International Committee Research Articles

Preface

2023 3rd International Conference on Fluid and Chemical Engineering (ICFCE 2023) has been successfully held on July 20-21, 2023, in Wuhan China. Organized by Hubei Zhongke Institute of Geology and Environment Technology, ICFCE 2023 intends to invite worldwide famous scientists, experts, scholars, and researchers for academic presentations.ICFCE 2023 proceeding is a collection of outstanding submissions in the field of biofluid mechanics, chemically reacting fluids and combustion, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), experimental fluid mechanics, flow through porous media, fluid–solid interactions (FSI), geophysical fluid dynamics, granular/suspension flows, heat and mass transfer, hydrodynamics, physical, theoretical and computational chemistry, chemical engineering fundamentals, chemical reaction engineering, chemical engineering equipment design and process design, thermodynamics, catalysis & reaction engineering, particulate systems, crystallization, etc. Around 70 articles were selected from more than 150 submissions after peer-review, and authors and guests participated in ICFCE 2023 with keynote speeches, oral presentations and posters, promoting the communication among researchers and experts from institutes and universities, including Ningbo University, University of Sharjah, China Association for Science and Technology, Tianjin University, China Agricultural University, South China University of Technology, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, etc.Cordial gratitude is delivered to Technical Program Committee of ICFCE 2023 for the professional work on guarantying the high standard of conference as well as the proceedings. We believe the proceedings will enhance the exchange of ideas and state-of-art knowledge on Fluid and Chemical Engineering.Professor Omid MahianXian Jiaotong University, ChinaAssociate Professor Sébastien DéonUniversity of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, FranceList of Technical Committee, Chair, Editor, International Committee Members are available in this pdf.

COMMON ARTICLE 1 OF THE GENEVA CONVENTIONS AND THE METHOD OF TREATY INTERPRETATION

AbstractIn its updated Commentaries on the 1949 Geneva Conventions, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) embraces the ‘external’ interpretation of Article 1 common to the four Geneva Conventions, according to which States have certain negative (complicity-type) and positive (prevention/response) obligations to ‘ensure respect’ for the Conventions by other actors. This interpretation has been gaining support since the 1960s, though the ICRC's new Commentaries have served as a catalyst for some States recently to express contrary views. This article focuses on two major methodological shortcomings in the existing literature, offering a much firmer foundation for the external obligation under common Article 1. First, it demonstrates the overwhelming support in subsequent practice for external obligations. Previous studies have failed to explain the method by which this practice is taken into account, given the existence of some inconsistent practice. This article addresses this general question of treaty interpretation, critiquing the approach of the International Law Commission that relegates majority practice to supplementary means of interpretation and proposing instead a principled approach that better fits and justifies the judicial practice here. Secondly, the article challenges two common assumptions about the travaux: first, that an original, restrictive meaning was intended, and secondly that the travaux of Additional Protocol I offer no support for external obligations. Given the ubiquity of military assistance and partnering, these findings have far-reaching consequences for the liability of States.

On the concentration of radon in a polluted city of the Middle East: An insight into its association with PM levels, air properties, and risk assessment

This study was conducted in Ahvaz city, where the concentrations of radon and airborne particles in 10, 2.5, and 1 micrometers, along with meteorological parameters were measured. The measurements were performed in three educational and therapeutic sampling points at both ground and underground levels during cold and hot seasons. The results showed that in 3.17% of the samples, the concentration of radon exceeded the permissible limit recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Factors affecting the increase of radon concentration in indoor air included cold season, underground sampling points, the number of doors and windows as air dilution factor and air exchange, air pressure, and air humidity. The concentration of particles in the air did not have any effect on radon in the indoor air. The annual effective dose of exposure to radon (DR), the annual effective dose of lung (DE), and the risk of lung cancer cases (LCC) during both cold and hot seasons and at ground and underground levels were lower than the permissible values recommended by the International Committee on Radiological Protection (ICRP). We concluded that the increase of particles is neither the cause nor the source of increased indoor air radon. The findings of the present investigation recommend controlling physical indoor air parameters particularly temperature and relative humidity by proper ventilation systems to mitigate the impact of radon exposure on inhabitants.

