As corporations are going global, they are increasingly confronted with human rights challenges. As such, new ways to deal with human rights challenges in corporate operations must be developed as traditional governance mechanisms are not always able to tackle them. This article presents five different views on innovative solutions for the relationships between business and human rights that all b

A scheme for the numerical solution of singular integral equations on piecewise smooth curves is presented. It relies on several techniques: reduction, Nyström discretization, composite quadrature, recursive compressed inverse preconditioning, and multipole acceleration. The scheme is fast and stable. Its computational cost grows roughly logarithmically with the precision sought and linearly with

Sexual dimorphism in various bone phenotypes, including bone mineral density (BMD), is widely observed; however, the extent to which genes explain these sex differences is unclear. To identify variants with different effects by sex, we examined gene-by-sex autosomal interactions genome-wide, and performed expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) analysis and bioinformatics network analysis. We co

Transaction costs (TCs) must be taken into account when assessing the performance of policy instruments that create markets for the diffusion and commercialization of low-carbon technologies (LCTs). However, there are no comprehensive studies on the development and application of transaction cost analysis to LCTs. In this meta-analysis, a wide-ranging evaluation of TCs associated with energy effic

Certain types of the early repolarization (ER) phenomenon, previously considered to be benign, have been reported to be associated with ventricular fibrillation (VF), both in population-based studies and in the myocardial infarction (MI) settings.

We introduce a growing random network on a plane as a model of a growing neuronal network. The properties of the structure of the induced graph are derived. We compare our results with available data. In particular, it is shown that depending on the parameters of the model the system undergoes in time different phases of the structure. We conclude with a possible explanation of some empirical data

Disentangling the contribution of biotic interactions (density-dependent) and environmental heterogeneity (density-independent) to the formation of spatial patterns between predators and prey is crucial for a better understanding of food-web interactions. Most techniques for the analysis of spatial patterns assume that abiotic processes influence the distribution of individuals with similar intens

The generation and development of effective adsorption materials for arsenic removal are urgently needed due to acute arsenic contamination of water sources in many regions around the world. In the search for these new adsorbents, the application of nanomaterials or nanocomposites, and especially the use of nanoparticles (NPs), has proven increasingly attractive. While the adsorptive performance o

OBJECTIVETo investigate associations of maternal gestational weight gain and body composition and their impact on offspring body composition and adipocytokine, glucose, and insulin concentrations at age 4 months.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSThis was a prospective study including 31 mother-infant pairs (N = 62). Maternal body composition was assessed using doubly labeled water. Infant body compositio

Mixed polymer-surfactant systems have broad applications, ranging from detergents, paints, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic to biotechnological. A review of the underlying polymer-surfactant association in bulk is given. While ionic surfactants bind broadly to polymers, nonionics only do so if the polymer has a lower polarity and can interact by hydrophobic interactions. Water-soluble polymers, which

Breast density and mammographic tumor features of breast cancer may carry prognostic information. The potential benefit of using the combined information obtained from breast density, mammographic tumor features, and pathological tumor characteristics has not been extensively studied.

This study presents a novel approach for indirect integration of InAs nanowires on 2('') Si substrates. We have investigated and developed epitaxial growth of InAs nanowires on 2('') Si substrates via the introduction of a thin yet high-quality InAs epitaxial layer grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. We demonstrate well-aligned nanowire growth including precise position and diameter control

Parental type 2 diabetes mellitus increases the risk of diabetic nephropathy in offspring with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that predispose to type 2 diabetes mellitus have recently been identified. It is, however, not known whether such SNPs also confer susceptibility to diabetic nephropathy in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus. We genotyped nine S

ObjectiveThe focus of this study was on the impact of spousal loss on the development of chronic pain thereafter. More specifically, the aim was to investigate the effect of experiencing low preparedness before a wife's death and the widower's chronic pain 4-5 years after loss. MethodsIn a population-based study in the years 2004-2005, anonymous questionnaires were sent out to 907 men in Sweden wh

Covered nitinol alloy self-expandable metal stents (SEMSs) have been developed to overcome the shortcomings of steel SEMS in patients with malignant biliary obstruction. In a randomized, multicenter trial, we compared stent patency, patient survival, and adverse events in patients with partly covered stents made from steel or nitinol.

PurposeAlthough precise identification of the seizure-onset zone is an essential element of presurgical evaluation, source localization of ictal electroencephalography (EEG) signals has received little attention. The aim of our study was to estimate the accuracy of source localization of rhythmic ictal EEG activity using a distributed source model. MethodsSource localization of rhythmic ictal scal

Structural features of neurons create challenges for effective production and distribution of essential metabolic energy. We investigated how metabolic energy is distributed between cellular compartments in photoreceptors. In avascular retinas, aerobic production of energy occurs only in mitochondria that are located centrally within the photoreceptor. Our findings indicate that metabolic energy f

In this work hollow fibre liquid phase microextraction combined with liquid chromatography mass spectrometry was applied for the determination of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) ketoprofen, naproxen, diclofenac and ibuprofen as well as eight of their known human metabolites in wastewater samples. Extraction time and addition of tri-n-octylphosphine oxide (TOPO) to the liquid memb