Open justice, transparency and the media: representing the public interest in the physical and virtual courtroom

In 2012, Lord Justice Toulson observed that the practical application of open justice ‘may need reconsideration from time to time to take account of changes in the way society and the courts work’. In this article, we undertake such a reconsideration in light of the declining role that institutional media organisations play in promoting and protecting the principle of open justice, focusing on courts in England and Australia. We argue that due to changes in the communications landscape, the media no longer have the resources or sufficient inclination to adequately safeguard the public interest in transparency in the courts. In order to place the media’s declining role into context, we also briefly explore three further categories of contemporary challenges facing the open justice principle: changes to judicial attitudes to open justice in response to new communication technologies; shifts in the priority given in law to competing interests in national security and privacy; and, finally, new and emerging changes to court processes and procedures that potentially limit open justice, including virtual courts. We then consider mechanisms that would offer enhanced protection of open justice. Most boldly, we examine a novel model in which an open justice advocate (OJA) intervenes in appropriate circumstances, with the overall objective of ensuring maximum transparency of court proceedings. We also suggest additional mechanisms for greater transparency and accountability regarding the state of open justice in the courts – namely, a statutory duty on courts to give written public reasons for all decisions regarding open justice, a public register of all reporting restrictions (and similar orders) granted by the courts, and annual open justice reporting requirements

Air Polishing: A New Look At An Old Technique

This research poster addresses the question “What differences exist between erythritol, glycine, and sodium bicarbonate powders in air polishing?” The use of air polishers in the dental field is highly recommended; however, the ability to determine the correct powder and grit for each patient can be vital. The three types of powders have different pros and cons related to their function; though most studies show significant advantages of using air polishing in general. One study compared erythritol powder and the ultrasonic. In the results, pocket depths were decreased but there was no difference in effectiveness between the two; however, a decreased pain perception was observed in the air polisher. Another study compared the effects of erythritol, glycine (GPAP) and the ultrasonic, finding a significant difference between the air polishers and the ultrasonic in lowering bacteria count. Results of many of these studies favored erythritol and glycine powders over sodium bicarbonate (SBAP) due to the increased coarseness of sodium. The selectivity of these types of powders can increase individualized patient care. In conclusion, the usage of air polishing in dentistry, regardless of type of powder, shows remarkable improvements in oral health.https://dune.une.edu/dh_studpost/1005/thumbnail.jp

A Matter of Taste: Capsaicinoid Diversity in Chile Peppers and the Importance to Human Food Preference

Chile peppers are valued worldwide for their distinct capsaicinoid compounds that have been used traditionally in medicine and culinary practices. With 32 known species, five of them domesticated, they provide unique chemical profiles, when consumed by humans. Capsaicinoids, the spicy compounds, are alkaloids used to deter herbivory in the wild, offering protection to the chile pepper fruit seeds. Among the 22 known capsaicinoid structures, capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin are normally the most abundant. In humans, capsaicin binds to nociceptor TRPV1 that generates a heat sensation. Capsaicin also mitigates inflammation responses in the digestive tract and has the potential to aid in nutrient absorption. Distinct heat profiles were recently described for the five domesticated Capsicum species showing a difference in heat sensations specific to species and pod type. Due to the many capsaicinoid structures, we explore the implications and opportunities of having a diverse array of heat profiles in genetically diverse Capsicum species

Far-Infrared Conductivity Measurements of Pair Breaking in Superconducting Nb0.5_{0.5}Ti0.5_{0.5}N Thin Films Induced by an External Magnetic Field

We report the complex optical conductivity of a superconducting thin-film of Nb$_{0.5}$Ti$_{0.5}$N in an external magnetic field. The field was applied parallel to the film surface and the conductivity extracted from far-infrared transmission and reflection measurements. The real part shows the superconducting gap, which we observe to be suppressed by the applied magnetic field. We compare our results with the pair-breaking theory of Abrikosov and Gor'kov and confirm directly the theory's validity for the optical conductivity.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Kinetic study of the reaction of OH with CH2I2

Flash photolysis (FP) coupled to resonance fluorescence (RF) was used to measure the absolute rate coefficients (k1) for the reaction of OH(X2P) radicals with diiodomethane (CH2I2) over the temperature range 295374 K. The experiments involved time-resolved RF detection of the OH (A2∑+→X2Π transition at λ = 308 nm) following FP of the H2O/CH2I 2/He mixtures. The OH(X2Π) radicals were produced by FP of H2O in the vacuum-UV at wavelengths l 4 120 nm. Decays of OH radicals in the presence of CH2I2 are observed to be exponential, and the decay rates are found to be linearly dependent on the CH2I 2 concentration. The results are described by the Arrhenius expression k1(T) = (4.2 ± 0.5) × 1011 exp[-(670 ± 20)K/T] cm3 molecule-1 s-1. The implications of the reported kinetic results for understanding the atmospheric chemistry of CH2I2 are discussed. © 2011 the Owner Societies

'NuMex Las Cruces' Cayenne Pepper

‘NuMex Las Cruces’ is a high-yielding, high-heat, cayenne pepper with a maturity similar to that of ‘Large Red Thick’, an early maturing cayenne cultivar. In addition, it possesses resistance to curly top virus, having resistance to at least three Curtovirus species: Beet curly top virus (BCTV; formerly Cal/Logan strain), Beet severe curly top virus (BSCTV; formerly CFH strain), and Beet mild curly top virus (BMCTV; formerly Worland strain)

Ultrahigh finesse Fabry-Perot superconducting resonator

We have built a microwave Fabry-Perot resonator made of diamond-machined copper mirrors coated with superconducting niobium. Its damping time (Tc = 130 ms at 51 GHz and 0.8 K) corresponds to a finesse of 4.6 x 109, the highest ever reached for a Fabry-Perot in any frequency range. This result opens novel perspectives for quantum information, decoherence and non-locality studies