Impacts of Aggregation on Relative Performances of Nonsurvey Updating Techniques And Intertemporal Stability of Input–Output Coefficients

In many instances, and for variety of reasons, input–output researchers are compelled to both employ mechanical techniques to update older survey-based tables as well as using more aggregated ones. This combination, however, gives rise to several concerns. The present paper is an attempt to investigate two such questions. First, the effects of aggregation on the accuracy ranking of selected updating methods, and second, the effects of aggregation on intertemporal stability of the input–output coefficients. To probe these issues, three updating methods were selected. These methods are NAÏVE or constant coefficient hypothesis, RAS or biproportional method, and LaGrangian optimization technique. Two survey-based tables from the former Soviet Union along with the selected updating techniques are used to generate updated target year’s direct and inverse transaction matrices at four aggregation levels. Comparison of the resultant estimates at these four levels of aggregation with their counterparts in the actual benchmark table reveals that a higher level of aggregation neither affects the rankings of the updating methods nor does it universally and unequivocally leads to a higher degree of intertemporal stability of input–output coefficients.     

Revisions to the requirements applicable to blood, blood components and source plasma. Direct final rule

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is amending the biologics regulations by removing, revising, or updating specific regulations applicable to blood, blood components and Source Plasma to be more consistent with current practices in the blood industry and to remove unnecessary or outdated requirements. We are taking this action as part of our continuing effort to reduce the burden of unnecessary regulations on industry and to revise outdated regulations without diminishing public health protection. Elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register, we are publishing a companion proposed rule under our usual procedures for notice and comment in the event that we receive any significant adverse comments on the direct final rule. If we receive any significant adverse comments that warrant terminating the direct final rule, we will consider such comments on the proposed rule in developing the final rule.     

HPLC simultaneous determination of glycerol and mannitol in human tissues for forensic analysis

A method for simultaneous determination of glycerol and mannitol in various human tissues was devised and for this we used high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Specimens were homogenized in a mixture of chloroform and methanol, phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) and pentaerythritol (IS) solution. After centrifugation, an aliquot of the aqueous layer was evaporated to dryness and derivatized with p-nitrobenzoyl chloride at 50 degrees C for 1h, then applied to HPLC with analytical conditions of: column, CAPCELL PAK C18 MG (250 mm x 3.0 mm i.d., 5 microm, Shiseido Co. Ltd., Tokyo, Japan); column temperature, 1-2 degrees C; mobile phase, 75% acetonitrile-distilled water containing 0.05% trifluoroacetic acid, 0.05% heptafluoro-n-butyric acid and 0.1% triethylamine; flow rate, 0.5 ml/min; wavelength, 260 nm. Calibration curves for both substances were linear in concentration ranges from 1 to 500 microg/0.1g and correlation coefficients exceeded 0.99. The relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) of the method was evaluated at concentrations of 10 and 100 microg/0.1g, and ranged from 0.84 to 10.6%. Using this method, we determined the regional distribution levels of glycerol and mannitol in various tissues from an autopsied brain dead man.     

The Effects of Burning and Mold Growth on the Chemical Composition of Firelog Fuels

Firelogs consist of a cellulosic material, such as sawdust or wood particles, and a combustible binder (fuel). Historically, the fuel typically consisted of a petroleum‐based (paraffin) wax; however, some manufacturers now include vegetable oils in their firelog fuels. To determine fuel composition, fuels from various brands of firelogs were extracted and analyzed by high‐temperature gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (HTGC‐MS) and a GC‐MS with a polar column specific for the analysis of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs). Firelogs were also burned, allowed to grow mold, and analyzed by GC‐MS to determine the effects that burning and mold growth have on firelog fuel composition. Mold did not tend to preferentially degrade any of the fatty acids. Burning caused a decrease in the relative amount of all of the fatty acids present in the vegetable oil fuel, with a greater effect on unsaturated fatty acids than saturated ones.     

Optimal control of linear econometric models with intermittent controls

Dynamic Programming is used to derive the optimal feedback solution to the minimization of a quadratic welfare loss-functional subject to a linear econometric model, when the value of some instrument variables can not be optimized in every model period, but only in single ones. In this way, the relative inertia of fiscal policy-making, as compared to monetary policy-making, can e.g. be taken into account. Analytical expressions are derived for the optimal feedback rules and for the minimum expected losses, and iterative schemes are proposed for their numerical computation. It is suggested that a numerical analysis of the economic gain to be realized by making more frequent adjustment of fiscal policy variables than is actually undertaken could yield valuable information for policy-makers.     

