bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Ethics of Legalism
Authors: MACCORMICK NEIL
Published: August 2007

Abstract. “Legalism” is defined as requiring that all matters of legal regulation and controversy ought so far as possible to be conducted in accordance with predetermined rules of considerable generality and clarity. Thus there may be moral limits on governments which ban them from acting on the substantive moral merits of situations with which they have to deal. This is most important in public law, but also applies in private law, e.g., in cases involving property. Hume, Kant, and Hayek are examined in respect of their case for legalism; Alexy and Finnis also reviewed. Autonomy is the foundation for legalism, and justifies “ethical positivism,” in T. Campbell's phrase. Critical legal studies (Unger, Kelman, Kennedy et al.) however challenge legalism's premises. But the “critical” arguments against reification merely raise, they do not settle, the issue about the politics of legalism and the desirability of legal dogmatics. With all faults, legalism is a prerequisite of free government.
Natural Law and Cosmic Harmony in Traditional Chinese Thought
Authors: MACCORMACK GEOFFREY
Published: August 2007

Abstract. The article attempts to show (i) the way in which the notions of “natural law” and “cosmic harmony” have been applied by Western scholars in the interpretation of traditional Chinese thinking about the role of law in society, (ii) the extent to which the Western interpretations can be supported by the Chinese sources, and (iii), more specifically, the degree to which official Chinese thought subscribed to a correlation between the occurrence of natural disasters and acts of maladministration or injustice on the part of the emperor and state. Generally it is argued that the extent to which Chinese statesmen and administrators actually believed that errors in the infliction of legal punishment or the sentencing of offenders would produce aberrant natural phenomena has been exaggerated by Western scholars.
Artificial Intelligence and Law: How to Get There from Here
Authors: MCCARTY L. THORNE
Published: August 2007

Abstract. This paper offers a survey of the current state of Artificial Intelligence and Law, and makes recommendations for future research. Two main areas of investigation are discussed: the practical work on intelligent legal information systems, and the theoretical work on computational models of legal reasoning. In both areas, the knowledge representation problem is identified as the most important issue facing this field.
The Use of Logical Models in Legal Problem Solving*
Authors: KOWALSKI ROBERT , SERGOT MAREK
Published: August 2007

Abstract. The authors describe a logic programming approach to the representation of legislative texts. They consider the potential uses of simple systems which incorporate a single, fixed interpretation of a text. These include assisting in the routine administration of complex areas of the law. The authors also consider the possibility of constructing more complex systems which incorporate several, possibly conflicting interpretations. Such systems are needed for dealing with ambiguity and vagueness in the law. Moreover, they are more suitable than single interpretation systems for helping to test proposed legislation and for helping to give citizens advice.
Three Generations of Computerized Systems for Public Administration and Some Implications for Legal Decision‐Making
Authors: BING JON
Published: August 2007

Abstract. The paper is concerned with the introduction of computerized systems into public administration. As a basis for the assessment of current systems, a brief history of such systems is offered. Not only are “legal information systems” discussed, but the access to factual information is also dealt with. Three generations of systems in public administration are indicated: The first generation emphasized use of data bases and computers for calculation, as well as “computer‐oriented legislation.” The second generation lifted the forms, which structure the case work, onto the computer screens. And the third generation is being born from the current efforts to design integrated work stations, using knowledge based methods. On this background, a discussion of impact on legal decision‐making is offered, emphasizing the replacement of vague by strict criteria, and the re‐use of pre‐collected factual information. A final note addresses the problem of reviewing or supervising such systems.
The Burden of Argumentation in Legal Disputes
Authors: GIZBERT‐STUDNICKI TOMASZ
Published: August 2007

Abstract. Juristic argumentation must in normal cases lead to a positive conclusion. The adoption of the rules of the burden of argumentation is, therefore, necessary. It is the task of the normative theory of juristic argumentation to formulate and to justify these rules., The rules of the burden of argumentation are constitutive rules. They do not impose duties or obligations to justify, but they state under what conditions a thesis counts as justified. The basic problem lies in the second‐order justification, that is, in the justification of the rules of the burden of argumentation. Their rational justification is a precondition for rational juristic discourse.
Law and Morality: A Critical Relation*
Authors: WINTGENS LUC J.
Published: August 2007

Abstract.

The article deals with the difference between some forms of legal positivism. It is argued that, even in continental legal systems which are typically “rule bound,” there is some space left for principles in the legal system. The author tries to explain how this space can be filled and what methods should be used by a judge to do so.
On the Logic of Deontic Conditionals*
Authors: JONES ANDREW J. I.
Published: August 2007

Abstract.

The paper outlines the approach to the analysis of deontic conditionals taken in earlier work by Jones and Pörn, compares it very briefly with two main trends within dyadic deontic logic, and then discusses problems associated with the augmentation principle and the factual detachment principle. The author then modifies Jones and Pörn's previous system, using a classical but not normal (in the sense of Chellas) deontic modality to provide the basis for an alternative analysis of deontic conditionals. This new analysis validates neither the factual detachment nor the augmentation principles. However, influenced by the approach of James Delgrande to default reasoning, the author tries to show how a restricted form of factual detachment may be accommodated within the revised system.
Rules, Principles, Algorithms and the Description of Legal Systems
Authors: UTZ STEPHEN
Published: August 2007

Abstract.

