Private and public aspects of Trespass : problems of theorising law.

The need for the concrete analysis of Trespass is dictated by current struggles over the conditions of land possession in the conjuncture. Whilst only a Marxist approach is capable of accounting for the complexity of the totality of Trespass and related law, the principal general theories of law and the State are prevented from doing justice to this task by their common rationalist conception of the abstract/concrete relation and their consequent inability to satisfactorily ground concrete socio-legal analysis. The proper understanding of Marx's method of investigation in Capital, however, can provide the basis for such analysis, through the specification of a concrete-abstract- concrete methodological trajectory which respects the specificity of the particular object of study. The point of departure for the analysis of Trespass is its simplest and most irreducible expression in concrete social practice: The equal right to exclude the world from interference with the possession of land. The concrete particular is analyzed through scientific Abstraction, which further accompanies the movement from simple to ever more complex aspects of the object until the concrete totality of law securing relations of ownership, possession and separation is explained in its complex form and function. Finally the broadest Concrete Totality of Trespass and related law is revealed in the full context of its political and socio-economic determinations in the conjuncture: The fundamental pre-condition of the transformation of Trespass in the 1970's is the crisis of capital accumulation, as mediated through domestic and industrial crises and the phenomena of squatting and factory occupations which have threatened existing relations of possession and the institutions of exclusive property right. Law is ultimately revealed as a terrain of struggle that has enabled the greater possessors to resolve the legal and socio-economic crisis to their own advantage at the expense of lesser possessory interests

Some Metabolites of Chaetomium affine Corda

From the fungus Chaetomium affine C o r d a three complex metabolites have been isolated of which two, chaetochrysin and chaetoflavin, are yellow isomerides having the molecular formula C31H26O11. The third compound, chaetoalbin, C30H28-30O11, is colourless and appears to be closely related to chaetochrysin. The results of preliminary investigations on the structures of the metabolites are described

Fiscal Shocks, Budgetary Pressures, and Public Education Expenditure Stabilization

Fiscal shocks exert budgetary pressures on school districts and constrain their ability to provide public education. An emerging literature examines the role of fiscal reserves to mitigate expenditure cuts in school districts. In the U.S. context, this article provides evidence that Kentucky school districts from school years 2001–2002 to 2013–2014 drained fiscal reserves and cut expenditures in response to revenue decreases. Further, school districts drained fiscal reserves to stabilize non-instructional expenditures, which have fixed costs. Collectively, the findings presented in this article build evidence that school districts strategically respond to budgetary pressures

New World Origins of Southwest Pacific Gesneriaceae: Multiple Movements Across and Within the South Pacific

Coronanthereae is a tribe of ~20 species with a suite of unique morphological characters and a disjunct geographic distribution in the Southern Hemisphere. Three species are found in southern South America and the remainder in the southwest Pacific. It has been suggested, because of this distribution and disjunction, that Coronanthereae represents a relictual Gondwanan group from which the two major lineages in the family, the Old World Cyrtandroideae and the New World Gesnerioideae, originated. We tested this hypothesis by using phylogenetic analyses of nuclear and chloroplast DNA sequences, ancestral-area reconstruction, and molecular dating. The tribe is placed within the mostly Neotropical subfamily Gesnerioideae and comprises three lineages, treated here as subtribes. Two events of dispersal from South America explain the presence of the tribe in the South Pacific. Negriinae, newly recognized here, comprises arborescent genera: Australian Lenbrassia, New Caledonian Depanthus, and Negria from Lord Howe Island. Mitrariinae groups facultatively epiphytic Australian Fieldia with epiphytes from South America, a finding inconsistent with recent placement of Lenbrassia in synonymy of Fieldia. Coronantherinae consists of the arborescent Coronanthera from New Caledonia and the shrub Rhabdothamnus from New Zealand. Ancestral-area reconstruction and molecular dating of the clades support long-distance dispersal mechanisms, rather than Gondwanan vicariance, for explaining geographic distributions

Large-plot field studies to assess impacts of newer insecticides on non-target arthropods in Western U.S. orchards

The non-target impacts of two reduced risk insecticides, chlorantraniliprole and spinetoram, were evaluated for two years in Oregon pear and California walnut orchards. Experiments were conducted in large replicated plots (approximately 0.25–0.4ha) to assess the impact of these two insecticides on natural enemies of secondary pests when applied against codling moth, Cydia pomonella. Cumulative insect days (CID) of secondary pests and natural enemies were calculated from leaf samples, plant volatile traps, beat trays or cardboard trunk bands. Ratios of natural enemies and prey were also calculated. Results from these field studies demonstrate that applications of chlorantraniliprole can reduce abundance of predatory Neuroptera and that spinetoram negatively impacts parasitic Hymenoptera. However, these trends did not always occur each year. As a percentage among all trials within a crop, there were more treatment differences for natural enemy/prey ratios (50 and 33% for pears and walnut plots, respectively) than for natural enemy CIDs (25 and 13% for pears and walnut plots, respectively). It is likely that unseasonably cool weather during the two years of this study impacted both pest and natural enemy abundance. The intrinsic value of large-plot field studies is discussed

