bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Fraud Act 2006
Authors: Ormerod David , Williams David Huw
Published: November 2023

Having received Royal Assent on 8 November 2006, the Fraud Act 2006 came into force on 15 January 2007.1 It provides, for the first time a statutory ‘general fraud offence’. It has far-reaching consequences for English criminal law’s approach to prosecuting dishonest conduct. However, not all of those consequences have, it seems, been fully appreciated by the draftsman.

The 2006 Act abolishes the eight heavily used2 deception offences in the Theft Acts 1968 and 1978, including that inserted post-Preddy by the Theft (Amendment) Act 1996. The principal replacement is the general fraud offence created by s 1 in the following terms:
Other Offences Involving Fraud
Authors: Ormerod David , Williams David Huw
Published: November 2023

Section 17 of the 1968 Act replaced ss 82 and 83 of the Larceny Act 1861 and the Falsification of Accounts Act 1875. It provides:

Where a person dishonestly, with a view to gain for himself or another or with intent to cause loss to another, —

(a) destroys, defaces, conceals or falsifies any account or any record or document made or required for any accounting purpose; or

(b) in furnishing information for any purpose produces or makes use of any account, or any such record or document as aforesaid, which to his knowledge is or may be misleading, false or deceptive in a material particular;
Making Off Without Payment
Authors: Ormerod David , Williams David Huw
Published: November 2023

Subject to subsection (3) below, a person who, knowing that payment on the spot for any goods supplied or service done is required or expected from him, dishonestly makes off without having paid as required or expected and with intent to avoid payment of the amount due shall be guilty of an offence.

This section is ‘intended to create a simple and straightforward offence’. It deals with cases such as that of the customer in the restaurant or at the petrol station who departs without paying but it is not possible to prove that he had a dishonest intention permanently to deprive the owner at the time when he received the food or the petrol as the case may be.
Abstracting Electricity and Related Offences
Authors: Ormerod David , Williams David Huw
Published: November 2023

The Larceny Act of 1916 made special provision for the stealing of electricity; electricity is not capable of being taken and carried away, it could not therefore fall within the protection of the general offence of larceny. The Theft Act 1968 replaced the requirement of as portation, with one of mere appropriation. It might have been possible to have applied the concept of appropriation without incongruity to the abstraction of electricity, but the unique nature of electricity was thought to call for a special provision.
An Oxonian ‘Idea’ of a University: J. H. Newman and ‘Well-Being’
Authors: Rothblatt Sheldon
Published: November 2023

John Henry Newman’s The Idea of a University is unquestionably the single most important treatise in the English language on the nature and meaning of higher education. The only twentieth-century name in similar circulation to Newman’s is Alfred North Whitehead’s. But neither in scope nor importance do Whitehead’s essays rival Newman’s discourses and lectures. The very thought of speaking about universities as if they incorporate a central principle or purpose is Newman’s. He was inspired, it is certain, by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who was the first nineteenth-century thinker in England to discuss institutions as if they were much more than mere adaptations to changing circumstances, or more than utilitarian solutions to historical challenges. Institutions (and Coleridge extended the argument to cover character or personality) have an underlying historical identity that persists despite apparent outward transformations. They have an ultimate ‘aim’.1 Before Coleridge it was Edmund Burke who taught the English the importance of history and tradition, and, what is more, in opposition to radical polemicists of the age of the French Revolution, developed the paradox that tradition could actually be used in the service of change.
The University and the City
Authors: DAY C J
Published: November 2023

Prolonged disputes between town and gown in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries had left the University assailed but unbroken, firmly entrenched behind its battery of charters and privileges; and for much of the eighteenth century the city was content to derive a comfortable living from a small but lavish academic community. The nineteenth century seemed likely to open with a challenge to the University’s hegemony when, on IO February 1800, the Mayor, Richard Cox, failed to attend St Mary’s Church for the St Scholastica’s Day ceremony, the city’s annual act of expiation for the great riot of 135 5. The Corporation, however, refused him its support upon learning that ‘Mr. Cox, some years since, in company with some young friends, said if ever he served the office of mayor he would not submit to such a humiliation. His acquaintance reminded him of his promise.’ The University is sometimes thought to have been slack in defence of its privileges at this period but the Delegates of Privileges met on 11 February and agreed to demand the fine of mo marks (£66) to which it was entitled. Cox, a banker, paid out of his own pocket and the money was given to the Radcliffe Infirmary.2 Next year the Delegates met before the ceremony and requested the Vice-Chancellor to demand the citizens’ attendance, which continued unchallenged for a further two decades. A formal approach by the Corporation in 1824 suggesting that ‘five centuries of annual humiliation was sufficient atonement’ met with a sympathetic response, and in 1825 the University released the city from its obligation.
The University Galleries
Authors: Whiteley J J L
Published: November 2023