Although the Hart/Dworkin debate has as much to do with Dworkin's affirmative theory of judicial discretion as with Hart's more comprehensive theory of law, the starting point was of course Dworkin's attempt to demolish the “model of rules,” Hart's alleged analysis of legal systems as collections of conclusive reasons for specified legal consequences. The continuing relevance of this attack for the prospects for any theory of law is the subject of the present essay.
A Discourse‐Theoretical Conception of Practical Reason*
Authors: ALEXY ROBERT
Published: August 2007

Abstract

Contemporary discussions about practical reason or practical rationality invoke four competing views which can be named as follows by reference to their historical models: Aristotelian, Hobbesian, Kantian and Nietzschean. The subject‐matter of this article is a defence of the Kantian conception of practical rationality in the interpretation of discourse theory. At the heart, lies the justification and the application of the rules of discourse. An argument consisting of three parts is pre sented to justify the rules of discourse. The three parts are as follows: a transcen dental‐pragmatic argument; an argument which takes account of the maximisation of individual utility and an empirical premise about an interest in correctness. Within the framework of the problem of application, the article outlines a justification of human rights and of the basic institutions of the democratic constitutional state on the basis of discourse theory.
Legal System and Practical Reason. On the Structure of a Normative Theory of Law*
Authors: SIECKMANN JAN‐REINARD
Published: August 2007

Abstract

It will be argued, firstly, that there is a link between the legal validity of a norm and the rational justifiability of a requirement that judges should apply this norm, based on a normative conception of legal validity and the postulate that judges should act as rational persons; secondly, that rational justifiability of legal norms requires the construction of a legal system in a model of principles that differs from theories, e.g., of Kelsen, Hart, Dworkin and Alexy, which are not fully adequate for a normative conception of law.
On the Autonomy of Legal Reasoning*
Authors: RAZ JOSEPH
Published: August 2007

Abstract

The paper argues that reasoning according to law is an instance of moral reasoning. Several ways of understanding this claim are distinguished. A number of arguments to the effect that because of the internal logic of the law, or the special skills it involves legal reasoning should be seen as immune to moral considerations are rejected. Nevertheless, the paper affirms the relative and limited autonomy of legal reasoning, and the sui generis role of doctrine in it which is manifested in the many cases in which the moral considerations pertaining to the case underdetermine its result.
Positivism and Communitarianism: Between Human Rights and Democracy*
Authors: NINO CARLOS SANTIAGO
Published: August 2007

Abstract

The author deals with theoretical connections between legal positivism and communitarianism. Such connections prove to be relevant not only for a better understanding of these two trends of thought but also in order to throw light on important philosophical issues like human rights and democracy. Deep links are traced and recognized between the so‐called positivism “in action,” and especially its ideological thesis, and communitarianism.
The Legitimacy of Law: A Response to Critics*
Authors: DYZENHAUS DAVID
Published: August 2007

Abstract

In this paper, the author responds to the claim that his critique of legal positivism, based on an account of adjudication in South Ahica, misses its target because it ignores, first, the positivist thesis of judicial discretion and, secondly, the fact that positivism offers no account of judicial obligation. He argues that these theses expose a tension in positivism between its commitments to liberal individualism and to the supremacy of positive law, a tension which can be resolved only by situating positivism in its true context, the Hobbesian argument for the legitimacy of law. Following Dworkin, he advocates the practice‐oriented common law tradition, one that makes the legitimacy of law a matter of standards already implicit in law which are best revealed in adjudication.
Law, Morality, Coherence and Truth
Authors: PECZENIK ALEKSANDER
Published: August 2007

Abstract. The author analyzes the relations between truth and law starting from the distinction between practical and theoretical spheres. He shows, first, how moral and legal statements and reasoning are connected with an operation of weighing and balancing different values and principles and how this operation is ultimately based on personal and intuitive preferences and feeling. The criteria developed by the theoretical sciences to define truth (coherence, consensus and pragmatic success) can only be translated into practical statements as criteria of correctness because we cannot affirm that a norm or value statement is true or false. The three criteria become interrelated indices of correctness: They are criteria for rational discourse.
A Formal Model of Legal Argumentation
Authors: SARTOR GIOVANNI
Published: August 2007

Abstract. The paper gives a formal reconstruction of some fundamental patterns of legal reasoning, intended to reconcile symbolic logic and argumentation theory. Legal norms are represented as unidirectional inference rules which can be combined into arguments. The value of each argument (its qualification as justified, defensible, or defeated) is determined by the importance of the rules it contains. Applicability arguments, intended to contest or support the applicability of norms, preference arguments, purporting to establish preference relations among norms, and interpretative arguments are also formalised. All those argument types are connected in a unitary model, which relates legal reasoning to the indeterminacy of legal systems, intended as the possibility to develop incompatible defensible arguments. The model is applied to permissive norms and normative hierarchies, and is implemented in a Prolog program.
Basic Rights and Democracy in Jurgen Habermas's Procedural Paradigm of the Law*
Authors: ALEXY ROBERT
Published: August 2007

