bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mixed Explosives and Determination of Their Detonation Parameters
Authors: Rybakov Anatoly P.
Published: February 2016

A model of the effective characteristics of heterogeneous systems is given. The model is based on the methods of field theory of many bodies. The suitability of the given approach for a quantitative assessment of the characteristics of explosives and detonation is shown. In particular, two‐component mixtures of TNT/RDX and three‐component mixtures of aluminum with energetic materials are considered. The values of a few parameters (density, impact sensitivity, heat of explosion, detonation velocity) calculated by means of the proposed model agree satisfactorily with known experimental data.
Vapor phase doping process for fabrication of rare earth doped optical fibers: Current status and future opportunities
Authors: Saha Maitreyee , Sen Ranjan
Published: February 2016

Emerging application of rare‐earth (RE) doped optical fibers in high power lasers requires preforms with stringent geometrical and optical properties. This in turn demands more versatile and reliable process technology which brought Vapor Phase Doping (VPD) into prominence. This technology has immense potential to overcome fiber fabrication related challenges viz, dopant‐rich phase separation, RE uniformity in radial as well as longitudinal direction, “star‐like” defect elimination from core‐clad boundary and refractive index (RI) adjustment which results in improved beam quality and power stability of fiber laser. Further, high power lasers demand LMA active fibers with large core diameter and low numerical aperture (NA) which is easily producible by VPD method as it permits deposition of multiple RE doped core layers in a reproducible “in situ” manner. So, the prime focus is to optimize process technology to produce low RI, large core fibers. This article gives an overview of the comprehensive effort made by the global researchers to overcome challenges of VPD method and to demonstrate a standardized process technology for RE doping in silica glass preform.
Laboratory measurements of sedimentation velocity of columnar ice crystals
Authors: Bürgesser Rodrigo E. , Ávila Eldo E. , Castellano Nesvit E.
Published: February 2016

The terminal velocity of cloud particles may be particularly important to climate studies, because they may have a non‐negligible effect on the radiation budget of the planet, and on the lifetime of clouds. In the present study, the terminal velocity of individual columnar ice crystals was measured under controlled laboratory conditions. The size and fall orientation were determined for ice crystals with maximum dimensions less than 160 µm. The results, which are in agreement with the fall velocity presented in previous studies, show a random orientation of the columnar ice crystals during free fall with a fall velocity which is best represented by their capacitance. A linear relationship between fall velocity and ice crystal capacitance is presented that could be used in cloud modelling. Although the mass of ice crystals was not measured, an estimation of this parameter was made and an empirical Best–Reynolds power‐law relationship was found.
Compatible Hamilton cycles in random graphs
Authors: Krivelevich Michael , Lee Choongbum , Sudakov Benny
Published: February 2016

A graph is Hamiltonian if it contains a cycle passing through every vertex. One of the cornerstone results in the theory of random graphs asserts that for edge probability , the random graph G(n, p) is asymptotically almost surely Hamiltonian. We obtain the following strengthening of this result. Given a graph , an incompatibility system over G is a family where for every , the set Fv is a set of unordered pairs . An incompatibility system is Δ‐bounded if for every vertex v and an edge e incident to v, there are at most Δ pairs in Fv containing e. We say that a cycle C in G is compatible with if every pair of incident edges of C satisfies . This notion is partly motivated by a concept of transition systems defined by Kotzig in 1968, and can be used as a quantitative measure of robustness of graph properties. We prove that there is a constant such that the random graph with is asymptotically almost surely such that for any μnp‐bounded incompatibility system over G, there is a Hamilton cycle in G compatible with . We also prove that for larger edge probabilities , the parameter μ can be taken to be any constant smaller than . These results imply in particular that typically in G(n, p) for , for any edge‐coloring in which each color appears at most μnp times at each vertex, there exists a properly colored Hamilton cycle. Furthermore, our proof can be easily modified to show that for any edge‐coloring of such a random graph in which each color appears on at most μnp edges, there exists a Hamilton cycle in which all edges have distinct colors (i.e., a rainbow Hamilton cycle). © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg., 49, 533–557, 2016
Finding common task‐related regions in fMRI data from multiple subjects by periodogram clustering and clustering ensemble
Authors: Ye Jun , Li Yehua , Lazar Nicole A. , Schaeffer David J. , McDowell Jennifer E.
Published: February 2016

