bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Silence as Complicity: Elements of a Corporate Duty to Speak Out Against the Violation of Human Rights
Authors: Wettstein Florian 
Published: July 2012

ABSTRACT:Increasingly, global businesses are confronted with the question of complicity in human rights violations committed by abusive host governments. This contribution specifically looks at silent complicity and the way it challenges conventional interpretations of corporate responsibility. Silent complicity implies that corporations have moral obligations that reach beyond the negative realm of doing no harm. Essentially, it implies that corporations have a moral responsibility to help protect human rights by putting pressure on perpetrating host governments involved in human rights abuses. This is a controversial claim, which this contribution proposes to analyze with a view to understanding and determining the underlying conditions that need to be met in order for moral agents to be said to have such responsibilities in the category of the duty to protect human rights.
The Case for Leverage-Based Corporate Human Rights Responsibility
Authors: Wood Stepan 
Published: July 2012

ABSTRACT:Should companies’ human rights responsibilities arise, in part, from their “leverage”—their ability to influence others’ actions through their relationships? Special Representative John Ruggie rejected this proposition in the United Nations Framework for business and human rights. I argue that leverage is a source of responsibility where there is a morally significant connection between the company and a rights-holder or rights-violator, the company is able to make a contribution to ameliorating the situation, it can do so at modest cost, and the threat to human rights is substantial. In such circumstances companies have a responsibility to exercise leverage even though they did nothing to contribute to the situation. Such responsibility is qualified, not categorical; graduated, not binary; context-specific; practicable; consistent with the social role of business; and not merely a negative responsibility to avoid harm but a positive responsibility to do good.
Shareholder Engagement in the Embedded Business Corporation: Investment Activism, Human Rights, and TWAIL Discourse
Authors: Dhir Aaron A. 
Published: July 2012

ABSTRACT:The expansion of extractive corporations’ overseas business operations has led to serious concerns regarding human rights–related impacts. As these apprehensions grow, we see a countervailing rise in calls for government intervention and in levels of socially conscious shareholder advocacy. I focus on the latter as manifested in recent use of the shareholder proposal mechanism found in corporate law. Shareholder proposals, while under-theorized, provide a valuable lens through which to consider the argument that economic behaviour is embedded within social relations. In doing so, I situate my analysis within Third World Approaches to International Law (TWAIL) scholarship. Elsewhere, I have supported the use of corporate law tools in advancing the international human rights enterprise and argued that investment activism can be an essential component of this advancement. This paper represents a reflexive pause. Using the case study of a recent proposal submitted to Goldcorp Inc., I seek to problematize the shareholder proposal as a human rights advocacy tool and to examine it as a site of contestation.
Implementing the New UN Corporate Human Rights Framework: Implications for Corporate Law, Governance, and Regulation
Authors: Muchlinski Peter 
Published: July 2012