Abstract. A central element of Habermas's discourse theory of law is his procedural paradigm. This includes a procedural understanding of basic rights, which is supposed to resolve both the classical tension between basic rights and democracy and the problem of collision between basic rights. I try to show that the procedural paradigm can do the first only at the cost of inadmissible idealization. Under realistic conditions one can only attempt to institutionalize the tension between basic rights and democracy as rationally as possible. Also, the problem of collision of basic rights cannot really be solved by the procedural paradigm. What can be substantiated is merely a prima facie priority of participation in the process of public opinion‐ and will‐formation over merely private activities. Whether this prima facie priority becomes a definite priority in a concrete case or group of cases depends on the weight of counterarguments, as to which the procedural paradigm is silent.
Approaches to Liberty. Outline for a “Methodological Communitarianism”*
Authors: FERRY JEAN‐MARC
Published: August 2007

Abstract. In this paper, the Author gives an account of the French perspective on the debate between an “individualist” and a “communitarian” conception of liberty. He argues that, despite the dominant tendency within recent French political philosophy to assume that the individualist conception of liberty is the only truly modern form of liberty, communitarian principles are present within the Enlightenment tradition. He demonstrates the inadequacies of the individualist approach in an analysis of Rawls, and also rejects the type of communitarianism developed by MacIntyre, which depends upon a substantive concept of the community. With reference to theories of communication, he describes how we can elaborate a cornmunitarian approach to individual freedom.
The Juristic Study of Law's Formal Character
Authors: SUMMERS ROBERT S.
Published: August 2007

Abstract.

The author summarizes the essential elements of a general theory he is developing which he calls “The Formal Character of Law.” He explains that law's formal character is a potentially major branch of legal theory that is still relatively unexplored. In his view, it is possible to identify formal attributes in (1) legal rules, (2) other basic legal constructs such as interpretive method, the principles of stare decisis, legal reasons, and legislative and adjudicative processes, and (3) a legal system viewed as a whole. For example, a legal rule has, in varying degrees, such formal attributes as generality, definiteness, and simplicity. (Other constructs have other formal attributes.) Such attributes are formal in the sense that they apply to or accommodate highly variable content and do not prescribe or proscribe content. Of course, legal phenomena have other characteristics besides their formality. The author's main technique for developing his theory is to address a common set of questions to the varied formal attributes of (l), (2), and (3) above. Among other things, the answers to these questions further explicate how law is formal, demonstrate that law is not merely a means of serving problem‐specific policy but also serves formal values (which may sometimes trump or limit policy), treats the relations between form and content—specially how good form begets good content and bad form bad content, explores the design and implementation of appropriate formality—its “anatomy and physiology,” and analyses the “pathology” of legal form including not only the “formalistic” (the overformal), but also the “sub‐stantivistic,” and shows how the overall theory is important both jurisprudentially and in practical ways.
Legal Theory and Dialectically Contingent Justifications for the Principle of Generic Consistency
Authors: BEYLEVELD DERYCK
Published: August 2007

Abstract. It is argued that accepting that there are human rights, or that there are categorically binding requirements of any kind on action, logically requires accepting the PGC (Principle of Generic Consistency) as the supreme criterion of practical reasonableness.

Consequently, all legal systems that recognise human rights (hence, the English legal system), all who view law as a matter of obligation, and all who consider that there are categorically binding requirements on action, must take the PGC to be a necessary criterion of legal validity. Conventions on human rights must, as conventions on human rights, be interpreted to conform with the PGC.
An Autobiographical Aperqu of Legal Philosophy*
Authors: BOBBIO NORBERTO
Published: August 2007

Abstract. In his autobiographical sketch, the author surveys sixty years of legal philosophy. He traces the major changes that have come about in the philosophy of law in the wake of the Second World War, and the gap which has been bridged between Continental and Anglo‐Saxon theories. The values of liberal democracy and the acknowledgement of human rights have helped to circumvent the gulf between natural law theories and legal positivist theories.
Permissions, Principles and Rights. A Paper on Statements Expressing Constitutional Liberties
Authors: ATIENZA MANUEL , MANERO JUAN RUIZ
Published: August 2007

Abstract. In the first part of the paper the authors analyze how the distinction between mandatory rules, principles in the strict sense and policies can be understood in structural terms and in terms of reason for action. In the second part, they attempt to clarify which kind of legal provisions embrace constitutional statements recognizing liberty rights are.
Method, Morality and the Impossibility of Legal Positivism
Authors: TODDINGTON STUART
Published: August 2007

