THE FAIRNESS PROJECT: DOING WHAT WE CAN, WHERE WE ARE

The legal profession, in common with other professions, does not represent the diverse society it serves. In England and Wales, it is significantly more difficult to become a lawyer if you are not white, male, middle class, privately and Oxbridge educated: this is also true for other protected characteristics, such as disability, sexual orientation and age. The students we teach are fundamentally and structurally disadvantaged. This article reports on the aims and objectives of The Fairness Project, and the consequent design of its learning materials. Structural inequalities are all- pervasive and long-standing. No one project, no one generation, will secure equality, more diversity and fairness in the legal profession. But that is not a reason to do nothing. As educators and as human beings, who ourselves are relatively advantaged, we have a moral and pedagogical imperative to do what we can, where we are. That is what The Fairness Project is all about

Urban landscape and spatial heritage: the case of gateway-pathways in Zagreb, Croatia

The paper examines theoretical and analytical premises for developing a systematic characterisation of spatial heritage in the urban landscape. Spatial heritage is proposed as alternative and active link between material and immaterial agencies in the formation of the cultural landscape over time. We probe the application of interdisciplinary research at the interface of spatial history, urban heritage, and space syntax studies to expand heritage definitions and understand the role of diachronic spatial elements in urban sustainability. With the use of space syntax analytical methods, we test quantitative descriptions of typological definition of 'gateway-pathways' in the urban landscape. The term refers to routes that historically connected peripheral settlements to the urban core of contemporary cities. The typology was developed during on-going research by the first author at the University of Zagreb as a part of Heritage Urbanism project with reference to a sample of 18 Central European cities that were formerly provincial capital cities of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. This paper looks at the city of Zagreb, Croatia and assesses its historic pathway typologies via syntactical analysis using the transect method established by Hillier (1999). Results give a quantitative validation of the spatial significance of some historical urban pathways over others

Lanthanide speciation in potential SANEX and GANEX actinide/ 2 lanthanide separations using Tetra-N-Donor extractants

Lanthanide(III) complexes with N-donor ex-tractants, which exhibit the potential for the separation of minor actinides from lanthanides in the management of spent nuclear fuel, have been directly synthesized and characterized in both solution and solid states. Crystal structures of the Pr3+, Eu3+, Tb3+, and Yb3+ complexes of 6,6′-bis(5,5,8,8-tetramethyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-1,2,4-benzotriazin3-yl)-1,10-phenanthroline(CyMe4-BTPhen) and the Pr3+, Eu3+, and Tb3+ complexes of 2,9-bis(5,5,8,8-tetramethyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-1,2,4-benzotria-zin-3-yl)-2,2′-bypyridine (CyMe4-BTBP) were obtained. The majority of these structures displayed coordination of two ofthe tetra-N-donor ligands to each Ln3+ ion, even when in some cases the complexations were performed with equimolar amounts of lanthanide and N-donor ligand. The structures showed that generally the lighter lanthanides had their coordination spheres completed by a bidentate nitrate ion, giving a 2+ charged complex cation, whereas the structures of the heavier lanthanides displayed tricationic complex species with a single water molecule completing their coordination environments. Electronic absorption spectroscopic titrations showed formation of the 1:2 Ln3+/LN4‑donor species (Ln = Pr3+, Eu3+, Tb3+) in methanol when the N-donor ligand was in excess. When the Ln3+ ion was in excess, evidence for formation of a 1:1 Ln3+/LN4‑donor complex species was observed. Luminescent lifetime studies of mixtures of Eu3+ with excess CyMe4-BTBP and CyMe4-BTPhen in methanol indicated that the nitrate-coordinated species is dominant in solution. X-ray absorption spectra of Eu3+ and Tb3+ species, formed by extraction from an acidic aqueous phase into an organic solution consisting of excess N-donor extractant in pure cyclohexanone or 30% tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP) in cyclohexanone, were obtained. The presence of TBP in the organic phase did not alter lanthanide speciation. Extended X-ray absorption fine structure data from these spectra were fitted using chemical models established by crystallography and solution spectroscopy and showed the dominant lanthanide species in the bulk organic phase was a 1:2 Ln3+/LN‑donor species

The Fairness Project: the role of legal educators as catalysts for change. Engaging in difficult dialogues on the impact of diversity barriers to entry and progression in the legal profession