ABSTRACT:The UN Framework on Human Rights and Business comprises the State’s duty to protect human rights, the corporate responsibility to respect human rights, and the duty to remedy abuses. This paper focuses on the corporate responsibility to respect. It considers how to overcome obstacles, arising out of national and international law, to the development of a legally binding corporate duty to respect human rights. It is argued that the notion of human rights due diligence will lead to the creation of binding legal duties and that principles of corporate and tort law can be adapted to this end. Furthermore, recent legal developments accept an “enlightened shareholder value” approach allowing corporate managers to consider human rights issues when making decisions. The responsibility to respect involves adaptation of shareholder based corporate governance towards a more stakeholder oriented approach and could lead to the development of a new, stakeholder based, corporate model.
Methods for Studying Habitual Behavior in Mice
Authors: Rossi Mark A. , Yin Henry H. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractHabit formation refers to the process by which goal‐directed behavior becomes automatized and less sensitive to changes in the value of the goal. It has clear relevance for our understanding of skill learning and addiction. Recent studies have begun to reveal the neural substrates underlying this process. This unit summarizes what is known about the experimental methods used, and provides a protocol for generating and assessing habit formation in mice. Curr. Protoc. Neurosci. 60:8.29.1‐8.29.9. © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Design and Assembly of Large Synthetic DNA Constructs
Authors: Miklos Aleksandr E. , Hughes Randall A. , Ellington Andrew D. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractThe availability of custom synthetic gene‐length DNA products removes numerous bottlenecks in research efforts, making gene synthesis an increasingly common commercial service. However, the assembly of synthetic oligonucleotides into large, custom DNA constructs is not especially difficult, and performing “in‐house” gene synthesis has time and cost advantages. This unit will treat both the concerns of design and physical assembly in gene synthesis, including how to design DNA sequences for synthesis and the design of overlapping oligonucleotide schemes to ensure facile assembly into the final product. Assembly is accomplished using a reliable series of PCR reactions, with a troubleshooting assembly protocol included, which not only assembles difficult sequences but allows identification of the source of a failure down to a pair of oligonucleotides. Curr. Protoc. Mol. Biol. 99:3.23.1‐3.23.18. © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Enrichment of Error‐Free Synthetic DNA Sequences by CEL I Nuclease
Authors: Hughes Randall A. , Miklos Aleksandr E. , Ellington Andrew D. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractAs the availability of DNA sequence information has grown, so has the need to replicate DNA sequences synthetically. Synthetically produced DNA sequences allow the researcher to exert greater control over model systems and allow for the combinatorial design and construction of novel metabolic and regulatory pathways, as well as optimized protein‐coding sequences for biotechnological applications. This utility has made synthetically produced DNA a hallmark of the molecular biosciences and a mainstay of synthetic biology. However, synthetically produced DNA has a significant shortcoming in that it typically has an error rate that is orders of magnitude higher when compared to DNA sequences derived directly from a biological source. This relatively high error rate adds to the cost and labor necessary to obtain sequence‐verified clones from synthetically produced DNA sequences. This unit describes a protocol to enrich error‐free sequences from a population of error‐rich DNA via treatment with CEL I (Surveyor) endonuclease. This method is a straightforward and quick way of reducing the error content of synthetic DNA pools and reliably reduces the error rates by >6‐fold per round of treatment. Curr. Protoc. Mol. Biol. 99:3.24.1‐3.24.10. © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Database of DNA Polymerases
Authors: Langhorst Bradley W. , Nichols Nicole M. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractThe DNA Polymerase Database (Polbase) is intended to compile the wealth of existing DNA polymerase information from public and private records into an open, searchable database. Curr. Protoc. Mol. Biol. 99:3.25.1‐3.25.2. © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Biochemical Analysis of Protein SUMOylation
Authors: Alontaga Aileen Y. , Bobkova Ekaterina , Chen Yuan 
Published: July 2012

AbstractSUMOylation, the covalent attachment of Small Ubiquitin‐like MOdifier (SUMO) polypeptides to other proteins, is among the most important post‐translational modifications that regulate the functional properties of a large number of proteins. SUMOylation is broadly involved in cellular processes such as gene transcription, hormone response, signal transduction, DNA repair, and nuclear transport. SUMO modification has also been implicated in the pathogenesis of human diseases, such as cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, and viral infection. Attachment of a SUMO protein to another protein is carried out in multiple steps catalyzed by three enzymes. This unit describes and discusses the in vitro biochemical methods used for investigating each step of the SUMOylation process. In addition, a high‐throughput screening protocol is included for the identification of inhibitors of SUMOylation. Curr. Protoc. Mol. Biol. 99:10.29.1‐10.29.29. © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Single Nucleotide Analysis of Cytosine Methylation by Whole‐Genome Shotgun Bisulfite Sequencing
Authors: Johnson Michelle D. , Mueller Michael , Game Laurence , Aitman Timothy J. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractUnlike other methods to assess methylation, whole‐genome shotgun bisulfite sequencing is used to generate quantitative genome‐wide methylation profiles at single‐nucleotide resolution. As described in this unit, this method allows for the quantitative measurement of methylation at each cytosine base by treatment of genomic DNA with sodium bisulfite followed by sequencing and alignment of the reads to a reference genome. Curr. Protoc. Mol. Biol. 99:21.23.1‐21.23.28. © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Ex Vivo Imaging of Excised Tissue Using Vital Dyes and Confocal Microscopy
Authors: Johnson Simon , Rabinovitch Peter 
Published: July 2012

