bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Fair and Equitable Treatment and Investor’s Due Diligence Under International Investment Law
Authors: Levashova Yulia 
Published: August 2020

AbstractThe investor’s due diligence has become a significant factor in determining whether the legitimate expectations of an investor give rise to protection under the FET standard. This is especially relevant when an investor’s claim for the protection of its legitimate expectations is based on the stability of a regulatory framework. The investor’s due diligence in the context of the FET standard goes beyond the risk-based business due diligence performed by a foreign investor for its own benefit. It has implications for a state’s right to regulate in the public interest and a broader notion of business responsibilities. Investors are expected to conduct proper due diligence before investing in a host state by demonstrating their reasonable efforts to collect information about the rules and regulations that are pertinent to the proposed investment. In some cases, due diligence extends to an investor’s duty to assess the possible risks related to the broader economic situation and socio-political background of a host state. Focusing on the recent renewable energy awards, this article analyses and clarifies the role of due diligence in the context of the FET standard, as well as its potential application for asserting responsible business conduct in the broader framework of international investment law.
Tax evasion and competition in a differentiated duopoly
Authors: Fanti Luciano , Buccella Domenico 
Published: August 2020

AbstractThis paper investigates the relation between market competition and firms’ tax evasion in a duopoly with differentiated products under both Bertrand and Cournot conjectures. The previous literature has shown that competition can lead to higher or lower tax evasion. Our paper can help to conciliate these different results by showing that a negative or a positive relation depends on what causes competitive pressure (i.e. an increase of the marginal cost, a higher product substitutability or a change of the mode of competition) and the pre-existing level of competition.
Proof-of-concept study on improved efficacy of rHuEPO administered as a long-term infusion in rats
Authors: Szczesny Damian , Mołoniewicz Katarzyna , Markuszewski Michał J. , Wiczling Paweł 
Published: August 2020

AbstractBackgroundHuman recombinant erythropoietin (rHuEPO) is often used in the treatment of diseases associated with a decreased production of red blood cells (RBC), such as chronic renal failure. rHuEPO is typically administered as an intravenous or subcutaneous (SC) injection every few days. The low minimum effective concentration (MEC) of rHuEPO, compared to the concentrations observed after standard doses, suggests that a low dose of the drug administered as a long-term infusion should be efficacious. This study aimed to compare the efficacy observed after a single subcutaneous administration of rHuEPO with that observed after a long-term infusion of rHuEPO via implanted osmotic pumps at a similar or lower dose.Materials and methodsIn this study three rats received rHuEPO as a single SC injection at a dose of 1350 IU/kg, nine via osmotic pumps at a rate of 0.25, 0.5 and 1 IU/kg and at a total dose of 333 IU/kg, 667 IU/kg, 1333 IU/kg. Three rats served as a control group. The erythropoietin concentrations, RBC count and hemoglobin were measured.ResultsAn increase in RBC count and hemoglobin was observed after SC infusion of rHuEPO. The baseline corrected area under the effect curve for hemoglobin and RBC count was more than 10-times higher for the SC infusion than for a single SC administration with a comparable dose.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates that administration of rHuEPO as a long-term infusion at a rate ensuring MEC allows to achieve a high efficacy of therapy using relatively small doses of the drug.
Nevsun: A Ray of Hope in a Darkening Landscape?
Authors: BAXI Upendra 
Published: August 2020

AbstractThis article explores some aspects of the Canadian Supreme Court’s decision on Nevsun Resources v Araya in the light of its exposition on the act of state doctrine and application of core human rights as an integral aspect of international customary law and common law. It examines the Nevsun decision in the context of recent statutory developments in France and the Netherlands, the promised law reform in the European Union, and the proposed business and human rights treaty. I argue that it is high time to abandon the doctrinal fossil that human rights obligations do not apply to corporate governance and operations. It is hoped that COVID-19 contexts, and a post-pandemic world, will expeditiously result in the willing adoption of a treaty on business and human rights.
The slippery slope of rights-restricting temporary measures: an experimental analysis
Authors: Motsenok Marina , Steiner Talya , Netzer Liat , Feldman Yuval , Sulitzeanu-Kenan Raanan 
Published: August 2020

