- ICSID Annulment Procedure and the WTO Appellate System: The Case for an Appellate System for Investment Arbitration
- Ngangjoh-Hodu, Yenkong, Ajibo, Collins C. | Journal of international dispute settlement (v.6 / no.2 / pp.308-331 / 20152040-3585)
- In comparison to the World Trade Organization (WTO) appellate system, an investment dispute settlement annulment committee has a very limited mandate. Consequently, in re
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In comparison to the World Trade Organization (WTO) appellate system, an investment dispute settlement annulment committee has a very limited mandate. Consequently, in recent years, deficiency in the quality of some investment arbitration awards has reinvigorated the debate as to the need for an International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) appellate facility. While some remain unconvinced of the relevance of such a facility, there is an emerging consensus that the deficiencies in the awards currently being made hinders the predictability of the jurisprudence of investment arbitration and casts doubt on the legitimacy of the system. The ICSID annual report of 2011 recognized the need for an appellate review mechanism for investment arbitration, but subsequent annual reports have been conspicuously silent on this topic and no steps have been taken to follow it up. However, with the WTO disputes settlement system being the only international third party adjudicative body with a functioning appeal system in the area of trade law, it is arguably necessary to think of it as an institution that will inspire the establishment of an investment appeal mechanism. Critics of this potential development argue that the WTO contains a significantly interconnected body of treaty law while the ICSID normally deals with more disparate sets of treaties. Among other things, this contention ignores the existence of customary international law in the crystallization of both systems. In spite of the debate over the nature of the two systems, there is a need to acknowledge that an appellate system would at least help to improve both the awards and the ICSID #x2019;s legitimacy. While recognizing the successes as well as the challenges so far faced by the WTO Appellate Body, we argue in this article that an ICSID appellate system would enhance the legitimacy of investment arbitration, and institute fairness and balance among the various players in investment disputes.
- Efficient synthetic supramolecular channels and their light-deactivated ion transport in bilayer lipid membranes
- Bao, Chunyan, Ma, Meixin, Meng, Funa, Lin, Qiuning, Zhu, Linyong | New journal of chemistry = Nouveau journal de chimie (v.39 / no.8 / pp.6297-6302 / 20151144-0546)
- Inspired by the critical role of ion channel proteins in the regulation of cellular activities, here we developed a new type of synthetic ion channel by simple benzocrown
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Inspired by the critical role of ion channel proteins in the regulation of cellular activities, here we developed a new type of synthetic ion channel by simple benzocrown ether-based derivatives M1 and M2 , where M1 had a dodecyl tail and M2 had a diethylene glycol-conjugated dodecyl tail. Being amphiphilic in nature, the two small molecules were assumed to form crown ether channels through supramolecular interactions in bilayer lipid membranes (BLMs). The efficient ion transport was investigated by both a fluorescence-based vesicle assay and a planar bilayer conductance measurement, and M2 with diethylene glycol substitution exhibited more efficient activity comparable to amphotericin B. Moreover, the presence of a photosensitive o -nitrobenzyl group provided the light-regulation to deactivate ion transport by destroying the channel assembly of the molecules in BLMs, which provides new opportunities for developing intelligent light-regulated systems for biomedical applications based on synthetic small molecules. Graphic Abstract Efficient ion transport and photo-deactivation was achieved from the self-assembled channel of o -nitrobenzyl-based amphiphilic small molecules.
- Structural and optical properties of nanocrystalline Sb2S3 films deposited by chemical solution deposition
- Kulkarni, A.N., Rajendra Prasad, M.B., Ingle, R.V., Pathan, H.M., Eldesoky, G.E., Naushad, Mu., Patil, R.S. | Optical Materials (v.46 / pp.536-541 / 20150925-3467)
- Films of Sb 2 S 3 nanocrystals were deposited using chemical solution deposition. The structural and optical properties of the deposited films were investigated as a
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Films of Sb 2 S 3 nanocrystals were deposited using chemical solution deposition. The structural and optical properties of the deposited films were investigated as a function of reaction time and temperature of the solution bath. The X-ray diffractometric studies confirmed the orthorhombic phase of Sb 2 S 3 in the deposited films with steady variation in crystallinity. The effect of the bath conditions apparently was found to be playing a significant role in controlling the reaction rate resulting in the morphological evolution of the Sb 2 S 3 nanocrystals. The band gaps of the deposited Sb 2 S 3 films obtained from the optical absorption studies were found to be in the range 1.9-2.0eV and suggest the possibility of band gap tunability of Sb 2 S 3 in the visible region. The photoluminescence studies revealed that the Sb 2 S 3 nanocrystals showed apparent band edge luminescence at around 610nm and Stokes shifted defect induced emission at around 717nm.
