Attitudes on Medical Ethics of Criminal Neurointerventional Treatment

As contemporary scientific advancements offer the opportunity to manipulate processes of the human body at a higher degree of invasiveness than ever before, a number of bioethical concerns are raised. One significant concern is how to discern the acceptable integration of advancements in neurologically-based interventions into the criminal justice system. Past literature supports the idea that there are several variables that interact to form a global conversation on the ethics of compromising a criminal’s freedom of mind for the purposes of sentencing or rehabilitation. Attitudes toward the current criminal justice system and the current uses of neurointerventions are significantly influential, and the public attitudes of such topics have been well-recorded through the literature. An experienced physician was interviewed in order to gain the perspective of a professional who regularly implements neurologically-based treatments. The results of the interview suggested that professionals have a moderate level of confidence that the current relationship between the criminal justice system and neurointerventional methods has generally remained within ethical boundaries. The results also suggested that medical practitioners are tasked with balancing the dignity and the safety patients, which can cause frequent ethical dilemmas. The varying responsibilities of medical professionals keep them equipped to implement expert-level care while simultaneously considering the ethical ramifications of their decisions

Strengthening civil society to build demand for better governance in the Pacific: literature review and analysis of good practice and lessons learned

"The purpose of this exercise is to shift the focus to the Pacific, and to bring together the wealth of experience of Australian NGO’s that have been working with local partners to build their capacity to promote social accountability and/or demand for better governance through their programs. This paper employs an evidence-based approach to identify where social accountability practices and demand for better governance strategies (either direct or indirect) are being employed in current practice. In particular, this paper seeks to identify and analyze the elements of good practice and to collate the lessons learnt through strengthening civil society to demand better governance in the Pacific. This paper also examines the ways and means of strengthening civil society to support homegrown reform initiatives and build demand for better governance, without causing harm or destroying local civil society initiatives in the process. It brings together findings from the existing literature concerning demand led governance and social accountability, civil society strengthening, and case studies from ACFID (Australian Council for International Development) member agencies currently involved in seeking to strengthen civil society in the Pacific region...."- page 2AusAI

Improving Women's Electoral Chances through an Evidence-Based Approach: Metrics of Success - Improving Women's Electoral Prospects

This is the fourth In Brief of a series of eight developed as background papers for a three-day workshop titled ‘Improving women’s electoral chances through an evidence-based approach’, hosted by the Centre for Democratic Institutions and the State, Society and Governance in Melanesia Program at the Australian National University in Canberra, June 2016. The In Briefs are designed to accompany the workshop synthesis report.AusAI

Elections Trends in Melanesia and Prospects for the 2014 Solomon Islands Elections

With Solomon Islands due to go to the polls in late 2014, it is timely to reflect on how elections in Melanesia are trending, and what we might expect with the upcoming polls. Rather than improving, the integrity of elections in Melanesia is diminishing. Over the course of the past few elections, fraud and malpractice have increased in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to varying degrees. Money politics has also proliferated in all three countries, and information and communication technology (ICT) environments have changed profoundly (Logan 2014).AusAI

State of the Service: Women's Participation in the PNG Public Sector

Papua New Guinea’s new Public Services (Management) Act 2014 (PSMA) is one of several important administrative and legislative reforms implemented by the O’Neill/Dion Government in accordance with the Alotau Accord of 2012. Key among the changes is formal consultation with members of parliament (MPs) in relation to the appointment of provincial and district administrators, which in effect gives MPs a formal role in hiring and firing decisions at the subnational level. Seemingly, this is already having a detrimental impact on the gender profile of the public sector, with four women of the five most senior women in the Simbu provincial administration already replaced at the recommendation of MPs in the province (Anna Naur pers. comm. March 2015).1 Drawing on previously unpublished data, this In Brief offers an analysis of the gender profile of the Papua New Guinea (PNG) public sector as at June 2014, before the implementation of the new PSMA. The analysis reveals that while women are well represented in central government agencies, they are severely underrepresented in senior positions at the subnational level where services are delivered.AusAI