Abstract. The dispute between Legal Positivists (eg, Hart) and Natural Lawyers (e.g., Finnis) concerns the existence or otherwise of a necessary (conceptual) connection between law and morality. Legal Positivists such as Hart deny this connection and assert the merely contingent relationship of law and morals. However, it can be demonstrated that implicit in the valid sociological method of concept formation of post‐Austinian Positivists are interpretative or ideal‐typical models of the practical rationality of the legal enterprise which are not, and cannot possibly be, value‐neutral. With particular attention to the work of John Finnis and his incorporation of Weberian and Aristotelian methodological principles, this paper exposes, if not the truth of Natural Law Theory, the impossibility of Legal Positivism.
The Costs and Benefits to British Employers of Measures to Promote Equality of Opportunity
Authors: Holtermann Sally
Published: August 2007

This paper summarizes the quantitative evidence on the costs and benefits to British employers of implementing measures to promote equality of opportunity, focusing on the private costs and benefits to employers.
Cultural Constructions: Contrasting Theories of Organizational Culture and Gender Construction
Authors: Harlow Elizabeth , Hearn Jeff
Published: August 2007

This article addresses the relationship of the theorizing of organizational culture and the theorizing of gender construction. It begins by recognizing some of the difficulties of defining and understanding what is meant by the contested concept of culture. Drawing on the work of Smircich (1983) and Linstead and Grafton‐Small (1992), an attempt has been made to explore the theorization of organizational culture(s) in terms of the concepts of organizational culture as: responses to human needs, integration, rules, shared symbols and meanings, unconscious projection, text, otherness, paradox, seduction and discourse. The implications of each of the approaches for the understanding of gender in organizations are considered. No one theoretical approach is advocated, but rather the breadth of theoretical possibilities is explored. The article is concluded with the argument that theories of organizational culture need to be much more explicit about their theorizing of gender construction.
Jobs, Gender, and Foetal Protection Policies: From Muller v. Oregon to Johnson Controls
Authors: Norton Sue M.
Published: August 2007

The issue of work place hazards that may threaten the health of an unborn child has long been problematic for women, business decision‐makers, and lawmakers. The desire to protect the developing foetus must be balanced against a woman's legal right to get and keep the job of her choice. The issue has never been easy to resolve, as this historical analysis shows. An overview of the potential effects of work place hazards on reproductive health is presented. Relevant fair employment laws are summarized, and a brief history of court cases and employer practices is provided. It is argued that ultimately, foetal protection policies had little or nothing to do with protection of foetuses. They may have had more to do with protecting the employer from potential liability and with perceptions of women's status in the work place than with protecting the next generation. Finally, suggestions for future research are presented.
Gender Power and Property Relations Within Entrepreneurial Wealthy Families
Authors: Mulholland Kate
Published: August 2007

This article challenges the popular image of middle and upper class women as beneficiaries and consumers of wealth and correspondingly of men as the central agents in the creation of wealth. Rather this paper demonstrates that women are active in the generation of wealth, but are not given the recognition they deserve, and are increasingly marginalized in the management and ownership of wealth. In seeking to explain this, wealth formation will be identified as a process constituting three stages: wealth creation, wealth accumulation and wealth preservation, whereby gender relations underlined by patriarchal practices propel male kin to positions of power and influence whilst overshadowing female kin. Data for this paper have been drawn from the findings of a study of 70 rich families in one of the midland counties of England and includes industrial, commercial, landed and ‘old’ and ‘new’ wealth.
Gender Differences in Managerial Intention
Authors: van Vianen Annelies E.M. , Keizer Wim A.J.
Published: August 2007

This study focuses on existing gender differences within management and within vertical career mobility. Some theoretical explanations of these differences are discussed, with behaviour and motivation theories as the base for the present study. The influence of different variables, such as outcome expectancies, perceived self‐efficacy, subjective norm, work‐role salience and perceived motivating job characteristics are examined.

Data were gathered in two separate organizations. It was hypothesized that the motivation for a managerial job is less for females than males, which can be explained by the variables under study. In both studies perceived self‐efficacy was the most important predictor of intention to assume a managerial job. Multiple regression analysis revealed significant relationships among the different variables of the theoretical model and the strengths of these relationships. In one of the two organizations, men showed a greater disposition to a managerial job, and their perceived self‐efficacy was higher. It is concluded then that managerial intention can be influenced by the organizational context.
Women Managers, Gendered Cultural Processes and Organizational Change
Authors: Green Eileen , Cassell Catherine
Published: August 2007

This paper develops a critical approach towards the nature of research and knowledge about Women in Management (WIM). A variety of perspectives in the WIM area are reviewed from an inter‐disciplinary standpoint. Drawing on radical approaches to organization analysis, the paper aims to evaluate the insights provided into the position of women in management from the perspectives outlined. It is argued that feminist approaches which focus on the gendered nature of organizational processes and in particular organizational cultures, represent an important way forward in the development of adequate theorizations of the position of women managers. The paper examines the implications of this analysis for the Women in Management research agenda and explores appropriate strategies for organizational change within this arena.
Gender Segregation, Size of Workplace and the Public Sector
Authors: Burchell Brendan J.
Published: August 2007

Gender segregation is considered to be a key structuring factor in the labour market, and is central to explanations of phenomena as diverse as the everyday experience of men's and women's employment to the underachievement of women and the limited impact of equal pay legislation.