The degree of fracture reduction does not compromise the clinical efficacy of arthroscopic reduction and fixation of tibial posterior cruciate ligament avulsion fractures: A retrospective study.

This study aimed to explore the postoperative outcomes of patients who underwent arthroscopic internal fixation with repositioning sutures for the treatment of posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) avulsion fractures with poorly reduced fracture fragments. It was hypothesized that improperly repositioned fracture fragments might not influence the postoperative clinical outcomes in patients with PCL avulsion fractures treated by arthroscopic sutures. From January 2020 to December 2021, patients admitted to our hospital with PCL avulsion fractures were evaluated. Our inclusion criteria were as follows: diagnosis of PCL avulsion fracture as Meyers & McKeever Type II or Type III; underwent arthroscopic double tunnel suture fixation; and age below 70. Of the patients meeting these criteria, data from 34 individuals were collected by a designated follow-up officer. Based on postoperative imaging, the patients were divided into 2 groups: well fracture reduction and poor fracture reduction groups. Prior to the surgery, the Lysholm score, knee mobility, and international knee documentation committee (IKDC score) were recorded for both groups. At the 3-month post-surgery mark, CT-3D reconstruction was performed. Statistical analysis was conducted on the collected data. For data that conformed to a normal distribution, the t test was applied. For data that didn't conform, we used a non-parametric test. Both groups achieved successful wound healing without encountering any adverse events, such as fracture nonunion infection. Fracture healing was observed in both groups at the 3-month postoperative mark. The average follow-up duration was 13.24 ± 6.18 months. There were no significant differences in Lysholm score, IKDC score, or knee mobility between the well- and poorly-reduced groups at the final follow-up (P > .05). Postoperatively, both groups demonstrated significant improvements in knee function compared to the preoperative scores, with statistically significant differences observed in Lysholm score, IKDC score, and knee mobility (P < .05). Arthroscopic fixation with double-tunnel sutures proved to be a highly effective treatment approach for PCL avulsion fractures, even in cases where the fractures were poorly reduced. Remarkably, there were no significant differences observed in postoperative knee function between the well- and poorly-reduced groups, indicating that both groups achieved favorable outcomes.

Treatment of Systemic Sclerosis-associated Interstitial Lung Disease: Evidence-based Recommendations. An Official American Thoracic Society Clinical Practice Guideline.

Background: Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). To date, clinical practice guidelines regarding treatment for patients with SSc-ILD are primarily consensus based. Methods: An international expert guideline committee composed of 24 individuals with expertise in rheumatology, SSc, pulmonology, ILD, or methodology, and with personal experience with SSc-ILD, discussed systematic reviews of the published evidence assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach. Predetermined conflict-of-interest management strategies were applied, and recommendations were made for or against specific treatment interventions exclusively by the nonconflicted panelists. The confidence in effect estimates, importance of outcomes studied, balance of desirable and undesirable consequences of treatment, cost, feasibility, acceptability of the intervention, and implications for health equity were all considered in making the recommendations. This was in accordance with the American Thoracic Society guideline development process, which is in compliance with the Institute of Medicine standards for trustworthy guidelines. Results: For treatment of patients with SSc-ILD, the committee: 1) recommends the use of mycophenolate; 2) recommends further research into the safety and efficacy of (a) pirfenidone and (b) the combination of pirfenidone plus mycophenolate; and 3) suggests the use of (a) cyclophosphamide, (b) rituximab, (c) tocilizumab, (d) nintedanib, and (e) the combination of nintedanib plus mycophenolate. Conclusions: The recommendations herein provide an evidence-based clinical practice guideline for the treatment of patients with SSc-ILD and are intended to serve as the basis for informed and shared decision making by clinicians and patients.

