Player violence or violent players? Vicarious liability for sports participants

This article analyses two recent English cases concerning the law on vicarious liability for acts of violence and considers their significance in respect of on-field acts of violence in contact sports. It provides an overview of how the law of negligence has developed in the specific context of sports injuries (including the application of the defence of volenti) and critiques the application of vicarious liability to sports cases. This is followed by a consideration of the wider law on vicarious liability for violent employees through a review of Lister v Hesley Hall Ltd [2001] UKHL 22 and a deeper consideration of Mattis v Pollock [2003] EWCA Civ 887. The article continues with an analysis of how those decisions have changed the legal landscape in respect of violent sports participants, looking in particular at reported cases from three jurisdictions in which that issue has been raised

Turbomachinery noise studies of the AiResearch QCGAT engine with inflow control

The AiResearch Quiet Clean General Aviation Turbofan engine was tested on an outdoor test stand to compare the acoustic performance of two inflow control devices (ICD's) of similar design, and three inlet lips of different external shape. Only small performance differences were found. Far-field directivity patterns calculated by applicable existing analyses were compared with the measured tone and broadband patterns. For some of these comparisons, tests were made with an ICD to reduce rotor/inflow disturbance interaction noise, or with the acoustic suppression panels in the inlet or bypass duct covered with aluminum tape to determine hard wall acoustic performance. The comparisons showed that the analytical expressions used predict many directivity pattern features and trends, but can deviate in shape from the measured patterns under certain engine operating conditions. Some patterns showed lobes from modes attributable to rotor/engine strut interaction sources

The Stokes boundary layer for a thixotropic or antithixotropic fluid

We present a mathematical investigation of the oscillatory boundary layer (‘Stokes layer’) in a semi-infinite fluid bounded by an oscillating wall (the socalled ‘Stokes problem’), when the fluid has a thixotropic or antithixotropic rheology. We obtain asymptotic solutions in the limit of small-amplitude oscillations, and we use numerical integration to validate the asymptotic solutions and to explore the behaviour of the system for larger-amplitude oscillations. The solutions that we obtain differ significantly from the classical solution for a Newtonian fluid. In particular, for antithixotropic fluids the velocity reaches zero at a finite distance from the wall, in contrast to the exponential decay for a thixotropic or a Newtonian fluid. For small amplitudes of oscillation, three regimes of behaviour are possible: the structure parameter may take values defined instantaneously by the shear rate, or by a long-term average; or it may behave hysteretically. The regime boundaries depend on the precise specification of structure build-up and breakdown rates in the rheological model, illustrating the subtleties of complex fluid models in non-rheometric settings. For larger amplitudes of oscillation the dominant behaviour is hysteretic. We discuss in particular the relationship between the shear stress and the shear rate at the oscillating wall

ENVIROSAT-2000 report: Federal agency satellite requirements

The requirement of Federal agencies, other than NOAA, for the data and services of civil operational environmental satellites (both polar orbiting and geostationary) are summarized. Agency plans for taking advantage of proposed future Earth sensing space systems, domestic and foreign, are cited also. Current data uses and future requirements are addressed as identified by each agency

Interactions of short-term and chronic treadmill training with aging of the left ventricle of the heart

With aging, there is a decline in cardiac function accompanying increasing risk of arrhythmias. These effects are likely to be mechanistically associated with age-associated changes in calcium regulation within cardiac myocytes. Previous studies suggest that lifelong exercise can potentially reduce age-associated changes in the heart. Although exercise itself is associated with changes in cardiac function, little is known about the interactions of aging and exercise with respect to myocyte calcium regulation. To investigate this, adult (12 months) and old (24 months) C57/Bl6 mice were trained using moderate-intensity treadmill running. In response to 10 weeks’ training, comparable cardiac hypertrophic responses were observed, although aging independently associated with additional cardiac hypertrophy. Old animals also showed increased L- and T-type calcium channels, the sodium–calcium exchange, sarcoendoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase, and collagen (by 50%, 92%, 66%, 88%, and 113% respectively). Short-term exercise training increased D-type and T-type calcium channels in old animals only, whereas an increase in sodium–calcium exchange was seen only in adult animals. Long-term (12 months) training generally opposed the effects of aging. Significant hypertrophy remained in long-term trained old animals, but levels of sarcoendoplasmic reticulum calcium ATPase, sodium–calcium exchange, and collagen were not significantly different from those found in the adult trained animals

Doping, European Law and the Implications of Meca-Medina

The ruling of the European Court of Justice in the anti-doping case of Meca Medina v. The Commission has important implications for athletes, domestic governing bodies, international federations and supra-national actors such as WADA and the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Meca-Medina has been criticised as an unwelcome interference by the courts in the legitimate activities of sporting organisations, but after Bosman it was fanciful to argue that those organisations should be ‘above the law’ and the courts should have no jurisdiction over their activities. That said, there is a stark difference between the courts having jurisdiction over sports’ decisions and being willing to overturn them - the courts have been, and remain, willing to defer to the expertise of sporting organisations. However, the ECJ’s ruling in MOTOE confirms that the courts will intervene in appropriate circumstances. In order to avoid sanction on competition law grounds sports organisations must thus be able to justify their provisions on (for example) what is an unacceptable level of nandrolone, show that athletes’ fundamental rights such as the right to a fair hearing have been respected, and ensure that any sanctions imposed upon athletes who fall foul of doping regulations are proportionate to the offence committed

An evaluation of the impact of a multidisciplinary team, in a single centre, on treatment and survival in patients with inoperable non-small-cell lung cancer

Treatment and survival of patients with inoperable Non-small-cell lung cancer in 1997 (n=117) and 2001 (n=126), before and after the introduction of a multidisciplinary team, was examined in a single centre. There were no differences in age, sex and extent of deprivation between the two years. However, in 2001, 23% of patients received chemotherapy treatment compared with 7% in 1997 (P<0.001). Median survival in 2001 was 6.6 months compared with 3.2 months in 1997 (P<0.001)

Developing a framework for carbohydrate awareness advice in type two diabetes

Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM) is a long-term condition in which dietary management is central, however there remains uncertainty about the most effective way to advise patients with T2DM about carbohydrate, even amongst Registered Dietitians (RDs). This research aimed to develop a framework for carbohydrate awareness advice using mixed methods research. Firstly, a meta-analysis found that evidence is lacking for a widespread carbohydrate restriction but restricting to below 130g per day offers short-term benefits for improving glycaemic control. The qualitative study involving interviews with people with T2DM and focus groups with RDs highlighted the importance of individualising advice for patients and identified helpful and unhelpful aspects of RD advice. RD reported practice varies, however they were able to describe carbohydrate awareness advice and outline key areas for professional development. Kleinman’s Explanatory Model and related concepts were applied to the findings from the two qualitative parts of the research and the systematic review. This allowed the construction of the Carbohydrate Awareness Advice Framework (CAAF) using the findings from this research and based on a strong theoretical foundation. The CAAF incorporates the findings from both the quantitative and qualitative research conducted for this thesis and should form the basis for an intervention in future clinical trials