The application of amino acid racemization in the acid soluble fraction of enamel to the estimation of the age of human teeth

The main objectives of the European project "Collaborative Harmonization of Methods for Profiling of Amphetamine Type Stimulants" (CHAMP) funded by the sixth framework programme of the European Commission, included the harmonization of MDMA profiling methods and the creation of a common database in a drug intelligence perspective. In the preliminary stages of this project, the participating laboratories analysed the physical characteristics, the chemical composition and the organic impurities of MDMA tablets, using the previously harmonized methods. The aim of the present work was to apply statistical treatments to the recorded data in order to evaluate their potential in the fight against drug trafficking. Comparable working procedures were applied on the different types of data. The first part of this article deals with organic impurities data, while the second part focuses on the potential of the physical characteristics. Organic impurities data were recorded by a harmonized Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) method previously developed. Statistical analysis provided a selection of pertinent variables among the 46 organic impurities identified in the chromatograms. Correlation coefficients were used to yield separation between populations of samples coming from the same synthesis batch and samples coming from different batches. It was shown that correlation measurements based on Pearson and cosine functions applied to the data pre-treated by normalisation to the sum of peak responses followed by the square root provided an excellent discrimination between the two populations. The statistical methods applied to organic impurities profiles proved to be excellent techniques to differentiate samples from different batches and to highlight operational links between samples.     

The impact of judges' perceptions of credibility in fibromyalgia claims

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a confusing and controversial diagnosis, characterized by widespread pain and tenderness at specific anatomical sites. The cause of this syndrome is unknown, and the course of the condition is difficult to predict. Without a known cause, predictable course, or effective treatment, it is not surprising that FM is a contentious diagnosis from a medical perspective, as well as a civil litigation and disability insurance industry perspective. The purpose of this study was to investigate judges' perceptions of credibility in litigated cases involving FM claims in the Canadian courts, and the relation between perceived credibility and awards granted. A systematic review was conducted of every trial-by-judge litigated FM claim in Canada (N=194 cases) up to 2003. The cases were examined in relation to credibility factors. The role and responsibility of the plaintiff was central in claims involving issues of misrepresentation, fraud, non-disclosure, failure to mitigate, and contributory negligence. The presence of these issues suggested a possible decrease or loss in the claim as a result of the plaintiff's conduct. In regards to the actions of defendants, the presence of investigative and surveillance information alone did not affect the awards granted. However, the credibility of that information had a large effect on the amount of award granted. Plaintiff credibility played a similar role, indicating that plaintiffs perceived as more credible were typically granted greater awards. An examination of medical expert credibility revealed that judges appear to perceive experts as more credible overall than plaintiffs, regardless of the expert's role in the case.     

Rolling the Dice on Foreclosure Prevention: Differences Across Mortgage Servicers in Loan Modifications and Loan Cure Rates

Mortgage servicing has garnered increased attention since the foreclosure crisis. As the interface between borrowers and investors, servicers make the decision to either grant a loan modification or to foreclose. This study examines servicer loan modification practices for a national sample of delinquent subprime loans, and assesses the extent to which those practices are associated with foreclosures. The research reveals significant differences across servicers in loan cure rates, which are related to servicers’ propensity to offer loan modifications and to the level of relief offered to borrowers. The observed differences across servicers and the implications of this heterogeneity for foreclosure prevention underscore the importance of additional data, research, and policies that can increase the uniformity and transparency of servicing practices.     

Youths’ Substance Use and Changes in Parental Knowledge-Related Behaviors During Middle School: A Person-Oriented Approach

Parental knowledge is a key protective factor for youths’ risky behavior. Little is known about how longitudinal combinations of knowledge-related behaviors are associated with youths’ substance use. This longitudinal study uses Latent Transition Analysis to identify latent patterns of parental knowledge-related behaviors occurring in mother-youth dyads during middle school and to investigate how changes in knowledge-related patterns are associated with youths’ substance use in Grade 6 and the initiation of substance use from Grade 6 to 8. Using a sample of 536 rural dyads (53 % female, 84 % White), we assessed mother and youths’ reports of parental knowledge, active parental monitoring efforts, youth disclosure, and parent-youth communication to identify six latent patterns of knowledge-related behaviors: High Monitors, Low Monitors, Communication-Focused, Supervision-Focused, Maternal Over-Estimators, and Youth Over-Estimators. Fifty percent or more of dyads in the High Monitors, Communication-Focused and Youth Over-Estimators were in the same status in both 6th and 8th grade: 98 % of Low Monitors in Grade 6 were also in this status in Grade 8. The initiation of alcohol, smoking, and marijuana was associated significantly with transitions between patterns of knowledge-related behaviors. The initiation of alcohol and smoking were associated with increased odds of transitions into the Low Monitors from the Communication-Focused, Supervision-Focused, and Maternal Over-Estimators. However, the initiation of substance use was associated with decreased odds of transitions from the High Monitors to the Low Monitors and with increased odds of transitions from High Monitors to Supervision-Focused. The discussion focuses on the value of using a person-oriented dyadic approach with multiple reporters to study changes in knowledge-related behaviors over the middle school period.     

