International Committees Research Articles

Where Does Truth Lie? The Challenges and Imperatives of Fact-Finding in Trial, Appellate, Civil and Criminal Courts and International Commissions of Inquiry

The author takes three instances to illustrate the difficult but essential task of fact-finding in formal decision-making. The first concerns the residual fact-finding responsibility of appellate courts when scrutinising fact-finding in primary civil proceedings, with an emphasis on incontrovertible facts. The second involves criminal appeals where the prosecution has presented a compelling case of circumstantial evidence, but a retrial may be required because of an unbalanced judicial direction. The third involves an international commission of inquiry on human rights where the state concerned refuses to cooperate yet demonstrates faulty testimony (later acknowledged) by a witness. Human decision-making is always subject to error, whether on the facts or the law. However, that risk cannot impede the imperatives of decision-making and of explaining relevant fact-finding in the most convincing way possible, so as to discharge the ultimate responsibility of reaching a reasoned decision.

Autonomy in sport - compulsoriness of international sport committees sport rules at a national level

Establishing rules lies at the heart of sport. Furthermore, it can be said that legal order allows only such sporting activity that is carried out according to defined rules. This is mostly followed by foundation of associations and organisations dedicated to particular sport. Acknowledging sport by the public authorities as a space suitable for autonomous arrangement of sports organisations gives special importance to sports rules. However, in order to have autonomy of sports organisations complementary to the role of public authority in the area of sport, it must be grounded in the principles of democracy, solidarity and good management in sport keeping sport independent of any political or economic manipulation including excessive commercialisation. Since contemporary sport is dominantly based on pyramidal structure or federal system based upon recognised sports associations (federations) organised at national and international level by the principle „one sport – one association“, it is quite understandable that sports rules adopted by sports association ranked at international level on the top of the pyramid have monopolistic position as a support for autonomous functioning of whole system of particular sport, as well as considerable limiting factor in making autonomous decisions at lower levels of sports organising. Sports associations use sports rules often followed by serious sanctions to preserve their dominant status. In his paper, the author considers legal nature and legal enforceability of international sports rules at national level for sports organisations, public authorities, as well as judiciary. The author particularly points out to the problem of so-called dynamic addressing to sports rules of international sports associations through statutory provisions of national and lower sports associations and the position of German case-law on impossibility of such way to provide legal obligatoriness of international sports rules at the national level.

Net protein and energy requirements for weight gain of Santa Inês and Morada Nova sheep

The objective of this study was to determine the body composition and the dietary protein and energy requirements for weight gain of Santa Inês and Morada Nova sheep. A total of 48 intact lambs (24 Santa Inês and 24 Morada Nova), with initial weights of 21.7 ± 1.2 kg and 20.8 ± 0.8 kg and ages of 170 and 190 days, respectively, were used. At the beginning of the experimental phase, six lambs of each breed were slaughtered to determine body composition. The remaining 36 animals were divided into six groups of six animals each, separated by slaughter weights (25, 28 and 31 kg) and genotypes. The comparative slaughter technique was used to determine the nutritional requirements. The respective net requirements for energy gain ranged from 3.07 to 3.42 and 3.40 to 4.08 Mcal/kg gain of empty body weight (EBW), while for protein gain, the requirements ranged from 140 to 132 and 113 to 102 g/kg of EBW gain for intact genotypes lambs weighing between 22 and 31 kg. The Santa Inês sheep had higher net protein but lower net energy requirements for weight gain than the Morada Nova sheep. The body composition and the net requirements of protein and energy gains of genotypes sheep differ from the values reported by the main international committees of nutritional assessments.

The Relation between International Accounting Reporting Standard (IFRSs/IAS s) And Qualitative Characteristics Of Accounting information Study State in Branches of Foreign banks in Erbil governorate

The application of international standards contributes to improve the quality of the accounting information provided to the beneficiary parties through relevant, understandable, comparable, and highly reliable information. Banks have a special nature, both in terms of their activities and risks they face. This has led the international committees to establish independent standards for disclosure, presentation, and accounting measurement in their financial reports and statements; these offer a necessary input that helps the decision makers to assess the banks’ financial positions and results. The application of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs/IASs) in banks helps to standardize the preparation of financial statements and disclosures in line with the methods of preparation, presentation, and disclosure in which used by international banks.

Efficacy, Duration and Timing of Withdrawal of Prophylactic Treatment with Antiepileptic Drugs in Neurosurgical Conditions

Seizure control is a critical component of care in many neurosurgical conditions. The development of seizures in patients without a previously identified seizure disorder occurs in a significant proportion of traumatic brain injury, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and brain tumor patients. In this literature review and synthesis, we will discuss the incidence of seizures in selected conditions, indications and evidence for the initiation of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), suggested duration of usage for AEDs, and current AED guidelines by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), American Academy of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and international committees.

