Common Sense or Unnecessary Complexity? The Recent Change to the Right to Silence in New South Wales

The New South Wales government has now enacted section 89A of the Evidence Act 1995 (NSW), which will significantly amend the right to silence. The new provision allows courts in certain circumstances to draw unfavourable inferences from evidence of silence in criminal proceedings. Parliament has justified the legislation as a ‘common sense’ approach, intended to prevent offenders hiding behind a wall of silence. However the benefits of the legislation are expected to be minimal at best. Although critics have already put forward weighty theoretical arguments opposing the enactment of the new provision, how it will operate in New South Wales courts remains to be seen. This article will undertake a detailed comparative analysis, examining the operation of similar legislation in the United Kingdom to determine how section 89A might be interpreted and applied in New South Wales. This analysis suggests that the need for extensive and complicated jury directions, the problems in determining whether the provision is to be invoked at all, and the complex test used in deciding whether it was reasonable for the accused to remain silent, will create significant difficulties in the application of section 89A. It is contended that the number and seriousness of these difficulties, coupled with the only limited benefit (if any) to be derived from the section, justify the close monitoring of section 89A and its review at an appropriate time

Distribution spatiale des communautés de vers de terre et leur effet sur les gaz à effet de serre en champs agricoles et en bandes riveraine forestières

This thesis reports the findings from a research project that aimed to determine the effect of earthworms on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in forested riparian buffer strips (FRBS). This project had two research questions. Firstly, we wanted to determine how earthworms are distributed in agricultural ecosystems and whether they had a preference for FRBS over adjacent agricultural fields. Secondly, we wanted to determine the effect of earthworms on the emission of the three most prominent GHG (CO2, N2O and CH4) and how the effect of earthworms is affected by soil characteristics, namely, soil origin and soil texture. We expected earthworms to have a preference for FRBS and for them to have a positive effect on GHG emissions. For the first research question, we conducted a field survey on agricultural fields with adjacent FRBS in Southern Quebec and Ontario as well as in the Czech Republic. At each site, we quantified earthworm numbers from each functional group (anecic, endogeic and epigeic) and characterized the site by noting the percentage coverage of the different types of vegetation and analysing soil’s physicochemical properties. We found that for Eastern Canada, earthworm numbers, organic matter and soil moisture were all higher in FRBS than in adjacent agricultural fields. However, in Czech Republic, earthworm numbers were higher in agricultural fields than FRBS and there was no significant difference in moisture between agricultural fields and FRBS. This indicated that moisture is an important variable in predicting the distribution of earthworms. Furthermore, we found that earthworm numbers are positively associated with organic matter, pH, clay content and the percent coverage of deciduous trees and negatively associated with sand content and the percent coverage of coniferous trees. Following these results, the next step was to determine what effect earthworms have on GHG emissions. In order to determine the effect of earthworms on GHG emissions we conducted controlled microcosm experiments. These experiments were conducted using a replicated factorial design comprising of 3 soil origins (deciduous FRBS, coniferous FRBS, agricultural field) x 2 soil textures (field conditions, high clay) x 3 earthworm life habits (anecic, endogeic, no earthworm). Soils originating from FRBS emitted more CO2 than soils from agricultural fields with soils from deciduous stands having higher emissions than soils from coniferous stands. Soils with a higher clay content emitted less CO2 than soils with a lower clay content. Soils with earthworms emitted more CO2 than soils without earthworms, however, this effect diminished with time and was no longer significant after ten weeks. Additionally, soils with earthworms emitted more N2O than soils without earthworms. For CH4, the transformation rates were higher for soils from FRBS than soils from agricultural fields under both anaerobic and aerobic conditions. With earthworms having an overall positive effect on GHG emissions, FRBS should be designed such that they prevent the establishment of earthworms. Therefore, coniferous trees would be preferable over deciduous trees. Firstly, earthworm numbers were shown to be negatively associated with coniferous tree coverage, and, in the event that earthworms do become established, GHG emissions were shown to be lower from coniferous soils than deciduous stands

On the quantum chromatic number of a graph

We investigate the notion of quantum chromatic number of a graph, which is the minimal number of colours necessary in a protocol in which two separated provers can convince an interrogator with certainty that they have a colouring of the graph. After discussing this notion from first principles, we go on to establish relations with the clique number and orthogonal representations of the graph. We also prove several general facts about this graph parameter and find large separations between the clique number and the quantum chromatic number by looking at random graphs. Finally, we show that there can be no separation between classical and quantum chromatic number if the latter is 2, nor if it is 3 in a restricted quantum model; on the other hand, we exhibit a graph on 18 vertices and 44 edges with chromatic number 5 and quantum chromatic number 4.Comment: 7 pages, 1 eps figure; revtex4. v2 has some new references; v3 furthe small improvement