Taken for Granted? Managing for Social Equity in Grant Programs

Managing for social equity performance has long been a goal without much guidance for public managers. We examine social equity performance in the context of indirect governance through the administration of grant programs and, more specifically, the matching of policy responses (grant funding) to social needs. Grant program managers must allocate funding to match needs while also ensuring accountability, but common administrative models that rely on competition can undermine social equity performance. We develop a unique framework to analyze the relative social equity performance of four models of grant administration in general. These models are defined by whether competitions or formulas are used to select grantees and to allocate funding. We test the implications of the framework in an analysis of funding distributions from the nonentitlement Community Development Block Grant program in four states. Our findings suggest that social equity in grant programs is better served when grantors do not rely solely on competitive grant contracting in the selection and distribution of grant funds, which is typical in grant administration. However, policy makers and managers can design institutional arrangements that utilize competition, but in a manner that does not create a bias against more socially equitable funding decisions.     

Book reviews and notes

TRUSTS AND TRUSTEES: CASES AND MATERIALS. By R. H. Maudsley and E. H. Burn. [Butterworths. 1972. 660 pp. (inc. index). £6.60 (cased); £4.60 (limp).]

LABOUR AND THE LAW. By O. Kahn‐Freund. [Stevens. 1972. xii + 270 pp. £1.80.]

PRINCIPLES OF LABOUR LAW. By R. W. Rideout. [Sweet & Maxwell. 1972. xxxii+422 pp. £5.25 (hardback); £3.50 (paperback).]

BRITISH GOVERNMENT TODAY. By B. Jones. [Sweet & Maxwell. 1972. xv and 236 pp. £2.00 (hardback); £1.00 (paperback).]

THE LAW OF THEFT. By J. C. Smith. Second edition. [Butterworths. 1972. xxvii and 241 pp. (inc. index). £5.50 (hardback); £3.00 (limp).]

THE LAW OF TORTS. By John G. Fleming. Fourth edition. [Law Book Co. 1971. xlviii and 670 pp. (inc. index). £7.25 (bound); £4.75 (paperback).]

STREET ON TORTS. Fifth edition. [Butterworths. 1972. lxxxvii and 524 pp. (inc. index). £3.20 (paperback).]

TORT. By C. D. Baker. [Sweet & Maxwell. 1972. xxii and 295 pp. (inc. index). £2.50 (hardback); £1.60 (paperback).]

SELECTED STATUTES FOR BAR EXAMINATIONS: I. [Butterworths. 1972. vii and 360 pp. £2.00.]

LEGAL PROBLEMS OF AN ENLARGED EUROPEAN COMMUNITY. Edited by M. E. Bathurst and others. [Stevens & Sons. 1972. xix and 369 pp. (inc. index). £6.75.

VAT—A CONCISE GUIDE. By H. H. Mainprice. [VAT Planning & Publications Ltd., Crusader House, 14 Pall Mall, London. 1972. vii and 67 pp. 45p.]

CLARKE HALL AND MORRISON'S LAW RELATING TO CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS. By L. Goodman. Eighth edition. [Butterworths. 1972. xlix and 1366 pp. (inc. index). £12.00 (£9.00 for members of B.A.S.W. and N.A.P.O.).]

INTRODUCTION TO ADMINISTRATIVE LAW. By David Foulkes. Third edition. [Butterworths. 1972. xx and 290 pp. (inc. index). £4.20 (hardback) ; £2.80 (paperback).]

INTRODUCTION TO ENGLISH LAW. By Philip S. James. Eighth edition. [Butterworths. 1972. xxxv and 482 pp. (inc. index). £3.00 (hardback); £1.20 (paperback).]

INTRODUCTION TO JURISPRUDENCE. By Lord Lloyd of Hampstead. Third edition. [Stevens. 1972. xxxix and 873 pp. (inc. index). £5.00 (paperback).]

THE MAKING OF BUSINESS CONTRACTS. By A. Harding Boulton. Second edition. [Sweet & Maxwell. 1972. xiv and 220 pp. (inc. index). £3.50 (hardbound) ; £1.95 (paperback).]

