bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Finishing diets used in beef and lamb production in Northern Ireland: results of a questionnaire survey
Authors: McAfee A J , Duffy E , Cuskelly G , Fearon A , Wallace J , Bonham M , Moss B W , Strain S
Published: June 2019

Ruminant feeding regimes that include grass finishing are known to increase the n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 PUFA) content of beef and lamb. By contrast, concentrate finishing produces meat with increased n-6 PUFA concentrations. There is strong evidence that increasing the ratio of n-3: n-6 PUFA in the diet has beneficial effects for human health. In Northern Ireland, it is likely that feeding regimes are predominantly grass-based; therefore beef and lamb could contain appreciable amounts of n-3 PUFA. However, an analysis of types of finishing diets used by farms in Northern Ireland has not been done. The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of grass and concentrate finishing in farms in Northern Ireland.
Evaluation of period of fasting and mixing of steers prior to slaughter on meat eating quality
Authors: Lively F O , Moss B W , Keady T W J , Farmer L , Gault N F S , Tolland E , Tollerton J , Devlin D , Gordon A
Published: June 2019

Mixing of cattle prior to slaughter which results in aggressive activity (Mohan Raj et al 1992) leads to glycogen depletion pre-slaughter and subsequently meat with a higher ultimate pH (pHu). Purchas et al (1990) reported a quadratic relationship between pHu and tenderness with highest shear force values recorded between pHu 5.8 to 6.2. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of fasting and mixing of steers prior to slaughter on the meat eating quality of longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle.
Predicting the slaughter characteristics of finished beef cattle using a live animal digital image analysis system under typical on-farm management conditions
Authors: Hyslop J J , Ross D W , Schofield C P , Navajas E A , Roehe R , Simm G
Published: June 2019

Previous work has suggested that dimensional data obtained from digital image analysis (DIA) has potential to predict the slaughter liveweights of finished beef cattle (Hyslop et al, 2008). Both farmers and cattle buyers may benefit from being able to select animals to meet slaughter specifications more accurately on-farm. The objective of the current study was to assess the feasibility of an on-farm DIA system to predict a number of characteristics in beef steers at slaughter.
Computer-assisted image analysis for the comparison of sampling methods for assessing wool properties in Arkharmerino × Ghezel crossbreed sheep
Authors: Shoja J , Esfandyari H , Rafat S A , Dorostkar M
Published: June 2019

Usually investigations on wool properties are carried out using classical instruments like a Projection Microscope at wool laboratories in Iran. It is readily acknowledged that the Projection Microscope is of limited usefulness. Firstly, it is a very slow and labour intensive technique. Secondly, it is very imprecise when a single operator conducts measurements within one laboratory. Image analysis presents a quick, reliable, unbiased technique for determining wool properties (Rose and Debra, 2001). The application of computer-assisted image analysis to the measurement of wool properties potentially enables a significant reduction in the counting time for each sample. Recently in Iran, coarse-mixed wools have been valued and used in similar areas as finer wools. Coarse-mixed wools can be blended with artificia1 fibres to produce high valued clothes. They are also used widely in carpet production. This is why, in Iran, carpet wool breeds of increasing fleece weight is a main selection target, with improvement of fineness and uniformity as the next most important. Typically small samples from the whole fleece are taken using a scissors. The samples can be taken from six regions, i.e. neck, back, hip, shoulder, flank and rump, however usually they are taken from three regions, namely the shoulder, last rib and rump, in breeds with coarse-mixed wools. These sampling methods cause loss of time and require more labour. In this research, two methods of sampling the Arkharmerino × Ghezel fleece were compared. Sampling from only over the right mid-side, as occurs in fine wool breeds was compared with taking samples from three regions (shoulder, last rib and rump).
Dry matter intakes, milk yield and milk composition of dairy cows offered concentrate diets containing either yellow lupins or soya bean meal
Authors: Marley C L , Fisher W J , Fychan R , Sanderson R , Abberton M T , Davies D R
Published: June 2019

Lupins (Lupinus; Leguminosae) as a high protein, high energy, nitrogen-fixing grain legume, have the potential to be used as a home-grown feedstuff to replace soya (Glycine max) in livestock feeds in the UK. Lupins are not typically grown in the UK but their high feed value and the low alkaloid concentrations in new varieties have prompted a renewed interest in their use (Wilkins and Jones, 2000). Traditionally, white lupin (Lupinus albus) is the predominant species fed as a soya replacement to dairy cows in Europe and the USA but recent research has shown advantages of growing yellow lupins (Lupinus luteus) in the UK compared with white lupins. This study reports on the effects of feeding concentrate diets containing yellow lupin compared with soya bean meal on intakes, milk productivity and milk composition in dairy cows.
Effect of feeding diet containing fish oil and canola oil from transition period on milk production and components of Holstein cows in early lactation
Authors: Vafa T , Naserian A , Moussavi A Heravi , Valizadeh R , Mesgaran M Danesh
Published: June 2019

