A revision on the doctrine of disability of mind

Does a person have the capacity to initiate his or her thinking process, of "getting into" some state of mind on his or her own accord? This is indeed the ancient philosophical question of whether at a most fundarnentallevel one is a free agent. If one is a free agent, it would appear that being free just within this sphere of one's self would make the most sense. AH the best arguments for free will suggest that freedom is a matter of one's control over one's consciousness. Philosophers as diverse as Aristotle, Kant, Sartre, and Hart seem to view the matter along such lines. The arguments about why determinism is selfrefuting do the same. And finally the occasional scientific accounts ofthe nature offree will also lead to this conclusion14. Perhaps the aboye adjustment will help further to preserve in law the notions of criminal responsibility as well as sensible excusing conditions based on disabilities of mind 15

Sleep apnoea and metabolic dysfunction.

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a highly prevalent condition often associated with central obesity. In the past few years, several studies have analysed the potential independent contribution of OSA to the pathogenesis of metabolic abnormalities, including type 2 diabetes, the metabolic syndrome and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. New perspectives in OSA patient care have been opened by the promotion of lifestyle interventions, such as diet and exercise programmes that could improve both OSA and the metabolic profile. The rich clinical literature on this subject, together with the growing amount of data on pathophysiological mechanisms provided by animal studies using the chronic intermittent hypoxia model, urged the organising Committee of the Sleep and Breathing meeting to organise a session on sleep apnoea and metabolic dysfunction, in collaboration with the European Association for the Study of Diabetes. This review summarises the state-of-the-art lectures presented in the session, more specifically the relationship between OSA and diabetes, the role of OSA in the metabolic consequences of obesity, and the effects of lifestyle interventions on nocturnal respiratory disturbances and the metabolic profile in OSA patient

The demandingness of Nozick’s ‘Lockean’ proviso

Interpreters of Robert Nozick’s political philosophy fall into two broad groups concerning his application of the ‘Lockean proviso’. Some read his argument in an undemanding way: individual instances of ownership which make people worse off than they would have been in a world without any ownership are unjust. Others read the argument in a demanding way: individual instances of ownership which make people worse off than they would have been in a world without that particular ownership are unjust. While I argue that the former reading is correct as an interpretive matter, I suggest that this reading is nonetheless highly demanding. In particular, I argue that it is demanding when it is expanded to include the protection of nonhuman animals; if such beings are right bearers, as more and more academics are beginning to suggest, then there is no nonarbitrary reason to exclude them from the protection of the proviso

Robert Nozick on nonhuman animals : rights, value and the meaning of life

In his chapter, Josh Milburn argues that Robert Nozick considers nonhuman animals in his philosophical writings, but that these discussions are downplayed in animal ethics and Nozick scholarship. This is regrettable, Milburn proposes, as Nozick is far more sympathetic to animal rights than many other libertarians. Milburn thus offers an analysis of Nozick’s animal ethics. Nozick’s arguments concerning vegetarianism and speciesism are considered, and Milburn argues that tensions in Nozick’s political philosophy potentially open the door to animal rights. Whatever their place in his political philosophy, Milburn contends, nonhuman animals find a comfortable home in Nozick’s axiology and ethics, with their value and the significance of our duties towards them affirmed. Milburn concludes that animal ethicists could learn from Nozick’s distinctive arguments and approaches and find an unexpected ally

The marketing firm and co‐creation: An empirical study of marketer and customer's co‐creation process

This study empirically investigates the marketer and customer's co‐creation process within the context of the marketing firm. Based on principles from bilateral contingencies, findings from a conjoint study (n = 98) indicate that utilitarian and informational reinforcing consequences from the marketer have a stronger impact on customers' co‐creation behavior relative to informational reinforcing consequences from other customers. Consequently, analyzing the impact of important reinforcing contingencies through the lens of bilateral contingencies expands our understanding of how and why co‐creation outcomes might occur. Also, a good co‐creation process may increase the business companies' research and intelligence and, as a consequence, strengthen their competitiveness.The marketing firm and co‐creation: An empirical study of marketer and customer's co‐creation processacceptedVersio

Delivery Site of Perivascular Endothelial Cell Matrices Determines Control of Stenosis in a Porcine Femoral Stent Model

PURPOSE: High restenosis rates are a major limitation of peripheral interventions. Endothelial cells, grown within gelatin matrices and implanted onto the adventitia of injured vessels, inhibit stenosis in experimental models. To determine if this technology could be adapted for minimally invasive procedures, we compared the effects of cells in an implantable sponge to an injectable formulation and investigated the importance of delivery site in a stent model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Stents were implanted in the femoral arteries of 30 pigs followed by perivascular implantation of sponges or injection of particles containing allogeneic endothelial cells. Controls received acellular matrices or nothing. The effects of delivery site were assessed by injecting cellular matrices into or adjacent to the perivascular tissue, or into the neighboring muscle. Animals were sacrificed after 28 days. Pre-sacrifice angiograms and tissue sections were evaluated for stenosis. RESULTS: Arteries treated with cellular matrices had a 55 – 63% decrease in angiographic stenosis (P<0.05) and a 38 – 43% reduction (P<0.05) in histologic stenoses compared to controls. Intimal area was greatest when cellular matrices were delivered into the muscle (6.35 ± 0.95 mm2) compared to into or adjacent to the perivascular tissue (4.05 ± 0.56 mm2 and 4.73 ± 0.53 mm2, respectively, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Perivascular endothelial-cell matrices reduced stenosis after stent-induced injury. The effects were not dependent on the formulation but appeared to be dependent upon delivery site. Minimally invasive injections of endothelial-cell matrices to the adventitia of arteries following peripheral interventions may decrease restenosis rates.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant GM 49039

Publication and related biases in health services research: a systematic review of empirical evidence

Background: Publication and related biases (including publication bias, time-lag bias, outcome reporting bias and p-hacking) have been well documented in clinical research, but relatively little is known about their presence and extent in health services research (HSR). This paper aims to systematically review evidence concerning publication and related bias in quantitative HSR. Methods: Databases including MEDLINE, EMBASE, HMIC, CINAHL, Web of Science, Health Systems Evidence, Cochrane EPOC Review Group and several websites were searched to July 2018. Information was obtained from: (1) Methodological studies that set out to investigate publication and related biases in HSR; (2) Systematic reviews of HSR topics which examined such biases as part of the review process. Relevant information was extracted from included studies by one reviewer and checked by another. Studies were appraised according to commonly accepted scientific principles due to lack of suitable checklists. Data were synthesised narratively. Results: After screening 6155 citations, four methodological studies investigating publication bias in HSR and 184 systematic reviews of HSR topics (including three comparing published with unpublished evidence) were examined. Evidence suggestive of publication bias was reported in some of the methodological studies, but evidence presented was very weak, limited in both quality and scope. Reliable data on outcome reporting bias and p-hacking were scant. HSR systematic reviews in which published literature was compared with unpublished evidence found significant differences in the estimated intervention effects or association in some but not all cases. Conclusions: Methodological research on publication and related biases in HSR is sparse. Evidence from available literature suggests that such biases may exist in HSR but their scale and impact are difficult to estimate for various reasons discussed in this paper. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO 2016 CRD42016052333