Management of Women — Risk or Opportunity?

A lot has been written about women. Throughout human civilization women have been the foundation of families, but also wars were waged over women, and through marriages friendships were created or expanded, agreements forged between friends, etc. Even today women are the entity, without which one can not imagine the existence of the universe. In other words, evolution is a process in which cells (male and female) are connected resulting in growth and development, but also in the ability to connect with other cells which leads to the formation of living beings, including man as the most complex living being which operates on the principles of selforganization. However, when it comes to politics, business and the general performance of complex and traditional activities that are practiced by men, women are marginalized and discriminated against on numerous issues. Stereotypes and negative attitudes toward business women or women managers have been carefully maintained over centuries. Not far from the truth is statement according to which women must be twice as good as men, to take up important positions in organizations. The aim of this paper is to point out certain indisputable facts when it comes to female management and to answer the question of whether female management is a risk or a chance

A multicentre, open-label, phase-I/randomised phase-II study to evaluate safety, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy of nintedanib vs. sorafenib in European patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

Background: This multicentre, open-label, phase-I/randomised phase-II trial evaluated safety, pharmacokinetics, maximum-tolerated-dose (MTD) per dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs), and efficacy of nintedanib vs. sorafenib in European patients with unresectable advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (aHCC). Methods: Phase I: Patients were stratified into two groups per baseline aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase and Child-Pugh score; MTD was determined. Phase II: Patients were randomised 2:1 to nintedanib (MTD) or sorafenib (400-mg bid) in 28-day cycles until intolerance or disease progression. Time-to-progression (TTP, primary endpoint), overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were determined. Results: Phase-I: no DLTs observed; nintedanib MTD in both groups was 200 mg bid. Phase-II: patients (N = 93) were randomised to nintedanib (n = 62) or sorafenib (n = 31); TTP was 5.5 vs. 4.6 months (HR = 1.44 [95% CI, 0.81–2.57]), OS was 11.9 vs. 11.4 months (HR = 0.88 [95% CI, 0.52–1.47]), PFS was 5.3 vs. 3.9 months (HR = 1.35 [95% CI, 0.78–2.34]), respectively (all medians). Dose intensity and tolerability favoured nintedanib. Fewer patients on nintedanib (87.1%) vs. sorafenib (96.8%) had drug-related adverse events (AEs) or grade ≥ 3 AEs (67.7% vs. 90.3%), but more patients on nintedanib (28 [45.2%]) had AEs leading to drug discontinuation than did those on sorafenib (7 [22.6%]). Conclusions: Nintedanib may have similar efficacy to sorafenib in aHCC

Electronic Devices Based on Purified Carbon Nanotubes Grown By High Pressure Decomposition of Carbon Monoxide

The excellent properties of transistors, wires, and sensors made from single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) make them promising candidates for use in advanced nanoelectronic systems. Gas-phase growth procedures such as the high pressure decomposition of carbon monoxide (HiPCO) method yield large quantities of small diameter semiconducting SWNTs, which are ideal for use in nanoelectronic circuits. As-grown HiPCO material, however, commonly contains a large fraction of carbonaceous impurities that degrade properties of SWNT devices. Here we demonstrate a purification, deposition, and fabrication process that yields devices consisting of metallic and semiconducting nanotubes with electronic characteristics vastly superior to those of circuits made from raw HiPCO. Source-drain current measurements on the circuits as a function of temperature and backgate voltage are used to quantify the energy gap of semiconducting nanotubes in a field effect transistor geometry. This work demonstrates significant progress towards the goal of producing complex integrated circuits from bulk-grown SWNT material.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Nature Material

International criminal court, surrender of accused persons and transfer of criminal proceedings