There are too many physiological and nutritional factors which can influence lactation performance of early lactation Holstein dairy cows. Supplemental fat sources are utilized in rations for dairy cows as a common method to increase the energy density of the diet, especially in early lactation (Juchem et al., 2007). The fat sources also have a positive effect on milk fatty acid profile. Canola seed which contains 40% fat is an excellent source of dietary fat high in unsaturated fatty acids and protein for dairy animals. Canola oil contains 51% oleic, 25% linoleic, and 14% linolenic acids. Fish oil contains relatively high concentrations fatty acids of the n-3 family. It seems that feeding a blend of different oils will have more positive productive response than individual usage of them. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of feeding diets containing fish oil and canola oil starting from transition period on milk production and composition of early lactating Holstein cows.
Effect of substitution barley grain with dried sugar beet pulp on ruminal pH and ammonia nitrogen concentration of Holstein steers
Authors: Mojtahedi M , Mesgaran M Danesh , Moussavi A Heravi , Tahmasbi A
Published: June 2019

Grains are often substituted for forage in ruminant diets to increase feed intake, diet fermentability, and animal growth rate. However, greater dietary starch concentration can lead to digestive disorders, such as ruminal acidosis and reduce performance (Owens et al., 1998). Adding non-forage fibre source, such as sugar beet pulp (SBP), to low-forage diets might reduce the negative effects of increased starch fermentation without increasing the ﬁlling effect of the diet to the same extent as forage fibre. So, substituting SBP for barley grain in a diet with moderately low forage content should alter ruminal fermentation and might increase mean or minimum ruminal pH. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the substitution of barley grain with SBP on ruminal pH and ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) concentration in Holstein steers.
The effect of feeding ensiled alternative forages compared with ensiled ryegrass on excreta losses from growing lambs
Authors: Marley C L , Fychan R , Fraser M D , Sanderson R , Jones R
Published: June 2019

An experiment investigated the effects of using ensiled alternative forages compared with ensiled ryegrass on lamb productivity, nutrient use efficiency and total excreta losses in a lamb finishing system. Lambs offered alternative forages had a higher liveweight gain and nitrogen use efficiency than lambs offered ryegrass silage (P < 0.001) (Marley et al., 2007). However, balancing the input and output of nutrients within the farm system is critical to ensure both short-term productivity and long-term sustainability, as producers aim to establish whole-farm nutrient balance plans and reduce reliance on bought-in fertilisers. Here we present the findings of the effects of feeding ensiled red clover (Trifolium pratense), lucerne (Medicago sativa), pea (Pisum sativum), kale (Brassica oleracea) compared with ensiled hybrid ryegrass (Lolium hybridicum) on excreta losses from these growing lambs and, therefore, the potential impact of incorporating these forages on nutrient budgets within livestock systems.
Effect of inoculants on fermentation and nutritive value of unwilted and wilted Lucerne silage
Authors: Cigari F Hashemzadeh , Hhorvash M , Ghorbani G R , Taghizade A , Sadegi K , Mohammadzadeh H , Yari M , Mirzayee M
Published: June 2019

Homolactic bacteria have been used to inoculate silages and improve their fermentation. Inoculation with these microbes has increased the rate and extends of lactic acid production in silage and decreased proteolysis and production of volatile organic acid. Wilting of high moisture forages prior to ensiling usually enhances preservation and intake responses of cattle fed silage. Wilting creates an ensiling environment that is conducive to a restricted proteolysis and fermentation, and the resulting silage is typically higher in water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) and lower in fermentation acids. The microorganisms used in silage inoculants depend on a high level of moisture for growth. Pahlow and Weissbach (1996) reported that only 10% of the total population of epiphytic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) on grasses grew on modified, selective agar with an water activity (aw) of 0.952 (forage with a DM content of 50%), suggesting that epiphytic LAB were not very osmotolerant. However, Lucerne is often wilted to concentrations above 30% DM before ensiling to reduce the chances of clostridial fermentation and In these silages, it may be speculated that use of osmointolerant inoculants can include two Excellences of wilting and inoculants to make better silage. The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of wilting and inoculants on Lucerne silage quality.
Effect of cobalt supplementation on performance of Mehraban lambs
Authors: Aliarabi H , Bisheh Sari S , Tabatabaei M M , Ahmadi A , Zamani P , Alipour D , Zamani Z
Published: June 2019

A major physiological effect of cobalt deficiency is loss of appetite (Smith, 1997). Rumen micro-organisms require cobalt for the synthesis of Vitamin B12, which acts as a cofactor for protein and energy metabolism enzymes, namely methylmalonyl coenzyme A mutase and methionine synthase (Kennedy et, al. 1992). Cobalt deficiency, therefore, impairs the energy and protein metabolism and thus growth and development of the deficient animal, which can be defined as changes in the weight, shape and size of the body. Sheep tend to be extremely susceptible to Co deficiency and develop a normocytic and normochromic anaemia, anorexia, reduced weight gains and photosensitivity (Vellema et al., 1996). The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of dietary Co level on performance of Mehraban male lambs.
Behavior analysis of a first order degradation model when fitting the nutrient ruminal disappearance data
Authors: Nasri M H Fathi , Mesgaran M Danesh , France J , Riasi A
Published: June 2019

