Cyclooctyne-based reagents for uncatalyzed click chemistry: A computational survey

With the goal of identifying alkyne-like reagents for use in click chemistry, but without Cu catalysts, we used B3LYP density function theory (DFT) to investigate the trends in activation barriers for the 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions of azides with various cyclooctyne, dibenzocyclooctyne, and azacyclooctyne compounds. Based on these trends, we find monobenzocyclooctyne-based reagents that are predicted to have dramatically improved reactivity over currently employed reagents

Convergence in Corporations Law - Towards a Facilitative Model

The following is the Report of the General Reporter on the Law of Corporations presented to the Annual Colloquium of the International Association of Legal Science (the 1995 IALS Colloquium) which was held in Buenos Aires in September 1995. The theme of the conference was "Towards a modern ius commune: converging trends in a changing world". This article argues that there has been a significant degree of convergence internationally in the general approach of states to corporations law. The article begins by setting out the purpose and justifications of corporations in a modern economy: the division of ownership interest into shares, the limited liability of the shareholders, and the nature of risk-taking and risk-bearing. The article then provides the evidence of both convergence and divergence in corporations law, ultimately arguing for there being a convergence. The author also provides some insight into the likely directions for convergence. The author concludes that the overall movement towards a facilitative model of corporations law is a self-reinforcing process which can be expected to become even more widespread and rapid in the future.&nbsp

Using Software Agents to Raise Awareness and Lower Information Overload in a Multi-user Collaborative Environment

Ubiquitous devices provide users with notifications that continue to blur the distinction between work and personal activities and can lead to information overload. This research aims to support users of multiple collaborative and social systems who may experience this, by designing and evaluating a personal software agent to support the user and ameliorate the effects of overload. A technique uniting personas and Empathy Map has been applied to model typical user behaviours, goals and pain points, which will inform the design of a solution to manage interruptions and information overload

The Application of International Human Rights Law to Maritime Security Operations

This thesis argues that international human rights law (IHRL), as represented by a selection of universal and regional human rights treaties, provides an important normative framework within which maritime security operations (MSOs) are to be conducted. MSOs are mounted by States to deal with a spectrum of maritime security threats, and comprise a range of activities of a nature potentially to affect or engage individual rights. These activities include the use of force, deprivation of liberty, the rescue of those in distress at sea, and transfer or expulsion to other States. In addition, the aim of a MSO may amount to a potential infringement of individual freedoms, such as in the case of the policing of protest at sea. Before examining the substantive rights that may be engaged through these activities, the thesis first considers the applicability of IHRL to MSOs conducted both within areas of the sea that are part of a State’s territory, as well as those that are not. It concludes that, notwithstanding differences between the treaties concerned, and some remaining areas of controversy, a plausible argument can be made for the applicability of IHRL to most of the activities that comprise MSOs, wherever they are conducted. An examination of substantive IHRL rules and norms then reveals that a range of rights are engaged in the course of MSOs. These include the right to life, the right to liberty and security of the person, the freedoms of expression and assembly, as well as the principle of non-refoulement. Although MSOs are subject to obligations under other bodies of law including, most notably, the law of the sea, IHRL provides a framework of regulation that is more comprehensive both in its breadth and in its detail. Although courts have sometimes recognised the unique features of the maritime domain when applying IHRL rules and norms to MSOs, it is demonstrated that their application can raise significant additional challenges in practice

The Structure of Amplitudes in N=4 SYM

The study of amplitudes and related quantities in the N = 4 Super Yang-Mills theory is a subject undergoing rapid evolution at the moment. In this work we present a review of some of the key ideas and concepts which we use to calculate `l-loop, n-point amplitudes of varying helicity. We show that performing a restriction on the external data of being in 1 + 1-dimensions allows remarkably compact expressions to be obtained at both MHV and NMHV levels. We use this data to motivate in 1 + 1-dimensions remarkably simple formulae for all collinear-limits and ultimately a universal uplifting formula which generates all n-point amplitudes of a particular loop-order and helicity configuration from a small set of lower-loop amplitudes. We also use the mechanism of the correlation function ↔ amplitude duality to construct the integrand for the five-point amplitude in full four-dimensional kinematics to six-loops in the parity-even sector and five-loops in the parity-odd sector. Finally we consider a rewriting of certain known momentum-twistor amplitudes in terms of bi-twistor, six-dimensional X-variables and dimensionally regularise these equations to match known O(ε) results. From this we make some observations about the requirements for this process to be successful in the limited number of cases where the full O(ε) solution is known and provide an ansatz for constructing the terms for more complicated amplitudes

Primary Pre-Service Teachers\u27 Attitudes Towards Inclusion Across the Training Years

Teachers are responsible for meeting the needs of increasingly diverse learners. Given their position as catalysts for educational change, teachers’ positive attitudes towards inclusive education must be considered prerequisite to its success in Australian classrooms. This study investigated the extent to which pre-service training affects pre-service primary teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education. A survey was designed to examine such attitudes among primary pre-service teachers at all year levels of their Bachelor of Education (Primary). To reflect the increasingly broad definition of inclusion established in the literature, participants’ attitudes towards gifted and talented students, those learning English as a second language or dialect and those with disabilities were considered. Using a sample of 56 primary pre-service teachers from three metropolitan universities in Australia, this study examined the nature of these attitudes according to child, teacher and environment related variables across the training years. Results showed that primary pre-service teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion were generally positive and strengthened across the training years, though they varied according to demographic characteristics, constructs and areas of inclusion. The findings of this study have implications for teacher educators, teacher education institutions and future research

Trade-offs and synergies in the ecosystem service demand of urban brownfield stakeholders

Brownfield site redevelopment presents an opportunity to create urban green spaces that provide a wide range of ecosystem services. It is important, therefore, to understand which ecosystem services are demanded by stakeholders and whether there are trade-offs or synergies in this demand. We performed a quantitative survey of ecosystem service demand from brownfield sites that included all major stakeholder groups. Results showed that there was a strong trade-off between demand for services related to property development (e.g. ground strength and low flood risk) and all other services, which were linked to vegetated sites. There was a secondary, but weak, trade-off between demand for services of more ‘natural’ vegetated sites (e.g. with a biodiversity protection role) and those linked to aesthetics and recreation. Stakeholders with a strong preference for biodiversity protection formed a distinct group in their ecosystem service demands. While a ‘development’ vs ‘green space’ trade-off may be unavoidable, the general lack of strong trade-offs in demand for other services indicated that the creation of multifunctional greenspaces from former brownfield sites would be desirable to most stakeholders, as long as these are biophysically possible