AbstractTimes of emergency often serve as triggers for the creation of new policy. Such policies may involve restriction of human rights, and various mechanisms can be used to mitigate the severity of such restrictions. One such mechanism is the temporary measure. A series of three experiments examined the potential of temporary measures for increasing the likelihood of approval of rights-restricting policy and the role of time – both prospectively and retrospectively – in the willingness to restrict human rights. We find that behavioural examination confirms the concerns expressed in the literature regarding temporary legislation. Participants asked to approve a rights-restricting policy were more willing to approve a temporary measure when it was presented as a compromise, and they were more willing to extend a rights-restricting policy when it had previously been implemented. These findings indicate a possible slippery slope effect in temporary legislation: policymakers might be persuaded to approve measures they would not otherwise approve when those measures are temporary or when they have been previously approved by others.
Genetic Testing in Children with Epilepsy: Report of a Single-Center Experience
Authors: Lee So , Karp Natalya , Zapata-Aldana Eugenio , Sadikovic Bekim , Yang Ping , Balci Tugce B , Prasad Asuri N 
Published: August 2020

ABSTRACT:Background:Retrospective observational study to determine diagnostic yield and utility of genetic testing in children with epilepsy attending the Epilepsy Clinic at Children’s Hospital, London, Ontario, Canada.Methods:Children (birth–18 years) with epilepsy, who were seen in a 10-year period (January 1, 2008–March 31, 2018), were selected using defined inclusion criteria and by combining clinic datasets and laboratory records.Results:In total, 105 children (52.38% male and 47.61% female) with a variety of seizures were included in the analysis. Developmental delay was documented in the majority (83; 79.04%). Overall, a genetic diagnosis was established in 24 (22.85%) children. The diagnostic yield was highest for whole-exome sequencing (WES), at 35.71%. The yield from microarray was 8.33%. Yields of single-gene testing (18.60%) and targeted multigene panel testing (19.23%) were very similar. Several likely pathogenic and pathogenic variants not previously reported were identified and categorized using ACMG criteria. All diagnosed patients underwent a review of anti-seizure medication management and received counseling on natural history of their disease, possible complications, recurrence risks, and possibilities of preimplantation or prenatal genetic diagnosis.Conclusions:Our study confirms the multiple benefits of detecting a genetic etiology in children with epilepsy. Similar yields in single versus multigene testing underscore the importance of accurate clinical phenotyping. Patients with epilepsy and their caregivers in Ontario would undoubtedly benefit from repatriation of multigene panels and WES to the province.
Defection and Prisoner of War Status: Protection under International Humanitarian Law for Those Who Join the Enemy?
Authors: MARTINEZ MANUEL GALVIS 
Published: August 2020

AbstractThis article explores the issue of whether individuals who join enemy forces during international armed conflicts are entitled to prisoner of war status upon capture. It presents the long-running debate on the topic through a study of divided scholarly opinions and judicial decisions. An original analysis of the competing theories is conducted on the basis of available state practice, treaty interpretation methodology, and novel critical arguments and proposals. The article seeks to challenge the value attributed to mainstream academic opinions and judicial precedents and open the debate in an area of international humanitarian law that is still under development.
Examining geodetic glacier mass balance in the eastern Pamir transition zone
Authors: Lv Mingyang , Quincey Duncan J. , Guo Huadong , King Owen , Liu Guang , Yan Shiyong , Lu Xiancai , Ruan Zhixing 
Published: August 2020

