Concerning cases involving temporal indexicals Kaplan has argued that Fregean thoughts cannot be the bearers of cognitive significance due to the alleged fact that one can think the same thought from one occasion to the next without realizing this—thus linking the issue of cognitive significance to that of belief retention. Kaplan comes up with his own version of the Fregean strategy for accounting for belief retention that does not face this kind of a problem; but he finds it deficient because (...) it leads us to implausibly deny that one who is lost in time retains the beliefs one held before this occurred. I take issue with Kaplan though in conformity with his plausible demands about belief retention and argue that a situation does not arise in which one can fail to realize that one is thinking the same thought from one occasion to the next. I also argue that thoughts are the bearers of cognitive significance as well as explanatory of belief retention. (shrink)

Purpose The information society has developed rapidly since the end of the twentieth century. Many countries (including Australia) have been looking at ways to protect their citizens against the variety of risks associated with the continued evolution of the internet. The Australian Federal Government in 2013 proposed data retention as one possible method of protecting Australian society and aiding law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute cyber-crime. Design/methodology/approach The aim of this paper is to consider the issue of data retention (...) from a stakeholder’s perspective by analysing the public submissions garnered by the Australian Federal Government and identify the key issues and concerns that were raised by these stakeholders. The paper used a qualitative approach to undertake theme analysis. Findings The paper shows the concerns and wishes that different stakes holders have regarding data retention within Australia. Originality/value This is a unique study into implementation of data retention at a national level, in terms of the paper focussing on Australia. (shrink)

This article presents a frame of reference allowing school organization leaders to adopt an integrated and coherent set of policies and strategies likely to intervene in the phenomenon of retention of school principals. This framework urges to think about retention in a sustainable and lifelong professional development. It is based on a review of literature which proposes a set of levers covering different areas relating to human resources management such as strategic planning, professional integration, training, supervision, exchange and mutual help (...) networks and a two-way administrative and instructional digital information system. (shrink)

Until recently, retention of introns in mature mRNAs has been regarded as a consequence of mis‐splicing. Intron‐retaining transcripts are thought to be non‐functional because they are readily degraded by nonsense‐mediated decay. However, recent advances in next‐generation sequencing technologies have enabled the detection of numerous transcripts that retain introns. As we review herein, intron‐retaining mRNAs play an essential conserved role in normal physiology and an emergent role in diverse diseases. Intron retention should no longer be overlooked as a key mechanism that (...) independently reduces gene expression in normal biology. Exploring its contribution to the development and/or maintenance of diseases is of increasing importance. (shrink)

A widely accepted view in the discussion of personal identity is that the notion of psychological continuity expresses a one--many or many--one relation. This belief is unfounded. A notion of psychological continuity expresses a one--many or many--one relation only if it includes, as a constituent, psychological properties whose relation with their bearers is one--many or many--one; but the relation between an indexical psychological state and its bearer when first tokened is not a one--many or many--one relation. It follows that not (...) all types of psychological continuity may take a one--many or many--one form. This conclusion casts doubt on the Lockean approach to the issue, by showing that the notion of psychological continuity Lockeans rely on may not be available. (shrink)

Taking organisational responses to the ?organ retention scandals? in the United Kingdom and Australia as a starting point, this paper considers the role of social welfare workers within the medico-legal system. Official responses to the inquiries of the late 1990s have focused on issues of consent and process-transparency, leaving unaddressed concerns expressed by the bereaved about the impact of organ retention on both their experience of grief and on the deceased themselves. A review of grief and embodiment literature suggests that (...) such concerns are consistent with the significance of relationship, attachment and identity within grief resolution?however that last problematic term is defined. The case example of an Australian coronial jurisdiction which has attempted to deal with some of these issues through mandating the discussion of autopsy and organ retention processes by grief counsellors with bereaved families is then provided. A distinction is drawn between these discussions and the seeking of consent. The discussion concludes by considering the ambiguous nature of the social welfare role within this contested field, suggesting that this ambiguity, while perhaps a source of flexibility in practice, may itself relate to a lack of clear information about the needs of the bereaved. This paper contributes to the development of that knowledge and offers some necessarily tentative recommendations regarding social welfare practice in this challenging arena. (shrink)

Turning away from entities and focusing instead exclusively on ‘structural’ aspects of scientific theories has been advocated as a cogent response to objections levelled at realist conceptions of the aim and success of science. Physical theories whose (predictive) past successes are genuine would, in particular, share with their successors structural traits that would ultimately latch on to ‘structural’ features of the natural world. Motives for subscribing to Structural Realism are reviewed and discussed. It is argued that structural retention claims lose (...) their force if one gives up merely historical readings of the transition from Galilean-relativistic classical mechanics to the ‘special’ theory of relativity, heeding instead basic requirements that lead to their common derivation. Further cause for scepticism is found upon realising that the basic mathematical framework of quantum theory essentially reflects its predictive purpose, without any necessary input, be it of a ‘structural’ kind, from the physical world. (shrink)

This paper explores difficulties around consent in the context of organ retention and return. It addresses the proposals of the Independent Review Group in Scotland on the Retention of Organs at Post Mortem to speak of authorisation rather than consent. Practical problems about whose consent determines disputes in relation to organ retention are explored. If a young child dies and his mother refuses consent but his father agrees what should ensue? Should the expressed wishes of a deceased adult override the (...) objections of surviving relatives? The paper suggests much broader understanding of the issues embedded in organ retention is needed to provide solutions which truly meet families' and society's needs. (shrink)