Assessing the Shift to Limited Preferential Voting in Papua New Guinea: Electoral Outcomes

Given the strong likelihood of reforms that will affect the conduct of and preparations for the 2017 elections, a consideration of the 2002 reforms to OLNLLGE, which saw the introduction of Limited Preferential Voting (LPV), is timely. In this, the first in a series of In Briefs assessing the shift to LPV, the impact upon mandates and electoral outcomes is considered.AusAI

Improving Women's Electoral Chances through an Evidence-Based Approach: Practical Strategies for Negotiating the Political Context

This is the seventh In Brief of a series of eight developed as background papers for a three-day workshop titled ‘Improving women’s electoral chances through an evidence-based approach’, hosted by the Centre for Democratic Institutions and the State, Society and Governance in Melanesia Program at the Australian National University in Canberra, June 2016. The In Briefs are designed to accompany the workshop synthesis report.AusAI

Censorship Concerns in College Media: A Multiple Case Study Analysis on the Silencing of Student Journalists

The aim of this qualitative study was to conduct a multiple case study that provides an analysis of censorship concerns at campus newspapers affiliated with public, four-year universities. Eighteen individuals from seven institutions participated in interviews. Interviewees consisted of former and current student journalists and advisers who worked at university publications where allegations of censorship have occurred within the last decade. The Student Press Law Center routinely investigates claims of censorship and provides pro bono legal counsel to student journalists (Zagier, 2011). While courts commonly sided with students in disagreements regarding free speech, Hazelwood v Kuhlmeier (1988) scaled back freedoms for high school journalists who were part of the school newspaper. Hosty v Carter (2005) applied the Hazelwood precedent at a collegiate level, leading to contentious debates between legal scholars about the legality of such a decision (Hazelwood v Kuhlmeier, 1988; Hosty v Carter, 2005). With no explicit instructions from the Supreme Court regarding the applicability of student press court precedents to college journalism, student journalists have sometimes pursued legal action to maintain a free press. Interview participants spoke about the challenges with censorship that they have encountered

Molecular Detection and Characterization of Rickettsia sp. in Hard Ticks Collected in Nacogdoches, Texas

The number of cases of tick-borne diseases is increasing in the United States. Many efforts to control ticks have been made and are continuously being developed. These methods include surveillance of ticks and detection of the tick-borne pathogens.This study examined hard ticks in Nacogdoches, Texas, to test for the presence of Rickettsia sp. 47 ticks were collected from vegetation by flagging and their species, sex, and developmental stage were determined using available keys. Individual ticks were processed for nucleic acid extraction and molecular detection of Rickettsia sp. using PCR-based methods. The citrate cynthease gene, 17kDa gene, and outer membrane protein A gene were used as genetic markers. All 47 ticks were tested with these markers and out of 13 Amblyomma americanum ticks 4 were positive, 9 Dermacentor variabillis ticks 1 was positive, 6 Amblyomma maculatum ticks 4 were positive, and out of 19 Ixodes scapularis ticks 12 were positive

Adaptive molecular evolution and biodiversity in malaria parasites

Haemosporidian parasites are the agents of malaria. Countless vertebrates are affected by haemosporidians each year. Haemosporidians have been shown to be evolving at rapid rates; leading to new species of haemosporidians being discovered and new host associations being made. Adaptive molecular evolution was detected in an important hemoglobin degradation gene, falcilysin. At multiple sites across multiple genes involved in important functions signatures of negative selection were detected. The signatures of selection across non-hemoglobin degradation genes were indicative of evolutionary conservation when compared to the more variable hemoglobin degradation genes. This is probably due to the important role the hemoglobin degradation genes play in haemosporidian metabolism. A survey of local passerines detected a parasite prevalence rate of 57%. This included three genera of haemosporidians detected across six lineages and two more distantly related sequences. Leucocytozoon was detected for the first time in Mississippi songbirds, indicating the importance of surveying for understanding haemosporidian evolution and range