AbstractGlaciers in the eastern Pamir have reportedly been gaining mass during recent decades, even though glaciers in most other regions in High Mountain Asia have been in recession. Questions still remain about whether the trend is strengthening or weakening, and how far the positive balances extend into the eastern Pamir. To address these gaps, we use three different digital elevation models to reconstruct glacier surface elevation changes over two periods (2000–09 and 2000–15/16). We characterize the eastern Pamir as a zone of transition from positive to negative mass balance with the boundary lying at the northern end of Kongur Tagh, and find that glaciers situated at higher elevations are those with the most positive balances. Most (67% of 55) glaciers displayed a net mass gain since the 21st century. This led to an increasing regional geodetic glacier mass balance from −0.06 ± 0.16 m w.e. a−1 in 2000–09 to 0.06 ± 0.04 m w.e. a−1 in 2000–15/16. Surge-type glaciers, which are prevalent in the eastern Pamir, showed fluctuations in mass balance on an individual scale during and after surges, but no statistical difference compared to non-surge-type glaciers when aggregated across the region.
Treatiseand theTractatus
Authors: CLINE DAVID 
Published: August 2020

AbstractCornelius Cardew named his monumental graphic scoreTreatiseafter Ludwig Wittgenstein’s early philosophical masterpieceTractatus logico-philosophicus, and this well-known fact has engendered speculation about whether there might be other connections between Cardew’s composition and Wittgenstein’s book. Previous commentaries have focused on possible allusions to theTractatusin the visual imagery employed by Cardew, and this article includes further suggestions of this type. However, it concentrates on more general affinities betweenTreatise, as Cardew conceived of it prior to his involvement with the free improvisation group AMM, and the philosophy adumbrated in theTractatus.Foremost among these is a striking concordance between Cardew’s initial enthusiasm for an isomorphic mode of interpretingTreatiseand Wittgenstein’s picture theory of the proposition. The article also excavates traces of the picture theory in the numerological basis ofVolo solo, a more conventionally notated by-product of theTreatiseproject.
Maskanda, Umkhosi wokukhahlela and the Articulation of Identity in South Africa
Authors: DE JONG NANETTE , THANDISZWE DIKO KING MADZIKANE II 
Published: August 2020

AbstractUmkhosi wokukhahlela is an annual ceremony in the KwaBhaca Great Kingdom (Eastern Cape, South Africa) that celebrates virginity among young women and girls. Not regularly practiced for decades, it has recently made a comeback, having been strategically adopted by King Madzikane II as a tool of empowerment in the fight against the HIV pandemic, the rise in teen pregnancies, rape and school dropouts, as well as the abuse of women in general. This article investigates the return of Umkhosi wokukhahlela through Antonio Gramsci’s notion of ‘articulation’. As we shall see, the ritual is a particularly engaging and thoroughgoing example of how local communities intertwine the past with the present to reshape their own identity, borrowing from tradition to articulate specific life lessons germane to the present – and future – of the Bhaca people.
SWEDISH COUNTERINTELLIGENCE OPERATIONS AGAINST BRITISH ECONOMIC WARFARE IN SCANDINAVIA, 1939–1940
Authors: SUONPÄÄ MIKA 
Published: August 2020

AbstractThis article examines the Swedish security establishment's counterintelligence measures directed against British preparations for economic warfare in Scandinavia in 1939–40. Although Stockholm was an intense spying location, there exists a gap in the historiography concerning the topic. At the beginning of the war, the British government regarded economic warfare as an efficient tool for shaking the foundations of the German war economy. Economic warfare included blockades, sabotage, psychological warfare, and diplomatic threats. The present study explores Swedish operations against George Binney, who worked for the British government in war-trade-related issues. The article shows that the Swedish security service had difficulties in obtaining intelligence on Binney because of the reliance on casual informants, whose information was imprecise and sometimes misleading. The British succeeded in uncovering some of the Swedish counterintelligence tactics and this led to problems in capturing significant information, for example, via communication monitoring. The Swedish archival sources have added considerable new empirical details regarding British preparations for blockade running in July 1940. The study also shows that British officials operated on very dangerous ground, as some of the individuals they worked with were enemy agents or in a position to forward information in several different directions.
Security Interests in Personal Property and the Nigerian Secured Transactions in Movable Assets Act 2017: An Appraisal
Authors: Igbinosun Betha 
Published: August 2020