There are several different models for describing the nutrient ruminal degradation of feeds. The use of a particular model in fitting a given degradability data set and estimating the degradability parameters implies the holistic examination of model goodness-of-fit, otherwise the validity of estimated parameters may be controvertible. One of the criteria for evaluating goodness-of-fit is model behaviour analysis. In the present work, the behaviour of a first-order model when fitting whole soybean ruminal degradability data was investigated.
Evaluation of a zero-order model to describe ruminal degradation kinetics of whole soybean incubated in situ
Authors: Nasri M H Fathi , Mesgaran M Danesh , Kebreab E
Published: June 2019

In situ incubation of feeds in the rumen serves as a basic procedure in many feed evaluation systems. The formulation of hypotheses concerning underlying biological concepts of ruminal degradability has led to development of different mathematical models describing the resultant time course disappearance curves of feed fractions. The use of models allows comparison of parameter estimates (or combinations thereof), which ideally reflect these biological concepts, between feeds or feeding systems. Among different factors affecting the experimental measurements of in situ ruminal disappearance of feeds, less attention has been paid to choice of mathematical model to fit the curves and the goodness-of-fit of the model. The objective of the present work, therefore, was to evaluate the ability of a zero-order mathematical model to describe in situ disappearance curves obtained with whole soybean, and to give adequate estimates of the parameters needed to determine extent of ruminal degradation.
Evaluation of microwave irradiation effects on nutritive value of broom sorghum grain using an in vitro gas production technique
Authors: Parnian F , Taghizadeh A
Published: June 2019

In Iran various varieties of sorghum (Sorghum vulgare) are planted mainly for broom production but also for use in animal nutrition. There appears to be no documented research about nutritive value of microwave processed sorghum grain. With microwave irradiation, heat is generated throughout the material, leading to faster heating rates and shorter processing times compared to conventional heating, where heat is usually transferred from the surface to the interior (Fakhouri and Ramaswamy, 1993). In the in vitro gas production method for predicting nutritive value, the kinetics of fermentation can be studied on a single sample and therefore a relatively small amount of sample is required or a larger number of samples can be evaluated at any one time. Gas production measurement provides useful data on digestion kinetics of both soluble and insoluble fractions of feedstuffs (Getachew et al., 1998). The purpose of this study was to evaluate effects of microwave irradiation on nutritive value of broom sorghum grain using the in vitro gas production technique.
In vitro rumen degradability, ammonia levels and pH of different spices
Authors: Khan M M H , Chaudhry A S , Neto H Lima , Virk M R
Published: June 2019

In developing countries, low quality forages (LQF), like cereal straws are the main basal feed for ruminants. But these forages are low in nutrient contents and so the ruminants cannot utilize these forages effectively which results in poor ruminant health and production. So it is needed to improve the quality of these forages. Conversely, rumen fermentation of these forages may result in considerable energy and protein losses as methane and ammonia N which cause pollution to the environment. So it is needed to find out additives that can also be used as supplements to reduce nutrient loss as methane and nitrogen. It would be desirable if these supplements or additives improve the efficiency of nutrient use in the rumen as well. Herbs and spices can be used as alternative sources. Researchers have been using plant extracts to manipulate rumen fermentation. But processing extracts from plant products will be costly and will require expensive instruments. Khan and Chaudhry (2008) have reported the potential in using spices to modify degradability and fermentation of different forages. However, it may be helpful to observe the degradability and fermentation profiles of these spices alone before their use as additives to improve forage degradability perhaps by stimulating the fibrolytic and or inhibiting the undesirable microbes. Therefore, this study compared the in vitro dry matter degradability (IVD) and rumen ammonia level (AL) and pH of different concentrations of selected spices at different times.
A genetic-epidemiological model for Marek’s Disease in Poultry
Authors: Nath M , Bishop S C
Published: June 2019

Marek’s disease (MD), caused by a herpes virus, is a very infectious, lymphoproliferative and chronic disease of poultry. Breeding for improved MD resistance poultry stock is possible since MD resistance has been associated with MHC haplotypes, QTL and candidate genes. However, integration of host genetics vis-à-vis other control strategies and the utilisation of genes or gene markers for MD in practical breeding programmes is still a challenge. The objective of the present study was to develop a basic genetic-epidemiological model for Marek’s disease infection in poultry, identify parameter spaces that describe the disease dynamics correctly and investigate the impacts of possible genetic and vaccination control strategies on overall disease dynamics.
Effects of vitamin E and C supplementation on performance and immune response of broiler chicks
Authors: Hesabinameghi A
Published: June 2019

Vitamin E (VE) is known for its role as an antioxidant, protecting unsaturated bonds of cellular membrane phospholipids against free radical attack. VE also has been shown to be a requirement for normal development and function of the immune system. Although poultry are renal synthesizers of ascorbic acid, synthesis is inadequate under stressful conditions such as high environmental temperature, high humidity, high egg and meat production rate and parasite infestation. The main objective of this study was to assess the effects of various levels of dietary VE supplementation and Vitamin C (VC) in drinking water on performance, humoral and cell mediate immune response.
Investigation on relative population of Salmonella spp. bacteria in duodenum, jejunum, ileum and cecum of poultry using densitometry technique
Authors: Seidavi A
Published: June 2019