In the early nineteenth century, most of the works of art belonging to the University (excluding those which belonged to the colleges) were exhibited in and around the Bodleian. The Arundel inscriptions, given to the Uni-versity in 1667, and the busts and statues added by the Countess of Pomfret in 1755 were set out in ground-floor rooms adjoining the Schools Quadrangle. This was not an ideal arrangement, particularly for the Pomfret marbles, which were poorly displayed behind a ‘shilling barrier’.2 The Picture Gallery, one of the oldest public institutions of its kind, was better-organized.3 For a small fee, visitors could see approximately 200 portraits and a handful of other pictures, arranged in a large, well-lit, panelled gallery which occupied the site of the present Upper Library. But, despite the presence of a few good portraits, acquired chiefly out of interest in the sitters, most were of little value. Connoisseurs, who came to Oxford to see the collections at Christ Church and at Blenheim, did not, as a rule, visit the Bodleian Picture Gallery.
The University Museum and Oxford Science, r 8 5o-r 880
Authors: Fox Robert
Published: November 2023

The laying of the foundation-stone of the University Museum by the Chancellor, Lord Derby, on 20 June r 85 5 was a great university occasion. Regrettably, as The Times reported, the luncheon in Worcester College, which had preceded the ceremony, had been ‘very hurried’, and the accommodation for spectators in the Parks was ‘rough and poor’.1 But neither the physical discomfort nor the tedium of the Vice-Chancellor’s ‘long and ill-composed prayer’ and of Lord Derby’s speech could efface the memory of that morning’s Encaenia, at which Charles Lyell, George Gabriel Stokes, Humphrey Lloyd and other leading men of science had received honorary doctorates, or of a glittering, if over-heated, soiree in the Radcliffe Library which had been attended on the previous evening by over a thousand guests and followed by a Masonic Ball in the Town Hall that went on into the early hours.
Some Insights on Development from the Economics of Happiness*
Authors: Graham Carol
Published: November 2023

Central to the findings of much of the happiness literature in the developed economies are numerous discrepancies between reported measures of well- being and income measures. Richard Easterlin pioneered the economics of happiness in the mid-1970s. He found that across countries and cultures, the way that most people spend their time is similar: working and trying to provide for their families.
The Poor Relations: Fungi And Viruses
Authors: Greenwood David
Published: November 2023

While protozoa and helminths benefited from historical precedent, the exigencies of war and colonial rule, and the importance of parasites in animal husbandry, fungi, and viruses remained in limbo. In the case of fungi, this was partly because little notice was paid to them. The only fungal infections that attracted much attention before the mid-twentieth century were ringworm (infection of the skin, hair, or nails by a group of fungi collectively called dermatophytes) and thrush (infection of the mucosa with yeasts, normally Candida albicans). Neither is life threatening, though ringworm can on occasions be quite severe. Serious fungal infections including mycetoma—a mutilating condition that often affects the foot and may be caused not only by fungi, but also by certain mould-like bacteria—were encountered in the tropics, but were overshadowed by the importance of such widespread diseases as malaria, sleeping sickness, bilharzia, and kala-azar. In United States, several systemic fungal infections including blastomycosis, histoplasmosis, and the tongue-twistingly named coccidioidomycosis,
Chinese Lexicography
Authors: Yong Heming , Peng Jing
Published: November 2023

This comprehensive account of the history of Chinese lexicography is the first book on the subject to be published in English. It traces the development of Chinese lexicography over three millennia, from the Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC-256 BC) to the Qing Dynasty (1616-1911). Revealing how the emergence of lexicographical culture in ancient China was linked to the teaching of ancient characters, it describes the subsequent development of primers, thesauruses, and dictionaries of all major types, including those of dialects and technical terms. These works originated and appeared in ancient China, predating their western counterparts by hundreds of years: and in one form or another most of them remain in use today. Throughout their account the authors show how changes in the organization, content, use and researches of Chinese lexicographical works reflected broader social and political developments. This book not only makes an important and original contribution to the history of Chinese lexicography and the social and cultural history of China but also provides illuminating insights into world lexicography and new forms of comparative researches in lexicography in the global context.
Four Methods of Easing Death and their Effect on Doctors
Authors: Warnock Mary , Macdonald Elisabeth
Published: November 2023

The subject of dying and death is largely avoided as a topic of conversation in Britain today. This means that many peo-ple have little opportunity to express their personal views and to make choices about where and how they wish to end their days. One of the suggestions underpinning consultation on the new ‘National Initiative on End of Life Care ‘ proposed by Professor Mike Richards (National Director of Cancer Care)1 as well as ‘Advance Care Planning in Primary Care ‘2 is that doctors should open the discussions about these choices much earlier in a patient ‘s course of illness. This will enable the patient to plan more effectively and more personally for their last days.
Looking Further Ahead
Authors: Warnock Mary , Macdonald Elisabeth
Published: November 2023

