245 research outputs found
Estimation of coherence between blood flow and spontaneous EEG activity in neonates
No full textBlood flow to the brain responds to changes in neuronal activity and, thus, metabolic demand. In earlier work, we observed correlation between cerebral blood flow and spontaneous electroencephalogram (EEG) activity in neonates. Using coherence, we now found that during Trace/spl acute/ Alternant EEG activity in quiet sleep of normal term neonates, this correlation is strongest at frequencies around 0.1 Hz, reaching statistical significance (p<0.05) in six of the nine subjects studied (p<0.07 in eight subjects). Due to noise, artifact, and spontaneous changes in the subjects' EEG patterns, the signals investigated included epochs of missing samples. We, therefore, developed a novel algorithm for the estimation of coherence in such data and applied a Monte Carlo (surrogate data) method for its statistical analysis. This process provides a test for the statistical significance of the maximum coherence within a selected frequency band. In addition to permitting further insight into the mechanisms of cerebral blood flow control, these algorithms are potentially of great benefit in a wide range of biomedical applications, where interrupted (gapped) recordings are often a problem
Aspects of a tidal power scheme in the Wyre Estuary
No full textIn 1987 a study of small estuaries around the coast of the United Kingdom was undertaken by Binnie & Partners for the Department of Energy. The Wyre was identified as one of the most promising sites for the construction of a small tidal power scheme. The Wyre Estuary is located in Lancashire on the north west coast of England. The estuary fulfils the main requirements for a tidal energy scheme in that it has a high tidal range and a mouth which is relatively narrow in relation to its surface area. The main features of the estuary are as follows : Mean spring tidal range 8.2 m Mean neap tidal range 4.4 m Surface area at +4.0 mOD 7.5 km2 Highest astronomical tide 5.4 mOD 50 year surge tide level 6.3 mOD Mean fresh water flow in river : 6.5 m3/s Length of tidal river 21 km During 1990 a preliminary feasibility study of a tidal energy scheme in the Wyre estuary has been carried out by Binnie & Partners and T.H. Technology, a subsidery of the commercial organisation, Trafalgar House. The scheme was optimised by the utilisation of hydro-dynamic models with the objective to maximise the annual energy output. Two potential barrage sites were examined : - The Pandoro or North site, located 300 m downstream of F1eetwood Docks - The A.B.P. or Centre site, located 100 m upstream of Fleetwood Docks The outcome of these studies were that the North scheme would generate more energy. However, the Centre site was more favourable considering the existing infrastructure. The preferred arrangement for a tidal barrage on this location comprises: - 4 No 6.0 m diameter turbines, peak power 14.96 MW each - 12 channel sluices with radial gates, 9 m wide - 2 fish passes This scheme would generate an annual energy output of 117.2 GWh.Hydraulic EngineeringCivil Engineering and Geoscience
Judicially Created Defenses to the Unauthorized Use of Trademarks
No full textThis comment identifies circumstances in which courts have permitted the unauthorized use of anothers\u27 trademark where the use was outside the exceptions enumerated in the Lanham Act. The author ascertains underlying policy interests being protected and unifying principles in each defense, then sets forth the elements necessary to raise these defenses to claims of trademark infringement and unfair competition
Displacing problems: a constructivist grounded theory of problematic pornography use
No full textIntroduction: Research indicates that pornography is not inherently harmful for the individual, however, many users consider their use to be problematic. The majority of research concerning problematic pornography use (PPU), often referred to as pornography addiction, discusses nomenclature rather than having an applied focus. Given the lack of theoretical development in this area, a constructivist grounded theory was undertaken with the aim of creating an understanding of the development and maintenance of PPU. Methods: Participants were required to have self-reported PPU and were recruited from online sources. Two main sources of data collection were used: journals of last pornography use, and semi structured interviews. 