Trouble in Paradise - A disabled person's right to the satisfaction of a self-defined need:Some conceptual and practical problems

This paper questions the usefulness of the rights-based approach to ameliorating the social situation of disabled people in Britain and advances two criticisms. First, that rights and self-de? ned needs have been under-theorised by disability theorists to the extent that they have insuf? ciently appreciated the problems that these approaches pose. The paper suggests that rights to appropriate resources to satisfy self-de? ned needs will generate vast numbers of competing rights claims and that the resulting tendency of rights to con? ict has been under-appreciated. Secondly, that there has been little consideration of how these con? icts might be reconciled. The ? rst two sections of the paper look at the concepts of ascribed and self-de? ned needs, respectively, whilst the ? nal one looks at some of the problems of the rights approach and some of the dif? culties of making self-de? ned need the basis of rights claims

Probing exotic phenomena at the interface of nuclear and particle physics with the electric dipole moments of diamagnetic atoms: A unique window to hadronic and semi-leptonic CP violation

The current status of electric dipole moments of diamagnetic atoms which involves the synergy between atomic experiments and three different theoretical areas -- particle, nuclear and atomic is reviewed. Various models of particle physics that predict CP violation, which is necessary for the existence of such electric dipole moments, are presented. These include the standard model of particle physics and various extensions of it. Effective hadron level combined charge conjugation (C) and parity (P) symmetry violating interactions are derived taking into consideration different ways in which a nucleon interacts with other nucleons as well as with electrons. Nuclear structure calculations of the CP-odd nuclear Schiff moment are discussed using the shell model and other theoretical approaches. Results of the calculations of atomic electric dipole moments due to the interaction of the nuclear Schiff moment with the electrons and the P and time-reversal (T) symmetry violating tensor-pseudotensor electron-nucleus are elucidated using different relativistic many-body theories. The principles of the measurement of the electric dipole moments of diamagnetic atoms are outlined. Upper limits for the nuclear Schiff moment and tensor-pseudotensor coupling constant are obtained combining the results of atomic experiments and relativistic many-body theories. The coefficients for the different sources of CP violation have been estimated at the elementary particle level for all the diamagnetic atoms of current experimental interest and their implications for physics beyond the standard model is discussed. Possible improvements of the current results of the measurements as well as quantum chromodynamics, nuclear and atomic calculations are suggested.Comment: 46 pages, 19 tables and 16 figures. A review article accepted for EPJ

Copper and zinc mixtures induce shifts in microbial communities and reduce leaf litter decomposition in streams

1. To assess the impact of metal mixtures on microbial decomposition of leaf litter, we exposed leaves previously immersed in a stream to environmentally realistic concentrations of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) (three levels), alone and in all possible combinations. The response of the microbial community was monitored after 10, 25 and 40 days of metal exposure by examining leaf mass loss, fungal and bacterial biomass, fungal reproduction and fungal and bacterial diversity.2. Analysis of microbial diversity, assessed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and identification of fungal spores, indicated that metal exposure altered the structure of fungal and bacterial communities on decomposing leaves.3. Exposure to metal mixtures or to the highest Cu concentration significantly reduced leaf decomposition rates and fungal reproduction, but not fungal biomass. Bacterial biomass was strongly inhibited by all metal treatments.4. The effects of Cu and Zn mixtures on microbial decomposition of leaf litter were mostly additive, because observed effects did not differ from those expected as the sum of single metal effects. However, antagonistic effects on bacterial biomass were found in all metal combinations and on fungal reproduction in metal combinations with the highest Cu concentrations, particularly at longer exposure times.Portuguese Foundation for the Science and the Technology supported S. Duarte (SFRH/BD/13482/ 2003) and A. Alves (SFRH/BPD/24509/2005

Inhibitory effect of interleukin-16 on interleukin-2 production by CD4+ T cells

Signalling through CD4 by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 envelope glycoprotein (gpl20) and/or anti-CD4 antibodies can promote T-cell activation and anergy. Interleukin (IL)-16 is a competence growth factor for CD4+ T cells that can induce a G0 to G1 cell cycle transition but cannot induce cell division. The receptor of this cytokine is thought to be the CD4 molecule, although the binding epitope of IL-16 differs from that of HIV. We have demonstrated that both HIV-1/gp120 and IL-16 induced CD4+ T-cell dysfunction, as indicated by suppression of mitogen-induced IL-2 production. Two anti-CD4 antibodies with different binding sites on CD4 also showed an inhibitory effect on IL-2 production. These results indicate that promotion of CD4+ T-cell anergy via the CD4 molecule does not depend on the binding sites of the CD4 ligands