Real-time monitoring of live mycobacteria with a microfluidic acoustic-Raman platform

Funding: UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council for funding through grant EP/P030017/1 and fellowship EP/L025035/1. This work was also supported by the PreDiCT-TB consortium [IMI Joint undertaking grant agreement number 115337, resources of which are composed of financial contribution from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) and EFPIA companies’ in kind contribution (www.imi.europa.eu)] and the PanACEA consortium [funded by the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP); grant agreement: TRIA-2015-1102]Tuberculosis (TB) remains a leading cause of death worldwide. Lipid rich, phenotypically antibiotic tolerant, bacteria are more resistant to antibiotics and may be responsible for relapse and the need for long-term TB treatment. We present a microfluidic system that acoustically traps live mycobacteria, M. smegmatis, a model organism for M. tuberculosis. We then perform optical analysis in the form of wavelength modulated Raman spectroscopy (WMRS) on the trapped M. smegmatis for up to eight hours, and also in the presence of isoniazid (INH). The Raman fingerprints of M. smegmatis exposed to INH change substantially in comparison to the unstressed condition. Our work provides a real-time assessment of the impact of INH on the increase of lipids in these mycobacteria, which could render the cells more tolerant to antibiotics. This microfluidic platform may be used to study any microorganism and to dynamically monitor its response to different conditions and stimuli.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

RNA-Seq of Huntington's disease patient myeloid cells reveals innate transcriptional dysregulation associated with proinflammatory pathway activation

Innate immune activation beyond the central nervous system is emerging as a vital component of the pathogenesis of neurodegeneration. Huntington’s disease (HD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the huntingtin gene. The systemic innate immune system is thought to act as a modifier of disease progression; however, the molecular mechanisms remain only partially understood. Here we use RNA-sequencing to perform whole transcriptome analysis of primary monocytes from thirty manifest HD patients and thirty-three control subjects, cultured with and without a proinflammatory stimulus. In contrast with previous studies that have required stimulation to elicit phenotypic abnormalities, we demonstrate significant transcriptional differences in HD monocytes in their basal, unstimulated state. This includes previously undetected increased resting expression of genes encoding numerous proinflammatory cytokines, such as IL6. Further pathway analysis revealed widespread resting enrichment of proinflammatory functional gene sets, while upstream regulator analysis coupled with Western blotting suggests that abnormal basal activation of the NFOEB pathway plays a key role in mediating these transcriptional changes. That HD myeloid cells have a proinflammatory phenotype in the absence of stimulation is consistent with a priming effect of mutant huntingtin, whereby basal dysfunction leads to an exaggerated inflammatory response once a stimulus is encountered. These data advance our understanding of mutant huntingtin pathogenesis, establish resting myeloid cells as a key source of HD immune dysfunction, and further demonstrate the importance of systemic immunity in the potential treatment of HD and the wider study of neurodegeneration

Clinical and cost evaluation of intensive support team (IST) models for adults with intellectual disabilities who display challenging behaviour: a comparative cohort study protocol

Introduction: Approximately 17% of adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) living in the community display behaviours that challenge. Intensive support teams (ISTs) have been recommended to provide high-quality responsive care aimed at avoiding unnecessary admissions and reducing lengthy inpatient stays in England. We have identified two models of ISTs (model 1: enhanced provision and model 2: independent provision). This study aims to investigate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of the two models of ISTs. Methods and analysis: A cohort of 226 adults with ID displaying behaviour that challenges who receive support from ISTs from each model will be recruited and assessed at baseline and 9 months later to compare the clinical and cost-effectiveness between models. The primary outcome is reduction in challenging behaviour measured by the Aberrant Behaviour Checklist-Community (ABC-C). The mean difference in change in ABC score between the two IST models will be estimated from a multilevel linear regression model. Secondary outcomes include mental health status, clinical risk, quality of life, health-related quality of life, level of functioning and service use. We will undertake a cost-effectiveness analysis taking both a health and social care and wider societal perspective. Semistructured interviews will be conducted with multiple stakeholders (ie, service users, paid/family carers, IST managers/staff) to investigate the experience of IST care as well as an online survey of referrers to capture their contact with the teams. Ethics and dissemination: The study was approved by the London–Bromley Research Ethics Committee (REC reference: 18/LO/0890). Informed consent will be obtained from the person with ID, or a family/nominated consultee for those lacking capacity and from his/her caregivers. The findings of the study will be disseminated to academic audiences, professionals, experts by experience and arm’s-length bodies and policymakers via publications, seminars and digital platforms. Trial registration number: ClinicalTrials.gov Registry (NCT03586375)