Papers of Helen Lawrence Appleton Brooks, 1822-1985

Mostly correspondence between family members, beginning with Catherine Lawrence and Charles Appleton, the parents of Helen Brooks. Also records of Brooks' voluntary activities, her diaries and personal writings, and material collected by Grace Norton about Henry James.

Crimean Tatars after Russia's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula. OSW Commentary No. 141, 30.06.2014

After Russia’s annexation of Crimea, Crimean Tatars face the necessity of working out a modus vivendi to cope with the difficult situation which now confronts them. On the one hand, the desire to remain in their homeland, which they regained after exile in Soviet times, is an imperative encouraging them to accept the status quo, while on the other, the fear of Russia and the strong relations of Crimean Tatar elites with Kyiv would favour opposing the present state of affairs. Another fact pointing in favour of an agreement with Moscow is that Kyiv has not attempted to defend Crimea and has not been active in demanding its return to Ukraine, which has undermined Kyiv’s authority in the eyes of the Tatars. Therefore, the leaders of the Mejlis of Crimean Tatars (the national self-government) act carefully, trying to avoid actions which could be seen as provocative and thus liable to incite retribution. It could be expected that this course of action will continue, although it faces ever greater difficulties in the context of the Russian authorities’ adoption of a strongly anti-Tatar policy, which is likely to evoke more radical attitudes among the Crimean Tatars.

Nagorno-Karabkh - conflict unfreezing. OSW Commentary No. 65, 2011-10-26

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh poses the greatest challenge to the security and stability of the Southern Caucasus. Although a ceasefire has been in place and a peace process under way since 1994, there is growing concern that the threat of the resumption of military action is growing. Proof of that is provided by, for example, the arms race dictated by Azerbaijan and its use of war rhetoric. A major factor, in addition to Azerbaijan’s increasing potential and ambitions, which is destabilising the situation concerning Karabakh seems to be the changing geopolitical situation in this region. Although the outbreak of a new war over Nagorno-Karabakh seems unlikely (as this would be risky to all the actors involved) within the next year, if the current trends continue, this will be difficult to avoid in the future. A further increase in the tension, and especially a military conflict (whatever its outcome), will lead to deep changes in the situation in the Southern Caucasus and in the policies of the countries which are active in this region.

The prospects for the EU-Ukraine free trade agreement. OSW Commentary No. 94, 2012-10-15

The European Union and Ukraine initialled the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area Agreement (DCFTA) on 19 July 2012. The scope of the agreement which the EU and Ukraine reached following their negotiations is much more extensive than that of a typical free trade agreement. It envisages not only the lifting of tariff and extra-tariff barriers but also, more importantly, Kyiv adopting EU legal solutions and standards in this area. Whether the agreement will be signed and implemented is still an open question and depends on the existing political conditions. On the one hand, the repression imposed by the government in Kyiv on its political opponents (including the detention of the former prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko) has provoked criticism from the EU, which refuses to sign the agreement if the government in Kyiv continues to violate democratic principles. The manner in which Ukraine’s parliamentary elections are conducted this October will be the key test. On the other hand, Russia is increasingly active in its efforts to involve Ukraine in the integration projects it has initiated (the Customs Union and the Eurasian Economic Community). It should be noted that Moscow has effective instruments to exert its will, such as the dependence of the Ukrainian economy on supplies of Russian oil and gas and on exports to the Russian market. Besides, Moscow also has political instruments at its disposal. It is impossible to participate in integration projects both with the EU and with Russia. Therefore, Kyiv will have to make a strategic decision and choose the direction of its economic integration. Unless Ukraine takes concrete action to implement its agreements with the EU, primarily including the free trade agreement, its economic dependence on Russia will grow, and it will be more likely to join the Russian integration projects.