Health literacy on quality of life for children with cancer: modules on pediatric palliative care.

To describe the development of educational materials for parents and other caregivers of children with cancer, which utilized a culturally sensitive approach to reduce acceptance barriers to palliative care (PC). The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and partners in Latin America and the Caribbean collaborated in a three-phase project, beginning with a needs assessment survey of caregivers of children with cancer in Peru. Based on this finding, an interdisciplinary team of pediatric PC experts developed educational content that was designed and validated by an international committee of PC and communication experts. The collaboration resulted in the development of an eight-module series that introduces caregivers to key concepts of pediatric PC, including management of pain, quality of life, and end of life care. The series was designed to reduce caregiver stigma associated with PC through culturally sensitive education that addresses the low levels of health literacy among caregivers in Latin America and the Caribbean. In the 15 months since the launch, these modules have been distributed throughout Latin America and were downloaded 2 825 times. Educational materials and anticipatory guidance of PC were considered to be a priority for parents and other caregivers of children with cancer throughout Latin America. The materials developed through this project have been widely utilized and are available through the PAHO website and the Together by St. Jude™ online resource.

Analysis of a regional metrology organization key comparison: model-based unilateral degrees of equivalence

A statistical testing method is developed to analyze a Regional Metrology Organization (RMO) key comparison (KC) with linking to the corresponding KC conducted by the International Committee of Weights and Measures (CIPM). We establish a statistical model to which a generalized least-squares method is applied to determine a linking invariant, ensuring that the CIPM KC reference value is unchanged by the analysis. The proposed method generally gives different unilateral and bilateral degrees of equivalence (DOEs) from those assessed by other methods. The approach accounts for uncertainty information provided by all participating laboratories and correlation information provided by the linking laboratories. Since decisions are made on the basis of calculated DOEs, we emphasize that it is valuable to have adequate knowledge of the properties of methods used for analyzing the results from an RMO KC.

No Pain No Gain: Standards mapping in Latimer Core development

Latimer Core (LtC) is a new proposed Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG) data standard that supports the representation and discovery of natural science collections by structuring data about the groups of objects that those collections and their subcomponents encompass (Woodburn et al. 2022). It is designed to be applicable to a range of use cases that include high level collection registries, rich textual narratives and semantic networks of collections, as well as more granular, quantitative breakdowns of collections to aid collection discovery and digitisation planning. As a standard that is (in this first version) focused on natural science collections, LtC has significant intersections with existing data standards and models (Fig. 1) that represent individual natural science objects and occurrences and their associated data (e.g., Darwin Core (DwC), Access to Biological Collection Data (ABCD), Conceptual Reference Model of the International Committee on Documentation (CIDOC-CRM)). LtC’s scope also overlaps with standards for more generic concepts like metadata, organisations, people and activities (i.e., Dublin Core, World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) ORG Ontology and PROV Ontology, Schema.org). LtC represents just an element of this extended network of data standards for the natural sciences and related concepts. Mapping between LtC and intersecting standards is therefore crucial for avoiding duplication of effort in the standard development process, and ensuring that data stored using the different standards are as interoperable as possible in alignment with FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles. In particular, it is vital to make robust associations between records representing groups of objects in LtC and records (where available) that represent the objects within those groups. During LtC development, efforts were made to identify and align with relevant standards and vocabularies, and adopt existing terms from them where possible. During expert review, a more structured approach was proposed and implemented using the Simple Knowledge Organization System (SKOS) mappingRelation vocabulary. This exercise helped to better describe the nature of the mappings between new LtC terms and related terms in other standards, and to validate decisions around the borrowing of existing terms for LtC. A further exercise also used elements of the Simple Standard for Sharing Ontological Mappings (SSSOM) to start to develop a more comprehensive set of metadata around these mappings. At present, these mappings (Suppl. material 1 and Suppl. material 2) are provisional and not considered to be comprehensive, but should be further refined and expanded over time. Even with the support provided by the SKOS and SSSOM standards, the LtC experience has proven the mapping process to be far from straightforward. Different standards vary in how they are structured, for example, DwC is a ‘bag of terms’, with informal classes and no structural constraints, while more structured standards and ontologies like ABCD and PROV employ different approaches to how structure is defined and documented. The various standards use different metadata schemas and serialisations (e.g., Resource Description Framework (RDF), XML) for their documentation, and different approaches to providing persistent, resolvable identifiers for their terms. There are also many subtle nuances involved in assessing the alignment between the concepts that the source and target terms represent, particularly when assessing whether a match is exact enough to allow the existing term to be adopted. These factors make the mapping process quite manual and labour-intensive. Approaches and tools, such as developing decision trees (Fig. 2) to represent the logic involved and further exploration of the SSSOM standard, could help to streamline this process. In this presentation, we will discuss the LtC experience of the standard mapping process, the challenges faced and methods used, and the potential to contribute this experience to a collaborative standards mapping within the anticipated TDWG Standards Mapping Interest Group.

