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The recent decision of the Supreme Court of Canada in Nevsun Resources Ltd v Araya and others (International Human Rights Program and others intervening) is worthy of the attention of the common law world. The case interrogated, albeit in relation to the preliminary issue of the striking out of a claim, significant aspects of the relationship between domestic law and customary international law. The doctrine of 'act of state' and the nature and extent of the incorporated norms of international law were examined in rich detail and the differing opinions by the Justices present important albeit conflicting guidance for their foreign counterparts. Other apex courts will have to make what they will of the Nevsun decision that it is possible that local corporations can be held liable in domestic law for breach of customary international norms in respect of their acts or those of their subsidiaries in foreign countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasmodium falciparum infection can cause microvascular dysfunction, cerebral encephalopathy and death if untreated. We have previously shown that high concentrations of free heme, and C-X-C motif chemokine 10 (CXCL10) in sera of malaria patients induce apoptosis in microvascular endothelial and neuronal cells contributing to vascular dysfunction, blood-brain barrier (BBB) damage and mortality. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) are microvascular endothelial cell precursors partly responsible for repair and regeneration of damaged BBB endothelium. Studies have shown that EPC’s are depleted in severe malaria patients, but the mechanisms mediating this phenomenon are unknown. Toll-like receptors recognize a wide variety of pathogen-associated molecular patterns generated by pathogens such as bacteria and parasites. We tested the hypothesis that EPC depletion during malaria pathogenesis is a function of heme-induced apoptosis mediated by CXCL10 induction and toll-like receptor (TLR) activation. Heme and CXCL10 concentrations in plasma obtained from malaria patients were elevated compared with non-malaria subjects. EPC numbers were significantly decreased in malaria patients (P < 0.02) and TLR4 expression was significantly elevated in vivo. These findings were confirmed in EPC precursors in vitro; where it was determined that heme-induced apoptosis and CXCL10 expression was TLR4-mediated. We conclude that increased serum heme mediates depletion of EPC during malaria pathogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

( R)-3-Hydroxycarboxylic acids, chiral enantiomers of bacterial polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), may be valuable synthons for the production of numerous industrial materials such as β-lactams, fungicides, flavors, pheromones and vitamins. In this study, ( R)-3-hydroxycarboxylic acid [( R)-3HAs)] synthons were produced by Streptomyces sp. JM3 (JN166713) under batch fermentation. Initial confirmation of PHA production was achieved by matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectroscopy and gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC/MS). Subsequently, ( R)-3HAs were produced by in vivo depolymerization and the monomers were separated using acid precipitation and anion exchange chromatography. The ( R)-3HAs were identified by GC/MS as 3-trimethylsiloxy esters of decanoic, octanoic and butanoic acids. This was further supported by C nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry. The ( R)-3HAs exhibited antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes (ATCC 7644) and Salmonella typhimurium (ATCC 14028) with minimum inhibitory concentration ranging from 12.5 to 25 mg ml. However, the minimum bactericidal concentration data suggest that the ( R)-3HAs may be bactericidal for E. coli O157:H7 and bacteriostatic for S. typhimurium and L. monocytogenes. Furthermore, the major purified synthon was shown to minimize the invasion of fibroblasts by S. typhimurium (ATCC 14028) [ p < 0.05], using the MTT assay [(3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide)]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information on the Annual Lillich Memorial Lecture in International Law delivered by the Judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice (JCCJ) Honorable Justice Winston Anderson at Florida State University, Florida on March 14, 2011 is presented. Topics include human rights adjudication, international human rights treaties, and treaty rights in conflict with the Constitution. The Bermuda Court case Minister of Home Affairs v. Fisher related to Fundamental Rights and Freedoms is also discussed.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a resort-wide framework termed the "five pillars" that has facilitated innovative ways of managing one of the Caribbean's most successful resorts. