“求生”——论中华帝国晚期的“司法欺诈”

自14世纪以来,专制的发展造成中国体制内部的法律职业江河日下。在或多或少地被边缘化、甚至被禁止范畴内,由于丰富的专业文献、法律职业的团体精神得以保存。可以追溯到13世纪的格言要求法律人利用其技术对于被指控者＂救生＂。这种职业取向秘密行使而为赦免寻求理由,与皇帝特权不无冲突。这样,法律人的专业并不是简单的官僚专门知识,但作为一种知识解释这些似乎整个国家被规制的准则。     

Visual abilities distinguish pitchers from hitters in professional baseball

This study aimed to evaluate the possibility that differences in sensorimotor abilities exist between hitters and pitchers in a large cohort of baseball players of varying levels of experience. Secondary data analysis was performed on 9 sensorimotor tasks comprising the Nike Sensory Station assessment battery. Bayesian hierarchical regression modelling was applied to test for differences between pitchers and hitters in data from 566 baseball players (112 high school, 85 college, 369 professional) collected at 20 testing centres. Explanatory variables including height, handedness, eye dominance, concussion history, and player position were modelled along with age curves using basis regression splines. Regression analyses revealed better performance for hitters relative to pitchers at the professional level in the visual clarity and depth perception tasks, but these differences did not exist at the high school or college levels. No significant differences were observed in the other 7 measures of sensorimotor capabilities included in the test battery, and no systematic biases were found between the testing centres. These findings, indicating that professional-level hitters have better visual acuity and depth perception than professional-level pitchers, affirm the notion that highly experienced athletes have differing perceptual skills. Findings are discussed in relation to deliberate practice theory.     

Installing a System of Performance Standards for National Assessments in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago: Issues and Challenges

This article explores the challenge of setting performance standards in a non-Western context. The study is centered on standard-setting practice in the national learning assessments of Trinidad and Tobago. Quantitative and qualitative data from annual evaluations between 2005 and 2009 were compiled, analyzed, and deconstructed. In the mixed methods research design, data were integrated under an evaluation framework for validating performance standards. The quantitative data included panelists’ judgments across standard-setting rounds and methods. The qualitative data included both retrospective comments from open-ended surveys and real-time data from reflective diaries. Findings for procedural and internal validity were mixed, but the evidence for external validity suggested that the final outcomes were reasonable and defensible. Nevertheless, the real-time qualitative data from the reflective diaries highlighted several cognitive challenges experienced by panelists that may have impinged on procedural and internal validity. Additional unique hindrances were lack of resources and wide variation in achievement scores. Ensuring a sustainable system of performance standards requires attention to these deficits.     

Blocking as a function of added cue intensity

Twelve rats were initially trained to leverpress for water in the presence of a tone. Responses in the absence of the tone were never reinforced. Following this pretraining, a novel light cue was simultaneously compounded with all presentations of the tone as a relevant but redundant predictor of reinforcement. For three different groups of subjects, the light cue was of either bright, moderate, or dim intensity. After compound training, all subjects experienced nonreinforced presentations of each of the two components of the compound. Results indicated that the relative degree of control exerted by the light over behavior increased with increases in light (added cue) intensity.