We propose an innovative and practically relevant clustering method to find common task‐related brain regions among different subjects who respond to the same set of stimuli. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) time series data, we first cluster the voxels within each subject on a voxel by voxel basis. To extract signals out of noisy data, we estimate a new periodogram at each voxel using multi‐tapering and low‐rank spline smoothing and then use the periodogram as the main feature for clustering. We apply a divisive hierarchical clustering algorithm to the estimated periodograms within a single subject and identify the task‐related region as the cluster of voxels that have periodograms with a peak frequency matching that of the stimulus sequence. Finally, we apply a machine learning technique called clustering ensemble to find common task‐related regions across different subjects. The efficacy of the proposed approach is illustrated via a simulation study and a real fMRI data set. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Big Five Personality Traits and the General Factor of Personality as Moderators of Stress and Coping Reactions Following an Emergency Alarm on a Swiss University Campus
Authors: Hengartner Michael P. , van der Linden Dimitri , Bohleber Laura , von Wyl Agnes
Published: February 2016

We conducted an online survey including 306 participants aged 18–64 years to assess the general factor of personality (GFP) and Big Five personality traits in relation to individual stress and coping reactions following a shooting emergency alarm at a Swiss university campus. Although the emergency eventually turned out to be a false alarm, various witnesses showed pronounced distress owing to a vast police operation. The GFP structure was replicated using two alternative modelling approaches. Neuroticism related substantially to acute fear and traumatic distress as well as to more enduring maladaptive coping. Agreeableness was negatively associated with the coping strategy of medication use, whereas both agreeableness and conscientiousness related positively to social activity following the emergency. The GFP related moderately to peri‐traumatic distress and showed a substantial negative association with medication use and a strong positive association with social activity. In conclusion, both the GFP and Big Five traits significantly moderate stress responses following a stressful life event. The GFP predominantly relates to socially adaptive coping, whereas in particular neuroticism accounts for acute stress reactions such as fear and traumatic distress. These findings support the notion that personality influences how persons react in the face of adversity. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effect of freezing rate and storage on the rheological, thermal and structural properties of frozen wheat dough starch
Authors: Silvas‐García María Irene , Ramírez‐Wong Benjamín , Torres‐Chávez Patricia Isabel , Bello‐Pérez Luis Arturo , Carvajal‐Millán Elizabeth , Barrón‐Hoyos Jesús Manuel , Rodríguez‐García Mario Enrique , Vázquez‐Lara Francisco , Quintero‐Ramos Armando
Published: February 2016

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of freezing rate and storage time on the properties of frozen wheat dough starch. The dough was frozen at either slow (−0.14°C/min) or fast (−1.75°C/min) rates and stored at −20°C for 8 weeks. Every 2 weeks, the frozen dough was sampled and freeze‐dried. Analyses of the dried dough included damaged starch, paste properties, and thermal, morphological, and structural properties. Damaged starch increased significantly during storage, and it was higher in the dough frozen at a slow rate than in the dough frozen at a fast rate. The peak viscosity during storage gradually but significantly decreased. During this period, the peak viscosity was higher for the dough frozen at a slow rate than the dough frozen at a fast rate. The enthalpy of starch crystallite fusion gradually but significantly increased during storage, and it was lower in the dough frozen at a slow rate than in the dough frozen at a fast rate. The structural properties show a decrease in the crystalline percent as a result of the freezing and storage time. SEM images show that starch granules were separated from the gluten matrix after storage, and separation was greater for the dough frozen at a fast rate than that frozen at a slow rate. The freezing rate and storage time increased starch damage and changed the microstructure of the dough.
Digital degree audits boost completion rates, foster collaboration with faculty and students
Authors: Sutton Halley
Published: February 2016

ANAHEIM, CALIF. — Implementing new technology is never without challenges, but implementing a digital degree audit system has meant big rewards for the University of California, Santa Barbara Registrar's Office. In a session at the Pacific Association for Registrars and Admissions Officers annual conference, a team of registrars from UCSB discussed the migration of their degree auditing system from a homegrown system to the Degree Audit Reporting System. The new system implementation has, according to the presenters, led to a higher completion rate, including a 50 percent decrease in nongraduated students (those students either eligible to graduate and for whatever reason don't or those students on track to graduate, with either fulfilled or close to fulfilled credit requirements, who don't complete their degree) within eight years while increasing collaboration between the Registrar's Office and academic departments on campus. Sara Cook, assistant registrar; Anthony Schmid, associate registrar; and Leesa Beck, university registrar, shared how the adoption of DARS has improved student self‐service for degree evaluation, strengthened interdepartmental ties with faculty, and boosted completion rates on campus.
Restructure your office to better serve your students
Authors: Sutton Halley
Published: February 2016

ANAHEIM, CALIF. — When Rebecca Mathern of Oregon State University was given the task of restructuring her admissions office, she made it a priority to keep her focus on getting the right people in place to boost the success of students at her university. Before her attempts to restructure, Mathern found that, although nothing was really wrong in her office, her team lacked direction and had stopped feeling excited for what was coming next. “We had to stop feeling overwhelmed and start feeling empowered,” Mathern said. In a session at the Pacific Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers annual conference, Mathern gave tips, tricks, best practices and anecdotes from her own experience transforming her office into a successful student‐serving team.
The organization and contribution of helicases to RNA splicing
Authors: De Inessa , Schmitzová Jana , Pena Vladimir
Published: February 2016

