Radomir Miński, Aktualność myśli Roberta Michelsa

Radomir Miński, Aktualność myśli Roberta Michels

Novel durable antimicrobial ceramic with embedded copper sub-microparticles for a steady-state release of copper ions

Using pottery clay, porous ceramic stones were molded and then decorated with copper sub-microparticles inside the pores. Copper added antimicrobial functionality to the clay-based ceramic and showed ability in disinfecting water. Populations of both Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae in contaminated water were reduced by \u3e99.9% in 3 h when exposed to an antimicrobial stone. This antimicrobial performance is attributed to a slow release of copper into water at both room and elevated temperatures. Copper is leached by water to produce ion concentrations in water at a level of 0.05–0.20 ppm after 24 to 72 h immersion tests. This concentration is reproducible over a number of cycles \u3e400. To our knowledge, this is the first formulation of copper sub-microparticles inside the porous structure of commercial-sized ceramic stones that can disinfect bacteria-contaminated water over a period of at least several months

Curing The Mass Tort Settlement Malaise

To settle the thousands of claims arising from the defective painkiller Vioxx, Merck Pharmaceuticals brokered an agreement, not with the Vioxx plaintiffs but with their lawyers. This agreement required the plaintiffs’ lawyers to recommend settlement to all of their clients and to withdraw if any of those clients declined: plaintiffs’ lawyers could either settle all of their claims or none. Through this unusual arrangement, made without the involvement of the plaintiffs and outside of any formal judicial supervision, Merck was able to craft a favorable settlement group that mimicked a Rule 23 class. This Article explores the Vioxx Agreement as but the first consequence of the Supreme Court’s restrictive mass tort class certification jurisprudence. Starting with Amchem Products, Inc. v. Windsor and Ortiz v. Fibreboard Corp., the Court has repeatedly disapproved of lower courts’ broad readings of Rule 23 and denied mass tort class certification—even where justice appears to demand a class action. Now, with so little flexibility in Rule 23’s requirements, few mass tort plaintiffs can hope to file suit as a Rule 23 class. By removing a crucial tool for mass tort litigators, the Supreme Court has begun to push the resolution of mass torts out of the formal judicial system and into private contractual arrangements like the Vioxx Agreement. Although agreements like this may appear to be an adequate replacement for Rule 23 actions, they are far from it. Placing a substantial proportion of group litigation outside of a judicially controlled framework will lead to a fundamental shift in the carefully drawn balance between the interests of plaintiffs, plaintiffs’ lawyers, defendants, and society. Defendants will benefit from the ability to craft desirable settlement classes since plaintiffs’ lawyers will face the choice between maximizing their clients’ interests or their own gains—all without effective judicial oversight. Plaintiffs, and ultimately society, will bear the brunt of the changes brought about by replacing Rule 23 settlements with agreements like the Vioxx Agreement, as unjust settlements and systemic under-deterrence of future negligence will result. Previous scholarship has focused on either the ethical problems inherent in the Vioxx Agreement or the difficulties that prospective mass tort classes now face in seeking class certification. This Article analyzes these issues together and proposes that a proliferation of “Vioxx Agreements” is both inevitable and undesirable. This Article then presents a solution to this overlooked, but substantial, emerging problem: much of the deterrence value inherent in group litigation may be preserved in private settlements by aggressively sanctioning plaintiffs’ lawyers for even minor ethical violations in the context of Vioxx Agreements. Rule 23 is carefully crafted to prevent abuses of mass adjudication, and may therefore effectively guide regulators in sanctioning those abuses most harmful to plaintiffs and society

The Constitutional Tort System

Constitutional torts—private lawsuits for constitutional wrongdoing—are the primary means by which violations of the U.S. Constitution are vindicated and deterred. Through damage awards, and occasionally injunctive relief, victims of constitutional violations discourage future misconduct while obtaining redress. However, the collection of laws that governs these actions is a complete muddle, lacking any sort of coherent structure or unifying theory. The result is too much and too little constitutional litigation, generating calls for reform from across the political spectrum along with reverberations that reach from Standing Rock to Flint to Ferguson. This Article constructs a framework of the constitutional tort system, drawing on contemporary tort scholarship’s rich theorization of a similar set of challenges that emerge in the private law context. By framing constitutional litigation as part of an essentially tort-like system, in which the law seeks to facilitate deterrence and compensation without unduly burdening state action, this Article presents an analytical lens that clarifies, challenges, and transforms the law of constitutional torts

Is Lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate Safe and Effective in Reducing ADHD Symptoms?

