Doctrinal Antithesis in Anglo-American Administrative Law

English administrative law guards judicial supremacy over all matters of statutory interpretation, while instructing judges to refrain from scrutinizing administrators’ factual findings. By contrast, American federal courts are obliged to respect agencies’ statutory-interpretive autonomy, but take a rigorous “hard look” at substantial agency factual determinations. This Article argues that the antithetical approaches to judicial review of administrative action adopted by the apex courts of the United Kingdom and the United States can be adequately explained by the polarization of these two polities along a spectrum of effective vetogates.published_or_final_versio

The Politics of Constitutional Common Law in Hong Kong under Chinese Sovereignty

This article studies how the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal has come to develop a sophisticated judicial gloss on the provisions of the Basic Law, Hong Kong’s constitutional document, in ways unforeseen by the Chinese National People’s Congress that enacted it. The ascendancy of constitutional common law in Hong Kong after the end of British rule is remarkable when considered in light of the continuing denial of democratic self-rule by China’s authoritarian Party-state. This article argues that the profusion of political transaction costs due to the fragmentation of the ruling elite and state-society discord consequent to the resumption of Chinese sovereignty has created the requisite space for the Court to craft, with impunity, consequential yet politically realistic doctrines bearing on such weighty matters as constitutional interpretation, central-local relations, separation of powers, and rights protection

An Analysis of California Pharmacy and Medical Students\u27 Dietary and Lifestyle Practices

Objective. To assess dietary and lifestyle practices of pharmacy and medical students in California and investigate whether they adhered to behaviors consistent with current dietary and exercise guidelines. Methods. The Block Brief 2000 Food Frequency Questionnaire and a supplemental survey assessing demographics, exercise, and dietary behaviors were administered to students across 10 California pharmacy and medical schools. Results. While the majority of students consumed sodium/day (73%) and dietary cholesterol/day (84%), only 50% had a saturated fat intake ≤10% total kcal, 13% met fiber intake goals, 10% consumed ≥8 servings/day of fruit and vegetables, and 41% exercised ≥150 minutes/week. The largest barrier to consuming a healthful diet was lack of time. Conclusion. A high proportion of pharmacy and medical students in California did not meet many of the dietary and physical activity recommendations. Health care programs may benefit from implementing nutrition and lifestyle education in their curriculum

Cyclone: A close air support aircraft for tomorrow

To meet the threat of the battlefield of the future, the U.S. ground forces will require reliable air support. To provide this support, future aircrews demand a versatile close air support aircraft capable of delivering ordinance during the day, night, or in adverse weather with pin-point accuracy. The Cyclone aircraft meets these requirements, packing the 'punch' necessary to clear the way for effective ground operations. Possessing anti-armor, missile, and precision bombing capability, the Cyclone will counter the threat into the 21st Century. Here, it is shown that the Cyclone is a realistic, economical answer to the demand for a capable close air support aircraft

Pharmacy Students’ Performance and Perceptions in a Flipped Teaching Pilot on Cardiac Arrhythmias

Objective. To implement the flipped teaching method in a 3-class pilot on cardiac arrhythmias and to assess the impact of the intervention on academic performance and student perceptions. Design. An intervention group of 101 first-year pharmacy students, who took the class with the flipped teaching method, were supplied with prerecorded lectures prior to their 3 classes (1 class in each of the following subjects: basic sciences, pharmacology, and therapeutics) on cardiac arrhythmias. Class time was focused on active-learning and case-based exercises. Students then took a final examination that included questions on cardiac arrhythmias. The examination scores of the intervention group were compared to scores of the Spring 2011 control group of 105 first-year students who took the class with traditional teaching methods. An online survey was conducted to assess student feedback from the intervention group. Assessment. The mean examination scores of the intervention group were significantly higher than the mean examination scores of the control group for the cardiac arrhythmia classes in pharmacology (with 89.6 6 2.0% vs 56.8 6 2.2%, respectively) and therapeutics (89.2 6 1.4% vs 73.7 6 2.1%, respectively). The survey indicated higher student satisfaction for flipped classes with highly rated learning objectives, recordings, and in-class activities. Conclusion. Use of the flipped teaching method in a 3-class pilot on cardiac arrhythmias improved examination scores for 2 of the 3 classes (pharmacology and therapeutics). Student satisfaction was influenced by the quality of the learning objectives, prerecorded lectures, and inclass active-learning activities

