CO observations of the expanding envelope of IRC plus 10216

High-sensitivity emission profiles were observed for the transition of C12O16 and C13O16 towards IRC + or - 10216. It appears that the spherically symmetric uniform mass-outflow model proposed by Morris is necessary to describe the line profiles. The outflow appears to be slightly accelerated, having a velocity of 15 km/sec at the edges of the CO cloud, compared with 12 km/sec for the more centrally confined molecules

Domains of holomorphy for irreducible unitary representations of simple Lie groups

We classify the domains of holomorphy of all Harish-Chandra modules of irreducible unitary representations of simple non-compact Lie groups.Comment: revised version, to appear in Invent. math., 14 page

My Lawyer Told Me to Say I\u27m Sorry: Lawyers, Doctors, and Medical Apologies

The role of apologies in litigation has received a great deal of attention in the last ten years. This is particularly true of “medical apologies,” those expressions of regret and, in some cases, admissions of responsibility made by health care professionals. Two recent trends have prompted examination of medical apologies. First, widely reported empirical studies suggest that patients and their families may be less likely to bring malpractice lawsuits following adverse outcomes if treating physicians have apologized. Second, over about the past ten years, two-thirds of the states have adopted statutes that exclude these apologies from evidence if there is a later malpractice trial. Minnesota finds itself in the forefront of one of these trends and at the tail end of the other. For the last several years, the health care profession has given substantial attention to the importance of robust physician-patient communication following adverse medical events. Minnesota stands as a leader in adopting both medical standards and statutory requirements meant to foster disclosure and reporting in the aftermath of adverse health events. In contrast, Minnesota remains in the minority of states that have not adopted a statute or rule excluding medical apologies from litigation. This article argues that Minnesota’s current approach is exactly right. It is a mistake to attempt to use evidentiary standards to improve physician-patient communication. Our principal objection to these statutes does not stem from either the nature of doctors or the nature of apologies, but the nature of lawyers. Creating an evidentiary exclusion for medical apologies would inevitably enmesh lawyers in the most sensitive of conversations. That would be a mistake. This article reaches its conclusion after examination of the medical culture surrounding communication between doctor and patient; a review of the evidentiary considerations that gave rise to these types of statutes and an examination of Minnesota’s own experience with disclosure following adverse medical events. It is, no doubt, easier to draft evidentiary rules than to change medical culture, but more profound change will come from focusing on what happens in hospitals rather than what happens in courtrooms

The Other Shoe Drops: Minnesota Rejects Daubert

In 1991, the United States Supreme Court handed decided Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., rejecting the long-standing federal test for the admissibility of scientific testimony articulated in Frye v. United States. Unlike many states, however, which embraced Daubert within years--or even months--of the federal decision, Minnesota declined to make Daubert the law of the jurisdiction. In a pair of cases decided in 2000, Goeb v. Tharaldson and Sentinel Mgmt. v. Aetna Casualty & Surety, the court held that Minnesota would retain the general acceptance test. The court\u27s rejection of Daubert can be read as an attempt to give the Minnesota trial bench and bar the best of both worlds: Frye-Mack consistency coupled with Daubert-style gatekeeping. This article examines the successes and failures of the Minnesota approach

Skilling Time

This article describes disagreements about the MacCrate Report on skills education for law students, as well as the connections between the Report\u27s recommendations and legal education at William Mitchell College of Law. The final commentary focuses on what William Mitchell can do to further ensure that teaching prepares students for the learning they will have to do when they begin working as lawyers

My Lawyer Told Me to Say I\u27m Sorry: Lawyers, Doctors, and Medical Apologies

The role of apologies in litigation has received a great deal of attention in the last ten years. This is particularly true of “medical apologies,” those expressions of regret and, in some cases, admissions of responsibility made by health care professionals. Two recent trends have prompted examination of medical apologies. First, widely reported empirical studies suggest that patients and their families may be less likely to bring malpractice lawsuits following adverse outcomes if treating physicians have apologized. Second, over about the past ten years, two-thirds of the states have adopted statutes that exclude these apologies from evidence if there is a later malpractice trial. Minnesota finds itself in the forefront of one of these trends and at the tail end of the other. For the last several years, the health care profession has given substantial attention to the importance of robust physician-patient communication following adverse medical events. Minnesota stands as a leader in adopting both medical standards and statutory requirements meant to foster disclosure and reporting in the aftermath of adverse health events. In contrast, Minnesota remains in the minority of states that have not adopted a statute or rule excluding medical apologies from litigation. This article argues that Minnesota’s current approach is exactly right. It is a mistake to attempt to use evidentiary standards to improve physician-patient communication. Our principal objection to these statutes does not stem from either the nature of doctors or the nature of apologies, but the nature of lawyers. Creating an evidentiary exclusion for medical apologies would inevitably enmesh lawyers in the most sensitive of conversations. That would be a mistake. This article reaches its conclusion after examination of the medical culture surrounding communication between doctor and patient; a review of the evidentiary considerations that gave rise to these types of statutes and an examination of Minnesota’s own experience with disclosure following adverse medical events. It is, no doubt, easier to draft evidentiary rules than to change medical culture, but more profound change will come from focusing on what happens in hospitals rather than what happens in courtrooms

Social Values and Older Persons: The Role of the Law

Kapp discusses the relationship of law to social values, and how laws can permit, require, or restrain certain activities. Further discussion involves how laws, such as the Age Discrimination Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Fair Housing Act impact the elderly, and then asks whether the law alone is enough to protect the elderly