A psychologist in court: The special master.

The special master may require the production before him of evidence. He may rule upon the admissibility of evidence. He has the authority to put witnesses on oath and may himself examine them. He has substantially the powers of the court that appoints him. Qualifications of the expert-witness are considered. The problem of statuatory protections for the producer of a test is examined. "In theory, a master is not ordinarily required to make decisions about the law, only about the facts… . As psychology becomes a more mature discipline, the opportunities for us to play these unusual roles should grow." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

谈法院建筑设计

论述了法院建筑的基本功能,通过分析传统法院建筑设计状况,从外观、内部结构、功能组织等几方面探讨了现代法院建筑设计中具体需要注意的事项,从而创造出具有法制文化特质的建筑新形象。     

Rule of Law in Information Society in China

In information society, there are many new facts that should be regulated. But it does not mean the rule of law is totally different. The legal issues are similar, which are related to legislation institutions, law enforcement departments and courts. As to legislation, the author puts forwards that “two rights and one point” should be paid more attention. As to executive departments, it is important to involve people into governmental administration, especially during the process of government information opening. As to courts, the author argues that many challenges make the courts lose their credibility because of information dissemination. In conclusion, the author summarizes three features of Chinese rule of law in information society.     

Legal Validity Metrics for Patent Offices and Law Firms – Recycling of Patent Court Appeal Decisions for Quality Management

In all relevant patent systems an adversely affected party has the possibility to appeal the patent office's decision in front of a patent court or Board of Appeal (BoA). Within a European context, the EPO is, in a way, even engaging in de facto competition with national patent offices. As an example, the German Patent and Trademark Office (DPMA) provides quasi identical patent products and offers the same kind of legal recourse to the German patent court (BPatGer) for these products. Both offices offer an opposition procedure which is open for appeal, and also in the case of a refusal, both offices offer the possibility of appeals. Thus, the EPO Boards of Appeal are engaged in making decisions every year on around 2000 cases and, e.g., the BPatGer on 600 cases regarding the legal validity of the first instance's work. It is thus remarkable that, so far, nobody has systematically included the work of the patent courts in a statistical legal validity evaluation in the context of the Patent & Trademark Offices' (PTOs') quality assurance systems.Since there is obviously a need to establish a common standard for the comparison of first and second instance legal teachings in patent law, a methodology for comparative legal validity analysis is proposed in this paper. I have tested and optimised the approach while working as a project manager at the European Patent Office, based on analysis of 2300 appeal decisions from seven annual batches.     

中法刑事再审程序比较研究

当前对中国刑事诉讼制度的研究,有必要观察和研究其他国家刑事诉讼制度一些有益的经验。从再审制度的建立理念、基本规定、启动方式和原审法院地位等几个方面的问题比较了中法再审制度各自的特点。两国再审制度有许多相似之处,同时也存在明显的差异．在再审制度重构时,立法者应端正诉讼理念,消除再审制度中的一些非理性规定,包括取消法院自行启动再审程序的权力,终止检察机关再审抗诉的特殊地位,正确定位原审法院在再审程序中的特殊角色等。     

论唐代的宫廷饮膳管理

唐代宫廷饮食的发展取得了极高的成就，这和宫廷饮膳的管理水平也有很大的关系。唐代宫廷饮膳管理组织完备，机构庞大，职能明确，分工细密，各级官吏还形成了品级高低之分；从饮食原料的选择、配制，到食品制作以及饮食卫生、营养保健等方面，都有明确的职责范围和管理制度，从而保障了皇家饮食的安全。     

地方小城市法院建筑的设计初探

结合榆树市法院建筑的具体设计,从功能布局、造型设计等方面总结法院建筑的设计特征．以现代建筑的处理手法,以及对基地和建筑基本问题的思考来营建当代地方建筑．地方法院建筑有其独特的建筑语素特征,“满足功能,形成良好的场所空间,并使建筑形式与功能有机结合,这是建筑设计的基本追求”．在资金有限的情况下,该设计以建筑自身的高低错落及体量穿插来表达法院建筑内在的建筑品质,从而形成法院建筑的内在建筑形象：肃穆而不呆板,庄重又富有韵律．     

Measuring the Effectiveness of Mental Health Courts: Challenges and Recommendations.

How will we know if mental health courts are effective? The answers provided by future evaluation research will reflect the extent to which the social and procedural complexity of mental health courts drives the research design and plan. This article identifies the research challenges associated with studying the effectiveness of an intervention that is nonstandardized by nature and highly dependent on macro and local influences within the environment as well as personal preferences and relationship dynamics within the intervention itself. Explored are the research challenges related to isolating the independent effects associated with mental health courts. The article concludes with recommendations for how best to evaluate mental health courts to inform best practice and policy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Voluntary, but Knowing and Intelligent: Comprehension in Mental Health Courts.

The number of mental health courts (MHCs) is steadily increasing. Although the courts are voluntary, it is unknown whether decisions to enter MHCs are made knowingly and intelligently. However, the ability to make these decisions is important given that MHCs are informal (and thus may lack built-in safeguards against constitutional violations) and given their rate of growth. Relevant research on other types of legal competencies suggests there may a substantial number of MHC participants who do not fully comprehend court processes and requirements. Furthermore, the level of comprehension at entry may predict future success or failure in the court. Thus, for both legal and practical reasons, the issue of MHC comprehension among its participants is critical. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)