- Scene text recognition by learning co-occurrence of strokes based on spatiality embedded dictionary
- Song Gao, Chunheng Wang, Baihua Xiao, Cunzhao Shi, Wen Zhou, Zhong Zhang | IET computer vision (v.9 / no.1 / pp.138-148 / 20151751-9632)
- Text information contained in scene images is very helpful for high-level image understanding. In this study, the authors propose to learn co-occurrence of local strokes
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Text information contained in scene images is very helpful for high-level image understanding. In this study, the authors propose to learn co-occurrence of local strokes for scene text recognition by using a spatiality embedded dictionary (SED). Unlike spatial pyramid partitioning images into grids to incorporate spatial information, the authors SED associates every codeword with a particular response region and introduces more precise spatial information for robust character recognition. After localised soft coding and max pooling of the first layer, a sparse dictionary is learned to model co-occurrence of several local strokes, which further improves classification performance. Experimental results on two scene character recognition datasets ICDAR2003 and CHARS74 K demonstrate that their character recognition method outperforms state-of-the-art methods. Besides, competitive word recognition results are also reported for four benchmark word recognition datasets ICDAR2003, ICDAR2011, ICDAR2013 and street view text when combining their character recognition method with a conditional random field language model.
- Single molecule TPM analysis of the catalytic pentad mutants of Cre and Flp site-specific recombinases: contributions of the pentad residues to the pre-chemical steps of recombination
- Fan, Hsiu-Fang, Cheng, Yong-Song, Ma, Chien-Hui, Jayaram, Makkuni | Nucleic acids research (v.43 / no.6 / pp.3237-3255 / 20150305-1048)
- Cre and Flp site-specific recombinase variants harboring point mutations at their conserved catalytic pentad positions were characterized using single molecule tethered p
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Cre and Flp site-specific recombinase variants harboring point mutations at their conserved catalytic pentad positions were characterized using single molecule tethered particle motion (TPM) analysis. The findings reveal contributions of these amino acids to the pre-chemical steps of recombination. They suggest functional differences between positionally conserved residues in how they influence recombinase-target site association and formation of #x2018;non-productive #x2019;, #x2018;pre-synaptic #x2019; and #x2018;synaptic #x2019; complexes. The most striking difference between the two systems is noted for the single conserved lysine. The pentad residues in Cre enhance commitment to recombination by kinetically favoring the formation of pre-synaptic complexes. These residues in Flp serve a similar function by promoting Flp binding to target sites, reducing non-productive binding and/or enhancing the rate of assembly of synaptic complexes. Kinetic comparisons between Cre and Flp, and between their derivatives lacking the tyrosine nucleophile, are consistent with a stronger commitment to recombination in the Flp system. The effect of target site orientation (head-to-head or head-to-tail) on the TPM behavior of synapsed DNA molecules supports the selection of anti-parallel target site alignment prior to the chemical steps. The integrity of the synapse, whose establishment/stability is fostered by strand cleavage in the case of Flp but not Cre, appears to be compromised by the pentad mutations.
- Steroid promiscuity: Diversity of enzyme action
- Lathe, R., Kotelevtsev, Y., Mason, J.I. | The Journal of steroid biochemistry and molecular biology (v.151 / pp.1-2 / 20150960-0760)
- This Special Issue on the topic of Steroid and Sterol Signaling: Promiscuity and Diversity, dwells on the growing realization that the 'one ligand, one binding site' and
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This Special Issue on the topic of Steroid and Sterol Signaling: Promiscuity and Diversity, dwells on the growing realization that the 'one ligand, one binding site' and 'one enzyme, one reaction' concepts are out of date. Focusing on cytochromes P450 (CYP), hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (HSDs), and related enzymes, the Special Issue highlights that a single enzyme can bind to diverse substrates, and in different conformations, and can catalyze multiple different conversions (and in different directions), thereby, generating an unexpectedly wide spectrum of ligands that can have subtly different biological actions. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled 'Steroid/Sterol Signaling' .
