Transfer of academic research: uncovering the grey zone

In this study, we respond to calls for further investigation on why and how scientists choose to commercialize their research. Mowery (University entrepreneurship and technology transfer: process design, and intellectual property, Elsevier, Oxford 2005), in his criticism of the US-system, emphasizes the need for multiple channels between university and industry. His argument makes the case of Sweden interesting, where the researchers own the intellectual property of their research. Sweden thus constitutes a unique case where data can be found on which choices researchers make in a setting where a variety of channels for transfer are available. Our empirical data, collected through case studies, allowed for the expansion of the typology for mechanisms for transfer of academic research as well as the development of a typology for determinants for researchers’ choice to engage in transfer of research. Apart from those contributions to the theoretic discussion, the data also provided policy implications.     

Violence in Juvenile Dating Relationships Self-Reported Prevalence and Attitudes in a Portuguese Sample

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of physical and emotional abuse in Portuguese juvenile dating relationships and to investigate attitudes about these forms of violence. A sample of 4,667 participants, aged 13 to 29 years, completed two questionnaires, one behavioral and one attitudinal. At least one act of abuse perpetrated by a dating partner during the previous year was reported by 25.4% of participants (13.4% reported to have been victims of physical abuse and 19.5% of emotional abuse). Abuse of a partner was reported by 30.6% of participants; at least one act of physical abuse was reported by 18.1% and of emotional abuse by 22.4%. The attitudinal data revealed, however, a general disapproval of violence use. Violence support was higher among males, participants with lower educational and social status and those who had never been involved in a dating relationship. Women reported more acts of partner abuse than males; no gender differences were found regarding self-reported victimization. Both perpetration and victimization were reported more by older students. Although university students tend to report more acts of general and emotional abuse against their partners, students from professional schools are more represented among both perpetrators and victims of physical and severe violence. The best predictors of violence were educational status and attitudes toward partner.     

The Psychological Impact on Police Officers of Being First Responders to Completed Suicides

When a suicide is completed, police officers are often among the first responders. Little attention has been paid to the emotional and psychological impact on the police officer in this specific situation. This study examines the effects encounters with completed suicides have on the emotional and psychological well-being of the police officer. This is a qualitative study, which intends to bring alive the feelings, thoughts, actions, choices, and challenges of police officers who have encountered completed suicides as imparted through participants' stories. Interviews were done with eight police officers. In addition, interviews were done with a coroner, a police chaplain, and a police psychologist to add some unique perspectives to the police officers’ experiences of encountering completed suicides. Interviews were done in a semi-structured, focused format involving an ongoing fine-tuning of questions. The overarching finding reveals the central role played by police culture in shaping how police officers come to perceive this experience, and how they subsequently choose to mediate it. This study identifies ten strategies police officers use to mediate this experience, and discusses the possible psychological consequences of employing each strategy.     

Prison privatization: a perspective on core governmental functions

Prison privatization in the US illustrates the challenge of privatization to the traditional state monopoly over “inherently governmental” functions. From a perspective on core governmental functions, this paper provides a new logical explanation of this phenomenon and argues that prison privatization demonstrates the political rationality of governments. Conservative social control and economic neoliberalism were two major political reasons for prison privatization in the US. These factors aggravated the instrumental problems of the public prison system and reinforced the urgency to address them. This logic is applied to explain the variation in the magnitude of prison privatization in the 50 states. Drawing on the results of a Tobit analysis, this paper confirms that both political factors and instrumental factors significantly influence the preference of state governments for prison privatization.     

Analysis on the impact of the “Dilution Theory” on ruling of trademark cases

Chinese trademark law has established the cross-category protection system of well-known trademarks based on the confusion theory. The system, however, has many problems in practice and does not fulfill completely the needs for protecting well-known trademarks. Consequently, when hearing trademark cases, some judges have abandoned the confusion theory instead of using the dilution theory in judging well-known trademarks. Through analysis on 100 judgments concerning well-known trademark cases, it can be seen that the influence of the dilution theory on the ruling of trademark cases is increasing. Certain conditions should first be satisfied when introducing the dilution theory to rule trademark cases: Firstly, the contents of the dilution theory shall be grasped as correctly as possible to avoid plausible understanding; secondly, the application of the dilution theory shall adopt the existing institutional criteria as much as possible by full use of the leeway of interpretation provided by the existing system.     

遗嘱继承公证生效确认程序之探索

遗嘱生效确认程序就是在办理遗嘱继承公证时,对被继承人生前所立遗嘱是否生效的确认程序。此程序经过多年公证实践摸索,我们认为是办理遗嘱继承公证的必经程序,可以预防遗嘱继承的事后纠纷,保护家事财产继承的正常流转。但该程序目前并没有法定要求,是我公证处在实务中经过多次公证复查、诉讼之后,于2004年依《继承法》的现行规定,结合现有的遗嘱继承公证工作程序加以完善形成的公证实务操作创新。我公证处遗嘱生效确认程序自2004起实行至今近六年,未再发生涉及继承公证诉讼纠纷的情况。