Studies of occupational segregation by gender tend to be polarized between qualitative and quantitative extremes. At the quantitative end, a primary focus of research has been to quantify segregation to a single index, permitting simple comparisons between countries and over time. However, detailed case studies of particular occupations have often hinted at ways in which breakdowns in occupational segregation have been replaced by other forms of gender segregation.

This paper will present data showing that even within occupational categories there is still significant gender segregation and concentration by public/private sector and by size of workplace. For instance, female pharmacists are very over‐represented, and female gardeners very under‐represented, in the public sector. And the general tendency for women to work in smaller workplaces is severe for some occupations (e.g. office managers) and reversed in other occupations (e.g. production fitters). These analyses question the usefulness of single indices which take account only of segregation or concentration by occupation and therefore underestimate the gendering of job opportunities even within mixed occupations.
ON THE USE OF GILLIAN ROSE
Authors: LLOYD VINCENT
Published: August 2007

Three recent attempts to draw resources for theology from the work of philosopher and social theorist Gillian Rose are examined. Although her work has received little attention, it has been influential in the development of ‘Radical Orthodoxy’. Yet her dense style has led to many misunderstandings of her work. Each of the three attempts to draw theological resources from her work examined is problematic, either because it misrepresents Rose's work or because it reads Rose too narrowly. The outline of a positive account of Rose's philosophy is developed through critical engagements with these three readers. I suggest that an alternative theological appropriation of Rose that focuses on her account of the theological virtues, particularly faith and love, might be possible.
EDITH STEIN, ONTOLOGY AND BELIEF
Authors: DURAN JANE
Published: August 2007

An analysis of the Christian writings of Edith Stein helps to show how her philosophical training enabled her to develop a Christian epistemology and concomitant metaphysics. Special emphasis is placed on some of her shorter works in their translation by Hilda Graef.
FRAMING THE HUMAN CONDITION: THE EXISTENTIAL DILEMMA IN IRIS MURDOCH'S THE BELL AND MURIEL SPARK'S ROBINSON
Authors: GIFFIN MICHAEL
Published: August 2007

One of the features of modernist and postmodernist novels is the way they interrogate classical metaphysics, in the spirit of what Habermas calls post‐metaphysical thinking, otherwise known as the post‐Enlightenment critique of the Enlightenment. As a literary prism, post‐metaphysical thinking is not anti‐metaphysical: it conducts its interrogation and still accommodates both secular and religious frames. Iris Murdoch and Muriel Spark are often compared but they interrogate classical metaphysics from different perspectives and for different purposes. In the nineteen‐fifties, Murdoch was an aspiring philosophical author who treated classical metaphysics as a canon of influential myth, while Spark was an aspiring theological author who had recently converted to Catholicism. Through a reading of The Bell and Robinson, both published in the same year, this article describes how the young Murdoch and Spark do what emerging literary authors of the nineteen‐fifties were expected to do: frame the human condition and reflect on its existential dilemma. With their different perspectives they both write within the same paradigm, or theory of mind; against symbolic backgrounds, and among significant dialogues, they make use of similar tropes. But Murdoch and Spark arrive at opposite positions on the relationship between imagination and reality, between logos and mythos, and ultimately on the nature of freedom and contingency.
Tumescent superficial liposuction with curettage for treatment of axillary bromhidrosis
Authors: Seo S‐H , Jang B‐S , Oh C‐K , Kwon K‐S , Kim M‐B
Published: August 2007

Backgrounds  Axillary bromhidrosis is a common but unpleasant and distressing problem faced by many societies, particularly in Asia, where malodour is reflected as a social handicap. Currently, local surgery is the treatment of choice among various non‐surgical and surgical treatment.

Objectives  To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of tumescent superficial liposuction and curettage in treating axillary bromhidrosis.

Methods  Forty‐three patients (25 females and 18 males, average age 24.5 years) have undergone tumescent superficial liposuction and curettage. Local anaesthesia, tumescent solution, was injected into the hair‐bearing area of the axilla. Two tiny incisions were made for Fatemi cannule, and subcutaneous tissue was removed by stroke movement under negative pressure. Subsequently, additional curettage was done around the incision sites. We evaluated the clinical efficacy (excellent, good, fair and poor) and complications. In addition, preoperative and postoperative histologic findings were reviewed in 15 patients.

Results  The follow‐up evaluation started 3 months after the surgery, and mean follow‐up period was 15.8 months, ranging from 3 to 54 months. Among 43 patients, 31 patients (72.1%) showed excellent to good results. The most common postoperative complication was transient ecchymosis which spontaneously regressed in 1 to 2 weeks. Focal skin necrosis, induration, and haematoma or seroma were each noted in four, three, and one patients, respectively, but resolved after proper dressing. The preoperative histological findings included increase in size and number of apocrine glands in cross‐section view, and the postoperative specimen evidently showed removal of subcutaneous tissue, including apocrine and eccrine glands, and remnant sweat glands were severely destructed.

