Morality, Identity and "Constitutional Patriotism"

In a modern, plural society, there can be no settled agreement on the concrete legal content of a country's constitution. The idea of the constitution is nonetheless pivotal in contemporary, liberal-minded theories of political justification, such as the ones advanced by Jürgen Habermas and John Rawls. Justification in these theories depends finally on "constitutional patriotism," a consciously shared sentiment arising from an ethical assessment of their country by the country's people, according to which the country credibly pursues a certain regulative political ideal for which the constitution stands.     

A note on crop mixtures under indigenous conditions in Northern Nigeria

This note contends that crop mixtures are employed by farmers primarily as risk precautions and that the immediate objective of farmers is not only one of profit maximisation but also of stability of income. The results of an income stability model employed to verify this hypothesis seem to agree relatively well with existing information in parts of Northern Nigeria.     

Close proximity gunshot residues

Intuitively, a hand held in close proximity to a firearm at the instant of discharge will intercept a significant amount of gunshot residue, even though the hand did not actually come into contact with the weapon. There is, however, little information specifically described in the forensic science literature concerning the residue levels which might be encountered in such an instance. The present work confirms that antimony levels consistent with an individual having fired or handled a firearm may be intercepted by a hand held in close proximity.