Juror adjustments to the reasonable doubt standard of proof

The standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt is based on the law's primary motivation to avoid false conviction even at the expense of increasing the probability of false acquittal. Individual jurors, however, have common sense motivations to make factually correct decisions by avoiding both types of error. As a result jurors may interpret the standard of reasonable doubt correctly but deviate from that interpretation in predictable ways when they apply the standard in court. This study makes three hypotheses: (1) jurors are less confident when deciding on acquittal than when deciding upon conviction, (2) conviction is associated with a downward adjustment of the interpreted stringency of the standard at the time of application, and (3) a highly stringent interpretation of the standard is associated with a severe downward adjustment of that stringency at the time of application. The study asked 260 juror-eligible participants to examine a trial scenario. The participants first interpreted the stringency of the legal standard on a probability scale. They then judged the probability of the defendant's guilt, decided on a verdict, and rated their confidence in that verdict. The findings strongly supported all three hypotheses. Application and implication of the study were discussed.     

构建我国夫妻法定分别财产制度研究

我国实行法定财产和约定财产双轨制,但在目前的法定夫妻财产制度下,不能实现婚内赔偿请求。夫妻法定分别财产制度在很多国家及我国台湾地区均有规定。最高人民法院《关于适用〈中华人民共和国婚姻法〉若干问题的解释(三)》第4条规定了在夫妻关系存续期间可以对共有财产进行分割,可以认为我国开始尝试建立夫妻法定分别财产制。构建法定分别财产制,应明确该制度的适用范围、适用程序,并细化其法律效力。     

论公司形式的中小企业治理结构的依据——以一人公司治理结构为例

一人公司制度的出现和日益普及,对传统的公司治理结构理论提出了严重的挑战,实际上也暴露了西方传统公司治理结构理论基础的局限性。以所有权与经营权“两权分离”和“效率至上”作为公司治理结构的基本理论前提和价值取向是完全不适当的,是对所有者与经营者“两者分离”的误读和误解。以公司形式出现的中小企业,实际上体现了现代企业制度向中小企业的延伸,所以中国企业制度的改革应当摒弃以产权制度改革为中心的模式,转移到以建立现代企业治理结构的方向上来。     

高职高专院校图书馆建设中存在的问题

随着高职高专院校教育事业的蓬勃发展,高职高专院校图书馆也迎来了绝好的发展机会,但目前图书馆自身存在的一些共性问题,阻碍了图书馆的建设进程。     

事业单位法人设立登记制度法律问题透视

事业单位是由单一的主体即国家举办的服务于特定社会公益目标而设立的公共服务机构,事业单位的国家登记制度必要性不充分,宜改为备案和公告制度。对于有的事业单位一方面被事业单位登记部门认定为事业单位法人,一方面又被工商行政管理部门认定为企业法人的“双重法人”现象,应该随着事业单位改革的深入得以消除。     

法人财产权的本质是法人所有权

法人财产权是我国公司法在公司制企业中所规定的财产权利,独立的法人财产权和法人的本质特征紧密相联,根据物权法定原则,财产权是综合性权利,包括物权、债权、知识产权等,所有权属于物权,是财产权中重要的权利类型。在公司制企业中财产权利为资产时,法人财产权其本质是法人所有权。     

加减薯蓣丸抑制单磷酸腺苷活化蛋白激酶活性对慢性脑灌注不足大鼠的神经保护研究

目的 检测慢性脑灌注不足大鼠海马组织单磷酸腺苷活化蛋白激酶（adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase, AMPK）水平的变化,探讨加减薯蓣丸对海马神经细胞损伤的影响及其作用机制。方法 采用改良双侧颈总动脉阻断法复制慢性脑灌注不足模型,应用尼氏染色检测神经细胞损伤情况,应用Western blot法检测海马区AMPK及p-AMPK表达水平。结果 与正常组比较,模型组大鼠海马CA1区的尼氏染色较浅,神经锥体细胞数减少,海马组织p-AMPK表达水平明显升高（P<0.05）;与模型组比较,中药组与西药组大鼠海马CA1区的尼氏染色加深,锥体细胞数量增加,p-AMPK表达水平明显下降（P<0.05）;中药组与西药组大鼠海马CA1区AMPK和p-AMPK表达水平比较,差异均无统计学意义（P>0.05）。结论 大鼠慢性脑灌注不足损伤后,AMPK过度激活,出现海马神经细胞损伤,加减薯蓣丸可抑制海马区AMPK的激活,减轻海马神经损伤。     

走出“共犯与身份”的教义学迷思:“主从犯体系”下身份要素的再定位

我国"主从犯体系"不同于德日区分制体系,主要表现为作用分类法与分工分类法具有实质差异、主犯判断与正犯评价存在根本区别。在欠缺身份犯总则性规定的前提下,不宜直接运用德日区分制体系下的"共犯与身份"理论来解决相关问题,而应当对其进行中国语境的转化。据此,"违法的连带性"应转换为"违法的共同性","责任的个别化"应蜕变为对"不法程度"及责任要素的双重评价。故而,在"主从犯体系"下,身份的作用仅限于两点:一是在整体上或共同违法意义上作为犯罪构成要件,从而在非身份者与身份者实施的共同犯罪中,身份者未必都是主犯,也可以是从犯或胁从犯;二是在归责意义上,非身份者的责任在同等条件下相对于身份者会有所克减。     

A common law fly on the transsystemic wall: observing the integrated method at McGill Faculty of Law

Law schools attempting to prepare students for a more global practice are generally advised to tailor a law curriculum to their individual resources. When offering comparative perspectives, some law school programmes have pedagogical advantages arising out of a mixed legal heritage, such as McGill Faculty of Law’s transsystemic approach. What does the transsystemic approach entail, and can aspects of the transsystemic approach, which is grounded in Québec’s bijural and bilingual context, be practised at national-focus law schools? In order to consider this question, the author observed classroom dynamics in first year transsystemic courses. The McGill experience cannot be imported, but its pedagogy offers key lessons for common law national-focus law schools, including the need to make alternative visions of law necessary for understanding.     

MAGNA CARTA 1215: A GLORIOUS FAILURE

Along with the tradition of celebrating the importance of the Charter of 1215, there is a long tradition of skepticism concerning its purpose (which was not to achieve responsible government but to preserve the property of wealthy landowners), its force (it was annulled by the Pope and repudiated by the king within a few weeks), and even its success as a peace treaty (war broke out within a few months). The author will outline the reasons for skepticism, because we can only see what there is to celebrate in 2015, if we understand that the Charter of 1215 was the failed result of a reactionary armed tax rebellion by wealthy and powerful landowners, who were not trying to make a new constitution. What is there to celebrate? The author will address that question by asking why the Charter of 1215 was neither void (as the Pope asserted) for repugnancy to the King’s authority, nor voidable for duress. The author challenges the idea that the Charter of 1215 is the foundation of the rule of law in England, arguing that the rule of law goes back farther, and that the Charter of 1215 was very limited in its impact. But it did promote the rule of law in two ways: by giving new specificity to legal duties and restrictions that the king had already been subject to, and by highlighting the country’s need for effective processes for giving effect to those duties and restrictions.