Conclusion  Tumescent superficial liposuction with curettage for axillary bromhidrosis is an effective and safe treatment method for axillary bromhidrosis.
Development of microsatellite markers in Gonystylus bancanus (Ramin) useful for tracing and tracking of wood of this protected species
Authors: SMULDERS M. J. M. , VAN ‘T WESTENDE W. P. C. , DIWAY B. , ESSELINK G. D. , VAN DER MEER P. J. , KOOPMAN W. J. M
Published: August 2007

Ten polymorphic microsatellite markers have been developed for Gonystylus bancanus (Ramin), a protected tree species of peat swamp forests in Malaysia and Indonesia. Eight markers were also shown to be polymorphic in other Gonystylus species. The markers will enable assessing the amount of genetic variation within and among populations and the degree of population differentiation, such that donor populations can be selected for reforestation projects. They may be used for tracing and tracking of wood in the production chain, so that legal trade in this Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora‐protected timber species, derived from specifically described origins, can be distinguished from illegally logged timber.
Development of 10 microsatellite loci for Yellow‐billed Magpies (Pica nuttalli) and corvid ecology and West Nile virus studies
Authors: ERNEST HOLLY B. , WELL JAY A. , KURUSHIMA JENNIFER D.
Published: August 2007

We developed 10 polymorphic microsatellite loci for Yellow‐billed Magpies (Pica nuttalli). The primers were tested across a population of 57 Central California Yellow‐billed Magpies and displayed an average of 3.9 alleles per locus. Forty‐one American Crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) from California were polymorphic for seven of the loci with an average of 2.9 alleles per locus. One additional microsatellite‐containing locus displayed diagnostic allele sizes and may be useful to distinguish between the two species. These corvid specific microsatellites will aid ecological studies of the population‐level effects of diseases, such as West Nile virus.
Tactics and strategies in political ecology research
Authors: Perramond Eric P
Published: August 2007

Geographers working within political‐cultural ecology and biogeography have often used a framework, or the general concept, of adaptation. The use of this blanket term, however, was and remains especially problematic for cultural‐political ecology research, which tends to focus on a different scale of time–space analysis, while placing greater emphasis on the fine and coarse influences of political economy. To refine our understanding of daily activities that may lead towards adaptation, the concepts of ‘tactics’ and ‘strategy’ can bridge shorter‐term phenomena that do not require the leap of scale implied by the loose use and implementation of the term adaptation.
Characterization of Pro‐apoptotic Effect of Liver Failure Plasma on Primary Human Hepatocytes and Its Modulation by Molecular Adsorbent Recirculation System Therapy
Authors: Saich Rebecca , Selden Clare , Rees Myrddin , Hodgson Humphrey
Published: August 2007

Abstract:  Plasma from patients with liver failure may contain toxic molecules that cause hepatocyte apoptosis and worsen liver disease, suggesting that removal of pro‐apoptotic factors is an appropriate therapeutic strategy. We investigated the apoptosis of human hepatocytes induced by plasma from patients with both acute and acute‐on‐chronic liver disease, and the effect of molecular adsorbent dialysis (molecular adsorbent recirculation system [MARS] dialysis) on this. Apoptotic effects of acute and acute‐on‐chronic liver failure plasmas from 46 patients were assessed on cultured primary human hepatocytes using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase‐mediated dUTP nick end‐labeling (TUNEL) labeling and caspase 3 activation. In 11 patients undergoing MARS dialysis, the pro‐apoptotic effect of their plasma was analyzed before and after therapy. Acute liver failure plasma induced more apoptosis than normal plasma (within 4–6 h of culture, a 2.5‐fold increase by TUNEL labeling, 1.8‐fold by caspase 3 activation), via a pathway involving caspase 8, suggesting involvement of the death‐receptor pathway. However, not all acute liver failure plasmas were significantly more pro‐apoptotic than normal plasma. Plasma from patients with acutely decompensated chronic liver disease induced apoptosis at the same rate as normal plasma. MARS dialysis improved biochemical parameters indicating effective removal of albumin‐bound molecules, but the apoptotic effects of the plasma were unchanged. Thus, plasma of patients with acute liver failure, compared to normal plasma, induced increased apoptosis of primary human hepatocytes by a caspase‐8‐ and caspase‐3‐dependent pathway. The apoptosis induced in the presence of liver failure plasma was not reduced by MARS dialysis.
Pressure and Flow‐Volume Distribution Associated With Intra‐aortic Balloon Inflation: An In Vitro Study
Authors: Biglino Giovanni , Whitehorne Michael , Pepper John R. , Khir Ashraf W.
Published: August 2007