At the end of the last chapter we cautiously recommended that new legislation be introduced that would permit assisted suicide for those competent patients who asked for it, subject to stringent safeguards. However in the same chapter we recognized that both the moral attitudes of society and the education of doctors are far from static and immutable. They change over time. In this chapter we consider some ways in which attitudes towards death may change, indeed have already changed; and we suggest that this may have consequences for the law, consequences that will not be disastrous, as some people fear, but on the contrary may lead to a more civilized and compassionate society.
Diabetes
Authors: Tattersall Robert
Published: November 2023

Diabetes is a disease with a fascinating history and one that has been growing dramatically with urbanization. According to the World Health Authority, it now affects 4.6% of adults over 20, reaching 30% in the over 35s in some populations. It is one of the most serious and widespread diseases today. But the general perception of diabetes is quite different. At the beginning of the 20th century, diabetes sufferers mostly tended to be middle-aged and overweight, and could live tolerably well with the disease for a couple of decades, but when it occasionally struck younger people, it could be fatal within a few months. The development of insulin in the early 1920s dramatically changed things for these younger patients. But that story of the success of modern medicine has tended to dominate public perception, so that diabetes is regarded as a relatively minor illness. Sadly, that is far from the case, and diabetes can produce complications affecting many different organs. Robert Tattersall, a leading authority on diabetes, describes the story of the disease from the ancient writings of Galen and Avicenna to the recognition of sugar in the urine of diabetics in the 18th century, the identification of pancreatic diabetes in 1889, the discovery of insulin in the early 20th century, the ensuing optimism, and the subsequent despair as the complexity of this now chronic illness among its increasing number of young patients became apparent. Yet new drugs are being developed, as well as new approaches to management that give hope for the future. Diabetes affects many of us directly or indirectly through friends and relatives. This book gives an authoritative and engaging account of the long history and changing perceptions of a disease that now dominates the concerns of health professionals in the developed world. Diabetes: the biography is part of the Oxford series, Biographies of Diseases, edited by William and Helen Bynum. In each individual volume an expert historian or clinician tells the story of a particular disease or condition throughout history - not only in terms of growing medical understanding of its nature and cure, but also shifting social and cultural attitudes, and changes in the meaning of the name of the disease itself.
:e Application of Article 95(4)–(6) of the EC Treaty: Is the Emperor Still Unclothed?
Authors: Doherty* Michael G
Published: November 2023

In the first volume of this Yearbook, Professor Sevenster assessed the potential for Member States to maintain or introduce national measures more stringent than those in a European Community (EC) harmonization measure under Article 95(4)–(6) EC shortly after the entry into force of the Treaty of Amsterdam, and questioned whether it represented an example of the ‘Emperor ‘s New Clothes ‘. :is article revisits the provisions some seven years later and through focusing on their interpretation and application in the intervening period aims to assess the reality of the protections provided. It briefly outlines the genesis of the Treaty provisions in the Single European Act (SEA) and their major reform in the Treaty of Amsterdam (ToA).
The Police (Performance) Regulations 2008
Authors: Beggs John , Davies Hugh
Published: November 2023

The Police (Performance) Regulations 2008 (the 2008 Performance Regulations) are made pursuant to the Secretary of State’s powers under ss 50, 51, 84, and 85 of the Police Act 1996. They came into force on 1 December 2008, and do not apply if the unsatisfactory performance or attendance came to the attention of the line manager for the officer concerned before that date. What is meant by ‘came to the attention of ‘ will doubtless cause debate in some cases.
Being a woman, having epilepsy
Authors: Betts Tim , Clarke Harriet
Published: November 2023

Epilepsy can affect the timing and regularity of menstruation.

The menstrual cycle can also have an effect on epilepsy; about 12% of women have seizures tightly linked to their menstrual cycle.

The fertility of women with epilepsy is probably less than women in general.

Up to 20% of women have more ovarian cysts (follicles) than thought usual, and this can be due to a condition called the polycystic ovary syndrome.
Preconception counselling for women with epilepsy
Authors: Betts Tim , Clarke Harriet
Published: November 2023

Whether your epilepsy has been fully and appropriately investigated.

The medication best suited to the baby and to the control of your seizures.

Any perceived difficulties you may have in becoming pregnant (e.g. irregular periods).

If surgery is a possibility then it is best done before pregnancy starts.
The older woman and epilepsy
Authors: Betts Tim , Clarke Harriet
Published: November 2023

New onset epilepsy is as common in those aged over 65 as it is under the age of 15 because as the brain ages it acquires scars and injuries.

Older people with epilepsy are less steady on their feet and deficient in calcium so can fall and fracture easily.

Epilepsy in the elderly is often easy to treat, even if associated with strokes or dementia.

Kidney and liver function should be checked prior to the prescription of medication.