INTRODUCTION TO CRIMINAL LAW. By Rupert Cross and Philip Asterley Jones. Seventh edition. [Butterworths. 1972. xlix and 430 pp. £4.20 (cased) ; £2.60 (limp).]

ESSAYS ON CRIMINAL LAW IN NEW ZEALAND. Edited by R. S. Clark. [Sweet & Maxwell. 1971. 224 pp. £3.50 (hardback); £2.50 (paperback).]

EXECUTORSHIP LAW AND ACCOUNTS. By J. N. R. Taylor. [Macdonald & Evans. 1972. xv and 159 pp. (inc. index). 55p.]

PHIPSON'S MANUAL OF THE LAW OF EVIDENCE. By D. W. Elliot. Tenth edition. [Sweet & Maxwell. 1972. xxxvi and 338 pp. (inc. index). £3.50 (hardbound); £2.75 (paperback).]

STROUD'S JUDICIAL DICTIONARY. VOLUME 2, D.‐H. By John S. James. Fourth edition. [Sweet & Maxwell. 1972. xvi and 601 pp. £10.50.]

A HISTORY OF ENGLISH LAW. By Sir William Holdsworth. Volume XVII: General Index. By John Burke. [Methuen /Sweet & Maxwell. 1972. 551 pp. £8.00.]

CLERK AND LINDSELL ON TORTS: THIRD CUMULATIVE SUPPLEMENT TO THE THIRTEENTH EDITION. [Sweet & Maxwell. 1972. £1.75.]

WHILLAN'S TAX TABLES AND TAX RECKONER 1972–73. By George Whillans. Twenty‐fifth edition. [Butterworths. 1972. 23 pp. 70p.]

CASEBOOK ON COMPANY LAW. By R. S. Sim. Third Edition. [Butterworths. 1971. 382 pp. £1.60.]

THE CRIMINAL JURISDICTION OF MAGISTRATES. By Brian Harris. [Justice of the Peace Ltd. 1969. xlviii and 365 pp. (inc. index). 1970 Supplement, x and 38 pp. £6.]

BUTTERWORTHS’ MATRIMONIAL LAW STATUTES. [Butterworths. 1971. 547 and (index) 20 pp. £4.20 (casebound); £2.20 (limp).]

DIVORCE AND FAMILY LAW WITH TEST QUESTIONS IN A NUTSHELL. By L. McGuiness and G. O'Connor. [Sweet & Maxwell. 1971. xiii and 103 pp. 75p.]

THE COMPANY DIRECTOR. By Alfred Read. Fourth Edition. [Jordan & Sons Ltd. 1971. xxxi and 232 pp. £2.10.]

JURISPRUDENCE IN A NUTSHELL. By Charles Conway. [Sweet & Maxwell. 1971. vii and 69 pp. 60p.]

CONVEYANCING WITH TEST QUESTIONS IN A NUTSHELL. By Peter Kleiner. [Sweet & Maxwell. 1971. xiii and 134 pp. 80p.]

LAW AS FACT. By Karl Olivecrona. Second Edition. [Stevens & Sons. 1971. vii and 320 pp. £3.75.]

HANBURY'S MODERN EQUITY: SUPPLEMENT TO THE NINTH EDITION. By R. H. Maudsley. [Stevens & Sons. 1971. 14 pp. 25p.]

A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO APPEALS IN CRIMINAL COURTS. By Peter Morrish and Ian McLean. [Sweet & Maxwell. 1971. xxxv and 153 pp. (inc. index and appendices) £2.25.]

BUILDING AND CIVIL ENGINEERING STANDARD FORMS: FIRST SUPPLEMENT. By I. N. Duncan Wallace. [Sweet & Maxwell. 1970. 39 pp. 50p.]

EVIDENCE. By Richard Clayton. [Sweet & Maxwell. 1970. xii and 72 pp. 60p.]     

Critical incidents in a forensic psychiatric population: an exploratory study of motivational factors

This exploratory study examined the motivations for forensic clients’ engagement in critical incidents, specifically hostage-taking, barricades and roof-top protests. Using thematic analysis, a range of themes were identified. These included engaging in such incidents to seek deliberate isolation from others, gaining control, getting their needs meet, a need to communicate and being influenced by their peers. Selection of potential hostages appeared linked to feeling of grievance towards them. Yet the distress of a hostage, along with consideration as to the longer term consequences of their actions both for themselves and morally, appeared to reduce the risk of engagement in such incidents. The results are discussed in terms of Individualism, Self-Determination Theory of Motivation and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs.