Vivisection and Misanthropy

The author comments on several articles in the media that imply or state that antivivisectionists are misanthropes who like animals more than people. The author notes that one commentator mistakenly claims that Peter Singer, author of Animal Liberation, equates animals and people. Singer does not claim that animals and people should be treated identically. Instead, Singer argues that animals and people are entitled to equal consideration of their interests. Different treatments will be justified if there are relevant differences between animals and people

Vivisection and Misanthropy

Goodman recognizes that it is reasonable to question whether all experiments performed on animals really contribute to human welfare, and he even concedes that the use of animals in laboratories could no doubt be reduced further without harm to humankind. On the other hand, it is quite clear that he is completely unaware of the sheer quantity of absolutely worthless experiments currently being conducted, ,and that he subscribes to the popular misconception, deliberately perpetrated by the research establishment, that animal experimentation is coextensive with biomedical research, thereby contributing directly to human welfare through the conquering of disease. Furthermore, Goodman seems to be largely ignorant of the extent to which nonanimal alternatives are already available to the researcher, a fact that those with a vested economic interest in perpetuating animal experimentation naturally play down

PHILIPPE ROGIER (c.1561-1596): MISSA INCLITA STIRPS JESSE. A CRITICAL AND PERFORMING EDITION WITH PERFORMANCE COMMENTARY

The dissertation comprises two parts: (a) a musical edition and (b) a performance given on 3 July, 2008 of Philippe Rogier’s Missa Inclita stirps Jesse. The dissertation explores some of the editorial decisions required, how the demands of performers and musicologists differ, and whether they can be reconciled in one single edition. The commentary explains the preparation and realization of the edition. A video recording of the concert performance is attached to the dissertation. The Mass: The Missa Inclita stirps Jesse was published in Madrid in 1598 in a collection entitled Missae Sex. The mass setting is for four voices, except the Agnus Dei, which is for five, and is based on musical material in the motet Inclita stirps Jesse by Jacobus Clemens non Papa (c. 1510-15 – c.1556-6). Rogier’s choice and use of musical material from the motet (published in 1549) are discussed in the dissertation. The Edition: The edition is made from a microfilm copy of the Missae Sex held in the Biblioteca del Conservatorio de Musica “Giuseppe Verdi” in Milan. The Missae Sex was originally dedicated to King Philip II of Spain (1527-1598, reg. 1556-1598), whom Rogier had served as chorister and then maestro de capilla. Both Rogier and King Philip died before the volume was ready for publication. One of Rogier’s pupils, Géry de Ghersem, prepared the volume, which was printed in 1598, dedicated to King Philip III. The Performance: The mass was performed at a concert of Spanish Renaissance music in St. Matthew’s Cathedral, Washington, DC, on 3 July 2008, sung by the ensemble Orpheus directed by Philip Cave as part of the Chorworks summer workshop entitled Kings and Conquistadors: Music of Old and New Spain

Electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction as an alternative source of fuels and chemicals

Cost-effective electrochemical CO2 recycling (ECO2R), is the holy grail of green chemistry. ECO2R combines just three inputs: CO2, water, and electricity, and converts them into useful products. At commercial scale, this technology could eliminate our dependence on fossil resources by providing an alternative source of carbon-based compounds for fuels and commodity chemicals. However, commercial fuel and chemical production via ECO2R is challenging, because the current state of the technology is not cost-effective enough to compete with conventionally manufactured fuels and chemicals already on the market. The key cost-drivers of ECO2R are the energy efficiency, product selectivity, and current density. Based on these metrics, we have developed a model for the cost of ECO2R-derived compounds. We will use the model to compare the cost to fuels and chemicals derived from traditional sources and identify the technical barriers that need to be overcome to reduce the cost, including challenging electrocatalysis[1-3] and difficulties in achieving the high current density needed for a cost-competitive process because of limited carbon dioxide solubility. To overcome barriers to commercialization, Opus 12 is developing novel electrocatalysts and a proprietary reactor design. Improved catalysts possess low overpotentials (higher energy efficiency) and high product selectivity and our reactor design is capable of high current densities with minimal voltage losses (higher energy efficiency). We will present our technical progress in terms of the key cost-drivers. Using these metrics, we can estimate the current cost of ECO2R and present a roadmap of improvements needed to further reduce costs to compete with traditional chemicals and fuels derived from fossil resources

Gender-specific association of the K121Q Ectonucleotide Pyrophosphatase Phosphodiesterase (ENPP) 1 polymorphism with subcutaneous adiposity in a South African Black population