AbstractVital dyes routinely used for staining cultured cells can also be used to stain and image live tissue slices ex vivo. Staining tissue with vital dyes allows researchers to collect structural and functional data simultaneously and can be used for qualitative or quantitative fluorescent image collection. The protocols presented here are useful for structural and functional analysis of viable properties of cells in intact tissue slices, allowing for the collection of data in a structurally relevant environment. With these protocols, vital dyes can be applied as a research tool to disease processes and properties of tissue not amenable to cell culture–based studies. Curr. Protoc. Cytom. 61:9.39.1‐9.39.18. © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Preparing a Minimum Information about a Flow Cytometry Experiment (MIFlowCyt) Compliant Manuscript Using the International Society for Advancement of Cytometry (ISAC) FCS File Repository (FlowRepository.org)
Authors: Spidlen Josef , Breuer Karin , Brinkman Ryan 
Published: July 2012

AbstractFlowRepository.org is a Web‐based flow cytometry data repository provided by the International Society for Advancement of Cytometry (ISAC). It supports storage, annotation, analysis, and sharing of flow cytometry datasets. A fundamental tenet of scientific research is that published results should be open to independent validation and refutation. With FlowRepository, researchers can annotate their datasets in compliance with the Minimum Information about a Flow Cytometry Experiment (MIFlowCyt) standard, thus greatly facilitating third‐party interpretation of their data. In this unit, we will mainly focus on the deposition, sharing, and annotation of flow cytometry data.Curr. Protoc. Cytom. 61:10.18.1‐10.18.26. © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (TIRF) Microscopy Illuminator for Improved Imaging of Cell Surface Events
Authors: Johnson Daniel S. , Jaiswal Jyoti K. , Simon Sanford 
Published: July 2012

AbstractTotal internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy is a high‐contrast imaging technique suitable for observing biological events that occur on or near the cell membrane. The improved contrast is accomplished by restricting the thickness of the excitation field to over an order of a magnitude narrower than the z‐resolution of an epi‐fluorescence microscope. This technique also increases signal‐to‐noise, making it a valuable tool for imaging cellular events such as vesicles undergoing exocytosis or endocytosis, viral particle formation, cell signaling, and dynamics of membrane proteins. This protocol describes the basic procedures for setting up a through‐the‐objective TIRF illuminator and a prism‐based TIRF illuminator. In addition, an alternate protocol for incorporating an automated deflection system into through‐the‐objective TIRF is given. This system can be used to decrease aberrations in the illumination field, to quickly switch between epi‐ and TIRF illumination, and to adjust the penetration depth during multicolor TIRF applications. In the commentary, a description of the total internal reflection phenomenon is given, critical parameters of a TIRF microscope are discussed, and technical challenges and considerations are reviewed. Curr. Protoc. Cytom. 61:12.29.1‐12.29.19. © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Large Tunnel Magnetoresistance in Epitaxial Oxide Spin‐Filter Tunnel Junctions
Authors: Harada Takayuki , Ohkubo Isao , Lippmaa Mikk , Sakurai Yasuaki , Matsumoto Yuji , Muto Shunsuke , Koinuma Hideomi , Oshima Masaharu 
Published: July 2012

AbstractA high‐performance spin filter tunnel junction composed of an epitaxial oxide heterostructure is reported. By independently controlling the magnetic orientations of ferromagnetic tunnel barrier and electrode layers, a tunnel magnetoresistance ratio exceeding 120% is obtained purely by the spin filtering effect. A newly introduced spin filter material, Pr0.8Ca0.2Mn1‐yCoyO3, is shown to be useful for building novel multibarrier spintronic tunnel devices due to its composition‐controlled magnetic hardness.
Hierarchical Calcite Crystals with Occlusions of a Simple Polyelectrolyte Mimic Complex Biomineral Structures
Authors: Schenk Anna S. , Zlotnikov Igor , Pokroy Boaz , Gierlinger Notburga , Masic Admir , Zaslansky Paul , Fitch Andrew N. , Paris Oskar , Metzger Till H. , Cölfen Helmut , Fratzl Peter , Aichmayer Barbara 
Published: July 2012