Splicing is an essential step of gene expression. It occurs in two consecutive chemical reactions catalyzed by a large protein–RNA complex named the spliceosome. Assembled on the pre‐mRNA substrate from five small nuclear proteins, the spliceosome acts as a protein‐controlled ribozyme to catalyze the two reactions and finally dissociates into its components, which are re‐used for a new round of splicing. Upon following this cyclic pathway, the spliceosome undergoes numerous intermediate stages that differ in composition as well as in their internal RNA–RNA and RNA–protein contacts. The driving forces and control mechanisms of these remodeling processes are provided by specific molecular motors called RNA helicases. While eight spliceosomal helicases are present in all organisms, higher eukaryotes contain five additional ones potentially required to drive a more intricate splicing pathway and link it to an RNA metabolism of increasing complexity. Spliceosomal helicases exhibit a notable structural diversity in their accessory domains and overall architecture, in accordance with the diversity of their task‐specific functions. This review summarizes structure–function knowledge about all spliceosomal helicases, including the latter five, which traditionally are treated separately from the conserved ones. The implications of the structural characteristics of helicases for their functions, as well as for their structural communication within the multi‐subunits environment of the spliceosome, are pointed out. WIREs RNA 2016, 7:259–274. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1331

This article is categorized under:

RNA-Based Catalysis > RNA Catalysis in Splicing and Translation

RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > RNA–Protein Complexes

RNA Processing > Splicing Mechanisms
Ammonia oxidizing bacteria and archaea in horizontal flow biofilm reactors treating ammonia-contaminated air at 10 °C
Authors: Gerrity Seán , Clifford Eoghan , Kennelly Colm , Collins Gavin
Published: February 2016

The objective of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of novel, Horizontal Flow Biofilm Reactor (HFBR) technology for the treatment of ammonia (NH3)-contaminated airstreams. Three laboratory-scale HFBRs were used for remediation of an NH3-containing airstream at 10 °C during a 90-d trial to test the efficacy of low-temperature treatment. Average ammonia removal efficiencies of 99.7 % were achieved at maximum loading rates of 4.8 g NH3 m3 h−1. Biological nitrification of ammonia to nitrite (NO2−) and nitrate (NO3−) was mediated by nitrifying bacterial and archaeal biofilm populations. Ammonia-oxidising bacteria (AOB) were significantly more abundant than ammonia-oxidising archaea (AOA) vertically at each of seven sampling zones along the vertical HFBRs. Nitrosomonas and Nitrosospira, were the two most dominant bacterial genera detected in the HFBRs, while an uncultured archaeal clone dominated the AOA community. The bacterial community composition across the three HFBRs was highly conserved, although variations occurred between HFBR zones and were driven by physicochemical variables. The study demonstrates the feasibility of HFBRs for the treatment of ammonia-contaminated airstreams at low temperatures; identifies key nitrifying microorganisms driving the removal process; and provides insights for process optimisation and control. The findings are significant for industrial applications of gas oxidation technology in temperate climates.
Roles of epidermal growth factor (EGF)‐like factor in the ovulation process
Authors: Shimada Masayuki , Umehara Takashi , Hoshino Yumi
Published: February 2016

Luteinizing hormone (LH) surge stimulates preovulatory follicles to induce the ovulation process, including oocyte maturation, cumulus expansion, and granulosa cell luteinization. The matured oocytes surrounded by an expanded cumulus cell layer are released from follicles to the oviduct. However, LH receptors are dominantly expressed in granulosa cells, but less in cumulus cells and are not expressed in oocytes, indicating that the secondary factors expressed and secreted from LH‐stimulated granulosa cells are required for the induction of the ovulation process. Prostaglandin and progesterone are well‐known factors that are produced in granulosa cells and then stimulate in both granulosa and cumulus cells. The mutant mice of prostaglandin synthase (Ptgs2KO mice) or progesterone receptor (PRKO mice) revealed that the functions were essential to accomplish the ovulation process, but not to induce the ovulation process. To identify the factors initiating the transfer of the stimuli of LH surge from granulosa cells to cumulus cells, M. Conti's lab and our group performed microarray analysis of granulosa cells and identified the epidermal growth factor (EGF)‐like factor, amphiregulin (AREG), epiregulin (EREG), and β‐cellulin (BTC) that act on EGF receptor (EGFR) and then induce the ERK1/2 and Ca2+‐PLC pathways in cumulus cells. When each of the pathways was down‐regulated using a pharmacological approach or gene targeting study, the induction of cumulus expansion and oocyte maturation were dramatically suppressed, indicating that both pathways are inducers of the ovulation process. However, an in vitro culture study also revealed that the EGFR‐induced unphysiological activation of PKC in cumulus cells accelerated oocyte maturation with low cytostatic activity. Thus, the matured oocytes are not arrested at the metaphase II (MII) stage and then spontaneously form pronuclei. The expression of another type of EGF‐like factor, neuregulin 1 (NRG1), that does not act on EGFR, but selectively binds to ErbB3 is observed in granulosa cells after the LH surge. NRG1 supports EGFR‐induced ERK1/2 phosphorylation, but reduces PKC activity to physiological level in the cumulus cells, which delays the timing of meiotic maturation of oocytes to adjust the timing of ovulation. Thus, both types of EGF‐like factor are rapidly induced by LH surge and then stimulate cumulus cells to control ERK1/2 and PKC pathways, which results in the release of matured oocytes with a fertilization competence.
Skills and work organisation in Britain: a quarter century of change
Authors: Green Francis , Felstead Alan , Gallie Duncan , Henseke Golo
Published: February 2016