- Synthesis and Characterization of Calixarene Tetraethers: An Exercise in Supramolecular Chemistry for the Undergraduate Organic Laboratory
- Debbert, Stefan L., Hoh, Bradley D., Dulak, David J. | Journal of chemical education (v.93 / no.2 / pp.372-375 / 20160021-9584)
- In this experiment for an introductory undergraduate organic chemistry lab, students tetraalkylate tert -butylcalix[4]arene, a bowl-shaped macrocyclic oligophenol, and
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In this experiment for an introductory undergraduate organic chemistry lab, students tetraalkylate tert -butylcalix[4]arene, a bowl-shaped macrocyclic oligophenol, and examine the supramolecular chemistry of the tetraether product by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Complexation with a sodium ion reduces the conformational mobility of the macrocycle through host ndash;guest interactions, greatly simplifying the 1 H NMR spectrum of the macrocycle and providing an excellent example of geminal coupling between the diastereotopic protons of the methylene bridges. By dealing explicitly with the organic chemistry of large molecules and host ndash;guest complementarity, this experiment provides a useful pedagogical bridge from small-molecule organic chemistry to the biochemistry of macromolecules such as enzymes. Graphic Abstract ACS Electronic Supporting Info
- Quando la vita ha bisogno di quotidiano, immaginazione, ascolto.
- Tognoni, Gianni | Assistenza infermieristica e ricerca : AIR (v.34 / no.1 / pp.44-46 / 20151592-5986)
- When life needs routine, imagination, listening. Barbara is a 44 years old oncologist, married and with two children, that tells through others but also with her own word
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When life needs routine, imagination, listening. Barbara is a 44 years old oncologist, married and with two children, that tells through others but also with her own words of her cancer, until death. Giuseppe is a laboratory technician, researcher, mountaineer, promoter of humanitarian initiatives Bosnia and Croatia; his lateral amyotrophic sclerosis is told by his wife, in a booklet written after his death. Their two stories are the occasions for reflecting on the importance and role of closeness, listening, dreaming, narrating in improving the quality of life and care: none of these words are included in the guidelines.
- Senior management perceptions of aspirational groups: A study of the UK general insurance market
- Robson, J., van der Heijden, H. | Journal of business research (v.69 / no.8 / pp.2731-2738 / 20160148-2963)
- This study examines the concept of aspirational groups: a reference group that a firm wishes to associate with. A desire to belong to an aspirational group may provide an
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This study examines the concept of aspirational groups: a reference group that a firm wishes to associate with. A desire to belong to an aspirational group may provide an important source of strategy formulation. Drawing from insights from consumer marketing on aspirational groups, the study explores the composition and structure of aspirational groups compared to strategic groups in a market setting. Using qualitative data from senior managers in the UK general insurance market, this study arrives at the following findings. First, aspirational groups do not necessarily share the same composition or structure as strategic groups. Second, selection of aspirational firms is driven by attribute association. Third, aspirations can be conflicting and reversed. Fourth, firms do not seek membership of the aspirational group but isolate key attributes they aspire to. These findings contribute to knowledge on strategy formation by highlighting the important role aspirational groups play in understanding competitive market movements.
- Steroid plant hormones: Effects outside plant kingdom
- | Steroids (v.97 / pp.87-97 / 20150039-128x)
- Brassinosteroids (BS) are the first group of steroid-hormonal compounds isolated from and acting in plants. Among numerous physiological effects of BS growth stimulation
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Brassinosteroids (BS) are the first group of steroid-hormonal compounds isolated from and acting in plants. Among numerous physiological effects of BS growth stimulation and adaptogenic activities are especially remarkable. In this review, we provide evidence that BS possess similar types of activity also beyond plant kingdom at concentrations comparable with those for plants. This finding allows looking at steroids from a new point of view: how common are the mechanisms of steroid bioregulation in different types of organisms from protozoa to higher animals.