AbstractBiominerals are complex inorganic‐organic structures that often show excellent mechanical properties. Here a bio‐inspired study of a remarkably simple synthetic system is presented in which only one charged polymer additive (poly(sodium 4‐styrenesulfonate)) is able to induce hierarchical structuring of calcite similar to biominerals. The interaction of the negatively charged polymer with the nucleation and growth of the mineral, in particular via selective adsorption to internal and external (001) facets of the calcite lattice, implies structural features from the micrometer down to the nanometer level. The crystals exhibit a distinct rounded morphology and a controlled orientation. Moreover, the polymer molecules are occluded within the crystals with different concentrations in well‐defined regions. This leads to the induction of a mesoscale structure based on 100 nm sized mineral building blocks with granular substructure and rough surface, as well as small modifications of the crystallographic structure. Such a combination of hierarchically organized structural features has previously only been reported for biogenic calcite, which is typically grown in a complex process involving multiple organic additives. It is also shown that the organic occlusions in the calcite‐PSS hybrid crystals strongly affect the mechanical performance, as known for some biominerals.
Copper Carbenoid, Reactant and Catalyst for One‐Pot Diazo Ester Coupling Cascade Rearrangement of Enediynes: Formation of Two Contiguous Tetrasubstituted Stereocenters
Authors: Mondal Shovan , Nechab Malek , Campolo Damien , Vanthuyne Nicolas , Bertrand Michèle P. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractThe copper‐catalyzed reaction of enediynes with diazo esters leads to cyclic amino esters bearing two contiguous tetrasubstituted stereogenic centers through a one‐pot, five‐step cascade. Copper iodide catalyzes the formation of an intermediate 3‐alkynoate and copper carbenoid promotes its reversible isomerization to the corresponding allenoate. The alkynoate‐allenoate equilibrium is completely shifted to the right by the rapid consumption of the allenoate by Myers–Saito cyclization. This is followed by 1,5‐H atom transfer and recombination of the resulting biradical. Memory of chirality phenomenon explains the high enantioselectivity.
Hedonic Analysis of Apple Attributes in Metropolitan Markets of Western Canada
Authors: Carew Richard , Florkowski Wojciech J. , Smith Elwin G. 
Published: July 2012

ABSTRACTOver the last decade, the level of competition in the Canadian apple industry has been affected by growing competitive pressures from increasing imports and the availability of other fresh fruits. In response to intensifying competition, the industry has introduced new apple varieties that are more desirable to consumers in terms of eating quality and improve growers’ profitability. British Columbia (BC) apple sales data were employed to examine the implicit value of apple attributes for apples sold in several metropolitan areas of western Canada (Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg). Linear hedonic price functions were estimated to determine price premiums paid for newer varieties, higher grades, and larger fruit size. In addition, the price effects of cold storage and seasonality were considered because of their association with apple quality. Wholesale prices were significantly influenced by apple fruits of newer varieties, grades, fruit sizes, and metropolitan area. Wholesalers also distinguished between Canadian and BC grades of different varieties. Wholesale prices varied across urban centers; they were relatively higher in Winnipeg and Saskatoon than in Vancouver [EconLit Classifications: Q110, Q130].
Synthesis of triazole ring‐containing pentol chain extender and its effect on the properties of hyperbranched polyurethane‐urea coatings
Authors: Priyanka K. G. , Mishra Aswini K. , Kantheti Sasidhar , Narayan Ramanuj , Raju K. V. S. N. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractThis article describes the synthesis and property evaluation of different hyperbranched polyurethane‐urea (HBPUU) coatings based on a newly synthesized triazole ring‐based pentol chain extender. For this initially, the chain extender was synthesized using acetylene azide click reaction and the structure of the intermediate compounds were confirmed by 1H‐, 13C‐NMR, FTIR, and ESI‐mass spectrometry. In the further steps, the required HBPUU coatings were prepared by a systematic three‐step reaction process. In the first step, a isocyanate terminated prepolymer resin was synthesized at NCO/OH ratio of 1.2 : 1, while the second and third step involves the partially chain extension followed by moisture curing. The excess NCO content in the prepolymer was calculated by standard dibutylamine titration method and partially (10, 20, 30, 50, and 70% of the excess NCO content) chain extended with the pentol chain extender and remaining was moisture cured. The structure property relation of different HBPUU coating films were analyzed by FTIR peak deconvulation technique using Gaussian curve fitting procedure while, their viscoelastic and thermo‐mechanical properties were measured by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, thermo gravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetric, and universal testing machine instruments. These results showed that thermal stability, glass transition temperature (Tg), elongation at break increases but the storage and tensile modulus decreases with increasing the percent loading of the triazole chain extender. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012
Mitochondrial Division in Rat Cardiomyocytes: An Electron Microscope Study
Authors: Fujioka Hisashi , Tandler Bernard , Hoppel Charles L. 
Published: July 2012

