In search of a model provision for rape in Australia

The purpose of this article is to set out a comprehensive model provision for the crime of rape (or the equivalent offence) that can be incorporated into all Australian criminal jurisdictions irrespective of whether the particular legislation can be broadly categorised as being a code or a statute. This is in part achieved by defining the specified fault elements, such as knowledge and recklessness, within the provision, thereby overcoming the lack of such definitions in the entire code or statute in some jurisdictions. Given that only the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory have adopted Chapter 2 of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth), which contains all the general principles of criminal responsibility that apply to any offence, uniform criminal law reform in Australia has stalled. One objective of this article is to show that it is possible to reform key criminal offences in a uniform manner. Apart from addressing the current inconsistencies in rape provisions in Australia, the proposed model provision is also designed to clarify the vexed question of whether the defendant reasonably believed the victim was consenting. In this way, it is hoped that some of the well-known difficulties in securing a conviction for rape — where it is often one person’s word versus another’s against a standard of proof of beyond reasonable doubt — may be reduced through the comprehensiveness and clarity of the statutory language employed in the model provision

The place of Zeno’s paradox

This paper begins by examining the recent history of interpretations of one of Zeno’s paradoxes of motion, the paradox of dichotomy. It then returns to the record of antiquity to ask how Aristotle ‘solved’ the paradox and what decisions about place and motion were assumed in that solution. After appealing to Heidegger’s readings of the Aristotelian text, the paper then proceeds to offer an entirely original interpretation of Zeno’s paradox of dichotomy, which has important implications for a contemporary understanding of motion and place (rather than space). Instead, the paradox is read as a provocation to ‘see’ something which Zeno, it would appear, believed was ‘missing’, or had been forgotten and had disappeared, and to review all over again what Parmenides might have meant in his claim that being is one, singular, and indivisible

New glass coatings for high insulating greenhouses without light losses - energy saving, crop production and economic potentials

More than 90% of Dutch greenhouse area is covered with single glass. Energy losses through the covering are high during heating period (winter) but energy requirements are also high during cooling period (summer) in the case of semiclosed greenhouses. Until now, light losses of insulating coverings prevented growers from using double glass or plastic film. However, increasing energy prices allow new developments. Wageningen UR Greenhouse Horticulture studied the possibilities to use modern glass coatings to increase light transmission and save energy. Several glass types (standard glass, 90+ glass, low-iron glass) were covered with different anti-reflection coatings from different producers. Double glasses were produced; their optical properties were determined. It was possible to produce double glasses with new coatings having a higher light transmission than traditional single greenhouse glass (83-85% for hemispherical light, compared to 82-83% for traditional single glass) and a k-value of 3.6 Wm-2K-1 (compared to 7.6 Wm-2K-1 of a traditional single glass). Other double glasses were produced using a combination of anti-reflection and modern low-emission coatings, reaching an even lower k-value of ˜2.4 Wm-2K-1, however, showing a slight light loss (78.5% for hemispherical light). Calculations of greenhouse climate (temperature, humidity, CO2) and energy consumptions year-round were carried out with a validated dynamic climate model. Additionally the effects on tomato production (dry matter) were calculated for the different prototypes of coated and insulated glass. Double materials show the highest energy saving with 25-33%, depending on the composition but also low-emission coatings on single glass decrease the energy use with 15-20%. Economic calculations with current tomato and energy prices showed that single and double glasses with anti-reflection coating currently have the highest potential

Options for Greenhouse Horticulture in Malaysia : trip report March 2008

Protected greenhouse horticulture is a growing activity in Malaysia that has been prioritized by the Malaysian government as an area of cooperation with The Netherlands. Also, the private sector sees business opportunities and initiates modernization. Traditional horticultural production takes place in the highlands, where land is scarce and production competes with tropical rainforest. However, there are opportunities in the lowlands. For example, in Terengganu, greenhouses that are modern to Malaysian standards have been successfully realized in 2007. Most relevant crops are currently cucumber, chillies, sweet pepper and tomato. Consumer’s demand or export opportunities may lead to the introduction of other crops. It is desired that these first developments are taken further, also for the highland regions where the majority of horticultural production is located

Sensitivity models for missing covariates in the analysis of survival data from multiple surveys

Using individual patient data from five independent surveys, we evaluate regional variations in survival in cerebral palsy. The influence of four important variables measuring disability, which are only partially observed for many cases, are analysed. Results are compared between a naive complete case analysis; a full likelihood model in which the covariates are assumed to be missing at random and in which each of the binary predictor variables are modelled as independent Bernoulli random variables; a model in which the covariates are modelled by a conditionalwise sequence, accommodating dependencies between the likelihoods of having various mixtures of disabilities; and a model in which the likelihood of a predictor variable being observed is allowed to depend on the value of the covariate itself (NMAR). Fully parametric survival regression models are used and analysis carried out in BUGS. Results suggest that proportions recorded as having severe visual or cognitive impairments are substantially lower than the actual proportions severely impaired. Associations between the likelihood of a particular covariate being recorded and the likelihood of a more severe disability imply that life expectancies for those who are very severely impaired may be up to 20% less than inferences based on complete case analyses

Energy saving: From engineering to crop management

In greenhouse horticulture, energy costs form an increasingly larger part of the total production costs. Energy is primarily used for temperature control, reduction of air humidity, increase of light intensity and CO2 supply. Use of fossil energy can be reduced by limiting the energy demand of the system and decreasing energy losses, by intelligent climate control, by increasing the energy efficiency of the crop and by replacing fossil energy sources by sustainable ones. Energy requirement of the greenhouse can be lowered up to 20-30% by using greenhouse covers with higher insulating values and the use of energy screens. A prerequisite is that these materials should not involve considerable light loss, since this would result in a loss of production. In energy efficient greenhouse concepts, durable energy sources should be included. In (semi-)closed greenhouses, the excess of solar energy in summer is collected and stored in aquifers to be reused in winter to heat the greenhouse. Ventilation windows are closed, with specific benefits to the crop: high CO2 levels can be maintained, and temperature and humidity can be controlled to the needs of the crop. Development of new greenhouse concepts is ongoing. Current examples are greenhouse systems which convert natural energy sources such as solar energy into high-value energy such as electricity. Given a certain technical infrastructure of the greenhouse, energy consumption can be further reduced by energy efficient climate control and crop management. Essential elements are to allow fluctuating temperatures, lower crop transpiration, allow higher humidities, make efficient use of light and create fluent transitions in set points. Consequences for plant growth are related to rate of development, photosynthesis, assimilate distribution, transpiration and the occurrence of diseases or disorders. Since processes involved are complex, knowledge exchange between researchers and growers is essential to realize the goals set to reduce the energy consumption

2-Methylsulfanylbenzo[f]isoquinoline

S-Methylation of a 4-(naphth-2-yl)-β-thiolactam gives an intermediate 4-(naphth-2-yl) substituted 1-azetine which undergoes a [2+2] ring-opening followed by electrocyclic ring closure of the resulting 2-azadiene to give a benzo[f]isoquinolin