258 journals of pornography use, and 21 semi-structured interviews were completed. Results: Five interlinked categories were constructed from the data. All participants were seen by the author and constructed as having underlying distinct problems prior to their self-reported PPU; histories of loneliness and isolation, trauma and mental health, they were struggling with their sexual orientation, or sexual dysfunction. Their pornography use had changed function over time, from enjoyment to habitual and instrumental use, mostly being used as a form of emotional regulation. The participants pornography use impacted upon their functioning, their ability to work, study, and socialise. The participant’s discovery and identification of ‘having PPU’ was constructed as occurring by proxy, through an external means - the commonest source was online forums; when participants reached out for information, they were met with an addiction narrative and consequently saw themselves as addicted to pornography. Once this narrative was internalised it appeared to displace the distinct problems as a causative framework. The participants now saw their main problem as pornography addiction, rather than related to other pre-existing distinct problems. This process of displacement was conceptualised as the core category in this grounded theory in that it led participants to committing to a mission, attempting to conquer their addiction. Once they had embarked upon their mission, the underlying distinct problems became secondary to the participants, and often seen as resulting from their pornography use. Discussion: The constructivist grounded theory was situated alongside current theory and research. Some aspects of the grounded theory were judged as having similarities to existing theories, but when taken as a whole it was proposed that the grounded theory is original, having clear implications for future research and clinical practice
Constitutional Legitimacy and Responsibility: Confronting Allegations of Bias After Wewaykum Indian Band v. Canada
No full textThis paper reviews the unusual case of Wewaykum Indian Band v. Canada where a motion to vacate the judgment was brought after the Court had rendered a unanimous decision on the merits of the case. It was alleged that a reasonable apprehension of bias existed because of involvement that Justice Binnie (who authored the decision) had with this file while Associate Deputy Minister of Justice of Canada some 15 years earlier. In the first part of the paper, the author reviews the Supreme Court’s decision in Wewaykum, focusing on several key issues in the disqualification motion. In the second part of the paper, the author contends that Wewaykum is also an important constitutional case. The author contends that judicial impartiality is a core value in the Canadian constitutional system and that challenges to the impartiality of the Supreme Court constitute attacks on the Constitution itself. In response to the age old question of Sed quis custodiet ipsos Custodes? — who guards the guardians — this paper argues that Parliament, the bar and the Court itself each have a duty to protect the integrity of the Court. The paper proposes means for each of these parties to protect the Court and, ultimately, the Constitution as well
Deference and reasonableness since Dunsmuir
No full textThe author addresses two perennial problems in Canadian administrative law: the choice of a standard of review and the inconsistent application of the reasonableness standard. With these problems in mind, the Supreme Court of Canada in Dunsmuir set out to establish a 'principled framework that is more coherent and workable\". The patent unreasonableness standard was eliminated, leaving the options of review as correctness and reasonableness, and the Court laid out some categories of issues that would properly be reviewed on each standard. Nevertheless, the author argues that the majority judgment failed to deliver a frameworkfor judicial review that addresses these two problems in a coherent manner. In four recent Supreme Court decisions-Alberta Teachers', Halifax, Dore and Nor-Manthe author detects a movement toward Binnie J's concurring suggestion in Dunsmuir that there should be a presumption of judicial deference, which would generally require judges to review administrative decisions on a standard of reasonableness rather than correctness. He goes on to illustrate that while this may be a promising development, it does not resolve the inconsistent application of the reasonableness standard. By contrasting the Court's decisions in Alberta Teachers' and Newfoundland Nurses' with those in Figliola and Mowat, the author demronstrates that the Court currently uses drastically different approaches to reasonableness review. Taking inspiration from the methodology used in Baker, which identified the variables that would determine the degree ofproceduralfairness owed in a specific case, the author suggests a more contextual approach to reasonableness review. This would, in his view, allow meaningful engagement with the particularities of each case while respecting the values of \"justification, transparency and intelligibility\" advanced in Dunsmuir
Study on differential expression of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid oxidase genes in table grape cv. Thompson Seedless