Globalization in medical research

The globalization of clinical research is gaining momentum. In particular, emerging countries, such as Brazil, India, Russia and South Africa show asignificant increase in clinical trials. This trend is generating various ethical problems, which are examined in the present article. Sometimes, generally accepted ethical rules, such as the evaluation of clinical trials by ethics commissions are not respected and sometimes conflicts are generated which are difficult to resolve. For instance, it is controversial which standard of care researchers and sponsors have to provide in an international study. These conflicts are exacerbated by afundamental dilemma: more research on diseases prevalent in developing and emerging countries is necessary. At the same time, the protection of study participants in those countries creates particular challenges. In recent years, international commissions and guidelines have achieved significant progress in solving these conflicts; however, the further development has to be analyzed very carefully. Incentives for better research on neglected diseases have to be created. Undesirable developments and abuse have to be prevented by appropriate international ethical standards.

Правда нуждается в союзниках: значение и проблемы международных комиссий по установлению фактов

Правда нуждается в союзниках: значение и проблемы международных комиссий по установлению фактов

Investigation of the Diachronic Development of CO2 Emission Levels in Relation to Traffic Characteristics Along Major Road Axes During an Era of Recession: the Case of Greece

The problem of reducing CO2 emissions from transport, a major contributor to the greenhouse effect, has become a growing concern for the scientific community and various international committees monitoring climate change. Energy savings in the transport sector are a key factor towards rational management of oil reserves, while new trends in the automotive market have already been established, supported by research on efficient and environmentally-friendly technologies and alternative fuels to face fossil fuel dependency. The road transport sector is an important part for most developed economies but also a major source of pollutant emissions. In this framework, this paper focuses on transport emissions along the main road axis in Greece, connecting the country’s two largest urban areas, during the years 2008-2014, a period of prolonged recession. Based on traffic data collected at the toll stations along the highway, greenhouse gas and pollutant emissions were calculated using the COPERT4 emission estimation tool. According to the results, a sharp fall in emissions is observed largely due to traffic volume reductions, but also due to a prevailing trend for larger displacement vehicles and technologically improved vehicles with better environmental standards.

Bach in Cambridge

Now an established biennial summer event, the Eighth Dialogue Meeting of the Bach Network (formerly Bach Network UK) was held in the beautiful surroundings of Madingley Hall, Cambridge, from 10 to 15 July 2017. Once again, it proved to be an inspiring and memorable event that fostered connections between a diverse range of international delegates, from veteran scholars to early career researchers, performers and others with related specialisms, all united by a common interest in J. S. Bach and his music. In the true spirit of ‘dialogue’, the meeting focused upon several discussion sessions, led by expert scholars but inviting participation from all attendees. The first of these was on the theme of ‘Bach and God’, inspired by Michael Marissen’s recently published book of the same title (Oxford University Press, 2016). Marissen, in discussion with Bettina Varwig and Jeremy Begbie, explained how he sought to challenge a still-prevalent view of Bach’s music as pure, autonomous and socially liberal, somehow removed from historical context. In fact, as Marissen showed, some of Bach’s works reveal deliberate choices on his part to set versions of texts that insult particular groups of people (a striking example being the cantata Erhalt uns, Herr, bei deinem Wort, bwv126, which expresses both anti-Muslim and anti-Catholic sentiments). A particularly contentious area of debate in the session concerned perceptions of anti-Judiasm, especially in John’s gospel and Bach’s settings of it.

Historical underpinnings of Parkinson's disease nosography

The current definition of Parkinson's disease (PD) is based on clinical and pathological criteria, which have changed many times since their identification in 1817. Indeed, the characterization of PD motor signs (in chronological order: resting tremor, festination, rigidity, akinesia) took more than a century. Psychological signs (depression, hallucinations/delusions, apathy) were first described in the late 19th century, whereas cognitive signs and dementia were delineated in the 20th century. However, elucidation of the underlying pathological processes from the lenticular nucleus to the substantia nigra, and from Lewy bodies to α-synuclein took a considerable amount of time during the 20th century. The discovery of degeneration of the dopaminergic nigrostriatal pathway and, subsequently, the advent of l-dopa therapy in the 1960s and 1970s revolutionized the treatment of PD and improved its differential diagnosis from atypical parkinsonian disorders. The implication of infectious and toxic environmental factors, suggested by the appearance of parkinsonian syndromes following an epidemic of encephalitis lethargica in the 1915–1925 era and the identification in 1983 of the neurotoxin MPTP (1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine), led to the incrimination of the role of pesticides. Since the 1990s, intensive research into the genetic forms of PD has paved the way towards the categorization of several genes and new pathogenic mechanisms. Major epidemiological, pathophysiological and therapeutic advances have also been made over the past 30 years, all made possible by the elaborations of international committees on rigorous diagnostic criteria based on clinical–pathological correlations and positive responses to l-dopa (UKPDBB, 1988; MDS clinical diagnostic criteria, 2015), and the use of specific quality-of-life, motor and cognitive scales (UPDRS, 1987; MDS-UPDRS, 2008).

