Controversial Cases Research Articles

Dehumanization on Twitter in the Turkish–Kurdish conflict

This article examines the dissemination of images of mutilated and humiliated dead bodies of ‘others’ and reactions of Twitter users to these images as dehumanizing practices. When the peace negotiations between the Turkish state and Kurdish PKK failed, numerous images of mutilated and humiliated dead bodies of PKK militants were disseminated by Twitter accounts apparently used by members of the Turkish security forces. The author focuses on two controversial cases from 2015 and immediate social media reactions to those images in order to demonstrate how dehumanization of Kurdish militants played out in the case of Turkey.

Dizygotic Twin Infants: Controversial Case Study Series/Twin Research Reviews: Twin and Non-twin ICSI Conceptions; Emory University Twin Study; Labor in Multiple Pregnancy After Previous C-Section Delivery; Cell-Free DNA Fetal Fraction in Twin Pregnancies/News Reports: Twin Survivor of Auschwitz; Twins Trading Places; Identical Twin Foals; Twins Born in Different Decades; Twins Ambulette Service.

This article describes a 1930s case study series involving dizygotic female twin infants. The twins' development was evaluated following periods of intentionally restricted practice and minimal social stimulation. In the opinion of the author of the current article, the study is very unsettling and unacceptable, despite the lack of institutional review boards at that time. This discussion is followed by twin research reviews of recent papers concerning twin and non-twin intracytoplasmic sperm injection conceptions, the Emory University Twin Study of cardiac and brain functions, labor trials in multiple pregnancies after previous C-section delivery and cell-free DNA fetal fraction in twin pregnancies. The article concludes with news items of a twin survivor of Auschwitz, a situation in which twins traded places, the rare birth of identical twin foals, the novel delivery of co-twins in different decades and the Twins Ambulette Service.

‘Satan in the form of an angel’? The Russian Orthodox Church’s controversial case against the Moscow brattsy, 1909 to 1913

ABSTRACT This contribution examines the Russian Orthodox Church’s controversial case against the popular lay preachers of scripture and sobriety, Ivan Koloskov and Dmitrii Grigor’ev, in the early years of legal religious toleration. Accused of heresy and excommunicated in 1910, the ‘Moscow brattsy’ were arrested and tried as ‘fanatical and immoral’ sectarians. In attempting to prove the brattsy’s alleged deviance to a sceptical public, clergy and missionaries resorted to morally and ethically questionable tactics including false accusations and the fabrication of evidence. While offering a window onto the fraught relations between clergy and laity as Russia entered a modern era of religious pluralism, tenuous democratic practices, and mass media, the case raises issues relevant to the contemporary Russian Orthodox Church, especially its ongoing mission to promote a single community of faith and tradition in a diverse and increasingly ‘mediatised’ public sphere.

Climate Change-Induced Displacement: Can Refugee Law Be an Answer?

Among the disruptive effects of climate change we are already able to observe, stands out the displacement of peoples living in small islands in the Pacific, as no clear legal framework to protect them currently exists. Building upon the controversial Ioane Teitiota Case, the article discusses how refugee law may apply to those displaced or at risk of displacement because of the effects of climate change. It argues that, as there is currently lack of alternatives, though it cannot provide a complete answer to the issue, it should be considered and used as a “living tool” in order to understand the right type of approach which is needed to find a definitive and long term solution.

Mimicking the transition state of reactions of glycoside hydrolases: Updating the conformational space of the oxocarbenium cation

One strategy for developing glycoside hydrolase (GH) inhibitors is to mimic the conformation of the transition state (TS) along the hydrolysis reaction coordinate. We present a DFT-based model to understand the conformational space of the oxocarbenium cation as a TS in carbohydrate chemistry. Using Bolzano’s theorem, we have demonstrated the existence of a function that divides the puckering coordinate space. These results are compared with the available experimental crystal structures of GH-inhibitor complexes, and a contradictory case (GH92) was computationally studied. Our mathematical model opens a door to design more specific inhibitors and to decipher the catalytic pathways of controversial cases.

