The epistemological soundness of controlled clinical trials is questioned. It is argued that the real effect of therapies cannot be determined by such experiments because there is a significant interaction between the placebo effect and real effect created by the individual therapist and treatment situation which, however, is neglected in controlled clinical trials. This critical standpoint is supported by several pharmacological examples.

The epistemological soundness of controlled clinical trials is questioned. It is argued that the real effect of therapies cannot be determined by such experiments because there is a significant interaction between the placebo effect and real effect created by the individual therapist and treatment situation which, however, is neglected in controlled clinical trials. This critical standpoint is supported by several pharmacological examples.

This is the first book in welfare economics to be primarily intended for undergraduates and non-specialists. Concepts such as Pareto optimality in a market economy, the compensation criterion, and the social welfare function are explored in detail. Market failures are analysed by using different ways of measuring welfare changes. The book also examines public choice, and the issues of provision of public goods, median voter equilibrium, government failures, efficient and optimal taxation, and intergenerational equity. The three final chapters are devoted (...) to applied welfare economics: methods for revealing people's preferences, cost-benefit analysis, and project evaluation in a risky world. The book is intended for introductory and intermediate courses in welfare economics, microeconomics, and public economics. It will also be suitable for courses in health economics, environmental economics, and cost-benefit analysis, as well as those undertaking project evaluations in government agencies and private firms. (shrink)

All organisations must be able to answer questions from their respective constituencies. It is not an exaggeration to say that, in this respect, it is a challenge to handle the extremely broad action platform of local government administrations (municipalities). The present paper is a walk-through of questions from the citizens that are managed at Botkyrka municipality, Sweden. It is focussed on the use of an ‘intelligent’ citizen assistant.

Expert Systems (ES) are as yet imperfectly defined. Their two consistently cited characteristics are domain knowledge and expert-level performance. We propose that current structural definitions are inadequate and suggest a view of ES as communication channels. We proceed to explore the factors influencing applicability of ES technology to an enterprise and the impacts that could be expected. A consequence of this view is the idea of incremental information loss on the path from the expert to the ES user. Strategies for (...) minimizing this loss derive naturally from our perspective and are evident in successful ES. (shrink)

Çalışmamızda Kur’ân’da izzet ve mülk kavramlarının nasıl bir üslupla sunulduğu ve tefsir kaynaklarımızda izzet ve mülkün elde edilme keyfiyetine nasıl yaklaşıldığı hususu ele alınmıştır. Bu kapsamda mülk ve izzetin teminine dair âyetler incelenmiş, Fâtır sûresinin 10. âyeti ise diğer âyetlere nispetle daha ayrıntılı biçimde ele alınmıştır. Zikri geçen âyetin çalışmanın merkezinde olmasına bağlı olarak konuyla ilgili kavramsal çerçeveye söz konusu âyetteki kavramlar da dâhil edilmiştir. Bu doğrultuda izzet, mülk, amel, sâlih ve kelime kavramları makalenin sınırlı alanı kapsamında incelenmiştir. Sözü edilen (...) kavramlar incelenirken genel bir çerçeve çizildikten sonra makaledeki teze destek olacak anlam çerçevesi üzerinde yoğunlaşılmıştır. Ele alınan kavramların pek çok çalışmada ele alınmasına binaen söz konusu kaynaklara da değinilmiş fakat sözlükler ve tefsirlerdeki açıklamalar esas alınmıştır. Kavramsal çerçeveden sonra izzet ve mülkün temini hususunda ilâhî meşîet ve ilâhî yasalar eksenindeki anlayışlara yer verilmiştir. Çalışmanın son kısmında özellikle Fâtır sûresinin zikri geçen âyeti ve sâlih amel kavramı çerçevesinde konuyla ilgili tarafımızca değerlendirmelerde bulunulmuştur. Bu değerlendirmelerde âyetlerin vakıa üzerinden tefsir edilmesi anlayışı ve tefsir kaynaklarında bu anlayışı yansıtan yaklaşımlar benimsenmiştir. (shrink)

In a companion review1 we discussed the data supporting the conclusion that at least two subtypes of spectrin exist in mammalian brain. One form is found in the cell bodies, dendrites, and post‐synaptic terminals of neurons (brain spectrin(240/235E)) and the other subtype is located in the axons and presynaptic terminals (brain spectrin(240/235)). Our recent understanding of brain spectrin subtype localization suggests a possible explanation for a conundrum concerning brain 4.1 localization. Amelin, an immunoreactive analogue of red blood cell (rbc) (...) cytoskeletal protein 4.1, is localized in neuronal cell bodies and dendrites when brain sections are stained with antibody against rbc protein 4.1. However, it has recently been suggested that synapsin I, a neuron‐specific phosphoprotein associated with the cytoplasmic surface of small synaptic vesicles, is related to erythrocyte 4.1. In this review we hypothesize that there are at least two forms of brain 4.1: a cell body/dendritic form (amelin) which is detected with rbc protein 4.1 antibody, and a unique form found exclusively in the presynaptic terminal (synapsin I). The binding of synapsin I to brain spectrin(240/235), and its ability to stimulate the spectrin/F‐actin interaction in a phosphorylation‐dependent manner suggests a model for the regulation of synaptic transmission mediated by the neuronal cytoskeleton. (shrink)