The present research focuses on analysing the judicial uncertainty in the implementation, interpretation and application of the ICC Statute both in international and national arenas. In this context examined are the parameters of state sovereignty as the main source of theoretical as well as practical contemporary debate on the relationship between lex specialis character of ICC norms and domestic legal regimes. Varying and frequently inconsistent degrees of international and national compliance with international criminal law due to the multiplicity of legal regimes are scrutinised by analysing the relationship between national and ICC measures with regard to aspects of pretrial proceedings, such as surrender of accused persons and transfer of criminal proceedings, rights of suspects and defendants as well as some aspects of sentencing in so far as they affect the prima facie jurisdiction. One of the main objectives of the ICC Treaty is to advance the unification of international criminal law. Whilst it may be contended that this body of law is acquiring a great degree of specificity and uniformity in content through the Statute, both its development and importantly its scope are fundamentally reliant on interpretation and application at national level; it is here that international criminal law is fragmented. Consequently, its understanding and enforcement are inconsistent. The ICC Statute presents issues that are the result of the fusion of common and civil law traditions as well as a blend of diverse criminal laws within each one of those systems. Distinguishing between Anglo-American and Continental European criminal procedures has become increasingly complex and transgressed. Such blend of legal traditions, whilst it must ensure that justice is rendered with equality, fairness and effectiveness, generates nevertheless everincreasing lack of legal orientation. The aim of this pastiche is therefore to establish an international, uniform standard across contemporary justice systems. However, the application of the ICC provisions will depend on particular method of implementation of the Rome Treaty into domestic law, local political situation, the nature of a conflict (armed conflict is where most of the ICC crimes are likely to occur), any peace process involving regional amnesties and pardons and domestic policies and rules on sentencing. The general perception of the ICC and the law it represents is that of a powerful, centralised regime. Contrary to this belief, a proposition is made here for a less hierarchical international criminal justice that is fundamentally reliant upon national courts and law enforcement agencies. Such a proposition emphasises the need for the ICC involvement at a local level. In this context, the thesis sets out to clarify the ICC law and related Statute enforcement issues

Field-effect transistors assembled from functionalized carbon nanotubes

We have fabricated field effect transistors from carbon nanotubes using a novel selective placement scheme. We use carbon nanotubes that are covalently bound to molecules containing hydroxamic acid functionality. The functionalized nanotubes bind strongly to basic metal oxide surfaces, but not to silicon dioxide. Upon annealing, the functionalization is removed, restoring the electronic properties of the nanotubes. The devices we have fabricated show excellent electrical characteristics.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figure

Low-frequency Current Fluctuations in Individual Semiconducting Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes

We present a systematic study on low-frequency current fluctuations of nano-devices consisting of one single semiconducting nanotube, which exhibit significant 1/f-type noise. By examining devices with different switching mechanisms, carrier types (electrons vs. holes), and channel lengths, we show that the 1/f fluctuation level in semiconducting nanotubes is correlated to the total number of transport carriers present in the system. However, the 1/f noise level per carrier is not larger than that of most bulk conventional semiconductors, e.g. Si. The pronounced noise level observed in nanotube devices simply reflects on the small number of carriers involved in transport. These results not only provide the basis to quantify the noise behavior in a one-dimensional transport system, but also suggest a valuable way to characterize low-dimensional nanostructures based on the 1/f fluctuation phenomenon

Cellular expression, trafficking, and function of two isoforms of human ULBP5/RAET1G

