The global importance of ‘illiberal moderates’, an exchange: partners in peace to precede a concert of democracies

The following is an exchange concerning the concept of ‘illiberal moderates’ and its implications for a new global architecture as well as for a worldview that sees the evolution of a global core of shared values which favour domestic and international security, in sharp contrast to the ‘clash of civilizations’ thesis. The original statement was published in the Cambridge Review of International Affairs (Etzioni 2006). A more extensive treatment can be found in Part III of Security first: for a muscular, moral foreign policy (Etzioni 2007b), which examines texts of four religious and two secular belief systems as well as review of relevant public opinion polls and ‘traveller notes’. Here follows a brief summary of the main thesis, followed by comments from prominent scholars and Etzioni's response to these comments.     

Postmortem Changes of Female External Genitalia and Their Importance in Suspected Sexual Abuse

Examination of the female external genitalia to assess for sexual abuse is performed in living individuals, and the interpretation of the findings is based on evidence-based studies. However, in the deceased, no such studies are available, and postmortem changes could present as suspicious findings that can be mistaken for trauma. Patches of discoloration in the hymen were reported previously in one case as hypostasis (i.e., livor and lividity), and based on this finding, it was listed as a finding that is not associated with trauma. This was a retrospective study that was conducted in the Center of Forensic and Legal Medicine in Dammam, Saudi Arabia over a 4-year period. The study included 30 deceased women in whom photographic documentation of their external genitalia was assessed for postmortem changes. The postmortem interval ranged from less than 24 h to more than 100 days, and the ages of these deceased women were in the 20–40 year-old age group. In cases where the hymen, vagina, and/or fossa navicularis were clearly visible, none of these areas showed any hypostatic discoloration. A comparison between antemortem and postmortem appearance of the hymen in one case clearly showed the absence of hypostatic changes in the hymen. In conclusion, any discoloration of the external genitalia that is detected in a female decedent requires serious consideration.     

Innovative entrepreneurship in emerging and developing economies: the effects of entrepreneurial competencies and institutional voids

The Journal of Technology Transfer - Innovative entrepreneurship is one of the key drivers of economic development particularly for less developed economies where the economic growth is at the...     

Beyond Traumatic Brain Injury: Advancing Forensic Neuropsychological Assessment

As research on the cognitive impact of medical conditions and mental health disorders advances, it is imperative for forensic neuropsychologists to stay abreast of rapidly accumulating new empirical evidence from neuroscience and neuropsychology to disentangle multiple determinants of cognitive impairment. Although medicolegal neuropsychological assessments traditionally focused on traumatic brain injury (TBI) sequelae, it is equally important to consider the potential impact of any other acquired, or secondarily induced brain impairments, regardless of their source. Such injuries or conditions are at times assumed to cause a lesser cognitive impact than TBIs; however, their effects depend entirely on the factor in question. Injuries and illnesses implicated in civil litigation—and eventually affecting competency—can indeed involve TBI, but also anoxic/hypoxic injuries, pain, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), sensory deficits (e.g., tinnitus), and fatigue, and all, in turn, can affect an individual’s cognitive function and quality of life. Impairments caused by these conditions can be disabling and resistant to treatment, particularly, when the treatment is based on incorrect diagnostic, prognostic, and causality assumptions.     

Anoxia-Hypoxia in Forensic Neuropsychological Assessment: Cognitive Impact of Pulmonary Injuries,Respiratory Distress,Cerebral Blood Hypoperfusion,and Major Surgeries

Pulmonary injuries, respiratory distress, blood loss-related cerebral blood perfusion, and major surgeries are common features of medical histories in forensic neuropsychological assessments. Unless the explicit reason for referral is determination of the cognitive impact of one of these adverse medical conditions, their contribution to neuropsychological causality determination can be overlooked, minimized, or misattributed to other causes. Given the underlying common denominator among these conditions, that is, sub-optimal oxygen delivery to the brain, transient or long-term debilitating injuries causing neuropsychological change of various degrees can result. A thorough understanding of the impact of these medical events is paramount in forensic neuropsychological assessment for diagnosis, causality, and functional impact determination, prognosis, rehabilitation, and recommendations. In this paper, we critically review the available empirical evidence regarding anoxia and hypoxia arising from pulmonary injuries and respiratory distress, cerebral blood hypoperfusion, and major surgeries, together with evidence of their impact on cognitive functioning. Medical and psychological electronic search engines [PubMed, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar (up to January 2018)] have been screened for neuroscience-related and neuropsychological literature pertaining to pulmonary injuries and respiratory distress, cerebral blood perfusion, and major surgeries, and subsequently optimized for the issue under review.