-Enlightenment eyes. Luke’s portrayal of God instead finds more affinity with Greco-Roman traditions that conceive of the divine in corporeal terms, and above all, with the God found in the pages of Jewish Scripture. Moreover, Luke’s depiction of Jesus as an embodied being has both similarities and dissimilarities with Luke’s depiction of Israel’s God and points ahead to future controversies concerning Jesus’s divinity and humanity in the early church. Indeed, in Luke-Acts and beyond, questions concerning God’s body are intimately intertwined with Christology and shed light on how to understand Jesus’s own visible embodiment in relation to God.
Conclusion
Authors: Wilson Brittany E.
Published: September 2021

The conclusion provides a brief summary of the book and suggests some avenues for future research.
Subnational Capital Finance
Authors: Martell Christine R. , Moldogaziev Tima T. , Espinosa Salvador
Published: September 2021

Chapter 1 introduces the book by presenting the main arguments that information resolution is a necessary component of SNG capital market development and access to external financing. It also argues that local policy and management agency vis-à-vis financial sector firms is critical to achieve SNG governance tasks in the face of decentralized governance and growing local service pressures. This chapter defines the key terminology of information problems, information institutions, and information resolution. It situates the focus on SNGs, and more narrowly on policy makers at the city level, that are embedded within the national contexts and financial markets. Finally, the chapter identifies the book’s contributions and details the organization of the book’s remaining chapters.
How to manage language problems
Authors: Budson Andrew E. , O’Connor Maureen K.
Published: September 2021

Although language may become impaired by dementia, communication with your loved one is still possible. Speak clearly and slowly in a quiet environment. Help them obtain hearing aids, if needed. Reading and writing may be beneficial for those who have hearing or speech problems and mild dementia. Speech therapy may also benefit those with mild dementia and trouble talking. Pictures can often compensate for a variety of comprehension and communication problems. Gestures, body language, facial expression, tone of voice, and other nonlinguistic and nonverbal communication can be useful, both in person and over a video phone. Lastly, remember that emotional communication is often preserved in dementia.
How to manage behavioral problems
Authors: Budson Andrew E. , O’Connor Maureen K.
Published: September 2021

Behavioral problems are among the most difficult ones you may face caring for your loved one with dementia. The good news is that there are many approaches you can use to reduce unwanted behaviors and encourage positive ones. Conquer apathy with routines. Sidestep willfulness with small steps. Use the ABCs of Behavior Change, 4Rs, and Three Time Principles to manage agitation, aggression, combativeness, and inappropriate/disinhibited behavior. Stay safe by giving away or securing guns, power tools, and knives. Remember to call for help or leave a dangerous situation when you need to. Know how to stay safe in the car when you’re driving, and stop your loved one from driving when necessary. Deal with sundowning and challenging interactions outside of the home. Manage jealousy and paranoia. Finally, consider helping your loved one to feel more comfortable with soothing and familiar music, pleasing scents, stuffed animals, and real or robotic pets.
How to plan for the end and beyond
Authors: Budson Andrew E. , O’Connor Maureen K.
Published: September 2021

Although discussing the death of your loved one may be uncomfortable, we believe it is best to be prepared. Have conversations with your loved one about the end of their life. Consider hospice and palliative care, the death itself, the ceremony, and what should be done with their body and brain. Think about whether you wish to be present at the death. Managing grief and preparing for your future after your loved one has died are important. Find the resources you need to cope with the many emotions you may feel during the grieving process. Build a life for yourself after caregiving.
Written on the Darkest Pages of Human History, 1991–2000
Authors: Schoppa R. Keith
Published: September 2021

From the standpoint of the 1990s, the twentieth century seems to have ended on especially depressing notes. Run through the catalogue of tragedy: the hopeful Oslo Accords go dead with the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin (1995); Serbian-Slovenian War (1991); Serbian-Croatian War (1991–1995); Bosnian War (1992–1996); first Congo War (1996–1997); Great War of Africa (1998–2003), where 6 million were killed; and the Kosovo War (1998–1999). Their driving force was nationalism, undoubtedly, some found themselves the key. For Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma (Myanmar) her choice in the three-tiered political identity was the nation for which she gave up her family and all the global ideals in the beginning of her career: human rights, democracy, and individual freedom.