No full textAs a consequence of the non-climacteric status of grapes (Vitis vinifera), ethylene biosynthesis and signal transduction have scarcely been studied in this fruit. In spite this drawback, the available information suggests a role for ethylene in ripening grape berries. In this work, we report the identification of three homologous genes that encode 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid oxidase (ACO), a key component of ethylene biosynthesis. A comparison of protein sequences revealed that all three VvACOs harbor a 2OG-Fe(II) oxygenase domain, which is typical of the ACO gene family; however, VvACO1 showed a higher amino acid sequence homology with VvACO2 than with VvACO3. The expression pattern of VvACOs and the effect of exogenous ethylene on their transcript accumulation were evaluated during table grape berry development in the “Thompson Seedless” cultivar. A peak in VvACO1 transcript accumulation levels was registered around veraison that was 4-fold higher than at harvest, and this peak was confirmed during a second season in grapes that were harvested from three different vineyards. An enhancement in ethylene production and VvACO genes transcript levels was observed in grapes sprayed with ethephon during berry development. However, VvACO1 transcripts reached the highest accumulation earlier than VvACO2 and VvACO3. Altogether, these data confirmed that ethylene may have a role in some aspects of the grape ripening process, and they also highlighted the potential use of some VvACO genes as molecular markers for identifying grape veraison stages in grapes
"The more South you go, the more frankly you can speak": Metronormativity, Critical Regionality and the LGBT Movement in Salento, South-Eastern Italy
No full textIn recent times, the region of Salento in South-Eastern Italy, has becomeone of the most popular gay-friendly touristic spots in the country andseveral LGBT organisation operate in this territory since the last few years.This article seeks to map creation, development and challenges of theLGBT movement in this Italian sub-region by looking at forms ofnegotiation between "local" and "queer" identities and beyond narratives of“metronormativity” of LGBT identities (Halberstam 2005) and from theperspective of ‘critical regionality’ (Gopinath 2007; Binnie 2016) and‘meridian thought’ (Cassano 2001). Through semi-structured interviewsconducted with four local LGBT activists in 2016 and ethnographicobservations carried out at Pride events in 2016 and 2017, the article looksat conflicting social processes whereby local activism is rooted in situatedallegiances and interactions with the territory and its population, whilstbeing permeated by globalising dynamics of LGBT identity politics.http://mc.© 2018, The Author(s), published by SAGE. This is an author produced version of a paper published in CURRENT SOCIOLOGY uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self- archiving policy. The final published version (version of record) is available online at the link below. Some minor differences between this version and the final published version may remain. We suggest you refer to the final published version should you wish to cite from it
Vagueness, Inconsistency and Less Respect for Charter Rights of Accused at the Supreme Court in 2012-2013
No full textThis paper suggests that several recent decisions of the Supreme Court show undue vagueness, inconsistency and less resolve to protect the Charter rights of accused. The rhetorical reliance on the language of Charter “values” of “equality, autonomy, liberty, privacy and human dignity” in R. v. Mabior is seen as increasingly unruly and leading to considerable inconsistency. Leaving the test of intervening cause largely untethered in R. v. Mabin is found to be unfortunate. It is suggested that complex and deeply divided rulings in R. v. Prokofiew have left comments on the accused’s silence at trial to the largely unfettered discretion of trial judges, the reby unnecessarily further diminishing the Charter right to silence. The new R. v. Nedelcu definition for section 13 use immunity protection revived the distinction between evidence that incriminates and evidence going to credibility. The author is of the view that Binnie J.’s decision for a unanimous Court in R. v. Henry had persuasively decided that this distinction is in practice too difficult to draw, and that this key determination should not have been overruled. The paper draws attention to the Court’s having avoided rather than considered Charter standards of moral involuntariness for defences declared in R. v. Ruzic and the Court’s previous Charter rulings on voluntariness intoxication in R. v. Daviault. Finally, the author finds rampant inconsistency in the Court’s approach to judicial notice. These concerns go to the legitimacy of the rule of law the Court often proudly invokes
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