Towards variance-matrix characterization of complementarity relations in a continuous variable system

We discuss complementarity relations in a bipartite continuous variable system. Building up from the work done on discrete d-dimensional systems, we prove that for symmetric two-mode states, quantum complementarity relations can be put in a simple relation with the elements of the variance matrix. When this condition is not satisfied, such a connection becomes non-trivial. Our investigation is the first step towards an operative characterization of the complementarity in a scenario that has not been investigated so far.

Reparative Complementarity: Ensuring an Effective Remedy for Victims in the Reparation Regime of the International Criminal Court

This article examines the reparation regime of the International Criminal Court in light of its first reparation decision. Based on the reparation jurisprudence established in international law and human rights law to provide victims of international crimes an effective remedy, this article suggests that in order for the International Criminal Court to achieve this objective it needs to go beyond individual criminal responsibility due to its limitations. This article considers the role of reparative complementarity in ensuring an effective remedy to victims of international crimes as part of the reparation regime of the International Criminal Court.

Individual mRNA expression profiles reveal the effects of specific microRNAs

BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are oligoribonucleotides with an important role in regulation of gene expression at the level of translation. Despite imperfect target complementarity, they can also significantly reduce mRNA levels. The validity of miRNA target gene predictions is difficult to assess at the protein level. We sought, therefore, to determine whether a general lowering of predicted target gene mRNA expression by endogenous miRNAs was detectable within microarray gene expression profiles. RESULTS: The target gene sets predicted for each miRNA were mapped onto known gene expression data from a range of tissues. Whether considering mean absolute target gene expression, rank sum tests or 'ranked ratios', many miRNAs with significantly reduced target gene expression corresponded to those known to be expressed in the cognate tissue. Expression levels of miRNAs with reduced target mRNA levels were higher than those of miRNAs with no detectable effect on mRNA expression. Analysis of microarray data gathered after artificial perturbation of expression of a specific miRNA confirmed the predicted increase or decrease in influence of the altered miRNA upon mRNA levels. Strongest associations were observed with targets predicted by TargetScan. CONCLUSION: We have demonstrated that the effect of a miRNA on its target mRNAs' levels can be measured within a single gene expression profile. This emphasizes the extent of this mode of regulation in vivo and confirms that many of the predicted miRNA-mRNA interactions are correct. The success of this approach has revealed the vast potential for extracting information about miRNA function from gene expression profiles.

Phototextual Journeys: Nicolas Bouvier in Asia

Travel literature's inherent intergenericity extends into the realm of the interaesthetic in Nicolas Bouvier's textual and photographic representations of Asia. Although produced as distinct narratives, successive editorial decisions and the layering of these two media in the mind of the reader have transformed Bouvier's already palimpsestic texts into fluid, phototextual constructs. This article will offer ‘contrapuntal’ readings of a selection of Bouvier's texts in relation to the photographs charting his intercultural encounters in China and Japan. Countering the relegation of these photographs to the conventional status of aide-mémoire, the article will consider the shifting relationships of complementarity, tension, or disjuncture between image and text. These relationships are characterised by slippage, subversion and paradox. Text does not ‘load’ image, and images do not illustrate text. Indeed, Bouvier's photographs frequently contest, modify, or debunk the textual narratives. Ultimately, the article will argue that Bouvier's representations of Asia, both textual and visual, offer a challenge to cultural essentialism, to self-other binaries, and to monolithic discourses of otherness.

Protein surface recognition using geometrically pure Ru(II) tris(bipyridine) derivatives

This manuscript illustrates that the geometric arrangement of protein-binding groups around a ruthenium(II) core leads to dramatic differences in cytochrome c (cyt c) binding highlighting that it is possible to define synthetic receptors with shape complementarity to protein surfaces.

Detecting the effects of diversity on measures of ecosystem function: experimental design, null models and empirical observations

Here we present a novel experimental approach to examine the relationship between diversity and ecosystem Function. We develop four null predictive models, with which to differentiate between the 'sampling effect' - the chance inclusion of a highly productive species, and 'species complementarity' - the complementary use of resources by species that differ in their niche or resource use. We investigate the effects of manipulating species and functional richness on ecosystem function in marine benthic system and using empirical data from our own experiments we illustrate the application of these models.

EMAS and ISO 14001 in the German industry – complements or substitutes?

The two environmental management system (EMS) standards EMAS and ISO 14001 have been available in Europe for the last 15 years. ISO 14001 has been taken up at a much larger scale but many firms in the German automotive and engineering industry have certified their EMSs according to both standards. Two research questions are addressed: (i) What explains why companies adopt both EMAS and ISO 14001? (ii) Are EMAS and ISO 14001 complements or substitutes? Based on 21 interviews with industrial and institutional representatives, this study finds that, first, the two standards are adopted for completely different reasons: while ISO 14001 is often done as a response to external pressure, EMAS tends to be motivated internally. Second, it is argued that EMAS and ISO 14001 are likely in a situation of direct competition at present which may well turn into complementarity in the future.

Towards an Emancipatory International Law: the Bolivarian reconstruction

In this article, we argue that a unique South American treaty known as ALBA—the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas—puts forward a cohesive counter-vision of international law rooted in notions of complementarity and human solidarity. We further argue that Third World Approaches to International Law (TWAIL) scholars might use this initiative as a springboard to push forward a long-overdue reform of the international legal regime. While, on its own, ALBA is unlikely to pose much of a challenge to the structural imbalances that permeate global society, when juxtaposed alongside the many initiatives of the Bolivarian Revolution, it appears to possess signi?cant democratic potential. With both scholarly and popular support, ALBA may even have the capability of sparking a renewal of a united Third World movement.

