近代日本内阁首相产生机制研究

近代日本在内阁更迭之际,拥有任命内阁首相大权的天皇,不直接指定继任首相,而是就首相人选咨询于一些特殊集团,这些集团将他们认为合适的人选奏荐给天皇,再由天皇降旨给被奏荐者,命其组阁,从而形成了独特的产生继任内阁首相时的奏荐机制。首先从制度层面分析这种奏荐机制何以能够产生和存在;进而分析参与奏荐的元老、以内大臣为首的宫中、重臣等势力的构成及性质;并依据不同时期参与奏荐的主体的演变,将奏荐的历史过程分为几个阶段进行阐述。通过奏荐产生内阁首相是近代日本有别于其它国家的一种政治现象,体现了近代日本天皇制非立宪的一面。     

从检察制度的历史与比较论我国检察官之定位与保障

改革开放以来,我国与国际社会交流频繁,特别是受美国制度影响,一直有将检察官行政官化的呼声。但是,从检察制度的历史渊源以及各国检察官类型的比较研究可以得知,纯粹行政官化的检察官并不契合我国社会。我国应将检察官定位为司法官,并仿效大陆法系国家,给予其充分的身份保障。     

国人对民决团在英美法庭中的功能的误解

民决团仅仅负责事实审,决定事实问题;法官则负责法律审,决定法律问题。这个认识的错误在于：普通法中没有“事实审”、“法律审”的术语,这是国人杜撰出来的。普通法事实发展出来法律,法律是事实的积累。民决团事实上既决定法律又决定事实。它在美国,具有最高权力,大于总统、国会和最高法庭。另外民决团在美国7个州还决定量刑,在有死刑的州,还决定死刑。事实与法律的区分和混合,有助于法官将复杂问题交给民决团决定并在上诉中捍卫民决团的最高权力;也有助于法官对法律问题下命令、进行违宪性审查。总之,理解民决团的最高权力,是理解普通法的关键。     

关于后现代法学研究的思考

法治与现代性紧密联系,它的产生和发展基于法律具有客观性、自主性、确定性等理念。但是,二十世纪七八十年代以后产生的后现代法学以其反传统、非基础的理论和方法冲击着现代法学的基础。后现代法学用怀疑、批判、否定的眼光看待现代法治,并对其理论和实践等问题进行再审视、再反思。后现代法学多元的法学思维方式为我们看待问题提供了新范式,它有助于唤起民众参与法律活动的积极性。不过,后现代法学不会取代现代法学的主导地位,它对于我们的价值更多的是以未来的眼光审视现代法治,以此促进现代法治的发展。     

对行政指导行为不属于行政诉讼受案范围之质疑

行政指导行为在现代行政中广泛存在,在取得较好行政效果的同时,也存在大量的行政指导不当或错误从而造成行政相对人损害的情况,但理论与立法却将其排除在行政诉讼受案范围之外,从而使行政相对人在受到损害时得不到司法救济,明显违反公平、公正的法律原则和精神。本文从行政指导行为的属性及在实施过程中对行政相对人可能造成损害等三方面探讨了其被纳入到行政诉讼受案范围的理论依据、事实依据及归责依据。并从诉讼法的角度作了进一步的阐述,以期提供有益参考。     

Marginalisation or legitimation? Mainstream party positioning on immigration and support for radical right parties

Abstract

Does mainstream party positioning contribute to marginalising or legitimising niche party positions? This article argues that voter perceptions of the legitimacy and credibility of niche party positions play a role in individuals’ propensity to vote for niche parties. It finds that the adoption of more restrictive immigration positions by mainstream parties increases the likelihood that those people who do not recognise the issue competence of radical right parties on immigration will vote radical right. However, for individuals who already perceive the radical right to be competent on immigration, mainstream party adoption of more restrictive immigration positions has no effect on propensity to vote radical right. In addition, the increase in the propensity of individuals to vote radical right is predominantly a function of mainstream left parties adopting more restrictive immigration positions. These results imply that mainstream parties risk fuelling radical right party support by adopting more restrictive immigration positions.     

The conditional impact of winner/loser status and ideological proximity on citizen participation

Many scholars have investigated the relationship between ideological orientations and mass participation, and there is also a growing number of studies comparing political attitudes and behaviour between electoral winners and losers. This article seeks to bring together these two strands of literature with respect to political participation, focusing on the interaction between citizens’ winner/loser status and ideological distance from their government. Analysis of data from 34 countries highlights the importance of this interactive effect: while previous works suggest that losers have a greater propensity to take part in political activities, it is shown here that this relationship holds true only when losers occupy a position along the left‐right spectrum distant from the government. Furthermore, while the hypothesised interactive effect is empirically confirmed for turnout, the magnitude of its impact is much greater for more costly modes of participation such as contacting, campaigning and protesting     

Brain Fluid Content Related to Body Position and Postmortem Interval – An Animal Model

Adult male Sprague Dawley rats were euthanized and placed in a horizontal or vertical (head‐down) position at room temperature, after which brain fluid content was measured by a moisture analysis technique at variable time points. No significant difference in brain fluid content was observed between horizontal and vertical postmortem positions. A significant increase in brain fluid content was demonstrated 3, 6, and 24 h after death, with maximal fluid content observed at 24 h. Specifically, the brain fluid content of control animals was 77.79 ± 0.36%, increasing to 80.05 ± 0.22% at 24 h (p < 0.0001). This study has demonstrated no significant differences in brain fluid content related to postmortem position, suggesting that a head‐down position is not associated with increased brain fluid content or swelling. However, significant temporal increases in brain fluid content after death, most likely related to cerebral liquefaction, occur.     

Petechial Hemorrhages and Ethanol in Deaths from Intoxication

Petechiae in conjunctivae and in the palpebrae/skin of the eyelids are of particular interest for the forensic pathologist, because of their association with pressure on the neck. They have been described in the eyelids of intoxicated persons both in case reports and in text books of forensic pathology. We studied 590 deaths caused by intoxication, and 75 had petechiae either in the conjunctivae, the eyelids, or in both locations. We examined the influence of drugs and ethanol on the location of the petechial hemorrhages in these deaths. Deaths with ethanol in blood and in urine/vitreous humor more often had petechiae in both locations than those without. This association was statistically significant, independent of body position and livor mortis. No association between the location of petechiae, medicinal drugs, or narcotics was found. These results suggest that ethanol may contribute to the development of petechial hemorrhages in deaths from intoxication.     

Vertical Lip Position and Thickness in Facial Reconstruction: A Validation of Commonly Used Methods for Predicting the Position and Size of Lips

This study examined several methods used to estimate oral fissure position, lip margin position, and lip thickness recommended by Angel, George, Lebedinskaya, Taylor, Wilkinson et al., Balueva and Veselovskaya. A sample of 86 lateral head cephalograms of adult subjects from central Europe were measured and the actual and predicted dimensions were compared. The best estimation for oral fissure position was “opposite the lower ¾ mark of maxillary incisors” (error of 1.3 mm). Upper lip margin was predicted best by “upper ¼ mark of maxillary incisors” (error of 1.7 mm), and lower lip margin by “cementum‐enamel junction of mandibular incisors” (error of 2.3 mm). The regression equations of Wilkinson et al. displayed least error (1.3 mm and 1.8 mm, respectively) for upper and lower lip thickness, and method of George (error of 3.4 mm) for total lip thickness.