Guarentees and Limits of the Independence and Impartiality of the Judge

This Article looks at the role of judicial independence in the United States. The author examines the history of judicial independence in England and the Colonies, under the Articles of Confederation, and forward through history. The author concludes that judicial independence forms an integral part of the political doctrine of separation of powers. In addition, the author argues that judicial independence in any country must begin with a genuine commitment to democracy and the rule of law

The Conflict of Laws and International Trade

In this day and age we have grown accustomed to the cry of crisis. There is a crisis in Southeast Asia, a crisis in Berlin, and the astute observer will take note of countless less dramatic but surely no less important crises on the homefront. Without at all questioning the urgency of these confrontations, it is possible to view them as focal points of political and social unrest, evidence of the contact and friction, which are produced whenever ideas and forces compete in favor

The Soviet Doctrine of the Closed Sea

This Article examines the Soviet Union\u27s doctrine of the closed sea, under which the warships of all nonlittoral countries of certain designated peripheral seas would have no right to enter and navigate on those seas. The author analyzes the development of this doctrine and analyzes its application of this doctrine to the Black Sea, in light of recent historical developments and developments in the Law of the Sea

Lessons of Comparative Criminal Procedure: France and the United States

This Article argues that crime in the United States has reached socially unacceptable proportions and critiques the suggestions that the U.S. should look to the criminal justice models of other countries to help with the problem. The author analyzes a proposal inspired by the French system of criminal procedure, but finds it lacking in wisdom. The author provides suggestions capable of being implemented within the framework of Anglo-American law and which, if adopted, would demonstrate a determined national resolve to control crime and reduce the fear of it that currently permeates American society

Applying various industry best practices to prevent occupational exposure to hazardous drugs in healthcare

Hazardous drugs (HDs) have many therapeutic applications in healthcare, but with their benefits come drawbacks. Much has been documented over the past several decades about the adverse effects of HDs, particularly for those with indirect, occupational exposure. This exposure comes primarily from inadvertent dermal contact with drug material and residue, and is observed in individuals who handle HDs directly, including pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who compound and prepare the drugs. However, individuals have the potential for exposure when interacting with HDs at all stages of the drug’s “life cycle,” including preparation, administration, transport, and waste management. Among various regulatory measures put in place to ensure protection against occupational HD exposure is the relatively recent implementation of USP’s chapter \u3c800\u3e Hazardous Drugs - Handling in Healthcare Settings. Other industries beyond healthcare have their own pertinent hazards and mitigation strategies to prevent the adverse effects of occupational exposure. Exposure hazards like radiation, and other hazardous chemicals such as pesticides, have necessitated the construction of their own unique ecosystems for occupational exposure prevention. Healthcare and pharmacy may benefit from considering the parallels between these fields in order to assess and improve the effectiveness of existing protective measures

Perspectives on Perennial Problems of Jurisprudence

A review of E. Bodenheimer, Treatise on justice, W. Friedmann, Legal theory, 5U., and B. Wortley, Jurisprudence. To a certain degree, law is a refection of the social environment in which it exists. Since a multiplicity of forces is constantly at work to produce stresses and tensions that serve to keep society in an incessant state of flux, the law also finds itself in continual need to adjust and readjust. Traditionally, the contemplative jurist in search of aid in the solution of novel social problems has turned to philosophy. Despite the increasing popularity of the auxiliary disciplines of sociology, psychology and other behavioral sciences, it is inevitable that philosophy will continue to rank high on the list of extra-legal source materials which the lawyer can utilize in adapting his legal knowledge to the demands of a technotronic and dynamic social configuration

Exploring the underpinnings that attribute to low performance on standardized tests by first year university freshmen at a Historically Black College and University

The primary purpose of this study was to examine and determine what factors contribute to the prevention of first semester freshmen students not succeeding on high stakes tests based on their opinions, and what variables are important to their performance at the university. The Personal Educational Academic Survey (PEAS), a 65 item Likert-type scale was designed to measure the students’ opinions regarding their academic knowledge acquired during their first semester in college in Academic Achievement and other courses at Langston University. The final response count was 216 representing a 35.47% response rate. The target population in this research study was first year college students who attend Langston University, and who were conditionally admitted and enrolled in Academic Achievement as a required preparatory course because they are considered at-risk for college studies. These students’ composite scores ranged from seventeen or lower on the ACT (American College Test). Students were administered the PEAS to measure the factors that they think impeded or enhanced their knowledge base and determined their academic levels in addition to some identifiable markers that they considered to be motivational factors as they matriculate throughout the semester. The statistical procedures that were used to help answer the research questions were Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), step-wise regression, Pearson’s r Correlation, and exploratory factor analysis. Majority of respondents identified themselves as Black or African American (n = 202, 93.5%). The second largest group identified themselves as American Indiana or Alaska Native (n = 7, 3.2%). A total of 144 respondents (67.0%) indicated that they did not find an individual who is mentoring them during this college experience. This item question was proven to be statistically significant of all the other variables. Many of the respondents also stated that they would like more collaborative learning and hands-on classwork in the classroom. They also wanted the course to be offered more than one time a week. Another major finding was that the majority of the respondents indicated that their grade-point average in high school was not a 3.0 and above (n = 154, 71.3%)

Etomidate and adrenal insufficiency: the controversy continues

Background\ud Critically ill patients often require emergency intubation. The use of etomidate as the sedative agent in this context has been challenged because it may cause a reversible adrenal insufficiency, potentially associated with increased in-hospital morbidity. We compared early and 28-day morbidity after a single dose of etomidate or ketamine used for emergency endotracheal intubation of critically ill patients.\ud \ud Methods\ud In this randomized, controlled, single-blind trial, 655 patients who needed sedation for emergency intubation were prospectively enrolled from 12 emergency medical services or emergency departments and 65 intensive care units in France. Patients were randomly assigned by a computerized random-number generator list to receive 0-3 mg/kg of etomidate (n = 328) or 2 mg/kg of ketamine (n = 327) for intubation. Only the emergency physician enrolling patients was aware of group assignment. The primary endpoint was the maximum score of the sequential organ failure assessment during the first 3 days in the intensive care unit. We excluded from the analysis patients who died before reaching the hospital or those discharged from the intensive care unit before 3 days (modified intention to treat). This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00440102.\ud \ud Findings\ud 234 patients were analyzed in the etomidate group and 235 in the ketamine group. The mean maximum SOFA score between the two groups did not differ significantly (10.3 [SD 3.7] for etomidate vs. 9.6 [3.9] for ketamine; mean difference 0.7 [95% CI 0.0-1.4], p = 0.056). Intubation conditions did not differ significantly between the two groups (median intubation difficulty score 1 [IQR 0-3] in both groups; p = 0.70). The percentage of patients with adrenal insufficiency was significantly higher in the etomidate group than in the ketamine group (OR 6.7, 3.5-12.7). We recorded no serious adverse events with either study drug.\ud \ud Interpretation\ud Our results show that ketamine is a safe and valuable alternative to etomidate for endotracheal intubation in critically ill patients, and should be considered in those with sepsis