This paper overviews key findings concerning the evolution of job skill requirements in Britain, and their relationship to technology and work organisation, based on surveys dating from 1986. The use of skills has been rising, as indicated by several indicators covering multiple domains. Technological change is robustly implicated in these rises, but it is not possible to satisfactorily classify most tasks according to how easily they are encoded and thereby clearly link the changes to the nuanced theory of skill-biased technical change associated with asymmetric employment polarisation. Moreover, changing work organisation also contributes to explaining the rises, both in skills use and in skills development. Nevertheless, the extent of worker autonomy in the workplace declined notably during the 1990s; this decline is not accounted for by the data, but is thought to be associated with changing management culture. Changing skill requirements also affect pay. In addition to the education level both computing skills and influence skills attract a premium in the labour market. There is an increasing cost in terms of pay from overeducation and a rising prevalence of overeducation. Together, these changes are reflected in an increased dispersion of the graduate pay premium. While these findings have provided important contextual information for the development of skills policies, they have had little effect on engendering policies for stimulating improved job design.
From imitation to collusion: a replication
Authors: Oechssler Jörg , Roomets Alex , Roth Stefan
Published: February 2016

In oligopoly, imitating the most successful competitor yields very competitive outcomes. This theoretical prediction has been confirmed experimentally by a number of studies. A recent paper by Friedman et al. (J Econ Theory 155:185–205, 2015) qualifies those results in an interesting way: While they replicate the very competitive results for the first 25–50 periods, they show that when using a much longer time horizon of 1200 periods, results slowly turn to more and more collusive outcomes. We replicate their result for duopolies.
However, with 4 firms, none of our oligopolies becomes permanently collusive. Instead, the average quantity always stays above the Cournot–Nash equilibrium quantity. Thus, it seems that “four remain many” even with 1200 periods.
Offensive Beneficence
Authors: CURETON ADAM
Published: February 2016

Simple acts of kindness that are performed sincerely and with evident good will can also, paradoxically, be perceived as deeply insulting by the people we succeed in benefiting. When we are moved to help someone out of genuine concern for her, when we have no intention to humiliate or embarrass her and when we succeed at benefiting her, how can our generosity be disparaging or demeaning to her? Yet, when the tables are turned, we sometimes find ourselves brusquely refusing assistance from others or accepting it only grudgingly while trying to show that we do not need their charity. People with disabilities often find ourselves in situations of this sort, where we bristle at others who rush to open doors for us, for instance, while our kindhearted benefactors are surprised and hurt by the cold reception they receive for their efforts. My aim is to explain some of the ways in which well-intentioned and effective beneficence can be offensive, with special emphasis on cases in which someone provides assistance to a disabled person.
Value-Based Emergency Management
Authors: Corrigan Zachary , Winslow Walter , Miramonti Charlie , Stephens Tim
Published: February 2016

This article touches on the complex and decentralized network that is the US health care system and how important it is to include emergency management in this network. By aligning the overarching incentives of opposing health care organizations, emergency management can become resilient to up-and-coming changes in reimbursement, staffing, and network ownership. Coalitions must grasp the opportunity created by changes in value-based purchasing and impending Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services emergency management rules to engage payers, physicians, and executives. Hope and faith in doing good is no longer enough for preparedness and health care coalitions; understanding how physicians are employed and health care is delivered and paid for is now necessary. Incentivizing preparedness through value-based compensation systems will become the new standard for emergency management. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:158–160)
Localized vortex/Tollmien–Schlichting wave interaction states in plane Poiseuille flow
Authors: Dempsey L. J. , Deguchi K. , Hall P. , Walton A. G.
Published: February 2016

