In the Interests of clients or commerce? Legal aid, supply, demand, and 'ethical indeterminacy' in criminal defence work

As a professional, a lawyer's first duty is to serve the client's best interests, before simple monetary gain. In criminal defence work, this duty has been questioned in the debate about the causes of growth in legal aid spending: is it driven by lawyers (suppliers) inducing unnecessary demand for their services or are they merely responding to increased demand? Research reported here found clear evidence of a change in the handling of cases in response to new payment structures, though in ways unexpected by the policy's proponents. The paper develops the concept of 'ethical indeterminacy' as a way of understanding how defence lawyers seek to reconcile the interests of commerce and clients. Ethical indeterminacy suggests that where different courses of action could each be said to benefit the client, the lawyer will tend to advise the client to decide in the lawyer's own interests. Ethical indeterminacy is mediated by a range of competing conceptions of 'quality' and 'need'. The paper goes on to question the very distinction between 'supply' and 'demand' in the provision of legal services

Determination of perchlorate in infant formula by isotope dilution ion chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

A sensitive and selective isotope dilution ion chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (ID IC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the determination of perchlorate in infant formula. The perchlorate was extracted from infant formula by using 20 ml of methanol and 5 ml of 1% acetic acid. All samples were spiked with 18O4 isotope-labelled perchlorate internal standard prior to extraction. After purification on a graphitised carbon solid-phase extraction column, the extracts were injected into an ion chromatography system equipped with an Ionpac AS20 column for separation of perchlorate from other anions. The presence of perchlorate in samples was quantified by isotope dilution mass spectrometry. Analysis of both perchlorate and its isotope-labelled internal standard was carried out on a Waters Quattro Ultima triple quadrupole mass spectrometer operating in a multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) negative ionisation mode. The method was validated for linearity and range, accuracy, precision, sensitivity, and matrix effects. The limit of quantification (LOQ) was 0.4 μg 1−1 for liquid infant formula and 0.95 μg kg−1 for powdered infant formula. The recovery ranged from 94% to 110% with an average of 98%. This method was used to analyse 39 infant formula, and perchlorate concentrations ranging from <LOQ to 13.5 μg 1−1

Evapotranspiration deficit controls net primary production and growth of silver fir: Implications for Circum-Mediterranean forests under forecasted warmer and drier conditions

Warming-induced drought stress has been hypothesized as a major driver of forest net primary production (NPP) reduction, but we lack reliable field data to assess if higher temperatures lead to forest NPP reduction, particularly in humid sites and at basin to landscape spatial scales. The use of a landscape approach would allow considering the feedbacks operating between climate, topography, soil vegetation and water resources. Here we follow that approach by simulating NPP using the regional hydro-ecologic simulation system (RHESSys) model and by comparing the results with radial growth data (tree-ring widths and intrinsic water-use efficiency - iWUE). We evaluate the relationships between climate, growth, NPP, atmospheric CO2 concentrations (ca) and iWUE in xeric and mesic silver fir forests subjected to contrasting water balances. The growth data successfully validated the 11-month NPP cumulated until spring. The main negative climatic driver of growth and NPP was the summer evapotranspiration deficit, which shows a negative association with tree-ring width indices. Sensitivity analyses indicate that rising ca do not compensate the severe NPP reduction associated to warmer and drier conditions. The positive effect of rising ca on NPP is mediated by climatic site conditions being detected only in mesic sites, whereas the negative effects of drought on NPP override any ca-related enhancement of NPP in xeric sites. Future warmer and drier conditions causing a higher evaporative demand by the atmosphere could lead to a NPP decline in temperate conifer forests subjected to episodic droughts. © 2015 Elsevier B.V.We would like to thank the Spanish Meteorological State Agency (AEMET) and the Confederación Hidrográfica del Ebro for providing the climatic and streamflow databases used in this study. This work has been supported by research projects CGL2011-27574-CO2-02, CGL2011-27536, CGL2014-52135-CO3-01 and Red de variabilidad y cambio climático RECLIM (CGL2014-517221-REDT) financed by the Spanish Commission of Science and Technology and FEDER, “LIFE12 ENV/ES/000536-Demonstration and validation of innovative methodology for regional climate change adaptation in the Mediterranean area (LIFE MEDACC)” financed by the LIFE programme of the European Commission and CTTP1/12 financed by the Comunidad de Trabajo de los Pirineos. JJC also acknowledges the support of ARAID and projects 012/2008, 387/2011 and 1012S (Organismo Autónomo Parques Nacionales, Spain).Peer Reviewe

