Migration and public trust in the commonwealth of independent states

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the post-Soviet space has seen regional integration in the framework of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). The CIS while moribund has affected migration in the post-Soviet space. Despite its persistence and effect on migration, few studies have sought to explore public perceptions towards the CIS. We address this limitation by developing several arguments, anchored on the literature on public opinion and European integration, to explain how perceptions towards migrants and employment status affect public trust in the CIS. Our analyses make use of the sixth wave of the World Values Survey that includes seven CIS member-states and finds strong support for our hypotheses. Our contribution lies in the investigation of public attitudes in a non-EU setting while applying arguments from EU literature and the wide coverage of our study compared to the extant literature on the CIS and public opinion.     

Determination of ABH secretor status by an electronic quantitation method

Blood Group A and B substances in secretor (Se) and nonsecretor (se) salivas were tested by means of an electronic data processing-hemagglutinin-inhibition test (EDP-HAIT) with immunoglobulin M (IgM) isohemagglutinins. Besides a difference in quantity, the blood group substances in Se saliva showed high binding efficiencies compared with those in se saliva. EDP-HAIT with IgG isohemagglutinins proved no difference in the binding efficiencies of Se and se salivas. The determination of secretor status by EDP-HAIT with IgM isohemagglutinin was accurate because the conclusion was obtained based on two different quantitative results. Secretor status of some salivas in gargled water could be determined by comparing the binding efficiencies.     

Sex identification in fresh blood and dried bloodstains by a nonisotopic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) analyzing technique

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) specimens were prepared from blood or bloodstain extracts, and the content of a Y-chromosome specific DNA fragment was investigated by the Southern hybridization method using a nonisotopic staining technique. Thus obtained patterns of male DNA showed a clear band, whereas broad stains with some faint bands appeared on the patterns of DNA from both sexes. This method is expected to be a new powerful mean of forensic medical examination.     

The ratio of insulin to C-peptide can be used to make a forensic diagnosis of exogenous insulin overdosage

A 25-year-old man was killed by his lover by an intravenous injection of insulin and then air. We had difficulty in determining whether insulin had really been injected, so we have 18 control cases and proved that the ratio of insulin to C-peptide in a corpse can be used as positive evidence for the insulin overdosage.     

An autopsy report on a ruptured rudimentary horn (uterine anomaly) with ectopic pregnancy

The rudimentary horn is a rare developmental anomaly of the Müllerian duct. Ectopic pregnancy in the rudimentary horn is estimated to occur in one out of 76,000–150,000 pregnancies. A 30-year-old primigravida suddenly collapsed after 3 days of continuous abdominal pain. Emergency laparotomy revealed a massive intraperitoneal hemorrhage and fetal demise. The growth of the fetus after 19 weeks of gestation is believed to have caused the rudimentary horn rupture, thereby rapidly leading to hemorrhagic shock in the mother and ischemic death in the fetus. This is the first autopsy report on maternal death due to the rudimentary horn or other Müllerian duct anomalies, which emphasizes the need for forensic pathologists to consider this condition as a possible cause of unexpected death in fertile women. In addition, it is very important for clinicians to detect Müllerian duct anomalies by sonography during routine obstetric examinations, and promptly diagnose anomaly related ectopic pregnancies in women displaying symptoms of an acute abdomen, intraperitoneal hemorrhage, or shock in the emergency practice.     

Biparietal Thinning: Accidental Death by a Fall from Standing Height

Biparietal thinning resulting in bilateral and symmetrical resorption and loss of thickness of the parietal bones is an uncommon to rare condition in the anthropological and clinical literature. This enigmatic condition of unknown etiology was first reported in the 18th century and has been variously described as a nonmetric trait, anatomical variant, anomaly, and pathology. Biparietal thinning presents grossly and radiographically as oval‐shaped depressions in 0.25–0.8% and 0.4–0.5% of individuals and with a higher frequency in females over the age of 60 years. A review of the literature revealed only one example of cranial trauma associated with biparietal thinning and none of fatal trauma associated with this condition. This case reports a rare example of fatal trauma in an elderly man that resulted from a backward fall from a standing height and highlights the increased risk of craniocerebral trauma in individuals with this condition.     

In defense of criminal defense expenditures and plea bargaining

Given the continuing controversy over defendants' buying justice through defense expenditures, this paper shows that disparities in criminal defense expenditures can insure that it is the guilty and not the innocent who will be punished. Our model allows defense and prosecution expenditures to be simultaneously determined. We show that criminal defense expenditures result in lower expected penalties for the innocent at trial and that they helo ensure that plea bargaining efficiently screens defendants even when differential risk aversion is present. Finally, we examine how differences in defendant's wealth and the use of public defenders affect the legal system's ability to differentiate the innocent from the guilty.     

Apnea, glial apoptosis and neuronal plasticity in the arousal pathway of victims of SIDS

Of 27,000 infants whose sleep-wake characteristics were studied under the age of 6 months, 38 died unexpectedly 2-12 weeks after the sleep recording in a pediatric sleep laboratory. Of these infants, 26 died of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and 12 of definitely identified causes. The frequency and duration of sleep apneas were analysed. Sleep recordings and brainstem histopathology were studied to elucidate the possible relationship between sleep apnea and neuropathological changes within the arousal system. Immunohistochemical analyses were conducted using tryptophan hydroxylase (TrypH), a serotonin synthesizing enzyme, and growth-associated phosphoprotein 43 (GAP43), a marker of synaptic plasticity. The terminal-deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) method was used for apoptosis. The pathological and physiological data were correlated for each infant. In the SIDS victims, statistically significant positive correlations were seen between the number of TrypH-positive neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus of the midbrain and the duration of central apneas (p = 0.03), between the number of TUNEL-positive glial cells in the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPTN) and the average number of spines in GAP43-positive neurons in the PPTN (p = 0.04). These findings in the dorsal raphe nucleus of the midbrain and PPTN, that play important roles in the arousal pathway suggest a possible link between changes in arousal and SIDS.     

Economic development of Pacific Rim countries and Southern Africa

This paper examines the economic relationships between Japan and her neighbours as well as commenting on South African relations with the area in general. Brief case‐studies are also selected with emphasis on the economic factors governing the degree of success in development.     

Development of rigor mortis is not affected by muscle volume

There is a hypothesis suggesting that rigor mortis progresses more rapidly in small muscles than in large muscles. We measured rigor mortis as tension determined isometrically in rat musculus erector spinae that had been cut into muscle bundles of various volumes. The muscle volume did not influence either the progress or the resolution of rigor mortis, which contradicts the hypothesis. Differences in pre-rigor load on the muscles influenced the onset and resolution of rigor mortis in a few pairs of samples, but did not influence the time taken for rigor mortis to reach its full extent after death. Moreover, the progress of rigor mortis in this muscle was biphasic; this may reflect the early rigor of red muscle fibres and the late rigor of white muscle fibres.