Legendierte Polizeikontrollen: Judgment from the German Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof) of April 26, 2017, 2 StR 247/16

AbstractThe German police stopped and searched a car crossing the border from the Netherlands and thereby detected large quantities of drugs. What sounds like a standard procedure is actually a very controversial case recently heard at the German Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof; BGH), dealing with so called legendierte Polizeikontrollen. These are apparently random police checks that are, in reality, well prepared and specifically targeted at the subject of the police check due to ongoing investigations. This case raised the issue of lawful evidence gathering by the police when pursuing both preventive and repressive objectives, as well as the question of the subsequent exploitation in court of the evidence obtained. Addressing issues of the utmost significance, such as the circumvention of the rights of the accused, this BGH judgment was critically reviewed among legal scholars.

Back to Blame

The death of Jack Adcock in 2011 made headlines all around the world for many reasons. He was a 6-year-old child, admitted to Leicester Royal Infirmary (LRI) in February 2011 who died of sepsis and pneumonia 11 hours later. The paediatric registrar Dr. Hadiza Bawa-Garba had failed to diagnose his condition, resulting in criminal proceedings and her erasure from the medical register in 2017. This article gives a glimpse of the controversial case, tries to relate this to all medical specialties, and offers some guidance on how to avoid a similar situation developing.

ESOTERIC CONFUCIANISM, MORAL DILEMMAS, AND FILIAL PIETY

AbstractTwo controversial cases in Confucian literature present the demands of filial piety as conflicting with those of impartial justice. Let us call them the Case of Concealment (Analects 18.13) and the Case of Evasion (Mencius 7A53). A dogmatic reading of the texts indicates that both Confucius and Mencius give more weight to filial piety than to justice. This essay, however, provides an alternative reading of the cases: the liberal reading. I argue that the Confucian teachers used the cases as moral dilemmas that force Confucian students to learn how to use a cluster of Confucian virtues, including practical wisdom, discretion, and straight determination, under difficult circumstances. The liberal reading views these moral dilemmas as rhetorical tools; they guide Confucian students in meditative exercises and ultimately transform students’ mode of seeing and being.

악마와의 계약? 독일 무장친위대 제14 척탄병 사단 ‘할리치나’, 1943-1945

This paper is a case study that purports to investigate the problematic history of the “14 Waffen Grenadier Division der SS , ‘Galizien ’” during the Second World War, with particular attention to its origins, background and its collaboration with Nazi Germany. In the history of the Waffen SS during the Second World War, the Galizien Division appeared one of the most controversial cases in that it was made of the pro-Nazi Ukrainians in Galicia, one of the allegedly “untermensch ” peoples in the East according to the Nazi racial ideology. While the Waffen SS have a bunch of “untermensch ” foreign divisions available, the Galizien Division was indeed sui generis, because it was created with active cooperation from OUN-M, who saw the division as a future linchpin for the building of an independent Ukrainian Army. Unlike other East-Slav divisions that were used only for anti-Partisan activities, the Division was deployed in the main front to fight the Soviet Army, especially in July 1944 at Brody, the Ukraine, a battle that forced the division to suffer from huge loss. After the battle of Brody, the division was rebuilt and deployed in Slovakia and Austria before its capitulation to the British Army in May 1945. The history of the Galizien Division was a microcosm showing the problematic nexus between the Nazi Germany and the Ukrainian nationalist movement, which had many commonalities with the Nazi.

Social Justice on Environmental Law Enforcement in Indonesia: The Contemporary and Controversial Cases

Kaidah dasar yang melandasi pembangunan dan perlindungan lingkungan hidup Indonesia terdapat dalam pembukaan Undang-Undang Dasar 1945 pada alinea ke-4 yang pada pokoknya mewajibkan pemerintah untuk mendayagunakan sumber daya alam yang ada untuk sebanyak-banyak kesejahteraan rakyat. Pemikiran tentang kewajiban negara ini secara konstitusional tersebut lebih dijabarkan lagi dalam Pasal 33 Undang-Undang Dasar 1945, yaitu prinsip negara, bumi dan segala kekayaan yang terkandung di dalamnya serta menjadi hajat hidup orang banyak dikuasai oleh negara untuk digunakan untuk kehidupan orang banyak atau dengan kata lain negara bertindak sebagai penyelenggara kepentingan umum. Lingkungan hidup yang baik dan sehat meruoakan hak asasi setiap warga negara Indonesia sebagaimana diamantkan dalam Pasal 28H UUD RI 1945.
 