Chapter 10 Telepractice in adult speech-language pathology during COVID-19

This collection is the first of its kind to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the caseloads and clinical practice of speech-language pathologists. The volume synthesises existing data on the wide-ranging effects of COVID-19 on the communication, swallowing, and language skills of individuals with COVID infection. Featuring perspectives of scholars and practitioners from around the globe, the book examines the ways in which clinicians have had to modify their working practices to prioritise patient and clinician safety, including the significant increase in the use of telepractice during the pandemic. The volume also reflects on changes in training and education which have seen educators in the field redesign their clinical practicum in order to best prepare students for professional practice in an age of COVID-19 and beyond, as the field continues to grapple with the long-term effects of the pandemic. Offering a holistic treatment of the impact of COVID-19 on the work of speech-language pathologists, this book will be of interest to students, researchers, and clinicians working in the discipline

The effects of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) on clinical measures of concussion

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and stimulant medications on concussion measures in physically active individuals, and examine differences in practice effects between an un-medicated ADHD group and matched controls. All participants were administered CNS Vital Signs (CNSVS), the Balance Error Scoring System (BESS), and the Standardized Assessment of Concussion (SAC) on three separate testing sessions (the ADHD group completed session one and two on medication and session three off medication), each 7-9 days apart. The ADHD group had diminished scores on measures of overall neurocognition, psychomotor speed and processing speed; these scores improved with medication (p<0.05).Our study suggests that it is especially important to obtain a baseline measure in individuals with ADHD, because it is difficult to compare scores to normative data and individuals with ADHD should also be tested on their medication if possible

Design and Development of a Myoelectric Transradial Prosthesis

The loss of a limb is a life-changing event and reality for 441,000 transradial amputees in the United States. Limb loss can have substantial physical, social, psychological, and economic consequences. A prototype prosthesis was created that has sophisticated hand functionality, an adjustable and comfortable socket, and a lightweight yet durable design utilizing 3D printing, all available at a reasonable price point. The prosthesis integrated force sensors, servo motors, and a myoelectric means of control so the user may perform activities of daily living. The overall outcome was a prosthesis that met its design requirements, offering increased usability, functionality, and availability

Scaffolds for 3D in vitro culture of neural lineage cells.

Understanding how neurodegenerative disorders develop is not only a key challenge for researchers but also for the wider society, given the rapidly aging populations in developed countries. Advances in this field require new tools with which to recreate neural tissue in vitro and produce realistic disease models. This in turn requires robust and reliable systems for performing 3D in vitro culture of neural lineage cells. This review provides a state of the art update on three-dimensional culture systems for in vitro development of neural tissue, employing a wide range of scaffold types including hydrogels, solid porous polymers, fibrous materials and decellularised tissues as well as microfluidic devices and lab-on-a-chip systems. To provide some context with in vivo development of the central nervous system (CNS), we also provide a brief overview of the neural stem cell niche, neural development and neural differentiation in vitro. We conclude with a discussion of future directions for this exciting and important field of biomaterials research

Plant Glutathione Biosynthesis: Diversity in Biochemical Regulation and Reaction Products

In plants, exposure to temperature extremes, heavy metal-contaminated soils, drought, air pollutants, and pathogens results in the generation of reactive oxygen species that alter the intracellular redox environment, which in turn influences signaling pathways and cell fate. As part of their response to these stresses, plants produce glutathione. Glutathione acts as an anti-oxidant by quenching reactive oxygen species, and is involved in the ascorbate–glutathione cycle that eliminates damaging peroxides. Plants also use glutathione for the detoxification of xenobiotics, herbicides, air pollutants (sulfur dioxide and ozone), and toxic heavy metals. Two enzymes catalyze glutathione synthesis: glutamate–cysteine ligase, and glutathione synthetase. Glutathione is a ubiquitous protective compound in plants, but the structural and functional details of the proteins that synthesize it, as well as the potential biochemical mechanisms of their regulation, have only begun to be explored. As discussed here, the core reactions of glutathione synthesis are conserved across various organisms, but plants have diversified both the regulatory mechanisms that control its synthesis and the range of products derived from this pathway. Understanding the molecular basis of glutathione biosynthesis and its regulation will expand our knowledge of this component in the plant stress response network