Arabian adventures

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is one of the world’s most rapidly urbanising countries. Despite the recent downturn in the economy, the region continues to undergo rapid development, particularly around Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Consequently the country is host to many major civil engineering projects including the world’s tallest building, artificial offshore islands, new international airports, metro systems and high-speed rail networks

Experimenter effects in ESP research

The experimenter effect is considered to be a central problem impeding the progress of research in parapsychology. A review of the literature suggests most if not all the findings of ESP research are experimenter dependent. The evidence for experimenter effects both in psychological and parapsychological research is presented; that in psychology is found to suffer front several methodological and statistical flaws, while that in parapsychology is found to be impressive but largely anecdotal and post-hoc. A critical appraisal is made of the 'interpersonal theory' of experimenter effects. Five possible factors or areas of interaction which may mediate the effect are designated. These are : experimenter expectancy, spontaneous subjective states, experimenter personality, rapport, and experimenter psi. Hie evidence for these mediating factors is presented in detail, along with the hypotheses formulated from it and the research done to evaluate the hypotheses. The research method involved a diverse program of pilot and follow up studies and encompassed the testing of a special high scoring subject by experimenters, group testing methods, questionnaire studies, and experimenter comparison in the use of a sensory input attenuation technique (the Ganzfeld). The results although equivocal in some areas gave little support for four of the factors being as critical as claimed. It was concluded that psychological factors traditionally regarded as conducive to ESP, are probably not necessary and sufficient factors for its occurrence. The fifth factor, that of experimenter psi-mediation, received some support from a study of 'successful' experimenters. The theoretical implications of this are discussed in full along with current process and field models of ESP and some specific suggestions are made for further research in this context

Parapsychology’s Secret, Best Kept a Secret? Responding to the Millar Challenge

A short overview is made of the attempts to relate the experimenter effect to the conventional theory of  social interactive influence. There is however much neglected evidence to suggest it is more than this.  The author’s own involvement in psi-conducive and psi-mediated experimenter effects is presented. Some of the most striking results in this respect came with the Ganzfeld series of experiments. Examples of psychic experiences in the lives of successful experimenters are given

The ethical infrastructure of legal practice in larger law firms: values, policy and behaviour

The article examines the impact of the cultures and organisational structures of large law firms on individual lawyers' ethics. The paper suggests that large law firms in Australia should consciously design and implement 'ethical infrastructures' to both counteract pressures for misbehaviour and positively promote ethical behaviour and discussion. The paper goes on to explain what implementing ethical infrastructures in law firms could and should mean by reference to what Australian law firms are already doing and US innovations in this area. Finally, the paper warns that the 'ethical infrastructure' of a firm should not be seen merely as the formal ethics policies explicitly enunciated by management. Formal and legalistic ethical infrastructures that fail to support or encourage the development of individual lawyers' awareness oftheir own ethical values and ethical judgment in practice will be useless

Molecular evolution of gland cell types and chemical interactions in animals

Across the Metazoa, the emergence of new ecological interactions has been enabled by the repeated evolution of exocrine glands. Specialized glands have arisen recurrently and with great frequency, even in single genera or species, transforming how animals interact with their environment through trophic resource exploitation, pheromonal communication, chemical defense and parental care. The widespread convergent evolution of animal glands implies that exocrine secretory cells are a hotspot of metazoan cell type innovation. Each evolutionary origin of a novel gland involves a process of ‘gland cell type assembly’: the stitching together of unique biosynthesis pathways; coordinated changes in secretory systems to enable efficient chemical release; and transcriptional deployment of these machineries into cells constituting the gland. This molecular evolutionary process influences what types of compound a given species is capable of secreting, and, consequently, the kinds of ecological interactions that species can display. Here, we discuss what is known about the evolutionary assembly of gland cell types and propose a framework for how it may happen. We posit the existence of ‘terminal selector’ transcription factors that program gland function via regulatory recruitment of biosynthetic enzymes and secretory proteins. We suggest ancestral enzymes are initially co-opted into the novel gland, fostering pleiotropic conflict that drives enzyme duplication. This process has yielded the observed pattern of modular, gland-specific biosynthesis pathways optimized for manufacturing specific secretions. We anticipate that single-cell technologies and gene editing methods applicable in diverse species will transform the study of animal chemical interactions, revealing how gland cell types are assembled and functionally configured at a molecular level

Conditions Associated with Essential Tremor in Veterans: A Potential Role for Chronic Stress

Background: Increased depression, hearing loss, dementia, alcoholism, and mortality in essential tremor patients remain unexplained. We investigated whether conditions associated with tremor are linked to chronic stress. Methods: The FY2013 Veterans Affairs database was queried for 38 selected dual diagnosis combinations in 5,854,223 veterans aged 21–95 years. Results: Post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression were the most common psychiatric diagnoses in tremor patients, with the odds ratio exceeding 2 in all 15-year cohorts. Depending on age, patients with essential tremor were more likely than those without to have obsessive–compulsive disorder, bipolar illness, schizophrenia, use tobacco and abuse alcohol, have hypertension, obesity, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, vitamin D deficiency, coronary and cerebrovascular diseases, congestive heart failure, stroke, asthma, hypothyroidism, irritable bowel syndrome, renal insufficiency, alcoholic liver disease, hearing loss, glaucoma, macular degeneration, migraine, epilepsy, idiopathic polyneuropathy, history of head trauma, and ‘Alzheimer’s dementia. In contrast, lung and colorectal cancer, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, psychostimulant abuse, and rheumatoid arthritis were not more common. Discussion: Post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression, strongly associated with essential tremor, are known risk factors for poor health habits, tobacco use and alcohol abuse; collectively these are risk factors for vascular disease, with further negative health consequences for multiple organ systems. As essential tremor is associated with all these conditions, we propose that chronic stress is not only responsible for the conditions associated with tremor but in some cases itself directly and indirectly induces essential tremor, so that tremor and poor health share a common cause