Strongly nonlinear three-dimensional interactions between a roll–streak structure and a Tollmien–Schlichting wave in plane Poiseuille flow are considered in this study. Equations governing the interaction at high Reynolds number originally derived by Bennett et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 223, 1991, pp. 475–495) are solved numerically. Travelling wave states bifurcating from the lower branch linear neutral point are tracked to finite amplitudes, where they are observed to localize in the spanwise direction. The nature of the localization is analysed in detail near the relevant spanwise locations, revealing the presence of a singularity which slowly develops in the governing interaction equations as the amplitude of the motion is increased. Comparisons with the full Navier–Stokes equations demonstrate that the finite Reynolds number solutions gradually approach the numerical asymptotic solutions with increasing Reynolds number.
Critical torsional modes of convection in rotating fluid spheres at high Taylor numbers
Authors: Sánchez Juan , Garcia Ferran , Net Marta
Published: February 2016

A numerical study of the onset of convection in rotating internally heated self-gravitating fluid spheres is presented. The exploration of the stability of the conduction state versus the Taylor and Prandtl numbers supplies a detailed idea of the laws that fulfil the four types of solutions obtained at low Prandtl numbers. The main result found is that axisymmetric (torsional) modes of convection are preferred at high Taylor numbers in the zero-Prandtl-number limit. This instability appears at low Rayleigh numbers and gives rise to an oscillating single vortex of very high frequency.
An experimental ‘Life’ for an experimental life: Richard Waller's biography of Robert Hooke (1705)
Authors: MOXHAM NOAH
Published: February 2016

Richard Waller's ‘Life of Dr Robert Hooke’, prefixed to his edition of Hooke's Posthumous Works (1705), is an important source for the life of one of the most eminent members of the early Royal Society. It also has the distinction of being one of the earliest biographies of a man of science to be published in English. I argue that it is in fact the first biography to embrace the subject's natural-philosophical work as the centre of his life, and I investigate Waller's reasons for adopting this strategy and his struggle with the problem of how to represent an early experimental philosopher in print. I suggest that Waller eschews the ‘Christian philosopher’ tradition of contemporary biography – partly because of the unusually diverse and fragmentary nature of Hooke's intellectual output – and draws instead upon the structure of the Royal Society's archive as a means of organizing and understanding Hooke's life. The most quoted phrase from Waller's biography is that Hooke became ‘to a crime close and reserved’ in later life; this essay argues that Waller's biographical sketch was fashioned in order to undo the effects of that reserve. In modelling his approach very closely on the structure of the society's records he was principally concerned with making Hooke's work and biography accessible, intelligible and useful to the fellowship in a context familiar to them, a context which had provided the institutional framework for most of Hooke's adult life. I argue that Waller's ‘Life’ was also intended to make the largest claims for Hooke's intellectual standing that the author dared in the context of the enmity between Hooke and Isaac Newton once the latter became president of the Royal Society. However, I also adduce fresh manuscript evidence that Waller actually compiled, but did not publish, a defence of Hooke's claim to have discovered the inverse square law of gravity, allowing us to glimpse a much more assertive biography of Hooke than the published version.
Composition differences between organic and conventional meat: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis
Authors: Średnicka-Tober Dominika , Barański Marcin , Seal Chris , Sanderson Roy , Benbrook Charles , Steinshamn Håvard , Gromadzka-Ostrowska Joanna , Rembiałkowska Ewa , Skwarło-Sońta Krystyna , Eyre Mick , Cozzi Giulio , Krogh Larsen Mette , Jordon Teresa , Niggli Urs , Sakowski Tomasz , Calder Philip C. , Burdge Graham C. , Sotiraki Smaragda , Stefanakis Alexandros , Yolcu Halil , Stergiadis Sokratis , Chatzidimitriou Eleni , Butler Gillian , Stewart Gavin , Leifert Carlo
Published: February 2016

Demand for organic meat is partially driven by consumer perceptions that organic foods are more nutritious than non-organic foods. However, there have been no systematic reviews comparing specifically the nutrient content of organic and conventionally produced meat. In this study, we report results of a meta-analysis based on sixty-seven published studies comparing the composition of organic and non-organic meat products. For many nutritionally relevant compounds (e.g. minerals, antioxidants and most individual fatty acids (FA)), the evidence base was too weak for meaningful meta-analyses. However, significant differences in FA profiles were detected when data from all livestock species were pooled. Concentrations of SFA and MUFA were similar or slightly lower, respectively, in organic compared with conventional meat. Larger differences were detected for total PUFA andn-3 PUFA, which were an estimated 23 (95 % CI 11, 35) % and 47 (95 % CI 10, 84) % higher in organic meat, respectively. However, for these and many other composition parameters, for which meta-analyses found significant differences, heterogeneity was high, and this could be explained by differences between animal species/meat types. Evidence from controlled experimental studies indicates that the high grazing/forage-based diets prescribed under organic farming standards may be the main reason for differences in FA profiles. Further studies are required to enable meta-analyses for a wider range of parameters (e.g. antioxidant, vitamin and mineral concentrations) and to improve both precision and consistency of results for FA profiles for all species. Potential impacts of composition differences on human health are discussed.
Elections in Israel
Authors: Witkon Alfred
Published: February 2016

The current year—5730, by the Jewish calendar—was “election year”, and now that the great event has passed and a new Knesset—“the Seventh”—been elected, it may be opportune to give a brief description of our system of parliamentary elections, to consider some of its problems and to see what lessons can be learned.

