A Proposed Fishery Conservation and Management Act for the Republic of China

This article has two parts. It begins with the text of the proposed (fishery) act. Following the text is a brief section-by-section analysis of the proposed act

The Normalization of the Exception: The Nexus of Emergency Powers and Criminal Justice in Colonial and Postcolonial Jamaica

Since the antiquity, the study of emergency powers has tended to revolve around the dichotomy between norm and exception, suggesting that governments follow established rules of law in ordinary circumstances and resort to extraordinary measures only in times of genuine emergency. My dissertation challenges this dichotomy by analyzing Jamaica’s colonial and post-colonial experiences with emergency powers in order to provide a different story about the norm-exception binary. In fact, Jamaica’s case shows there are no neat partitions between both spheres. Instead, what we see unfolding is the technical application of emergency provisions as legality, rule by law, rooted in continual legal violations and state violence for upholding the rule of law- substantive application and practices that reinforce civil liberties based on calculable, general, and prospective rules à la Locke. The study used a qualitative case study methodology for highlighting how the exception as usually functioned as the norm. These consisted of colonial archives, first and second-hand narratives, texts of emergency legislations, Commissions of Enquiry reports, newspaper articles, and other pertinent government publications (colonial and post-independence). Overall, the study traces episodes of martial law, States of Emergencies (SOEs), and special laws-cum-emergency powers like the notable Zones of Special Operations (ZOSOs) as techniques of government spanning the colonial to post-independence eras. It shows that such “emergency tools” involve practices arbitrary and unlawful mass extended detentions, extrajudicial killings, and renditions function as a form of derogation of fundamental rights of Jamaicans (primarily those from a lower socio-economic background) and state violence that echo the continuity of illiberal colonial practices. Essentially, these highlighted practices continually blur the lines between norm and exception, colonial, and post-colonial. Contrary to earlier theorizations, the dissertation demonstrates that the boundaries between norm and exception in Jamaica have eroded in ways that are inconsistent with the country’s stated commitments to the rule of law and democratic values

Synovial cell metabolism and chronic inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis

Metabolomic studies of body fluids show that immune-mediated inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are associated with metabolic disruption. This is likely to reflect the increased bioenergetic and biosynthetic demands of sustained inflammation and changes to nutrient and oxygen availability in damaged tissue. The synovial membrane lining layer is the principle site of inflammation in RA. Here the resident cells are the fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) and the synovial tissue macrophages (STM), which are transformed toward overproduction of enzymes which degrade cartilage and bone, and cytokines which promote immune cell infiltration. Recent studies have shown metabolic changes in both FLS and macrophages from RA patients and these may be therapeutically targetable. However, as the origins and subset specific functions of synoviocytes are poorly understood and the signaling modules which control metabolic deviation in RA synovial cells are yet to be explored, significant additional research is needed to translate these findings toward clinical application. Furthermore, in many inflamed tissues, different cell types can forge metabolic collaborations through solute carriers (SLC) in their membranes, to meet a high demand for energy or biomolecules. Such relationships are likely to exist in the synovium and are yet to be explored. Finally, it is not yet known whether metabolic change is a consequence of disease or if primary changes to cellular metabolism might underlie or contribute to early stage disease pathogenesis. This article collates what is known about metabolism in synovial tissue cells and highlights future research directions in this area

Damage to the prefrontal cortex increases utilitarian moral judgements

The psychological and neurobiological processes underlying moral judgement have been the focus of many recent empirical studies1–11. Of central interest is whether emotions play a causal role in moral judgement, and, in parallel, how emotion-related areas of the brain contribute to moral judgement. Here we show that six patients with focal bilateral damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPC), a brain region necessary for the normal generation of emotions and, in particular, social emotions12–14, produce an abnor- mally ‘utilitarian’ pattern of judgements on moral dilemmas that pit compelling considerations of aggregate welfare against highly emotionally aversive behaviours (for example, having to sacrifice one person’s life to save a number of other lives)7,8. In contrast, the VMPC patients’ judgements were normal in other classes of moral dilemmas. These findings indicate that, for a selective set of moral dilemmas, the VMPC is critical for normal judgements of right and wrong. The findings support a necessary role for emotion in the generation of those judgements

The 'At-risk mental state' for psychosis in adolescents : clinical presentation, transition and remission.

