Analytical and experimental study of the dynamics of a single-tube counterflow boiler

Experimental and analytical study of dynamics of single tube counterflow boile

Legal Regulation of Campaign Deliberation: Lessons from Brexit

There has been significant attention paid to explaining and understanding the impact of the UK’s vote to leave the EU on UK politics and its constitution. There has also been criticism of the political campaigning, from both the “leave” and “remain” sides, and of people’s understanding of what they were voting for. There has been limited discussion, though, of how to improve the quality of campaign deliberation, which is fundamental to the legitimacy of both representative and direct democratic processes. Using the UK’s vote on EU membership as a case study, this article examines the importance of the law to regulate and improve deliberation prior to direct public votes on specific policy issues. It also considers options for changes to the law and for its implementation, using the current provisions about false statements in electoral law as a starting point. The article argues that the quality of deliberation during UK referendum campaigns needs to improve and that legal regulation should be developed. There are, however, significant challenges in drafting legislation that appropriately defines and limits the use of misleading statements, and at the same time avoids excessive restriction of free speech, or an excessively political role for regulatory bodies and the courts. Given the nature of political campaigning and the challenges in reducing the use of misleading statements by political actors through legal regulation, increased deliberative opportunities for citizens are proposed as a complementary, perhaps more effective means to positively enhance deliberation in political campaigns. Whatever approach is taken, direct democracy needs to be combined effectively with representative democracy, based on a common underlying principle of the importance of deliberation, and not treated as a separate part of a state’s democracy

Transformation of State Fish & Wildlife Agencies Ensuring the Future of Conservation in a Rapidly Changing World

Click on the PDF for the full report. Visit the HDRU website for a complete listing of HDRU publications at: http://hdru.dnr.cornell.edu

Two-step solid-state synthesis of PEPPSI-type compounds

peer-reviewedThe two-step mechanochemical preparation of carbene–pyridine complexes of palladium and platinum is reported. The organometallic products, which represent a class of commercially available catalysts, are rapidly formed in excellent yield proving solvent-free synthesis to be a viable synthetic alternative even in the case of NHC-containing compounds

Toward an Understanding of Beaver Management as Human and Beaver Densities Increase

Estimates of beaver (Castor canadensis) density play an important role in wildlife managers’ decisions about beaver population management, because managers anticipate higher incidence of problem complaints when a beaver population increases. To manage the impacts of beavers in an urbanizing landscape, managers need better information on changes in stakeholder beliefs and attitudes as beaver and human densities reach high levels. We conducted additional analysis of data collected in 2002 through mail surveys of residents in New York and Massachusetts to test hypothesized relationships between beaver density and damage experience, attitudes toward beavers, and norms about beaver management actions. Consistent with previous research, we found a correlation between personal experience with beaver-related problems, lower acceptance capacity for beavers, and higher acceptability of lethal beaver management actions. In comparison to residents living in areas with low beaver density, residents of areas with high beaver density were more likely to: experience beaver-related problems; believe that beaver-related damage had greatly increased in their area; express a preference for beaver population reduction; express less tolerant attitudes toward beaver presence; and accept lethal control of beavers as a response to beaver-related problems. These findings add to understanding of wildlife acceptance capacity, generally, and tolerance of beavers specifically. Based on our findings, we propose a conceptual model representing key dynamic interrelationships between stakeholder attitudes, norms, and common beaver management practices. We discuss a causal loop diagram representing the model to illuminate the challenges wildlife managers are likely to face as the context for beaver management changes. The model articulates the dynamic complexity of urban beaver management and fills a gap in the literature by conceptualizing beaver management as a coupled human–natural system. Such models may aid communication in locales where high densities of beaver and people set the stage for human–wildlife conflict and emergence of disruptive wildlife management issues

Mouse Hind Limb Skeletal Muscle Functional Adaptation in a Simulated Fine Branch Arboreal Habitat

The musculoskeletal system is remarkably plastic during growth. The purpose of this study was to examine the muscular plasticity in functional and structural properties in a model known to result in significant developmental plasticity of the postcranial skeleton. Fifteen weanling C57BL/6 mice were raised to 16 weeks of age in one of two enclosures: a climbing enclosure that simulates a fine branch arboreal habitat and is traversed by steel wires crossing at 45° relative to horizontal at multiple intersections, and a control enclosure that resembles a parking deck with no wires but the same volume of habitable space. At killing, ex vivo contractility properties of the soleus (SOL) and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles were examined. Our results demonstrate that EDL muscles of climbing mice contracted with higher specific forces and were comprised of muscle fibers with slower myosin heavy chain isoforms. EDL muscles also fatigued at a higher rate in climbing mice compared to controls. SOL muscle function is not affected by the climbing environment. Likewise, mass and architecture of both EDL and SOL muscles were not different between climbing and control mice. Our data demonstrate that functional adaptation does not require concomitant architectural adaptation in order to increase contractile force

The impact of LASPO on routes to justice

This research underlines the emotional, social, financial and mental health impacts for individuals who have attempted to resolve their legal problems without legal aid, following the implementation of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (LASPO) in 2013. LASPO introduced funding cuts to legal aid and narrowed the scope and financial eligibility criteria, with the result that fewer people could access legal advice and representation for problems in areas such as family, employment and welfare benefits law. We interviewed over 100 people in the Liverpool City Region, with problems in at least one of these areas of law, to understand how LASPO had affected their options for resolving those issues. We also interviewed a number of advice providers and legal aid practitioners, and analysed national data from Citizens Advice. Many participants reported significant financial deprivation as a result of trying but not being able to resolve their legal issues. Some were unable to afford food, adequate housing or other essentials. A lack of preventive legal help led to delays in resolution, which often made problems worse. There was also evidence that costs were passed to other parts of the public sector, including an increased reliance on welfare benefits as a result of unresolved employment issues. Family law • The high cost of legal fees is a key barrier to justice. Some participants who paid for legal advice or representation reported going into debt as a result. • People’s inability to pay for expert or specialist evidence without legal aid may have led to courts making decisions on the basis of insufficient information. • Cuts to legal aid have had a negative impact on children’s lives, especially in relation to child contact cases. Employment law • The main barriers to justice are the high cost of legal representation, the difficulty of navigating the tribunal process without support and a low level of knowledge about employment rights. • Many participants reported that the costs of bringing their claims to tribunal were disproportionate to the value of the claims. This deterred them from bringing claims and made it harder to find a solicitor willing to take their case. • Participants had fewer options for accessing third-sector specialist advice and representation. Those participants who went to tribunal had to represent themselves as a result, and in general they lacked the skills or experience to do this competently. Welfare benefits law • LASPO has significantly reduced the capacity of voluntary sector organisations to provide welfare law advice. There is almost no specialist advice left to provide support to appeal benefits decisions. • The removal of welfare benefits law from the scope of legal aid has exacerbated the impact of recent welfare reforms, which is likely to have affected disabled people disproportionately. Most participants tried multiple routes to resolve a single issue: attempting to resolve problems on their own, trying to access free advice and taking steps to get paid advice or representation before courts or tribunals. But without legal aid, almost all the participants struggled to solve their problems