Knesset elections are governed, primarily, by the provisions of the Basic Law: The Knesset. Under this Law, elections are to be held once every four years. Earlier elections—e.g. when there is no majority to support a government—require special legislation. Elections are general, countrywide, direct, equal, secret and proportional. Detailed provisions are set out in the Knesset Elections Law, 1969. Under this Law, votes are cast for lists of candidates filed by the various competing parties not later than 35 days before the elections. In the final count, the whole country constitutes one election district; all votes are added up and taken into account. However, lists must attract at least one percent of the total of valid votes cast at the elections in order to participate in the division of the Knesset's 120 seats. Such division is effected, first, by dividing the total of valid votes cast for such qualifying lists by 120; then, by allotting each such list as many seats as are arrived at by dividing the total of valid votes cast for it by the quotient so obtained; and finally, by allocating any remaining seats to such lists, one to each respectively, as are left, after such division, with the largest remainders of votes.
The Mejelle Tested by its Application
Authors: Meron Ya'akov
Published: February 2016

The centenary of the Mejelle, the Ottoman Civil Code, is not being commemorated by any jubilations. This is not only because so little of it is left in force, but also, and perhaps mainly, because it has remained much of a mystery right up to the present day.

The mystery is due partly to certain initial defects inherent in its preparation. One of these is the ambiguity purposefully introduced into the Mejelle, with the aim of camouflaging its deviations from the Holy Law of Islam which, theoretically, reigned supreme in the Ottoman Empire to its last day. Indeed, true to a long-standing tradition, the assent of the highest religious authority in the Empire, Sheikh-u 'l-Islam, was required before any law could be promulgated. Thus, in the case of the Mejelle too, the said religious authority was associated in its preparation. Once involved in the matter it could no longer shun delicate problems, when the religious law came into conflict with the interests of the State. In order to avoid this dilemma in the Mejelle, its authors applied a new stratagem, that of silent omission.
Ratification by the General Meeting
Authors: Barak Aharon
Published: February 2016

Can the members of a company in general meeting ratify a transaction of the directors by simple majority, when the latter—in breach of their fiduciary duties—have not acted “bona fide in the interests of the company”? This question is likely to prove of importance in a number of different contexts. In Bamford v. Bamford it arose in connection with the validity of an act of the directors in the sphere of the company's relations with a third party—the contention that the act was invalid having been made by the minority shareholders, who objected to ratification, and not by the third party himself. The possibility of ratification gives rise to two questions: is the general meeting of the company the competent organ to exercise this power? And, assuming that it is, can the act done in breach of a duty be ratified by it by simple majority? In the Bamford case it is only the former aspect of the problem that is considered.

The articles of the company vested the power to allot shares in the directors. In exercising this power the directors failed to act “bona fide in the interests of the company”. Their act was ratified by the members in general meeting by simple majority and the validity of the ratification was challenged. Both the judge of first instance and those sitting on appeal decided that it was valid. Plowman J., in the Chancery Division, held that, since the directors had been actuated by an improper motive, they thereby lost their power of allotment, which accordingly vested in the general meeting, as the organ of the company with residual power in this respect. The general meeting—he went on to hold—could ratify the directors' action by simple majority. Harman L.J. and Russel L.J., in the Court of Appeal, reached the same conclusion— but for different reasons. In their opinion, the fact that the directors allotted the shares for an improper motive does not mean that what they did was in excess of their powers; the allotment simply became voidable. The power to remedy the defect—they held—is in the hands of the general meeting, which can exercise this power by simple majority.
Marriage and Divorce in Israel
Authors: Shiloh Isaac S.
Published: February 2016

The Israel Law of Marriage and Divorce is unique in many aspects. In European and European-based systems of law, the rivalry between Church and State ending in the triumph of the State over the Church is a matter of past history. Ecclesiastical courts were long ago deprived of jurisdiction in matters of marriage and divorce. Canon law, nevertheless, continues to this day to be the source of the law of the land in this field in all jurisdictions of both Roman civil and common law, even after the pollution and dilution in varying degrees of such source by the secular powers. Principles rooted in canon law were incorporated wholesale in the secular law of the land, and thus made to apply to the entire population irrespective of individual religious affiliation. The continuous activity of a single system of lay courts dealing with matrimonial issues in the course of its general preoccupation with the administration of justice, utilizing a single set of laws of evidence and rules of procedure, gradually welded the principles taken over from the canon law and die law emanating from other sources into one homogeneous body.