Authentication of Surveillance Videos: Detecting Frame Duplication Based on Residual Frame

Nowadays, surveillance systems are used to control crimes. Therefore, the authenticity of digital video increases the accuracy of deciding to admit the digital video as legal evidence or not. Inter‐frame duplication forgery is the most common type of video forgery methods. However, many existing methods have been proposed for detecting this type of forgery and these methods require high computational time and impractical. In this study, we propose an efficient inter‐frame duplication detection algorithm based on standard deviation of residual frames. Standard deviation of residual frame is applied to select some frames and ignore others, which represent a static scene. Then, the entropy of discrete cosine transform coefficients is calculated for each selected residual frame to represent its discriminating feature. Duplicated frames are then detected exactly using subsequence feature analysis. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed method is effective to identify inter‐frame duplication forgery with localization and acceptable running time.     

Revisions to the requirements applicable to blood, blood components, and source plasma. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Public Health Service (PHS), Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Direct final rule

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is amending the biologics regulations by removing, revising, or updating specific regulations applicable to blood, blood components, and Source Plasma to be more consistent with current practices in the blood industry and to remove unnecessary or outdated requirements. FDA is issuing these amendments directly as a final rule because they are noncontroversial and there is little likelihood that FDA will receive any significant comments opposing the rule. Elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register, FDA is publishing a proposed rule under FDA's usual procedures for notice and comment in the event the agency receives any significant adverse comments. If FDA receives any significant adverse comment sufficient to terminate the direct final rule, FDA will consider such comments on the proposed rule in developing the final rule. FDA is issuing this rule as part of the agency's "Blood Initiative" in which FDA is reviewing and revising, when appropriate, its regulations, policies, guidance, and procedures related to blood, blood components, and Source Plasma.     

Narcotics and crime: A causal modeling approach

The present study examines the relationships between narcotics use and criminality utilizing a confirmatory structural equation modeling approach. Latentvariable and manifest-variable models are used to represent causal relationships between narcotics use and criminality in both the postaddiction and the pretreatment periods of the addiction career. Latent-variable models include a preexisting deviance construct as an exogenous factor, and manifest-variable models include a measure of drug trafficking, or dealing, as an influencing variable. Both inclusions are made as an attempt to minimize specification error in the models. The results are consistent in showing that, while simultaneous relationships between narcotics and criminality are clearly demonstrable, the prediction of either variable from the other across time cannot be demonstrated. It is concluded that causal relationships between narcotics and criminality are probably not characterized by an appreciable or identifiable time lag. Other theoretical considerations suggested by the modeling results are discussed, such as the role of idiosyncratic approaches to the economics of maintaining addition.     

SPE-HPLC分析全血中37种药（毒）物

目的建立全血中37种常见药(毒)物的固相萃取-高效液相色谱(SPE-HPLC)分析方法。方法以多沙普仑为内标,0.5mL全血经Oasis小柱固相萃取后,用HPLC进行分析,内源性物质不干扰测定。色谱柱采用LiChrospher!100RP-C18柱(250mm×4.0mm×5μm);二极管阵列检测器,检测波长为230nm和250nm,同时进行紫外扫描;柱温50℃。结果37种药(毒)物的绝对回收率除吗啡外均大于61.68%;日内及日间精密度均小于10%;检测限1～30ng/mL;线性相关系数在0.99798以上。结论本法快速、灵敏、重现性好,可用于实际案例中多种药(毒)物的分析。     

The Future of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in the DSM

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), added to the DSM nosology in 1980, has become a widely used and studied psychiatric diagnosis—though it has also been the subject of much criticism and controversy. In this paper, we review and discuss a number of issues related to the future of PTSD within the DSM, including the conceptual basis of the disorder, summary of proposed changes to DSM-V, the empirical basis for or against specific disorder criteria, forensic implications, and conclusions and recommendations regarding the future of the disorder in DSM. Overall, the current proposed changes for DSM-V represent a modest improvement over DSM-IV criteria, though they are incremental and relatively minor in nature. As such, they are unlikely to have a meaningful impact on prevalence rates, treatment approaches, or forensic applications of the disorder—and the disorder, as defined, remains problematic in many ways. The empirical data on latent structure of responses to traumatic and general life stressors seem to indicate that perhaps PTSD should be replaced by a dimensional general stress response disorder within the DSM system.     