This article provides a critique of The Fairness Project, a learning and teaching project on equality and diversity in the legal profession and its impact on employability, delivered over three years across three university law schools. The Fairness Project builds on current literature on lack of equality and diversity in the legal profession, by adopting a student perspective. Barriers to entry and progression within the legal profession occur because of a range of issues including social class, gender, ethnicity, initial education, university education and gaining work experience in a law firm. We explore whether, and to what extent, we can educate law students from a range of diverse backgrounds and social identities about the “diversity barriers” entrenched in the legal profession, and thus influence their own career trajectories to access the profession. Our results show that – at least to some extent – we can. The data suggests that The Fairness Project helped prepare law students to tackle the inequalities that exist in the legal profession. The learning benefits of The Fairness Project are transferable to other law schools and could be adapted for use with law students in other jurisdictions, or for students in other disciplines where “diversity barriers” may exist

Understanding the solution behavior of minor actinides in the presence of EDTA(4-), carbonate, and hydroxide ligands

Understanding the solution behavior of minor actinides in the presence of EDTA(4-), carbonate, and hydroxide ligand

Gateway-pathway heritage and urban growth Zagreb case study

This paper is a part of on-going research into the typological definition of 'urban gateway-pathways'. This term refers to routes used to connect peripheral settlements to the urban core of contemporary cities. The typology was developed with reference to a sample of 18 Central European cities that were formerly provincial capital cities of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. This paper provides the first authoritative syntactical description of the city of Zagreb and reports on initial syntactical analysis of its historic pathway typology using the transect method established by Hi II ier (1999). The results from the transect analysis are then used to provide more refined typological descriptions of the gateway-pathways and their historical transformations, and to frame a future phase of research using segment analysis

Meaningful connections in dementia end of life care in long term care homes

Background: Most persons with dementia die in long term care (LTC) homes, where palliative approaches are appropriate. However, palliative approaches have not been widely implemented and there is limited understanding of staff and family experiences of dying and bereavement in this context. Method: This descriptive qualitative study explored family and staff experiences of end of life and end of life care for persons with dementia in LTC homes. Eighteen focus groups were conducted with 77 staff members and 19 relatives of persons with dementia at four LTC homes in four Canadian provinces. Results: Three themes emerged: knowing the resident, the understanding that they are all human beings, and the long slow decline and death of residents with dementia. Discussion: Intimate knowledge of the person with dementia, obtained through longstanding relationships, was foundational for person-centred end of life care. Health care aides need to be included in end of life care planning to take advantage of their knowledge of residents with dementia. There were unmet bereavement support needs among staff, particularly health care aides. Persons with dementia were affected by death around them and existing rituals for marking deaths in LTC homes may not fit their needs. Staff were uncomfortable answering relatives’ questions about end of life. Conclusions: Longstanding intimate relationships enhanced end of life care but left health care aides with unmet bereavement support needs. Staff in LTC homes should be supported to answer questions about the trajectory of decline of dementia and death. Further research about residents’ experiences of deaths of other residents is needed.Brock University Library Open Access Publishing Fun

A pilot evaluation of the Strengthening a Palliative Approach in Long-Term Care (SPA-LTC) program

Background: Despite increased annual mortality in long-term care (LTC) homes, research has shown that care of dying residents and their families is currently suboptimal in these settings. The purpose of this study was to evaluate resident and family outcomes associated with the Strengthening a Palliative Approach in LTC (SPA-LTC) program, developed to help encourage meaningful end of life discussions and planning. Methods: The study employs a mixed method design in four LTC homes across Southern Ontario. Data were collected from residents and families of the LTC homes through chart reviews, interviews, and focus groups. Interviews with family who attended a Palliative Care Conference included both closed-ended and open-ended questions. Results: In total, 39 residents/families agreed to participate in the study. Positive intervention outcomes included a reduction in the proportion of emergency department use at end of life and hospital deaths for those participating in SPA-LTC, improved support for families, and increased family involvement in the care of residents. For families who attended a Palliative Care Conference, both quantitative and qualitative findings revealed that families benefited from attending them. Residents stated that they appreciated learning about a palliative approach to care and being informed about their current status. Conclusions: The benefits of SPA-LTC for residents and families justify its continued use within LTC. Study results also suggest that certain enhancements of the program could further promote future integration of best practices within a palliative approach to care within the LTC context. However, the generalizability of these results across LTC homes in different regions and countries is limited given the small sample size

Marine Biodiversity in South Africa: An Evaluation of Current States of Knowledge

Continental South Africa has a coastline of some 3,650 km and an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of just over 1 million km2. Waters in the EEZ extend to a depth of 5,700 m, with more than 65% deeper than 2,000 m. Despite its status as a developing nation, South Africa has a relatively strong history of marine taxonomic research and maintains comprehensive and well-curated museum collections totaling over 291,000 records. Over 3 million locality records from more than 23,000 species have been lodged in the regional AfrOBIS (African Ocean Biogeographic Information System) data center (which stores data from a wider African region). A large number of regional guides to the marine fauna and flora are also available and are listed