Sophocles'Antigone and the History of the Concept of Natural Law

This paper focuses on two related questions. The first of these is a general question. Where are the origins of the concept of natural law to be located in the history of political thought? The second is more specific. Sophocles puts into the mouth of the eponymous heroine of his Antigone an argument justifying her disobedience to an edict of her uncle Creon, who forbade her to bury her brother Polyneices. Does this argument involve an appeal to the concept of natural law? The paper takes issue with the claim, first made by Aristotle in his Rhetoric , that Sophocles' Antigone is indeed an early example of the application of the concept of natural law in political argument and debate. This interpretation of the political message of the Antigone is inconsistent with what we know about Sophocles' attitude towards the fundamental questions of Athenian politics in the classical era of Periclean democracy during the fifth century BC.     

A classifier for the SNP-based inference of ancestry

Ancestral inference from DNA could serve as an important adjunct for both standard and future human identity testing procedures. However, current STR methods for the inference of ancestral affiliation have inherent statistical and technical limitations. In an effort to identify bi-allelic markers that can be used to infer ancestral affiliation from DNA, we screened 211 SNPs in the human pigmentation and xenobiotic metabolism genes. Allele frequencies of 56 SNPs (most from pigmentation genes) were dramatically different between groups of unrelated individuals of Asian, African, and European descent, and both observed and simulated log likelihood ratios revealed that the markers were of exceptional value for ancestral inference. Log likelihood ratios of the multilocus estimates of biological ancestry (EAE/EBA) ranged from 7 to 10, which are on par with the best of the STR batteries yet described. A linear classification method was developed for incorporating these SNPs into a classifier model that was 99, 98, and 100% accurate for identifying individuals of European, African, and Asian descent, respectively. The methods and markers we describe are therefore an important first step for the development of a practical multiplex test for the inference of ancestry in a forensics setting.     

Whatever Happened to Integrated Transport?

This essay examines the record of the Labour government on transport since 1997. It argues that Labour's plans have been overtaken by events, notably the fuel tax protests and the Hatfield train crash, and that the government has lost sight of its ambitions for an integrated transport policy. Transport is not an end in itself but a means to the end of wider objectives such as social equity, environmental sustainability and quality of life. Measured in these terms, the government's ten-year transport plan is modest in scale and regressive in impact, and lacks and effective demand management strategy. The government should return to the principles of integrated transport. This requires a reformation of the ten-year plan around the objectives of accessibility, liveability and sustainability, and new measures on both the supply side and the demand side of transport.     

Policy implications of the diffusion and control of medical technology.

Medical technology has become a controversial national policy issue, largely because of rapidly rising national health expenditures and their relation to medical technology. These costs are increasingly viewed in relation to benefits or effectiveness. Attempts to control medical technology, to consider benefits in relation to costs, have largely been regulatory, and have failed to ameliorate cost rises. This failure has stimulated consideration of the reimbursement system as a controlling device. The Medicare program already has developed a rather formal process for making reimbursement decisions based on technology assessments. However, fundamental reform of the reimbursement system seems necessary to counter perverse incentives built into payment. Recent proposals to shift to prospective payment is an example of such a change. However, the basically private nature of the health care system and the limited leverage of the Medicare program limits the power of the federal government to make change.     

Contract Doesn't Live Here any More?

“Parliament intended that Industrial Tribunals should provide a quick and cheap remedy for what it had decided were injustices in the employment sphere. The procedure was to be such that both employers and employees could present their cases without having to go to lawyers for help. Within a few years legalism has started to take over. It must be driven back if possible.”¹     

Empowerment through group support: Adult women who are survivors of incest

This article describes the need for professional recognition of the magnitude of the problem of incest and the long-term effects on the lives of survivors. It suggests that women can be empowered to make positive lifestyle changes through long-term support. The educational opportunity provided for graduate students is also addressed. The intake process and the three phases of the group which extend over 56 sessions are described in detail.