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Woran man Recht erkennt, wenn man nicht ins Gesetzbuch schaut
Get PDFThis short article deals with how people recognise law when they are not consulting the legal code. It introduces Eugen Ehrlich’s classic position of legal pluralism and his view that law can be defined by the intensity of emotions in reaction to law breaking. The author shows that an emotional response can indeed alert people, drawing on his empirical study “Recognising Modern Slavery” (Machura et al. 2019). Once they have become suspicious, individuals can turn to a legal authority/expert
Elucidating the surface macroplastic load, types and distribution in mangrove areas around Cebu Island, Philippines and its policy implications
Get PDFThe Philippines is identified as one of the major marine plastic litter polluters in the world with a discharge of approx- imately 0.75 million tons of marine plastic debris per year. However, the extent of the plastic problem is yet to be de-fined systematically because of limited research. Thus, this study aims to quantify plastic litter occurrence in mangrove areas as they function as sinks for plastic litter due to their inherent nature of trapping plastics. To define the extent ofmarine plastic pollution on an island scale, mangrove areas in 14 municipalities around Cebu Island were sampled,with 3 to 9 transects in each site depending on the length of coastline covered by mangroves. Sampling and character-ization of both plastics and the mangrove ecosystem was performed in three locations along the transect – landward,middle, and seaward. A total of 4501 plastic items were sampled throughout the study sites with an average of 1.29 ±0.67 items/m2 (18.07 ± 8.79 g/m2). The average distribution of plastic loads were 2.68 ± 1.9 items/m2 (38.52 ± 25.35 g/m2), 0.27 ± 0.10 items/m2 (6.65 ± 4.67 g/m2), and 0.94 ± 0.61 items/m2 (9.04 ± 4.28 g/m2) for the land-ward, middle, and seaward locations, respectively. The most frequent plastic types found were i) packaging, ii) plastic bags and iii) plastic fragments. The plastic loads and types suggest that most plastic wastes trapped in mangroves come from the nearby communities. Fishing-related plastics originated from the sea and were transported across the man-grove breadth. The findings confirm that mangroves are major traps of plastic litter that might adversely affect the marine ecosystem. The study underscores the urgent need for waste mitigation measures, including education,community engagement, infrastructure, technological solutions and supporting policies
Effects of Biological and Chemical Degradation on the Properties of Scots Pine Wood-Part I: Chemical Composition and Microstructure of the Cell Wall
Get PDFResearch on new conservation treatment for archaeological wood requires large amounts of wooden material. For this purpose, artificial wood degradation (biological-using brown-rot fungus , and chemical-using NaOH solution) under laboratory conditions was conducted to obtain an abundance of similar samples that mimic naturally degraded wood and can serve for comparative studies. However, knowledge about its properties is necessary to use this material for further study. In this study, the chemical composition and microstructure of degraded cell walls were investigated using FT-IR, XRD, helium pycnometry and nitrogen absorption methods. The results show that biological degradation caused the loss of hemicelluloses and celluloses, including the reduction in cellulose crystallinity, and led to lignin modification, while chemical degradation mainly depleted the amount of hemicelluloses and lignin, but also affected crystalline cellulose. These changes affected the cell wall microstructure, increasing both surface area and total pore volume. However, the chemical degradation produced a greater number of mesopores of smaller size compared to fungal decomposition. Both degradation processes weakened the cell wall's mechanical strength, resulting in high shrinkage of degraded wood during air-drying. The results of the study suggest that degraded wood obtained under laboratory conditions can be a useful material for studies on new consolidants for archaeological wood
Impact of correct and simulated focus cues on perceived realism
Get PDFThe natural accommodation of the human eye to different distances results in focus cues, which contribute to depth perception and appearance. Since focus cues are very difficult to reproduce in an electronic display, it is desirable to know how much they contribute to realistic image appearance. In this work we quantify the potential benefit of focus cues in terms of increased realism compared to regular stereo image presentation. As a secondary goal, we evaluate whether three depth-of-field rendering techniques, which reproduce defocus blur at three different degrees of accuracy, can reintroduce the benefits of focus cues. Our findings confirm the importance of focus cues for realistic image appearance, and also show that they cannot easily be substituted by depth-of-field rendering
Acetamiprid fate in a sandy loam with contrasting soil organic matter contents: A comparison of the degradation, sorption and leaching of commercial neonicotinoid formulations
Get PDFThe impacts of neonicotinoids have generally focussed on the responses of the pure active ingredient. Using a selection of two commercial formulations and the active ingredient, we ran three laboratory studies using 14C-labelled acetamiprid to study the leaching, sorption and mineralisation behaviours of the commercially available neonicotinoid formulations compared to the pure active ingredient. We added 14C-spiked acetamiprid to a sandy loam soil that had received long-term additions of farmyard manure at two rates (10 t/ha/yr and 25 t/ha/yr) and mineral fertilisers, as a control. We found significant differences in acetamiprid mineralisation across both the SOM and chemical treatments. Sorption was primarily impacted by changes in SOM and any differences in leachate recovery were much less significant across both treatment types. The mineralisation of all pesticide formulations was comparatively slow, with <23 % of any given chemical/soil organic matter combination being mineralised over the experimental period. The highest mineralisation rates occurred in samples with the highest soil organic matter levels. The results also showed that 82.9 % ± 1.6 % of the acetamiprid applied was leached from the soil during repeated simulated rainfall events. This combined with the low sorption values, and the low rates of mineralisation, implies that acetamiprid is highly persistent and mobile within sandy soils. As a highly persistent neurotoxin with high invertebrate selectivity, the presence of neonicotinoids in soil presents a high toxicology risk to various beneficial soil organisms, including earthworms, as well as being at high risk of transfer to surrounding watercourses
