Stepping Up to the Plate: Minor Leaguers Attempt to Remedy their Unconscionable Plight

Professional baseball players are often thought of as making multi-million-dollar salaries, but most professional baseball players have recently made under $15,000 a year. Minor league players toiled under an onerous system resulting from baseball's judicially created antitrust exemption and lobbying efforts that exempted them from minimum wage and overtime. These factors allowed teams to impose a uniform player contract (UPC) on players with numerous unconscionable provisions for years. However, a late-night Tweet in August of 2022 sent shockwaves through the sports and labor world, announcing that the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) was sending out authorization cards to represent minor league players. After years of fighting to maintain the authority to impose conditions on minor league players, through lobbying and litigation, Major League Baseball (MLB) turned over a new leaf and recognized the unionization of minor league players under the MLBPA less than three weeks later. In light of this long sought-after recognition, this article takes a novel approach. First, it provides historical context for baseball's unique ability to impose working conditions on minor leaguers without significant concern for legal ramifications. Second, it provides an overview of the doctrine of contractual unconscionability and analyzes the prior UPC as an unconscionable agreement. Finally, it details the historic unionization process and makes detailed recommendations to ameliorate the unconscionable conditions minor league players have faced when they negotiate with MLB owners to draft their initial collective bargaining agreement.     

Improved Area of Origin Estimation for Bloodstain Pattern Analysis Using 3D Scanning

An important component of crime scene reconstruction is bloodstain pattern analysis (BPA). Where BPA concerns impact patterns, estimating the area of origin is critical information for scene reconstruction. Traditionally, this is achieved by measuring individual bloodstains and performing trigonometric calculations; however, 3D scanning has been proposed as a viable alternative for overcoming logistical and practical concerns with the manual method. Therefore, this project aimed to establish whether the FARO Focus 3D scanner and FARO Zone 3D software can improve the accuracy of area of origin estimates relative to the manual method. We created a series of eight bloodstain impact patterns and performed paired analysis using the two methods to estimate areas of origin for each pattern. Our data suggested that FARO-derived estimates were generally more accurate than using the manual method. FARO-estimated heights of origin areas were generally closer to the true distance. Both methods underestimated the distance from the wall for most patterns originating 150mm or greater from the wall, but overestimated distances for patterns originating closer to the wall. The degree to which distances were underestimated increased significantly the further the blood source was from the wall and was greater for FARO-derived estimates. The results of this research contribute to the validation of these instruments for operational implementation for BPA and should be considered alongside the practical benefits of 3D scanning relative to manual methods. Further, 3D scanning can provide reliable BPA reconstruction documentation for technical review and court presentation.     

QuEChERS-LC/MS快速检测兽用麻药“舒泰”

目的本文对兽药"舒泰"中有效成分进行了结构确证,并建立了生物检材中替来他明和唑拉西泮的快速检验方法。方法在血液和尿液的生物检材中,通过加标实验,经QuEChERS萃取后,进行LC/MS对替来他明和唑拉西泮的定性定量检测分析。结果在血液和尿液的生物样品的加标实验中,替来他明的RSD%在0.5%~3.5%,唑拉西泮的RSD在0.5%~1.1%;替来他明的回收率在75.8%~100.3%,唑拉西泮的回收率在68.8%~76.6%,其中血液中替来他明的方法检出限为0.16ng/mL,尿液中为0.20ng/mL,唑拉西泮在血液中的方法检出限0.17ng/mL,尿液中为0.22ng/mL。结论建立的QuEChERS萃取方法,操作流程简便,方法重现性好,只需100μL取样量,更适合于痕量生物检材中替来他明和唑拉西泮的检验分析。     

全覆盖预算绩效管理的内容建构和路径探讨

经济新常态下,预算绩效管理已不再仅是对支出效率评估的工具,而是成为了实现国家治理现代化的保障机制。全覆盖预算绩效管理作为构建预算绩效管理体系的重要组成部分,以目标导向为原则,一方面旨在弥补传统预算绩效中存在的问题,另一方旨在构建起包括一般公共预算绩效管理体系、其它政府预算绩效管理体系和解决政府与社会企业的"五种合作模式"存在的部分问题的预算绩效管理体系。为推动全覆盖预算绩效管理的践行,应积极推进全覆盖与全方位预算绩效管理格局紧密配合、与全过程预算绩效管理链条有机联动的路径机制。同时,弥补全覆盖预算绩效管理相关的法律不足、建立健全全覆盖预算绩效考评监督体系等相关配套措施的顶层设计,从而推进"绩效管理平面化"向"绩效管理立体化"转变、实现财政支出效率和预算绩效管理的战略规划目标。     

Red Tape,Rule Burden,and Legitimate Performance Trade-Offs: Results from a Vignette Experiment

Abstract

Goals in the public sector are complex and managers can face situations in which pursuing one legitimate goal necessitates performance trade-offs in other areas. This study tests how knowledge of legitimate performance trade-offs shapes the perception of red tape. Using a vignette experimental design and a sample of university students, between group t-tests and regression analyses suggest that, when evaluating increased rule burden, individuals that are provided with information about how objectively burdensome rules serve alternative values such as equity and effectiveness associate them with lower levels of red tape. A series of Monte Carlo simulations suggest that this effect is substantial.     

CIS原理与政府形象设计

政府形象设计是政府形象管理的重要环节。借鉴CIS原理将企业CIS的设计和运作导入政府形象设计中,以政府行政理念为指导,通过提升政府行为和完善政府外在特征来提高政府在公众心目中的评价,把政府的理念、行为与视觉形象统一起来,使政府形象系统化。     

程序的多重视角

程序是法学(法律)的一个独立范畴。由于语境不同,中西方对“程序”的理解有较大的差异,国内学者对法律程序进行解释时存在误读现象。完整地认识程序,需要完整的观察视角。只有从人权、法治、民主和经济等多元视角来诠释法律程序的价值和功能,才可能较完整地认识实体权利和程序权利的相互关系。