The European Arrest Warrant: the role of judges when human rights are at risk

This article examines the role of the judiciary in protecting fundamental rights in European extradition cases, in particular the impact of the European Court of Human Rights' decision in Mss v Belgium and Greece

Detained without trial: Fair Trials International‟s response to the European Commission‟s Green Paper on detention

The report presents the case studies of 11 individuals whose rights were infringed due to excessive and unjustified pre-trial detention. The report analyses the pre-trial detention regimes of 15 EU Member States: the Czech Republic, France, England and Wales, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden. Key statistical data on rates of pre-trial detention in these and other EU countries are presented in Appendix 1. The report was submitted to the European Commission in response to its Green Paper on detention issued in 2010

Disentangling surface and bulk transport in topological-insulator pp-nn junctions

By combining $n$-type $\mathrm{Bi_2Te_3}$ and $p$-type $\mathrm{Sb_2Te_3}$ topological insulators, vertically stacked $p$-$n$ junctions can be formed, allowing to position the Fermi level into the bulk band gap and also tune between $n$- and $p$-type surface carriers. Here we use low-temperature magnetotransport measurements to probe the surface and bulk transport modes in a range of vertical $\mathrm{Bi_2Te_3/Sb_2Te_3}$ heterostructures with varying relative thicknesses of the top and bottom layers. With increasing thickness of the $\mathrm{Sb_2Te_3}$ layer we observe a change from $n$- to $p$-type behavior via a specific thickness where the Hall signal is immeasurable. Assuming that the the bulk and surface states contribute in parallel, we can calculate and reproduce the dependence of the Hall and longitudinal components of resistivity on the film thickness. This highlights the role played by the bulk conduction channels which, importantly, cannot be probed using surface sensitive spectroscopic techniques. Our calculations are then buttressed by a semi-classical Boltzmann transport theory which rigorously shows the vanishing of the Hall signal. Our results provide crucial experimental and theoretical insights into the relative roles of the surface and bulk in the vertical topological $p$-$n$ junctions.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figure

Developing the evidence base for adult social care practice: The NIHR School for Social Care Research

In a foreword to 'Shaping the Future of Care Together', Prime Minister Gordon Brown says that a care and support system reflecting the needs of our times and meeting our rising aspirations is achievable, but 'only if we are prepared to rise to the challenge of radical reform'. A number of initiatives will be needed to meet the challenge of improving social care for the growing older population. Before the unveiling of the green paper, The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) announced that it has provided 15m pounds over a five-year period to establish the NIHR School for Social Care Research. The School's primary aim is to conduct or commission research that will help to improve adult social care practice in England. The School is seeking ideas for research topics, outline proposals for new studies and expert advice in developing research methods

Experiences of a transdiagnostic group, the Take Control Course, for clients with common mental health problems : a qualitative study

Objectives Despite the promising effectiveness findings for transdiagnostic groups, studies have not explored clients' experiences. There is a risk that clients could perceive that the content of transdiagnostic groups is not sufficiently tailored to their specific problems. Our aims were to examine whether a brief transdiagnostic group, the Take Control Course (TCC), was acceptable to participants and to explore participants' perceptions of psychological change. Methods Qualitative data were collected via 12 semistructured, in‐depth interviews. Data collection and thematic analysis were concurrent and iterative. Results Three superordinate themes were identified: “Style and format,” “Control and flexibility,” and “Change.” The flexible group format was appreciated, as participants felt able to engage at their own pace and adapt relevant aspects. Greater clarity regarding what was within participants' control reduced distress and enabled effective pursuit of valued goals. Participants described significant (predominantly gradual) changes, including substantial improvements within relationships. Conclusions The transdiagnostic format did not prevent participants experiencing the TCC as individually relevant. The flexibility and consistent theoretical framework seemed to contribute to this. The results indicated that greater consideration of control and mindfulness allowed greater cognitive flexibility, an ability to reprioritize and let go of unhelpful habits, which better enabled participants to meet their goals. Implications for group therapy include (a) clearly explaining the format of such groups to clients and (b) providing flexibility in the way the group is delivered where possible. Additional qualitative studies of transdiagnostic groups are required to establish if themes generalize to other transdiagnostic groups

Two-dimensional control of field-driven magnetic bubble movement using Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions

The field-induced asymmetric growth of magnetic bubble domains in Pt/Co/Pt out-of-plane magnetized films with Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interactions (DMI) is used to control the lateral displacement of bubbles. We demonstrate experimentally that we can laterally translate bubbles away from their nucleation site by applying a series of alternating 3-dimensional field pulses with a controlled relative sign between the out-of-plane and in-plane components. Using magneto optical Kerr effect imaging, the domain wall velocity as a function of applied field strength was measured from which the magnitude of the DMI field was estimated.This work was supported by the European Community under the Seventh Framework Programme '3SPIN' (ERC contract 247368) and by EMRP JRP EXL04 SpinCal. The EMRP is jointly funded by the EMRP participating countries within EURAMET and the EU.This is the accepted manuscript. The final version is available from AIP at http://scitation.aip.org/content/aip/journal/apl/106/2/10.1063/1.4905600

The role of practice leadership in active support: impact of practice leaders’ presence in supported accommodation services

Objectives: Research shows practice leadership to be a factor in the successful implementation of active support. The aim of the study was to explore differences in staff practice, associated with the presence of a practice leader in a shared supported accommodation service. Methods: Quality of support and engagement for 189 service users with intellectual disability from 58 services were collected during a 2 h observation using the EMAC-R and ASM. The practice leader was present in 19 services (n = 59) and absent in 39 (n = 111). An Observed Measure of Practice Leadership was administered during a second visit to each service. Results: When the practice leader was present, levels of engagement and active support were statistically higher (p < 0.01). Although measured at a different time, observed practice leadership was also higher in services where the practice leader was present during the first observation. Conclusion: The level of observed practice leadership and presence of the practice leader appear to be associated with better quality of support. This finding provides further evidence of the importance of systems for supporting, monitoring, modelling, and improving staff practice for effective implementation of active support

Controlling the canted state in antiferromagnetically coupled magnetic bilayers close to the spin reorientation transition

Canted magnetization is obtained in ultrathin, antiferromagnetically coupled magnetic bilayers with thicknesses around the spin reorientation transition. The canting angle is controlled by both the magnetic layer thickness and interlayer coupling strength, which are tuned independently. Hysteresis loops are obtained, where magnetization components parallel and transverse to the applied field are measured, and analyzed by comparison to micromagnetic simulations. This enables the canting angle to be extracted and the behavior of the individual layers to be distinguished. Two types of canted systems are obtained with either single-layer reversal or complex, coupled two-layer reversal, under moderate external magnetic fields. Controlling the magnetization canting and reversal behavior of ultra-thin layers is relevant for the development of magnetoresistive random-access memory and spin-torque oscillator devices

New insight into the causes, consequences, and correction of hematopoietic stem cell aging

Aging of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) is characterized by lineage bias, increased clonal expansion, and functional decrease. At the molecular level, aged HSCs typically display metabolic dysregulation, upregulation of inflammatory pathways, and downregulation of DNA repair pathways. Cellular aging of HSCs, driven by cell-intrinsic and cell-extrinsic factors, causes a predisposition to anemia, adaptive immune compromise, myelodys, plasia, and malignancy. Most hematologic diseases are strongly associated with age. But what is the biological foundation for decreased fitness with age? And are there therapeutic windows to resolve age-related hematopoietic decline? These questions were the focus of the International Society for Experimental Hematology (ISEH) New Investigator Committee Fall 2022 Webinar. This review touches on the latest insights from two leading laboratories into inflammatory- and niche-driven stem cell aging and includes speculation on strategies to prevent or correct age-related decline in HSC function

Dynamic selective switching in antiferromagnetically-coupled bilayers close to the spin reorientation transition

We have designed a bilayer synthetic antiferromagnet where the order of layer reversal can be selected by varying the sweep rate of the applied magnetic field. The system is formed by two ultra-thin ferromagnetic layers with different proximities to the spin reorientation transition, coupled antiferromagnetically using Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida interactions. The different dynamic magnetic reversal behavior of both layers produces a crossover in their switching fields for field rates in the kOe/s range. This effect is due to the different effective anisotropy of both layers, added to an appropriate asymmetric antiferromagnetic coupling between them. Field-rate controlled selective switching of perpendicular magnetic anisotropy layers as shown here can be exploited in sensing and memory applications.Copyright (2014) American Institute of Physics. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the American Institute of Physics. The following article appeared in Applied Physics Letters (volume 105: 092408) and may be found at http://scitation.aip.org/content/aip/journal/apl/105/9/10.1063/1.4895032