The Impact of Children on Legal Actions Taken by Women Victims of Intimate Partner Violence

Successful criminal or civil legal system response to assaults against intimate partners (intimate partner violence; IPV) usually rely on the victim’s participation in the legal process, including having contact with the prosecutor, filing charges, and/or applying for an order of personal protection. Using data abstracted from criminal and civil legal system records for a county-wide cohort of 990 female IPV victims over a 4-year period, we examine the impact of having children, and of specific child factors, on victims’ engagement with the criminal prosecution of their abusive partners and/or seeking a personal protection order (PPO) in the civil court system. Having children increased victim’s contact with the prosecutor and applications for PPOs, but did not increase her likelihood of wanting to file or drop charges. Findings support prior work suggesting both the importance and complexity of children on mothers’ decision-making. Policy makers and service providers may want to assess survivors’ thoughts about the role children play in their decision-making. Additionally, by offering survivors interventions to help their children address the impact of IPV exposure, survivors may be more willing to engage with services.     

Is Canadian intellectual property leaving Canada? A study of nanotechnology patenting

In this study we explore the patent ownership for the innovations created by Canadian nanotechnology inventors. We find that although there is a great innovative potential and inventive productivity among Canadian researchers, a lot of the intellectual property actually leaves the country: Around 50% of the nanotechnology patents invented by Canadian inventors are owned by foreign assignees. We also note the predominance of private companies among the patent owners. Almost one-third of all the Canadian-invented nanotechnology patents is assigned to a single American firm, Xerox Corporation. Furthermore, we explore the role of Canadian nanotechnology star inventors. The results show that the fruits of their great inventive productivity are collected outside Canada.     

Detection of amitriptyline, nortriptyline and bromazepam in liver, CSF and hair in the homicidal poisoning of a one-month-old girl autopsied 8 months after death

We reported on the death by poisoning of a one-month-old baby that had followed the death of one of her sister (due to cyamemazine overdose). Exhumation of the corpse was done 8 months after burial and revealed the presence of amitriptyline. Parent drug and its metabolite were analysed by HPLC-MS/MS in positive ionisation mode on a C(18) analytical column using a gradient of acetonitrile and 2mM formate buffer at pH=3. Quantification is based on the main ion m/z=233, the common product ion of nortriptyline (MH(+), m/z 264), amitriptyline (MH(+), m/z 278) and nortriptyline D3 used as internal standard (MH(+), m/z 267). Amitriptyline and nortriptyline in the liver were measured at a concentration of 29.8 and 3.6 μg/g, respectively. Hair analyses revealed the presence of amitriptyline and nortriptyline at concentrations of 1811 and 43 pg/mg, respectively, while complementary analyses showed the presence of bromazepam in the hair at a concentration of 740 pg/mg, thus documenting previous administrations. The mother confessed later having used the drinkable form of the pharmaceutical LAROXYL(?) by pouring the content of a 20 ml bottle (at 40 mg/ml) into the feeding-bottle of her child. The milk was sweet but still bitter and following the testimony of a close relative, the whole family helped to feed the crying baby.     

Proactive Evaluation of PRP Status at Hazardous Waste Disposal Sites

Two keys to avoiding potentially responsible party (PRP) status at future Superfund sites are to manage all waste with appropriate care and to perform appropriate inquiries into the history of new properties prior to acquisition. However, corporations can become PRPs because of their ownership and/or operation of historically contaminated property, their historical waste management practices, or their historical disposal of hazardous substances at nonowned disposal sites, such as landfills. This article describes a method by which insurance companies, waste producers, and property owners can proactively evaluate their potential liability associated with environmental response action costs at contaminated sites.