Background: The activating immunoreceptor NKG2D is expressed on Natural Killer (NK) cells and subsets of T cells. NKG2D contributes to anti-tumour and anti-viral immune responses in vitro and in vivo. The ligands for NKG2D in humans are diverse proteins of the MIC and ULBP/RAET families that are upregulated on the surface of virally infected cells and tumours. Two splicing variants of ULBP5/RAET1G have been cloned previously, but not extensively characterised. Methodology/Principal Findings: We pursue a number of approaches to characterise the expression, trafficking, and function of the two isoforms of ULBP5/RAET1G. We show that both transcripts are frequently expressed in cell lines derived from epithelial cancers, and in primary breast cancers. The full-length transcript, RAET1G1, is predicted to encode a molecule with transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains that are unique amongst NKG2D ligands. Using specific anti-RAET1G1 antiserum to stain tissue microarrays we show that RAET1G1 expression is highly restricted in normal tissues. RAET1G1 was expressed at a low level in normal gastrointestinal epithelial cells in a similar pattern to MICA. Both RAET1G1 and MICA showed increased expression in the gut of patients with celiac disease. In contrast to healthy tissues the RAET1G1 antiserum stained a wide variety or different primary tumour sections. Both endogenously expressed and transfected RAET1G1 was mainly found inside the cell, with a minority of the protein reaching the cell surface. Conversely the truncated splicing variant of RAET1G2 was shown to encode a soluble molecule that could be secreted from cells. Secreted RAET1G2 was shown to downregulate NKG2D receptor expression on NK cells and hence may represent a novel tumour immune evasion strategy. Conclusions/Significance: We demonstrate that the expression patterns of ULBP5RAET1G are very similar to the well-characterised NKG2D ligand, MICA. However the two isoforms of ULBP5/RAET1G have very different cellular localisations that are likely to reflect unique functionality

Ultrathin compound semiconductor on insulator layers for high performance nanoscale transistors

Over the past several years, the inherent scaling limitations of electron devices have fueled the exploration of high carrier mobility semiconductors as a Si replacement to further enhance the device performance. In particular, compound semiconductors heterogeneously integrated on Si substrates have been actively studied, combining the high mobility of III-V semiconductors and the well-established, low cost processing of Si technology. This integration, however, presents significant challenges. Conventionally, heteroepitaxial growth of complex multilayers on Si has been explored. Besides complexity, high defect densities and junction leakage currents present limitations in the approach. Motivated by this challenge, here we utilize an epitaxial transfer method for the integration of ultrathin layers of single-crystalline InAs on Si/SiO2 substrates. As a parallel to silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology14,we use the abbreviation "XOI" to represent our compound semiconductor-on-insulator platform. Through experiments and simulation, the electrical properties of InAs XOI transistors are explored, elucidating the critical role of quantum confinement in the transport properties of ultrathin XOI layers. Importantly, a high quality InAs/dielectric interface is obtained by the use of a novel thermally grown interfacial InAsOx layer (~1 nm thick). The fabricated FETs exhibit an impressive peak transconductance of ~1.6 mS/{\mu}m at VDS=0.5V with ON/OFF current ratio of greater than 10,000 and a subthreshold swing of 107-150 mV/decade for a channel length of ~0.5 {\mu}m

Use of Probiotics as Growth Promoters and Immunostimulators in Fingerlings of Cyprinid Fish Species

Intensive aquaculture production has required the development of an individual’s resistance to disease rather than depending upon antibiotics or chemotherapeutics. The role of gastrointestinal microflora in disease resistance has been established in many fish species, which has led to the concept of manipulating gastrointestinal microflora for better health management. A number of studies has been conducted in different fish species with various useful microorganisms called ‘probiotics’ to amplify gastrointestinal microflora to fight against various infectious diseases. Probiotics are beneficial microorganisms which protect the host from diseases. Probiotic protection can be achieved by various mechanisms. Most probiotics used in aquaculture belong to the lactic acid bacteria, the genus Bacillus, the photosynthetic bacteria, the yeast, notwithstanding other genera and species have also been used. The immunostimulatory effect of probiotics has been established in many fish species, but their direct involvement in the immune response is not well established. It has also been proven that the application of probiotics in aquaculture has beneficial effects on growth of fish as well as on the environment. At present, data about the efficacy of probiotics in commercial aquaculture of Serbia is still lacking. This review discusses mainly the studies and applications about effects, problems and perspectives of probiotics used in fingerlings of cyprinid fish species, and highlights immunostimulatory effects and growth promotion effects of commercial probiotic products. In the present paper the results that show positive influence of probiotics in cyprinides nutrition on production performance and immune system are summarized. Special accent is given to criteria for proper selection of probiotics in cyprinides production