Political Pragmatism and Constitutional Principle: The European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018

The European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 forms the centrepiece of the UK's domestic legal preparations for its departure from the European Union. The Act aims to capture and domesticate large swathes of EU law so as to safeguard legal continuity upon Brexit. This paper examines the process by which the Act was passed by the UK Parliament and its substantive constitutional implications, which are likely to be far-reaching. Membership of the EU has had a monumental impact not only upon the substantive law of the UK, but also upon the development of fundamental constitutional doctrines, principles and practices over more than four decades, affecting our understanding of parliamentary supremacy, the relationship between Parliament and Government, the constitutional authority of the courts and the creation and development of devolved government. The implications of the Act go far beyond the immediate task of retaining and reordering the domestic effect of EU law. The paper assesses the deeper consequences which the Act signifies for four dimensions of the constitution: the rule of law and legal certainty, parliamentary supremacy, the relationship between Parliament and government, and the UK's territorial constitution

Synthesis and evaluation of new high polymers for coating applications annual summary report no. 1, 26 jun. 1964 - 25 jun. 1965

Synthesis of organic and semi-organic polymers useful as high temperature coating materia

Judicial Power and the United Kingdom’s Changing Constitution

Judicial power, in any rule of law-based system, is a given. But how much is too much? That question has risen to particular prominence in recent years in the United Kingdom, where the judicial role has changed and grown in notable ways. In doing so, it has attracted criticism from some quarters, with charges of judicial overreach being made. This paper charts the growth of judicial power in the UK and considers how, given the particularities of the UK’s constitutional system, one might go about identifying the proper limits of judicial power. The paper begin by addressing the key constitutional parameters by reference to which the notions of judicial power and overreach have traditionally been calibrated in the UK. It then proceeds to trace the many senses in which the exercise of judicial power has grown, and considers the forces that have brought such developments about. Against that background, the paper contends that while the evolution of the judicial role evidences a reconceptualization, as distinct from the repudiation, of relevant fundamental constitutional principles, it should not be assumed that the UK constitution’s famous flexibility is limitless. To that end, the paper concludes by examining the recent and controversial judgments of the UK Supreme Court in the Evans and Miller cases, in which, in different ways, the proper limits of judicial power have been tested

Synthesis and evaluation of new high temperature polymers for coating applications Technical summary report, 26 Jun. 1964 - 25 Sep. 1966

Synthesis, characterization, and evaluation of organic and semiorganic heat resistant polymer coating

A program to develop a high-energy density primary battery with a minimum of 200 watt hours per pound of total battery weight Seventh quarterly report, Jan. 1 - Mar. 31, 1966

Cathodic materials for high energy density storage batter

A program to develop a high-energy density primary battery with a minimum of 200 watt hours per pound of total battery weight Eighth quarterly report, 1 Apr. - 30 Jun. 1966

Electrochemical characteristics of lithium in various electrolytes and magnesium in aluminum chloride-acetonitrile studied by voltammetric sweep metho

A critical role for ATF2 transcription factor in the regulation of E-selectin expression in response to non-endotoxin components of Neisseria meningitidis

Vascular injury is a serious complication of sepsis due to the gram-negative bacterium Neisseria meningitidis. One of the critical early steps in initiating this injury is via the interaction of leucocytes, particularly neutrophils, with adhesion molecules expressed on inflamed endothelium. We have previously demonstrated that both lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and non-LPS components of meningococci can induce very high levels of expression of the vascular endothelial cell adhesion molecule E-selectin, which is critical for early tethering and capture of neutrophils onto endothelium under flow. Using an LPS-deficient strain of meningococcus, we showed that very high levels of expression can be induced in primary endothelial cells, even in the context of weak activation of the major host signal transduction factor [nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB)]. In this study, we show that the particular propensity for N. meningitidis to induce high levels of expression is regulated at a transcriptional level, and demonstrate a significant role for phosphorylation of the ATF2 transcription factor, likely via mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases, on the activity of the E-selectin promoter. Furthermore, inhibition of E-selectin expression in response to the lpxA- strain by a p38 inhibitor indicates a significant role of a p38-dependent MAPK signalling pathway in ATF2 activation. Collectively, these data highlight the role that LPS and other bacterial components have in modulating endothelial function and their involvement in the pathogenesis of meningococcal sepsis. Better understanding of these multiple mechanisms induced by complex stimuli such as bacteria, and the specific inflammatory pathways they activate, may lead to improved, focused interventions in both meningococcal and potentially bacterial sepsis more generally

Investigating Multiple Household Water Sources and Uses with a Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) Survey

The investigation of multiple sources in household water management is considered overly complicated and time consuming using paper and pen interviewing (PAPI). We assess the advantages of computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) in Pacific Island Countries (PICs). We adapted an existing PAPI survey on multiple water sources and expanded it to incorporate location of water use and the impacts of extreme weather events using SurveyCTO on Android tablets. We then compared the efficiency and accuracy of data collection using the PAPI version (n = 44) with the CAPI version (n = 291), including interview duration, error rate and trends in interview duration with enumerator experience. CAPI surveys facilitated high-quality data collection and were an average of 15.2 min faster than PAPI. CAPI survey duration decreased by 0.55% per survey delivered (p < 0.0001), whilst embedded skip patterns and answer lists lowered data entry error rates, relative to PAPI (p < 0.0001). Large-scale household surveys commonly used in global monitoring and evaluation do not differentiate multiple water sources and uses. CAPI equips water researchers with a quick and reliable tool to address these knowledge gaps and advance our understanding of development research priorities

Human Clostridium difficile infection caused by a livestock-associated PCR ribotype 237 strain in Western Australia

Introduction: Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a significant gastrointestinal disease in the developed world and increasingly recognised as a zoonotic infection. In North America and Europe, the PCR ribotype (RT) 078 strain of C. difficile is commonly found in production animals and as a cause of disease in humans although proof of transmission from animals is lacking. This strain is absent in Australian livestock. We report a case of human CDI caused by a strain of C. difficile belonging to known Australian livestock-associated RT 237. Case presentation: A young male was admitted for multiple trauma following a motor vehicle accident and placed on piperacillin/tazobactam for pneumonia. After 4 days of treatment, he developed symptoms of CDI, which was confirmed in the laboratory. His symptoms resolved after 6 days of intravenous metronidazole. The strain of C. difficile isolated was identified as RT 237, an unusual RT previously found in with several Western Australia piggeries. Conclusion: This case of CDI caused by an unusual livestock-associated C. difficile RT 237 supports the hypothesis of zoonotic transmission. The case highlights the potential of livestock to act as reservoir for C. difficile and the need for continued surveillance of CDI in both human and animal populations