Association of ABC (HbA1c, Blood Pressure, LDL-Cholesterol) Goal Attainment with Depression and Health-Related Quality of Life among Adults with Type 2 Diabetes

Aims: To determine the relationship between ABC goal attainment, depression, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among a national sample of patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional analysis was performed examining 808 non-pregnant patients ≥ 20 years old with T2DM from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007-2012. ABC goals were defined as HbA1c \u3c 7%, BP \u3c 130/80mmHg, and LDL-C \u3c 100mg/dL. Patient characteristics associated with ABC goal attainment were examined. Results: Overall, 23.7% of participants achieved simultaneous ABC goals. Severe depression was significantly associated with lower rates of ABC goal attainment compared to those with no depression (5.0% vs. 25.4%, p = 0.048). ABC goal attainment rates were lower among females, Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black minority groups, and patients with a duration of diabetes over five years, while increased visits with health care professionals was significantly associated with meeting all three ABC goals for patients with T2DM. Conclusions: The relationship between simultaneous ABC goal attainment, depression and HRQoL is complex. Patients with T2DM unable to meet ABC goals may benefit from increased contact with health care professionals

Standardized Field Sobriety Test: False Positive Test Rate among Sober Subjects

The Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST) is a series of exercises that a law enforcement officer gives to a driver suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol. The original research that demonstrated a high correlation between failure of the SFST and a high blood alcohol concentration did not utilize a standard control group to validate that the failure of the SFST was not a characteristic of the population at large. This study examined a series of drug naive subjects to determine the rate of failure of the SFST to accurately distinguish a suspect with high blood alcohol content from the general public. Of the 185 subjects tested, 26% of the drug naïve subjects failed the SFST

Motivations and Predictors of Cheating in Pharmacy School

Objective. To assess the prevalence, methods, and motivations for didactic cheating among pharmacy students and to determine predictive factors for cheating in pharmacy colleges and schools. Methods. A 45-item cross-sectional survey was conducted at all four doctor of pharmacy programs in Northern California. For data analysis, t test, Fisher exact test, and logistic regression were used. Results. Overall, 11.8% of students admitted to cheating in pharmacy school. Primary motivations for cheating included fear of failure, procrastination, and stress. In multivariate analysis, the only predictor for cheating in pharmacy school was a history of cheating in undergraduate studies. Conclusion. Cheating occurs in pharmacy schools and is motivated by fear of failure, procrastination, and stress. A history of past cheating predicts pharmacy school cheating. The information presented may help programs better understand their student population and lead to a reassessment of ethical culture, testing procedures, and prevention programs

Implementation of an Accelerated Physical Examination Course in a Doctor of Pharmacy Program

Objective. To describe the implementation of a 1-day accelerated physical examination course for a doctor of pharmacy program and to evaluate pharmacy students’ knowledge, attitudes, and confi- dence in performing physical examination. Design. Using a flipped teaching approach, course coordinators collaborated with a physician faculty member to design and develop the objectives of the course. Knowledge, attitude, and confidence survey questions were administered before and after the practical laboratory. Assessment. Following the practical laboratory, knowledge improved by 8.3% (p,0.0001). Students’ perceived ability and confidence to perform a physical examination significantly improved (p,0.0001). A majority of students responded that reviewing the training video (81.3%) and reading material (67.4%) prior to the practical laboratory was helpful in learning the physical examination. Conclusion. An accelerated physical examination course using a flipped teaching approach was successful in improving students’ knowledge of, attitudes about, and confidence in using physical examination skills in pharmacy practice