The oversight of the UK Intelligence and Security Services in relation to their alleged complicity in Extraordinary Rendition.

Allegations that the UK Secret Intelligence Service and Security Service were complicit in extraordinary rendition in the “War on Terror” raise concerns about the effectiveness of the existing UK intelligence oversight framework. This thesis analyses the response of oversight institutions to the allegations, and considers their ability to provide meaningful intelligence oversight, both individually and holistically. It considers an oversight framework based on the separation of powers, in which the state institutions have complementary roles. This thesis argues that the existing legislative oversight framework is outdated and that although due weight should be afforded to national security concerns, the current balance lies too far in favour of the executive. Both the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) and judiciary require greater powers to provide meaningful oversight. There is also an increasing role for civil society and transnational organisations, especially given the difficulties international intelligence cooperation poses for domestic intelligence oversight. The thesis considers: (1) the legislative oversight framework and law relating to extraordinary rendition; (2) the global intelligence landscape in which the UK intelligence and security agencies operate, and effect of increasing international intelligence cooperation; (3) executive oversight and the relationship between the executive and the UK agencies; (4) the structure and powers of the ISC, and its reports concerning extraordinary rendition; (5) the role of the judiciary within intelligence oversight, and judgments made in the context of extraordinary rendition; (6) the increasing role for non-traditional actors, including Non-Governmental and Transnational Organisations and the Press

Quilpie to Brisbane, moving cattle by rail freight: the regular reliable and responsive services challenge

Agricultural production in Queensland is spread over a vast area and is very diverse. The coastline is 7,000 km and the land area is 1.853 million km2. Livestock travel vast distances from the outback to the processing and export ports in south east Queensland. In the past rail was used for long haul point to point transportation of livestock, but over recent years there has been a decline in use of rail. This study examines the Western rail system, rail infrastructure and associated facilities. We explore the decline in the use of rail for the transport of cattle; we assess what conditions would enable the revival of trains should they be considered a viable option; and we discuss how hybrid models of trains and trucks could provide the optimum solutions for the future of livestock transport

Landfill site trees: Potential source or sink of greenhouse gases?

Tree stems can transport greenhouse gases (GHGs) produced belowground to the atmosphere. Previous studies in natural wetland and upland ecosystems have quantified tree stem fluxes of methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O). However, tree stem GHG fluxes have not previously been measured in the context of managed environments. The work presented in this thesis aimed to quantify GHG fluxes from tree stems on closed landfill sites. To investigate the potential for trees growing on closed landfill sites to act as conduits for GHGs produced belowground to the atmosphere, GHG fluxes were measured from tree stem and soil surfaces. In situ measurements from a closed landfill site in the UK were examined for spatial and temporal patterns and evaluated against data from a comparable non-landfill area. Measurements were also conducted from landfill sites in the UK with varying management practices and different tree species present. The resulting flux values were scaled up to estimate the magnitude of tree stem GHG fluxes from closed landfills at a national level. The findings presented here show evidence of tree mediated GHG transport on closed landfill sites and temporal variations in fluxes from tree stems were also observed, with generally higher fluxes in the summer months. Stem CH4 fluxes varied between trees growing on landfill sites with different management practices. Additionally, stem N2O fluxes displayed spatial patterns, with decreasing emissions at increased height from the forest floor, indicating an underground source. Evidence suggested that GHG fluxes from closed landfills are influenced by factors including the quantity of GHG produced in the waste (linked to the age of the site), the susceptibility of the area to waterlogging and landfill management techniques put in place upon closure (for example, clay caps, cover soils and gas extraction). Upscaled CH4 and N2O flux values from tree stems on closed landfill sites corresponded to less than 1% of the total CH4 and N2O emissions reported from UK landfills in 2020. Overall, results indicated that measuring soil fluxes alone from forested landfill sites would result in an underestimation of the total surface fluxes. However, the emission rates from tree stems on closed landfills observed in this thesis do not exceed those in natural ecosystems. Therefore, with careful planning and management, the recommendation is that trees can be planted on closed landfill sites in the UK without emitting atypical levels of GHGs. However, including gas fluxes from tree stems on closed landfills would increase the accuracy of GHG budgets at national and global levels

IEEE SA Industry Connections 3D Body Processing Working Group and IEEE P3141 Standard for 3D Body Processing - Part 1

Mcdonald, C.; Rannow, RK.; Pai, D.; Bullas, A.; Ballester Fernandez, A. (2020). IEEE SA Industry Connections 3D Body Processing Working Group and IEEE P3141 Standard for 3D Body Processing - Part 2. IEEE Consumer Electronics Magazine. 9(6):97-99. https://doi.org/10.1109/MCE.2020.2997556S97999

What aspects of health and wellbeing are most important to parent carers of children with disabilities?

