Justice, Environment and Virtue in Martha Nussbaum’s Capabilities Approach: An attempt to reconcile a capabilities-based account of justice with the concerns of the environmental movement through the application of virtue theory

Martha Nussbaum has produced a compelling account of how we might do justice to non-human animals, but in doing so she seems to have committed us to a project of ‘policing nature’, which appears to be at odds with many of the ethical commitments of the contemporary environmental movement. Intervening to make the circumstances of wild animals more conducive to their flourishing may be in accordance with the principles of Nussbaum’s capabilities approach, but it is at odds with the concerns of environmentalists who wish to ensure the functioning of ecosystems and the survival of species as an ethical imperative. Superficially, at least, it appears that one cannot endorse the capabilities approach and simultaneously be an environmentalist. In this thesis, I attempt to reconcile these two positions through appeal to the exercise of the virtues. While many of the premises of the capabilities approach and of the environmentalist accounts of ethics that I discuss are mutually exclusive, I suggest that an environmental virtue ethic, such as that described by Ronald Sandler, can justify many of the ethical stances that the environmentalist wishes us to adopt. In particular, characteristics of the virtue of humility can inform the agent as to why extending justice to wild animals is not a warranted course of action. I also apply virtue ethical considerations to the issues of species extinction and ecosystem destruction, areas in which the capabilities approach seems to offer little guidance. Thus, I propose augmenting our capabilities-based account of justice with an environmentally conscious appeal to the virtues in order to produce more consistent moral guidance with regard to the non-human world

Endangered languages: current issues and future prospects

Review of Grenoble, L. A. & Whaley, L. J. (Eds) Endangered languages: current issues and future prospects [Cambridge] [Cambridge University Press]; 1998. p. xvii, 36

Dissecting host-pathogen interactions in bovine digital dermatitis

Bovine digital dermatitis (BDD) is an inflammatory infectious disease of the digital skin and is of increasing global importance for animal welfare and food security as one of the most important causes of severe lameness in dairy cattle. Whilst three phylogroups of spirochaetes of the genus Treponema (Treponema medium, Treponema phagedenis and Treponema pedis) are highly associated with BDD, having been consistently isolated from lesions, their individual roles in BDD pathogenesis within the bovine foot skin tissue have yet to be elucidated. The poor characterisation of BDD pathogenesis has, to-date, largely hindered development of novel therapeutics and vaccines against BDD. The work presented within this thesis aimed to investigate host-pathogen interactions underlying BDD and determine whether individual Treponema phylogroups implement distinct pathogenic mechanisms upon cells of the bovine foot skin tissue. Primary fibroblast and keratinocyte cells were successfully isolated and subsequently cultured from bovine dermal and epidermal foot skin tissues, respectively, and were then characterised by immunofluorescent staining and RT-PCR, using cell markers, to provide a useful model for studying host-pathogen interactions of BDD. The skin model was subsequently implemented to compare global transcriptional profiles of bovine foot skin fibroblasts following stimulation with representative strains of the three predominant BDD treponeme phylogroups using an RNA-Seq approach. This study is the first to report distinct differences in the dysregulation of global gene expression induced by BDD Treponema phylogroups in bovine fibroblasts. T. medium phylogroup and T. pedis were found to dysregulate host actin rearrangement and appeared to induce loss of cell adhesion via the RND1 gene. Whilst T. medium phylogroup was profoundly less stimulatory, it also appeared to induce immune suppression through unique upregulation of the TSC22D3 gene. T. phagedenis phylogroup uniquely upregulated the antimicrobial peptide precursor, β-defensin 123. Bovine fibroblasts appeared to demonstrate a strong pro-inflammatory response to Gram-negative bacterial lipopolysaccharide through the interleukin-17 signalling pathway; however, BDD treponemes specifically upregulated expression of five inflammatory mediators; most notably interleukin-8. Commensal treponemes are commonly found within the gastrointestinal tract and provide an effective tool for comparison in host-pathogen interaction studies. In absence of a known non-pathogenic treponeme of the bovine skin, a novel spirochaete isolate of the bovine rumen was genotypically and phenotypically characterised, being proposed as novel species, Treponema ruminis, for use as a control organism during RNA-Seq. Despite considerable genotypic and phenotypic differences, global gene expression profiles induced by T. ruminis and T. phagedenis phylogroup and T. pedis spirochaetes were markedly similar. Further to this study, the molecular diversity of a putative outer membrane protein (OMP) was investigated across 121 strains representing three predominant BDD treponeme phylogroups. Gene sequencing of the novel putative OMP revealed limited intra-phylogroup diversity, suggesting that immune selection was not significantly influencing the evolution of this gene and that it may be a useful candidate for future vaccine development. Collectively, these studies increase previously limited knowledge of the pathogenic mechanisms of BDD treponemes and provide novel insights into the host-pathogen interactions between specific treponeme phylogroups and bovine foot skin fibroblast cells during infection. Several genes identified in this study may be useful targets for the development of novel therapeutics and require further investigation