AbstractIn a bid to improve financial inclusion and access to affordable debt finance by micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), Nigeria's Secured Transactions in Movable Assets Act (STMA) was enacted on 31 May 2017 to regulate the creation, perfection and realization of security interests in movable assets. This article critically examines certain provisions of the STMA, including the potential issues that may arise due to the dual registration system now available under the act and that hitherto existing under the Companies and Allied Matters Act, as well as the implications of the STMA on traditional pledge transactions. It concludes that, while the STMA is an impressive attempt at enabling MSMEs to leverage their assets into capital for investment and expansion, it fails to procure a harmonized legal framework for secured transactions in personal property or to facilitate their effective use as collateral to improve access to credit by businesses in Nigeria.
The Internet of Things enhancing animal welfare and farm operational efficiency
Authors: Michie Craig , Andonovic Ivan , Davison Christopher , Hamilton Andrew , Tachtatzis Christos , Jonsson Nicholas , Duthie Carol-Anne , Bowen Jenna , Gilroy Michael 
Published: August 2020

AbstractThe growth in wirelessly enabled sensor network technologies has enabled the low cost deployment of sensor platforms with applications in a range of sectors and communities. In the agricultural domain such sensors have been the foundation for the creation of decision support tools that enhance farm operational efficiency. This Research Reflection illustrates how these advances are assisting dairy farmers to optimise performance and illustrates where emerging sensor technology can offer additional benefits. One of the early applications for sensor technology at an individual animal level was the accurate identification of cattle entering into heat (oestrus) to increase the rate of successful pregnancies and thus optimise milk yield per animal. This was achieved through the use of activity monitoring collars and leg tags. Additional information relating to the behaviour of the cattle, namely the time spent eating and ruminating, was subsequently derived from collars giving further insights of economic value into the wellbeing of the animal, thus an enhanced range of welfare related services have been provisioned. The integration of the information from neck-mounted collars with the compositional analysis data of milk measured at a robotic milking station facilitates the early diagnosis of specific illnesses such as mastitis. The combination of different data streams also serves to eliminate the generation of false alarms, improving the decision making capability. The principle of integrating more data streams from deployed on-farm systems, for example, with feed composition data measured at the point of delivery using instrumented feeding wagons, supports the optimisation of feeding strategies and identification of the most productive animals. Optimised feeding strategies reduce operational costs and minimise waste whilst ensuring high welfare standards. These IoT-inspired solutions, made possible through Internet-enabled cloud data exchange, have the potential to make a major impact within farming practices. This paper gives illustrative examples and considers where new sensor technology from the automotive industry may also have a role.
Use of kinase inhibitors against schistosomes to improve and broaden praziquantel efficacy
Authors: Nawaratna Sujeevi S. K. , McManus Donald P. , Gasser Robin B. , Brindley Paul J. , Boyle Glen M. , Rivera Vanessa , Ranasinghe Shiwanthi L. , Jones Malcolm K. , You Hong , Gobert Geoffrey N. 
Published: August 2020