A review of the financial value of faecal sludge reuse in low-income countries

Faecal sludge reuse could promote responsible waste management and alleviate resource shortages. However, for this reuse to be carried out at scale, it needs to be financially viable. This paper reviews the financial values of resource recovery from 112 data points from 43 publications from academic and grey literature. The results found 65% of the existing literature is projected rather than being based on observed data from products in practice, with limited studies providing actual experiences of revenue in practice. Some of the estimates of the potential value were ten times those observed in data from operating businesses. Reasons for this include pricing of products against unrealistic competitors, for example, pricing briquettes against diesel fuel, or difficulties in marketing or regulation of products in practice. The most common form of reuse in practice is agricultural composting, which is also the lowest value product. Few cases were able to achieve more than $5/person/year from sludge reuse, therefore other drivers are needed to promote proper human waste disposal, including the health and dignity of citizens, but which are not easily monetised. Certification and recognition of product safety can improve the perception of value and products. Resource recovery has a limited role in the financial viability of providing Circular Economy sanitation in low-income countries. Instead, there is a need to focus on supportive policies and subsidies enabling the transition towards a Circular Economy supporting environmental quality, ecological health and human health

Seasonal and interannual behaviour of groundwater catchment boundaries in a Chalk aquifer

Groundwater catchment boundaries and their associated groundwater catchment areas are typically assumed to be fixed on a seasonal basis. We investigated whether this was true for a highly permeable carbonate aquifer in England, the Berkshire and Marlborough Downs Chalk aquifer, using both borehole hydrograph data and a physics-based distributed regional groundwater model. Borehole hydrograph data time series were used to construct a monthly interpolated water table surface, from which was then derived a monthly groundwater catchment boundary. Results from field data showed that the mean annual variation in groundwater catchment area was about 20% of the mean groundwater catchment area, but interannual variation can be very large, with the largest estimated catchment size being approximately 80% greater than the smallest. The flow in the river was also dependent on the groundwater catchment area. Model results corroborated those based on field data. These findings have significant implications for issues such as definition of source protection zones, recharge estimates based on water balance calculations and integrated conceptual modelling of surface water and groundwater system

A Cultural Resources Investigation For The Ramsey North Residue Line Project, Reeves And Culberson Counties, Texas

This report details the results of an intensive archaeological survey by SWCA Environmental Consultants (SWCA) for the proposed Ramsey North Residue Line (Residue Line). The 51-cmdiameter (20-inch-diameter) Residue Line will be located in Reeves and Culberson Counties, Texas (2.35 and 7.21 km [1.46 and 4.48 miles], respectively) and Eddy County, New Mexico (4.83 km [3.0 miles]). The line will start at the Ramsey Gas Plant in Reeves County, Texas, and then run northwest for approximately 14.5 km (9 miles), largely following existing rights-of-way (ROWs). The Residue Line will be constructed in a 15-m-wide (50-foot-wide) ROW. The 15-m (50-foot) ROW in Texas and New Mexico will consist of 6 m (20 feet) of temporary ROW to be used only during construction and 9 m (30 feet) of permanent ROW. The pipeline will be strung along the pipeline route as it arrives at the site, so there will be no additional staging areas needed. Five horizontal direction drills (HDDs) are anticipated at two county road crossings, the crossing of the Delaware River, crossing an historic ditch, and at an abandoned railroad grade. In addition to proposed pipeline, there is also a proposed surface facility that will be located on a 61 × 61–m (200 × 200–foot) (approximately 1-acre) site with a short (75 m; 245 feet) access road. The surface facility will include a coalesce separator, a measuring station that will meter the gas prior to the tie-in with the KM lines, and a temporary diesel generator until a permanent power source is available. This report includes the findings of the cultural resources investigations within the Texas portion of the project. Sound Environmental Solutions, Inc. selected SWCA to conduct an intensive pedestrian archaeological survey of the area of potential effect (APE) to aid in complying with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. The fieldwork was completed between February 11 and 19, 2015. The Texas portion of the project is entirely on private lands with the exception of one small segment that crosses state lands. The project will be permitted by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) as well as the Texas Historical Commission (THC) (Antiquities Permit #7262), which is mandated by the inclusion of public lands within the project APE. The SWCA archaeological investigations were conducted within a 45.7-m-wide (150-foot-wide) corridor totaling approximately 9.56 km (5.94 miles) of the overall project length within Texas. The Texas portion of the project area is depicted on the Red Bluff and Screw Bean Draw NE U.S. Geological Survey 7.5-minute topographic quadrangles. The survey in Texas recorded one newly discovered archaeological site (41CU804). The site is an abandoned railroad grade with an associated historic assemblage and is recommended undetermined for the National Register of Historic Places. The site will be avoided by boring under the site, and there will be no impact to the site. No further management is recommended for this site associated with this project. In accordance with 33 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 325, Appendix C, and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (36 CFR 800.4), SWCA has made a reasonable and good faith effort to identify historic properties within the proposed project area. Based on the results of the current effort, it is SWCA’s opinion that the proposed Texas portion of the project would have no adverse effect on significant cultural resources within the investigated project area. As such, SWCA recommends no further archaeological investigations within the investigated project area and that the project be allowed to proceed