RESPONSES OF SOME SUGARCANE VARIETIES TO STANDARD AND COMBINATION RIPENER TREATMENTS
The effects on sucrose yield of varying the time interval between Ethrel and Fusilade Super applications in a com­ bination treatment were tested on variety NC0376. Results suggested that Ethrel applied 12 weeks, and Fusilade Super applied eight weeks before harvesting were the most bene­ ficial. Other varieties which responded to a combination treatment were N19, N12 and N22. Varieties N14, N19, N17, N12, N22 and NC0376 grown under irrigation all re­ sponded to one of the ripener treatments, and their responses to Ethrel and Fusilade Super are discussed. There were no significant gains in sucrose yield of CP66/1043 in response to the ripeners although sucrose content was increased.
CHEMICAL RIPENING OF SUGARCANE WITH FUSILADE SUPER
Fusilade Super (fluazifop-butyl, 125 g ai Q-I) was compared with the standard sugarcane ripeners Ethrel (ethephon, 480 g ai Q-I) and Polado (glyphosate, 750g ai kg-') under both irrigated and rainfed conditions in three large-scale experiments and eight small-scale experiments. Fusilade Super produced con­ sistent improvements in sucrose percent cane fresh mass and juice purity in ten of the experiments, resulting in mean yield increases of I, I tons sucrose per hectare and 1,5 tons estimated recoverable sucrose per hectare. Conditions were too dry for chemical ripening to occur in the remaining experiment. Re­ sults with Fusilade Super at much lower rates of active ingre­ dient per hectare were either similar to or better than those of the standard ripeners. None of the chemicals had any effect on ratoon regrowth. Fusilade Superreducedcane moisturecontent and restricted leaf and stalk growth more than the standard ripeners. The implications of these effects on cane transport costs are discussed.
Gross negligence ‘medical’ manslaughter in Ireland: Legal context and clinician concerns
In recent years, the prospect of the criminal prosecution of medical practitioners for patient safety incidents resulting in fatality which occur in the course of clinical practice has caused heightened anxiety among medical practitioners, particularly in England and Wales, where a number of high-profile cases have raised public consciousness of this issue. The full impact of this landscape on individual practitioners and the delivery of healthcare has yet to be ascertained, although research suggests that medical practice has been impacted. Of particular interest is the phenomenon of defensive medicine which occurs where physicians adopt assurance and/or avoidance behaviours in an attempt to minimise the risk of medical negligence litigation and/or to avoid complaints to regulatory bodies. While defensive medicine is traditionally conceived of in a civil context, the possibility of criminal prosecution for patient safety incidents resulting in fatality may also result in alterations to medical practice. Drawing on the findings of an empirical study (a survey), this research sought to explore the impact, if any, of the threat of criminal prosecution on surgical practice in the Republic of Ireland, including a potential rise in defensive practice.