Appropriateness of Algerian Higher Education Quality Assurance System to Educational Institutions: A Teaching staff’s Perspective

The aim of this study was to investigate the procedures taken by the Algerian authorities for establishing a quality assurance system in higher education, officially declared in June 2008, and to examine the relevance of such procedures to the higher education system in the country. To achieve this objective, a questionnaire was designed and distributed to a sample of 100 professors from the disciplines of economics, business studies and management sciences, during the period from 04 November to 17 December 2015. The study results revealed that the professors agreed that all the objectives, procedures, and scope of the quality assurance system were in line with the suggestions and recommendations of local and international expert committees. However, mechanisms of implementing quality assurance system have excluded certain important effective mechanisms temporality because they would have negative consequences on higher education in the current situation. 
 Keywords: Accreditation, Evaluation, Higher education in Algeria, Quality, Quality assurance, Quality assurance mechanisms

Comparative Analysis and Adhesion Testing of Hot-Applied Rubberized Asphalt Membrane Products

Abstract Hot liquid-applied rubberized-asphalt membranes (referred to in this paper as HRA membranes) have over a 40-year track record of use in roofing and waterproofing applications. In the authors' experience, this use has been generally consistent with respect to surface preparation and membrane application procedures. However, the physical and material properties of HRA membranes are not well known and not consistently reported by all manufacturers, leaving designers with limited basis for comparing products. Further, the industry has not reached a consensus on defining adequate adhesion of HRA membranes in the field, or standard field testing procedures for quantifying membrane adhesion. The testing procedures and minimum performance requirements historically used for evaluating HRA membranes are found in a Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) standard withdrawn in January 2005. However, this archaic standard is still considered the only material standard for HRA membranes in the industry. ASTM International committees are currently developing new standards for the testing and application of HRA membranes based on CGSB Standards recognized in the industry, but consensus has not yet been reached. The laboratory testing program summarized in this paper was performed in two phases, and with five commonly used HRA membrane products. The authors designed the Phase 1 program to compare physical properties of HRA membranes to better understand membrane durability and expected performance across the different products. Phase 1 testing also included material analysis of each HRA membrane, focusing on percentages and types of fillers used with the rubberized-asphalt products. Phase 2 was primarily an adhesion testing program developed to evaluate the bond of HRA membranes to concrete with various surface profiles and preparations, but also included low-temperature flexibility membrane testing and tensile strength testing of reinforcing fabrics used in fabric-reinforced HRA membrane assemblies.

Durability and service life prediction of reinforced concrete structures

This paper presents some durability and service life models for reinforced concrete structures with regard to chloride ingress, carbonation and frost attack. In the past years a number of models for durability design of concrete structures have been suggested by relevant organisations or international committees. It is necessary to validate these models against long-term field data for their applicability with respect to exposure climate in order to satisfactorily use the models in the durability design and redesign of concrete structures. In this study, various potential models for concrete resistance to chloride ingress, carbonation and frost attack were briefly reviewed. Three models including the simple ERFC, the DuraCrete and the ClinConc, for prediction of chloride ingress were evaluated using the infield data collected from both the field exposure site after over 20 years exposure and the real road bridges of about 30 years old. A physicochemical model for prediction of carbonation depth was evaluated using the infield data collected from the field exposure site after 11 years exposure and the limited data from the real structures with the age of 7-13 years. For the modelling of frost attack, some problems in measurement of critical saturation degree and actual degree of saturation are discussed. According to the comparison results, the simple ERFC overestimates whilst the DuraCrete model underestimate the chloride ingress in most cases. The ClinConc model on the other hand gives reasonable good prediction for both the short-term (one year) and the long-term (21 years) exposure. The Papadakis model for carbonation also gives fairly good prediction of carbonation depth when compared with the Norwegian infield data classified as exposure class XC3, but underestimates the carbonation depths when compared with the infield data from Norwegian structures in exposure class XC4. For the frost attack, it is premature to apply the models to the service life prediction so far.

