A utilitarian argument: laying the foundation for a coherent system of law

Even the most ardent legal positivists agree that as a matter offact there is a connection between law and morality. In most Western legal systems this association is very strong. Underpinning most legal rules is a (real or  purported) moral principle - certainly it is difficult to find examples of laws which are clearly immoral. The foundation upon which a coherent and justifiable legal system must be built is a theory of morality.

Foundation software engineering practices for capstone projects and beyond

This paper outlines an introductory course in software engineering undertaken by computing students at Deakin University. The course focuses on areas of that are often not emphasized in introductory software engineering. These areas include formal problem solving, management of software development, communication, and working in groups. The approach includes the application of concepts in a collaborative group setting. Enhancements to the course have been made over a number of semesters and evidence suggests that our overall approach is working. The skills acquired by students taking this course can be applied to later courses in software engineering, particularly the capstone project course, and to professional life

Ethical behaviour: the foundation stone for entrepreneurial activity in arts organisations

Entrepreneurship is being touted as the way forward for arts organisations unsure of the level of continued government funding available and confronted with the need to ever improve. At a time when leadership and governance in cultural organisations have changed in line with cultural expectations, how is their ethical stance assessed? In an age of globalisation, economic restructuring and technological change, museums are sometimes seen to be something of a contradiction. Traditionally seen as temples for the muses, today's museums are being challenged to be ethical for society. As a solution, this paper proposes a Cooperative Model of Cultural Organisational Ethics that attempts to provide a framework by which arts organisations can put in place ethical artefacts that enhance organisational performance, rather than detract from it.

A Euro-American-Australian study of the mechanical engineering profession as a foundation for the study of mechanical engineering attributes

The increasing attribute focus in the formation (engineering education, training, work-based learning and experience) of engineers now being adopted by engineering education accrediting bodies is based on meeting the perceived needs of professional practice. Related to this is an increasing expectation of new graduates being work-ready rather than relying on work-based learning and experience to develop many of the essential professional practice attributes.

The scope of the mechanical engineering profession is broad and practitioners contributing to debate on attribute requirements have their own individual views of the nature of the profession, largely influenced by their own professional formation. As a foundation for detailed study on attribute requirements for effective Australian professional mechanical engineers, in this paper we provide a concise study of the development of the established scope of practice and knowledge base of the profession over the last two centuries. Formation practices in Europe and the United States played significant roles in the 19th century.

We conclude with a discussion on the impact of the considerable changes currently affecting mechanical engineering practice in the UK, US and Australia, including organisational, technical and societal expectations, industry profile, and educational factors.

MRI-negative PET-positive temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and mesial TLE differ with quantitative MRI and PET: a case control study

Background: 'MRI negative PET positive temporal lobe epilepsy' represents a substantial minority of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Clinicopathological and qualitative imaging differences from mesial temporal lobe epilepsy are reported. We aimed to compare TLE with hippocampal sclerosis (HS+ve) and non lesional TLE without HS (HS-ve) on MRI, with respect to quantitative FDG-PET and MRI measures.

Methods: 30 consecutive HS-ve patients with well-lateralised EEG were compared with 30 age- and sex-matched HS+ve patients with well-lateralised EEG. Cerebral, cortical lobar and hippocampal volumetric and co-registered FDG-PET metabolic analyses were performed.

Results: There was no difference in whole brain, cerebral or cerebral cortical volumes. Both groups showed marginally smaller cerebral volumes ipsilateral to epileptogenic side (HS-ve 0.99, p = 0.02, HS+ve 0.98, p < 0.001). In HS+ve, the ratio of epileptogenic cerebrum to whole brain volume was less (p = 0.02); the ratio of epileptogenic cerebral cortex to whole brain in the HS+ve group approached significance (p = 0.06). Relative volume deficits were seen in HS+ve in insular and temporal lobes. Both groups showed marked ipsilateral hypometabolism (p < 0.001), most marked in temporal cortex. Mean hypointensity was more marked in epileptogenic-to-contralateral hippocampus in HS+ve (ratio: 0.86 vs 0.95, p < 0.001). The mean FDG-PET ratio of ipsilateral to contralateral cerebral cortex however was low in both groups (ratio: HS-ve 0.97, p < 0.0001; HS+ve 0.98, p = 0.003), and more marked in HS-ve across all lobes except insula.

Conclusion: Overall, HS+ve patients showed more hippocampal, but also marginally more ipsilateral cerebral and cerebrocortical atrophy, greater ipsilateral hippocampal hypometabolism but similar ipsilateral cerebral cortical hypometabolism, confirming structural and functional differences between these groups.

Hippocampal deformation mapping in MRI-negative PET-positive temporal lobe epilepsy

Objectives: To compare hippocampal surface structure, using large deformation high dimensional mapping (HDM-LD), in subjects with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) with (HS+ve) and without (HS−ve) hippocampal sclerosis.

