Researcher Liability for Negligence in Human Subject Research: Informed Consent and Researcher Malpractice Actions

Two sets of federal regulations, the Common Rule and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations, govern human subject research that is either federally-funded or involves FDA regulated products. These regulations require, inter alia, that: (1) researchers obtain informed consent from human subjects, and (2) that an Institutional Review Board (IRB) independently review and approve the research protocol. Although the federal regulations do not provide an express cause of action against researchers, research subjects should be able to bring informed consent and malpractice actions against researchers by establishing a duty of care and standard of care. Researchers owe human subjects a duty of care analogous to the special relationship between physicians and patients. The federal regulations should provide the minimum standard of care for informed consent in human subject research, and complying with them should be a partial defense. In contrast, expert testimony should establish the standard of care for researcher malpractice, and IRB approval should be a partial defense

A Non-Invasive Single-Bunch Matching and Emittance Monitor for the CERN PS Based on Quadrupole Pick-Ups

On-line monitoring of beam quality for high brightness beams is only possible using non-invasive instruments. For matching measurements, very few such instruments are available. Therefore, a new type of quadrupole pick-up, sensitive to the beam width, has been developed for the CERN PS. A measurement system consisting of two such pick-ups has been installed in the accelerator. Using the information from these pick-ups, it is possible to determine not only the injection matching in the two planes, but also the emittances. Both measurements use the periodicity of the circular machine to eliminate a number of systematic error sources, while the statistical error is reduced by using data from several turns. The analysis can be done on each bunch separately. This is required because of the PS filling scheme, where each injected bunch comes from a different Booster ring, and therefore can have different properties. After an overview of the measurement system, some of the first measurement results are presented along with a discussion on the measurement error

Explanatory Abstractions

A number of philosophers have recently suggested that some abstract, plausibly non-causal and/or mathematical explanations explain in a way that is radically different from the way causal explanations explain. While causal explanations explain by providing information about causal dependence, some abstract explanations allegedly explain in a way tied to the independence of the explanandum from the micro-details or causal laws, for example. We oppose this recent trend to regard abstractions as explanatory in some sui generis way, and argue that a prominent account of causal explanation can be naturally extended to capture explanations that radically abstract away from micro-physical and causal-nomological details. To this end, we distinguish different senses in which an explanation can be more or less abstract, and analyse the connection between an explanation's abstractness and its causal power. According to our analysis, abstract explanations have much in common with counterfactual causal explanations

Порівняльно-правові дослідження засад професійної діяльності працівників НЦБ Інтерполу в Україні

Vårt huvudsyfte har varit att utvärdera huruvida några för gymnasieungdomar tidigare kända begrepp i ämnet matematik kvalitetsmässigt förändras i olika lärandesituationer över tid. I styrdokumenten för gymnasieskolan definieras begreppet kunskap med hjälp av de fyra f:en: Fakta, kunskap som information; Förståelse, att begripa kunskap; Färdighet, kunskapens praktiska sida; Förtrogenhet, kunskap som bedömning. Vi har använt oss huvudsakligen av kvalitativ metod och teknik eftersom vi ville se vilka uppfattningar som avser begreppet ekvation som eleverna hade med sig från tidigare utbildning och hur dessa uppfattningar förändrades över tid. Den kvalitativa metoden är lämplig just för detta ändamål när vi i förväg inte vet vilka svar eleverna kommer att delge oss. Vi har använt oss av tre olika metoder för att få svar på våra frågeställningar nämligen enkät, intervju och utvärdering. Under hösten 2003 genomförde vi två olika undervisningsserier i två parallella klasser på gymnasiet. Med den ena gruppen har vi bedrivit utomhuspedagogik och den andra har undervisats på traditionellt sätt. Grupperna har mött samma problemtyper men arbetat med dem på två helt olika sätt. Det slutliga resultatet visar att majoriteten av eleverna i utegruppen ser tillämpningsmöjligheter utanför skolans värld med ekvationer emedan elever i innegruppen inte gör det utan ser ekvationer som något relaterat till skolmatematiken. Vår tolkning är att utegruppen nått en högre förtrogenhet med begreppet vi undersökt. Vår slutsats är att utomhuspedagogik kan vara en framkomlig väg att lära matematik

System data communication structures for active-control transport aircraft, volume 2

The application of communication structures to advanced transport aircraft are addressed. First, a set of avionic functional requirements is established, and a baseline set of avionics equipment is defined that will meet the requirements. Three alternative configurations for this equipment are then identified that represent the evolution toward more dispersed systems. Candidate communication structures are proposed for each system configuration, and these are compared using trade off analyses; these analyses emphasize reliability but also address complexity. Multiplex buses are recognized as the likely near term choice with mesh networks being desirable for advanced, highly dispersed systems

System data communication structures for active-control transport aircraft, volume 1

Candidate data communication techniques are identified, including dedicated links, local buses, broadcast buses, multiplex buses, and mesh networks. The design methodology for mesh networks is then discussed, including network topology and node architecture. Several concepts of power distribution are reviewed, including current limiting and mesh networks for power. The technology issues of packaging, transmission media, and lightning are addressed, and, finally, the analysis tools developed to aid in the communication design process are described. There are special tools to analyze the reliability and connectivity of networks and more general reliability analysis tools for all types of systems

Design of a Magnetic Quadrupole Pick-up for the CERN PS

A quadrupole pick-up is sensitive to the quantity $\sigma_x^2 - \sigma_y^2$ where $\sigma_x$ and /sigma_y$ are the horizontal and vertical r.m.s. beam sizes. Since it is a non-invasive device, it is potentially very useful for matching and emittance measurements. A magnetic quadrupole pick-up developed for the CERN PS. By coupling to the radial component of the magnetic field around the beam, it was possible to eliminate the common-mode problem, which is usually a limiting factor in the use of quadrupole pick-ups. This paper presents the final pick-up design, which is the result of a series of simulations and test prototypes. The performance of the pick-up and its associated electronics is discussed. Preliminary results from the two pick-ups recently installed in the PS machine are also presented

A critical analysis of the hydrino model

Recently, spectroscopic and calorimetric observations of hydrogen plasmas and chemical reactions with them have been interpreted as evidence for the existence of electronic states of the hydrogen atom with a binding energy of more than 13.6 eV. The theoretical basis for such states, that have been dubbed hydrinos, is investigated. We discuss both, the novel deterministic model of the hydrogen atom, in which the existence of hydrinos was predicted, and standard quantum mechanics. Severe inconsistencies in the deterministic model are pointed out and the incompatibility of hydrino states with quantum mechanics is reviewed.Comment: 9 page