Governance, representation and the ‘monstrous regiment’: is the collective feminine?

Alternatives to the individualistic emphasis of liberal theory focus attention on collective dimensions of social life with implications for legal and political analysis of the state, of representation, and of international law. In this context, relationships between the individual–collective dichotomy and the dichotomy of gender demand attention because of the claimed affiliations of individualism with social understandings of masculinity

Comparative study of the cognitive development of the infant with down's syndrome

This thesis investigates the cognitive development of the mentally handicapped infant in comparison with that of the normal infant. It has been claimed that the course of cognitive development in the infant with Down's Syndrome ('mongolism') can be explained as a 'slowed down' version of the development exhibited by the normal infant (as described by Piaget and others). In this thesis criticism is made of this 'slow development' theory. It is argued that such a formulation can, at best, offer a description of certain differences in developmental outcome (namely the delayed emergence of critical achievements on the part of the Dawn's Syndrome infant). It cannot explain why such differences occur. The necessity for analysis to proceed beyond a level of 'first emergence' is demonstrated by the findings of a comparative longitudinal study of cognitive development in the Down's Syndrome and the normal infant. It is shown that the nature of both success and failure on tasks relating to cognitive development is different between the two populations. It is argued that such differences must be seen as more fundamental than delays in outcome, and that an adequate explanatory model must therefore concern itself with the former. A theoretical account is presented which focuses attention on the manner in which competence is acquired, rather than on the formal properties of such competence. It is argued that for the Down's Syndrome infant, in contrast to the normal infant, acquisition and change cannot be posited to take place with respect to high levels of organisation of response. On the basis of this account, a prediction is derived concerning the efficacy of techniques designed to enhance the performance of the Down's Syndrome infant. Evidence is presented to show that enhancement can occur if appropriate restructuring of task presentation is made. It is also demonstrated that such enhancement is not exhibited by formally matched younger normal infants, under the same conditions. This finding confirms the view that the cognitive development of the Down's Syndrome infant must be seen as different from the normal, rather than merely 'slower'. General implications for both the normal and the handicapped infant are discussed. With respect to the latter, particular attention is paid to the role of deliberate intervention in early development

Synthetic milestones in f element inorganic chemistry

Abstract. This paper highlights the chemical ingenuity and craftsmanship of Professor Gerd Meyer and his inorganic chemistry colleagues who have extended the tradition of synthesis of pure rare earth and actinide compounds. Inorganic synthesis is an intellectual discipline that is essential to most chemical, materials science, and solid state physics research. It requires broad understanding of principles of chemical thermodynamics, kinetics, acid-base chemistry, and chemical bonding relationships, as well as specialized skills and intuition that few scientists have mastered

Who\u27s afraid of the big bad fish? Rethinking what the law wishes to have

This article aims to re-evaluate the contribution of Stanley Fish to legal studies. In  "The Law  Wishes to Have a Formal existence", Fish accused the law of maintaining a formal,  positivistic self-image as principled; an activity rhat rises above processes of interpretation and of moral judgement. For this `antiformalist‘ Fish there is thus a false sense of self-sufficent closure to the law\u27s discourse. More recently however: in discussing the practice of another profession (namely literary criticism) Fish demonstrates that the basis of aclivity per se is internal intelligibility - that is intelligibility  within a defined community. These apparent  inconsistencies are explored. Re-reading `The Law Wishes to Have a Formal Existence\u27 one can discern errors in Fish\u27s account of a key case and one can also find support for the  professionalism position that he subsequently articulates. It is therefore argued that  Fish\u27s account of the general characteristics of professional practice, including legal, are of value. The implications of his account of professionalism in the law are, however, incompatible with the usual understanding of his more combative statements about the role of formal language and principle-based argument of the law

Saving human rights from its friends : a critique of the imaginary justice of Costas Douzinas

Costas Douzinas has argued that human rights arise from a universal but unconscious need for recognition of oneself by others as unique and whole. According to Douzinas, humans\u27 activities and interrelationships are determined by their desires and human rights are a manifestation of those same deep characteristics. Because the basic desires are by their nature incapable of being satisfied, the aspiration for human rights is likewise doomed to frustration. Douzinas\u27 analysis of human nature is derived from a reading of Jacques Lacan\u27s theory of psychoanalysis in which an imaginary and a symbolic realm of experience are defined. Douzinas attempts a synthesis between the Lacanian imaginary and the ethical arguments of Emmanuel Levinas. It will be argued here that the synthesis proposed by Douzinas is itself doomed to failure and that Douzinas\u27 negative approach to human rights and to justice should be rejected in favour of a positive approach.<br /