Registering transparency: the making of the international clinical trial registry platform by the world health organization (2004–2006)

BackgroundThis paper examines the events and conditions that led to the creation of the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) in 2006 by the World Health Organization (WHO), and how the WHO addressed the issue of transparency in global pharmaceutical research. Using historical textual analysis, I trace the scientific debates that advocated for the establishment of official clinical trial registries in medical journals, and the sequence of actions following the GSK Paxil scandal in 2004, identifying the major ethical and scientific arguments that led to the involvement of the WHO as a key actor in trial registration in the context of the Big Pharma business model.ResultsThrough the questions “Why register?” and “Why registries?” as a roadmap, I examine the issues of publication bias and selective reporting by the industry, scrutinizing two ways in which the practice of publication bias damaged transparency in industry-sponsored research. The first involved ethical concerns regarding human subject exploitation and concealing of negative results. The second addresses the deterioration of the certainty of evidence due to incomplete access to trials results. By reviewing the series of events that occurred between 2004 and 2006 –between the Paxil scandal and the launch of the ICTRP—, I analyze the actions taken by the different actors involved: (1) the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the creation of the Ottawa Group; (2) the WHO, beginning with the Ministerial Summit on Health Research held in November of 2004, and (3) the responses of the pharmaceutical industry and specifically GSK to the call for transparency and trial registration.ConclusionsThe history of trial registration through the ICTRP as a dataveillance apparatus shows the difficulty of regulating a health enterprise turned into a global business. Moreover, it shows the challenges of globalization and how easier and faster it is to globalize business compared to good practices, raising the question of why it has been so hard to undo these trends. Indeed, the history of the movement for trial registration is not a history of regulation success, or at least not yet.

Building the case for a social and behaviour change approach to prevent and respond to the recruitment and use of children by armed forces and armed groups

AbstractOver the last decade, social and behaviour change strategies have increasingly been used to address human rights and child protection concerns, including harmful practices such as child marriage, female genital mutilation and violent discipline. Social and gender norms have also been recognized as key drivers of child recruitment. Nonetheless, the use of social and behaviour change strategies to prevent and respond to the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict has not yet been systematically explored or applied. Building on academic and practical sources, including findings from studies by the International Committee of the Red Cross and United Nations University, social and behavioural science theory, experiences from the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism on grave violations against children, and academic literature, this article explores how social and behaviour change approaches can inform prevention of and response to the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict. The article concludes that social and behaviour change approaches can effectively inform prevention and reintegration efforts and can facilitate responses that bridge the humanitarian, development and peace nexus. Using social and behaviour change approaches can help to reveal why children are recruited from the perspective of key actors and entities across the socio-ecological framework in order to prevent the practice from becoming more accepted.

