Hong Kong can develop its capitalist system only under the framework of the “One China,Two Systems” policy1

Hong Kong is an administrative and economic entity under the sovereignty of the People s Republic of China, and has developed to be an international center for finance, trade and shipping for history reasons and international favor. Essentially, the local political system adopted by Hong Kong is that of a non-sovereign state as well as a non-political entity. In terms of its makeup, the political system is neither entirely occidental nor completely oriental but an administrative dominative system developed according to Hong Kong  s peculiar characteristics, which has been proved to be effective. It was true when the United Kingdom held the reins of power and it still continues since its territory was returned to the People s Republic of China.     

Internal validation study of the PowerPlex® Y23 system

The PowerPlex Y23 System is a 23-loci, 5-color Y-STR multiplex designed for genotyping forensic casework samples, database samples and paternity samples. The kit contains: all 12 loci in the current PowerPlex Y System, the additional 5 loci found in AmpFlSTR Y-filer, plus 6 new loci. An internal validation study of the PowerPlex Y23 kit was therefore conducted including the following aspects: sensitivity, mixture studies of male–male and female–male DNA, performance with simulated inhibition and stutter calculations. 100 Caucasians living in Switzerland were also typed using the PowerPlex Y23 kit.     

Another victim of the ＂banana war＂： Some reflections on the status of the principle of liability in the absence of unlawful conduct in the community legal system

Articles 235 and 288 second paragraph EC provide remedies for damages caused by Community institutions, to individuals, legal bodies or States that concern legal obligations outside the scope of contractual relations. Although it did not receive any real application, the principle of liability in the absence of fault is mentioned by the Court in a couple of cases. This article seeks to explore this principle in its due context and in the light of comparative law. To that effect, it is first necessary to make a short recall of the historical case law in this field, to analyze afterwards the latest jurisprudential developments （FIAMM/FEDON case）, and finally to consider the future prospects of this principle in the Community law through two options. One alternative would be to adopt more lenient conditions for the application of Community＇s liability for fault and notably a progressive abandon of the current serious fault regime and the adoption of the simple fault regime. Another option would be to remove the tort nature from the no-fault liability and to move from the reparation of damage to a compensation for the breach of the equality.     

Why football players may benefit from the ‘shadow of the transfer system’

Transfer restrictions have a long tradition in professional sports but came under heavy attack in recent years (e.g. Bosman ruling, Monti system). Based on a bargaining model with stochastic player productivity, we show that less restrictive transfer rules reallocate ex post bargaining power from players to clubs. This reallocation is efficient and in the ex ante self-interest of players. The right to charge transfer fees enables clubs to insure their players. The players, in turn, benefit by converting risky future income into riskless current income. Overall, player utility is higher under more than under less restrictive transfer rules.

its value and the reali

7个月前,哈尔滨市某医院的产科病房。伴随着一阵阵强有力的啼哭声,一个可爱的男婴来到这个世界,令初为父母的“夫妻俩”喜极而泣……7个月后,同样是在这家医院的儿科病房,却传出男孩母亲撕心裂肺般的呼喊。原来,“丈夫”竟然抱走了7个月大的儿子一去不返……这个曾在医护人员眼     

Genetic profile of the Açores Archipelago population using the new PowerPlex 16 system kit

Allele and haplotype frequencies of 16 chromosome STR loci, 15 of them included in the Kit PowerPlex16 System from Promega were determined in a sample of unrelated males from the A?ores Archipelago. All subjects were subjected to an interview in order to make sure that their ancestors belonged to the same island at least back to three generations. This way we intended to look for possible inter-islands differences. PowerPlex16 includes STRs not studied before in the A?ores population. The Kit includes two new allele markers (Penta D and Penta E), which proved to be extremely useful for paternity testing (PD=0.921 and 0.971, respectively). The study revealed that the A?ores population is considerable different from the previous studied Madeira population, but does not differ from that of the north Portugal. Nevertheless, some loci presented alleles not previously reported for Portugal.     

The way from Lomé A system of customs preferences in the period of economic crisis

In his contribution the author deals with the topical range of problems with the legacy of the most significant customs and political phenomenon of the 20th century, with the spirit of Lom6 manifesting itself in the General System of Customs Preferences （GSP）. The idea of solidarity incorporated in the form of common bodies and common decision process, in the conditions of the financial crisis changed to a real menace to the European Union financial stability.     