The Pi-puck extension board: a Raspberry Pi interface for the e-puck robot platform

This paper presents the Pi-puck extension board - an interface between the e-puck robot platform and a Raspberry Pi single-board computer that enhances the processing power, memory capacity, and networking capabilities of the robot at a low cost. It allows high-level control algorithms, wireless communication, and computationally expensive operations such as real-time image processing to be handled by a Raspberry Pi, while the e-puck's microcontroller deals with low-level motor control and sensor interfacing. Although two similar extension boards for the e-puck robot platform already exist, they are now out-dated and expensive in comparison. Our open-source hardware design and supporting software infrastructure offer an inexpensive upgrade to the e-puck robot, transforming it into the Pi-puck – a modern and flexible new platform for mobile robotics research

Isolation of digital dermatitis treponemes from hoof lesions in wild North American elk (Cervus elaphus) in Washington State, USA

Since 2008, a large increase in the numbers of cases of lameness have been seen in wild North American elk (Cervus elaphus) from Washington State, USA. The most recent cases manifested as foot lesions similar both clinically and pathologically to those seen in digital dermatitis (DD) in cattle and sheep, a disease with a bacterial etiopathogenesis. To determine whether the same bacteria considered responsible for DD are associated with elk lameness, lesion samples were subjected to bacterial isolation studies and PCR assays for three phylogroups of relevant DD treponemes. The DD treponemes were isolated from lesional tissues but not from control feet or other areas of the diseased foot (including the coronary band or interdigital space), suggesting that the bacteria are strongly associated with DD lesions and may therefore be causal. In addition, PCR analysis revealed that all three unique DD treponeme phylotypes were found in elk hoof disease, and in 23 of samples, all 3 DD-associated treponemes were present in lesions. Sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA gene showed that the elk lesion treponemes were phylogenetically almost identical to those isolated from cattle and sheep DD lesions. The isolates were particularly similar to two of the three culturable DD treponeme phylotypes: specifically, the Treponema medium/Treponema vincentii-like and Treponema phagedenis-like DD spirochetes. The third treponeme culturable phylogroup (Treponema pedis), although detected by PCR, was not isolated. This is the first report describing isolation of DD treponemes from a wildlife host, suggesting that the disease may be evolving to include a wider spectrum of cloven-hoofed animals. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved

Challenge of Bovine Foot Skin Fibroblasts With Digital Dermatitis Treponemes Identifies Distinct Pathogenic Mechanisms

