Freedom of Speech in parliament: Constitutional safeguard or sword of oppression?

This article explores the role and the abuse of the privilege of freedom of speech in Parliament. Some unfortunate consequences of the Court of Appeal decision in TVNZ v Prebble are examined, especially in the light of Article 9 of the Bill of Rights 1688 and the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990. Avenues for reform of parliamentary privilege are addressed

The Availability of loss of bargain damages upon termination of commercial property leases: Are New Zealand courts perpetuating an unprincipled remedial regime?

In the decision of Morris v Robert Jones Investments Ltd [1994] 2 NZLR 275, the New Zealand Court of Appeal followed the dominant Commonwealth position concerning the availability of loss of bargain damages upon cancellation of contracts of hire and lease. Focussing on commercial property leases, the author argues that this position lacks a sound foundation, and that rather than perpetuate an unprincipled remedial regime the courts should return to first principles of the law of contract

Change in Working Length at Different Stages of Instrumentation as a Function of Canal Curvature

The aim of this study was to determine the change in working length (∆WL) before and after coronal flaring and after complete rotary instrumentation as a function of canal curvature. One mesiobuccal or mesiolingual canal from each of 43 extracted molars had coronal standardization and access performed. Once the access was completed, canal preparation was accomplished using Gates Glidden drills for coronal flaring and EndoSequence files for rotary instrumentation. WLs were obtained at 3 time points: pre-instrumentation (unflared), mid-instrumentation (flared) and post-instrumentation (concluded). Measurements were made via direct visualization (DV) and the CanalPro apex locator (EM) in triplicate by a single operator with blinding within the time points. Root curvature was measured using Schneider’s technique. The change in working length was assessed using repeated-measures ANCOVA. The direct visualization measurements were statistically larger than the electronic measurements (paired t-test difference = 0.20 mm, SE = 0.037, P \u3c .0001), although a difference this large may not be clinically important. Overall, a greater change in working length was observed in straight canals than in curved canals, and this trend was more pronounced when measured electronically than via direct visualization, especially in the unflared-concluded time points compared with unflared-flared time points. A greater change in working length was also observed in longer canals than in shorter canals.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/gradposters/1032/thumbnail.jp

Professional Reading

Review Article: The United States, Great Britain, and the Cold War 1944-194

A comparison study of Colilert and qPCR methods at Pere Marquette Beach, Muskegon County, MI

Pere Marquette Beach serves as the primary attraction for tourism and coastal recreation in Muskegon, MI. Because beaches attract many people daily, it is important to monitor beach water quality for pathogens that may cause waterborne disease. Molecular-based methods are emerging as replacements for culture-based techniques for monitoring beaches. Culture-based methods require 18-hour incubation while Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) can yield results in two hours. My research examines the correlation between the culture-based Colilert-18® method and qPCR measurements of E. coli at a Lake Michigan beach in Muskegon County, MI. While Colilert 18 is a defined substrate method and measures culturable cells, the qPCR method quantifies both living and nonliving DNA. Regression analysis (R2) was used to correlate analytical results and the Index of Agreement (IA) was employed to evaluate method comparability. This research demonstrates the equivalency of both methods for E. coli measurements at Pere Marquette beach (R2 = 0.8012; IA = 0.71). The significant positive difference between the methods suggests that current guidelines for beach warnings and closures need to be revised to reflect the presence of nonviable DNA/cells in beach water. This study was important for assessing the applicability of qPCR for providing same-day results for pathogens at local beaches

Observations and Scaling of Tidal Mass Transport Across the Lower Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta Plain: Implications for Delta Management and Sustainability

The landscape of southwest Bangladesh, a region constructed primarily by fluvial processes associated with the Ganges River and Brahmaputra River, is now maintained almost exclusively by tidal processes as the fluvial system has migrated east and eliminated the most direct fluvial input. In natural areas such as the Sundarbans National Forest, year-round inundation during spring high tides delivers sufficient sediment that enables vertical accretion to keep pace with relative sea-level rise. However, recent human modification of the landscape in the form of embankment construction has terminated this pathway of sediment delivery for much of the region, resulting in a startling elevation imbalance, with inhabited areas often sitting \u3e1 m below mean high water. Restoring this landscape, or preventing land loss in the natural system, requires an understanding of how rates of water and sediment flux vary across timescales ranging from hours to months. In this study, we combine time series observations of water level, salinity, and suspended sediment concentration with ship-based measurements of large tidal-channel hydrodynamics and sediment transport. To capture the greatest possible range of variability, cross-channel transects designed to encompass a 12.4 h tidal cycle were performed in both dry and wet seasons during spring and neap tides. Regional suspended sediment concentration begins to increase in August, coincident with a decrease in local salinity, indicating the arrival of the sediment-laden, freshwater plume of the combined Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna rivers. We observe profound seasonality in sediment transport, despite comparatively modest seasonal variability in the magnitude of water discharge. These observations emphasize the importance of seasonal sediment delivery from the main-stem rivers to this remote tidal region. On tidal timescales, spring tides transport an order of magnitude more sediment than neap tides in both the wet and dry seasons. In aggregate, sediment transport is flood oriented, likely as a result of tidal pumping. Finally, we note that rates of sediment and water discharge in the tidal channels are of the same scale as the annually averaged values for the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers. These observations provide context for examining the relative importance of fluvial and tidal processes in what has been defined as a quintessentially tidally influenced delta in the classification scheme of Galloway (1975). These data also inform critical questions regarding the timing and magnitude of sediment delivery to the region, which are especially important in predicting and preparing for responses of the natural system to ongoing environmental change