Decisions to choose genetically modified foods: how do people's perceptions of science and scientists affect their choices?

This study explores the effects of food science perception on food decisions in the controversial case of genetically modified (GM) foods. We examine (1) how scientific consensus and scientific deference affect the public perception of GM foods; and (2) how perception and healthy eating interest influence people's actual food consumption decisions. We categorized our samples into four groups based on different risk/benefit perceptions of GM food: tradeoff, relaxed, skeptical, and uninterested in the process of further data analysis.

The Instability of Slurs

The authors outline a program for understanding the semantics and pragmatics of slur terms, proposing that slurs are mixed expressives that predicate membership in some social group G while simultaneously invoking a complex of historical facts and social attitudes about G. The authors then point to the importance of distinguishing between the potential offensive and derogatory effects of slur terms, with the former deriving from the impact on the listener of the invoked content itself, and the latter deriving from inferences about speaker attitudes and intentions. The authors use the resulting framework to discuss several controversial cases of slurs and slurring: (i) terms targeting political views such as ‘Nazi’ and ‘terf’, and (ii) cases in which non-slurs are used to derogate, as in cases of misgendering. The authors conclude that what counts as a slur is in part dependent on a background system of ideological assumptions, meaning that whether a particular term counts as a slur will depend in part on one’s ideological commitments and assumptions.

Durie v Gardiner: Public Libel Law and Stare Non Decisis

AbstractThis note examines the controversial case of Durie v Gardiner, a recent decision of the Court of Appeal of New Zealand, which radically altered the nation's public libel jurisprudence. It argues that Durie is incorrect as a matter of public libel law for three reasons. First, both Durie judgments failed to engage in freedom of expression theorising. Second, this undertheorising has caused significant confusion in Durie, including misinterpretation of material facts, breakdown of the ‘theory‐doctrine’ interface, and a precipitous and unwarranted dismissal of the Court of Appeal's settled public libel principles. Third, owing to these difficulties, the Durie courts were in no position to import a new ‘public interest’ defence from foreign jurisdictions. Above all, by hastening towards wholesale law reform and ignoring its earlier comparative law deliberations, Durie arguably scuppers public libel law's best hope for advancement.

Berry Phase Effects in Dipole Density and the Mott Relation.

We provide a unified semiclassical theory for thermoelectric responses of any observable represented by an operator θ[over ^] that is well defined in periodic crystals. The Einstein and Mott relations are established generally in the presence of Berry phase effects for various physical realizations of θ[over ^] in electronic systems, including the familiar case of the electric current as well as the currently controversial cases of the spin polarization and spin current. The magnetization current, which has been proven indispensable in the thermoelectric response of electric current, is generalized to the cases of various θ[over ^]. In our theory the dipole density of a physical quantity emerges and plays a vital role, which contains not only the statistical sum of the dipole moment of θ[over ^] but also a Berry phase correction.

Making space with data

In this article we engage with the contemporary data moment by exploring how particular data practices – consisting of census data and statistics - have become embroiled in the making of urban space and governance in Denmark. By focusing on the controversial case of Danish “ghettos” - a state-sanctioned list of marginalised urban areas– we show how Danish data practices of routinely collecting and aggregating extensive census data have become central to ascribing particular urban neighbourhoods as ghetto areas. These data practices spatialise residential housing areas as problematic and influence Danish urban governance. We explore how new forms of data practices for monitoring urban areas arise, and argue that these practices help to maintain the spatialisation of the “ghetto list”. They do so by drawing multiple forms of data together, that visualise and monitor “at risk” areas making them governable and amenable to physical changes. Finally, we show how the state uses data practices to make citizens (and municipalities) accountable; yet, this accountability cuts both ways, as citizens and municipalities also use data to hold the state accountable. We end with a discussion of how our analysis of data practices has implications for how we imagine the scalar hierarchy of the state and the politics of data.

