The Application of the Margin of Appreciation Doctrine in Freedom of Expression and Public Morality Cases

This paper discusses whether or not Strasbourg organs have created principled criteria governing the use of the doctrine within the context of free speech and public morals. The first part of the paper gives an overview of the doctrine and further examines how the doctrine has evolved within the European context. Part II focuses on the rationale behind the doctrine and discusses the legitimacy of the doctrine in light of its application to various forms of free speech. Part III covers one of the most problematic applications of the doctrine in matters concerning public morality, where Contracting States have a wide margin of appreciation. This part will discuss whether or not the “lack of European consensus” criterion is an elusive concept that might create a risk of abuse in the application of the doctrine. The paper concludes that while margin of appreciation today serves as a flexible instrument between the local necessities and the universal application of human rights, the imprecise and contradictory points might lead to its potential abuse that might endanger its future existence.

Robustness in scale-free networks: Comparing directed and undirected networks

In this paper, scale-free networks and their functional robustness with respect to structural perturbations of the network are studied. Two types of perturbations are distinguished: random perturbations and attacks. The robustness of directed and undirected scale-free networks is studied numerically for two different measures and the obtained results are compared. For random perturbations, the results indicate that the strength of the perturbation plays a crucial role. In general, directed scale-free networks are more robust than undirected scale-free networks.

TIME-RESOLVED RESONANCE RAMAN-SPECTROSCOPY OF TRIPLET-STATE METALATED AND FREE-BASE TETRAARYLPORPHYRINS

Resonance Raman spectra of the T-1 excited states of Zn and free-base tetra-4-sulfonatophenylporphyrin (TPPS) have been recorded at room temperature in aqueous solution using two-colour time-resolved methods. The spectra of both sulfonated molecules are very similar to their tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP) analogues, which have been recorded in THF solution using the same pump-probe conditions, but they have higher signal-to-noise ratios because interference from strong solvent bands is reduced. Although two different T-1 spectra of Zn(TPP) have been reported these spectra differ slightly from each other and from the spectrum reported here, which has band positions very close (+/-6 cm(-1)) to those of Zn(TPPS). The high S/N ratios obtainable for the water-soluble porphyrins have allowed reliable polarization data to be recorded for their S-0 and T-1 states. This data set allows a realistic comparison of the changes in bonding associated with excitation of both free-base and Zn tetraarylporphyrins to the T-1 state.

The evaluative nature of the folk concepts of weakness and strength of will

This article examines the evaluative nature of the folk concepts of weakness and strength of will and hypothesizes that their evaluative nature is strongly connected to the folk concepts of blame and credit. We probed how people apply the concepts of weakness and strength of will to prototypical and non-prototypical scenarios. While regarding prototypical scenarios the great majority applied these concepts according to the predictions following from traditional philosophical analyses, when presented with non-prototypical scenarios, people were divided. Some, against traditional analyses, did not apply these concepts, which we explain in terms of a clash of evaluations involving different sorts of blame and credit. Others applied them according to traditional analyses, which we explain in terms of a disposition to be reflective and clearly set apart the different sorts of blame and credit involved. Still others applied them in an inverse way, seemingly bypassing the traditional components resolution and best judgment, which we explain in terms of a reinterpretation of the scenarios driven by an assumption that everyone knows deep inside that the best thing to do is to act morally. This division notwithstanding, we claim that our results are largely supportive of traditional analyses (qua analyses of folk concepts).

Trio Performance with 'Faint' at "Sounds New Contemporary Music Festival":Graphic Scores and Free improvisation: Canterbury, Kent

The programme contained a performance by the trio FAINT (Pedro Rebelo - Piano and instru- mental parasites, Franziska Schroeder - Saxophone and Steve Davis - Drums). The performance includes short electroacoustic works based on the trio's free improvisation and a performance of Rebelo's Cipher Series graphic scores.

An understanding and implications of the coverage of surface free sites in heterogeneous catalysis

The crucial roles of the coverage of surface free sites in determining catalytic activity trend are quantitatively addressed with the help of density functional theory and microkinetics. First, by analyzing activity trends of NO oxidation catalyzed by Ru, Rh, Pd, Os, Ir, and Pt surfaces with full kinetic considerations, we identify that the activity trend is in general determined by the competition between the reaction barrier and the coverage of surface free sites. Second, since the dissociation of many important molecules, such as the dissociation of N(2), O(2), and CO, follows the same Bronsted-Evans-Polanyi relationship, the coverage of surface free sites is usually a decisive term that affects the overall activity. Third, an equation is derived for the coverage of surface free sites and it is found that the coverage of surface free sites contains not only all the key thermodynamic parameters but also all the kinetic properties in the catalytic system. (C) 2009 American Institute of Physics. [DOI: 10.1063/1.3140202]

Evaluating early administration of the hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase inhibitor simvastatin in the prevention and treatment of delirium in critically ill ventilated patients (MoDUS trial): Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: The incidence of delirium in ventilated patients is estimated at up to 82%, and it is associated with longer intensive care and hospital stays, and long-term cognitive impairment and mortality. The pathophysiology of delirium has been linked with inflammation and neuronal apoptosis. Simvastatin has pleiotropic properties; it penetrates the brain and, as well as reducing cholesterol, reduces inflammation when used at clinically relevant doses over the short term. This is a single centre randomised, controlled trial which aims to test the hypothesis that treatment with simvastatin will modify delirium incidence and outcomes. 