Cationic biaryl 1,2,3-triazolyl peptidomimetic amphiphiles: synthesis, antibacterial evaluation and preliminary mechanism of action studies

Synthetic small molecular antimicrobial peptidomimetics represent a promising new class of potential antibiotics due to their membrane-disrupting ability and their decreased propensity for bacterial resistance. A library of 43 mono- and di-cationic biaryl 1,2,3-triazolyl peptidomimetics was designed and synthesized based upon previously established lead biarylpeptidomimetics and a known pharmacophore. A reliable, facile and modular synthetic pathway allowed for the efficient synthesis of multiple unique scaffolds which were subjected to divergent derivatization to furnish the amphiphilic compounds. In vitro testing revealed enhanced antibacterial efficacy against a range of pathogenic bacteria, including bacterial isolates with methicillin, vancomycin, daptomycin, or multi-drug resistance. Preliminary time-kill kinetics and membrane-disruption assays revealed a likely membrane-active mechanism for the tested peptidomimetics. An optimal balance between hydrophobicity and cationic charge was found to be essential for reduced cytotoxicity/haemolysis (i.e. membrane selectivity) and enhanced Gram-negative activity. The cationic biaryl amphiphile 81 was identified as a potent, broad-spectrum peptidomimetic with activity against Gram-positive (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus - MIC = 2 μg/mL) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli - MIC = 4 μg/mL) pathogenic bacteria

Cationic biaryl 1,2,3-triazolyl peptidomimetic amphiphiles: synthesis, antibacterial evaluation and preliminary mechanism of action studies

Synthetic small molecular antimicrobial peptidomimetics represent a promising new class of potential antibiotics due to their membrane-disrupting ability and their decreased propensity for bacterial resistance. A library of 43 mono- and di-cationic biaryl 1,2,3-triazolyl peptidomimetics was designed and synthesized based upon previously established lead biarylpeptidomimetics and a known pharmacophore. A reliable, facile and modular synthetic pathway allowed for the efficient synthesis of multiple unique scaffolds which were subjected to divergent derivatization to furnish the amphiphilic compounds. In vitro testing revealed enhanced antibacterial efficacy against a range of pathogenic bacteria, including bacterial isolates with methicillin, vancomycin, daptomycin, or multi-drug resistance. Preliminary time-kill kinetics and membrane-disruption assays revealed a likely membrane-active mechanism for the tested peptidomimetics. An optimal balance between hydrophobicity and cationic charge was found to be essential for reduced cytotoxicity/haemolysis (i.e. membrane selectivity) and enhanced Gram-negative activity. The cationic biaryl amphiphile 81 was identified as a potent, broad-spectrum peptidomimetic with activity against Gram-positive (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus - MIC = 2 μg/mL) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli - MIC = 4 μg/mL) pathogenic bacteria. © 2019 Elsevier Masson SA

Stitching Life Together” A Capstone Project

Our Sophomore Scholars in Residence class, Longevity and Happiness, made a quilt for its capstone project. Each member of the class (15 students, 1 faculty) designed and then sewed together a 12 x 12 inch square, based on a particular person or theme from the course. Most of the squares depict the lives of individuals we met and interviewed over the year, including several from Canada, where we traveled for fall break to interview the exceptionally long-lived individuals in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. We also interviewed several individuals from Richmond, VA. Throughout the spring semester, we learned and practiced our sewing skills, bought fabric, visited quilting stores, and finally stitched together the squares to batting and backing to create our capstone quilt for its presentation as part of the 2018 Arts & Sciences Student Symposium. The quilt traveled to Nova Scotia in June 2018 as part of a Summer Research Fellowship project awarded to SSIR students Elizabeth Cooper, Mallory Haskins, and Peter Kade. These students returned to Lunenburg to conduct follow-up research based on their coursework in Longevity and Happiness, and shared the quilt with some of our interviewees from the trip to Nova Scotia in October 2018. The quilt will hang in Richmond Hall, Department of Psychology, University of Richmond.https://scholarship.richmond.edu/ssir-presentations-2018/1004/thumbnail.jp