Salmonellosis is an infectious disease caused by Salmonella spp. that continues to plague human populations in both developed and third-world countries (Bohórquez, 2007). Conventional culture-based methods of detection that rely on enrichment of the sample and plating onto selective agar media may not be as sensitive as immunologic-or genetic-based rapid methods (Feng, 2001). PCR-based methods offer the advantages of high specificity and sensitivity. Some efforts have been made to reduce the time required and to increase the sensitivity and the accuracy of the methods to quantification of Salmonella in poultry samples (Mandrell and Wachtel 1999). This study was conducted in order to determine the relative population of Salmonella spp. in the duodenum, jejunum, ileum and caecum of chickens at different ages using densitometry.
Modelling and optimising early performance for broiler chicks
Authors: Ahmadi H , Golian A
Published: June 2019

Several methods have been introduced to estimate the optimum level of dietary nutrients such as metabolisable energy (ME), crude protein (CP), and lysine (Lys) in broiler chicken production. Performance optimisation is usually measured as maximising body weight gain and minimising adjusted feed conversion ratio (Adj FCR). One useful method is to model a system that requires an explicit mathematical input-output relationship. Group method of data handling-type neural network (GMDH-type NN) and genetic algorithm (GA) is used to model and optimise an output in an imprecise environment (Yao, 1999). The purpose of this study was to apply the GMDH-type NN and GA methods to provide an optimised formula for broiler chicken performance based on the dietary level of ME, CP, and Lys.
Modifying egg fatty acid content by supplementation of laying hen diets with palm olein oil (POO)
Authors: Vashan S J Hosseini , Afzali N , Golian A , Malekaneh M , Allahressani A
Published: June 2019

Palm oil is the most abundant of all oils produced globally. It is very high in saturated fatty acids specifically palmitic acid, but other fatty acids (monounsaturated (MUFA) and polyunsaturated) are presented at low concentrations. In the processing plant some high amount of oleic acid with some other unsaturated fatty acids are extracted and marketed as Palm olein oil, and used to reduce blood or egg cholesterol (Rievelles et al., 1994). The objective of this study was to determine the optimum level of dietary palm olein oil required to enrich the mono-unsaturated fatty acid content of yolk, egg cholesterol and antibody titre.
White mulberry (Morus alba) fruit waste and its use in broiler nutrition
Authors: Mahdavi A , Hosseini S A , Asl M Mohiti , Lotfolahiyan H , Aghashahi A , Hosseini S H , Mirabdolbaghi J , Alemi F
Published: June 2019

The mulberry belongs to the genus Morus of the family Moraceae. There are 24 species of Morus and one subspecies, with at least 100 known varieties. One of the most important points about mulberry fruit is its sensitivity to environmental conditions during harvesting time and also the methods of harvesting. Because of these sensitivities, there is a lot of waste in the production of mulberry fruit. In the animal feed industry, agricultural by-products are used in animal and poultry nutrition. However, there is no information about the use of mulberry fruit waste in poultry nutrition; therefore this experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of mulberry fruit in broiler nutrition.
Effect of prebiotic on performance of broiler chicks in low protein diets
Authors: Amirdahri S , Janmohammadi H , Taghizadeh A , Rafat A
Published: June 2019

In view of the severe restriction or total ban on the use of antibiotics as growth promoters and therapeutic agents in poultry industry, probiotics and prebiotics have been suggested as alternatives to antibiotics (pirayet al, 2007). Prebiotic are known as “a nondigestible feed ingredient” that beneficially affects the host by selectively stimulating the growth or activity of a limited number of bacteria in the colon (Gibson and Roberfroid, 1995). Prebiotics has a significant effect on body weight gain and feed to gain ratio (pirayet al, 2007). The objective of this research was to study the effectiveness of adding prebiotic on broiler growth performance in low protein diets.
The effects of multi-enzyme addition on performance of broiler chicks
Authors: Hajati H , Rezaei M , Sayyahzadeh H
Published: June 2019

Today the use of enzymes is common in practical poultry nutrition. Enzyme supplementation usually result in numerous beneficial effects, such as increased utilization of nutrients (e.g. fat & protein), improved AME values, increased growth rate, improved feed conversion ratio, decreased viscosity of intestinal digesta, reduced incidence of sticky excreta and improved litter conditions (Broz and Ward., 2007). The use of multi enzymes to improve the digestibility of corn-soybean meal-wheat diets for broilers is less well documented than wheat and barely diets. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the effects of a multi-enzyme supplementation on the performance of broiler chicks fed on corn-soybean meal-wheat diets.
Enrichment with long chain omega-3 fatty acids and sensory evaluation of chicken meat
Authors: Mirghelenj S A , Golian A , Taghizadeh V
Published: June 2019