Objective: The purpose of this careful EBM review is to determine whether lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (LDX) is safe and effective in reducing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms. Study Design: A systematic review of two randomized controlled studies and one double-blind, 2-arm, parallel-group placebo-controlled RWP published between 2011-2014, all in the English language. Data Sources: Two randomized controlled trials and one double-blind, 2-arm, parallel-group placebo-controlled RWP published between 2011 and 2014 which were found using PubMed and Cochrane databases. Outcomes Measured: ADHD global symptomatic improvement was measured using Clinical Global Impressions – Severity of Illness (CGI-S), Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) and ADHD Rating Scale-IV (ADHD-RS-IV). Safety was measured using treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs). Results: Two randomized controlled trials and one double-blind, 2-arm, parallel-group placebo-controlled RWP revealed that using LDX helped reduce ADHD symptoms greater than the placebo it was compared against. The most common side effects caused by LDX were a headache, insomnia, and decreased appetite. Conclusion: The literature utilized in this EBM project revealed that children and adolescents that used Vyvanse, demonstrated improvement in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptomatology. Additionally, it was found that LDX was safe for use as the side effects were benign

Fluid droplet spreading and adhesion studied with a microbalance: a review

A contact angle observed for a liquid–solid system is not necessarily a unique value, and a few contact angles need to be considered carefully in relation to liquid spreading, adhesion and phase separation. Understanding of the significance of different contact angles has improved in the last few years through direct measurements of interactive forces between droplets/bubbles and solids together with the simultaneous visualization of the changes in their shapes. A microelectronic balance system is employed to measure the force of spreading after either liquid droplet or gas bubble attachment to a substrate surface and the droplet/bubble–substrate adhesion forces after droplet/bubble compression, retraction and detachment. Equipped with a camera in flank and data-acquisition software, the instrument measures directly the forces, monitors droplet/bubble–surface separation with respect to distances over which the droplet/bubble stretches and collects optical images simultaneously. The images are used to analyze capillary pressure and surface tension forces based on the measured droplet/bubble dimensions, shapes of surfaces and values of contact angles. These measurements allow researchers to correlate the advancing, receding and most stable contact angles with liquid–solid interactive forces and analyze their scientific meaning. This review summarizes the very recent literature reports on measurements and interpretation of liquid droplet/gas bubble interactive forces and associated contact angles

Hydrophobicity and elemental composition of laser-printed toner films

Journal ArticleLaser-printed toner films on a polymer support were treated with alkaline (NaOH) aqueous solutions at elevated temperature (80-85° C). These toner films were examined with a sessile-drop contact-angle measurement technique in order to establish the hydrophobicity of the toner surface. Also, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to analyze changes in elemental composition of the toner surface

Microscopic observations of bitumen spreading at gas bubble surfaces

Journal ArticleBitumen spreading at gas bubble surfaces was observed through a stereoscopic microscope for Whiterocks oil sand samples submerged in alkaline solutions. This phenomenon was also observed for model systems where air bubbles were placed al the surface of bitumen-coated quartz slide. Finally, the film pressure for bitumen films spreading at the aqueous phase surface was measured as a function of pH with the Wilhelmy plate technique

Critical review of wetting and adhesion phenomena in the preparation of polymer-mineral composites

Journal ArticleThe wetting behavior of liquid polymers at solid surfaces and the adhesion forces involved at polymer-filler interfaces should always be considered in the preparation of high-quality polymer composites, including those made with mineral fillers. Spontaneous polymer spreading over the filler surface is a basic condition for the design of polymer-mineral composites. In this regard, the wetting and adhesion characteristics of polymer-mineral systems are reviewed. Based on this review it is clear that several aspects of wetting phenomena at mineral-filler surfaces require further systematic study. Specifically, efforts should be made to determine the wetting characteristics of molten polymers at mineral-filler surfaces in greater detail. Also, the effects of mineral-surface contamination (including surface hydration) on wetting and adhesion phenomena need specific investigation. It is expected that an improved fundamental understanding of wetting and adhesion phenomena for polymer-mineral composites will provide the basis for further technological development