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses action learning as the process to enable all employees to participate in a framework for attaining outrageous guest service, a productive workplace, revenue growth, cost control and quality assurance of the physical resort environment. Findings – The paper provides a practical overview on innovative ways of continually evaluate and improve all-inclusive resort operations. Practical implications – The paper illustrates the versatility of the action learning process at all hierarchical levels in a complex luxury all-inclusive resort. Originality/value – The paper provides an insightful practitioner perspective on the pressures and challenges relating to the provision of exceptional guest service in an all-inclusive resort environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the foreign and regional trading condition of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in the Caribbean Area. The CARICOM's Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas aims to improve the operation of agriculture and food industry in the region. CARICOM's Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Inspection Team's role is to inspect the health standards of food from other countries shipped in the region.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are naturally occurring biodegradable polymers with promising application in the formulation of plastic materials. PHAs are produced by numerous bacteria as energy/carbon storage materials from various substrates, including sugars and plant oils. Since these substrates compete as food sources, their use as raw material for industrial-scale production of PHA is limited. Therefore, efforts have been focused on seeking alternative sources for bacterial production of PHA. One substrate that seems to have great potential is the seed oil of Jatropha curcas plant. Among other favorable properties, J. curcas seed oil is non-edible, widely available, and can be cheaply produced. In this study, Pseudomonas oleovorans (ATCC 29347) was grown in a mineral salt medium supplemented with saponified J. curcas seed oil as the only carbon source under batch fermentation. Optimum PHA yield of 26.06% cell dry weight was achieved after 72 h. The PHA had a melting point ( Tm) between 150 and 160°C. Results of polymer analyses by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) identified only the methyl 3-hydroxybutanoate monomeric unit. However, electrospray ionization–time of flight mass spectroscopy (ESI–TOF MS) confirmed that the PHA was a copolymer with the characteristic HB/HV peaks at m/ z 1155.49 (HB) and 1,169, 1,184–1,194 (HV). The data were further supported by1H and 13C NMR analysis. Polymer analysis by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) indicated a peak molecular weight (MP) of 179,797, molecular weight ( MW) of 166,838, weight number average mass ( Mn) of 131,847, and polydispersity ( Mw/ Mn) of 1.3. The data from this study indicate that J. curcas seed oil can be used as a substrate to produce the copolymer poly(3-hydroxybutyrate- co-3-hydroxyvalerate), poly(3HB- co-3HV). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In sub-Saharan Africa, approximately 30million pregnant women are at risk of contracting malaria annually.Nearly 36% of healthy pregnant women receiving routine antenatal care tested positive for Plasmodium falciparum HRP-II antigen in Ghana. We tested the hypothesis that asymptomatic HRP II positive pregnant women expressed a unique Th1 and Th2 phenotype that differs from healthy controls. Plasma from healthy (n = 15) and asymptomatic (n = 25) pregnant women were evaluated for 27 biomarkers (IL-1b, IL-1ra, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-9, IL-10, IL-12, IL-13, IL-15, IL- 17, Eotaxin, bFGF-2, G-CSF, GM-CSF, IFN-γ, IP-10, MCP-1, MIP-1α, MIP-1β, PDGF-bb, RANTES, TNF, and VEGF) associated with Th1 and Th2 cytokine homeostasis. IL-10 and G-CSF levels were elevated in the asymptomatic group when compared with the healthy group (P = .031 and .041, resp.). The median ratios of IL-1β:5, IL-1β:10, IL-1β:G-CSF, IL-1β:Eotaxin, IL-12:G-CSF, IL-15:10, IL-17:G-CSF, IL-17:Eotaxin, TNF:IL-4, TNF:IL-5, and TNF:G-CSF were significantly different among the two groups. Thus, asymptomatic malaria carriage may be linked to circulating levels of IL-10 and G-CSF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Plasmodium falciparum can cause a diffuse encephalopathy known as cerebral malaria (CM), a major contributor to malaria associated mortality. Despite treatment, mortality due to CM can be as high as 30% while 10% of survivors of the disease may experience short- and long-term neurological complications. The pathogenesis of CM and other forms of severe malaria is multi-factorial and appear to involve cytokine and chemokine homeostasis, inflammation and vascular injury/repair. Identification of prognostic markers that can predict CM severity will enable development of better intervention. Methods: Postmortem serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were obtained within 2-4 hours of death in Ghanaian children dying of CM, severe malarial anemia (SMA), and non-malarial (NM) causes. Serum and CSF levels of 36 different biomarkers (IL-1β, IL-1ra, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-9, IL-10, IL-12 (p70), IL-13, IL-15, IL-17, Eotaxin, FGF basic protein, CRP, G-CSF, GM-CSF, IFN-γ, TNF-α, IP-10, MCP-1 (MCAF), MIP-1α, MIP-1β, RANTES, SDF-1α, CXCL11 (I-TAC), Fas-ligand [Fas-L], soluble Fas [sFas], sTNF-R1 (p55), sTNF-R2 (p75), MMP-9, TGF-β1, PDGF bb and VEGF) were measured