N-3 fatty acids are essential for normal growth and development, and may play an important role in prevention of coronary artery disease, hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, other inflammatory and autoimmune disorders and cancer in humans (Simopoulos, 1999). Fatty acid profiles of broiler meat may be modified by adding fish oils to the diet (Lopez-Ferrer et al., 2001). When meat is enriched with PUFA, particularly n-3 long-chain fatty acids (C≥20), all sources of added vegetable oils seem to be less effective than marine oils (Bou. R et al., 2004). The purpose of this experiment was to study the effect of dietary fish oil on fatty acid composition of thigh and breast meat in broiler chickens.
Zoos: Conservation or exploitation?
Authors: Copsey J
Published: June 2019

Captivity should be the last resort in any attempt to conserve threatened species. However, for many species we are now at this point, particularly when we consider the lower vertebrates such as amphibians. Zoos have the potential to play a leading role in the conservation (as opposed the exploitation) of this often-neglected taxa. However, in order to do this will require two significant mind-shifts within the zoo world. Firstly we need to distinguish between those species which we maintain for exhibition purposes (i.e. large mammals) from those which have an important conservation role (e.g. amphibians) and be willing to discuss this openly with our visiting public. Second we must recognise that while educating children about the natural world is of value, our biggest impact on wildlife conservation will be through training conservation professionals worldwide and building their capacity to conserve their own wildlife.
Production and other ecosystem services from extensive grassland-based systems in Europe: policy options and technical innovations
Authors: Peeters A
Published: June 2019

Extensive systems Extensive agricultural systems are usually presented as a type of agriculture that uses low quantity of inputs per surface unit (land), like fertilizers, feeds, seeds, pesticides, irrigation water and energy. They are frequently associated with low investments (capital) in machinery and/or buildings per surface unit and low land prices. They can also be characterized by labour-extensive systems. European extensive grassland-based systems are mainly located at high latitudes (Scandinavia) and high altitudes (mountain areas), in Mediterranean dry rangelands, in the lowlands of the Eastern part of the Union (recent accession countries), as well as in hills and uplands of the British Isles. Grasslands and rangelands covered 56 million ha (33% AA) in the EU-27 in 2005. This area included about 17.5 million ha of rangelands, in mountain and Mediterranean areas mainly (EUROSTAT, 2008). Extensive grasslands and rangelands cover thus more than 30% of the total grassland and rangeland area in Europe. Forage yields and animal productions per ha are significantly lower in these areas compared with intensive lowland grasslands. For instance an extensive range can produce about 5-6 times less DM/ha than fertilised grasslands. Production costs per kg of product are often significantly higher in extensive systems. Farmers must manage larger areas in these systems for a total income that is regularly lower compared wit smaller intensive farms.
UN Accountability for Haiti’s Cholera Epidemic
Authors: Kurzban Ira , Lindstrom Beatrice , Jonsson Shannon
Published: June 2019

A lawsuit pending in U.S. courts against the United Nations for its responsibility for Haiti’s cholera out-break is the largest challenge yet to the impunity of the organization, which has thus far refused to comply with its legal obligations to provide a settlement mechanism to the victims. With no such avenue of redress available to them, those affected by the epidemic have been left in the bizarre situation where in order to obtain justice they must file lawsuits against the United Nations, whose mandate is to defend the rule of law and promote human rights. If successful, the suit would improve accountability for the organization and underscore the need for it to comply with international law.
Increasing Relevance of Treaties: The Case of the Arctic
Authors: Koivurova Timo
Published: June 2019

The Arctic was one of the main theatres for strategic military confrontation during the Cold War between the blocs led by the United States and the Soviet Union. There was no place for multilateral cooperation, other than for very limited issue areas, such as the 1973 Agreement on Conservation of Polar Bears between the five states with polar bear populations. Yet, the warming of relations by the end of the Cold War changed all this. Inspired by Secretary-General Mikhail Gorbachev’s speech in 1987, in which the Soviet leader pro-posed various possible areas for Arctic cooperation, differing ideas for international cooperation were advanced. Canadians, in particular, were trying to advance international treaty-based general cooperation for the Arctic, but this never came to pass and it was eventually Finland who was able to broker soft-law collaboration between the Cold War rivals.
The Expansion of International Law Beyond Treaties
Authors: Cantú-Rivera Humberto
Published: June 2019

International law is going through a period of change and, potentially, expansion. At a point in history during the past millennium, the main sources of inter-State law were custom and general principles of law recognized by civilized nations. This came to an end with the Westphalian era when an international order slowly began to establish and a treaty system was developed. Thus, such international law sources as custom and general principles of law gave way to an era of treaties: carefully designed instruments at the international level that codified every single aspect of agreements and transactions between nations. This phenomenon was not exclusive to the universal level; it also took place at a regional scale during the twentieth century, which saw the emergence of regional organizations and agreements that would enable the development of a reasonably stable international or regional society.
The Successes and Challenges for the European Court, Seen from the Outside
Authors: Helfer Laurence R.
Published: June 2019

This piece is adapted from an address delivered to a conference sponsored by the Council of Europe and PluriCourts on The Long-Term Future of the European Court of Human Rights in Oslo, Norway on April 7, 2014.