Purpose: This study aimed to determine whether the ENPP-1 K121Q (rs1044498) polymorphism was associated with adiposity and cardiometabolic disease markers within a South African Black population. Methods: Black participants from the greater Johannesburg–Soweto area in South Africa, for whom metabolic syndrome status, cardiometabolic disease markers, adipokine levels and body fat distribution had already been measured, were genotyped by PCR-RFLP for the presence of the K121Q polymorphism.Results: Within a cohort of 345 Black South Africans, the frequency of the ENPP-1 K121Q C allele was 0.89. In the total cohort, the K121Q polymorphism was not significantly associated with any cardiometabolic disease markers or adipokine levels. However, in the female population the CC genotype was shown to be associated with increased abdominal subcutaneous fat levels (p=0.007). Conclusion: This cohort of Black South Africans had a higher frequency of the C allele when compared to reported data for Asian and Caucasian populations, however this frequency was comparable to other African data. The presence of the rs1044498 polymorphism was not associated with markers of cardiometabolic disease, suggesting that these associations may be population dependent. The gender-specific genotypic association with subcutaneous fat levels is a novel finding requiring further investigation

“We need a one-stop-shop” : co-creating the model of care for a multidisciplinary memory clinic with community members, GPs, aged care workers, service providers, and policy-makers

Background: Timely diagnosis of dementia has a wide range of benefits including reduced hospital emergency department presentations, admissions and inpatient length of stay, and improved quality of life for patients and their carers by facilitating access to treatments that reduce symptoms, and allow time to plan for the future. Memory clinics can provide such services, however there is no 'gold standard' model of care. This study involved the co-creation of a model of care for a new multidisciplinary memory clinic with local community members, General Practitioners (GPs), policy-makers, community aged care workers, and service providers. Methods: Data collection comprised semi-structured interviews (N=98) with 20 GPs, and three 2-h community forums involving 53 seniors and community/local government representatives, and 25 community healthcare workers. Interviews and community forums were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and coded by thematic analysis using Quirkos. Results: GPs’ attitudes towards their role in assessing people with dementia varied. Many GPs reported that they found it useful for patients to have a diagnosis of dementia, but required support from secondary care to make the diagnosis and assist with subsequent management. Community forum participants felt they had a good knowledge of available dementia resources and services, but noted that these were highly fragmented and needed to be easier to navigate for the patient/carer via a 'one-stop-shop' and the provision of a dementia key worker. Expectations for the services and features of a new memory clinic included diagnostic services, rapid referrals, case management, education, legal services, culturally sensitive and appropriate services, allied health, research participation opportunities, and clear communication with GPs. Participants described several barriers to memory clinic utilisation including transportation access, funding, awareness, and costs. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the importance of working with stakeholders to co-design models of care for people with dementia that take into account the local communities’ needs. Findings pave the way for the development of a potential new “gold standard” memory clinic model of care and operationalise new national clinical guidelines

Time-dependent density functional study of the electronic spectra of oligoacenes in the charge states -1, 0, +1, and +2

We present a systematic theoretical study of the five smallest oligoacenes (naphthalene, anthracene, tetracene, pentacene, and hexacene) in their anionic,neutral, cationic, and dicationic charge states. We used density functional theory (DFT) to obtain the ground-state optimised geometries, and time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) to evaluate the electronic absorption spectra. Total-energy differences enabled us to evaluate the electron affinities and first and second ionisation energies, the quasiparticle correction to the HOMO-LUMO energy gap and an estimate of the excitonic effects in the neutral molecules. Electronic absorption spectra have been computed by combining two different implementations of TD-DFT: the frequency-space method to study general trends as a function of charge-state and molecular size for the lowest-lying in-plane long-polarised and short-polarised $\pi\to\pi^\star$ electronic transitions, and the real-time propagation scheme to obtain the whole photo-absorption cross-section up to the far-UV. Doubly-ionised PAHs are found to display strong electronic transitions of $\pi\to\pi^\star$ character in the near-IR, visible, and near-UV spectral ranges, like their singly-charged counterparts. While, as expected, the broad plasmon-like structure with its maximum at about 17-18 eV is relatively insensitive to the charge-state of the molecule, a systematic decrease with increasing positive charge of the absorption cross-section between about 6 and about 12 eV is observed for each member of the class.Comment: 38 pages, 11 figures, 7 tables, accepted for publication in Chemical Physic

China's soil and groundwater management challenges: Lessons from the UK's experience and opportunities for China

There are a number of specific opportunities for UK and China to work together on contaminated land management issues as China lacks comprehensive and systematic planning for sustainable risk based land management, encompassing both contaminated soil and groundwater and recycling and reuse of soil. It also lacks comprehensive risk assessment systems, structures to support risk management decision making, processes for verification of remediation outcome, systems for record keeping and preservation and integration of contamination issues into land use planning, along with procedures for ensuring effective health and safety considerations during remediation projects, and effective evaluation of costs versus benefits and overall sustainability. A consequence of the absence of these overarching frameworks has been that remediation takes place on an ad hoc basis. At a specific site management level, China lacks capabilities in site investigation and consequent risk assessment systems, in particular related to conceptual modelling and risk evaluation. There is also a lack of shared experience of practical deployment of remediation technologies in China, analogous to the situation before the establishment of the independent, non-profit organisation CL:AIRE (Contaminated Land: Applications In Real Environments) in 1999 in the UK. Many local technology developments are at lab-scale or pilot-scale stage without being widely put into use. Therefore, a shared endeavour is needed to promote the development of technically and scientifically sound land management as well as soil and human health protection to improve the sustainability of the rapid urbanisation in China