Using the Leiden Guidelines to address key issues in digitally derived evidence

The global developments have shown one thing clearly: there is a lack of guidance and clarity when it comes to using DDE in the courtroom. Due to the fast evolution of digital technology and the (often, by design) slow evolution of courts and tribunals, the treatment of DDE within and between national and international accountability fora suffers from an absence of uniformity at best, and a lack of any useful guidance at worst.  The Leiden Guidelines on the Use of Digitally Derived Evidence in International Criminal Courts and Tribunals (“The Leiden Guidelines”) were created to address this legal lacuna by examining the various ways in which DDE has been treated in international criminal law. The Guidelines identify overarching standards of treatment, derived from the jurisprudence of international criminal courts and tribunals (“ICCTs”), that practitioners should consider when collecting and tendering DDE. Exploring the Frontiers of International La

Phenotypic plasticity and water flux rates of Citrus root orders under salinity

Knowledge about the root system structure and the uptake efficiency of root orders is critical to understand the adaptive plasticity of plants towards salt stress. Thus, this study describes the phenological and physiological plasticity of Citrus volkameriana rootstocks under severe NaCl stress on the level of root orders. Phenotypic root traits known to influence uptake processes, for example frequency of root orders, specific root area, cortical thickness, and xylem traits, did not change homogeneously throughout the root system, but changes after 6 months under 90 mM NaCl stress were root order specific. Chloride accumulation significantly increased with decreasing root order, and the Cl− concentration in lower root orders exceeded those in leaves. Water flux densities of first-order roots decreased to <20% under salinity and did not recover after stress release. The water flux densities of higher root orders changed marginally under salinity and increased 2- to 6-fold in second and third root orders after short-term stress release. Changes in root order frequency, morphology, and anatomy indicate rapid and major modification of C. volkameriana root systems under salt stress. Reduced water uptake under salinity was related to changes of water flux densities among root orders and to reduced root surface areas. The importance of root orders for water uptake changed under salinity from root tips towards higher root orders. The root order-specific changes reflect differences in vulnerability (indicated by the salt accumulation) and ontogenetic status, and point to functional differences among root orders under high salinity

A starting guide to root ecology: strengthening ecological concepts and standardising root classification, sampling, processing and trait measurements

In the context of a recent massive increase in research on plant root functions and their impact on the environment, root ecologists currently face many important challenges to keep on generating cutting-edge, meaningful and integrated knowledge. Consideration of the below-ground components in plant and ecosystem studies has been consistently called for in recent decades, but methodology is disparate and sometimes inappropriate. This handbook, based on the collective effort of a large team of experts, will improve trait comparisons across studies and integration of information across databases by providing standardised methods and controlled vocabularies. It is meant to be used not only as starting point by students and scientists who desire working on below-ground ecosystems, but also by experts for consolidating and broadening their views on multiple aspects of root ecology. Beyond the classical compilation of measurement protocols, we have synthesised recommendations from the literature to provide key background knowledge useful for: (1) defining below-ground plant entities and giving keys for their meaningful dissection, classification and naming beyond the classical fine-root vs coarse-root approach; (2) considering the specificity of root research to produce sound laboratory and field data; (3) describing typical, but overlooked steps for studying roots (e.g. root handling, cleaning and storage); and (4) gathering metadata necessary for the interpretation of results and their reuse. Most importantly, all root traits have been introduced with some degree of ecological context that will be a foundation for understanding their ecological meaning, their typical use and uncertainties, and some methodological and conceptual perspectives for future research. Considering all of this, we urge readers not to solely extract protocol recommendations for trait measurements from this work, but to take a moment to read and reflect on the extensive information contained in this broader guide to root ecology, including sections I–VII and the many introductions to each section and root trait description. Finally, it is critical to understand that a major aim of this guide is to help break down barriers between the many subdisciplines of root ecology and ecophysiology, broaden researchers’ views on the multiple aspects of root study and create favourable conditions for the inception of comprehensive experiments on the role of roots in plant and ecosystem functioning

Fibrosis regression induced by intravenous gammaglobulin treatment

Methods: Eight patients with excess fibrotic reaction in the course of diverse diseases were analysed; a tendency that reverted with different IVIg treatment options. Myelofibrosis was predominant in three patients (a patient with a myeloproliferative syndrome, one with systemic lupus erythematosus, and one with Sjögren's syndrome). Three patients had scleroderma as their main feature, one patient had hepatitis C cirrhosis, and one had idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. Results: Fibrotic excess was reduced in all the patients by IVIg treatment. In five patients the disease as a whole benefited from the infusion of immunoglobulins. Conclusion: IVIg may enhance resorption of fibrosis and promote healing in patients with fibrotic associated disorders