AbstractPraziquantel (PZQ) is the drug of choice for schistosomiasis. The potential drug resistance necessitates the search for adjunct or alternative therapies to PZQ. Previous functional genomics has shown that RNAi inhibition of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) gene inSchistosomaadult worms significantly improved the effectiveness of PZQ. Here we tested thein vitroefficacy of 15 selective and non-selective CaMK inhibitors againstSchistosoma mansoniand showed that PZQ efficacy was improved against refractory juvenile parasites when combined with these CaMK inhibitors. By measuring CaMK activity and the mobility of adultS. mansoni, we identified two non-selective CaMK inhibitors, Staurosporine (STSP) and 1Naphthyl PP1 (1NAPP1), as promising candidates for further study. The impact of STSP and 1NAPP1 was investigated in mice infected withS. mansoniin the presence or absence of a sub-lethal dose of PZQ against 2- and 7-day-old schistosomula and adults. Treatment with STSP/PZQ induced a significant (47–68%) liver egg burden reduction compared with mice treated with PZQ alone. The findings indicate that the combination of STSP and PZQ dosages significantly improved anti-schistosomal activity compared to PZQ alone, demonstrating the potential of selective and non-selective CaMK/kinase inhibitors as a combination therapy with PZQ in treating schistosomiasis.
Haematobium irritans and Haematobium titillans as potential vectors of Parabronema skrjabini in camels (Camelus bactrianus) in Inner Mongolia, China
Authors: Liu Yang , Zhao Zhiguo , Yang Xiaoye , Yang Lianru , Yang Bo , Zheng Wenqing , Li Wensheng , Luo Xiaoping , Wang Rui , Gu Wei , Wang Penglong 
Published: August 2020

AbstractParabronema skrjabini is one of the most harmful nematodes to camels and is responsible for economic losses in animal husbandry industry. There is an urgent need for in-depth studies of potential vectors of the nematode due to its scant regarding information. As previous studies indicated that flies may be the vectors of P. skrjabini, we captured flies in the main camel-producing areas of Inner Mongolia. After autopsy of the specimens of two species of horn flies, we observed the morphology of the suspected nematode larvae found in them. Internal transcribed spacer ribosomal-DNA gene sequences were considered the best candidate to confirm the species of the larvae found. Our results showed that the homology compared with P. skrjabini was 99.5% in GenBank. Subsequently, we preliminarily identified two species of horn flies through morphological observation and then sequenced the mitochondrial-DNA-gene cytochrome oxidase subunit I obtained from two species of horn flies, with 100 and 99.2% similarity to sequences deposited in GenBank, respectively. Thus, we identified Haematobia titillans and Haematobia irritans and provided evidence for their potential role as vectors of parabronemosis. Our study provides reference for future research on the life history of the nematode and the vectors of parabronemosis.
Chemical characterization and in vitro biological activity of Cymbopogon citratus extracts against Haemonchus spp. and Trichostrongylus spp. nematodes from sheep
Authors: Rocha Letícia Oliveira da , Lemos Gloria Cristina da Silva , Vieira Ivo José Curcino , Braz-Filho Raimundo , Freitas Silvério de Paiva , Glória Leonardo Siqueira , Santos Clóvis de Paula 
Published: August 2020

AbstractMedicinal plants have been the focus of several studies due to their nematicide properties which can be used to control nematodes in sheep. No study has examined the morphological effects of Cymbopogon citratus on nematodes. Thus, this study evaluated the chemical composition, nematicidal activity and effects of C. citratus extracts on the morphology of eggs and infective larvae (L3) of sheep. Aqueous and methanolic extracts and fractions of C. citratus were obtained and analysed in vitro. The C. citratus extracts were effective against Haemonchus spp. and Trichostrongylus spp. larvae and eggs. Ten fractions were obtained from C. citratus, six of which had high ovicidal activity at 1000 μg mL−1, and two fractions had high activity at all tested concentrations. The phytochemical analysis identified the presence of compounds such as terpenoids, various ketones, esters, and fatty acids. The ultrastructural analysis showed deformations of the cuticle and wilting along the body of the nematodes at all concentrations. The muscular layer, intestinal cells and the mitochondria profile showed damage compared to the typical pattern. Ultra-thin sections of eggs treated with methanolic fractions of C. citratus presented modifications. This study showed the biological activity and effects of C. citratus on the gastrointestinal nematodes in sheep.