THE ISSUE OF JUDICIAL BINDING SPELLS IN CLASSICAL ANTIQUITY

People as part of an effort to promote different interests of the legal parties and aiming to steal a march on others, at times, are resorting to a number of practices; feeling weak and helpless to cope with what they perceive as strong supporting networks of their opponents, they resort to magical practices. Judicial spells (κατάδεσμοι in Greek) can be viewed in the light of an attempt to gain legal advantages in the court. It is, therefore, a popular practice that has survived throughout the centuries and consists of a manifestation of the fact that it carries a deeprooted tendency towards large amounts of the archaic and classical population, who desire - in some way - to take the law into their own hands. One manner of sharing with these magical practices is to constitute a more general mistrust against the entire legal system and its components. Hence, the many people used the spells against their adversaries and their admirers as an attempt to gain as much as possible in the tribunal. In this way, spells take the form of atypical, resistant and are against the law practices; they take the form, rhetorical arguments which compete with the structure of the complex and possibly often uneven legal system

Νομική Θεώρηση των Μοναστηριακών Τυπικών Ευεργέτιδος και Κεχαριτωμένης

Η διπλωματική αυτή εργασία,σχετίζεται με ζητήματα Εκκλησιαστικού Δικαίου και συγκεριμένα με το Δίκαιο των Μοναστηριακών Τυπικών .Εξετάζεται η εξέλιξη των Τυπικών, μέσα από το πρίσμα της Ιστορίας του Δικαίου και με ταυτόχρονη παράθεση της πολιτειακής νομοθεσίας ( Νεαρών διατάξεων ) και αποφάσεων Τοπικών και Οικουμενικών Συνόδων.Μέσα από τη διαλεκτική συνύπαρξη των δύο αυτών κλάδων του δικαίου,Εκκλησιαστικού και Ιστορικού,εξετάζουμε ζητήματα της αρχικής προβληματοθεσίας μας,σχετικά με το ζήτημα του Βυζαντινού νομικού πλουραλισμού (ύπαρξης δηλαδή περισσότερων δικαϊκών συστημάτων στην Ανατολική Ρωμαϊκή αυτοκρατορία),σχετικά με την υπόθεση περι “πυρηνικών” τυπικών και κατά πόσο αυτά επέδρασαν στα μεταγενέστερα μοναστηριακά τυπικα κ.ο.κ.Η έρευνα περιορίζεται σε δύο τυπικά,αυτά της Μονής Ευεργέτιδος και της Μονής Κεχαριτωμένης.Εξετάζεται η σχέση των τυπικών αυτών,τόσο σε επίπεδο δομής,όσο και σε επίπεδο διατάξεων.Among the many types of sources for the history of Byzantine monasticism, the «typika», or foundation documents,are the most important and will facilitate into the comprehensive study of religious life and institutions in the East Roman Empire. Each typikon was normally written for a specific monastery and its dependencies and reflected the ideas and wishes of the writer. They were flexible and personal documents, which differed considerably in form, length, and content.In this study we examine the «Typikon of Timothy for the Monastery of the Mother of God Evergetis»,and the «Typikon of Empress Irene Doukaina Komnene for the Convent of the Mother of God Kecharitomene in Constantinople» and the relations between them in the light of legal culture of the east Roman Empire. We also examine issues which include matters about the legal pluralism in the east Roman Empire.Throughout this study,we mention «Novellae constitutiones» and also Canons of the Ecumenical Councils which will enable in getting a thorough grasp of the subject

Internal construct validity of the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS): a Rasch analysis using data from the Scottish Health Education Population Survey

Background: The Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS) was developed to meet demand for instruments to measure mental well-being. It comprises 14 positively phrased Likert-style items and fulfils classic criteria for scale development. We report here the internal construct validity of WEMWBS from the perspective of the Rasch measurement model. Methods: The model was applied to data collected from 779 respondents in Wave 12 (Autumn 2006) of the Scottish Health Education Population Survey. Respondents were aged 16–74 (average 41.9) yrs. Results: Initial fit to model expectations was poor. The items 'I've been feeling good about myself', 'I've been interested in new things' and 'I've been feeling cheerful' all showed significant misfit to model expectations, and were deleted. This led to a marginal improvement in fit to the model. After further analysis, more items were deleted and a strict unidimensional seven item scale (the Short Warwick Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (SWEMWBS)) was resolved. Many items deleted because of misfit with model expectations showed considerable bias for gender. Two retained items also demonstrated bias for gender but, at the scale level, cancelled out. One further retained item 'I've been feeling optimistic about the future' showed bias for age. The correlation between the 14 item and 7 item versions was 0.954. Given fit to the Rasch model, and strict unidimensionality, SWEMWBS provides an interval scale estimate of mental well-being. Conclusion: A short 7 item version of WEMWBS was found to satisfy the strict unidimensionality expectations of the Rasch model, and be largely free of bias. This scale, SWEMWBS, provides a raw score-interval scale transformation for use in parametric procedures. In terms of face validity, SWEMWBS presents a more restricted view of mental well-being than the 14 item WEMWBS, with most items representing aspects of psychological and eudemonic well-being, and few covering hedonic well-being or affect. However, robust measurement properties combined with brevity make SWEMWBS preferable to WEMWBS at present for monitoring mental well-being in populations. Where face validity is an issue there remain arguments for continuing to collect data on the full 14 item WEMWBS