The European Union and global security: is the EU becoming the indispensable partner? EU Centre Singapore Background Brief No. 11, April 2014

The European Union has developed new capacity as a security actor in third countries, in particular in the area of crisis management. Over the past two decades the EU has deployed numerous missions, both of a civilian and military nature. Moreover the EU has defined its ability to intervene all along the ‘crisis cycle’, (from prevention to mediation, from peace-keeping to post-conflict reconstruction) and using all tools at its disposal (taking a ‘comprehensive approach’). However the EU is still not perceived as a major security provider globally and interventions remain limited to some geographic areas, mostly in its neighbourhood and Africa, with just a few examples further afield. The EU also tends to avoid taking direct action and seems to prefer partnership arrangements with other players. How can we explain the growing activism and number of EU’s intervention with the low impact and lack of visibility? Can we expect the EU to become more active in the future, taking on more responsibility and leading roles in addressing conflict situations? This paper will argue that the main reason for the EU’s hesitant role in crisis management is to be found in the weak decision-making provisions for EU’s security interventions, as one of the few policy areas still subject to consensus amongst 28 European Union Member States. Lack of a clearer delegation of competence or stronger coordination structures is closely linked to low legitimacy for the EU to take more robust action as a security actor. In order to overcome this legitimacy problem, and in order to facilitate consensus amongst Member States, the EU thus privileges partnership arrangements with other actors who can provide legitimacy and know-how, such as the UN or the African Union. As there is no political desire in the EU for tighter decision-making in this area, we can expect that the EU will continue to play a supporting rather than leading role in crisis management, becoming the partner of choice as it deepens its experience. However this does not mean that the EU is playing just a secondary role in the wider area of security, in particular when looking at nontraditional security. Looking at the role of the EU in Asia, where the EU has deployed just two missions, this paper will offer a broader assessment of the EU as a partner in the area of security taking into account different types of actions. The paper will argue that in order to strengthen cooperation with Asian partners in the area of crisis management, the EU will need to define better what it is able to offer, present its actions as part of an overall strategy rather than ad-hoc and piecemeal, and enter into partnership arrangements with different players in the region.

1980 Annual Status Report: Training and Education (Multiannual Programme of the Joint Research Centre 1980-1983). EUR 7261 EN, 1981

The Education and Training Programme has been set up in recognition of the growing importance of continuing education in modern technological society. It is designed to improve the dissemination of scientific and technical knowledge in subjects related to the research activities of the JRC, to the potential external users: industries, public bodies, research and educational organizations, etc. . . Moreover, owing to the number and the quality of specialists of the various fields covered by the courses who are brought to Ispra as lecturers or participants, this programme plays an important role in the integration of the research teams of the JRC with the European scientific world, and in. the development of contacts and ties between European scientists active in a given field.

Is Horizon 2020 really more SME-friendly? A look at the figures. CEPS Commentary, 17 February 2016

Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a key role in the EU economy.[1] According to the latest “SME performance review” published by the European Commission,[2] in 2014 there were 22 million SMEs active in the non-financial business sectors, generating more than €3.7 trillion in added value and employing approximately 90 million people. SMEs’ contribution to the European economy becomes even more apparent if one considers that 99 out of every 100 enterprises active in the EU non-financial economy are SMEs, and that these firms account for about 67% of the total employment and some 60% of the overall added value produced in Europe. Against this background, enhancing the competitiveness of European SMEs is essential in order to foster the competitiveness of the EU economy as a whole. And since the competitiveness of European SMEs in the global arena largely depends on their ability to innovate,[3] unlocking the innovation potential of SMEs becomes pivotal to fostering growth and jobs in Europe.

Identification and characterization of a liver stage-specific promoter region of the malaria parasite Plasmodium.