Israel alone, among all Western systems of law, retains the law relating to the creation, incidences and termination of the matrimonial status in its almost unadulterated form of religious precepts, and maintains a ramified system of religious tribunals for the administration thereof. This enables nearly all to achieve either marital bliss or, if necessary, the happiness resulting from the dissolution of a miserable marriage in the manner sanctioned by the authorities of their own religious denomination.
Sources of the Brezhnev Doctrine of Limited Sovereignty and Intervention
Authors: Romaniecki Leon
Published: February 2016

1. Claim to the Right of Intervention in the Defence of Socialism: The Brezhnev Doctrine asserts the Soviet Union's right to intervene in the internal affairs of the states comprising the Socialist Bloc. The source of this Doctrine is Soviet Foreign Minister Gromyko's declaration at the June 27, 1968, session of the Supreme Soviet, when he announced that the Socialist commonwealth would not tolerate the withdrawal of any of its constituent parts, should it be attempted.

This statement formed the basis of what is called the “Brezhnev Doctrine”, as formulated in an article appearing in Pravda on September 26, 1968. The Doctrine is designed to affirm the “limited sovereignty” of every Socialist State and to justify the military intervention of members of the Warsaw Pact in Czechoslovakia.

The Pravda article asserted that Czechoslovakia's self-determination impaired the essential interests of the Socialist commonwealth and required the “Soviet Union and the other Socialist countries…to take actions…in the fulfillment of their international obligations towards the Czechoslovak nation and in the defence of their Socialist achievements”.

The Soviet Union's special role within the Socialist commonwealth and its right to intervene in its name was justified as follows:
Computers—Data Banks and the Individual: Is the Problem Privacy?
Authors: Farhi Carol
Published: February 2016

The problem of computerized data has been largely conceived of in terms of the concept of privacy. Thus any check of legal periodicals will disclose a number of articles on computers and privacy, and a recent Bill before the English Parliament is entitled “A Bill to Prevent the Invasion of Privacy through the Misuse of Computer Information”.

In fact privacy is only one aspect of a wider complex problem, and the concept of privacy both factually and legally is far from coextensive with that problem. Proposals such as the English Bill which speak in terms of privacy are really concerned with problems of accuracy of information, its dissemination and use; and the information may be public or private, it may have been acquired legally or illegally, with or without intrusion of privacy, with or without knowledge, with or without consent.

Perhaps the problem could here be categorized as one in which society is attempting to set standards of fair acquisition, fair dissemination, and fair use of information. It is confusing, as will be illustrated below, to set these standards in terms of privacy which is only one of a number of personal and societal values involved.
Interpreting the Criminal Code Ordinance, 1936 — The Untapped Well
Authors: Abrams Norman
Published: February 2016

The origins of the Criminal Code Ordinance of 1936 (hereinafter, CCO) have never been fully explored. The Supreme Court of Israel has indicated that specific provisions were derived from Ottoman law, or were modelled upon an English statute, or based upon a common law doctrine. No one, however, has attempted to describe comprehensively the history of the CCO, and those who have touched upon the subject have usually contented themselves with general statements:

a. The local legislator drew most of the offences included in the Criminal Code Ordinance from the well of English law.

b. Everybody admits that the provisions of the Palestine Criminal Code Ordinance relating to manslaughter and murder were not derived from one source, but include different ideas and pieces of ideas that were taken, a little here and a little there, from different legal systems—English, French, Ottoman, or French in Ottoman clothing, as it existed until 1936. Before us is a mosaic of different colours composed into a single picture. As to this there is no disagreement … What is not so clear and certain is the identity of the concrete source of each of the bricks of the building that comprise the ‘collective’ legislation.
Jewish Law in American Tribunals
Authors: Meislin Bernard J.
Published: February 2016

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution erects, in Thomas Jefferson's phrase, “a wall of separation between church and state”. The United States Supreme Court has, with a consistency not evident in all areas of constitutional law, supported the “wall of separation” metaphor even in the face of warnings that “a rule of law should not be drawn from a figure of speech”. The origin of the phrase has been traced to the words of Roger Williams, the founder of the colony of Rhode Island in 1636, who, in his concern over worldly corruption infecting the churches, wrote of “the hedge or wall of separation between the garden of the church and the wilderness of the world…”. With this imposing legal history behind it, the principle of non-intrusion of religious law into American civil law should stand on incorruptible footing. Yet, a survey of recent cases discloses principles of Jewish law relied upon by litigants and on occasion by judges in controversies before tribunals in the United States.
On the Evidence of U.S. Treaty Law
Authors: Engel Salo
Published: February 2016

