Sustainable development of national energy resources: what has international law got to do with it?

No Abstrac

Interaction of treaty and custom in the concept of offshore archipelagos

The law of the sea has long been a rich source of examples of the interplay, and occasional entanglement, of treaty and custom. This article discusses whether claims to close off the waters of ‘offshore archipelagos' by non-archipelagic States are consistent with international law against the background of this perennial issue. Analysis of the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention (LOSC) demonstrates quite clearly that there is no basis for such claims. ‘Going beyond the LOSC’ the article examines whether the matter remains subject to customary international law; whether subsequent practice may have established the agreement of the parties that the relevant provisions of the LOSC are to be interpreted as allowing their invocation by non-archipelagic States with offshore archipelagos; and whether there is ‘supervening custom’ that may have emerged since the adoption of the LOSC and that permits such claims by non-archipelagic States. Identifying and critically assessing the current state of international law on these fundamental questions of the relationship between treaty and custom, it is concluded that there is no basis for arguing that non-archipelagic States are able to claim any sort of special status for ‘offshore archipelagos’

Calibrating the moral compass: an Aristotelian virtue ethics approach to British soldiers moral agency during complex expeditionary operations

As the British Army departs from conventional warfare, it must prepare for the complex challenges of the future operational environment that will exist between peace and war. As a battle-hardened and experienced Infantry moves towards a more diverse and complex operational environment, the British Army's professional and moral credibility depends on soldiers' ability to think and act with reference to right and wrong at the ambiguous and highly scrutinised intersection of tactical and strategic direction. This insider research employs a phenomenological research approach to examine British Infantry soldiers’ self perceptions about lethal and crucial non-lethal decisions within the framework of the Afghanistan conflict. The most significant empirical finding is that Infantry soldiers were divided into experienced soldiers who relied on their own judgement to make lethal decisions in consideration of both short- and long-term risks to themselves, their comrades, and local people (who may or may not have been enemy combatants) and inexperienced soldiers who relied on a rules-based approach lacking the flexibility provided by experience. Secondly, during the decision-making process, experience was distilled through the application of the virtues of compassion and practical wisdom. Respect for others and selfless commitment were visible in the actions of the soldiers in this study, which suggests that two of the British Army's key values were embodied in the concept of moral agency for the soldiers in this study. This study contends that Aristotelian virtue ethics provides resources for cultivating practical wisdom and compassion that can endure not just the situational pressures and constraints of complicated expeditionary operations, but also the daily ethical dilemmas inherent in the narrative unity of life

Draft genome sequence of Bacteriophage vB_Eco_swan01

Bacteriophage vB_Eco_swan01 was isolated from an ornamental pool using Escherichia coli MG1655 as the host. Bacteriophage vB_Eco_swan01 has limited similarity with other known phages at the nucleotide level and likely represents a new bacteriophage species within the Tunavirinae

Comparative genomics of bacteriophage of the genus Seuratvirus

Despite being more abundant and having smaller genomes than their bacterial host, relatively few bacteriophages have had their genomes sequenced. Here, we isolated 14 bacteriophages from cattle slurry and performed de novo genome sequencing, assembly, and annotation. The commonly used marker genes polB and terL showed these bacteriophages to be closely related to members of the genus Seuratvirus. We performed a core-gene analysis using the 14 new and four closely related genomes. A total of 58 core genes were identified, the majority of which has no known function. These genes were used to construct a core-gene phylogeny, the results of which confirmed the new isolates to be part of the genus Seuratvirus and expanded the number of species within this genus to four. All bacteriophages within the genus contained the genes queCDE encoding enzymes involved in queuosine biosynthesis. We suggest these genes are carried as a mechanism to modify DNA in order to protect these bacteriophages against host endonucleases

Disentangling pectic homogalacturonan and rhamnogalacturonan-I polysaccharides: Evidence for sub-populations in fruit parenchyma systems

The matrix polysaccharides of plant cell walls are diverse and variable sets of polymers influencing cell wall, tissue and organ properties. Focusing on the relatively simple parenchyma tissues of four fruits – tomato, aubergine, strawberry and apple – we have dissected cell wall matrix polysaccharide contents using sequential solubilisation and antibody-based approaches with a focus on pectic homogalacturonan (HG) and rhamnogalacturonan-I (RG-I). Epitope detection in association with anion-exchange chromatography analysis indicates that in all cases solubilized polymers include spectra of HG molecules with unesterified regions that are separable from methylesterified HG domains. In highly soluble fractions, RG-I domains exist in both HG-associated and non-HG-associated forms. Soluble xyloglucan and pectin-associated xyloglucan components were detected in all fruits. Aubergine glycans contain abundant heteroxylan epitopes, some of which are associated with both pectin and xyloglucan. These profiles of polysaccharide heterogeneity provide a basis for future studies of more complex cell and tissue systems

The Private Life of Environmental Treaties

The gravitational pull of environmental treaties is felt not only by states. Yet international lawyers almost exclusively focus on states to explain treaty compliance, measure treaty implementation, and assess treaty effectiveness. This essay draws attention to a phenomenon that falls outside traditional boundaries of treaty analysis: the efforts of private corporations that aim at complying with environmental treaties. Existing models of treaty implementation are inadequate to explain these direct interactions between corporations and treaties. The dominant grammar of treaty “compliance” equally fails to fit. Using a little-studied example - the UNESCO World Heritage Convention - this essay highlights the phenomenon of corporations’ aspiring to conform their behavior to environmental treaty requirements

Plant Fiber Processing Using the Controlled Deformation Dynamic Mixer

© 2019 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim The reduced energy consumption required by the controlled deformation dynamic mixer (CDDM) to process plant fibers is highlighted. Trials have been performed using current industrial mixers, and the products created were compared to those produced using the CDDM technology. Increasing pressure leads to a product of higher viscosity, which is more desirable as the fibers have greater structure development and take up more water. This is also observed with the comparison to current mixing technologies, but the energy consumption and pressure required to obtain products of equal viscosities is less when using CDDM technology