Introduction: Parent carers of children with special educational needs or disabilities are at risk of poorer health and wellbeing outcomes because of the distinct and challenging circumstances they face. Evaluations of interventions promoting the health of parent carers should focus on measuring the aspects of health and wellbeing which are most relevant to this group. As part of a programme of research on parent carer‐focused interventions, this study aimed to understand which aspects of health and wellbeing are perceived by parent carers as most meaningful and important. Methods: A qualitative study using semistructured online interviews was conducted. A purposive sample of parent carers was interviewed about relevant health and wellbeing outcomes. Transcripts were analysed thematically. Results: Thirty parent carers were interviewed, 19 of whom had experienced a health‐promoting intervention, either as participants (n = 14) or facilitators (n = 5). Three main themes were identified: ‘self, identity and beliefs’; ‘social connections and support’ and ‘health‐promoting practices and outcomes.’ Each theme encompassed the challenges participants faced, and the changes that helped them overcome these challenges. ‘Self‐identity’ challenges focused on the overwhelming nature of the parental care role and the emotional impact of this. Changes were brought about by developing a positive mindset, increasing confidence, and reconnecting with aspects of their identity which were important to them before they became parent carers. Challenges related to ‘social connections’ reflected parent carers' isolation. Change was brought about through increased peer support and peer interactions. Parent carers experienced challenges in terms of ‘health‐promoting activities’ because they lacked free time and experienced poor physical health. Changes were brought about by engagement in health‐promoting activities of various kinds. Conclusion: Parent carers view health and wellbeing in terms of overcoming the common challenges they face as a group. These challenges reflect the ways in which their physiological and psychological needs are often unmet. Researchers interested in measuring parent carer health and wellbeing should consider the specific challenges this group face, as well as theoretical frameworks which can make sense of these challenges, such as self‐determination theory. Patient or Public Contribution: Our team carries out patient and public involvement (PPI) through a Family Faculty group facilitated by a Family Involvement Co‐ordinator (A. McD.) who is herself a parent carer. A study‐specific PPI working group was established which included members of the Family Faculty. The PPI group advised on various aspects of the research as reported in the paper. The manuscript was co‐authored by the team's Family Involvement Co‐ordinator (A. McD.)

Building research capacity for evidence-informed tobacco control in Canada: a case description

Tobacco use remains the leading cause of death and disability in Canada. Insufficient research capacity can inhibit evidence-informed decision making for tobacco control. This paper outlines a Canadian project to build research capacity, defined as a community's ability to produce research that adequately informs practice, policy, and future research in a timely, practical manner. A key component is that individuals and teams within the community must mutually engage around common, collectively negotiated goals to address specific practices, policies or programs of research. An organizing framework, a set of activities to build strategic recruitment, productivity tools, and procedures for enhancing social capital are described. Actions are intended to facilitate better alignment between research and the priorities of policy developers and service providers, enhance the external validity of the work performed, and reduce the time required to inform policy and practice

Spatial patterns of gray and white matter compromise relate to age of seizure onset in temporal lobe epilepsy

Objective: Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE) is frequently a neurodevelopmental disorder, involving subcortical volume loss, cortical atrophy, and white matter (WM) disruption. However, few studies have addressed how these pathological changes in TLE relate to one another. In this study, we investigate spatial patterns of gray and white matter degeneration in TLE and evaluate the hypothesis that the relationship among these patterns varies as a function of the age at which seizures begin.Methods: Eighty-two patients with TLE and 59 healthy controls were enrolled. T1-weighted images were used to obtain hippocampal volumes and cortical thickness estimates. Diffusion-weighted imaging was used to obtain fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) of the superficial WM (SWM) and deep WM tracts. Analysis of covariance was used to examine patterns of WM and gray matter alterations in TLE relative to controls, controlling for age and sex. Sliding window correlations were then performed to examine the relationships between SWM degeneration, cortical thinning, and hippocampal atrophy across ages of seizure onset.Results: Cortical thinning in TLE followed a widespread, bilateral pattern that was pronounced in posterior centroparietal regions, whereas SWM and deep WM loss occurred mostly in ipsilateral, temporolimbic regions compared to controls. Window correlations revealed a relationship between hippocampal volume loss and whole brain SWM disruption in patients who developed epilepsy during childhood. On the other hand, in patients with adult-onset TLE, co-occurring cortical and SWM alterations were observed in the medial temporal lobe ipsilateral to the seizure focus.Significance: Our results suggest that although cortical, hippocampal and WM alterations appear spatially discordant at the group level, the relationship among these features depends on the age at which seizures begin. Whereas neurodevelopmental aspects of TLE may result in co-occurring WM and hippocampal degeneration near the epileptogenic zone, the onset of seizures in adulthood may set off a cascade of SWM microstructural loss and cortical atrophy of a neurodegenerative nature

Have Astronauts Visited Neptune? Student Ideas About How Scientists Study The Solar System

The nature of students’ ideas about the scientific practices used by astronomers when studying objects in our Solar System is of widespread interest to discipline-based astronomy education researchers.  A sample of middle-school, high-school, and college students (N=42) in the U.S. were interviewed about how astronomers were able to learn about properties of the Solar System as a follow-up question after specific questions about the nature of the Solar System and its objects.  These students often held naive ideas about the practices of astronomy, and 19% of them proposed that humans or robots have returned samples of the planets to Earth for analysis.  While the college students provided more sophisticated responses to the questions than the younger students, we found that even they held naive ideas about human sample return and infrequently appealed to studying objects at a distance using telescopes.  We propose that students are not receiving specific instruction that allows them to investigate the tools and practices of astronomy, which leads them to rely on their prior knowledge about science practices in other disciplines (e.g., geoscience) when queried about how scientists study the Solar System.  This result implies that instruction around the limits of human and robotic spaceflight is needed to allow students to have a more scientific understanding of the practices of astronomy in studying the Solar System

Interoperable human behavior models for simulations

Modern simulations and games have limited capabilities for simulated characters to interact with each other and with humans in rich, meaningful ways. Although significant achievements have been made in developing human behavior models (HBMs) that are able to control a single simulated entity (or a single group of simulated entities), a limiting factor is the inability of HBMs developed by different groups to interact with each other. We present an architecture and multi-level message framework for enabling HBMs to communicate with each other about their actions and their intents, and describe the results of our crowd control demonstration system which applied it to allow three distinct HBMs to interoperate within a single training-oriented simulation. Our hope is that this will encourage the development of standards for interoperability among HBMs which will lead to the development of richer training and analysis simulations.Postprint (author’s final draft