A NOVEL THERAPEUTICS ACCELERATOR TO SUPPORT A STRONGER BRAIN TUMOUR TREATMENT PIPELINE

Abstract AIMS Despite several encouraging pre-clinical studies, few therapeutics make it to successful human trials. There is a need for a stronger new treatment pipeline to improve outcomes for patients with brain tumours. The Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission have launched the Brain Tumour Research Novel Therapeutics Accelerator (BTR- NTA) to provide bespoke advice and support to scientists and help position their therapeutic along a realistic pathway to clinical trials METHOD The BTR-NTA programme is supported by an international committee of brain tumour, pre-clinical science, and pharmaceutical experts who meet twice yearly to review up to five novel brain tumour therapeutics. Both academic and industry applicants, at any stage of pre-clinical or clinical work, can apply and submit their work to date before meeting with the BTR-NTA committee to discuss their therapeutic and progress. The committee then provides a written feedback report with advice and recommendations on next steps. The committee will also facilitate connections with industry partners and funders where possible. RESULTS It is hoped that BTR-NTA will provide benefits for the whole brain tumour community by: increasing the number of brain tumour therapeutics reaching patients; providing applicants with constructive feedback so that avoidable pitfalls can be overcome; strengthening international relationships between academics, industry, government, and regulatory bodies; and de-risking investment into brain tumour therapeutics for funders. CONCLUSIONS The first BTR-NTA meeting will be held in November 2023, with applications opening mid-2023.

The International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation and Chinese Cultural Diplomacy during the Interwar Period

In the Interwar period, the International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation (ICIC) of the League of Nations promoted international understanding and functioned as a cultural center for international communication. Chinese scholars and diplomats actively participated in the activities organized by the ICIC and utilized these as vehicles to establish broader international acknowledgment of China. The article argues that, in its role as a cultural center, the ICIC was not apolitical but shaped by different levels of political considerations. One important aim for Chinese scholars and diplomats had been to reconstitute the image of China in order to enhance its international status. Simultaneously, this reconstitution effort was also targeted towards domestic society. This article first focuses on Chinese diplomats’ attempts to fight for Chinese membership on the Committee of the ICIC. It then probes the negative aspect of this articulation, namely countering prejudices against China. The article considers how Chinese scholars had felt insulted by cultural prejudices and stereotypes and hence called for a new image of China. Finally, the article investigates the positive aspect of this articulation, namely the attempt to reconstitute a more favourable image of China, examining this reconstituted image and how it was disseminated within China.

Res. 2664 (U.N.S.C.) and Res. 52/13 (U.N.H.R.C.)

Under Article 41 of the UN Charter, the Security Council has established 31 sanctions regimes since 1966. Sanctions measures encompass a broad range of enforcement actions not involving the use of armed force. The measures have ranged from comprehensive economic and trade sanctions to more targeted measures such as arms embargoes, travel bans, and financial or commodity restrictions. In recent years, there have been increasing numbers of complaints from humanitarian organizations that sanctions cause or exacerbate humanitarian crises. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has estimated that at least 222 million people were experiencing acute food insecurity at the end of 2022, the largest global food crisis in modern history. At the same time, the countries that need the most assistance are often subject to international sanctions regimes. As of March 2023, UN sanctions applied in nine of the top ten operations of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

ICTV Virus Taxonomy Profile: Arenaviridae 2023.

Arenaviridae is a family for ambisense RNA viruses with genomes of about 10.5 kb that infect mammals, snakes, and fish. The arenavirid genome consists of two or three single-stranded RNA segments and encodes a nucleoprotein (NP), a glycoprotein (GP) and a large (L) protein containing RNA-directed RNA polymerase (RdRP) domains; some arenavirids encode a zinc-binding protein (Z). This is a summary of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) report on the family Arenaviridae, which is available at www.ictv.global/report/arenaviridae.

ICTV Virus Taxonomy Profile: Phenuiviridae 2023.

