Semiconductor photocatalysis: an environmentally acceptable alternative production technique and effluent treatment process

New environmentally acceptable production methods are required to help reduce the environmental impact of many industrial processes. One potential route is the application of photocatalysis using semiconductors. This technique has enabled new environmentally acceptable synthetic routes for organic synthesis which do not require the use of toxic metals as redox reagents. These photocatalysts also have more favourable redox potentials than many traditional reagents. Semiconductor photocatalysis can also be applied to the treatment of polluted effluent or for the destruction of undesirable by-products of reactions. In addition to the clean nature of the process the power requirements of the technique can be relatively low, with some reactions requiring only sunlight. 

Alternative Care and Children’s Rights in Northern Ireland

This report covers the rights of the most vulnerable children in Northern Ireland who cannot be cared for within their own family. The purpose of the report is to review the current provision and circumstances facing such children and young people and how international human rights standards can offer protection and support.

Phytoremediation assessment of Gomphrena globosa and Zinnia elegans grown in arsenic-contaminated hydroponic conditions as a safe and feasible alternative to be applied in arsenic-contaminated soils of the Bengal Delta

Several agricultural fields show high contents of arsenic because of irrigation with arsenic- contaminated groundwater. Vegetables accumulate arse- nic in their edible parts when grown in contaminated soils. Polluted vegetables are one of the main sources of arsenic in the food chain, especially for people living in rural arsenic endemic villages of India and Bangladesh. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of floriculture in the crop rotation system of arsenic en- demic areas of the Bengal Delta. The effects of different arsenic concentrations (0, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mg As L−1) and types of flowering plant (Gomphrena globosa and Zinnia elegans) on plant growth and arsenic accumula- tion were studied under hydroponic conditions. Total arsenic was quantified using atomic absorption spec- trometer with hydride generation (HG-AAS). Arsenic was mainly accumulated in the roots (72 %), followed by leaves (12 %), stems (10 %), and flowers (<1 %). The flowering plants studied did not show as high phytoremediation capacities as other wild species, suchas ferns. However, they behaved as arsenic tolerant plants and grew and bloomed well, without showing any phytotoxic signs. This study proves that floriculture could be included within the crop rotation system in arsenic-contaminated agricultural soils, in order to im- prove food safety and also food security by increasing farmer’s revenue.

A systematic review investigating the effectiveness of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) for the management of low back and/or pelvic pain (LBPP) in pregnancy

Aim: To evaluate and summarize the current evidence on the effectiveness of complementary and alternative medicine for the management of low back pain and/or pelvic pain in pregnancy.

Background: International research demonstrates that 25-30% of women use complementary and alternative medicine to manage low back and pelvic pain in pregnancy without robust evidence demonstrating its effectiveness.

Design: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials to determine the effectiveness of complementary and alternative medicine for low back and/or pelvic pain in pregnancy.

Data Sources: Cochrane library (1898-2013), PubMed (1996-2013), MEDLINE (1946-2013), AMED (1985-2013), Embase (1974-2013), Cinahl (1937-2013), Index to Thesis (1716-2013) and Ethos (1914-2013).

Review Methods: Selected studies were written in English, randomized controlled trials, a group 1 or 2 therapy and reported pain reduction as an outcome measure. Study quality was reviewed using Risk of Bias and evidence strength the Cochrane Grading of Recommendations and Development Evaluation Tool.

Results: Eight studies were selected for full review. Two acupuncture studies with low risk of bias showed both clinically important changes and statistically significant results. There was evidence of effectiveness for osteopathy and chiropractic. However, osteopathy and chiropractic studies scored high for risk of bias. Strength of the evidence across studies was very low.

Conclusion: There is limited evidence supporting the use of general CAM for managing pregnancy-related low back and/or pelvic pain. However, the restricted availability of high-quality studies, combined with the very low evidence strength, makes it impossible to make evidence-based recommendations for practice.

Parents' perceptions of microneedle-mediated monitoring as an alternative to blood sampling in the monitoring of their infants

OBJECTIVES: Microneedle (MN) arrays could offer a pain-free, minimally invasive approach to monitoring. This is envisaged to be particularly beneficial for younger patients, but parents' views to date are unknown. The aim of this study was to explore parental perceptions of MN-mediated ISF monitoring, as an alternative to the use of conventional blood sampling, and to understand the important factors for technique approval.

METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents with recent experience of a premature birth. Recruitment was through the Northern Ireland premature infant charity, Tinylife. Interviews progressed until data saturation was reached and thematic analysis employed.

KEY FINDINGS: The study included 16 parents. Parental support for MN-mediated monitoring was evident, alongside the unpopularity of traditional blood sampling in neonates. Factors facilitating MN approval included the opportunity for pain reduction, the simplicity of the procedure, the potential for increased parental involvement and the more favourable appearance, owing to the minute size of MNs and similarities with a sticking plaster. Confirmation of correct application, a pain-free patch removal and endorsement from trusted healthcare professionals were important.

