Weighing the balance: An examination of and possible justification for euthanasia

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the concept of euthanasia as well as the situations in which it could possibly be justified. This thesis posits that euthanasia can be justified where a liberal conception of personal autonomy is given significant importance and where there exists suffering of a level which an autonomous individual is either unable or unwilling to bear. Following this the various distinctions within the concept of euthanasia are drawn out before the extant euthanasia legislation is discussed in order to illuminate what a justified form of euthanasia might look like. The bulk of this thesis is then given over to a detailed discussion of representative arguments against euthanasia and the possible responses thereto. Through the course of this discussion it becomes clear that a belief in the sanctity of life is foundational for almost all the arguments against euthanasia. Rather than attempting to refute this belief this thesis argues that, when taken as a whole, the arguments in favour of euthanasia are more persuasive than the arguments against, and that therefore there are circumstances in which euthanasia should be seen as a justifiable and rational choice made by an autonomous individual

Modelling the way mathematics is actually done

Whereas formal mathematical theories are well studied, computers cannot yet adequately represent and reason about mathematical dialogues and other informal texts. To address this gap, we have developed a representation and reasoning strategy that draws on contemporary argumentation theory and classic AI techniques for representing and querying narratives and dialogues. In order to make the structures that these modelling tools produce accessible to computational reasoning, we encode representations in a higherorder nested semantic network. This system, for which we have developed a preliminary prototype in LISP, can represent both the content of what people say, and the dynamic reasoning steps that move from one step to the next

Fish and invertebrate distribution at multiple scales in Thomas Creek, Oregon : a transition from conifer uplands to agricultural lowlands

Longitudinal patterns of fish and benthic invertebrate distribution and habitat use were similar in Thomas Creek, Oregon but clarity of these patterns differed. I studied fish and aquatic invertebrates simultaneously, at multiple scales, and used multivariate statistical techniques to compare responses to the same environmental conditions. Both types of organisms exhibited distinct longitudinal patterns along a 51 river kilometer (R km) transition from mid-elevation (ca. 365 m elevation) conifer dominated reaches to Willamette Valley agriculture dominated reaches (Ca. 73 m elevation). In summer 2000, preliminary surveys of 30 R kms suggested that longitudinal changes in benthic invertebrate assemblage structure and rainbow trout diet (Oncorhyncous mykiss) (n=53), were minor and likely driven by three sites in the upper reaches. This led me to expand the survey length to 51 R kms and modify the survey design in 2001. During 2001, I performed repeated, intensive (4 sites) and extensive (218 survey units) snorkel surveys to examine fish distribution and habitat selectivity. The intensive snorkel surveys of the upstream reaches revealed similar habitat preferences for pools with riffles directly upstream by juvenile chinook salmon (Oncorhyncous tshawytscha) and ages of trout (from 0 to >3 years). The extensive survey identified two distinct fish assemblages: a salmonid-dominated one in the upper 12 R kms and a second dominated by non-game fish in the lower 20 R kms. The transition between these two zones (between 20 and 39 R kms) was populated sparsely by members of both assemblages. Fish assemblages were associated with broad-scale environmental conditions (e.g. temperature and elevation) and not with local conditions (e.g. water velocity, substrate size, depth). Differences between assemblages in riffles, glides, and pools, were only detected by blocking data according to location. Benthic aquatic invertebrates were collected from each habitat type at 27 sites, in nine reaches, during May 2001. Invertebrate assemblages demonstrated strong longitudinal (broad-scale) and habitat type patterns. Fish assemblages changed abruptly but invertebrate assemblages changed gradually along distinct topographic and vegetation zones. My results demonstrate the importance of extensive surveys with continuous stream data and numerous sampling sites. Fish and invertebrates appeared to respond to environmental conditions at different spatial scales detected only by comparing the two groups of organisms simultaneously along an extended longitudinal gradient