Unfinished Business: An Appreciation of Eugen Ehrlich’s Methods
Get PDFEugen Ehrlich (1862–1922) became a founding father of sociology of law. At the core of his work was the attempt to equip jurisprudence with empirical methods hitherto not employed by lawyers: methods adding to the analysis of legal codes and authoritative court rulings. According to Ehrlich, the sociology of law makes the parent subject a legal science. Beyond the meta orientation that is sociological jurisprudence, Ehrlich mentions a range of research techniques, “methods” in the sense of “how do we go about researching law empirically”. Ehrlich highlights analysing legal documents and especially forms of empirical observation. He also briefly mentions experimental methods. This paper discusses research investigating the connection between law and emotions through quasi-experimental designs, the use of Ehrlich’s concepts in historical sociological analysis, the value of comparative empirical research as well as content analysis and observation in contemporary works. “Method is as infinite as science itself” reads the last sentence of Ehrlich’s “Fundamental Principles of the Sociology of Law” and sociologists of law have proven him right
Field application of pure polyethylene microplastic has no significant short-term effect on soil biological quality and function
Get PDFPlastics are now widespread in the natural environment. Due to their size, microplastics (MPs; defined as particles <5 mm) in particular, have the potential to cause damage and harm to organisms and may lead to a potential loss of ecosystem services. Research has demonstrated the significant impact of MPs on aquatic systems; however, little is known about their effects on the terrestrial environment, particularly within agroecosystems, the cornerstone of global food production. Soil biology is highly responsive to environmental perturbation and change. Hereby, we investigated the effect of pure low-density polyethylene (LDPE) MP loading (0, 100, 1000, or 10000 kg ha−1) on soil and plant biological health in a field environment over a cropping season. Our results showed that MP loading had no significant effect (p > 0.05) on the soil bacterial community diversity (as measured by amplicon sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA gene), the size and structure of the PLFA-derived soil microbial community, or the abundance and biomass of earthworms. In addition, metabolomic profiling revealed no dose-dependent effect of MP loading on soil biogenic amine concentrations. The growth and yield of wheat plants (Triticum aestivum L., cv. Mulika) were also unaffected by MP dose, even at extremely high (≥1000 kg ha−1) loading levels. Nitrogen (N) cycling gene abundance before and after N fertiliser application on the MP loaded experimental plots showed relatively little change, although further experimentation is suggested, with similar trends evident for soil nitrous oxide (N2O) flux. Overall, we illustrate that MPs themselves may not pose a significant problem in the short term (days to months), due to their recalcitrant nature. We also emphasise that most MPs in the environment are not pure or uncontaminated, containing additives (e.g. plasticisers, pigments and stabilisers) that are generally not chemically bound to the plastic polymer and may be prone to leaching into the soil matrix. Understanding the effect of additives on soil biology as well as the longer-term (years to decades) impact of MPs on soil biological and ecological health in the field environment is recommended
Psychosocial and Physiological Factors Affecting Selection to Regional Age-Grade Rugby Union Squads: A Machine Learning Approach
Get PDFTalent selection programmes choose athletes for talent development pathways. Currently, the set of psychosocial variables that determine talent selection in youth Rugby Union are unknown, with the literature almost exclusively focusing on physiological variables. The purpose of this study was to use a novel machine learning approach to identify the physiological and psychosocial models that predict selection to a regional age-grade rugby union team. Age-grade club rugby players (n = 104; age, 15.47 ± 0.80; U16, n = 62; U18, n = 42) were assessed for physiological and psychosocial factors during regional talent selection days. Predictive models (selected vs. non-selected) were created for forwards, backs, and across all players using Bayesian machine learning. The generated physiological models correctly classified 67.55% of all players, 70.09% of forwards, and 62.50% of backs. Greater hand-grip strength, faster 10 m and 40 m sprint, and power were common features for selection. The generated psychosocial models correctly classified 62.26% of all players, 73.66% of forwards, and 60.42% of backs. Reduced burnout, reduced emotional exhaustion, and lower reduced sense of accomplishment, were common features for selection. Selection appears to be predominantly based on greater strength, speed, and power, as well as lower athlete burnout
Interactive teaching environment for diagnostic radiography with real-time X-ray simulation and patient positioning
Get PDFPURPOSE: Traditional undergraduate radiographer training mixes academic lectures and clinical practice. Our goal is to bridge the current disconnection between theory and practice in a safe environment, avoiding the risk of radiation for both practitioners and patients. To this end, this research proposes a new software to teach diagnostic radiography using real-time interactive X-ray simulation and patient positioning.METHODS: The proposed medical simulator is composed of three main modules. A fast and accurate character animation technique is in charge of simulating the patient positioning phase and adapts their internal anatomy accordingly. gVirtualXRay is an open-source X-ray simulation library and generates the corresponding radiographs in real time. Finally, the courseware allows going through all the diagnostic radiology steps from the patient positioning and the machine configuration to the final image enhancing.RESULTS: A face and content validation study has been conducted; 18 radiology professionals were recruited to evaluate our software using a questionnaire. The results show that our tool is realistic in many ways (72% of the participants agreed that the simulations are visually realistic), useful (67%) and suitable (78%) for teaching X-ray radiography.CONCLUSIONS: The proposed tool allows simulating the most relevant steps of the projectional radiography procedure. The virtual patient posing system and X-ray simulation module execute at interactive rates. These features enable the lectures to show their students the results of good and bad practices in a classroom environment, avoiding radiation risk.</p