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We compute the first Dirichlet eigenvalue of a geodesic ball in a rotationally symmetric model space in terms of the moment spectrum for the Brownian motion exit times from the ball. As an application of the model space theory we prove lower and upper bounds for the first Dirichlet eigenvalues of extrinsic metric balls in submanifolds of ambient Riemannian spaces which have model space controlled curvatures. Moreover, from this general setting we thereby obtain new generalizations of the classical and celebrated results due to McKean and Cheung-Leung concerning the fundamental tones of Cartan-Hadamard manifolds and the fundamental tones of submanifolds with bounded mean curvature in hyperbolic spaces, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There seems to be no consensus among comparatists as to the meaning we should give to the expressions «mixed legal system» or «mixed jurisdictions» (they are frequently used interchangeably) but the issues at stake can be put into sharper focus. Unfortunately the classification schemes of mainstream comparative law afford almost no scope to the mixed systems and hardly venture into this subject. There are nevertheless two rival theories as to what these terms actually mean and how they should be applied. They give us different answers to the questions «What is a mixed jurisdiction and who is a mixed-jurisdiction jurist? On the one hand, scholars influenced by legal pluralism often entertain a wide conception of a mixed system. The sole requirement is the presence or interaction of two or more kinds of laws or legal traditions within a system. According to this viewpoint any interaction of laws of a different type or source - indigenous with exogenous, religious with customary - is sufficient to constitute a mixed legal system. This view revolutionizes the legal map offered by mainstream comparative law and leads to important insights that apply to European systems as well, but it has not yet succeeded in putting the resulting proliferation of mixed legal systems into any useful order for the purposes of comparative law. Other scholars on the other hand, particularly those inside classical mixed jurisdictions such as Scotland and Louisiana, have used a restricted and narrower notion of a mixed legal system. For the purposes of research or comparative law theory they have tended to limit this category to private-law systems based upon a core of common law and civil law elements, and other shared features stemming from this mixture. The paper traces the origins of this narrower approach and discusses the benefits of recent research comparing these kinds of jurisdictions. An attempt is made to reconcile the rival theories and to indicate that the classical mixed jurisdictions are a genus of the mixed species, and that the raison d'être of complex plural systems around the world with various «personal laws» is not that different than the reasons which led to the founding of the classical mixed systems. It is argued that comparative law research in the classic mixed systems is therefore strengthened by plurality consciousness and non-western elements in their legal order should not be ignored, for example in countries such as South Africa and Sri Lanka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the concept of recovery and the role of vulnerability in suffering. It examines our overall discomfort with vulnerability in the context of narratives of violence, disorder, and the everyday. This discomfort is explored through a voyage of three narrative types: testimony, chaos, and restitution narratives (Frank, 1995). The article offers that while loss and narrative despair are the characteristic response of vulnerability storytelling does not always, contrary to dominant perspectives in narrative therapy and practice, result in narrative repair. Narrative despair--the pain, mourning, grief, and loss involved in telling stories--is central to a recovery of vulnerability [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aromatic γ-diketone 1,2-diacetylbenzene (1,2-DAB), the putative active metabolite of the organic solvent 1,2-diethylbenzene, forms blue-colored polymeric protein adducts and induces the formation of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)-like giant, intraspinal neurofilamentous axonal swellings in Sprague Dawley rats. The pathogenetic mechanism of this neuropathy has yet to be understood. We assessed whether these pathological changes are also seen in the C57BL/6 mouse, the animal of choice for toxicogenomic studies. Mice were treated intraperitoneally with 30, 35, 50, or 70 mg/kg 1,2-DAB or its inactive isomer 1,3-DAB per day (or on alternate days) for up to 43 days. Animals treated with 30 or 35 mg/kg per day 1,2-DAB, but not with 1,3-DAB, developed muscle spasms and progressive weakness, most prominently in hind limbs. Light microscopy revealed swollen axons in spinal anterior horns and proximal ventral roots, and to a lesser extent in dorsal root ganglia of 1,2-DAB-treated animals. Ultrastructural examination of swollen axons revealed clumps of maloriented 10-nm neurofilaments. Sciatic nerves showed clustering of axonal microtubules and other organelles. These findings are qualitatively comparable to those reported in rats treated with 1,2-DAB and represent a suitable phenotype with which to explore molecular mechanisms of proximal, giant neurofilamentous axonopathy using proteomic and genomic technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past few decades advance care planning ( ACP) has become the subject of debate, research and legislation in many countries. Encouraging people to express their preference for treatment in advance, ideally in written form, seems a natural way to identify what someone might have wanted when they can no longer participate in decision-making. The notion of ACP as an unequivocal good permeates much of the research and policy work in this area. For example, ACP is now actively encouraged in Australian federal and state government policies and the Victorian Government has recently published a practical ACP strategy for Victorian health services (2014-2018). However, advance care plan is ethically complex and the introduction of the Victorian health services strategy provides an opportunity to reflect on this complexity, particularly on the benefits and risks of ACP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The general practitioner's (GP) role in advance care planning is commonly tied to their knowledge of the patient and the family, but with limited attention to the nature of this knowing or the expectations it may give rise to (2012). GPs are often involved in advance care planning with the aim of having the patient complete formal documentation (2012). This paper proposes a broader role for the GP based on findings from a PhD study exploring older people's understandings of decision making in incompetence. Aim To explore patient's understanding of the GP's role in decision making in incompetence. Methods In-depth interviews with 19 people, aged ≥65 years, recruited from five general practices analysed using Giligan's (Gilligan et al., 2006) listening guide. Results Participants distinguished between their GP and other doctors. Participants described their relationship with their GP as grounds for providing the GP with a distinct role in the event of their future incompetence. Participants expected this relationship to inform the way their GP approached advance care planning. Discussion Participants expected the GP to have a richer role reflective than they are commonly provided. Relational ethics and the concept of 'generalism' provide a theoretical basis for expanding the GP's role. Conclusion Current characterisations of the GP's role overlook much of what they can bring to the process of advance care planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]