Prevalence of quinolone resistance mechanisms in Enterobacteriaceae producing acquired AmpC β-lactamases and/or carbapenemases in Spain

BackgroundQuinolone resistance in Enterobacteriaceae species has increased over the past few years, and is significantly associated to beta-lactam resistance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of chromosomal- and plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance in acquired AmpC β-lactamase and/or carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae isolates. MethodsThe presence of chromosomal- and plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance mechanisms [mutations in the quinolone resistance determining region (QRDR) of gyrA and parC and qnr, aac(6′)-Ib-cr and qepA genes] was evaluated in 289 isolates of acquired AmpC β-lactamase- and/or carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae collected between February and July 2009 in 35 Spanish hospitals. ResultsPlasmid mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) genes were detected in 92 isolates (31.8%), qnr genes were detected in 83 isolates (28.7%), and the aac(6′)-Ib-cr gene was detected in 20 isolates (7%). qnrB4 gene was the most prevalent qnr gene detected (20%), associated, in most cases, with DHA-1. Only 14.6% of isolates showed no mutations in gyrA or parC with a ciprofloxacin MIC of 0.5mg/l or higher, whereas PMQR genes were detected in 90% of such isolates. ConclusionqnrB4 gene was the most prevalent PMQR gene detected, and was significantly associated with acquired AmpC β-lactamase DHA-1. PMQR determinants in association with other chromosomal-mediated quinolone resistance mechanisms, different to mutations in gyrA and parC (increased energy-dependent efflux, altered lipopolysaccharide or porin loss), could lead to ciprofloxacin MIC values that exceed breakpoints established by the main international committees to define clinical antimicrobial susceptibility breakpoints.

ROZWÓJ SŁUCHU U DZIECI Z ODDZIAŁÓW INTENSYWNEJ TERAPII I POŚREDNIEJ OPIEKI ZDROWOTNEJ W BRAZYLII

BackgroundUnidentified hearing loss at birth can badly affect the linguistic, social, and educational development of children. National and international committees on infant hearing emphasize the importance of early identification of hearing loss, with follow-up and early intervention. The aim of this study was to analyze data on hearing development from a program following up exits from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and from neonatal intermediate care wards in Prof. Dr. Jose Aristodemo Pinotti Women’s Hospital in the Brazilian State of Sao Paulo.Material and MethodsThis was a retrospective study based on records from a follow-up program. Data came from records collected from 2012 to 2015 on 88 subjects, and included the results of behavioral hearing tests, visual reinforcement audiometry and tympanometry. The data were descriptively and statistically analyzed.ResultsChanges in the development of hearing abilities over the first two years of life in children that stayed at the NICU or the intermediate care ward for more than 48 hours were significant. However, late-onset or progressive hearing losses were not observed. There was no correlation between hearing development and specific risk indicators or with tympanometry.ConclusionsFor the analyzed program, progressive or late-onset losses were not found, but there were major delays in the development of hearing abilities in the first two years of life for children from NICU and neonatal intermediate care wards.

Editorial introductions

Editorial introductions

International Delegation in the Swedish Constitution

It has become rather common for States to enter into international agreements where an external body, often an international organization, is given the right to make decisions binding on the States under international law. This is often referred to as ‘international delegation’, and the prime example is of course the European Union. Such agreements may affect the States’ sovereignty in different ways, and therefore, there may be good reasons for a State to have a constitutional regulation limiting the possibilities to delegate decision-making authority. In Sweden, this type of regulation can be found in Chapter 10 of the 1974 Instrument of Government. This article contains an analysis of how the Swedish regulation is constructed, taking into account both a national constitutional law perspective, and an international law perspective. The main conclusion is that the construction is problematic, since an international delegation is treated more or less like a delegation from one internal body to another. The architects of the regulation do not seem to have taken into account the international law perspective to any larger extent. Three aspects of the problem are highlighted in the article, and a few suggestions on how the regulation could be changed are made.

Multilateral Development Banks and Sustainable Development: On Emulation, Fragmentation and a Common Law of Sustainable Development

AbstractMultilateral Development Banks (hereinafter MDBs) have evolved from avoiding non-economic considerations, as required in most of their charters, to officially supporting sustainable development. This transformation is due not only to international law, civil society pressure or internal adjustments, but in part to the emulation phenomenon between the international effort for sustainable development made by international conferences and commissions and the sustainable development effort by MDBs. The paper first examines this emulation phenomenon and its strong impact on MDB creation of substantive instruments – the environmental and social safeguards – and of procedural instruments – the accountability mechanisms – for the integration of sustainable development. Following this discussion, the second part points out that MDBs’ environmental and social safeguards still differ substantially, revealing a fragmentation in MDBs’ normative understanding of sustainable development. After presenting the arguments supporting this fragmentation, the last part of the paper argues in favor of the harmonization of MDBs’ environmental and social safeguards, resulting in the creation of a common law of sustainable development, the promotion of international law and the facilitation of investments.