Methods/Design: The ongoing study will include 142 adults admitted to the Watford General Hospital Intensive Care Unit who require mechanical ventilation in the first 72 hours of admission. The primary outcome is the number of delirium- and coma-free days in the first 14 days. Secondary outcomes include incidence of delirium, delirium- and coma-free days in the first 28 days, days in delirium and in coma at 14 and 28 days, number of ventilator-free days at 28 days, length of critical care and hospital stay, mortality, cognitive decline and healthcare resource use. Informed consent will be taken from patient's consultee before randomisation to receive either simvastatin (80 mg) or placebo once daily. Daily data will be recorded until day 28 after randomisation or until discharge from the ICU if sooner. Surviving patients will be followed up on at six months from discharge. Plasma and urine samples will be taken to investigate the biological effect of simvastatin on systemic markers of inflammation, as related to the number of delirium- and coma-free days, and the potential of cholinesterase activity and beta-amyloid as predictors of the risk of delirium and long-term cognitive impairment. 

Discussion: This trial will test the efficacy of simvastatin on reducing delirium in the critically ill. If patients receiving the statin show a reduced number of days in delirium compared with the placebo group, the inflammatory theory implicated in the pathogenesis of delirium will be strengthened. 

Solvation Structure and Transport of Acidic Protons in Ionic Liquids: A First-principles Simulation Study

Ab initio simulations of a single molecule of HCl in liquid dimethyl imidazolium chloride [dmim][Cl] show that the acidic proton exists as a symmetric, linear ClHCl- species. Details of the solvation structure around this molecule are given. The proton-transfer process was investigated by applying a force along the antisymmetric stretch coordinate until the molecule broke. Changes in the free energy and local solvation structure during this process were investigated. In the reaction mechanism identified, a free chloride approaches the proton from the side. As the original ClHCl- distorts and the incoming chloride forms a new bond to the proton, one of the original chlorine atoms is expelled and a new linear molecule is formed.

Thermodynamic Studies of Ionic Interactions in Aqueous Solutions of Imidazolium-Based Ionic Liquids [Emim][Br] and [Bmim][Cl]

Experimental measurements of density at different temperatures ranging from 293.15 to 313.15 K, the speed of sound and osmotic coefficients at 298.15 K for aqueous solution of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide ([Emim][Br]), and osmotic coefficients at 298.15 K for aqueous solutions of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([Bmim][Cl]) in the dilute concentration region are taken. The data are used to obtain compressibilities, expansivity, apparent and limiting molar properties, internal pressure, activity, and activity coefficients for [Emim][Br] in aqueous solutions. Experimental activity coefficient data are compared with that obtained from Debye-Hückel and Pitzer models. The activity data are further used to obtain the hydration number and the osmotic second virial coefficients of ionic liquids. Partial molar entropies of [Bmim][Cl] are also obtained using the free-energy and enthalpy data. The distance of the closest approach of ions is estimated using the activity data for ILs in aqueous solutions and is compared with that of X-ray data analysis in the solid phase. The measured data show that the concentration dependence for aqueous solutions of [Emim][Br] can be accounted for in terms of the hydrophobic hydration of ions and that this IL exhibits Coulombic interactions as well as hydrophobic hydration for both the cations and anions. The small hydration numbers for the studied ILs indicate that the low charge density of cations and their hydrophobic nature is responsible for the formation of the water-structure-enforced ion pairs.