Despite increased efforts over the last decade to prospectively identify individuals at ultra-high risk of developing a psychotic illness, limited attention has been specifically directed towards adolescent populations (<18 years). In order to evaluate how those under 18 fulfilling the operationalised criteria for an At-Risk Mental State (ARMS) present and fare over time, we conducted an observational study. Participants (N = 30) generally reported a high degree of functional disability and frequent and distressing perceptual disturbance, mainly in the form of auditory hallucinations. Seventy percent (21/30) were found to fulfil the criteria for a co-morbid ICD-10 listed mental health disorder, with mood (affective; 13/30) disorders being most prevalent. Overall transition rates to psychosis were low at 24 months follow-up (2/28; 7.1 %) whilst many participants demonstrated a significant reduction in psychotic-like symptoms. The generalisation of these findings may be limited due to the small sample size and require replication in a larger sample

Quasi-1D dynamics and nematic phases in the 2D Emery model

We consider the Emery model of a Cu-O plane of the high temperature superconductors. We show that in a strong-coupling limit, with strong Coulomb repulsions between electrons on nearest-neighbor O sites, the electron-dynamics is strictly one dimensional, and consequently a number of asymptotically exact results can be obtained concerning the electronic structure. In particular, we show that a nematic phase, which spontaneously breaks the point- group symmetry of the square lattice, is stable at low enough temperatures and strong enough coupling.Comment: 8 pages, 5 eps figures; revised manuscript with more detailed discussions; two new figures and three edited figuresedited figures; 14 references; new appendix with a detailed proof of the one-dimensional dynamics of the system in the strong coupling limi

Composition and screening of antifungal activity against Cladosporium sphaerospermum and Cladosporium cladosporioides of essential oils of leaves and fruits of Piper species

This study investigated the composition and antifungal activity against Cladosporium sphaerospermum and Cladosporium cladosporioides of essential oils of leaves of Piper cernuum, Piper diospyrifolium, Piper crassinervium, Piper solmsianum and Piper umbelata and fruits of P. cernuum and P. diospyrifolium. The essentials oils were analyzed by GC-MS and submitted of the antifungal activity tests. The essential oils of fruits from P. cernuum and leaves of P. crassinervium and P. solmsianum showed potential antifungal activity against C. sphaerospermum and C. cladosporioides. In addition, this is the first report of the composition of essential oils of fruits of P. cernuum and P. diospyrifolium.Key words: Piperaceae, Piper; essential oil composition, antifungal activity, GC-MS

Analysing electrocardiographic traits and predicting cardiac risk in UK biobank.

The electrocardiogram (ECG) is a commonly used clinical tool that reflects cardiac excitability and disease. Many parameters are can be measured and with the improvement of methodology can now be quantified in an automated fashion, with accuracy and at scale. Furthermore, these measurements can be heritable and thus genome wide association studies inform the underpinning biological mechanisms. In this review we describe how we have used the resources in UK Biobank to undertake such work. In particular, we focus on a substudy uniquely describing the response to exercise performed at scale with accompanying genetic information

Premature atrial and ventricular contractions detected on wearable-format electrocardiograms and prediction of cardiovascular events.

AIMS: Wearable devices are transforming the electrocardiogram (ECG) into a ubiquitous medical test. This study assesses the association between premature ventricular and atrial contractions (PVCs and PACs) detected on wearable-format ECGs (15 s single lead) and cardiovascular outcomes in individuals without cardiovascular disease (CVD). METHODS AND RESULTS: Premature atrial contractions and PVCs were identified in 15 s single-lead ECGs from N = 54 016 UK Biobank participants (median age, interquartile range, age 58, 50-63 years, 54% female). Cox regression models adjusted for traditional risk factors were used to determine associations with atrial fibrillation (AF), heart failure (HF), myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias (LTVAs), and mortality over a period of 11.5 (11.4-11.7) years. The strongest associations were found between PVCs (prevalence 2.2%) and HF (hazard ratio, HR, 95% confidence interval = 2.09, 1.58-2.78) and between PACs (prevalence 1.9%) and AF (HR = 2.52, 2.11-3.01), with shorter prematurity further increasing risk. Premature ventricular contractions and PACs were also associated with LTVA (P < 0.05). Associations with MI, stroke, and mortality were significant only in unadjusted models. In a separate UK Biobank sub-study sample [UKB-2, N = 29,324, age 64, 58-60 years, 54% female, follow-up 3.5 (2.6-4.8) years] used for independent validation, after adjusting for risk factors, PACs were associated with AF (HR = 1.80, 1.12-2.89) and PVCs with HF (HR = 2.32, 1.28-4.22). CONCLUSION: In middle-aged individuals without CVD, premature contractions identified in 15 s single-lead ECGs are strongly associated with an increased risk of AF and HF. These data warrant further investigation to assess the role of wearable ECGs for early cardiovascular risk stratification