The Philip D. Reed Lecture Series: Judicial Records Forum

This Panel Discussion of the Judicial Records Forum was held on June 4, 2014, at Fordham University School of Law. The Judicial Records Forum focuses on issues involving the creation and management of judicial records and access to judicial records in the digital age. The transcript of the Panel Discussion has been lightly edited and represents the panelists’ individual views only, and in no way reflects those of their affiliated firms, organizations, law schools, or the judiciary

Judicial Efficiency: Is There a Vacancy Crisis Threatening the Nation\u27s Judicial System?

A panel composed of Honorable John F. Keenan, Michael Armstrong, Otto Obermaier, Honorable Michael Schattman, and Stephan Kline discuss whether the vacancy rate in the judiciary threatens erosion of the quality of justice. The panelists discuss whether the problem involves the White House\u27s inability to work with the Senate Judiciary Committee, people of different persuasions, to move judicial candidates along. They also discuss how our system is dependent upon people who are older (senior judges), who are retired, who are entitled to move on, having to fill the vacancies. The panel discussion was followed by a short ceremony to unveil the portrait of Judge Murphy and to have a few reflections about his life

Guidance on the scientific requirements for health claims related to muscle function and physical performance (Revision 1)

EFSA has asked the Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens (NDA) to update the guidance on the scientific requirements for health claims related to physical performance published in 2012. The update takes into account the experience gained by the NDA Panel with the evaluation of additional health claim applications, changes introduced to the general scientific guidance for stakeholders for health claims applications and information collected from a grant launched in 2014 which aimed at gathering information in relation to claimed effects, outcome variables and methods of measurement in the context of the scientific substantiation of health claims. The guidance is intended to assist applicants in preparing applications for the authorisation of health claims related to muscle function and physical performance. The draft guidance was subject to public consultation from 16 July to 2 September 2018. This document supersedes the guidance on the scientific requirements for health claims related to physical performance published in 2012. It is intended that the guidance will be further updated as appropriate in the light of experience gained from the evaluation of health claims

Risks to human and animal health related to the presence of deoxynivalenol and its acetylated and modified forms in food and feed

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Risks for public health related to the presence of tetrodotoxin (TTX) and TTX analogues in marine bivalves and gastropods

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of a health claim related to Rosbacher drive^® and increased attention pursuant to Article 13(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006

Following an application from Hassia Mineralquellen GmbH & Co KG, submitted for authorisation of a health claim pursuant to Article 13(5) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 via the Competent Authority of Germany, the EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) was asked to deliver an opinion on the scientific substantiation of a health claim related to Rosbacher drive® and increased attention. The Panel considers that Rosbacher drive®, which contains natural mineral water plus grape juice, lemon juice, pomegranate juice, elderberry juice, isomaltulose, sucrose, fructose syrup, caffeine, ascorbic acid and natural flavourings, is sufficiently characterised. The claimed effect, increased attention, is a beneficial physiological effect. The single study which was carried out with Rosbacher drive® was an open-label, non-randomised sequential study and the study did not report on any outcomes of attention. No conclusions can be drawn from this study for the scientific substantiation of the claim. The Panel concludes that a cause and effect relationship has not been established between the consumption of Rosbacher drive® and increased attention

Re‐evaluation of gellan gum (E 418) as food additive

The Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Food (ANS) provides a scientific opinion re‐evaluating the safety of gellan gum (E 418) as a food additive. Following the conceptual framework for the risk assessment of certain food additives re‐evaluated under Commission Regulation (EU) No 257/2010, the Panel considered that adequate exposure and toxicity data were available. Based on the reported use levels, a refined exposure of up to 72.4 mg/kg body weight (bw) per day in toddlers at the 95th percentile was estimated. Gellan gum is unlikely to be absorbed intact and would not be fermented by human intestinal microbiota. There is no concern with respect to carcinogenicity and genotoxicity. No adverse effects were reported in chronic studies at the highest doses tested in mice and rats (3,627 and 1,460 mg gellan gum/kg bw per day, respectively). Repeated oral intake up to 200 mg/kg bw per day for 3 weeks had no adverse effects in humans. The Panel concluded that there is no need for a numerical acceptable daily intake (ADI) for gellan gum (E 418), and that there is no safety concern at the refined exposure assessment for the reported uses and use levels of gellan gum (E 418) as a food additive. The Panel recommended to better define the specifications of gellan gum including the absence of viable cells of the microbial source and the presence of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), protein and residual bacterial enzymatic activities

Implications of "peak oil" for atmospheric CO2 and climate

Unconstrained CO2 emission from fossil fuel burning has been the dominant cause of observed anthropogenic global warming. The amounts of "proven" and potential fossil fuel reserves are uncertain and debated. Regardless of the true values, society has flexibility in the degree to which it chooses to exploit these reserves, especially unconventional fossil fuels and those located in extreme or pristine environments. If conventional oil production peaks within the next few decades, it may have a large effect on future atmospheric CO2 and climate change, depending upon subsequent energy choices. Assuming that proven oil and gas reserves do not greatly exceed estimates of the Energy Information Administration, and recent trends are toward lower estimates, we show that it is feasible to keep atmospheric CO2 from exceeding about 450 ppm by 2100, provided that emissions from coal, unconventional fossil fuels, and land use are constrained. Coal-fired power plants without sequestration must be phased out before mid-century to achieve this CO2 limit. It is also important to "stretch" conventional oil reserves via energy conservation and efficiency, thus averting strong pressures to extract liquid fuels from coal or unconventional fossil fuels while clean technologies are being developed for the era "beyond fossil fuels". We argue that a rising price on carbon emissions is needed to discourage conversion of the vast fossil resources into usable reserves, and to keep CO2 beneath the 450 ppm ceiling.Comment: (22 pages, 7 figures; final version accepted by Global Biogeochemical Cycles