Once the epilepsy is under control the person can continue to live independently.
Austria
Authors: Tiefenthaler Stefan , Keferböck Klemens
Published: November 2023

In the context of this chapter on the granting of security over receivables under Austrian law a receivable is understood to be the intangible right of an oblige against an obligor to demand the payment of certain sums of money. Principally, both receivables already accrued as well as receivables not yet accrued may be made subject to a security interest. Yet, with respect to future receivables this is only true to the extent such claims are determinable. Thus, in particular the legal ground (Rechtsgrund) for the respective future receivable needs to exist at the time of entering into the security arrangement. For example, a contract concluded between the (potential) obligor and the obligee stipulating that a payment is to be made in case certain prerequisites are met (eg delivery of goods) may constitute such legal ground. In contrast, receivables merely hoped for or which only may accrue under an agreement not yet entered into may not be validly pledged or assigned for security purposes.
Ireland
Authors: Johnston William
Published: November 2023

The concept of receivables in Ireland is more readily understood to mean book debts. In Farrell v Equity Bank Ltd, Lynch J in the High Court stated: It is this meaning as set out in Halsbury’s Laws of England which is generally regarded in Ireland as applying to book debts or receivables.
Sweden
Authors: Stambolovski Zoran , Abrahamsson Hans
Published: November 2023

In Sweden, the distinction between negotiable promissory notes and non-negotiable promissory notes stems from the Promissory Notes Act, which was enacted in 1936. The Promissory Notes Act distinguishes between negotiable promissory notes (löpande skuldebrev), expressed to be payable to (i) the bearer or (ii) a specifi c person or order, and non-negotiable promissory notes (enkla skuldebrev), expressed to be payable to a specifi c person. The provisions of the Promissory Notes Act regarding non-negotiable promissory notes analogously apply to monetary claims or receivables based on means other than a promissory note, eg claims under a guarantee or a contract, which will be the kind of receivables mainly focused upon hereinafter.
Talking about sex and sexuality
Authors: Washer Peter
Published: November 2023

Sex and sexuality are fundamental aspects of human identity and impact on all aspects of our lives, so it is important that healthcare professionals are able to talk confldently about them. Many people find it difficult to talk about sex and sexuality, including many medical students and doctors. Often, how to talk about sexual matters is taught in relation to genitourinary medicine, or to obstetrics and gynaecology. While this is understandable, it reinforces the misapprehension that sex and sexuality are only an issue when the problem is obviously related to ‘sexual health’. This chapter will examine the issues around talking about sex and sexuality, and discuss when doctors and patients might need to talk about sex in a broader context.
Breaking bad news
Authors: Cave Judith
Published: November 2023

When you are taught how to break bad news as a medical student, the focus is often on shocking news such as a new cancer diagnosis or sudden death. In reality, students and junior doctors often break news that is less extreme but is still highly upsetting for patients, for example news of cancelled operations, long waits for investigations, or delayed hospital discharges. Even a postponed operation may have far-ranging effects on a patient’s social life, employment (especially if they are self-employed), holidays, trust in the healthcare team, and of course physical health. It is impossible to judge in advance the effect any piece of news will have on a patient, and often news will have wider negative implications than you might have been able to anticipate (Eggly et al., 2006).
Who is covered by the working time regulations?
Authors: McLynn Lucy
Published: November 2023

The Working Time Regulations 1998 (WTR) apply to all workers in Great Britain, save for those to whom particular exclusions and exemptions apply. For workers in certain sectors, the WTR do not apply but there is separate legislation which provides them with parallel protections. This chapter discusses the general meaning of workers, workers who are expressly included under the WTR, workers who are exempt, and workers who are in the excluded and partially excluded sectors. There is brief consideration of the sector-specific legislation, and then a discussion of workers to whom collective, workforce and relevant agreements apply.
The Maximum Working Week
Authors: McLynn Lucy
Published: November 2023

This chapter discusses the average maximum 48-hour working week, which is one of the key provisions under the Working Time Directive (WTD). Since the implementation of the Working Time Regulations (WTR) in 1998, workers in the UK have been able to agree to waive the 48-hour maximum by signing a written agreement to this effect—universally known as an ‘opt-out’. There has been pressure at European level for many years for the opt-out to be abolished but, in the absence of agreement on this subject, it was decided in April 2009 that the opt-out should remain. Some aspects of the European debate are outlined in paragraph 3.56 below.
Non-Signatories and International Contracts: An Arbitrator’s Dilemma
Authors: Park William W
Published: November 2023

Like consummated romance, arbitration rests on consent.An agreement of some sort waives each side’s right to invoke the jurisdiction of otherwise competent courts.Nevertheless, arbitrators do hear cases involving entities and individuals that never signed an arbitration clause. Continental scholars sometimes refer to Professor of Law, Boston University. General Editor, Arbitration International. Vice President, London Court of International Arbitration; Member, International Council for Commercial Arbitration. Copyright © William W. Park 2008.
Information, Knowledge, and Economic Life
Authors: Preda Alex
Published: November 2023