The family Phenuiviridae comprises viruses with 2-8 segments of negative-sense or ambisense RNA, comprising 8.1-25.1 kb in total. Virions are typically enveloped with spherical or pleomorphic morphology but can also be non-enveloped filaments. Phenuivirids infect animals including livestock and humans, birds, plants or fungi, as well as arthropods that serve as single hosts or act as biological vectors for transmission to animals or plants. Phenuivirids include important pathogens of humans, livestock, seafood and agricultural crops. This is a summary of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) Report on the family Phenuiviridae, which is available at ictv.global/report/phenuiviridae.

The Terminology of the Law of Warfare

Abstract The body of international law that regulates the conduct of armed conflicts has been known, at various points in time, as the law of war, the law of armed conflict, and international humanitarian law. While ‘the law of war’ was a term widely used in State practice throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, both ‘the law of armed conflict’ and ‘international humanitarian law’ were terms introduced in the 20th century by one organisation: the International Committee of the Red Cross. In this paper, we use international law and corpus linguistic tools in a pilot study, examining how the terms were first introduced into international law and how quickly they were incorporated (if at all) into the practice of States. Using the ongoing conflict involving Israel and its neighbours, this pilot study charts the appearance and recurrence of these terms in the practice of States in the United Nations to examine how the terms were received and used. We conclude by offering some initial assessments, noting that, while the terms were largely considered unproblematic at their introduction, practice in relation to their deployment suggests deep tensions regarding the nature and purpose of the law and how and when it applies.

Emendation of Rules 8, 15, 22, 25a, 30(3)(b), 30(4), 34a, and Appendix 7 of the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes.

Following an electronic discussion on proposals to emend Rules 8, 15, 22, 25a, 30(3)(b), 30(4), 34a, and Appendix 7 of the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes, I here report the outcome of the ballot on these proposals by the members of the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes.

International GP exchanges: Opportunities, benefits, and challenges

The RCGP and its Junior International Committee have a long history of supporting early career GPs to undertake observational exchanges to experience international primary care systems first-hand. The benefits of international exchanges are wide-ranging and include allowing participants to develop collaborations, learn more about primary healthcare in the host country, reflect on that learning, and bring it back to their own practice. This article discusses the current opportunities for early career GPs and describes some of the existing evidence regarding the educational, personal and professional benefits, as well as challenges these may bring to participants, patients and the wider health system.

Confidence intervals and precise &lt;I&gt;p&lt;/I&gt;-value in a scientific paper in a biomedical journal

The International Committee of Medical Journals Editors recommends that the data obtained be quantified and presented with appropriate indicators of measurement errors. There is a widespread belief among professional statisticians that it is necessary to present precise p-values in publications without correlating them with any threshold (critical) values. The coincidence intervals are extremely informative. For continuous random variables, not only for the sample mean, but also for other indicators: median, standard deviation, asymmetry, kurtosis and coefficient of variation. For discrete random variables, not only for frequency, but also for most epidemiological indicators – the odds ratio, positive and negative predictive values. Regression analysis should end with the construction of confidence interval for all coefficients, as well as the indication of predictive intervals on the graph. In the case of assessing the “strength of the influence of the factor” in the analysis of variance, a confidence interval for this indicator is also obligate. Specifying the exact p-value obtained during the study increases the probability of the published article being included in the meta-analysis. For most calculations of the above-mentioned indicators, the MS Office package, plug-ins to it or calculators located on freely available Internet resources are sufficient.

Report of the CCU/CCQM Workshop on “The Metrology of Quantities Which Can Be Counted”

This article provides a report of the recent workshop on “The metrology of quantities which can be counted” organised jointly by the International Committee for Weights and Measures’ Consultative Committees for Amount of Substance (CCQM) and for Units (CCU). The workshop aimed to trigger a discussion on counting and number quantities across the metrological community so that a common understanding of counting and a common nomenclature could be achieved and there was clarity on the differences between these increasingly important concepts. This article details the background to the workshop, provides a summary of the presentations given and the discussions on the topics raised. It also reports the conclusions, agreed actions and next steps resulting from the workshop.