Measuring the impact and distress of health problems from the individual's perspective: development of the Perceived Impact of Problem Profile (PIPP)

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to develop and conduct preliminary validation of the Perceived Impact of Problem Profile (PIPP). Based on the biopsychosocial model of health and functioning, the PIPP was intended as a generic research and clinical measurement tool to assess the impact and distress of health conditions from the individuals' perspective. The ICF classification system was used to guide the structure of the PIPP with subscales included to assess impact on self-care, mobility, participation, relationships and psychological well-being. While the ICF focuses on the classification of objective health and health related status, the PIPP broadens this focus to address the individuals' subjective experience of their health condition. METHODS: An item pool of 23 items assessing both impact and distress on five key domains was generated. These were administered to 169 adults with mobility impairment. Rasch analysis using RUMM2020 was conducted to assess the psychometric properties of each set of items. Preliminary construct validation of the PIPP was performed using the EQ5D. RESULTS: For both the Impact and Distress scales of the PIPP, the five subscales (Self-care, Mobility, Participation, Relationships, and Psychological Well-being) showed adequate psychometric properties, demonstrating fit to the Rasch model. All subscales showed adequate person separation reliability and no evidence of differential item functioning for sex, age, educational level or rural vs urban residence. Preliminary validity testing using the EQ5D items provided support for the subscales. CONCLUSION: This preliminary study, using a sample of adults with mobility impairment, provides support for the psychometric properties of the PIPP as a potential clinical and research measurement tool. The PIPP provides a brief, but comprehensive means to assess the key ICF components, focusing on the individuals' perspective of the impact and distress caused by their health condition. Further validation of its use across different health conditions and varying cultural settings is required

Evaluation of the Edinburgh Post Natal Depression Scale using Rasch analysis

BACKGROUND: The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is a 10 item self-rating post-natal depression scale which has seen widespread use in epidemiological and clinical studies. Concern has been raised over the validity of the EPDS as a single summed scale, with suggestions that it measures two separate aspects, one of depressive feelings, the other of anxiety. METHODS: As part of a larger cross-sectional study conducted in Melbourne, Australia, a community sample (324 women, ranging in age from 18 to 44 years: mean = 32 yrs, SD = 4.6), was obtained by inviting primiparous women to participate voluntarily in this study. Data from the EPDS were fitted to the Rasch measurement model and tested for appropriate category ordering, for item bias through Differential Item Functioning (DIF) analysis, and for unidimensionality through tests of the assumption of local independence. RESULTS: Rasch analysis of the data from the ten item scale initially demonstrated a lack of fit to the model with a significant Item-Trait Interaction total chi-square (chi Square = 82.8, df = 40; p < .001). Removal of two items (items 7 and 8) resulted in a non-significant Item-Trait Interaction total chi-square with a residual mean value for items of -0.467 with a standard deviation of 0.850, showing fit to the model. No DIF existed in the final 8-item scale (EPDS-8) and all items showed fit to model expectations. Principal Components Analysis of the residuals supported the local independence assumption, and unidimensionality of the revised EPDS-8 scale. Revised cut points were identified for EPDS-8 to maintain the case identification of the original scale. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that EPDS, in its original 10 item form, is not a viable scale for the unidimensional measurement of depression. Rasch analysis suggests that a revised eight item version (EPDS-8) would provide a more psychometrically robust scale. The revised cut points of 7/8 and 9/10 for the EPDS-8 show high levels of agreement with the original case identification for the EPDS-10

Internal construct validity of the Shirom-Melamed Burnout Questionnaire (SMBQ)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Burnout is a mental condition defined as a result of continuous and long-term stress exposure, particularly related to psychosocial factors at work. This paper seeks to examine the psychometric properties of the Shirom-Melamed Burnout Questionnaire (SMBQ) for validation of use in a clinical setting.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data from both a clinical (319) and general population (319) samples of health care and social insurance workers were included in the study. Data were analysed using both classical and modern test theory approaches, including Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Rasch analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of the 638 people recruited into the study 416 (65%) persons were working full or part time. Data from the SMBQ failed a CFA, and initially failed to satisfy Rasch model expectations. After the removal of 4 of the original items measuring tension, and accommodating local dependency in the data, model expectations were met. As such, the total score from the revised scale is a sufficient statistic for ascertaining burnout and an interval scale transformation is available. The scale as a whole was perfectly targeted to the joint sample. A cut point of 4.4 for severe burnout was chosen at the intersection of the distributions of the clinical and general population.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>A revised 18 item version of the SMBQ satisfies modern measurement standards. Using its cut point it offers the opportunity to identify potential clinical cases of burnout.</p

All roads lead to rome: Aspects of public health in ancient rome

Modern western civilization can be traced back to the Roman antiquity in terms of policy, legislation, art, and culture. The development of ancient Rome from a kingdom in Latio to a democracy and finally a thriving empire has paved the way for medicine and public health. As a kingdom, Rome has established laws for maternal health and abortion. Later on, as a democracy, Rome payed special attention to sanitation and infections control building aqueducts and public baths. During the imperial period, apart from the aforementioned, Roman administration improved public health measures with regard to pandemics. The correlation of infectious outbreaks with animals, are considered as one of the first noticed of zoonotic diseases in the field of public health. The term public health itself (medici publici) can be traced back to doctors appointed with public health and disease control duties in Ancient Rome. © 2021, EDIMES Edizioni Medico Scientifiche. All rights reserved