As markets have assumed increasing prominence in societies, economic sociology’s insights into their operations have provided some of the most cogent explanations of how they affect our world. The book systematically surveys the most important sociological approaches to markets, taking information as the key concept in the analysis of transactions. It examines the differences between economic and sociological concepts of information, showing how the latter can ground a genuinely sociological research programme in the investigation of markets. This is the first book to bring together and discuss different approaches to markets in contemporary economic sociology with respect to the links between information and transactions. Structured on a scale which goes from the analysis of economic exchanges as social interactions to the examination of social institutions which support global markets, the book highlights the social and cultural factors shaping the production, diffusion, and uses of economic information. Based on a systematic discussion of the latest research on economic interactions, the book investigates how information is constituted in market transactions; the role played by emotions; the role of shared cognitive activities in shaping information. It integrates the analysis of economic groups, networks, and communities with that of forms of economic expertise, technologies, organizations, and institutions which constitute markets. The book analyzes the social structures supporting market transactions, discussing networks of social relationships, groups, and market communities with respect to information. It shows how newer concepts like performativity, with several versions and applications, contribute to a better understanding of market dynamics. Using examples, the book discusses the increased technological complexity of markets and its consequences with respect to how information is processed in transactions.
The European Court’s Political Power Across Time and Space (2009)
Authors: Alter Karen J
Published: November 2023

My work on the European Court of Justice (ECJ) builds on two seminal studies that document how the ECJ helped transform the European legal system. In 1981, Eric Stein published an article called ‘Lawyers, Judges and the Making of a Transnational Constitution’ that documented how a number of key ECJ decisions established important constitutional legal doctrines to transform an international treaty into a constitution for Europe. Joseph Weiler expanded Stein’s analysis in his 1991 classic The Transformation of Europe, showing how the ECJ’s constitutional doctrines stretched existing legal practices and ‘closed exit’ by making it harder for member states to escape their legal obligations through their own creative interpretations or via non-compliance. Stein’s and Weiler’s accounts remain classics, providing politically sophisticated legal explications of how the ECJ used creative legal interpretations to establish for itself a broader role in European politics. Both accounts, however, assume that the ECJ has an intrinsic power by virtue of being the Supreme Court for the European Economic Community.
Private Litigants and the New International Courts (2006)
Authors: Alter Karen J
Published: November 2023

There has been a revolution in the creation and use of international courts (ICs). Nineteen ICs were created since 1990, so that today there are 26 international legal bodies that meet the Project on International Courts and Tribunal’s defintition of an IC. Not only are there more ICs, but most of these ICs are also ‘new-style international courts’ with compulsory jurisdiction (in which no consent to litigation is required) combined with enforcement jurisdiction and access for private (i.e. non-state) litigants. IC usage is increasing too; roughly 70 per cent of the total international judicial activity and rulings have come in the past 14 years alone.
Scans, X-rays and that word ‘Degenerating’
Authors: Lee John , Brook Suzanne , Daniel Clare
Published: November 2023

There are very few of us who do not have parts of our bodies which at some time we wished looked different. Our spines are the same in that they often do not look like the textbook descriptions. In addition, our spines get older as time goes on, just like the rest of our body. This is a natural process which also happens to our hair, skin, nails, teeth, eyes, ears, bones, joints, muscles and internal organs. Chapter 1 largely described the spine with-out any signs of ageing. This chapter will talk more about the ageing process and the scans that can reveal it.
Home Life is Difficult
Authors: Lee John , Brook Suzanne , Daniel Clare
Published: November 2023

Mrs Patton is 41. She has been married for 15 years and has three children aged nine, six and four. Her husband works full time in a demanding job and Mrs Patton is the person who carries out most of the household tasks and childcare. She has had back pain for three years.
Introduction
Authors: Development Bank African
Published: November 2023

High sovereign external debt constitutes a serious drain on a country ‘s scarce resources. It can constrain national economic develop- ment in three ways. First, debt service may create a shortage of liquidity which crowds out valuable investment and social service spending, and slows down the accumulation of productive assets and the ability to adopt new technologies. Second, a country may suffer from debt overhang, by which a high debt stock acts as a disincentive to foreign investment and economic reforms in addition to keeping the cost of doing business prohibitively high. Third, if a country can- not mobilize resources to service its debt, it may accumulate arrears, disrupting its access to badly-needed financing for development. This is a particular risk in low-income African countries, which already face high barriers in accessing capital markets and are vulnerable to adverse external shocks.
From ODA to Debt Relief
Authors: Development Bank African
Published: November 2023

This chapter draws on the case study findings, analysis of all 15 countries which reached HIPC completion point by 2006, and a literature review, to present a more comprehensive picture of cross- country comparative results, and key policy lessons on the effective- ness of scaling up aid and spending, and institutional best practices for service delivery.
Peace Process
Authors: Ramcharan Bertrand G
Published: November 2023