and the results compared between the 3 groups. Results: After Bonferroni adjustment for other biomarkers, IP-10 was the only serum biomarker independently associated with CM mortality when compared to SMA and NM deaths. Eight CSF biomarkers (IL-1ra, IL-8, IP-10, PDGFbb, MIP-1β, Fas-L, sTNFR1, and sTNF-R2) were significantly elevated in CM mortality group when compared to SMA and NM deaths. Additionally, CSF IP-10/PDGFbb median ratio was statistically significantly higher in the CM group compared to SMA and NM groups. Conclusion: The parasite-induced local cerebral dysregulation in the production of IP-10, 1L-8, MIP-1β, PDGFbb, IL-1ra, Fas-L, sTNF-R1, and sTNF-R2 may be involved in CM neuropathology, and their immunoassay may have potential utility in predicting mortality in CM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phonetic string matching involves taking two or more strings to determine if they match. Strings that are often orthographical Is spelt differently are matchable (nearly equivalent), either as people's names, e.g. Smith and Smythe, or as words. e.g. colour and color. Equivalent examples in various indigenous Southern African languages mould be surnames. e.g. Radehe and Hadebe or words, e.g. mpša, mbwa, ntsha which are all equivalent words for ‘dog’; similarly, hlapi, tlhapi, inhlanzi for ‘fish’. The authors look at two common string matching algorithms, SoundEs and NYSIIS, and show how they are inadequate for Southern African use. Modifications of there algorithms for Southern African use as well as new algorithms are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To create a computational morphological analyser, it is necessary to formalize both morphotactic (word formation) rules and morphophonemic (alternation) rules. This article describes the status of a morphological analyser for Northern Sotho deverbative nouns, based on rules extracted from the best available traditional grammars and implemented using Xerox finite-state technology. The rigor of creating a computational morphological analyser, and testing it on large corpora, has led to improvements in the rules themselves and in the understanding of the phenomena. The linguistic information is based on research involving prominent Northern Sotho grammars and tested against data from electronic written sources. It is highlighted that rigorous computational language formalism elicits interesting results linguistically as linguistic rules need to be re-examined more carefully and verified in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the case of National Resources Conservation Authority against Seafood and Ting & DYC Fishing Ltd. as the first judicial decision to clarify the position of the implementation of multilateral environmental agreements in the Commonwealth Caribbean. Lack of Parliamentary involvement in the case; Significance of a Scientific Authority; Possible exceptions to the rule requiring legislative implementation.

The morphology of “primitive” and “modified” sperm types in molluscs is reviewed. The cytochemical localizations of glycogen reserves and enzymes related to the metabolism of glyocogen are discussed in relation to their roles in sperm motility and the iiltrastructure of the mid-piece of molluscan spermatozoa. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Acrosome morphogenesis commences in the juxtanuclear cytoplasm at the posterior end of spermatids of Lumbricus terrestris. A dense rod-shaped structure and the Golgi apparatus together participate first in forming an acrosome vesicle that contains the acrosome granule, and somewhat later shape the conical base of the acrosome in the cytoplasm beneath the vesicle. Cytoplasmic flow may account for the migration of the immature acrosome to the apical surface of the nucleus of the spermatid. Manchette microtubules play a key role in the final modelling of the acrosome. Sheathed by the manchette the acrosome elongates to 3-4 times its pre-attachment length. The conical base of the acrosome then extends anteriorly to enclose the acrosome vesicle. A dense rod emerging from the rod-shaped granule occupies an indentation of the base of the acrosome vesicle. The mature acrosome of Lumbricus is an extremely complex structure about 5-7 microns long and is bounded by the plasmalemma of the spermatozoon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The arrangement of myofilaments in the striated visceral muscle fibers of two arthropods (crayfish and fruitfly) and in the unstriated visceral fibers of one annelid (earthworm) was studied comparatively. Transverse sections through the A bands of arthropod visceral fibers indicate that each thick myofilament is surrounded by approximately 12 thin filaments. The myofilaments are less organized in the visceral fibers of the earthworm than in muscle fibers of the crayfish and fruitfly. The thick myofilaments of the earthworm are composed of subunits, 20-30 Å in diameter. The presence of two distinct sets of myofilaments in these slowly contracting striated and unstriated visceral muscle fibers suggests that contraction is accomplished via a sliding filament mechanism. In crayfish visceral fibers the sarcolemma invaginates at irregular intervals to form a long and