This post addresses the successes and challenges for the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), as seen from the outside. It draws upon my co-authored research on human rights systems outside of Europe to explain how these systems have responded to some of the same challenges now facing the Council of Europe and the ECtHR. My main contention is that international human rights courts, wherever they are located, require sustained political and material support if they are to thrive and grow over time.
Varieties of Effectiveness: What Matters?
Authors: Murphy Liam
Published: June 2019

What would it mean for international law to be effective? There are different senses of the word. In a dis-cussion of the idea of effectiveness, then, the first step is to distinguish a variety of different ideas. The aim is not to decide which sense of the word is the right one, conceptually or linguistically. The aim should be to discuss which of these ideas of effectiveness is important, worth thinking about.
“Effectivity” in International Law: Self-Empowerment against Epistemological Claustrophobia
Authors: d’Aspremont Jean
Published: June 2019

When we think of “effectivity,” we usually come to think of a pragmatic and factual construction. The idea of effectivity, however, is anything but concrete and raises a variety of questions of legal theory, legal philosophy, epistemology, and theory of knowledge. It should also be highlighted that from a linguistic standpoint the word effectivity does not exist in British English. The attachment of the International Court of Justice to her Majesty’s English explains that the World Court uses the French word (effectivité) when it seeks to refer to effectivity. These linguistic debates, however, matter less than the semantics and especially less than the consensus that effectivity ought to be opposed to “effectiveness.”
Uniting for “Peace” in the Second Cold War: A Response to Larry Johnson
Authors: Mamlyuk Boris N.
Published: June 2019

Larry Johnson’s timely and important essay challenges both utopian and realist accounts of UN law and practice by reviving the debate over the nature and functions of the UN General Assembly, particularly the General Assembly’s power to deploy certain legal tactics not only to influence collective security deliberations in the UN Security Council, but also, more significantly, to provide some legal justification for multilateral military “collective measures” in the event of Security Council gridlock. One vehicle by which the General Assembly may assert its own right to intervene in defense of “international peace and security” is a “Uniting for Peace” (UFP) resolution, authorized by resolution 377(V) (1950). At its core, a “uniting for peace” resolution is an attempt to circumvent a Security Council deadlock by authorizing Member States to take collective action, including the use of force, in order to maintain or restore international peace and security. General Assembly resolution 377(V) does not require resolutions to take specific legal form—language that echoes the preambular “lack of unanimity of the permanent members [that results in the Security Council failing to] exercise its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security” is sufficient to render a given resolution a UFP, provided the General Assembly resolution calls for concrete “collective [forceful] measures.” For this reason, experts disagree on precisely how many times a UFP has indeed been invoked or implemented, although informed analysts suggest UFP has been invoked in slightly more than ten instances since 1950.
Comment on Larry Johnson, “Uniting for Peace”
Authors: Richardson Henry
Published: June 2019

Larry Johnson’s essay on the UN General Assembly’s Uniting for Peace resolution (UFP) is a useful general analysis of issues arising from UN Security Council Permanent Member veto-paralysis. His essay, which focuses on the text of the original Resolution, is directed at asking whether the UFP retains a current “useful purpose.” Relying on a text-centric interpretation of the presence or absence of subsequent invocations of the UFP, he concludes that no “useful purpose” remains, in part because evolved General Assembly authority has displaced the need to specifically invoke the UFP to make recommendations on certain issues of international peace and security. Johnson then asks whether, under the original UFP or subsequently, the Assembly may recommend to Member States “enforcement” uses of force, notwithstanding the prohibitions of Article 2(4) of the Charter. He finds Article 2(4) to be an absolute barrier to Assembly authority to recommend those measures, but not for “innovative and inventive non-use-of force measures.”
Identifying Customary International Law: First Thoughts on the ILC’s First Steps
Authors: Swaine Edward T.
Published: June 2019

The International Law Association’s Statement of Principles Applicable to the Formation of General Customary International Law (2000) was a welcome addition to an admittedly voluminous literature. Stepping into the void of authoritative commentary, it balanced an estimable representation of contemporary thinking while it also tendered sometimes controversial views on unresolved matters. Though nominally on the same subject, the International Law Commission (ILC) project offers different strengths and faces different challenges. As the First Report by the Special Rapporteur, Sir Michael Wood, has noted, the ILC’s relationship with States, in particular, provides it with a special vantage and authority. This vantage may also make its pronouncements less tendentious, and more conservative, in character. I’d like to assess the (very early) returns on how this potential differentiation is faring. For sake of brevity, I will focus mostly on a likely harbinger, the treatment of State practice, as reflected in the Draft Conclusions already adopted by the Drafting Committee—including parts of the Second Report bearing upon them. Any stylistic or substantive criticism of the existing work recognizes, of course, that it is at an early stage, and that one of ILC’s many virtues is the deliberate and careful evolution of its projects.
Measures with Multiple Purposes: Puzzles from EC—Seal Products
Authors: Regan Donald H.
Published: June 2019

