The emergence of biobanks in the legal landscape: towards a new model of governance

Biobanks are increasingly seen as new tools for medical research. Their main purpose is to collect, store, and distribute human body materials. These activities are regulated by legal instruments which are heterogeneous in source (national and international), and in form (binding and non-binding). We analyse these to underline the need for a new model of governance for modern biobanks. The protection initially ensured by respect for fundamental rights will need to focus on more interactions with society in order to ensure biobanks' sustainability. International regulation is more oriented on ethical principles and traces the limits of the uses of genetics, while European regulation is more concerned with the protection of fundamental rights and the elaboration of standards for biobanks' quality assurance. But is this protection adequate and sufficient? Do we need to move from the biomedical research analogy to new forms of legal protection, and governance systems which involve citizens?     

Interaction orders of drug dealing spaces: local orders of sensemaking in a poor black American place

Based on ethnographic data, this essay analyzes the social order properties of a poor urban street, in a small city in the northeast United States, on which drug dealing is the principle occupation. Rather than treating drug dealing as an agent of disorder, we focus on the order properties of drug dealing and the ordered character of the local code of conduct that develops around it. Like Sudhir Venkatesh (American Journal of Sociology 103:82–111, 1997) we examine the interface between drug dealing and the neighborhood. However, in this small urban space the drug dealers are not outsiders, rather, they are long term residents: established insiders who are well integrated into community life. As such their work practices and the requirements they place on behavior in public spaces impact the neighborhood in comprehensive ways. We detail the phenomenon Elijah Anderson called the “code of the street” (Anderson 1999) as a set of practices and social markers, a local Interaction Order (Goffman, American Sociological Review 48:1–17, 1983; Rawls, Sociological Theory 2:136–149, 1987), that furnishes basic day to day sensemaking tools for residents (Rawls 2009). We propose that this order has a constitutive character that furnishes stable expectations (Garfinkel 1963, 1967) for meaningful social action and identity in the neighborhood. In a context of industrial decline and urban poverty, drug dealing careers constitute a major socialization factor, that touches everyone here—especially children.     

Attention‐Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Young French Male Prisoners

While forensic studies have reported higher than community rates of mental disorders in imprisoned populations, few studies have focused on attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in these subjects. The aim of this study was to investigate ADHD prevalence among young French male prisoners. A specific diagnostic interview (Conners' Adult ADHD Diagnostic Interview for DSM‐IV, CAADID) was used. Correlations between ADHD, subsyndromal ADHD, and criminal features were investigated. 11% of young male prisoners among 93 male subjects aged 18–35 years met the criteria for actual ADHD, and 17% met those for childhood ADHD. Considering ADHD and subsyndromal ADHD, prevalence was about 43% in adulthood. ADHD and subsyndromal ADHD in adulthood were significantly associated with a higher number of imprisonments and a younger age at first arrest. It could be advisable to better identify subjects with ADHD symptoms among prison populations.     

Game of Power Within the French Urban Landscape: A Socio-legal Semiotic Analysis of Communication,Vision and Space

This paper explores the role and impact of advertising in the French urban planning on citizens’ perception with a close examination of the implications and connections between citizens and outdoor advertising. Significant changes in quantity and form of outdoor advertising have been defined under French regulations. Our knowledge is now mass mediated in public spaces. More and more visible and gargantuan advertising signs surround and even invade our environment for strict commercial benefits. The ‘invasion’ of commercial signs can be compared to a visual pollution affecting our perception, autonomy in thinking and health depending on the part of the population being considered.     

The changing role of the Privy Council Office†

Abstract. Since the establishment of the office of Secretary to the Cabinet thirty years ago, there have been a number of changes in the way the cabinet operates, one being in the cabinet committee system which has passed through three distinct phases and is now in a fourth. Nine standing committees exist, with significant changes in procedure, permitting ministers to participate more fully in discussion and to share responsibility better. The Cabinet Committee on Priorities and Planning, established in 1968, deals with broad objectives, main questions of policy with long-term implications and with priorities for broad financial allocation. With the complexity of government and the scale of die elements of complexity increasing, the demands on ministerial time have become overwhelming. The Operations, Plans and Federal-Provincial Affairs Divisions of the Privy Council Office, with a small and discreet staff constantly changing to avoid the formation of a ruling elite, assist the prime minister, cabinet and cabinet committees in the total process of decision-making and in assuring a coherence of policy. Attempts are made to provide the central executive with full information and optimum freedom in taking the decisions for which parliament and the people of Canada have given them responsibility. Sommaire. Depuis la création du poste de secrétaire du Cabinet, il y a une trentaine d'années, il s'est produit un certain nombre de changements dans le fonctionnement même du cabinet. Citons, entre autres, le système des comités du cabinet qui est passé par trois phases distinctes et se trouve maintenant dans une quatrième phase. Il existe neuf comités permanents dont la procédure a subi d'importantes modifications pour permettre aux ministres de prendre une part plus active aux discussions, et de mieux partager les responsabilités. Le comité du cabinet chargé de l'établissement des priorités et de la planification, établi en 1968, s'occupe des objectifs généraux, des lignes de conduit A long terme et des priorités pour l'allocation générale des fonds. A cause de la complexité du gouvernement et de l'ampleur croissante de ses responsabilités, l'emploi du temps des ministres est devenu incroyablement chargé. Les sections des Opérations, des Plans et celle des Affaires fédérales-provinciales du Conseil privé, avec un personnel peu nombreux et discret, constamment renouvelé pour éviter la formation d'une élite trop influente, aident le premier ministre, le cabinet et les comités du cabinet à prendre les decisions qui s'imposent et à assurer la cohérence de la politique du gouvernementale. Elles s'efforcent de fournir à l'exécutif central toute information utile et de lui assurer le maximum de liberté pour prendre les décisions dmt l'ont chargé le parlement et le peuple canadien.