Where Fail-Safe Default Logics Fail

Reiter's original definition of default logic allows for the application of a default that contradicts a previously applied one. We call failure this condition. The possibility of generating failures has been in the past considered as a semantical problem, and variants have been proposed to solve it. We show that it is instead a computational feature that is needed to encode some domains into default logic

Measuring the health impact of human rights violations related to Australian asylum policies and practices: A mixed methods study

This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund - Copyright @ 2009 Johnston et al.BACKGROUND: Human rights violations have adverse consequences for health. However, to date, there remains little empirical evidence documenting this association, beyond the obvious physical and psychological effects of torture. The primary aim of this study was to investigate whether Australian asylum policies and practices, which arguably violate human rights, are associated with adverse health outcomes. METHODS: We designed a mixed methods study to address the study aim. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 71 Iraqi Temporary Protection Visa (TPV) refugees and 60 Iraqi Permanent Humanitarian Visa (PHV) refugees, residing in Melbourne, Australia. Prior to a recent policy amendment, TPV refugees were only given temporary residency status and had restricted access to a range of government funded benefits and services that permanent refugees are automatically entitled to. The quantitative results were triangulated with semi-structured interviews with TPV refugees and service providers. The main outcome measures were self-reported physical and psychological health. Standardised self-report instruments, validated in an Arabic population, were used to measure health and wellbeing outcomes. RESULTS: Forty-six percent of TPV refugees compared with 25% of PHV refugees reported symptoms consistent with a diagnosis of clinical depression (p = 0.003). After controlling for the effects of age, gender and marital status, TPV status made a statistically significant contribution to psychological distress (B = 0.5, 95% CI 0.3 to 0.71, p </= 0.001) amongst Iraqi refugees. Qualitative data revealed that TPV refugees generally felt socially isolated and lacking in control over their life circumstances, because of their experiences in detention and on a temporary visa. This sense of powerlessness and, for some, an implicit awareness they were being denied basic human rights, culminated in a strong sense of injustice. CONCLUSION: Government asylum policies and practices violating human rights norms are associated with demonstrable psychological health impacts. This link between policy, rights violations and health outcomes offers a framework for addressing the impact of socio-political structures on health.This research was supported by an Australian National and Medical Research Council PhD Scholarship (N. 251782) and a Victorian Health Promotion Foundation research grant (No. 2002-0280)

The Influence of International Law on the International Movement of Persons

Many migration theories identify ‘the law’ as a significant constraint on the international movement of persons. While this constraint often operates through national migration legislation, this study examines the influence of international law in shaping contemporary patterns in the international movement of persons at the macro level. The analysis begins with an examination of the long-established power of a State to regulate cross-border movement of persons as an inherent attribute of State sovereignty, together with the accepted limitations on a State’s power to control entry and exit. Yet, international law reaches well beyond the movement of people across borders. The development of international human rights law has been a key constraint on state action in the United Nations era by also regulating the treatment of migrants within a State’s borders. The study considers how international law has responded to current migration issues, including: protection of migrant women and children; suppression of smuggling and trafficking of people; labour migration; and environmental migration. As in other areas of international society, there has been a proliferation of institutions through which international migration law is made and enforced. The most prominent among them are the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), but the establishment of other entities with overlapping mandates has given rise to calls for a new international migration regime based on streamlined institutional arrangements. The study concludes that international law is an imperfect framework for regulating the international movement of persons because it has developed in a piecemeal fashion over a long time to deal with issues of concern at particular points in human history. Yet, despite its shortfalls, international law and its associated institutions unquestionably play a most important role in constraining and channeling state authority over the international movement of persons

Symptomatic relief precedes improvement of myocardial blood flow in patients under spinal cord stimulation