Physiological variations in blood ethanol measurements during the post-absorptive state

Specimens of arterial plasma and venous whole blood were obtained at 3-10 min intervals during the post-peak phase of ethanol metabolism in healthy volunteers. The concentrations of ethanol in blood and plasma were determined by headspace gas chromatography. This method had a standard deviation of 0.28 mg/dl for whole blood and 0.26 mg/dl for plasma and the coefficients of variation were 0.43% and 0.79% respectively. The physiological variation from time-to-time, expressed as the residual standard deviation after fitting the ethanol concentration-time regression relationships, ranged from 0.43-3.7 mg/dl (0.65-16%). The time-to-time variations in concentrations of ethanol were maximum when there were problems in getting an unimpeded flow of blood through the indwelling catheters. The results do not support the existence of sporadic fluctuations or spiking in the blood alcohol concentration-time profile during the post-absorptive state. Instead, this study underscores the need to control carefully the method of sampling blood and in this way keep pre-analytical sources of variation to a minimum.     

Revision of requirements applicable to albumin (human), plasma protein fraction (human), and immune globulin (human). Food and Drug Administration, HHS. Direct final rule

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is amending the biologics regulations by removing, revising, or updating specific regulations applicable to blood derivative products to be more consistent with current practices and to remove unnecessary or outdated requirements. FDA is issuing these amendments directly as a final rule because the agency believes they are noncontroversial and that there is little likelihood that there will be comments opposing the rule. Elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register, FDA is publishing a proposed rule under FDA's usual procedures for notice and comment in the event the agency receives any significant adverse comments. If any significant adverse comment is received sufficient to terminate the direct final rule within 30 days after the comment period ends, FDA will consider such comments on the proposed rule in developing the final rule. FDA is issuing this rule as part of the agency's "blood initiative" in which FDA is reviewing and revising, when appropriate, its regulations, policies, guidance, and procedures related to blood products, including plasma derivatives.     

直接进样气相色谱法测定全血中乙醇的含量

目的建立一种直接进样气相色谱法检测全血中的乙醇。方法全血经硫酸铝钾沉淀蛋白,加入内标异丙醇后,用直接进样气相色谱法进行检测,FID为检测器,用保留时间定性,内标标准曲线法定量。结果该方法线性范围为0.2-1.4mg/m L,相关系数R=0.999 3,总分析时间不超过5min,最低检测限为0.01mg/m L,相对标准偏差（RSD）〈5%,平均回收率为92.3%;所建立的方法与顶空气相色谱（HS-GC）法比较相对偏差（RD）〈10%。结论该方法可用于全血中乙醇的检测。     

CRIMINAL INVOLVEMENT OF FEMALE OFFENDERS

Two theoretical approaches tend to dominate the literature on the manner in which exoffenders reintegrate into society. These are the structural and subcultural models. The structural model (Merton, 1938; Cloward and Ohlin, 1960: Ohlin, 1970) posits that closing of the legitimate opportunity structure leads to secondary deviation and it also traces initial criminality to a discrepancy between means and ends for achieving success goals. The subcultural model (Cohen, 1955; Pownall, 1969) views the primary factors explaining the failure of the exoffender to adjust to society as influences exerted by the criminal subculture. These have traditionally been treated as competing theoretical models. The research reported here sought to evaluate these two approaches and to combine them in an applied framework called differential integration. Data on 874 exoffenders provided with job placements during 1976 show that structural variables tended to differentiate the employment outcomes of exoffenders much more than subcultural variables and that there is partial support for the differential integration concept .     