- Natural products in the discovery of novel sonosensitizers
- Pang, X., Xu, C., Jiang, Y., Xiao, Q., Leung, A.W. | Pharmacology therapeutics (v.162 / pp.144-151 / 20160163-7258)
- Sonodynamic therapy (SDT), which involves a combination of low-intensity ultrasound and chemotherapeutic agents called sonosensitizers, has been developed for its promisi
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Sonodynamic therapy (SDT), which involves a combination of low-intensity ultrasound and chemotherapeutic agents called sonosensitizers, has been developed for its promising, distinct advantages, such as its noninvasive nature relative to traditional surgery and radiotherapy, greater accessibility to treat deeply located diseases than photodynamic therapy, and low systemic toxicity. Sonosensitizers derived from natural products play an important role in SDT, exerting potent sonodynamic activity for the treatment of various diseases including cancer, infections, and inflammation. In this review, the mechanism of SDT is systematically discussed and the recent advancements in the discovery and development of novel natural sonosensitizers for SDT are summarized. Furthermore, potential limitations and future perspectives are also presented.
- The 2014 Farm Bill and the WTO
- Glauber, Joseph W., Westhoff, Patrick | American journal of agricultural economics (v.97 / no.5 / pp.1287-1297 / 20150002-9092)
- The 2014 farm bill reduced expected budgetary costs of US farm programs, according to estimates prepared by the Congressional Budget Office. Cost projections are very sen
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The 2014 farm bill reduced expected budgetary costs of US farm programs, according to estimates prepared by the Congressional Budget Office. Cost projections are very sensitive to market conditions and program participation assumptions, and stochastic analysis indicates that farm program costs could easily differ from expected values by $5 billion or more in any given year. By replacing direct payments with new policies that make payments tied to market prices and yields, the bill could have important World Trade Organization (WTO) implications. If the new policies are classified as non-commodity specific amber box support, projections indicate that existing WTO limits on the current Aggregate Measure of Support would not be exceeded on average, but could be under some market conditions. Furthermore, the new policies are very likely to exceed some WTO rules proposed by various parties in the Doha Round negotiations.
- Energy flow modeling and real-time control design basing on mean values for maximizing driving mileage of a fuel cell bus
- Xu, L., Li, J., Ouyang, M. | International journal of hydrogen energy (v.40 / no.43 / pp.15052-15066 / 20150360-3199)
- This paper proposes an energy flow model and an optimal energy management strategy based on mean values for maximizing driving mileage of a fuel cell bus (FCB), which is
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This paper proposes an energy flow model and an optimal energy management strategy based on mean values for maximizing driving mileage of a fuel cell bus (FCB), which is powered by a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell system and a lithium battery. Firstly, an energy flow model describing the relations between vehicle performance and power flow parameters is quantitatively established. An optimization problem for maximizing driving mileage on a predetermined route is defined, and an analytical solution with clear physical meanings is derived. Next, a practical real-time supervisory Energy Management strategy basing on Mean Values (EMMV) is proposed. The strategy, which doesn't require a priori knowledge of the driving trip, is then compared with several well-known strategies, e.g. charge depleting and charge-sustaining (CDCS), Blended, dynamic programming (DP), and Pontryagin's Minimum Principle (PMP). Simulation results show that, the proposed strategy achieves a near-optimal effect, and converges after one driving cycle on a predetermined bus route. Finally, on-road testing is carried out. The proposed strategy achieves an average endurance mileage on a real bus route of 162 km with a usable battery state of charge (SOC) of 90% and 20 kg hydrogen gas for a fully loaded fuel cell city bus.
- Endogenous and Synthetic ABHD5 Ligands Regulate ABHD5-Perilipin Interactions and Lipolysis in Fat and Muscle
- Sanders, Matthew A., Madoux, F., Mladenovic, L., Zhang, H., Ye, X., Angrish, M., Mottillo, Emilio P., Caruso, Joseph A., Halvorsen, G., Roush, William R., Chase, P., Hodder, P., Granneman, James G. | Cell metabolism (v.22 / no.5 / pp.851-860 / 20151550-4131)
- Fat and muscle lipolysis involves functional interactions of adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL), alpha;- beta; hydrolase domain-containing protein 5 (ABHD5), and tissue-
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Fat and muscle lipolysis involves functional interactions of adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL), alpha;- beta; hydrolase domain-containing protein 5 (ABHD5), and tissue-specific perilipins 1 and 5 (PLIN1 and PLIN5). ABHD5 potently activates ATGL, but this lipase-promoting activity is suppressed when ABHD5 is bound to PLIN proteins on lipid droplets. In adipocytes, protein kinase A (PKA) phosphorylation of PLIN1 rapidly releases ABHD5 to activate ATGL, but mechanisms for rapid regulation of PLIN5-ABHD5 interaction in muscle are unknown. Here, we identify synthetic ligands that release ABHD5 from PLIN1 or PLIN5 without PKA activation and rapidly activate adipocyte and muscle lipolysis. Molecular imaging and affinity probe labeling demonstrated that ABHD5 is directly targeted by these synthetic ligands and additionally revealed that ABHD5-PLIN interactions are regulated by endogenous ligands, including long-chain acyl-CoA. Our results reveal a new locus of lipolysis control and suggest ABHD5 ligands might be developed into novel therapeutics that directly promote fat catabolism.