European Communities—Measures Prohibiting the Importation and Marketing of Seal Products is the first case in which the dispute system of the World Trade Organization (WTO) has wrestled with a regulation that pursued mul-tiple conflicting, legitimate purposes. (I will explain later why Brazil—Retreaded Tyres is not such a case.) This generates puzzles about applying the definition of a “technical regulation” to complex measures; about whether an exception to a ban can be justified by a purpose different from that of the ban; and about how to apply “less restrictive alternative” analysis to measures with multiple goals. The first of these puzzles is unique to the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT); the second and third concern the TBT, the General Agree-ment on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), and probably other agreements.
Customary International Law: A Moral Judgment-Based Account
Authors: Tasioulas John
Published: June 2019

In this contribution to AJIL Unbound, I outline a moral judgment-based account (MJA) of customary inter-national law. On the MJA, moral judgment plays a dual role in the formation of customary international law. First, MJA is part of a disjunctive analysis of opinio juris, which involves a moral judgment about what the law ought to be or what it justifiably is. Second, the interpretive process of adducing a customary norm from state practice and opinio jurischaracteristically requires some moral judgment on the part of the interpreter. Along the way, I draw attention to two points at which the MJA departs significantly from the analysis presented in the International Law Commission (ILC)’s Second Report by Special Rapporteur Sir Michael Wood, on the identification of customary international law.1 First, by more sharply separating state practice from opinio juris, MJA avoids systematically double-counting the same facts as both opinio jurisand state practice. Second, MJA offers an effective response to the so-called “paradox of custom”, according to which a customary norm can only come into existence if a sufficient number of states mistakenly believe (or pretend to believe) that it already exists.
What the Fossil Record of Dinosaurs Tells Us
Authors: Dodson Peter
Published: June 2019

Dinosaurs were enormously successful animals. They inhabited all seven continents, including polar regions during the Mesozoic. Their temporal range, as currently understood, extends from the Carnian stage of the Late Triassic beginning 228 Ma, to the Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous, ending 65 Ma. With a temporal span of 163 million years, dinosaurs cannot be judged as failures by puny naked bipeds who have been here for two million years or less and who threaten not only their own existence but that of much of the biosphere. The fossil record of dinosaurs is a complex document that cannot merely be read at face value but which must be carefully evaluated with respect to its inherent biases. There is much we wish to ask about dinosaurs that can only be answered with a mature reliable record. The object of this essay is to discuss some of the factors that impact both on dinosaur diversity itself, and on our understanding of that diversity. While fossils have an objective existence in the rocks, our understanding of their record is the result of a very human process of scientific discovery, subject to the contingencies and biases of history (Dodson, and Dawson, 1991).
Amateur and Commercial Collecting in Paleontology
Authors: Boyce Japheth B.
Published: June 2019

“…SPEAK TO THE EARTH, AND LET IT TEACH YOU.” (Job 12:8 NASB)

Ambitious collectors have been gathering fossils for centuries and should be allowed to continue. A glimpse at fossil collecting through history gives us an idea of how paleontology affects people. A Roman ruler, Gauis Caesar, better known as Caligula, did some field work in paleontology. Caligula was most likely mad. One of the common proofs pulled from history affirming his madness is the fact that he made his horse a councilman advisor to the senate. There are so many stories of the perverted life Caligula led, it is likely the term “caliginous,” which describes dark and gloomy aspects, came from his name.
Dinosaur Breath: Change, Other Kinds of Fossils andJurassic Park
Authors: Bellis Diane
Published: June 2019

During the latest Cretaceous, before the demise of the last dinosaur, there were ferns, palm trees, and crocodiles in what is now desert in New Mexico, Seymour Island in Antarctica, and the Gobi Desert. Then things changed. Ferns, palm trees, and crocodiles no longer live in New Mexico, Antarctica, or the Gobi Desert because the climate changed. Throughout the 4.6 billion year history of the Earth, internal and external forces have caused changes in the very thin surface layer of the Earth where life exists.
What can the Fossil Record Tell Us About the Terminal Cretaceous Extinction Event and the Disappearance of the Dinosaurs?
Authors: Zinsmeister William J.
Published: June 2019

During the past decade, the scientific community, media and general public have witnessed one of most fascinating scientific debates of the century concerning the extinction at the end of the Cretaceous that resulted in the demise of the dinosaurs. It is doubtful that, if dinosaurs had not been among the principal characters, the Terminal Cretaceous Extinction Event (TCEE) would have received such close attention. The fact that so much attention has been given to dinosaur extinction when in fact, they played only a minor role in the TCEE, has shifted the focus away from more fundamental unresolved questions concerning this profound biotic event 65 mya (million years ago).
Major Patterns in Botanical Diversity
Authors: Crane Peter R.
Published: June 2019

