Extending Graham\u27s Interpretive Theory into Common Law: A Multiple-Case Study

What determines the outcome of judicial decisions? A traditional answer to this question is that it involves a complex application of rules derived from the reasons for judgment of analogous common law decisions and applicable statutes under the doctrine of stare decisis. This answer is problematic. One significant problem of this answer is its inability to explain the outcome of cases where the judgment does not appear to be based on these traditionally recognized sources. An alternative answer, provided by a particular field of legal scholarship, Legal Realism, posits that “other” factors make a significant impact on the outcome of a given case. A recent legal realist theory offered by R. Graham utilizes principles of Legal Realism, Economics, and Interpretive Theories to form a framework for describing the actual constraining forces acting on judges when they are tasked with interpreting statutes. Central to this theory is the influence of the deciding judge’s self-interest on the outcome of his or her interpretive decisions. The primary purpose of the current paper is to extend Graham’s multi-disciplinary theory from its current application to statutory interpretation to now also include common law interpretation. Secondarily, this paper will provide a multiple-case example of how this interpretive theory would apply to a series of judgments related to limits placed on cross-examination that are particularly troublesome for the seemingly inconsistent and surprising decisions

Matching matched filtering with deep networks in gravitational-wave astronomy

We report on the construction of a deep convolutional neural network that can reproduce the sensitivity of a matched-filtering search for binary black hole gravitational-wave signals. The standard method for the detection of well modeled transient gravitational-wave signals is matched filtering. However, the computational cost of such searches in low latency will grow dramatically as the low frequency sensitivity of gravitational-wave detectors improves. Convolutional neural networks provide a highly computationally efficient method for signal identification in which the majority of calculations are performed prior to data taking during a training process. We use only whitened time series of measured gravitational-wave strain as an input, and we train and test on simulated binary black hole signals in synthetic Gaussian noise representative of Advanced LIGO sensitivity. We show that our network can classify signal from noise with a performance that emulates that of match filtering applied to the same datasets when considering the sensitivity defined by Reciever-Operator characteristics.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, submitted to PR

Lines-of-inquiry and sources of evidence in work-based research

There is synergy between the investigative practices of police detectives and social scientists, including work-based researchers. They both develop lines-of-inquiry and draw on multiple sources of evidence in order to make inferences about people, trends and phenomena. However, the principles associated with lines-of-inquiry and sources of evidence have not so far been examined in relation to work-based research methods, which are often unexplored or ill-defined in the published literature. We explore this gap by examining the various direct and indirect lines-of-inquiry and the main sources of primary and secondary evidence used in work-based research, which is especially relevant because some work-based researchers are also police detectives. Clearer understanding of these intersections will be useful in emerging professional contexts where the work-based researcher, the detective, and the social scientist cohere in the one person and their research project. The case we examined was a Professional Studies programme at a university in Australia, which has many police detectives doing work-based research, and from their experience we conclude there is synergy between work-based research and lines of enquiry. Specifically, in the context of research methods, we identify seven sources of evidence: 1) creative, unstructured, and semi-structured interviews; 2) structured interviews; 3) consensus group methods; 4) surveys; 5) documentation and archives; 6) direct observations and participant observations; and 7) physical or cultural artefacts, and show their methodological features related to data and method type, reliability, validity, and types of analysis, along with their respective advantages and disadvantages. This study thereby unpacks and isolates those characteristics of work-based research which are relevant to a growing body of literature related to the messy, co-produced and wicked problems of private companies, government agencies, and non-government organisations and the research methods used to investigate them

Consultants as intermediaries and mediators in the construction of information and communication technologies for development

This article considers the role of one actor that is in the ascendancy in the development sector, namely the multinational management consulting organization. Drawing on science and technology studies concepts, we argue that such consultants are increasing and important, yet relatively invisible intermediaries and mediators in the development sphere that justify critical examination. Empirically, we draw on secondary data relating to the shape and nature of consulting in the development sector and focus specifically on a report by a multinational consulting organization to illustrate our argument. Our discussion argues that consultants can be treated both as intermediaries, relays in a network of development provision, and as highly political mediators that seek to expand and stabilize their position in the development network and, in so doing, actively shape what we take development to be. Overall, we suggest that understanding the ways in which such actors engage in the development sphere are important to current and future discussions and developments in information and communication technologies for development (ICT4D)

ICT in Developing Context(s)

This paper seeks to develop a theoretical contribution to studies in the areas of ICT in developing contexts by reviewing how the notion of context has been understood to date, before offering a rethinking of how it is handled in the IS and development studies literature. To do this we draw a case study of M-PESA a mobile banking initiative in Kenya, on science and technology studies ideas and specifically Cooper and Law’s (1995) distal and proximal perspectives, to argue that we need to better attend to the multiplicity of practices which take place within development arenas, and also to better consider the processes by which context is represented. The paper concludes by addressing some of the implications for information systems research and development

Cell viability and cytokine production of human alveolar epithelial cells following exposure to sulphur dioxide

Exposure to air pollutants is significantly associated with health risks ranging from bronchial reactivity to morbidity and mortality. However, the precise mechanisms are not always fully understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of sulphur dioxide (SO2) on cell viability and cytokine production of A549-human pulmonary epithelial cells. Test atmospheres of SO2 were generated using a direct dilution method and calibrated by ion-chromatography. Test atmospheres were delivered to lung cells cultured on porous membranes (0.4 μm) using Harvard Navicyte horizontal diffusion chamber systems. The cytotoxic endpoints were investigated using the MTS (tetrazolium salt; Promega), NRU (neutral red uptake; Sigma) and ATP (adenosine triphosphate; Promega) assays. Expression of inflammatory markers including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were evaluated using double-antibody immunometric assays. Dose-dependent effects of SO2 were observed in A549 cells using all in vitro assays at test concentrations (10-200 ppm). The ATP assay appeared to be the most sensitive test (IC50 = 48 ± 2.83 ppm) that may related to the impaired metabolic activity of the cells following SO2 exposure. After analysis of TNF-α, no statistically significant differences were observed between control and exposed cells. However, the IL-6 production in A549 cells was significantly reduced in a dose-dependent manner (P\u3c0.05). These results suggest that SO2 may induce a functional alteration of cells of the pulmonary epithelial preventing cells to produce adequate amounts of IL-6. IL-6 as a multifunctional proinflammatory cytokine may regulate cellular responses and plays a significant role in inflammation and tissue injury

Governing cross-sector, inter-organizational collaborations

This article addresses the governance of cross-sector, inter-organizational collaboration in the context of public administration and management. It conceptualizes the governance of collaborations in terms of structures and processes that enable actors to direct, coordinate and allocate resources for the collaboration as a whole and to account for its activities. It argues that the need to pay attention to considerations of ‘collaborative governance’ and ‘governing collaboration’ in cross-sector collaborations gives rise to a number of challenges and tensions that need to be addressed if the governance form is to be sustained and the collaboration is to yield advantage