Dictionaries of language give several usages and contexts of the word ‘peace’ and many of these are undoubtedly relevant to an understanding of the term ‘peace process’ in a generic as opposed to a technical sense. The Oxford English Reference Dictionary refers to peace as a state of friendliness, establishing friendly relations, bringing about peace. A peacemaker is defined as one who brings about peace (Pearsall & Trumble, 1996: 1068). Littre’s dictionary of the French language gives a long list of usages of the term paix, opening with rapports reguliers, cames, sans violence, d’un Etat, d’une nation avec un autre Etat, une autre nation (normal relations, calm, without violence, of a state, a nation, with another state, another nation; 1974: 4403). From a generic point of view one could say that whatever is required to maintain, re-establish, or sustain peace is part of a peace process broadly considered.
The Adjective Class
Authors: Dixon R M W
Published: November 2023

It has occasionally been suggested that some languages lack a distinction between classes of noun and verb. In the last chapter we showed that, in Schachter’s (1985: 6–7) words, ‘it now seems that the alleged counter-examples have been based on incomplete data’ and that distinct noun and verb classes are always recognizable ‘when all relevant facts are taken into account’.
Tales of Terrorism and Torture
Authors: Sachs Justice Albie
Published: November 2023

I was 39 years old, quietly teaching law in exile at Southampton University when I discovered I was a terrorist. I had been invited to attend a conference at Yale University’s Contemporary History Department. But I could not get a visa. Why? Because I was a member of the ANC, the African National Congress, led by Nelson Mandela, who had been Commander-in-Chief of Umkhonto We Sizwe (Spear of the Nation) set up to help over- throw apartheid in South Africa. And although I was simply earning my living as a rather innocuous law teacher in England, as a member of the ANC I was a terrorist. Happily, a few months later the political lobby group in Washington which backed the ANC turned out to be stronger than the group hired to pro- mote the interests of the South African government. The State Department policy changed, and I was no longer a terrorist.
The Judge Who Cried: The Judicial Enforcement of Socio-Economic Rights
Authors: Sachs Justice Albie
Published: November 2023

Mrs Grootboom decided she had had enough. She and her two children, and her sister with three children, lived in a shack in an area not far from Cape Town. The winter rains were approaching and she felt she could not bear another season in a waterlogged area. Altogether, about 5000 people lived in similar circumstances in the settlement, with- out clean water, or sewage or refuse removal services, and with virtually no electricity. Many had applied to the municipality for subsidized low-cost housing and had been on waiting lists for as long as seven years, with no relief in sight. Faced with the prospect of remaining indefinitely in intolerable conditions, Mrs Grootboom and nearly a thousand adults and children moved to a nearby vacant hill-side. The land had in fact been set aside for low-cost housing. Negotiations with the owner and the local council followed, but without success. Eventually a court order was issued declaring them to be in unlawful occupation of the land and requiring them to be evicted.
Human Dignity and Proportionality
Authors: Sachs Justice Albie
Published: November 2023

If my instants of discovery tend to occur in the bath-tub, my moments of being enlightened by others seem to happen in restaurants. At an evening meal in Johannesburg my dining companion was a Danish judge then on the European Court of Human Rights, Issy Foigel. He told me of a clear division of approach on his Court between judges from Southern Europe and those from Northern Europe. They might agree on out- comes, but their conceptual philosophies were quite different: judges from Southern Europe believed that their task was to distinguish between justice and injustice, between right and wrong, while judges from Northern Europe saw their function as being to hold the ring between competing claims of right. The latter felt that in a modern pluralistic democracy outright injustice was rare. In their view the basic problem of a human rights court was to find a principled way of balancing out the various public and private interests that came into conflict with each other, not to determine the frontiers between justice and injustice.
The Secular and the Sacred: The Dual Challenges of Same-sex Marriage
Authors: Sachs Justice Albie
Published: November 2023

Introduction: the March

It was November 1991, some years before I became a judge, and I was sweating. After 24 years of exile, I was once more driving towards the centre of Cape Town, and perspiration poured down my back. November in Cape Town is hot, and I was at the wheel for almost the first time after having been nearly killed in Mozambique by the bomb put in my car by South African security agents. So I was nervous and scared about driving with one hand only. And I was sweating because I didn’t know the roads very well—there were new one-way streets—and we had been told to meet at ‘the usual meeting place’, but I, the big freedom fighter, didn’t even know where the usual meeting place was. But above all I was sweating because I was going to be taking part in my first Gay Pride march.
Protein-protein interactions in eukaryotic signal transduction
Authors: Hyv Ö Nen Marko , Begun Jake
Published: November 2023

