British Steel: is it a wind up?

Key Points The recent compulsory liquidation of British Steel raises a number of fundamental questions about the nature of compulsory liquidation. Is it possible for compulsory liquidation to be used in a manner similar to administration to rescue (part of) a company’s undertaking with the costs of the process being picked up by the taxpayer rather than met by secured creditors? In this article we consider the reasons why the court ordered the liquidation of British Steel and more broadly consider the nature of compulsory liquidation and on whose behalf and for what purposes it may be ordered

Land-use experiments in the Loch Laidon Catchment: 2007 data report on Stream Water Quality to the Rannoch Trust

In 1992 the Rannoch Trust established the Loch Laidon catchment land-use experiment, which is investigating the effects of summer cattle grazing on the terrestrial and aquatic upland environment. Situated in Perthshire, Scotland, the study area falls within a number of designations, including the Rannoch Moor Special Area of Conservation and Site of Special Scientific Interest, the Rannoch Lochs Special Protection Area and the Tayside Local Biodiversity Action Plan

Land-use experiments in the Loch Laidon Catchment. Eighth report on Stream Water Quality to the Rannoch Trust

This report presents the results from the Stream Water Quality component of the Loch Laidon catchment land-use experiment which began in 1992. The experiment was set up to examine the effects of cattle grazing on the aquatic and terrestrial habitats and biota of a moorland area of upland Scotland

Effects of site management in pine plantations on the coastal lowlands of subtropical Queensland, Australia

Biomass and nutrient distribution in a 30-year-old slash pine (Pinus elliottii) plantation in Queensland, Australia, were estimated following clear-felling in November 1995, to provide a basis for interpreting changes in the nutrient pools and tree responses to harvest residue management practices applied at the establishment of the second rotation. Total biomass at clearfall of a typical slash pine stand was 316 t ha-1, of which 206 t ha-1 was removed in logs. Nitrogen and P removed in logs accounted for 7.6 and 3.4% of total N and P, respectively, in the ecosystem. Residues remaining after logging contained 12% of the total N and 5.2% of the total P. Proper management of these residues is therefore critical for sustaining site productivity. Following clear felling, a long-term experiment was established to assess the impacts of harvesting residues and litter management regimes on soil fertility and productivity of the second crop F1 hybrid between slash pine and Honduras Caribbean pine (P. caribaea var. hondurensis). Early results from this experiment showed that tree stem volume and above ground biomass production increased by 31 and 29%, respectively, at age 39 months by retaining litter and logging residues, compared with the treatment in which logging residues and litter were removed. Further improvements in tree growth have been achieved by doubling the quantity of residues retained and by controlling weed competition. Foliar nutrient concentrations indicated that N may play an important role in the maintenance of long-term site productivity. Differences exist in the growth and foliar nutrient concentrations between the different hybrid families tested but all families responded similarly to the residue treatments. The presence of the residues increased soil moisture levels in the surface soil during a dry season. There was a marked reduction in the quantity of residue, especially the finer fraction, after 39 months. This study has contributed to an improved understanding of the soil and plant factors controlling productivity and provided a basis for more detailed studies on processes underpinning plantation sustainability

The true cost of hidden waiting times for cataract surgery in Australia

Cataract surgery is a safe, effective and common elective procedure in Australia but access is inequitable. True waiting times for cataract care are undisclosed or inconsistently reported by governments. Estimates of true waiting times range from 4 to 30 months and have been extended during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Comparative analysis revealed that reducing waiting periods from 12 to 3 months would result in estimated public health system cost savings of $6.6 million by preventing 50 679 falls. Investment in public cataract services to address current unmet needs would prevent avoidable vision impairment and associated negative consequences

While We Waited: Incidence and Predictors of Falls in Older Adults With Cataract.

PURPOSE: Strong evidence indicates an increased fall risk associated with cataract. Although cataract surgery can restore sight, lengthy wait times are common for public patients in many high-income countries. This study reports incidence and predictors of falls in older people with cataract during their surgical wait. METHODS: Data from a prospective study of falls in adults aged ≥65 years who were awaiting cataract surgery in public hospitals in Australia were analyzed. Participants underwent assessment of vision, health status, and physical function, and recalled falls in the previous 12 months. Falls were self-reported prospectively during the surgical wait. RESULTS: Of 329 participants, mean age was 75.7 years; 55.2% were female. A total of 267 falls were reported by 101 (30.7%) participants during the surgical wait (median observation time, 176 days): an incidence of 1.2 falls per person-year (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.0-1.3). Greater walking activity (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 1.06, 95% CI 1.01-1.10; P = 0.02, per additional hour/week), poorer health-related quality of life (IRR 1.12, 95% CI 1.05-1.20; P < 0.001, per 5-unit decrease), and a fall in the prior 12 months (IRR 2.48, 95% CI 1.57-3.93; P < 0.001) were associated with incident falls. No visual measure independently predicted fall risk. More than one-half (51.7%) of falls were injurious. CONCLUSIONS: We found a substantial rate of falls and fall injury in older adults with cataract who were awaiting surgery. Within this relatively homogenous cohort, measures of visual function alone inadequately predicted fall risk. Assessment of exposure to falls through physical activity frequency may prove valuable in identifying those more likely to fall during the surgical wait

While We Waited: Incidence and Predictors of Falls in Older Adults With Cataract

Purpose: Strong evidence indicates an increased fall risk associated with cataract. Although cataract surgery can restore sight, lengthy wait times are common for public patients in many high-income countries. This study reports incidence and predictors of falls in older people with cataract during their surgical wait. Methods: Data from a prospective study of falls in adults aged ≥65 years who were awaiting cataract surgery in public hospitals in Australia were analyzed. Participants underwent assessment of vision, health status, and physical function, and recalled falls in the previous 12 months. Falls were self-reported prospectively during the surgical wait. Results: Of 329 participants, mean age was 75.7 years; 55.2% were female. A total of 267 falls were reported by 101 (30.7%) participants during the surgical wait (median observation time, 176 days): an incidence of 1.2 falls per person-year (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.0–1.3). Greater walking activity (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 1.06, 95% CI 1.01–1.10; P = 0.02, per additional hour/week), poorer health-related quality of life (IRR 1.12, 95% CI 1.05–1.20; P < 0.001, per 5-unit decrease), and a fall in the prior 12 months (IRR 2.48, 95% CI 1.57–3.93; P < 0.001) were associated with incident falls. No visual measure independently predicted fall risk. More than one-half (51.7%) of falls were injurious. Conclusions: We found a substantial rate of falls and fall injury in older adults with cataract who were awaiting surgery. Within this relatively homogenous cohort, measures of visual function alone inadequately predicted fall risk. Assessment of exposure to falls through physical activity frequency may prove valuable in identifying those more likely to fall during the surgical wait

Spontaneous DC Current Generation in a Resistively Shunted Semiconductor Superlattice Driven by a TeraHertz Field

We study a resistively shunted semiconductor superlattice subject to a high-frequency electric field. Using a balance equation approach that incorporates the influence of the electric circuit, we determine numerically a range of amplitude and frequency of the ac field for which a dc bias and current are generated spontaneously and show that this region is likely accessible to current experiments. Our simulations reveal that the Bloch frequency corresponding to the spontaneous dc bias is approximately an integer multiple of the ac field frequency.Comment: 8 pages, Revtex, 3 Postscript figure