More than the sum of its parts? Itemizing impairment in civil cases

Purpose. The purpose of the present study is to determine whether making multiple damage awards influenced civil mock jurors' assessments of those damage awards. Specifically, how does making one decision for pain and suffering damage awards versus two decisions (one for mental pain and suffering and physical pain and suffering) versus four decisions (one for loss of enjoyment of life, mental anguish, disfigurement, and physical disability/impairment) influence overall non‐economic damage awards. Methods. One hundred twenty undergraduates from a psychology participant pool read a case vignette that included information regarding four types of injuries that the plaintiff endured: loss of enjoyment of life, mental anguish, disfigurement, and physical disability/impairment. Participants were randomly assigned to render either one award for pain and suffering, two awards (one for physical pain and suffering and one for mental pain and suffering), or four awards (one for each pain and suffering element). Results. Results indicated that participants who rendered four awards provided significantly higher overall non‐economic damage awards than participants who provided one overall award. The variability of damage awards also increased as the number of damage awards increased. Conclusions. Itemizing non‐economic damage awards into distinct injury categories can lead to an increase in overall non‐economic awards. Members of the legal arena should be cautioned against itemizing damages to prevent variability in non‐economic awards.     

Genetic population data of 12 STR loci of the PowerPlex Y system in the state of São Paulo population (Southeast of Brazil)

Allele frequency distributions and population data for 12 Y-chromosomal short tandem repeats (STRs) included in the PowerPlex^®Y Systems (Promega) were obtained for a sample of 200 healthy unrelated males living in São Paulo State (Southeast of Brazil). A total of 192 haplotypes were identified, of which 184 were unique and 8 were found in 2 individuals. The average gene diversity of the 12 Y-STR was 0.6746 and the haplotype diversity was 0.9996. Pairwise analysis confirmed that our population is more similar with the Italy, North Portugal and Spain, being more distant of the Japan.     

Legal professionals’ knowledge and experience of autistic adults in the family justice system

Abstract

Access to justice is a key theme in the family justice system, especially for those with particular vulnerabilities. Autism, a development condition characterised by difficulties in social communication and interaction, and the presence of rigid, repetitive behaviours, presents particular challenges in this area. This paper reports the findings of a mixed-methods study with legal professionals working in the family justice system, asking about their knowledge of autism, their perceived self-efficacy when working with autistic clients, and their experience of cases involving autistic litigants. The study reports high levels of knowledge, but low levels of confidence, by legal professionals (N = 204), and addresses the experiences of particular cases in follow-up discussions (N = 10). The paper concludes by making a series of recommendations for legal professionals to assist autistic people to engage fully in family court proceedings.     

The use of the M-Vac® wet-vacuum system as a method for DNA recovery

Collecting sufficient template DNA from a crime scene sample is often challenging, especially with low quantity samples such as touch DNA (tDNA). Traditional DNA collection methods such as double swabbing have limitations, in particular when used on certain substrates which can be found at crime scenes, thus a better collection method is advantageous. Here, the effectiveness of the M-Vac® Wet-Vacuum System is evaluated as a method for DNA recovery on tiles and bricks. It was found that the M-Vac® recovered 75% more DNA than double swabbing on bricks. However, double swabbing collected significantly more DNA than the M-Vac® on tiles. Additionally, it was found that cell-free DNA is lost in the filtration step of M-Vac® collection. In terms of peak height and number of true alleles detected, no significant difference was found between the DNA profiles obtained through M-Vac® collection versus double swabbing of tDNA depositions from 12 volunteers on bricks. The results demonstrate that the M-Vac® has potential for DNA collection from porous surfaces such as bricks, but that alterations to the filter apparatus would be beneficial to increase the amount of genetic material collected for subsequent DNA profiling. These results are anticipated to be a starting point to validate the M-Vac® as a DNA collection device, providing an alternative method when DNA is present on a difficult substrate, or if traditional DNA collection methods have failed.     

An investigation into the use of a portable cyanoacrylate fuming system (SUPERfume®) and aluminum powder for the development of latent fingermarks

Abstract: Few techniques offer “in situ” methods of friction ridge skin mark development. “In situ” development reduces mark transportation, degradation, and often cost. The effectiveness of cyanoacrylate fuming using the SUPERfume^® and dusting with aluminum powder for latent fingermark development on several nonporous surfaces, stored in various temperature environments for time periods up to 52 weeks, was investigated. Five thousand and four hundred latent fingermarks were deposited under controlled conditions and graded. The results suggested that cyanoacrylate fuming (SUPERfume^®, Foster and Freeman, U.K.) was more effective at developing latent fingermarks on textured and smooth plastic surfaces and for marks stored in temperatures of 37°C, whereas aluminum powder was more effective on glass, enameled metal paint, and varnished wood, and for storage temperatures below 20°C. There were no significant benefits to using either technique for marks older than 24 h, but it was possible to develop fingermarks following 52 weeks of storage using both techniques.     