Effectiveness of a web- and mobile phone-based intervention to promote physical activity and healthy eating in middle-Aged males: Randomized controlled trial of the manup study

Background: The high number of adult males engaging in low levels of physical activity and poor dietary practices, and the health risks posed by these behaviours, necessitate broad-reaching intervention strategies. IT-based (web and mobile phone) interventions can be accessed by large numbers of people, yet there are few reported IT-based interventions targeting males’ physical activity and dietary practices. Objective: This study examines the effectiveness of a 9-month IT-based intervention to improve the physical activity, dietary behaviours and health literacy in middle-aged males compared to a print-based intervention. Methods: Participants, recruited offline (e.g. newspaper ads), were randomized into either an IT-based or print-based intervention arm on a 2:1 basis in favour of the fully automated IT-based arm. Participants were adult males aged 35-54 years living in two regional cities in Queensland Australia who could access the internet, owned a mobile phone and were able to increase their activity level. The intervention, ManUp, was informed by social cognitive and self regulation theories and was specifically designed to target males. Educational materials were provided and self-monitoring of physical activity and nutrition behaviours was promoted. Intervention content was the same in both intervention arms, only the delivery mode differed, and content could be accessed throughout the 9-month study period. Participants’ physical activity, dietary behaviours, and health literacy were measured using online surveys at baseline, 3 months and 9 months. Results: A total of 301 participants completed baseline assessments, 205 in the ITbased arm and 96 in the print-based arm. A total of 124 participants completed all three assessments. There were no significant between group differences in physical 5 activity and dietary behaviours (p ≥0.05). Participants reported an increased number of minutes and sessions of physical activity at 3 months (b(exp)=1.45, 95% CI=1.09-1.95; b(exp)=1.61, 95% CI=1.17-2.22) and 9 months (b(exp)=1.55, 95% CI=1.14-2.10; b(exp)=1.51, 95% CI=1.15-2.00). Overall dietary behaviours improved at 3 months (b(exp)=1.07, 95% CI=1.03-1.11) and 9 months (b(exp)=1.10, 95% CI=1.05-1.13). The proportion of participants in both groups eating higher-fibre bread and low-fat milk increased at 3 months (b(exp) = 2.25, 95% CI = 1.29-3.92; b(exp)=1.65, 95% CI = 1.07-2.55). Participants in the IT-based arm were less likely to report that 30 minutes of physical activity per day improves health (b(exp)=0.48, 95% CI=0.26-0.90) and more likely to report that vigorous intensity physical activity 3 times per week is essential (b(exp)=1.70, 95% CI=1.02-2.82). The average number of logins to the IT-platform at 3 and 9 months was 6.99 (SE=0.86) and 9.22 (SE=1.47), respectively. The average number of self-monitoring entries at 3 and 9 months was 16.69 (SE=2.38) and 22.51 (SE=3.79), respectively. Conclusions: The ManUp intervention was effective in improving physical activity and dietary behaviours in middle aged males with no significant differences between IT- and print-based delivery modes

The Freedoms and Capabilities of Farm Animals: How Can Organic Husbandry Fulfill Them?

Organic farming promotes animal husbandry practices that consider the welfare of the animals on the farm. The concept of animal welfare and the standards that should encompass this concept have in many cases been largely generalised in practice, which leaves relevant aspects of animal freedom or capabilities insufficiently addressed. This chapter puts forth the prospect that the capabilities approach offers an appropriate practical platform by which to improve welfare in farm animals by meeting a wider range of their natural needs and abilities. The capabilities approach coupled with effective health planning could foster organic husbandry towards a more acceptable production system for farmers and consumers alike