Realising Justice for victims before the International Criminal Court

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has been celebrated for its innovative victim provisions, which enable victims to participate in proceedings, avail of protection measures and assistance, and to claim reparations. The impetus for incorporating victim provisions within the ICC, came from victims’ dissatisfaction with the ad hoc tribunals in providing them with more meaningful and tangible justice.1 The International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda (ICTY/R) only included victim protection measures, with no provisions for victims to participate in proceedings nor to claim reparations at them. Developments in domestic and international law, in particular human rights such as the 1985 UN Declaration on Justice for Victims and the UN Guidelines on Remedy and Reparations, and transitional justice mechanisms, such as truth commissions and reparations bodies, have helped to expand the notion of justice for international crimes to be more attuned to victims as key stakeholders in dealing with such crimes.

With the first convictions secured at the ICC and the victim participation and reparation regime taking form, it is worth evaluating the extent to which these innovative provisions have translated into justice for victims. The first part of this paper outlines what justice for victims of international crimes entails, drawing from victimology and human rights. The second section surveys the extent to which the ICC has incorporated justice for victims, in procedural and substantive terms, before concluding in looking beyond the Court to how state parties can complement the ICC in achieving justice for victims. This paper argues that while much progress has been made to institutionalise justice for victims within the Court, there is much more progress needed to evolve and develop justice for victims within the ICC to avoid dissatisfaction of past tribunals.

Elaborating Justice for Victims at the International Criminal Court: Beyond Rhetoric and the Hague

Justice for victims has often been invoked as the raison d’être of international criminal justice, by punishing perpetrators of international crimes. This article attempts to provide a more holistic account of justice for victims by examining victims’ needs, interests, and rights. The International Criminal Court itself includes participation, protection and reparation for victims, indicating they are important stakeholders. This article also suggests that victims are integral to the purpose of the ICC in ending impunity by ensuring transparency of proceedings. However, there are limits to the resources and capacity of the ICC, which can only investigate and prosecute selected crimes. To overcome this justice gap, this article directs the debate towards a victim-orientated agenda to complementarity, where state parties and the Assembly of State Parties should play a greater role in implementing justice for victims domestically. This victim-orientated complementarity approach can be achieved through new ASP guidelines on complementarity, expanding universal jurisdiction, or seeking enforcement and cooperation through regional and international bodies and courts, such asUniversal Periodic Review or the African Court’s International Criminal Law Section. In the end, ifwe are serious about delivering justice for victims we need to move beyond the rhetoric, with realistic expectations of what the ICC can achieve, and concentrate our attention to what states should bedoing to end impunity.

Technological Learning in Developing Countries

Technological learning refers to the learning processes involved in improving the productive capabilities of an enterprise, sector or economy to enable it to produce higher quality goods or services with increasing levels of efficiency. Approaches to the study of technological learning include case studies of particular countries, sectors and firms; measures of export sophistication; and composite indicators of innovation and competitiveness. The present review draws on these approaches to provide an overview of the policies and practices that have been successful in different regions (East-Asia and Latin America) ; contexts (import substitution and liberalization) ; sectors (pulp and paper, IT services, electronics and passenger cars); and firms (Embrear and Lenovo). While it is clear that there is strong complementarity between domestic technological capability and the ability to absorb foreign technology, there is no simple policy recipe which is appropriate for all times, industries or places. Technological learning builds on and is shaped by what is already known. It requires time, space and resources all of which are influenced by the wider domestic and international context. The current international context is challenging but countries and firms have to find ways of moving forward despite the limited strategy space.

Functional identity and diversity of animals predict ecosystem functioning better than species-based indices

Drastic biodiversity declines have raised concerns about the deterioration of ecosystem functions and have motivated much recent research on the relationship between species diversity and ecosystem functioning. A functional trait framework has been proposed to improve the mechanistic understanding of this relationship, but this has rarely been tested for organisms other than plants. We analysed eight datasets, including five animal groups, to examine how well a trait-based approach, compared with a more traditional taxonomic approach, predicts seven ecosystem functions below- and above-ground. Trait-based indices consistently provided greater explanatory power than species richness or abundance. The frequency distributions of single or multiple traits in the community were the best predictors of ecosystem functioning. This implies that the ecosystem functions we investigated were underpinned by the combination of trait identities (i.e. single-trait indices) and trait complementarity (i.e. multi-trait indices) in the communities. Our study provides new insights into the general mechanisms that link biodiversity to ecosystem functioning in natural animal communities and suggests that the observed responses were due to the identity and dominance patterns of the trait composition rather than the number or abundance of species per se.

Complementarity’s monopoly on justice in Uganda: the International Criminal Court, victims and Thomas Kwoyelo

Complementarity has been extolled as the pioneering way for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to navigate the difficulties of state sovereignty when investigating and prosecuting international crimes. Victims have often been held up to justify and legitimise the work of the ICC and states complementing the Court through domestic processes. This article examines how Uganda has developed its laws, legal procedure, and accountability for international crimes over the past decade. This has culminated in the trial of Thomas Kwoyelo, which after five years of proceedings, has yet to move to the trial phase, due to the issue of an amnesty. While there has been a profusion of provisions to allow victims to participate, avail of protection measures and reparations, in practice very little has changed for them. This article highlights the dangers of complementarity being the sole solution to protracted conflicts, in particular the realisation of victims’ rights.