13 Advanced neuroimaging of pain, analgesia and anaesthesia induced altered states of consciousness

Professor Irene Tracey holds the Nuffield Chair of Anaesthetic Science and is Head of the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, a 500-person world-leading basic and clinical research department, at the University of Oxford. Irene did her undergraduate and graduate studies at Oxford from 1985–1993, graduating with top-First, and then held a postdoctoral position at Harvard Medical School until 1996. In 1997, Irene helped to co-found the Oxford Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain, and was its Director from 2005 until 2015 alongside other senior leadership roles within the University. Irene has served and continues to serve on many national and international committees, and is currently on Council of the Medical Research Council. In 2008 she was awarded the triennial Patrick Wall Medal from the Royal College of Anaesthetists and in 2009 was made an FRCA for her contributions to the discipline in the field of pain neuroscience and mechanisms of anaesthesia. In 2015 she was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and in 2017 was awarded the Feldberg Foundation Prize. Irene is married to Professor Myles Allen, a climate physicist, and they have three fabulous children: Colette (19), John (15) and Jim (11). The ability to experience pain is old and shared across species. Acute pain is the body’s alarm and warning system, and as such a good thing. Chronic pain is the system gone wrong and now one of the largest medical health problems worldwide. The brain is key to these experiences and relating specific neurophysiologic measures from advanced brain imaging to perceptual or non-perceptual changes in pain perception induced by peripheral or central sensitisation, psychological or pharmacological mechanisms has tremendous value. Identifying non-invasively where functional and structural plasticity, sensitisation and other amplification or attenuation processes occur along the pain neuraxis for an individual and relating these neural mechanisms to specific pain experiences, measures of pain relief, persistence of pain states, degree of injury and the subject’s underlying genetics, has neuroscientific and potential diagnostic relevance. As such, advanced neuroimaging methods can powerfully aid explanation of a subject’s multidimensional pain experience, analgesia and even what makes them vulnerable to developing chronic pain. Relatively far less work has been directed at understanding what changes in the brain occur during altered states of consciousness induced either endogenously (e.g. sleep) or exogenously (e.g. anaesthesia). However, that situation is changing rapidly. For example, our recent multimodal neuroimaging work explores how anaesthetic agents produce altered states of consciousness such that perceptual experiences of pain and awareness are degraded. This is bringing us fascinating insights into the complex phenomenon of anaesthesia. References . Bingel U, Wanigasekera V, Wiech K, Ni Mhuircheartaigh R, Lee MC, Ploner M,Tracey I. The effect of treatment expectation on drug efficacy: imaging the analgesic benefit of the opioid remifentanil. Sci Transl Med2011Feb 16;3(70):70ra14. . Denk F, McMahon SB, Tracey I. Pain vulnerability: a neurobiological perspective. Nat Neurosci2014Feb;17(2):192–200.

Major and Minor Classifications for Surgery in People With Hemophilia: A Literature Review.

Agents that control bleeding and the usage of bypassing agents have made surgery an option to consider in people with hemophilia. However, the lack of consistent definitions for major or minor surgery may lead to inconsistencies in patient management. This literature review has evaluated how surgical procedures in people with hemophilia were categorized as major or minor surgery and assessed the consistency across publications. After screening 926 potentially relevant articles, 547 were excluded and 379 full-text articles were reviewed. Ninety-five articles categorized major or minor surgical procedures; of these, 35 publications categorized three or more major or minor surgical procedures and were included for analysis. Seven (20%) publications provided varying criteria for defining major or minor surgery, five of which defined surgery according to the level of surgical invasiveness. Across all 35 publications, there was considerable variance in the categorization of major and minor surgical procedures and some overlap in surgical nomenclature (eg, type of synovectomy, arthroscopy, and central venous access device insertion/removals). The lack of consistent guidance when referring to major or minor surgery in people with hemophilia needs to be addressed. Clear and consistent definitions, achieved by consensus and promoted by relevant international hemophilia committees, are desirable, to provide guidance on appropriate treatment, to increase the accuracy of trial data and may confound the interpretation of surgical outcomes.