Investment in Sustainable Development: A UK Perspective on the Business and Academic Challenges

There are many legislative, stakeholder and supply chain pressures on business to be more ‘sustainable’. Universities have recognised the need for graduate knowledge and understanding of sustainable development issues. Many businesses and universities have responded and introduced Sustainable Development models into their operations with much of the current effort directed at climate change. However, as the current worldwide financial crisis slowly improves, the expectations upon how businesses operate and behave are changing. It will require improved transparency and relationships with all stakeholders, which is the essence of sustainable development. The challenges and opportunities for both business and universities are to understand the requirements of sustainable development and the transformation that is required. They should ensure that knowledge is embedded within the culture of the organisation and wider society in order to achieve a sustainable future

NMR Studies of Platinum bisphosphine complexes of phenylphosphonamidodiselenoate

A series of platinum (II) bisphosphine complexes 1-20 [Pt(R’NH(Ph)PSe2)(PR3)2] (where R = Ph3, Ph2Me, Me2Ph, PMe3 and R’ = iPr, nBu, sBu, tBu, Benz) have been prepared by reaction of cis-[Pt(PR3)2Cl2)] and the alkyl ammonium salt of the ligand. The novel compounds were characterised by multinuclear NMR, and in one case X-Ray crystallography. The molecular structures of two ligand salts and [Pt(sBu’NH(Ph)PSe2)(PPh3)2] are reported.Peer reviewe

Theoretical and electrochemical studies on organometallic symmetrical schiff base complexes of Zn(II), Cu(II), Ni(II) and Co(II).

International audienceThe electronic communication between two redox centres through a Schiff base complex has been investigated in a series of ethylenediimine-bis(1-ferrocenyl-1,3-butanedionate) complexes of Zn(II) 1, Cu(II) 2, Ni(II) 3 and Co(II) 4. Cyclic voltammetry experiments of 1 and 2 exhibit a unique two-electron reversible oxidation wave, whereas in the case of 3 and 4 two and three one-electron oxidation processes are, respectively, observed. These results suggest some electronic interaction between the iron atoms of the ferrocenyl groups. DFT calculations carried out on model complexes show that for all the studied compounds the removal of the first two electrons corresponds to the oxidation processes of the iron centres in the weakly coupled ferrocenyl termini. The electronic communication between the two iron centres increases on going from 1 to 4. Finally, a re-indexation of the bands observed in the UV-Visible spectra has been carried out using TDDFT calculations

Adjusting foraging strategies : a comparison of rural and urban common mynas (Acridotheres tristis)

The research was funded by a FP7-PEOPLE-2013-IRSES research staff exchange grant to TB, SH, OG and ASG. OG was additionally supported by Gu227/16-1 and IF by an FWF grant (Y366-B17) to TB.Establishment in urbanized environments is associated with changes in physiology, behaviour, and problem-solving. We compared the speed of learning in urban and rural female common mynas, Acridotheres tristis, using a standard visual discrimination task followed by a reversal learning phase. We also examined how quickly each bird progressed through different stages of learning, including sampling and acquisition within both initial and reversal learning, and persistence following reversal. Based on their reliance on very different food resources, we expected urban mynas to learn and reversal learn more quickly but to sample new contingencies for proportionately longer before learning them. When quantified from first presentation to criterion achievement, urban mynas took more 20-trial blocks to learn the initial discrimination, as well as the reversed contingency, than rural mynas. More detailed analyses at the level of stage revealed that this was because urban mynas explored the novel cue-outcome contingencies for longer, and despite transitioning faster through subsequent acquisition, remained overall slower than rural females. Our findings draw attention to fine adjustments in learning strategies in response to urbanization and caution against interpreting the speed to learn a task as a reflection of cognitive ability.PostprintPeer reviewe

Brief of Scholars of the History and Original Meaning of the Fourth Amendment as Amici Curiae in Support of Petitioner, Carpenter v. United States, No. 16-402 (U.S. Aug. 14, 2017)

Obtaining and examining cell site location records to find a person is a “search” in any normal sense of the word — a search of documents and a search for a person and her personal effects. It is therefore a “search” within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment in that it constitutes “examining,” “exploring,” “looking through,” “inquiring,” “seeking,” or “trying to find.” Nothing about the text of the Fourth Amendment, or the historical backdrop against which it was adopted, suggests that “search” should be construed more narrowly as, for example, intrusions upon subjectively manifested expectations of privacy that society is prepared to recognize as reasonable.Entrusting government agents with unfettered discretion to conduct searches using cell site location information undermines Fourth Amendment rights. The Amendment guarantees “[t]he right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches.” The Framers chose that language deliberately. It reflected the insecurity they suffered at the hands of “writs of assistance,” a form of general warrant that granted state agents broad discretion to search wherever they pleased. Such arbitrary power was “unreasonable” to the Framers, being “against the reason of the common law,” and it was intolerable because of its oppressive impact on “the people” as a whole. As emphasized in one of the seminal English cases that inspired the Amendment, this kind of general power to search was “totally subversive of the liberty of the subject.” James Otis’s famous speech denouncing a colonial writ of assistance similarly condemned those writs as “the worst instrument of arbitrary power,” placing “the liberty of every man in the hands of every petty officer.” Thus, although those who drafted and ratified the Fourth Amendment could not have anticipated cellphone technology, they would have recognized the dangers inherent in any state claim of unlimited authority to conduct searches for evidence of criminal activity. Cell site location information provides insight into where we go and what we do. Because this information is constantly generated and can be retrieved by the government long after the activities it memorializes have taken place, unfettered government access to cell site location information raises the specter of general searches and undermines the security of “the people.

Clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapy as an adjunct to pharmacotherapy for treatment-resistant depression in primary care: the CoBalT randomised controlled trial

Background: Only one-third of patients with depression respond fully to treatment with antidepressant medication. However, there is little robust evidence to guide the management of those whose symptoms are 'treatment resistant'.<p></p> Objective: The CoBalT trial examined the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) as an adjunct to usual care (including pharmacotherapy) for primary care patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) compared with usual care alone.<p></p> Design: Pragmatic, multicentre individually randomised controlled trial with follow-up at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. A subset took part in a qualitative study investigating views and experiences of CBT, reasons for completing/not completing therapy, and usual care for TRD.<p></p> Setting: General practices in Bristol, Exeter and Glasgow, and surrounding areas.<p></p> Participants: Patients aged 18-75 years who had TRD [on antidepressants for 6 weeks, had adhered to medication, Beck Depression Inventory, 2nd version (BDI-II) score of 14 and fulfilled the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth edition criteria for depression]. Individuals were excluded who (1) had bipolar disorder/psychosis or major alcohol/substance abuse problems; (2) were unable to complete the questionnaires; or (3) were pregnant, as were those currently receiving CBT/other psychotherapy/secondary care for depression, or who had received CBT in the past 3 years.<p></p> Interventions: Participants were randomised, using a computer-generated code, to usual care or CBT (12-18 sessions) in addition to usual care.<p></p> Main outcome measures: The primary outcome was 'response', defined as 50% reduction in depressive symptoms (BDI-II score) at 6 months compared with baseline. Secondary outcomes included BDI-II score as a continuous variable, remission of symptoms (BDI-II score of < 10), quality of life, anxiety and antidepressant use at 6 and 12 months. Data on health and social care use, personal costs, and time off work were collected at 6 and 12 months. Costs from these three perspectives were reported using a cost-consequence analysis. A cost-utility analysis compared health and social care costs with quality adjusted life-years.<p></p> Results: A total of 469 patients were randomised (intervention: n = 234; usual care: n = 235), with 422 participants (90%) and 396 (84%) followed up at 6 and 12 months. Ninety-five participants (46.1%) in the intervention group met criteria for 'response' at 6 months compared with 46 (21.6%) in the usual-care group {odds ratio [OR] 3.26 [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.10 to 5.06], p < 0.001}. In repeated measures analyses using data from 6 and 12 months, the OR for 'response' was 2.89 (95% CI 2.03 to 4.10, p < 0.001) and for a secondary 'remission' outcome (BDI-II score of < 10) 2.74 (95% CI 1.82 to 4.13, p < 0.001). The mean cost of CBT per participant was £910, the incremental health and social care cost £850, the incremental QALY gain 0.057 and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio £14,911. Forty participants were interviewed. Patients described CBT as challenging but helping them to manage their depression; listed social, emotional and practical reasons for not completing treatment; and described usual care as mainly taking medication.<p></p> Conclusions: Among patients who have not responded to antidepressants, augmenting usual care with CBT is effective in reducing depressive symptoms, and these effects, including outcomes reflecting remission, are maintained over 12 months. The intervention was cost-effective based on the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence threshold. Patients may experience CBT as difficult but effective. Further research should evaluate long-term effectiveness, as this would have major implications for the recommended treatment of depression.<p></p&gt

Severe zinc depletion of escherichia coli: roles for high affinity zinc binding by ZinT, zinc transport and zinc-independent proteins

Zinc ions play indispensable roles in biological chemistry. However, bacteria have an impressive ability to acquire Zn2+ from the environment, making it exceptionally difficult to achieve Zn2+ deficiency, and so a comprehensive understanding of the importance of Zn2+ has not been attained. Reduction of the Zn2+ content of Escherichia coli growth medium to 60 nM or less is reported here for the first time, without recourse to chelators of poor specificity. Cells grown in Zn2+-deficient medium had a reduced growth rate and contained up to five times less cellular Zn2+. To understand global responses to Zn2+ deficiency, microarray analysis was conducted of cells grown under Zn2+-replete and Zn2+-depleted conditions in chemostat cultures. Nine genes were up-regulated more than 2-fold (p<0.05) in cells from Zn2+-deficient chemostats, including zinT (yodA). zinT is shown to be regulated by Zur ( zinc uptake regulator). A mutant lacking zinT displayed a growth defect and a 3-fold lowered cellular Zn2+ level under Zn2+ limitation. The purified ZinT protein possessed a single, high affinity metal-binding site that can accommodate Zn2+ or Cd2+. A further up-regulated gene, ykgM, is believed to encode a non-Zn2+ finger-containing paralogue of the Zn2+ finger ribosomal protein L31. The gene encoding the periplasmic Zn2+- binding protein znuA showed increased expression. During both batch and chemostat growth, cells "found" more Zn2+ than was originally added to the culture, presumably because of leaching from the culture vessel. Zn2+ elimination is shown to be a more precise method of depleting Zn2+ than by using the chelator N,N,N',N'-tetrakis(2-pyridylmethyl)ethylenediamine