AbstractIn cardiomyocytes of rats, two distinct mitochondrial division processes are in operation. The predominant process involves extension of a single crista until it spans the full width of a mitochondrion. Ingrowth of the outer membrane ultimately results in scission. The second division process involves “pinching,” in which narrowing of the organelle at specific surface locations leads to its attenuation. When limiting membranes from opposite sides meet, mitochondrial fission ensues. When pinching is the operative mode, elements of sarcoplasmic reticulum always are associated with the membrane constrictions. The nuclear control mechanisms that determine which modality of mitochondrial division will prevail are unknown. Anat Rec, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Menscheninduzierte Schwingungen: Methoden, Ansätze und Beispiele zur Bewertung der Gebrauchstauglichkeit von Bauwerken
Authors: Sadegh‐Azar Hamid , Wörndle Pierre 
Published: July 2012

AbstractMenscheninduzierte Schwingungen von Baustrukturen sind kein neues Phänomen, gewinnen aber infolge immer höherer architektonischer Anforderungen (z. B. in Bezug auf Schlankheit) und Gebrauchstauglichkeitsanforderungen immer mehr an Bedeutung. Insbesondere beim Bau von Konzertsälen, Stadien, Turn‐ und Sporthallen, Fußgängerbrücken und anderen leichten Konstruktionen ist die Beurteilung des Schwingungsverhaltens ein nicht zu vernachlässigender Bestandteil der gesamten Bemessung. Durch Menschen angeregte Schwingungen (z. B. durch Gehen, Wippen, Hüpfen und Springen) können bei diesen Bauwerken die Gebrauchstauglichkeit und ggf. sogar die Tragsicherheit empfindlich beeinträchtigen. Ziel dieses Beitrags ist das Aufzeigen der theoretischen Grundlagen einer menscheninduzierten Anregung sowie der Beurteilungsmöglichkeiten für Gebrauchstauglichkeit und Tragsicherheit, insbesondere für Tribünen und dem hier maßgebenden Lastfall “Hüpfen”. Dies wird für ein konkretes Beispiel aus der Praxis angewendet. Für die Abschätzung der menscheninduzierten Lasten und der zu erwartenden Schwingungen wurde ein vereinfachtes Verfahren aus dem Erdbebeningenieurwesen adaptiert, welches hier vorgestellt und diskutiert wird.Human‐induced Vibrations: Methods, procedures and examples for the assessment of structural serviceabilityHuman‐induced vibrations are not a new phenomenon for building structures, but due to increasing architectonical and serviceability requirements (e.g. with respect to slenderness) their influence and importance are growing. In particular, for the construction of concert halls, stadiums, gymnasiums and sports halls, pedestrian bridges and other slender and light structures the assessment and evaluation of the vibrational behavior is an essential part of the overall design. Human‐induced vibrations (e.g. by walking, swaying, hopping and jumping) in these buildings can affect the serviceability, and even the structural safety. The intension of this paper is to point out the theoretical basis and the methods and procedures for the evaluation of structural serviceability and safety for human induced vibrations, especially for stand structures and the corresponding dominant load case “jumping”. Also the application of these methods and procedures is demonstrated on a practical example. For the estimation of expected vibrations and human‐induced loads, a simplified procedure, which originates from earthquake engineering, has been developed. This procedure and its application are presented and discussed.