During the blood meal of a Plasmodium-infected mosquito, 10 to 100 parasites are inoculated into the skin and a proportion of these migrate via the bloodstream to the liver where they infect hepatocytes. The Plasmodium liver stage, despite its clinical silence, represents a highly promising target for antimalarial drug and vaccine approaches. Successfully invaded parasites undergo a massive proliferation in hepatocytes, producing thousands of merozoites that are transported into a blood vessel to infect red blood cells. To successfully develop from the liver stage into infective merozoites, a tight regulation of gene expression is needed. Although this is a very interesting aspect in the biology of Plasmodium, little is known about gene regulation in Plasmodium parasites in general and in the liver stage in particular. We have functionally analyzed a novel promoter region of the rodent parasite Plasmodium berghei that is exclusively active during the liver stage of the parasite. To prove stage-specific activity of the promoter, GFP and luciferase reporter assays have been successfully established, allowing both qualitative and accurate quantitative analysis. To further characterize the promoter region, the transcription start site was mapped by rapid amplification of cDNA ends (5'-RACE). Using promoter truncation experiments and site-directed mutagenesis within potential transcription factor binding sites, we suggest that the minimal promoter contains more than one binding site for the recently identified parasite-specific ApiAP2 transcription factors. The identification of a liver stage-specific promoter in P. berghei confirms that the parasite is able to tightly regulate gene expression during its life cycle. The identified promoter region might now be used to study the biology of the Plasmodium liver stage, which has thus far proven problematic on a molecular level. Stage-specific expression of dominant-negative mutant proteins and overexpression of proteins normally active in other life cycle stages will help to understand the function of the proteins investigated.

Setting the '"Cornerstone" June 25, 1917 about 4 p.m.

Irving Kane Pond, architect. Plans for the Union were on a scale unknown at the time for "club houses" in American colleges and universities: 250 feet long and 200 feet wide. On verso: Dodson ... only other alumnus present besides H. Heath and I.K. Pond. Dodson assisted. [Stonewall J. Dodson, Law Grad, 1902. Homer L. Heath, active in Michigan Union, later Gen. Mgr.]

Michigan Union

Irving Kane Pond, architect. Plans for the Union were on a scale unknown at the time for "club houses" in American colleges and universities: 250 feet long and 200 feet wide. Copy of sketch by Vernon Howe Bailey. On verso: from H.L. Heath scrapbook. [Homer L. Heath was very active in early planning of the Michigan Union, 1917-1918, and became general secretary and manager of the Michigan Union executive staff.]

Francisci Lamberti Auenionensis Theologi Commentarii De causis excaecationis multoru[m] saeculorum ...

Old marginalia.

Plastic / Explosive: Claude Cahun and the Politics of Becoming Otherwise

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-06

Lessons Learned From Loko I‘a Culture: How Hawaiian Ecological Knowledge Influences Environmental Policies

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2016-06

An editor's view of telemedicine

Should an editor hold a view about telemedicine, or should an editor be entirely disinterested? The editorial role has been defined by the International Committee of Medical journal Editors and a long list of editorial responsibilities has been set out by the World Association of Medical Editors. This represents something of a counsel of perfection, although clearly an editor should not have a personal view, in the sense of promoting telemedicine or dismissing it. Since telemedicine editors are almost bound to be active in research, they should take particular care with manuscripts involving their own work, for example standing aside from the editorial process and delegating editorial decisions to other members of the editorial staff. At the beginning of the 1990s, there were few publications about telemedicine in the peer-reviewed literature. The subsequent years have seen a rapid growth in numbers of articles and the emergence of two specialist journals. These are all healthy signs. However, there have been remarkably few studies of telemedicine's cost-effectiveness, which must represent a sign of its immaturity. On balance, the evidence seems to indicate that telemedicine research is in a healthy state.

Antibiotic therapy for Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteremia: Implications of production of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases

The prevalence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) production by Klebsiella pneumonia approaches 50% in some countries, with particularly high rates in eastern Europe and Latin America. No randomized trials have ever been performed on treatment of bacteremia due to ESBL-producing organisms; existing data comes only from retrospective, single-institution studies. In a prospective study of 455 consecutive episodes of Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteremia in 12 hospitals in 7 countries, 85 episodes were due to an ESBL-producing organism. Failure to use an antibiotic active against ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae was associated with extremely high mortality. Use of a carbapenem ( primarily imipenem) was associated with a significantly lower 14-day mortality than was use of other antibiotics active in vitro. Multivariate analysis including other predictors of mortality showed that use of a carbapenem during the 5-day period after onset of bacteremia due to an ESBL-producing organism was independently associated with lower mortality. Antibiotic choice is particularly important in seriously ill patients with infections due to ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae.