Domestic Legislation and the Law of the Sea Conference

This presentation and panel discussion are part of the symposium entitled: Mining the Deep Seabed: A Range of Perspectives. It addresses some of the issues facing the United States Congress such as protecting the position of U.S. companies, as well as promoting international agreements with regards to ocean mining

CaV channels and cancer: canonical functions indicate benefits of repurposed drugs as cancer therapeutics

The importance of ion channels in the hallmarks of many cancers is increasingly recognised. This article reviews current knowledge of the expression of members of the voltage-gated calcium channel family (Ca(V)) in cancer at the gene and protein level and discusses their potential functional roles. The ten members of the Ca(V) channel family are classified according to expression of their pore-forming α-subunit; moreover, co-expression of accessory α2δ, β and γ confers a spectrum of biophysical characteristics including voltage dependence of activation and inactivation, current amplitude and activation/inactivation kinetics. Ca(V) channels have traditionally been studied in excitable cells including neurones, smooth muscle, skeletal muscle and cardiac cells, and drugs targeting the channels are used in the treatment of hypertension and epilepsy. There is emerging evidence that several Ca(V) channels are differentially expressed in cancer cells compared to their normal counterparts. Interestingly, a number of Ca(V) channels also have non-canonical functions and are involved in transcriptional regulation of the expression of other proteins including potassium channels. Pharmacological studies show that Ca(V) canonical function contributes to the fundamental biology of proliferation, cell-cycle progression and apoptosis. This raises the intriguing possibility that calcium channel blockers, approved for the treatment of other conditions, could be repurposed to treat particular cancers. Further research will reveal the full extent of both the canonical and non-canonical functions of Ca(V) channels in cancer and whether calcium channel blockers are beneficial in cancer treatment

The U.N. Law of the Sea Conference and the U.S. Congress: Will Pending U.S. Unilateral Action on Deep Seabed Mining Destroy Hope for a Treaty?

The eighth session of the United Nations Law of the Sea Conference convened recently in Geneva, Switzerland. A major unresolved issue at the Conference was the question of international regulation of deep seabed mining. In this article, Representative McCloskey and Attorney Losch discuss U.S. interests in achieving a comprehensive Law of the Sea Treaty, the sometimes conflicting objectives of other nations, and the effect that unilateral action by the U.S. Congress to legislate deep seabed mining could have on the successful completion of a treaty

The U.N. Law of the Sea Conference and the U.S. Congress: Will Pending U.S. Unilateral Action on Deep Seabed Mining Destroy Hope for a Treaty?

The eighth session of the United Nations Law of the Sea Conference convened recently in Geneva, Switzerland. A major unresolved issue at the Conference was the question of international regulation of deep seabed mining. In this article, Representative McCloskey and Attorney Losch discuss U.S. interests in achieving a comprehensive Law of the Sea Treaty, the sometimes conflicting objectives of other nations, and the effect that unilateral action by the U.S. Congress to legislate deep seabed mining could have on the successful completion of a treaty

Co-based amorphous thin films on silicon with soft magnetic properties

The present work investigates the emergence of multiple modes in the high-frequency permeability spectrum of Co-Zr-Ta-B amorphous thin films. Amorphous thin films of different thicknesses (t=100-530 nm) were deposited by DC magnetron sputtering. Their static and dynamic soft magnetic properties were investigated to explore the presence of multi-magnetic phases in the films. A two-phase magnetic behavior of the thicker films (≥333 nm) was revealed by the in-plane hysteresis loops. Multiple resonance peaks were observed in the high-frequency permeability spectrum of the thicker films. The thickness dependent multiple resonance peaks below the main ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) can be attributed to the two-phase magnetic behaviors of the films

Controlling the competing magnetic anisotropy energies in FineMET amorphous thin films with ultra-soft magnetic properties

Thickness dependent competing magnetic anisotropy energies were investigated to explore the global magnetic behaviours of FineMET amorphous thin films. A dominant perpendicular magnetization component in the as-deposited state of thinner films was observed due to high magnetoelastic anisotropy energy which arises from stresses induced at the substrate-film interface. This perpendicular magnetization component decreases with increasing film thickness. Thermal annealing at elevated temperature revealed a significant influence on the magnetization state of the FineMET thin films and controlled annealing steps leads to ultra-soft magnetic properties, making these thin films alloys ideal for a wide range of applications

Intimate Partner Violence Documentation and Awareness in an Urban Emergency Department.

Background Domestic violence rates in smaller cities have been reported to be some of the highest in Canada. It is highly likely that the staff at emergency departments (ED) will come in contact with victims of intimate partner violence in their daily practice. The purpose of this study is to better understand current practices for detecting intimate partner violence, staff awareness and knowledge regarding intimate partner violence, and barriers to questioning about intimate partner violence in the ED. Methods A standardized retrospective chart review captured domestic violence documentation rates in patients presenting to the ED, and a cross-sectional online survey was distributed to the ED staff. Results We found documentation about intimate partner violence in 4.64% of all included patient charts. No documentation was noted in the domestic violence field. Significantly, 16.4% of the ED staff reported never questioning female patients about intimate partner violence; 83.6% enquired when they thought it appropriate, and none asked routinely. None of the staff used a structured screening tool, and 81.8% of the ED staff had not received any formal training. Partner presence was the most common barrier to asking about intimate partner violence, followed by a lack of access to domestic violence management information, and a lack of knowledge regarding intimate partner violence. Conclusions Our findings suggest that the current documentation tools are not being properly utilized. Low rates of intimate partner violence documentation in high-risk patients and lack of education indicate that there is a need to improve current practices. In order to improve identification of this important problem, appropriate training and education about intimate partner/domestic violence are required to increase staff comfort as well as knowledge about available community resources for the victims

Near-field propagation of tsunamis from megathrust earthquakes

We investigate controls on tsunami generation and propagation in the near-field of great megathrust earthquakes using a series of numerical simulations of subduction and tsunamigenesis on the Sumatran forearc. The Sunda megathrust here is advanced in its seismic cycle and may be ready for another great earthquake. We calculate the seafloor displacements and tsunami wave heights for about 100 complex earthquake ruptures whose synthesis was informed by reference to geodetic and stress accumulation studies. Remarkably, results show that, for any near-field location: (1) the timing of tsunami inundation is independent of slip-distribution on the earthquake or even of its magnitude, and (2) the maximum wave height is directly proportional to the vertical coseismic displacement experienced at that location. Both observations are explained by the dominance of long wavelength crustal flexure in near-field tsunamigenesis. The results show, for the first time, that a single estimate of vertical coseismic displacement might provide a reliable short-term forecast of the maximum height of tsunami waves