Correct transmission of extracellular signals is vital both for unicellular and multicellular organisms. Stimulation of cells from outside can trigger complicated cascades of signal transduction which result in cellular responses such as growth, differentiation, and movement. These signals can be transduced both by small molecules, such as cyclic AMP, Ca2+, or inositol triphosphate (Ins(l,4,5)P3) and by networks of interacting proteins (1, 2). Many interactions have their main effect by bringing two proteins together and allowing a reaction to occur; thus dimerization of receptor tyrosyl kinases allows each subunit to phosphorylate the other and so activate signal transduction pathways. Quite often this is mediated by an adaptor molecule or module that serves to bring two other components together. Thus, the presence of an SH3 domain in a protein allows it to recognize a praline-rich sequence and form a polyproline structure, so bringing the proteins containing these modules into close juxtaposition.
Femoral fractures and abuse in children under 36 months old: a Swiss case series
Authors: de Marco Giacomo , Valaikaite Raimonda , Chargui Moez , Coulin Benoit , Vazquez Oscar , Tabard-Fougère Anne , Steiger Christina N. , Dayer Romain , Ceroni Dimitri
Published: November 2023

Abuse should be suspected in infant femoral fractures without significant trauma, especially if the child is non-ambulatory. Review the epidemiological and radiological characteristics of femoral fractures in children under 36 months old to identify those potentially related to child abuse. Cases involving 102 patients presenting with 103 femoral fractures between January 1990 and December 2020 were investigated, paying close attention to mechanisms of injury, fracture patterns, and their possible relations to child abuse. The annual incidence of femoral fractures in patients under 36 months old was estimated at 24.6 per 100 000; the incidence in infants under 13 months was significantly higher than among children between 13 and 36 months old. Most infants under 13 months suffered from transverse or oblique metaphyseal/diaphyseal fractures (93.2%), whereas 67.8% of older children presented with spiral shaft fractures. Data confirmed child abuse in 4.9% of all patients (one with bilateral fractures); femoral fractures were incompatible with their reported mechanisms of injury in 31 patients (30.4%), whereas 12 fractures (11.8%) occurred in unexplained circumstances. More than 50% of femoral fractures occurred with low-energy trauma. The difference in patterns according to patients’ ages suggested different mechanisms of trauma in ambulatory and non-ambulatory infants. Confirmed abuses and unclear or inconsistent mechanisms of trauma, raised potential total child abuse cases to 47.1% of our cohort. Level of evidence: Level IV.
Health disparities among illegal immigrants and homeless people in the USA: a struggle within
Authors: Aborode Abdullahi T. , Lawal Lukman , Agwuna Favour O. , Adewunmi Rhoda O. , Ubechu Samuel C. , Badri Rawa
Published: November 2023

Undocumented immigrants in the United States face significant barriers in accessing healthcare services, which contribute to health disparities. This population is often affected by homelessness due to limited access to affordable housing, limited employment opportunities, language barriers, fear of deportation, and lack of social support. Homelessness and the fear of deportation can lead to stress, anxiety, and physical illness among undocumented immigrants, highlighting the need for healthcare services tailored to their unique needs. Access to healthcare is further hindered by a lack of health insurance coverage, financial constraints, language and cultural barriers, and the ineligibility for public health insurance schemes. Undocumented immigrants who are homeless encounter additional challenges, including difficulties in accessing resources, navigating the healthcare system, and facing societal discrimination. This article focuses on the barriers faced by undocumented migrants in the United States regarding healthcare access and proposes feasible solutions to promote health equity and advance universal health coverage in the country. The absence of health coverage for undocumented migrants undermines the concept of universal healthcare in the USA, as it excludes a significant portion of the population from accessing essential healthcare services. Hence, there is a need for comprehensive immigration reform and policies that ensure impartial access to healthcare. Practical solutions include establishing culturally competent care, implementing mobile clinics or street medicine programs, fostering collaborative relationships with nonprofit organizations, advocating for policies safeguarding the rights of undocumented immigrants, and enhancing data collection techniques.
Patient Experiences With Therapeutic Contact Lenses and Dry Eye Disease
Authors: Shorter Ellen , Nau Cherie B. , Fogt Jennifer S. , Nau Amy , Schornack Muriel , Harthan Jennifer
Published: November 2023

Objectives:

To report patient-reported experiences with dry eye disease and therapeutic contact lenses.

Methods:

A survey was distributed to patients with dry eye disease. Demographics, Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI), systemic disease, contact lens history, and burden of care information were collected. Descriptive statistics are presented and categorized by nonlens, soft lens, and scleral lens (SL) wearers.

Results:

Of 639 respondents, 15% (94/639) were currently using therapeutic soft or SLs (47 soft and 69 SL). Mid-day fogging or clouding of vision was reported by SL (75%, 50/67) and soft lens (62%, 29/47) wearers. Seventy-two percent of SL wearers spent more than 20 min daily on dry eye treatment while 43% of soft lens wearers spent more than 20 min. Median annual expenditure was higher for SL ($1,500, n=63) than nonlens ($500, n=371) or soft lens wearers ($700, n=43). Mean OSDI scores in all groups were in the severe category (51±22 years, n=401 nonlens wearers; mean age; 45±22 years, n=47 soft lens wearers; 60±24 years, n=69 SL wearers).

