Criminal Law In Antarctica: Law West Of The Pecos Revisited

In a criminal law matter, jurisdiction is often a minor consideration.  That is, where the crime is committed determines who has the right to prosecute and what law applies.  There may be some jurisdictional issues whether state law or federal law governs in the United States; but this is by and large resolved by one taking jurisdiction.  The same would be normally true in the international law area where it was committed.  That is, if a crime is committed in France or Germany, then the law where it was committed would prevail subject to other international issues such as diplomatic immunity which would prevent a sovereign from prosecuting.  This is not the case in Antarctica because Antarctica belongs to no one particular nation.  It is governed by the Antarctic Treaty.  The Treaty is mindful of territorial claims and defers to a sector theory as to which criminal law applies.  This means in this sovereign-less continent that one cannot tell specifically what criminal law, if any, exists to regulate activities.  This has numerous ramifications other than the micro application in one particular case because from a macro point of view actions can occur for which there is no remedy.  The analysis limits itself to criminal law issues, but much larger implications exist in the event of an environmental disaster, for example, where there may be no remedy against an offending party

Multidisciplinary Practices: Reality Or Illusion

A Multi-disciplinary practice is a practice or partnership formed between a lawyer and a non-lawyer, usually between a lawyer and an accountant.  As the lines blur between many of the services rendered by an attorney and an accountant, the multi-disciplinary practice becomes appealing.  Common ground has been found in tax matters, financial planning, elder law, and employment matters.  However, many impediments must be overcome to enable this form of practice to flourish.  These impediments, from both the legal and accounting profession, are discussed.  Analysis of the Codes of Professional Conduct and state statutes suggests that the challenges may be difficult to overcome

Using Identity Theft To Teach Enterprise Risk Management Make It Personal!

This article introduces an innovative way to teach the Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Integrated Framework (as developed by COSO), while at the same time informs the student of a real personal risk -- identity theft. This example of assessing and managing a real risk will enhance the students understanding of risk management, thereby increasing the skill set of the student. The student who gains an understanding of the ERM concepts can then apply this tool to all of the disciplines of business. The ERM framework can be tailored to any discipline, as shown by the following examples: presented in connection with the Balanced Scorecard; evaluating different organizational strategies in a Business Policy class; case analysis in Management or Marketing (particularly a new product or new market); in an Auditing class with discussion of internal controls; in Finance to evaluate the decision to invest in derivatives or capital project, and in an Entrepreneurship class

DEVELOPMENT OF ARYL SILOXANE CROSS-COUPLING TECHNOLOGY AND ITS APPLICATION TO THE SYNTHESIS OF COLCHICINE AND ALLOCOLCHICINE DERIVATIVES

One of the most versatile methods for the formation of aryl-aryl bonds is the palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction. Previous work in the DeShong laboratory has demonstrated the utility of aryl siloxanes for the palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling of aryl iodides, bromides, and chlorides, as well as new synthetic methods for the formation of aryl siloxanes. The work reported herein details (1) the synthesis of aryl siloxanes using ortho-metallation techniques (2) the coupling of aryl bis(catechol) silicates with aryl triflates, and (3) the application of aryl siloxane coupling technology to the synthesis of colchicine and allocolchicine derivatives. The synthesis of aryl siloxanes had previously been performed using either metal-halogen exchange, or transition metal-catalyzed silylation. These techniques necessitate the use of an aryl halide as the starting material. The application of ortho-metallation conditions avoids this requirement and allows for the synthesis of siloxanes directly from the unfunctionalized arene. Using this approach, ortho-ether and carbamate siloxanes were prepared in good yields, however, o-benzamide siloxanes could not be prepared using this method. The coupling of aryl triflates with aryl siloxanes had previously proven problematic due to competitive hydrolysis of the triflate. The use of aryl bis(catechol) silicates as siloxane surrogates facilitated the coupling of aryl triflates and iodides bearing a range of functional groups in excellent yield. Additionally, aryl bromides could be successfully coupled by switching from conventional heating to microwave irradiation. The use of aryl siloxanes in the synthesis of the natural products colchicine and allocolchine was explored. It was found that the carbocyclic framework of colchicine could be constructed using an aryl siloxane coupling reaction; however, the reaction required the use of a stoichiometric amount of the palladium "catalyst." This amount of catalyst was required because of the competition between a slow oxidative addition step, and a fast protodesilylation pathway that lead to the decomposition of the siloxane. The synthesis of the allocolchicine carbocyclic framework was successful utilizing a siloxane coupling reaction, and a phenanthrol ring expansion protocol as the key steps

Anion-transport mechanism of a triazole-bearing derivative of prodigiosine: a candidate for cystic fibrosis therapy

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic lethal disease, originated from the defective function of the CFTR protein, a chloride and bicarbonate permeable transmembrane channel. CF mutations affect CFTR protein through a variety of molecular mechanisms which result in different functional defects. Current therapeutic approaches are targeted to specific groups of patients that share a common functional defect. We seek to develop an innovative therapeutic approach for the treatment of CF using anionophores, small molecules that facilitate the transmembrane transport of anions. We have characterized the anion transport mechanism of a synthetic molecule based on the structure of prodigiosine, a red pigment produced by bacteria. Anionophore-driven chloride efflux from large unilamellar vesicles is consistent with activity of an uniporter carrier that facilitates the transport of anions through lipid membranes down the electrochemical gradient. There are no evidences of transport coupling with protons. The selectivity sequence of the prodigiosin inspired EH160 ionophore is formate > acetate > nitrate > chloride > bicarbonate. Sulfate, phosphate, aspartate, isothionate, and gluconate are not significantly transported by these anionophores. Protonation at acidic pH is important for the transport capacity of the anionophore. This prodigiosin derived ionophore induces anion transport in living cells. Its low toxicity and capacity to transport chloride and bicarbonate, when applied at low concentration, constitute a promising starting point for the development of drug candidates for CF therapy.European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 667079 and Consejería de Educación de la Junta de Castilla y León (Project BU092U16)

Towards predictable transmembrane transport: QSAR analysis of anion binding and transport

The transport of anions across biological membranes by small molecules is a growing research field due to the potential therapeutic benefits of these compounds. However, little is known about the exact mechanism by which these drug-like molecules work and which molecular features make a good transporter. An extended series of 1-hexyl-3-phenylthioureas were synthesized, fully characterized (NMR, mass spectrometry, IR and single crystal diffraction) and their anion binding and anion transport properties were assessed using 1H NMR titration techniques and a variety of vesicle-based experiments. Quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) analysis revealed that the anion binding abilities of the mono-thioureas are dominated by the (hydrogen bond) acidity of the thiourea NH function. Furthermore, mathematical models show that the experimental transmembrane anion transport ability is mainly dependent on the lipophilicity of the transporter (partitioning into the membrane), but smaller contributions of molecular size (diffusion) and hydrogen bond acidity (anion binding) were also present. Finally, we provide the first step towards predictable anion transport by employing the QSAR equations to estimate the transmembrane transport ability of four new compounds