Abstract:  The intra‐aortic balloon pump (IABP) is the most widely used cardiac assist device, whose main benefits are augmentation of coronary flow and reduction of left‐ventricular afterload. The aim of this study is to investigate the pressure and flow‐volume distribution associated with balloon inflation. We hypothesize that in order to displace fluid on both sides of the balloon, a pressure locus must be present along the balloon during inflation. In vitro experiments were performed in two positions, horizontal and angled, using four balloon sizes: 25, 34, 40, and 50 cc. Along and on both sides of each balloon, we measured pressure, flow rate, and calculated flow velocity, volume displacement, wave intensity and energy. A pressure locus was found at the center of each balloon and the average flow volume displaced toward the tip at the horizontal position was about 57% of the balloon volume. In the angled position, the location of the pressure locus was less obvious and average volume displacement toward the top end of the balloon was reduced to 45%. These results confirm the existence of a pressure locus at the center of each of the balloons we tested. Because a clear reduction in flow volume was observed at the angled position, these results may have clinical implications as most patients using IABP in the intensive care units are nursed in semirecumbent position.
Microdialysis Technique as a Monitoring System for Acute Complications of Diabetes
Authors: Ciechanowska Anna , Ladyzynski Piotr , Wojcicki Jan M. , Sabalinska Stanislawa , Krzymien Janusz , Pulawska Elzbieta , Karnafel Waldemar , Foltynski Piotr , Kawiak Jerzy
Published: August 2007

Abstract:  The objective of the study was to establish the quasi‐continuous courses, using microdialysis technique, of glucose, lactate, and glycerol concentrations in interstitial fluid of abdominal adipose tissue during the standard treatment of acute diabetes complications. Clinical studies were carried out on 31 diabetic patients during the initial 48 h of the treatment. In all but two obese female patients with hyperglycemic hyperosmolar state (HHS) did glucose concentration in perfusion fluid (PF) reflect concentration in capillary blood. The recovery of glucose correlated with patients’ body mass index (r = 0.55). It was significantly higher in lean and overweight patients (91 ± 15%) than in obese patients (55 ± 31%). The course of lactate concentration in PF coincided with the course in venous blood (2.1 ± 0.3 mmol/L vs. 2.0 ± 0.5 mmol/L, P = 0.35). Glycerol concentration was 267 ± 41 µmol/L and 133 ± 40 µmol/L in PF and venous blood, respectively (P = 0.004). The study indicated that microdialysis may be an effective tool to monitor concentration of different metabolites in interstitial fluid of the adipose tissue during treatment of the acute complications of diabetes. Applicability of the technique in the monitoring of HHS, especially in obese female patients, needs further investigation.
Transplantation of Tissue‐Engineered Osteochondral Plug Using Cultured Chondrocytes and Interconnected Porous Calcium Hydroxyapatite Ceramic Cylindrical Plugs to Treat Osteochondral Defects in a Rabbit Model
Authors: Ito Yohei , Adachi Nobuo , Nakamae Atsuo , Yanada Shinobu , Ochi Mitsuo
Published: August 2007

Abstract:  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the macroscopic and histological results of transplanting a tissue‐engineered composite plug made of tissue‐engineered cartilage and interconnected porous calcium hydroxyapatite ceramics (IP‐CHA) with a very high porosity of 94.9% to treat osteochondral defects. Twelve 12‐week‐old male Japanese white rabbits were used. Fresh articular cartilage slices were taken, and isolated chondrocytes (2 × 106 cells) were embedded in atelocollagen gel. They were seeded on the top of IP‐CHA plugs and cultured for 2 weeks. These tissue‐engineered composite plugs were transplanted into the osteochondral defects in the patellar grooves (the experimental group). In the control group, the defects were treated with composite plugs without chondroytes. Twelve weeks after transplantation in the experimental group, the defects were repaired with cartilage‐like tissue with good subchondral bone formation histologically. Histological scores in the experimental group were significantly better than those in the control group. This study clearly showed the defects that had been treated with tissue‐engineered composite plugs.
Tuberculin Skin Test Reaction and Body Mass Index in Old Age Home Residents in Hong Kong
Authors: Chan‐Yeung Moira , Dai David L. K. , Cheung Amy H. K. , Chan Felix H. W. , Kam Kai‐Man , Tam Cheuk‐Ming , Leung Chi‐Chiu
Published: August 2007

OBJECTIVES: To study the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and tuberculin skin test (TST) reaction in predicting the development of active tuberculosis (TB).

DESIGN: A follow‐up study.

SETTING: Old age homes.

PARTICIPANTS: Three thousand six hundred five residents who took part in a screening program for TB and had two‐step TST using two units of the tuberculin PPD‐RT23.

MEASUREMENTS: Rate of development of active TB in these residents over an average follow‐up period of 2.5±1.25 years.