Flatworm nerve-muscle: structural and functional analysis

Platyhelminthes occupy a unique position in nerve-muscle evolution, being the most primitive of metazoan phyla. Essentially, their nervous system consists of an archaic brain and associated pairs of longitudinal nerve cords cross-linked as an orthogon by transverse commissures. Confocal imaging reveals that these central nervous system elements are in continuity with an array of peripheral nerve plexuses which innervate a well-differentiated grid work of somatic muscle as well as a complexity of myofibres associated with organs of attachment, feeding, and reproduction. Electrophysiological studies of flatworm muscles have exposed a diversity of voltage-activated ion channels that influence muscle contractile events. Neuronal cell types are mainly multi- and bi-polar and highly secretory in nature, producing a heterogeneity of vesicular inclusions whose contents have been identified cytochemically to include all three major types of cholinergic, aminergic, and peptidergic messenger molecules. A landmark discovery in flatworm neurobiology was the biochemical isolation and amino acid sequencing of two groups of native neuropeptides: neuropeptide F and FMRFamide-related peptides (FaRPs). Both families of neuropeptide are abundant and broadly distributed in platyhelminths, occurring in neuronal vesicles in representatives of all major flatworm taxa. Dual localization studies have revealed that peptidergic and cholinergic substances occupy neuronal sets separate from those of serotoninergic components. The physiological actions of neuronal messengers in flatworms are beginning to be established, and where examined, FaRPs and 5-HT are myoexcitatory, while cholinomimetic substances are generally inhibitory. There is immunocytochemical evidence that FaRPs and 5-HT have a regulatory role in the mechanism of egg assembly. Use of muscle strips and (or) muscle fibres from free-living and parasitic flatworms has provided baseline information to indicate that muscle responses to FaRPs are mediated by a G-protein-coupled receptor, and that the signal transduction pathway for contraction involves the second messengers cAMP and protein kinase C.

Role of TGF-beta1 and nitric oxide in the bystander response of irradiated glioma cells.

The radiation-induced bystander effect (RIBE) increases the probability of cellular response and therefore has important implications for cancer risk assessment following low-dose irradiation and for the likelihood of secondary cancers after radiotherapy. However, our knowledge of bystander signaling factors, especially those having long half-lives, is still limited. The present study found that, when a fraction of cells within a glioblastoma population were individually irradiated with helium ions from a particle microbeam, the yield of micronuclei (MN) in the nontargeted cells was increased, but these bystander MN were eliminated by treating the cells with either aminoguanidine (an inhibitor of inducible nitric oxide (NO) synthase) or anti-transforming growth factor beta1 (anti-TGF-beta1), indicating that NO and TGF-beta1 are involved in the RIBE. Intracellular NO was detected in the bystander cells, and additional TGF-beta1 was detected in the medium from irradiated T98G cells, but it was diminished by aminoguanidine. Consistent with this, an NO donor, diethylamine nitric oxide (DEANO), induced TGF-beta1 generation in T98G cells. Conversely, treatment of cells with recombinant TGF-beta1 could also induce NO and MN in T98G cells. Treatment of T98G cells with anti-TGF-beta1 inhibited the NO production when only 1% of cells were targeted, but not when 100% of cells were targeted. Our results indicate that, downstream of radiation-induced NO, TGF-beta1 can be released from targeted T98G cells and plays a key role as a signaling factor in the RIBE by further inducing free radicals and DNA damage in the nontargeted bystander cells.

Increased cerebral output of free radicals during hypoxia: implications for acute mountain sickness?

Bailey DM, Taudorf S, Berg RMG, Lundby C, McEneny J, Young IS, Evans KA, James PE, Shore A, Hullin DA, McCord JM, Pedersen BK, Moller K. Increased cerebral output of free radicals during hypoxia: implications for acute mountain sickness? Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 297: R1283-R1292, 2009. First published September 2, 2009; doi: 10.1152/ajpregu.00366.2009.-This study examined whether hypoxia causes free radical-mediated disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and impaired cerebral oxidative metabolism and whether this has any bearing on neurological symptoms ascribed to acute mountain sickness (AMS). Ten men provided internal jugular vein and radial artery blood samples during normoxia and 9-h passive exposure to hypoxia (12.9% O-2). Cerebral blood flow was determined by the Kety-Schmidt technique with net exchange calculated by the Fick principle. AMS and headache were determined with clinically validated questionnaires. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and ozone-based chemiluminescence were employed for direct detection of spin-trapped free radicals and nitric oxide metabolites. Neuron-specific enolase (NSE), S100 beta, and 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT) were determined by ELISA. Hypoxia increased the arterio-jugular venous concentration difference (a-v(D)) and net cerebral output of lipid-derived alkoxyl-alkyl free radicals and lipid hydroperoxides (P

Validating Injection Stretch-Blow Molding Simulation Through Free Blow Trials

A 2D isothermal finite element simulation of the injection stretch-blow molding (ISBM) process for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) containers has been developed through the commercial finite element package ABAQUS/standard. In this work, the blowing air to inflate the PET preform was modeled through two different approaches: a direct pressure input (as measured in the blowing machine) and a constant mass flow rate input (based on a pressure-volume-time relationship). The results from these two approaches were validated against free blow and free stretch-blow experiments, which were instrumented and monitored through high-speed video. Results show that simulation using a constant mass flow rate approach gave a better prediction of volume vs. time curve and preform shape evolution when compared with the direct pressure approach and hence is more appropriate in modeling the preblowing stage in the injection stretch-blow molding process