Statutory Interpretation as Argumentation

This chapter proposes a dialectical approach to legal interpretation, consisting of three dimensions: a formalization of the canons of interpretation in terms of argumentation schemes; a dialectical classification of interpretive schemes; and a logical and computational model for comparing the arguments pro and contra an interpretation. The traditional interpretive maxims or canons used in both common and civil law are translated into defeasible patterns of arguments, which can be evaluated through sets of corresponding critical questions. These interpretive argumentation schemes are classified in general categories and a distinction is drawn between schemes supporting and rebutting an interpretation. This framework allows conceiving statutory interpretation as a dialectical procedure consisting in weighing arguments pro and contra an interpretation. This procedure is formalized and represented computationally through tools from formal argumentation systems

Place of tranexamic acid in traumatic brain injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

BACKGROUND: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability. In many cases of TBI-related intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) is associated with a high risk of coagulopathy and may lead to an increased risk of hemorrhage growth. Therefore, tranexamic acid (TXA), which is known as an antifibrinolytic agent that reduces bleeding by inhibiting the breakdown of blood clots, might limit ICH expansion.   MATERIAL AND METHODS: We aimed to quantify the effects of TXA in brain injury and thus performed a literaturę search using PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, EMBASE, and Cochrane Center Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) for studies that were published between the respective database inception, and April 10, 2021.   RESULTS: A total of nine studies were identified; these included 5845 patients treated with, and 5380 treated without TXA. The 28-day or in-hospital mortality was 17.8% for the TXA group, compared with 19.3% for the no-TXA group (OR = 0.92; 95% CI: 0.83, 1.01; p = 0.08). At 6-months follow-up, mortality was 18.3% vs 19.9% (OR = 0.91; 95% CI: 0.63–1.31; p = 0.60), with and without TXA, respectively. A Glasgow Outcome Scale less than 4 points at 28-days follow-up was reported in 3 studies and was 29.8% vs 34.8% (OR = 0.91; 95% CI: 0.45, 1.82; p = 0.78), with and without TXA, respectively. No differences were found in adverse events between TXA and non-TXA groups.   CONCLUSION: Our analysis found showed no statistical significance between TXA and non-TXA treatment of TBI patients, however, in the TXA group a trend to decrease 28-day mortality compared to non-TXA treatment was observed. More high-quality studies are needed to show the significant benefit of using TXA, especially in moderate and severe TBI patient groups

Biallelic VARS variants cause developmental encephalopathy with microcephaly that is recapitulated in vars knockout zebrafish

Aminoacyl tRNA synthetases (ARSs) link specific amino acids with their cognate transfer RNAs in a critical early step of protein translation. Mutations in ARSs have emerged as a cause of recessive, often complex neurological disease traits. Here we report an allelic series consisting of seven novel and two previously reported biallelic variants in valyl-tRNA synthetase (VARS) in ten patients with a developmental encephalopathy with microcephaly, often associated with early-onset epilepsy. In silico, in vitro, and yeast complementation assays demonstrate that the underlying pathomechanism of these mutations is most likely a loss of protein function. Zebrafish modeling accurately recapitulated some of the key neurological disease traits. These results provide both genetic and biological insights into neurodevelopmental disease and pave the way for further in-depth research on ARS related recessive disorders and precision therapies

Structural and mechanical properties of TiB 2 and TiC prepared by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis/dynamic compaction

Titanium-diboride and titanium-carbide compacts with diameters of 100 mm and thicknesses of 25 mm were fabricated by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis/dynamic compaction (SHS/DC) of the elemental powders. Under the best conditions, the densities were greater than 99% and 96.8% of the theoretical densities for TiB 2 and TiC, respectively. The microhardness, compressive strength, and elastic modulus of the TiB 2 prepared by the SHS/DC method were comparable to reported values for hot-pressed TiB 2 . While the microhardness and elastic modulus of the TiC compacts were comparable to those for hotpressed TiC, the compressive strength was lower due to extensive cracks in the compacts. The TiB 2 prepared using a low-purity boron powder (1–5% carbon impurity) compacted to higher densities and had less cracking than that prepared using a high-purity boron powder (0.2% carbon). This result could have an impact on the cost of producing TiB 2 /TiC structural components by the SHS/DC process.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44732/1/10853_2005_Article_BF01162518.pd

Comparing very low birth weight versus very low gestation cohort methods for outcome analysis of high risk preterm infants

© 2017 The Author(s). Background: Compared to very low gestational age (<32 weeks, VLGA) cohorts, very low birth weight (<1500 g; VLBW) cohorts are more prone to selection bias toward small-for-gestational age (SGA) infants, which may impact upon the validity of data for benchmarking purposes. Method: Data from all VLGA or VLBW infants admitted in the 3 Networks between 2008 and 2011 were used. Two-thirds of each network cohort was randomly selected to develop prediction models for mortality and composite adverse outcome (CAO: mortality or cerebral injuries, chronic lung disease, severe retinopathy or necrotizing enterocolitis) and the remaining for internal validation. Areas under the ROC curves (AUC) of the models were compared. Results: VLBW cohort (24,335 infants) had twice more SGA infants (20.4% vs. 9.3%) than the VLGA cohort (29,180 infants) and had a higher rate of CAO (36.5% vs. 32.6%). The two models had equal prediction power for mortality and CAO (AUC 0.83), and similarly for all other cross-cohort validations (AUC 0.81-0.85). Neither model performed well for the extremes of birth weight for gestation (<1500 g and ≥32 weeks, AUC 0.50-0.65; ≥1500 g and <32 weeks, AUC 0.60-0.62). Conclusion: There was no difference in prediction power for adverse outcome between cohorting VLGA or VLBW despite substantial bias in SGA population. Either cohorting practises are suitable for international benchmarking

Outcomes of Two Trials of Oxygen-Saturation Targets in Preterm Infants

BACKGROUN

Early diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging findings in neonatal herpes encephalitis

Neonatal herpes encephalitis is usually caused by herpes simplex virus type 2 and results in significant morbidity and mortality. Imaging diagnosis with ultrasound, computed tomography scan and conventional magnetic resonance imaging may be normal in th