BACKGROUND: Spinal cord electrical stimulation (SCS) has shown to be a treatment option for patients suffering from angina pectoris CCS III-IV although being on optimal medication and not suitable for conventional treatment strategies, e.g. CABG or PTCA. Although many studies demonstrated a clear symptomatic relief under SCS therapy, there are only a few short-term studies that investigated alterations in cardiac ischemia. Therefore doubts remain whether SCS has a direct effect on myocardial perfusion. METHODS: A prospective study to investigate the short- and long-term effect of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) on myocardial ischemia in patients with refractory angina pectoris and coronary multivessel disease was designed. Myocardial ischemia was measured by MIBI-SPECT scintigraphy 3 months and 12 months after the beginning of neurostimulation. To further examine the relation between cardiac perfusion and functional status of the patients we measured exercise capacity (bicycle ergometry and 6-minute walk test), symptoms and quality of life (Seattle Angina Questionnaire [SAQ]), as well. RESULTS: 31 patients (65 ± 11 SEM years; 25 male, 6 female) were included into the study. The average consumption of short acting nitrates (SAN) decreased rapidly from 12 ± 1.6 times to 3 ± 1 times per week. The walking distance and the maximum workload increased from 143 ± 22 to 225 ± 24 meters and 68 ± 7 to 96 ± 12 watt after 3 months. Quality of life increased (SAQ) significantly after 3 month compared to baseline, as well. No further improvement was observed after one year of treament. Despite the symptomatic relief and the improvement in maximal workload computer based analysis (Emory Cardiac Toolbox) of the MIBI-SPECT studies after 3 months of treatment did not show significant alterations of myocardial ischemia compared to baseline (16 patients idem, 7 with increase and 6 with decrease of ischemia, 2 patients dropped out during initial test phase). Interestingly, in the long-term follow up after one year 16 patients (of 27 who completed the one year follow up) showed a clear decrease of myocardial ischemia and only one patient still had an increase of ischemia compared to baseline. CONCLUSION: Thus, spinal cord stimulation not only relieves symptoms, but reduces myocardial ischemia as well. However, since improvement in symptoms and exercise capacity starts much earlier, decreased myocardial ischemia might not be a direct effect of neurostimulation but rather be due to a better coronary collateralisation because of an enhanced physical activity of the patients

Identification of B2 Bradykinin Binding Sites on Cultured Cortical Astrocytes

Bradykinin was found to bind to specific high-affinity sites in cultured cortical astrocytes from rat brain, and this binding appeared to be specific for the B2 bradykinin receptor subtype. Nonlinear regression analysis of saturation experiments using a computer programme revealed a single KD of 16.6 ± 2.6 nM and a Bmax of 352.2 ±30.7 fmol/mg of protein. These results indicate that astrocytes possess bradykinin receptors and that these are predominantly of the B2 subtype

Purification of astroglial-cell cultures from rat spinal cord: the use of d-valine to inhibit fibroblast growth

Primary astrocyte cultures from spinal cord were purified from contaminating fibroblasts by growth in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) in which l-valine was substituted by d-valine. This medium was not supportive for growth of fibroblasts and inhibited their proliferation. The culture purity was assessed using immunofluorescence labelling with specific antibodies to various cell markers. Cultures contained predominantly astrocytes with greater than 92% of this cell type in d-valine medium as opposed to approx. 70% in d,l-valine DMEM medium. This procedure enables primary cultures to be obtained with a larger percentage of astrocytes by a simple modification to the growth medium

Zastosowanie superabsorbentow w uprawie papryki pod oslonami

Celem badań była ocena wpływu trzech superabsorbentów (Ekosorb sodowy, Ekosorb potasowy, Aqua Gel) jako komponentów podłoża na plon oraz zawartość suchej masy i witaminy C w owocach papryki odmian Lamuyo i Sirono. Dodatek superabsorbentów do podłoża z substratu torfowego miał niewielki wpływ na wielkość plonu papryki ogółem, ale zwiększył plon handlowy. Zastosowanie Ekosorbu potasowego powodowało niewielki wzrost zawartości suchej masy i witaminy C w owocach papryki. Plon odmiany Lamuyo był nieco mniejszy niż odmiany Sirono, ale owoce tej odmiany zawierały więcej witaminy C.The studies aimed at evaluating the effect of three superabsorbents (sodium Ekosorb, potassium Ekosorb, Aqua Gel) as the substrate components on yielding and contents of dry matter and vitamin C in red pepper (Lamuyo, Sirono cvs.) fruits. The addition of superabsorbents to peat substrate didn’t significantly affect the total yield but increased the marketable yield. The addition of potassium Ekosorb slightly increased the dry matter and vitamin C contents in red papper fruits. The yield of Sirono variety was higher than that of Lamuyo variety, but the fruits of Lamuyo variety contained more vitamin C