CONCLUSION: These findings will inform researchers in the field of MN development and enlighten practitioners regarding parental distress resulting from conventional blood sampling. Further work is necessary to understand MN acceptability among practitioners. This work should assist in the development of an acceptable MN device and facilitate the reduction of parental distress.

An alternative methodology in Schottky diode physics

The fabrication and electrical characterization of Schottky junction diodes have been extensively researched for three-quarters of a century since the original work of Schottky in 1938. This study breaks from the highly standardized regime of such research and provides an alternative methodology that prompts novel, more efficient applications of the adroit Schottky junction in areas such as chemical and thermal sensing. The core departure from standard Schottky diode configuration is that the metal electrode is of comparable or higher resistance than the underlying semiconductor. Further, complete electrical characterization is accomplished through recording four-probe resistance-temperature (R-D-T) characteristics of the device, where electrical sourcing and sensing is done only via the metal electrode and not directly through the semiconductor. Importantly, this results in probing a nominally unbiased junction while eliminating the need for an Ohmic contact to the semiconductor. The characteristic R-D-T plot shows two distinct regions of high (metal) and low (semiconductor) resistances at low and high temperatures, respectively, connected by a crossover region of width, DT, within which there is a large negative temperature coefficient of resistance. The R-D-T characteristic is highly sensitive to the Schottky barrier height; consequently, at a fixed temperature, R-D responds appreciably to small changes in barrier height such as that induced by absorption of a chemical species (e.g., H-2) at the interface. A theoretical model is developed to simulate the R-D-T data and applied to Pd/p-Si and Pt/p-Si Schottky diodes with a range of metal electrode resistance. The analysis gives near-perfect fits to the experimental R-D-T characteristics, yielding the junction properties as fit parameters. The modelling not only helps elucidate the underlying physics but also helps to comprehend the parameter space essential for the discussed applications. Although the primary regime of application is limited to a relatively narrow range (DT) for a given type of diode, the alternative methodology is of universal applicability to all metal-semiconductor combinations forming Schottky contacts. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.

Sporting Justice: An Arbitrator's Perspective

Drawing on my experience of a number of sports dispute resolution tribunals in the UK and Ireland (such as Sports Resolutions UK; Just Sport Ireland; the Football Association of Ireland’s Disciplinary Panel and the Gaelic Athletic Association’s Dispute Resolution Authority) I intend to use this paper to review the legal arguments typically made in sports-related arbitrations. These points of interest can be summarised as a series of three questions: the fairness question; the liability question; the penalty question.

In answer to the fairness question, the aim is to give a brief outline on best practice in establishing a "fair" sports disciplinary tribunal. The answer, I believe, is always twofold in nature: first, and to paraphrase Lord Steyn in R v Secretary of State For The Home Department, Ex Parte Daly [2001] UKHL 26 at [28] "in law, context is everything" – translated into the present matter, this means that in sports disciplinary cases, the more serious the charges against the individual (in terms of reputational damage, economic impact and/or length of sanction); the more tightly wrapped the procedural safeguards surrounding any subsequent disciplinary hearing must be. A fair disciplinary system will be discussed in the context of the principles laid down in Article 8 of the World Anti-Doping Code which, in effect, acts as sport’s Article 6 of the ECHR on a right to a fair trial.

Following on from the above, in the 60 or so sports arbitrations that I have heard, there are two further points of interest. First, the claim before the arbitral panel will often be framed in an argument that, for various reasons of substantive and procedural irregularity, the sanction imposed on the appellant should be quashed ("the liability"). Second, and in alternative, that the sanction imposed was wholly disproportionate ("the penalty").

The liability issue usually breaks down into two further questions. First, what is the nature of the legal duty upon a sports body in exercising its disciplinary remit? Second, to what extent does a de novo hearing on appeal cure any apparent defects in a hearing of first instance? The first issue often results in an arbitral panel debating the contra preferentum approach to the interpretation of a contested rule i.e., the sports body’s rules in question are so ambiguous that they should be interpreted in a manner to the detriment of the rule maker and in favour of the appellant. On the second matter, it now appears to be a general principle of sports law, administrative law and even human rights law that even if a violation of the principles of natural justice takes place at the first instance stage of a disciplinary process, they may be cured on de novo appeal. Authority for this approach can be found at the Court of Arbitration for Sport and in particular in CAS 2009/A/1920 FK Pobeda, Aleksandar Zabrcanec, Nikolce Zdraveski v UEFA at para 87.

The question on proportionality asks what, aside from precedent found within the decisions of the sports body in question, are the general legal principles against which a sanction by a sports disciplinary body can be benchmarked in order to ascertain whether it is disproportionate in length or even irrational in nature?

On the matter of (dis)proportionality of sanction, the debate is usually guided by the authority in Bradley v the Jockey Club [2004] EWHC 2164 (QB) and affirmed at [2005] EWCA Civ 1056. The Bradley principles on proportionality of sports-specific sanctions, recently cited with approval at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, will be examined in this presentation.

Finally, an interesting application of many of the above principles (and others such as the appropriate standard of proof in sports disciplinary procedures) can be made to recent match-fixing or corruption related hearings held by the British Horse Racing Authority, the integrity units of snooker and tennis, and at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.