Is SADC an optimal currency area? Evidence from the generalized purchasing power parity test

In this paper we investigate the likelihood of a proposed monetary union in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) from the view point of the generalized purchasing power parity (GPPP) hypothesis and optimum currency area theory. We apply Johansen’s multivariate co-integration technique. The findings from this study confirm that GPPP holds among SADC member countries included in this study on account of cointegration and stationarity in real exchange rate series. South African rand normalized long run beta coefficients of all the real exchange rates are below one except in the case of the Mauritian rupee and all bear negative signs except in the case of the Angolan New Kwanza and Mauritian rupee. This is evidence that supports monetary union in the region except for Angola and Mauritius. Moreover, the panel cointegration tests also confirm the cointegration among real exchange rate series of SADC countries. However, the absolute magnitudes of the short run adjustment coefficients of SADC countries’ real exchange rates are low and bear positive signs in some cases. This finding implies that the observed slow speed of adjustment for (log) real exchange rate of SADC member states might constrain the effectiveness of stabilization policies in the wake of external shocks, rendering SADC countries vulnerable to macroeconomic instability in the region. This result has important policy implications for the proposed monetary union in SADC.     

经营城市与执政为民

城市管理中经营城市理念的引进,在推进中国城市现代化发展的同时,也出现了一些偏向,将市场经营观念与为民意识协调的问题迫切地提了出来。为防止经营城市中的种种偏向,城市经营中必须坚持执政为民。而做到执政为民,在城市经营中政府必须坚持市场调节为基础、以人民至上为根本、以依法办事为保证,积极履行职能。     

情势变更原则在建设工程合同中的适用——德国建筑私法实践及其对我国的启示

交易基础障碍制度在德国民法学说史上历经百余年的发展锤炼,渐以成熟完善,并于2002年债法改革后法典化。其相比于我国的情势变更原则具有更加广泛的内涵与外延,在适用标准的界定上殊值借鉴。具体到建设工程施工合同领域中,需要首先通过合同解释规则确定合同约定的内容,其次要将合同约定的风险承担和法定的风险划分进行剥离,再次需要个案判断情势的变化是否"重大",最后要严格把握"不可苛求"、"牺牲临界"的标准。当事人主张适用交易基础障碍制度,首先须提出调整方案,调整的目的并非在于重置合同当事人之间的等价关系,而仅在于结束一方当事人"不可苛求"的履行状态;调整不成或债权人拒绝调整的,遭受不利益的一方当事人有权请求解除合同。     

Forensic psychiatry and malpractice

This paper concerning the last 87 malpractice cases referred to the Department of Psychiatry and Law, Menninger Clinic, includes 57 suits against mental health practitioners and/or institutions, and 30 nonpsychiatric suits against general hospitals, surgeons, obstetricians, etc. A patient was available for interview in only 12 percent of the psychiatric cases; in 88 percent we reviewed medical records and consulted with attorneys. In the psychiatric cases the crucial question was whether a generally accepted standard of care was breached. The inherent problems of applying appropriate criteria to standards of care by practitioners and institutions are discussed. In half the psychiatric cases we found no significant deviation from acceptable clinical performance; in half we concluded that negligent practice had occurred. We did see a litigant for evaluation in 90 percent of the nonpsychiatric cases. The main issue involving them concerned harm or disability related to presumed negligence by medical personnel. How we evaluate such cases and apply disability criteria is discussed.     

DOING GENDER: SORTING OUT THE CASTE AND CRIME CONUNDRUM*

Theories that examine the relationship between inequality and crime typically privilege one system of stratification over others. In criminology, the system most often assumed to be primary is social class, but other approaches may emphasize gender or racial oppression to account for observed differences in offending patterns. Few, however, systematically link gender and race oppression as moderating etiological variables in the study of crime. From the theoretical and empirical literature on this subject, we discuss (1) how “hegemonic” masculinities and femininities are framed within social institutions such as work, the family, peer group, and schools; (2) how “doing gender” within these sites is modified by race; and (3) anticipated relationships among social structure, social action, and delinquency. Self-report data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth are used to test research hypotheses. Chow interaction tests and comparisons of slope coefficients reveal that gender and race modify independent-variable effects on property and violent delinquency.     

YOUTH CRIME IN POSTINDUSTRIAL SOCIETIES An Integrated Perspective

Taking a few well-known facts about youth crime, the authors propose a more comprehensive theoretical framework, synthesizing other theories and attempting to describe the link between macro- and microdeviance analysis. Employing Durkheim's concepts of social integration, it is proposed that integration be viewed through patterns of role relationships. When adolescents have meaningful kin, community, educational, and work role relationships, they become socialized to the dominant norms. Conditions in the structural level of society affect the nature and quality of these relationships. Youth crime is specifically related to the salience of the peer relationships and the structural conditions imposed by the society on youth.