Methods: The study included 30 HS−ve subjects matched with 30 HS+ve subjects from the previously reported epilepsy patient cohort. To control for normal right–left asymmetries of hippocampal surface structure, subjects were regrouped based on laterality of onset of epileptic seizures and presence of HS. Gender ratio, age, duration of epilepsy and seizure frequency were calculated for each of the four groups. Final HDM-LD surface maps of the right and left TLE groups were compared to define differences in subregional hippocampal involvement within the groups.

Results: There were no significant differences in comparisons of the left TLE (left HS−ve compared with HS+ve) or right TLE (right HS−ve compared with HS+ve) groups with respect to age, duration of epilepsy or seizure severity scores. HDM-LD maps showed accentuated surface changes over the lateral hippocampal surface, in the region of the Sommer sector, in the hippocampi affected by HS. However, HS−ve hippocampi showed maximal surface changes in a different pattern, and did not involve the region of Sommer sector.

Conclusion: We conclude that differences in segmental volume loss between the HS−ve and HS+ve groups are suggestive that the underlying pathophysiology of hippocampal changes in the two groups is different, and not related to chronic seizure duration or severity.

Sequential 123-I-iododexetimide scans in temporal lobe epilepsy: comparison with neuroimaging scans (MR imaging and 18-F-FDG-PET imaging)

Purpose Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs) play an important role in the generation of seizures. Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with ¹²³I-iododexetimide (IDEX) depicts tracer uptake by mAChRs. Our aims were to: (a) determine the optimum time for interictal IDEX SPECT imaging; (b) determine the accuracy of IDEX scans in the localisation of seizure foci when compared with video EEG and MR imaging in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE); (c) characterise the distribution of IDEX binding in the temporal lobes and (d) compare IDEX SPECT and ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) in identifying seizure foci.
Methods We performed sequential scans using IDEX SPECT imaging at 0, 3, 6 and 24 h in 12 consecutive patients with refractory TLE undergoing assessment for epilepsy surgery. Visual and region of interest analyses of the mesial, lateral and polar regions of the temporal lobes were used to compare IDEX SPECT, FDG PET and MR imaging in seizure onset localisation.
Results The 6-h IDEX scan (92%; κappa=0.83, p=0.003) was superior to the 0-h (36%; kappa=0.01, p>0.05), 3-h (55%;κappa=0.13, p>0.05) and 24-h IDEX scans in identifying the temporal lobe of seizure origin. The 6-h IDEX scan correctly predicted the temporal lobe of seizure origin in two patients who required intracranial EEG recordings to define the seizure onset. Reduced ligand binding was most marked at the temporal pole and mesial temporal structures. IDEX SPECT was superior to interictal FDG PET (75%; κappa=0.66, p=0.023) in seizure onset localisation. MR imaging was non-localising in two patients in whom it was normal and in another patient in whom there was bilateral symmetrical hippocampal atrophy.
Conclusion The 6-h IDEX SPECT scan is a viable alternative to FDG PET imaging in seizure onset localisation in TLE.

Evaluating the social value of charitable organizations : a conceptual foundation

Charities are becoming more businesslike in their quest to address competitive pressures and funding reductions. However, this shift may have unintended consequences. For example, the best-marketed charities are not necessarily the ones with the greatest potential for social benefit. There is currently no mechanism that attempts to evaluate the social value of charities. Borrowing from social investing and corporate social responsibility literature, the authors argue that despite the difficulties inherent in this task, there are several issues that must be considered to assess a charity's social value, and each stakeholder will consider some dimensions of social value differently. Assessing a charity's social value has several ethical and policy implications, especially given the level of governmental and foundational support for charity organizations.

Social value measurement and nonprofit organizations: preliminary views of nonprofit and foundation managers

This paper examines how managers of nonprofit organizations and foundations view the measurement of the social value of these organizations. In exploratory interviews, we found that the managers generally agree that objective measures are desired where and when possible, but recognise the difficulties in developing an assessment that enables comparisons across the nonprofit sector. These difficulties, as well as the implications for developing assessments of social value for nonprofit organizations, are discussed

The institutional foundation of materialism in western societies

Studies of materialism have increased in recent years, and most of these studies examine various aspects of materialism including its individual or social consequences. However, understanding, and possibly shaping, a society’s materialistic tendencies requires a more complete study of the relationship between a society’s institutional patterns and the acceptance of materialism by its members. Consequently, the current study examines five of the institutional antecedents of materialism to understand better how and why it develops as a mode of consumption within a society. More specifically, a model relating materialism and a set of institutionalized patterns of social behavior referred to as the dominant social paradigm was developed and tested in a study of seven industrial, market-based countries. The results suggest that the economic, technological, political, anthropocentric, and competition institutions making up the dominant social paradigm are all positively related to materialism. The implications of the relationship are then discussed.