In an effort to find a general model which could capture the essence of any concept, we chose to narrow down the first part of our research to patents only. Patents can be considered as adequate first-step substitutes for concepts in general, because of their diversity and the precision of their descriptions. Our aim is to define a model which could allow detection of individual concepts and re...

In this article the author develops a framework for a pragma-dialectical reconstruction of teleological argumentation in a legal context. Ideas taken from legal theory are integrated in a pragma-dialectical model for analyzing and evaluating argumentation, thus providing a more systematic and elaborate framework for assessing the quality of teleological arguments in a legal context. Teleologica...

Any uncertainty about the value of sound legal systems to the development of healthy and stable market economies was removed by the financial crisis that began in 1997 in East Asia. The impact of that crisis on transition and emerging market economies related in part to the strength in each nation of the legal system components that John Walker has so aptly described. The Asian crisis underscor...

Identifying legal and illegal states significantly reduces computational complexity of ATPG. A unified framework for identification of the legal and illegal states is presented. Most known methods for identification of the legal and illegal states are interpretable within this framework. New theorems and the resulting procedures for identifying exact collection of legal or illegal states of a c...

A modernizing nation’s economic prosperity requires at least a modest legal infrastructure centered on the protection of property and contract rights. The essential legal reform required to create that infrastructure may be the adoption of a system of relatively precise legal rules, as distinct from more open-ended standards or a heavy investment in upgrading the nation’s judiciary. A virtuous ...

The U.S. legal system gives parents the authority and responsibility to make decisions about their children’s health care, and favors parental rights over society’s collective responsibility to provide for children’s welfare. Neither the federal government nor state governments have an affirmative obligation to protect and promote children’s health, nor do children have a right to such protecti...

Cardiovascular diseases are major contributors to death, disability, disparities, and reduced quality of life in the United States. Successful prevention and control of these diseases requires a comprehensive approach applied across multiple public health settings and in all life stages. Individual lifestyle and behavior change, as well as the broader social, environmental, and policy changes t...