Bovine digital dermatitis (BDD) is a common infectious disease of digital skin in cattle and an important cause of lameness worldwide, with limited treatment options. It is of increasing global concern for both animal welfare and food security, imposing a large economic burden on cattle farming industries each year. A polytreponemal etiology has been consistently identified, with three key phylogroups implicated globally: Treponema medium, Treponema phagedenis, and Treponema pedis. Pathogenic mechanisms which might enable targeted treatment/therapeutic development are poorly defined. This study used RNA sequencing to determine global differential mRNA expression in primary bovine foot skin fibroblasts following challenge with three representative BDD treponemes and a commensal treponeme, Treponema ruminis. A pro-inflammatory response was elicited by the BDD treponemes, mediated through IL-8/IL-17 signaling. Unexpectedly, the three BDD treponemes elicited distinct mechanisms of pathogenesis. T. phagedenis and T. pedis increased abundance of mRNA transcripts associated with apoptosis, while T. medium and T. pedis increased transcripts involved in actin rearrangement and loss of cell adhesion, likely promoting tissue invasion. The upregulation of antimicrobial peptide precursor, DEFB123, by T. phagedenis spirochaetes may present a microbial ecological advantage to all treponemes within BDD infected tissue, explaining their dominance within lesions. A commensal, T. ruminis, significantly dysregulated over three times the number of host mRNA transcripts compared to BDD treponemes, implying BDD treponemes, akin to the syphilis pathogen (Treponema pallidum), have evolved as “stealth pathogens” which avoid triggering substantial host immune/inflammatory responses to enable persistence and tissue invasion. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated increased IL-6, IL-8, RND1, and CFB protein expression in BDD lesions, confirming in vitro fibroblast observations and highlighting the system’s value in modeling BDD pathogenesis. Several unique shared gene targets were identified, particularly RGS16, GRO1, MAFF, and ZC3H12A. The three key BDD Treponema phylogroups elicited both distinct and shared pathogenic mechanisms in bovine foot skin; upregulating inflammation whilst simultaneously suppressing adaptive immunity. The novel gene targets identified here should enable future vaccine/therapeutic approaches.</jats:p

Observation and enhancement through alkali metal doping of p-type conductivity in the layered oxyselenides Sr₂ZnO₂Cu₂Se₂ and Ba₂Zn_1−xO_2−xCu₂Se₂

The optoelectronic properties of two layered copper oxyselenide compounds, with nominal composition Sr2ZnO2Cu2Se2 and Ba2ZnO2Cu2Se2, have been investigated to determine their suitability as p-type conductors. The structure, band gaps and electrical conductivity of pristine and alkali-metal-doped samples have been determined. We find that the strontium-containing compound, Sr2ZnO2Cu2Se2, adopts the expected tetragonal Sr2Mn3SbO2 structure with I4/mmm symmetry, and has a band gap of 2.16 eV, and a room temperature conductivity of 4.8 × 10−1 S cm−1. The conductivity of the compound could be increased to 4.2 S cm−1 when sodium doped to a nominal composition of Na0.1Sr1.9ZnO2Cu2Se2. In contrast, the barium containing material was found to have a small zinc oxide deficiency, with a sample dependent compositional range of Ba2Zn1−xO2−xCu2Se2 where 0.01 &lt; x &lt; 0.06, as determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction and powder neutron diffraction. The barium-containing structure could also be modelled using the tetragonal I4/mmm structure, but significant elongation of the oxygen displacement ellipsoid along the Zn–O bonds in the average structure was observed. This indicated that the oxide ion position was better modelled as a disordered split site with a displacement to change the local zinc coordination from square planar to linear. Electron diffraction data confirmed that the oxide site in Ba2Zn1−xO2−xCu2Se2 does not adopt a long range ordered arrangement, but also that the idealised I4/mmm structure with an unsplit oxide site was not consistent with the extra reflections observed in the electron diffractograms. The band gap and conductivity of Ba2Zn1−xO2−xCu2Se2 were determined to be 2.22 eV and 2.0 × 10−3 S cm−1 respectively. The conductivity could be increased to 1.5 × 10−1 S cm−1 with potassium doping in K0.1Ba1.9Zn1−xO2−xCu2Se2. Hall measurements confirmed that both materials were p-type conductors with holes as the dominant charge carriers

Emerging from below the social radar : Incipient evaluation in the North West of England

This paper investigates the social meaning of post‐nasal [ɡ]‐presence, a dialectal variant characteristic of North Western varieties of British English that is claimed to have local prestige. Using a matched‐guise approach, this study reveals the absence of a community‐wide norm with respect to how [ŋɡ] clusters are evaluated as well as diachronic change in the level of awareness speakers have of this variable. Older subjects are not sensitive to the dialectal status of [ŋɡ] and as a result do not evaluate it differently from [ŋ]; the local form is more accessible to evaluation among younger subjects, for whom the northern indexicality is stronger, but at this incipient stage of social meaning there is no agreement on what the content of this evaluation should be. The results speak to questions regarding the development of shared norms, their role in the speech community, and the granularity of social meaning more generally

Sociolinguistic reflexes of dialect interference in West Wirral

Teilw. zugl.: Reading, Univ., Diss., 198