RESULTS: After one‐step and two‐step testing, 46.3% and 69.6% of residents, respectively, had positive TST reactions (≥10 mm). Thirty‐four residents developed active TB (323 per 100,000 person‐years) during follow‐up. The only significant risk factors associated with development of active TB were positive TST according to one‐step testing (adjusted odds ratio (OR)=2.91, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.26–6.74) and a BMI less than 18.5 (adjusted OR=3.15, 95% CI=1.45–6.86). Residents with a BMI less than 18.5 and a negative TST also had greater risk of active TB than residents with a BMI greater than 18.5 and negative TST (adjusted OR=4.36, 95% CI=1.04–18.3), whereas those with a positive TST had the highest risk (adjusted OR=10.2, 95% CI=2.63–39.4). Two‐step testing increased the sensitivity but reduced the specificity of TST in identifying active TB on follow‐up.

CONCLUSION: In the elderly population, interpretation of TST should take into consideration the BMI of the individual. A positive TST according to one‐step but not two‐step testing was useful in predicting the development of active TB on follow‐up.
Increasing Access and Quality in Department of Veterans Affairs Care at the End of Life: A Lesson in Change
Authors: Edes Thomas , Shreve Scott , Casarett David
Published: August 2007

The pursuit of a “good death” remains out of reach for many despite numerous piecemeal solutions to address the growing need for access to quality care at the end of life. In 2002, U.S. veteran deaths were at an all‐time high, few Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals had inpatient palliative care services, and there was no reliable approach to meet home hospice needs. The VA embarked on a course of major change to improve veterans' care at the end of life.

A coordinated plan to increase access to hospice and palliative care services was established, addressing policy development, program and staff development, collaboration with community hospices, outcomes measurement, and proving value to the organization. To determine progress and monitor resource allocation, workload and outcome measures were established in all settings.

Within 3 years, the number of veterans receiving VA‐paid home hospice had tripled, all VA hospitals had a palliative care team, 42% of all veterans who died as VA inpatients received a palliative care consultation, and a nationwide network of VA partnerships with community hospice agencies was established. Through a multifaceted strategic plan and a mission of honoring veterans' preferences for care at the end of life, the VA has made rapid progress in improved access to palliative care services for inpatients and outpatients. The VA's experience serves as a powerful example of the magnitude of change possible in a complex health system and a model for improving access and quality of palliative care services in other health systems.
The Private Practice of Prosthodontists: Current and Future Conditions of Practice in the United States (Part 2)
Authors: Nash Kent D. , Pfeifer David L.
Published: August 2007

Purpose:
Data are used to examine current and future conditions important to the private practice of prosthodontics. A concern is raised as to whether the future supply of prosthodontists is in sync with the dynamics of the US population and patient population.

Materials and Methods:
Four trends are examined using data from various sources. The trends include: (1) growth in the number of private practicing prosthodontists, (2) projections of the future number of private practicing prosthodontists, (3) first year enrollment in dental schools, and (4) enrollments and graduates in residency programs.

Results:
The number of private practicing prosthodontists has increased modestly over the past 21 years, growing 1.33% per year. The number of private practitioners is projected to reach 4,125 in 2025. A key variable in this projection is the growing number of elderly adults. While dental school enrollments have been increasing, concern is raised about the amount of exposure by students to an undergraduate curriculum in prosthodontics. There has been a general decline in enrollment in the nation's prosthodontics residency programs at the rate of −2.9% per year. An average of 181 program graduates are needed to achieve the 4125 projected number of private practitioners.

Conclusion:
Increasing demand for services from prosthodontists is supported by an increasing US population size and a growing population of elderly. Efforts to grow the number of private practicing prosthodontists will have to consider several concerns including residency program enrollments, undergraduate exposure to prosthodontics, and the overall economic returns expected from engaging in the private practice of prosthodontics. Choosing a career as a private practicing prosthodontist is a timely consideration and complimented by expected increases in demand for care and favorable financial returns to practice.
Dispersion Behavior of Barium Titanate Nanoparticles Prepared by Using Various Polycarboxylic Dispersants
Authors: Iijima Motoyuki , Sato Nobuhiro , Tsukada Mayumi , Kamiya Hidehiro
Published: August 2007

The effects of the polycarboxylic dispersant structures on the crystallinity and sedimentation behavior of prepared BaTiO3 nanoparticles were analyzed using four types of dispersants—ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid dipotassium salt (EDTA), trans‐aconitic acid (TAA), ammonium acrylate–methyl acrylate co‐polymer (PAA50), and sodium polyacrylate (PAA100). In the case of EDTA and TAA, the adsorbed ratio of the dispersants on BaTiO3 nanoparticles was relatively low, and only slight improvement of sedimentation behavior was observed. On the other hand, in the case of PAA50 and PAA100, the adsorbed ratio was high, and the sedimentation behavior was gratefully improved. Next, in order to analyze the relationships among the additive amount of polycarboxylic dispersants, crystallinity, and sedimentation behavior, various amounts of PAA100 or PAA50 were treated in the synthesis solution. The sedimentation behavior of BaTiO3 nanoparticles improved with increasing amounts of PAA100 and PAA50 while their crystal phase became amorphous. Adding PAA50 at a molar ratio of COO−/Ba2+=0.266 resulted in BaTiO3 nanoparticles with the best dispersion stability in an aqueous media.