- A Theory of Imagination for Organization Studies Using the Work of Cornelius Castoriadis
- Komporozos-Athanasiou, Aris, Fotaki, Marianna | Organization studies (v.36 / no.3 / pp.321-342 / 20150170-8406)
- At a time when organizations are asked to imagine themselves anew in order to survive, organizational treatments of #x2018;imagination #x2019; lack engagement with its p
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At a time when organizations are asked to imagine themselves anew in order to survive, organizational treatments of #x2018;imagination #x2019; lack engagement with its profound political and generative nature. To address this gap, the paper draws on the works of Cornelius Castoriadis (1922 #x2013;1997) and proposes a politically situated theory of imagination for organization studies. We build on Castoriadis #x2019;s core ideas of representation, signification and affect to develop a radical proposition: imagination is #x2018;where it all begins #x2019;, an inexhaustible psychosocial force driving organizations and organizing, and setting the institutionalization process in motion. To illustrate the great potential contributions of this proposition for organization studies, we discuss how three key persisting dualisms in organizational thinking, those between #x2018;representational #x2019; and #x2018;non-representational #x2019; inquiry, #x2018;body #x2019; and #x2018;mind #x2019;, and between the #x2018;private #x2019; and #x2018;public #x2019;, begin to dissolve when considered under our suggested framework. We then draw some important implications of Castoriadian imagination for charting alternative futures at times of economic and social crises, and identify some directions for future research.
- Chloride concentrations in human hepatic cytosol and mitochondria are a function of age
- Jahn, Stephan C., Rowland-Faux, Laura, Stacpoole, Peter W., James, Margaret O. | Biochemical and biophysical research communications (v.459 / no.3 / pp.463-468 / 20150006-291x)
- Abstract We recently reported that, in a concentration-dependent manner, chloride protects hepatic glutathione transferase zeta 1 from inactivation by dichloroacetate, a
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Abstract We recently reported that, in a concentration-dependent manner, chloride protects hepatic glutathione transferase zeta 1 from inactivation by dichloroacetate, an investigational drug used in treating various acquired and congenital metabolic diseases. Despite the importance of chloride ions in normal physiology, and decades of study of chloride transport across membranes, the literature lacks information on chloride concentrations in animal tissues other than blood. In this study we measured chloride concentrations in human liver samples from male and female donors aged 1 day to 84 years (n?=?97). Because glutathione transferase zeta 1 is present in cytosol and, to a lesser extent, in mitochondria, we measured chloride in these fractions by high-performance liquid chromatography analysis following conversion of the free chloride to pentafluorobenzylchloride. We found that chloride concentration decreased with age in hepatic cytosol but increased in liver mitochondria. In addition, chloride concentrations in cytosol, (105.2?±?62.4?mM; range: 24.7 ndash;365.7?mM) were strikingly higher than those in mitochondria (4.2?±?3.8?mM; range 0.9 ndash;22.2?mM). These results suggest a possible explanation for clinical observations seen in patients treated with dichloroacetate, whereby children metabolize the drug more rapidly than adults following repeated doses, and also provide information that may influence our understanding of normal liver physiology. Highlights This study is the first large scale measurement of hepatic chloride in any species. The chloride concentration is much higher in human hepatic cytosol than in the mitochondria. Chloride concentration decreases with age in the cytosol while increasing in the mitochondria. Graphical abstract [DISPLAY OMISSION]
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