According to Article 24 of its Statute, the International Law Commission “shall consider ways and means for making the evidence of customary international law more readily available”. The existence of such law is indeed difficult to prove even at the national level; how much more so in the international sphere. This, however, should not mislead one to think that there are no problems with regard to treaty law. On the international level it may not be too difficult to determine whether a treaty exists on a particular question, but information about the exact status of the treaty (its entry into force, the parties thereto, the amendments thereof, etc.) in most cases is not easily available. Wherefore, I proposed many years ago the creation of an International Legislation Register which would contain up-to-date information at least about the status of multi-partite treaties of general interest.
Methodological Problems in Comparative Law
Authors: Zweigert K.
Published: February 2016

The methodical aspects of comparative law is a field which has, up to now, hardly been cultivated systematically although probably more so in Israel than in some other countries.

The subject normally evokes the question whether comparative law is a legal technique, a method of legal thinking, or an autonomous discipline of legal science, a field of law in its own right. I do not intend to deal with this problem because I think the effort will yield little. Any possible answer I would suggest, is true only to some extent depending on the context: if, for example, comparative law is used for the interpretation of a legal rule, it certainly belongs to the method of interpretation and thus lies in the field of legal method; if a special course in comparative law is taught to introduce students to its techniques and its basic premises, you may properly regard it as a discipline of its own.
World Jewry and the Ballot: The Defence of Democracy at the World Zionist Federation and its Potential Impact on Israel's Constitutional Law
Authors: Lahav Pnina
Published: February 2016

The World Zionist Federation (hereafter W.Z.F.) was founded in 1897 at the First Zionist Congress as the structural framework of the organised Zionist Movement. Its contemporary members are Zionist organisations, whose aim is the implementation of the Zionist Programme as defined by its constitution. As such, the W.Z.F. is an inter-territorial organisation, not limited by national frontiers. It is known to command impressive financial resources and considerable international influence. In Israel, the W.Z.F. was also recognised and given a special status by law. Sec. 4 of the World Zionist Organisation—Jewish Agency (Status) Law provides that:

The State of Israel recognises the World Zionist Organisation as the authorised agency which will continue to operate in the State of Israel for the development and settlement of the country, the absorption of immigrants … and the coordination of activities in Israel of Jewish institutions and organisations active in those fields.

The W.Z.F. operates through three governing bodies: the Zionist Congress, the Zionist General Council and the Executive.
Kofin Al Midat S'dom: Jewish Law's Concept of Abuse of Rights
Authors: Shilo Shmuel
Published: February 2016

The Jewish legal system's concept ofKofin al midat S'dom(kofin, in this essay) is a rule of equity whose scope of application is almost without parallel in other legal systems. Strict translation of this phrase, which is “one is compelled not to act in the manner of Sodom” is not very helpful. The rule is interpreted to mean that if A has a legal right and the infringement of such right by B will cause no loss to A but will remove some harm from, or bring a benefit to B, then the infringement of A's right will be allowed. Such a concept at once brings to mind the modern view concerning abuse of rights. There is, in fact, much in common between the two principles but they are certainly not the same. According to one legal system a certain given fact situation can have the legal principle of abuse of rights applied to it, while in another legal system a different rule of law would be resorted to. To illustrate: In certain jurisdictions the right to privacy is based on the concept of abuse of rights, while in others, as is the case in Jewish law, such a right is independent of the equivalent abuse of rights—kofin. So with other rights such as the right to light or unfair trade competition. An attempt will be made in this essay to show the range and the limits of thekofinprinciple. We will discuss those problems which are dealt with within the framework ofkofineven if their non-Jewish parallel is one which is far from the concept of abuse of rights. Conversely, we will not examine those questions which, in other legal systems, fall within the ambit of abuse of rights but are not looked upon, in Jewish law, as problems to which the rule ofkofinis to be applied, since they have been solved by other legal rules.
On Linkage and Revaluation
Authors: Gilad Israel
Published: February 2016

The breach of contract or commission of a civil wrong gives rise to a right of the injured party to compensation for damage caused by the violation of his right. In principle, the amount of money to be received as compensation is determined in two stages: the first stage is the establishment of the real scope of the compensable damage, i.e. the definition of the loss or detriment with respect to which the victim is entitled to compensation; the second stage is the monetary assessment of the compensable damage—translating the loss or detriment into monetary units which will reflect the financial value of such loss or damage. The whole process is governed by the higher principle ofrestitutio in integrum, i.e. restoring the victim to his former position, which in the field of tort law means restoration of the victim to his position prior to the commission of the tort, and, in the field of contracts, means bringing him to the situation in which he would have been had the agreement been honoured.