At a time when the popular perception of paleontology is dominated by images of dinosaurs and other spectacular vertebrates, or the mysteries surrounding the Cambrian “explosion” of animal life, it is perhaps not surprising that the rich and informative fossil record of plants has scarcely made an impact on the public consciousness. In reality, as one would expect from those organisms that comprise the bulk of the biological material in terrestrial ecosystems, the fossil record of plants is extensive (Stewart and Rothwell, 1993). Leaves, wood fragments, pollen grains, spores, fruits, seeds and other plant parts are the most common fossils in rocks deposited in ancient flood plains, lakes and many other environments - and they are often exquisitely preserved. This excellent fossil record provides important information about the ecology of ancient terrestrial ecosystems. The quality of the plant fossil record also makes paleobotanical data highly informative about the historical pattern of plant evolution. It is this pattern, and its congruence with patterns in the characters of living and fossil plants — as summarized in a classification — that is the focus of this chapter.
DNA-DNA Hybridization, Phylogenetic Reconstruction and the Fossil Record
Authors: Marshall Charles R.
Published: June 2019

In 1962 Zuckerkandl & Pauling suggested that the amino acid sequence of proteins might evolve in a clock-like fashion and thus may be useful for phylogenetic reconstruction. Since then, many different molecular approaches to phylogenetic reconstruction have been proposed (Wilson et al., 1977). Enthusiasm for the clock hypothesis was dampened by the discovery that rates of molecular evolution for many macromolecules have been highly variable through time (Romero-Herrera et al., 1979). However, the contribution of molecular characters to the study of phylogeny is not necessarily dependent on the notion of a molecular clock and molecular approaches continue to be an important source of phylogenetic information. One of the more powerful and cost-effective molecular techniques for phylogenetic purposes is DNA-DNA hybridization, which measures the single-copy nuclear DNA sequence divergences between species.
Gnathostomes (Jawed Vertebrates)
Authors: Maisey John G.
Published: June 2019

All living organisms possess mechanisms for obtaining nutrition. Many invertebrates also possess movable mouthparts capable of capturing prey or particulate food (e.g., polychaetes, cephalopods, arthropods and echinoderms). All living vertebrates have specialized mouthparts, and as far as we know all fossil agnathans had them also, but movable jaws supported by an internal skeleton are absent in living and fossil agnathans.
Tertiary Bird History: Notes and Comments
Authors: Feduccia Alan
Published: June 2019

No area of paleontology has changed more in recent years than the history of birds, both during the Mesozoic Era and the Tertiary Period. The most controversial issue in the study of birds for several decades has been their origin, and the origin of avian flight and feathers, and clearly too much emphasis has been placed on the earliest known bird, the late Jurassic Archaeopteyx, an arboreal form that was already well on its way to becoming a modern bird (Feduccia, 1993a). Over the past two decades this urvögel has mistakenly been characterized as an earth-bound, feathered theropod, and a number of rather bizarre scenarios have been envisioned to account for the origin of flight and feathers in birds. However, the debate has centered on two main themes. Were birds derived directly from small, bipedal theropod dinosaurs (Ostrom, 1991), and therefore evolved via the scenario of the cursorial (ground-up) theory (Ostrom, 1986); or were they derived earlier in time from small, arboreal “thecodonts” or basal archosaurs, and therefore evolved via the scenario of the arboreal (trees-down) theory (Bock, 1986; Martin, 1991; Feduccia and Wild, 1993).
Rechtschreibung ohne Schreiben
Authors: Lenhart Jan , Marx Peter , Segerer Robin , Schneider Wolfgang
Published: June 2019

Zusammenfassung. Die Fähigkeit zur Rechtschreibung ist eine Kernkompetenz schriftsprachlichen Ausdrucks, die üblicherweise mithilfe von Diktaten erfasst wird. Eine ökonomischere, aber im deutschen Sprachraum nur wenig verbreitete Alternative stellen Verfahren der Fehleridentifikation dar. In der vorliegenden Studie wurde die psychometrische Güte eines Diktats und eines Fehleridentifikationstests am Ende der Sekundarstufe I verglichen. Hierzu wurden einer Stichprobe ( N = 188) von Schülerinnen und Schülern der neunten und zehnten Jahrgangsstufe der bayerischen Mittelschule (vormals Hauptschule) und des Gymnasiums ein Fehleridentifikationstest sowie ein Diktat vorgegeben. Es ergaben sich sowohl in der Gesamtstichprobe als auch in homogeneren Substichproben hohe Korrelationen zwischen Fehleridentifikationstest und Diktat. Beide Verfahren zeigten ähnlich hohe Zusammenhänge mit Lese- und Hörverstehen. Ebenso waren beide Verfahren vergleichbar gut in der Lage, zwischen Schülerinnen und Schülern der Mittelschule und des Gymnasiums zu unterscheiden, Schülerinnen und Schülern mit einer Lese-Rechtschreib-Schwäche zu identifizieren, sowie zwischen Schülerinnen und Schülern deutscher und anderer Erstsprache zu differenzieren. Ein Fehleridentifikationstest scheint sich somit auch in höheren Klassenstufen als ökonomische Alternative zum klassischen Diktat zu empfehlen.