The role of coronial autopsies in a context of decreasing hospital autopsies: an investigation of the issues

This article scrutinises the argument that decreasing hospital autopsy rates are outside the control of medical personnel, based as they are on families' unwillingness to consent to autopsy procedures, and that, as a consequence, the coronial autopsy is the appropriate alternative to the important medical and educational role of the autopsy It makes three points which are well supported by the research. First, that while hospital autopsy rates are decreasing, they have been doing so for more than 60 years, and issues beyond the simple notion of consent, like funding formulae in hospitals, increased technology and fear of litigation by doctors are all playing their part in this decline. Secondly, the issue of consent has as much to do with families not being approached as with families declining to give consent. This is well supported by recent changes in hospital policy and procedures which include senior medical personnel and detailed consent forms, both of which have been linked to rising consent rates in recent years. Finally, the perception that coronial autopsies are beyond familial consent has been challenged recently by legislative changes in both Australia and the United States of America which allow objections based on religion and culture to be heard by coroners. For these reasons, it is argued that medical personnel need to focus on increasing hospital autopsy rates, while also addressing the complex ethical issues associated with conducting medical research within the context of the coronial autopsy.     

Basic concepts and issues: a primer on distribution and sales representative agreements in the medical device and durable medical equipment industries

Counsel for a manufacturer of medical devices or durable medical equipment must have working knowledge of various legal disciplines to draft contracts with intermediaries (sales representatives and distributors) for the marketing and sale of the manufacturer's products. If the manufacturer wishes to sell its products abroad, counsel must become familiar with the laws and business practices of the target country, and methods of gaining access to the foreign market. This Article gives readers an overview of the applicable legal principles, under U.S. and foreign laws, in the areas of agency, contracts, healthcare regulation, consumer protection, intellectual property protection, and dealer protection. To aid counsel in drafting intermediary agreements, specific contractual terms and issues are explored in depth, including: appointment clauses, performance provisions, provisions concerning pricing and payment, protective clauses (shielding the manufacturer from liability), term and termination provisions, independent contractor clauses, export control clauses, recordkeeping and audit provisions, choice of law clauses, and dispute resolution clauses.     

Manipulating Politics: Domestic Investors in Ukrainian Privatisation Auctions 2000–2004

This article focuses on political aspects of Ukrainian privatisation auctions during the presidency of Leonid Kuchma. It contributes to a discussion of the role of big national investors, or so-called oligarchs, in the context of a regime of competitive authoritarianism in Ukraine. A quantitative evaluation is made by means of an assessment of the values of the winning bids in the privatisation auctions under Kuchma and this is linked to a characterisation of the successful bidders in terms of their links to oligarchical networks. As a result distinct strategies of the Yushchenko and the Yanukovych governments towards auctions and towards oligarchs in general can be identified.     

Development of two pentaplex systems with X-chromosomal STR loci and their allele frequencies in a northeast German population

In this study we present two new pentaplex systems for the coamplification of X-chromosomal short tandem repeats (STRs). X-penta-1 comprises DXS9898, DXS6807, HPRTB, DXS101, and androgen receptor (ARA); X-penta-2 consists of DXS7133, DXS10011, DXS7424, DXS8377, and DXS8378. In addition, allele frequencies for these loci in a northeast German population comprising 100 females and 105 males were shown. The applicability and usefulness of our two PCR pentaplex approaches in paternity deficiency cases is demonstrated by a combined power of discrimination (PD(c)) for both females and males with PD(c)>0.999999.     

International Law in Practice: An Irish Perspective

Netherlands International Law Review -     

Contrasting First- and Second-Order Electoral Behaviour: Determinants of Individual Party Choice in European and German Federal Elections

In contrast to national elections, both parties and voters are assumed to think that ‘less is at stake’ in European elections: Campaigns are less intense, turnout is lower, and citizens are more inclined to ‘vote with their hearts’. The latter should be reflected in differing rationales of voting – party choice should not be based on identical determinants in national and European elections. However, this hypothesis has not been sufficiently tested and most of the research is based on the analysis of aggregated data while causal explanations are located on the micro level. This paper compares vote functions of individuals in regard to the 2009 European Parliament election as well as the 2009 German Federal election. Using data from the German Longitudinal Election Study (GLES), comparison of explanatory models shows that party choice on both levels is neither fundamentally different nor does it fit into the pattern of second-order electoral behaviour.     

Vögel und Windenergienutzung – Vorgaben zur Signifikanzbewertung und Ausnahme

Natur und Recht - Um die Klimaschutzziele nach 3 Abs. 1 KSG zu erreichen, müssen die regenerativen Energien rasch ausgebaut werden. Mit Putins Angriff auf die Ukraine ist die Wichtigkeit der...     

The public interest dimension of the single market for data: Public undertakings as a model for regulating private data sharing

Data plays a crucial role for society. Accordingly, building a ‘single market for data’ by increasing the availability of public and private data ranks high on the EU policy agenda. But when advancing legal data sharing regimes, there is an inevitable need to balance public and private interests. While the European Commission continues to push for more binding rules on data sharing between private businesses, public undertakings are already covered by mandatory rules. Exploring how the law addresses their data offers valuable lessons on the reconciliation of market reasoning with the public interest. In particular, this article inquires into the recast Open Data and Public Sector Information Directive, the Data Governance Act, and different national rules which regulate access to and re-use of public undertakings' data. It identifies five striking characteristics and discusses their potential and limitations for regulating data sharing by private undertakings. The implications serve as a guidepost for advancing the wider debate on building a single market for data in the EU. Some of them are already reflected in the upcoming EU Data Act.