unbranched tubular system at any level in the sarcomere. Dyads formed by the apposition of T and SR membranes are observed frequently. The distribution of the T and SR systems in the visceral fibers of the fruitfly and the earthworm is markedly reduced and dyads are infrequently observed. The reduced T and SR systems may be related to the slow contraction of these fibers. Transport of specific substances across the sarcolemma could initiate contraction or relaxation in these fibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During spermiogenesis in the crayfish, the acrosome, mitochondrial derivatives and the centrioles are retained within the admixed nucleoplasm and cytoplasm (spermioplasm). Fused nuclear and plasma membranes form the tegument that invests the spermioplasm. A well-defined system of small tubules that originate during spermiogenesis from densities surrounding the centrioles also defines the axes of the nuclear processes in the mature spermatozoon. These tubules are larger in diameter than the microtubules in adjacent interstitial cells and their development coincides with the formation and extension of the nuclear processes. The small tubules seem related to the changes in the cell accompanying nucleoplasmic streaming and to the growth and stabilization of form of the elongate, assymmetric nuclear processes. The mitochondria of spermatocytes are transformed into membranous lamellae that lie in the spermioplasm of the mature spermatozoon, and may by oxidative phosphorylation or some alternative pathway provide energy for metabolic activity and motility. The apical cap of the mature acrosome of the crayfish spermatozoon is enveloped by a sheath of PAS-positive material. The acrosomal process is attached to a dense crescent-shaped acrosome embedded in the spermioplasm. A fine granular substance at the base of the acrosome gives rise to beaded filaments that radiate into the central acrosomal concavity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An electron microscope study of a variety of invertebrate and vertebrate cell types has supported the postulate that the microtubule is a universal cellular organelle. Microtubules of similar dimensions have been observed in the flagellum and beneath the plasma membrane of Trypanosoma lewisi, in the flagellum, manchette and mitotic spindle of the earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris) spermatid; and in fibroblasts, proximal convoluted and collecting tubule cells of the hypertrophying rat kidney. The specific occurrence and organization of the microtubules in cells undergoing morphological and developmental changes have suggested that these organelles are contractile and that they effectively contribute to the maintenance of cellular form. The possibility that microtubules may function as an intracellular transport system is also suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Methods are described for the direct cytochemical demonstration of the enzymes nonspecific esterase and acid phosphatase based on synthetic substrates which initially deposit Hatchett's brown (cupric ferrocyanide, CuFe(CN)·7 HO) at their subcellular sites. The small amounts of Hatchett's brown deposited as a result of the enzyme's activity may be intensified by bridging to osmium through thiocarbohydrazide. Alternatively, even greater amplification of the sites of activity may be attained by utilizing the Hatchett's brown as a catalyst to effect the oxidative coupling of 3,3′-diaminobenzidine resulting in the formation of an osmiophilic indamine-type polymer. One of the major advantages of this new approach is that it permits the study of acid hydrolase localization without lead in the incubation medium. Studies were performed with these methods having identical incubation media except for synthetic substrate in many different cell types and tissues. They verify a frequent nonlysosomal localization for acid phosphatase and the heterogeneity of lysosomes and lysosomal populations with respect to hydrolase content. These methods give information obtained by direct cytochemical observation an advantage not previously held, in comparison with information from cell-fractionation cytochemical or biochemical studies. Initial studies with these methods on many tissues reinforce previous suggestions of the involvement of acid hydrolases in extralysosomal sites in subcellulur anabolic processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the synthesis of a toughened elastomer from Vernonia galamensis seed oil by reacting vernonia oil with vernonia oil-derived suberic acid (octanedioic acid), and cross-linking the pre-polymer in the immediate presence of cross-linked polystyrene prepared in situ. The paper also demonstrates that the progress of reaction can be followed by monitoring the generation of hydroxyl groups using infrared spectroscopy. Analysis of some crystalline material on the cooler parts of the reaction vessels revealed the presence of component fatty acids of vernonia oil. Transmission electron microscopy characterization of the synthesized toughened elastomer suggests that vernonia oil-suberic acid polyester and polystyrene polymer are interpenetrating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]