Conclusions:

Mid-day fogging and blurring of vision was reported by most of the individuals using therapeutic lenses for dry eye disease. SL wearers allocate the most resources for dry eye care.
When to discontinue renal replacement therapy. what do we know?
Authors: Boyer Naomi , Perschinka F. , Joannidis Michael , Forni Lui G.
Published: November 2023

Purpose of review

Acute kidney injury is common in intensive care patients. Supportive care involves the use of renal replacement therapies as organ support. Initiation of renal replacement therapy has been the subject of much interest over the last few years with several randomised controlled studies examining the optimal time to commence treatment. In contrast to this, little evidence has been generated regarding cessation of therapy. Given that this treatment is complex, not without risk and expensive it seems timely that efforts should be expended at examining this vexing issue.

Recent findings

Although several studies have been reported examining the successful discontinuation of renal replacement therapies all studies reported to-date are observational in nature. Conventional biochemical criteria have been used as well as physiological parameters including urine output. More recently, more novel biomarkers of renal function have been studied. Although to-date no optimal variable nor threshold for discontinuation can be established.

Several variables have been described which may have a role in determining which patients may be successfully weaned from renal replacement therapy. However, few have been exposed to vigorous examination and evidence is sparse in support of any potential approach although urine output currently is the most often described. More recently novel biomarkers have also been examined but again are limited by study design and heterogeneity. Further research is clearly needed focussing on proposed variables preferably in multivariate models to improve predictive ability and successful cessation of therapy.
Cardiovascular disease prevention in heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia: how important is a healthy diet in the era of long-lasting cholesterol-lowering drug therapies?
Authors: Roy Gabrielle , Drouin-Chartier Jean-Philippe
Published: November 2023

Purpose of review

This review aims to provide an in-depth perspective on the importance of diet for cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention in heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH).

Recent findings

Even though data on diet and CVD prevention in HeFH are limited, the currently available evidence supports its cholesterol-lowering effect and its favorable association with CVD risk on the long-term. However, qualitative evidence from individuals with HeFH suggests that there is a common perception that diet is useless compared to medication, and this misconception serves as a barrier to healthy eating. On the other hand, evidence also suggests that individuals with HeFH are at higher risk of eating disorders compared with unaffected individuals. Family history of premature death and the chronic nature of the disease would be in cause.

Emphasizing a healthy diet needs to remain at the foundation of CVD prevention in HeFH. Evidence are limited but supportive of the cholesterol-lowering and cardioprotective potential effects of diet. Engaging in conversations about healthy dieting with individuals in HeFH is likely to help prevent misconceptions about diet. Additionally, it could help reduce the risk of eating disorders, which, altogether, is likely to improve overall CVD prevention.
Simulation training in urology
Authors: Knudsen J. Everett , Ma Runzhuo , Hung Andrew J.
Published: November 2023

Purpose of review

This review outlines recent innovations in simulation technology as it applies to urology. It is essential for the next generation of urologists to attain a solid foundation of technical and nontechnical skills, and simulation technology provides a variety of safe, controlled environments to acquire this baseline knowledge.

Recent findings

With a focus on urology, this review first outlines the evidence to support surgical simulation, then discusses the strides being made in the development of 3D-printed models for surgical skill training and preoperative planning, virtual reality models for different urologic procedures, surgical skill assessment for simulation, and integration of simulation into urology residency curricula.

Simulation continues to be an integral part of the journey towards the mastery of skills necessary for becoming an expert urologist. Clinicians and researchers should consider how to further incorporate simulation technology into residency training and help future generations of urologists throughout their career.
Differential proteome profiling of bacterial culture supernatants reveals candidates for the induction of oral immune priming in the red flour beetle
Authors: Länger Zoe Marie , Baur Moritz , Korša Ana , Eirich Jürgen , Lindeza Ana Sofia , Zanchi Caroline , Finkemeier Iris , Kurtz Joachim
Published: November 2023

Most organisms are host to symbionts and pathogens, which led to the evolution of immune strategies to prevent harm. Whilst the immune defences of vertebrates are classically divided into innate and adaptive, insects lack specialized cells involved in adaptive immunity, but have been shown to exhibit immune priming: the enhanced survival upon infection after a first exposure to the same pathogen or pathogen-derived components. An important piece of the puzzle are the pathogen-associated molecules that induce these immune priming responses. Here, we make use of the model system consisting of the red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum) and its bacterial pathogenBacillus thuringiensis, to compare the proteomes of culture supernatants of two closely relatedB. thuringiensisstrains that either induce priming via the oral route, or not. Among the proteins that might be immunostimulatory toT. castaneum,we identify the Cry3Aa toxin, an important plasmid-encoded virulence factor ofB. thuringiensis. In further priming–infection assays we test the relevance of Cry-carrying plasmids for immune priming. Our findings provide valuable insights for future studies to perform experiments on the mechanisms and evolution of immune priming.