Heteronomy as the challenge to nation: a critique of collective and of individual rights

Nation continues to be an embarrassment for the cosmopolitan commentator, whether legally inclined or not. As one manifestation of globalisation’s other the nation refuses to accept its proper place in the progress of world history, as a transient reaction to empire. Like social democracy in Marxism, the epoch of nations was expected to dissolve itself, under the impulse of history, to make way for a higher level of political consciousness: if only the pragmatic regionalism represented by the European Community. Instead the spectre lingers, haunting Europe in particular but elsewhere in general, and threatening to be ‘always with us’ even after the poor have been successfully assimilated or dispersed

Structures and stabilities of trivalent and tetravalent rare earth ions in sevenfold and eightfold coordination in fluorite-related complex oxides

This paper reports the preparation and characterization of a series of oxides containing 3+ or 4+ lanthanide (M = Ce, Pr, or Tb) ions, with different ionic sizes and varying M{sup 4+}/M{sup 3+} reduction potentials, in nearly cubic coordination. The objective of the study was to demonstrate how oxidation-reduction characteristics and ionic size trends explain the properties of these oxides and to compare the oxidation-reduction stability of M{sup 3+} and M{sup 4+} lanthanide ions in high (CN 7 or 8) coordination in fluorite-related oxides versus low (CN 6) coordination in perovskite oxides. Efficient preparative methods are reported, as well as powder diffraction and thermogravimetric measurements for oxides CaMTi{sub 2}O{sub 7-x} and CaMZr{sub 2}O{sub 7-x}. These oxides were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction and by thermogravimetric analysis. CaCeTi{sub 2}O{sub 7} is a pyrochlore, a = 10.142(4) {Angstrom}, with Ce{sup 4+} much more easily reducible than in the perovskite BaCeO{sub 3}. By contrast, a preparation with the stoichiometry CaPbTi{sub 2}O{sub 7-x}'' is a two-phase mixture-of perovskite CaTiCo{sub 3} and a presumably Pr{sup 3+}-rich pyrochlore Pr{sub 2}Ti{sub 2}O{sub 7}( ). CaTbTi{sub 2}O{sub 7-x} appears to be a Tb{sup 3+} pyrochlore, a = 10.149(2) {Angstrom}. CaCeZr{sub 2}O{sub 7} is a pyrochlore, a = 10.524(1) {Angstrom}. A preparation of CaPbZr{sub 2}O{sub 7-x}'' also appeared to yield a two-phase mixture, perovskite CaZrO{sub 3} and pyrochlore Pr{sub 2}Zr{sub 2}O{sub 7}. In this paper, the structures, f-element ion sites, and M(4)-M(3) stability trends in the CaMTi{sub 2}O{sub 7-x} and CaMZr{sub 2}O{sub 7-x} oxides are compared with the structural and stability trends in the perovskites BaMO{sub 3} which have M{sup 4+} ions in sixfold (tilted octahedra) coordination

Flux through a hole from a shaken granular medium

We have measured the flux of grains from a hole in the bottom of a shaken container of grains. We find that the peak velocity of the vibration, vmax, controls the flux, i.e., the flux is nearly independent of the frequency and acceleration amplitude for a given value of vmax. The flux decreases with increasing peak velocity and then becomes almost constant for the largest values of vmax. The data at low peak velocity can be quantitatively described by a simple model, but the crossover to nearly constant flux at larger peak velocity suggests a regime in which the granular density near the container bottom is independent of the energy input to the system.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figures. to appear in Physical Review

Engaging and empowering first-year students through curriculum design: perspectives from the literature

There is an increasing value being placed on engaging and empowering first-year students and first-year curriculum design is a key driver and opportunity to ensure early enculturation into successful learning at university. This paper summarises the literature on first-year curriculum design linked to student engagement and empowerment. We present conceptualisations of ‘curriculum’ and examples from first-year curriculum design. We also note the limited literature where students have been involved in designing first-year curricula. The results of the literature review suggest that key characteristics of engaging first-year curricula include active learning, timely feedback, relevance and challenge. The literature also points to the importance of identifying students' abilities on entry to university as well as being clear about desired graduate attributes and developmental goals. Acknowledging realities and constraints, we present a framework for the first-year curriculum design process based on the literature