Deterioration or refinement? Impacts of an increasing number of lawyers on the lawyer discipline system in Japan

This paper discusses the impacts of an increasing number of lawyers (bengoshi) on the lawyer discipline system in Japan. Due to a relatively small number of lawyers up until the 1990s, few people, including citizens and lawyers themselves, cared about the misconduct of lawyers. However, there appears to be a recent change in this tendency. The sudden increase in the number of lawyers after the Justice System Reform in 2001 focused citizens’ awareness on quality in the practice of law. Some lawyers claim that the increase in the number of young lawyers has deteriorated the quality of legal services, thereby damaging public trust in lawyers. In this paper, I analyze lawyer discipline cases from 1988 to 2015 that are available to the public. The result shows that while the number of disciplinary cases actually has increased since 2004, it is not young lawyers but primarily experienced senior members who have contributed to the increase. In conclusion, I argue that an increase in lawyer discipline is a positive phenomenon for the Japanese bar in developing detailed ethical standards, thereby providing better legal services.     

Consent or Property? Dealing with the Body and its Parts in the Shadow of Bristol and Alder Hey

This article first considers the tenuous base on which the law of property in the body is founded, and then discusses the practical results of this in the light of the recent furore surrounding events at Bristol and Alder Hey. The authors suggest that neither the consent-based model followed by the official inquiries into these events nor a possible policy based on a full-blown property model adequately cover the private rights of an individual's next of kin or the right of the public to an efficient and reliable pathological service within the NHS. Rather, they propose that a combined model in which a 'cascade of possession' for the recognition of various property interests is initiated by assent on the part of the next of kin and terminates in full possession of the body vested in the executor for the purposes of its disposal. The authors recommend further that any reform of the law should apply property rights to body parts taken from both the living and the dead.     

Intimate partner violence against women. Does violence decrease after the entry of the alleged offender into the criminal justice system?

Intimate partner violence(IPV)is simultaneously assumed as a serious crime and a major public health issue,having recurrences as one of its main characteristics and,consequently,re-entries of some alleged offenders in the criminal justice system(CJS).The main goal of this study is to assess if in cases of female victims of IPV,violence decreases after the first entry of the alleged offender in the CJS.A retrospective study was performed based on the analysis of police reports of alleged cases of IPV during a 4-year period.The final sample(n=1488)was divided into two groups according to the number of entries in the CJS(single or multiple)followed by a comparative approach.Results suggest that violence decreases after the first entry of alleged offenders in the CJS.Re-entries were found in only 15.5%of the cases but they were accountable for 3.3 times more crimes on average.Besides,victims of recidivism presented more injuries and required more medical care.Thus,a small group of alleged offenders seems to be more violent and accountable for most of the IPV crimes registered in the CJS suggesting that regardless of legal sanctions aiming to deter violence,these measures may not be enough for a certain group of offenders.This study sustains the need for a predictive model to quantify the risk of repeated IPV cases within the Portuguese population.     

A broken system? Examining the perilous state of quality assurance in crime scene practice

Quality assurance in crime scene practice is an underdeveloped and underexamined field despite the cruciality attributed to scene work in achieving criminal justice goals. Formulation of robust strategies has been a shortcoming of oversight bodies, with a marked history of failure to address scene-specific requirements. This paper explores quality assurance mechanisms in the United Kingdom (UK) in order to uncover the longstanding status quo, and sustained challenges facing quality control regimes both on an organisational and personal level. Recommendations on a change in policy, implementation and philosophy are examined to assist with the formulation of effective quality assurance schemes in crime scene practice and align it closer to its laboratory counterparts.     

Effects of purchaser competition in the Dutch health system: is the glass half full or half empty?

In 2006, the Dutch health insurance system was radically reformed to strengthen competition among health insurers as purchasers of health services. This article considers whether purchaser competition has improved efficiency in health-care provision. Although supply and price regulation still dominates the allocation of health services, purchaser competition has already significantly affected the provision of hospital care, pharmaceuticals and primary care, as well as efforts to gather and disseminate information about quality of care. From this perspective, the glass is half full. However, based on the crude performance indicators available, the reforms have not yet demonstrated significant effects on the performance of the Dutch health system. From this perspective the glass is half empty. The article concludes that the effectiveness of purchaser competition depends crucially on the success of ongoing efforts to improve performance indicators, product classification and the risk equalisation scheme.