Preliminary assessment of the feasibility of using AB words to assess candidacy in adults

Background: Adult cochlear implant (CI) candidacy is assessed in part by the use of speech perception measures. In the United Kingdom the current cut-off point to fall within the CI candidacy range is a score of less than 50% on the BKB sentences presented in quiet (presented at 70 dBSPL). Goal: The specific goal of this article was to review the benefit of adding the AB word test to the assessment test battery for candidacy. Results: The AB word test scores showed good sensitivity and specificity when calculated based on both word and phoneme scores. The word score equivalent for 50% correct on the BKB sentences was 18.5% and it was 34.5% when the phoneme score was calculated; these scores are in line with those used in centres in Wales (15% AB word score). Conclusion: The goal of the British Cochlear Implant Group (BCIG) service evaluation was to determine if the pre-implant assessment measures are appropriate and set at the correct level for determining candidacy, the future analyses will determine whether the speech perception cut-off point for candidacy should be adjusted and whether other more challenging measures should be used in the candidacy evaluation

App Law Within:Rights and Regulation in the Smartphone Age

This article assesses the regulation of smartphone ‘app stores’. At the outset, the significance of smartphones and apps to the debate on Internet regulation is considered, and places in the context of the adoption of smartphones and apps. The importance (commercially and as a study in governance and control) of the iOS App Store (Apple) is highlighted, as is the need to explore forms of regulation that are not linked with a violation of competition law. Section ‘Developer-focused issues’ deals with the relationship between Apple and app developers; three themes of Apple’s Guidelines are identified (content, development and payments), and the ways in which control can be challenged (through jailbreaking, ‘web apps’ and regulatory intervention) are scrutinized. Section ‘Citizen- and consumer-focused issues’ considers three ways in which apps are already regulated by law. The focus is on the protection of consumers (particularly through the UK system for ‘premium rate services’), but a discussion of user privacy and the regulation of video games and video-on-demand services in Europe is also included. Finally, in the section ‘Conclusion’, the tension between comparatively ‘open’ and ‘closed’ app stores is highlighted; the problems of applying general provisions to emerging formats are emphasized. It is concluded that the emerging status of non-carrier app stores as neither retailer nor platform means that it is not yet possible to identify the form of regulation that is in operation, but that some steps are available to legislators that could shift the balance between closed and open model

The feasibility and acceptability of a novel anxiety in bipolar disorder intervention compared to treatment as usual:a randomized controlled trial

1 Background Comorbid anxiety is common in bipolar disorder (BD) and associated with worse clinical outcomes including increased suicidality. Despite effective psychological treatments for anxiety, research into treating anxiety in BD is underdeveloped. This paper describes a novel psychological intervention to address anxiety in context of bipolar disorder (AIBD). 2 Methods Adults with BD and clinically significant anxiety symptoms were randomized to AIBD plus treatment as usual (TAU) or TAU alone. AIBD offered 10 sessions of psychological therapy using a formulation‐based approach. Feasibility and acceptability were evaluated through recruitment, retention, therapy attendance, alliance, fidelity, and qualitative feedback. Clinical outcomes were assessed at baseline, 16, 48, and 80 weeks: interim assessments of relapse at 32 and 64 weeks. 3 Results Seventy‐two participants were recruited with 88% retention to 16 weeks and 74% to 80 weeks (similar between arms). Therapy participants attended urn:x-wiley:10914269:media:da22781:da22781-math-00017.7 (SD 2.8) sessions. Therapeutic alliance and therapy fidelity were acceptable. Qualitative interviews indicated that participants valued integrated support for anxiety with BD and coping strategies. Some suggested a longer intervention period. Clinical outcomes were not significantly different between arms up to 80 weeks follow‐up. 4 Conclusions AIBD is feasible and acceptable but lack of impact on clinical outcomes indicates that adaptations are required. These are discussed in relation to qualitative feedback and recent literature published since the trial completed