FROM AD HOC ISSUE PUBLICS TO DISCOURSE COMMUNITIES: A YEAR OF PUBLIC DEBATE ON TWITTER

This paper presents an empirical investigation of the concept of ad hoc issue publics, through a mixed-methods analysis of a year of debate over a contentious topic in the Australian public sphere. Following two controversial racial discrimination cases in 2016, a number of Australian conservative politicians called for amendments to a specific section of the Racial Discrimination Act (Section 18C), which they claimed restricted freedom of speech. Similar proposals had been put forward and shelved in 2013. The issue was discussed widely on Twitter and other social media platforms. Eventually, the Australian Senate voted down changes to section 18C. Using a range of network analyses, examining the various network structures created by Twitter’s affordances, this study identifies the publics and communities involved in the debate. The discourses of these communities are then qualitatively analysed. The findings show that different—and sometimes antagonistic—discourse communities are involved in the debate, and while all of these use the same hashtags and keywords, they have contrasting discursive positions. This paper argues that in this case, the publics created as a result of the affordances of Twitter cannot be regarded as ad hoc issue publics, since the discourse communities involved were formed as a result of a priori ideological affinities. Broadly, the findings of this study help in the theorisation of online publics and communities, particularly the necessary elements involved in the formation of ad hoc issue publics and/or online discourse communities.

ALK determination: liquid and tissue biopsy. Comparing techniques and effectiveness of alectinib in a controversial clinical case.

The next generation sequencing (NGS) applied to liquid biopsy is useful to determine the biomolecular identity of the prevalent neoplastic cell population. The sensitivity of ALK detection in liquid biopsy is comparable to that showed by the gold standard tissue biopsy and its usefulness is demonstrated in clinical practice by the similar efficacy of ALK TKIs to obtain prolonged disease control. ALK ve+ lung cancer today presents a large number of therapeutic opportunities leading to a long/term survival. Correct evaluation of ALK translocation is a paramount in order to guide the correct therapeutic strategy as illustrated in the present clinical case.

An enhanced numerical approach for convection phase change problems: A solution of tin melting problem

A comprehensive and efficient numerical phase change model compatible with the stream function-vorticity formulation is developed. The model is based on the source term of the enthalpy-porosity method derived from Darcy's law. The results of the model are compared with those of tin melting at Pr=0.02,Ra=2.5×105,Ste=0.01. In this case the method demonstrates its capability to deal with this controversial case by using an optimal grid. The comparison with results obtained by using this approach was satisfactory.

#MeToo as Connective Action: A Study of the Anti-Sexual Violence and Anti-Sexual Harassment Campaign on Chinese Social Media in 2018

ABSTRACTIn January, 2018, the global anti-sexual violence and anti-sexual harassment movement – popularly known as #MeToo – had its Chinese nascence. This study drew upon the theory of connective actions to investigate how digital technologies shift the way in which feminist activism takes place. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were employed to systematically analyse over 36,000 online articles related to the campaign. The study identified 48 cases of sexual violence and harassment allegations. Findings from time series analysis show that China's #MeToo campaign first emerged within educational institutions before gradually spreading to other sectors of society. Based on qualitative findings from the ten most controversial cases, this paper identifies a series of counter-censorship strategies. The study of how the #MeToo movement in China emerged, adapted, and grew within an authoritarian context reveals unique insights into how connective actions traverse various platforms and cultural contexts. Methodologically, this study demonstrates how mixed methods can be utilised to study connective actions on social media in China.

Using Concepts from the Study of Social Movements to Understand Community Response to Liquefied Natural Gas Development in Clatsop County, Oregon

Shifts in natural gas supply and demand since the early 2000s have triggered proposals for import and export terminals in coastal locations around the United States. Demand for such facilities is likely to grow with increasing rates of natural gas exports. Clatsop County, Oregon, is one such location that experienced over 10 years of debate surrounding the development of these facilities. The first liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility was proposed in this area in 2004; the final was withdrawn in 2016. While residents expressed both support and opposition early on, opposition dominated by the end. Drawing on insights from the literature on social movements, we conduct a case study of community response to LNG proposals in Clatsop County. We show how opponents were able to successfully frame the potential risks of LNG in a manner that had strong community salience, allowing them to appropriate resources and create political opportunities to advance their cause and influence local and state decisions. Engaging with this case provides an opportunity to observe the behavior and decisions of both opponents and supporters over time, and how they affected project outcomes. LNG proposals in Oregon have been among the most controversial cases of LNG development in the United States. As shale gas development continues to grow, understanding the conflicts involved with its associated infrastructure is critical to creating a more just and equitable energy system.