出口信用保险立法的制衡问题

当前中国的出口信用保险体系出现了贸易融资方式加速创新等新特点,加深了对我国出口信用保险立法进程及制度建构问题的拷问。对出口信用保险进行立法设计,关键需要进行四个方面的制衡考量:首先是资金注入及盈亏制衡;其次要针对WTO贸易政策审查中敏感度较高的出口信贷担保进行预警,尽量设计能获得豁免对待的、满足"君子协定"相关条件的条款,并最终为加入该"君子协定"做好准备;再次是对目前银保合作的推动和监管应充分关注并吸纳相关国际金融软法立法机构和伯尔尼协会的有益建议;最后,随着几大重要的国际区域性投资协定的谈判开启,我国必须通过对海外投资险进行立法协同从而和相关的国际投资利益进行博弈制衡。     

论青少年不良群体的成因和对策——根据群体动力学原理

预防青少年不良群体的形成以及减少他们对社会的危害 ,一直以来都是教育工作者和社会工作者所关注的问题。依据社会心理学的群体动力理论 ,分析青少年中不良群体的形成原因和他们可能造成的危害 ,并就防止不良群体对青少年造成负面影响提出治理措施 ,是一种能够较好地瓦解青少年中已经形成的不良群体的有效方法     

Pandora's box: Women guards in men's prisons

The assignment of women guards to security positions in men's prisons in the United States is increasingly a correctional reality. This article considers the problems these women face in entering a previously all-male, “front-line” occupation. The discussion focuses on (1) how well female officers meet the security demands of security work, (2) the nature of, and basis for, difficulties in relating to male co-workers, and (3) occupational socialization and advancement. Drawing on available empirical and anecdotal data on women officers in male prisons and on the more general prison guard literature, the intent is to present what is known about these women officers. A research agenda is offered to guide inquiry into the problems of the sexual integration of correctional institutions.     

On assessing the mood of the public toward the police: Some conceptual issues

The use of attitudinal surveys has become a widely accepted method for the incorporation of public opinion in public policy decisions. Because of the assumption that the interpretation of such surveys is straightforward and clear, little critical attention has been devoted to the methodological and theoretical problems encountered when translating these findings into public policy. A case in point involves the proliferation of surveys aimed at assessing the mood of the public toward the police. A review of the literature reveals that the research findings about the public mood are contradictory and thus lack convergent validity. The findings of this study indicate that this lack of convergent validity in the images of the public toward the police can be explained on both methodological and theoretical grounds. More specifically, the findings indicate that the mood of the public is very different depending on the level of specificity of the items used to tap that mood. Items eliciting evaluations of a general nature show the public as supportive of the police, while items of a specific nature show much less public support. This apparent paradox is explained through the use of a theoretical framework developed by Easton (1965), which emphasizes diffuse and specific support as external influences on institutions.     

The Assignment Convention: how will it affect IP licensors?

The Assignment Convention designed to liberalize the marketfor credit and to increase the ability of businesses to raisecredit on the back of their income flow, may be set to havea negative impact on IP owners/licensors.     

Roadside detection of impairment under the influence of ketamine--evaluation of ketamine impairment symptoms with reference to its concentration in oral fluid and urine

Although there are many roadside testing devices available for the screening of abused drugs, none of them can be used for the detection of ketamine, a popular abused drug in Hong Kong. In connection to local drug driving legislation, effective roadside detection of ketamine in suspected drug-impaired drivers has to be established. According to the drug evaluation and classification program (DEC), ketamine is classified in the phencyclidine (PCP) category. However, no study has been performed regarding the signs and symptoms exhibited by users under the influence of ketamine. In a study to develop a protocol for effective roadside detection of drug-impaired drivers, 62 volunteers exiting from discos were assessed using field impairment tests (FIT) that included measurements of three vital signs (i.e. body temperature, pulse rate and blood pressure), three eye examinations [pupil size, lack of convergence (LOC) and horizontal gaze nystagmus (HGN)] and four divided attention tests (Romberg, one-leg stand, finger-to-nose and walk-and-turn tests). Subsequent laboratory analysis of oral fluid and urine samples from the participants revealed the presence of common abused drugs in both the urine and oral fluid samples of 55 subjects. The remaining 7 subjects with no drug in their oral fluid samples were used as drug-free subjects. In addition, 10 volunteers from the laboratory who were regarded as drug-free subjects were also assessed using the same FIT. Among the 62 volunteers, 39 of them were detected with ketamine in their oral fluid. Of these ketamine users, 21 of them (54%) with only ketamine found in their oral fluid samples while the rest (18 subjects) of them had other drugs (i.e. MA, MDMA, benzodiazepines and/or THC) in addition to ketamine. Of the 21 ketamine-only users, 15 of them (71%) were successfully identified by FIT. It was found that when salivary ketamine concentrations were greater than 300 ng/mL, signs of impairment became evident, with over 90% detection rate using the FIT. By comparing the FIT observations on the 21 ketamine-only users with the drug-free subjects, the typical signs and symptoms observable for subjects under the influence of ketamine included LOC, HGN, elevated pulse rate and in general, failing the divided attention tests, especially the walk-and-turn and one-leg stand.