Putting a Human and Historical Face on Intelligence Contracting

This history of intelligence contracting in the United States is in many ways the story of American intelligence itself. For all the current criticism of this “new post-9/11 industry,” intelligence contracting pre-existed the creation of formal intelligence bureaucracies and gradually developed from alliance-based intelligence sharing and ad-hoc individual agreements into the increasingly private and corporate companies of today. Most of the criticisms of the field are similarly rooted in history: over the ages, some have been legitimate and others less so. Ultimately, when viewed in context, however, intelligence contracting is not nearly as dark or nefarious as is typically portrayed, but rather has been and continues to be a pillar of American intelligence production.     

An attitude study of minority group adolescents toward mental health

The authors conducted an attitude study in a total sample of 103 high school students at the junior and senior levels. The study was conducted to ascertain the existence of any evident special attitudes as a result of black or Spanishspeaking minority membership. Although specific group characteristics were revealed that might be sociocultural, the overall conclusion is that attitudes relating to the mental health field and its personnel are parallel to the majority population. No evidence was found to support the contention that members of this population are not good insight patients, but rather it was found that insight is an individual capacity rather than a culturally determined one.Received M.D. from Howard University, College of Medicine, Washington, D.C. Currently a Child Psychiatry Fellow at Michael Reese Hospital. Main interest is in child and adolescent psychiatry.Received M.D. from University of Spain. Currently a Child Psychiatry Fellow at Michael Reese Hospital. Main interest is in child and adolescent psychiatry.     

Identity status in university women: A methodological note

Studies of correlates of identity status among university students indicate that males who have or are currently considering occupational and ideological alternatives exhibit characteristics superior to those who have not explored alternatives. Results with university women have suggested that females currently exploring alternatives do not show the positive characteristics associated with that status among males. An hypothesis is presented that differences in findings between sexes may be due to methodological procedures involving selection of differing aged samples. Evidence is presented to support the view that the exploration of alternatives has similar positive meaning for both males and females.Received B. Sc. in Psychology from Brooklyn College of the City University of New York; M. Sc. in Developmental Psychology from the New York State College at Cortland; Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto. Professional research interests are Piagetian and Eriksonian conceptions of adolescence and cognitive and personality development in children from a cognitivesocial learning perspective.     

Popliteal Vein Blood Sampling and the Postmortem Redistribution of Diazepam,Methadone, and Morphine

Postmortem redistribution (PMR) refers to the site‐ and time‐related blood drug concentration variations after death. We compared central blood (cardiac and subclavian) with peripheral blood (femoral and popliteal) concentrations of diazepam, methadone, and morphine. To our knowledge, popliteal blood has never been compared with other sites. Intracardiac blood (ICB), subclavian blood (SB), femoral blood (FB), and popliteal blood (PB) were sampled in 30 cases. To assess PMR, mean concentrations and ratios were compared. Influence of postmortem interval on mean ratios was also assessed. Results show that popliteal mean concentrations were lower than those for other sites for all three drugs, even lower than femoral blood; mean ratios suggested that the popliteal site was less subject to PMR, and estimated postmortem interval did not influence ratios except for diazepam and methadone FB/PB. In conclusion, our study is the first to explore the popliteal site and suggests that popliteal blood is less prone to postmortem redistribution.     

Homeownership and Nontraditional and Subprime Mortgages

This article documents the growth and geographic distribution of nontraditional mortgages (NTMs) and subprime mortgages during 2000-2006, and examines the association between these products and homeownership at the county level between 2000 and 2012. It finds a significant relationship between the origination of NTM and subprime mortgages during the boom and changes in the number of homeowners (positive during the 2000-2006 period and negative during the 2006-2012 period) but no significant relationship with the change in the homeownership rate. Looking at specific categories of the population, the results indicate a positive relationship between the presence of NTMs and subprime mortgages and increased numbers of homeowners for young households as well as for low income and minority households, but the relationship is smaller than for the general population. Overall, the relationship between NTMs and homeownership is stronger than the relationship between subprime mortgages and homeownership during the boom and it is less negative during the bust.     

13 STR loci frequencies in the population from Paraíba, Northeast Brazil

As part of a long-term project on Northeastern Brazilians, population genetic data were obtained from 323 unrelated individuals from the state of Paraíba. The loci studied were CSF1P0, TPOX, TH01, vWA, D16S539, D7S820, D13S317, D18S51, D21S11, D8S1179, F13A01, F13B and LPL. Their distributions are in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Forensic parameters were calculated and a comparison was made with geographically nearby populations.     

Dispelling a Myth? The Fathers of Europe and the Construction of a Euro‐Identity

Abstract:  There is a broad agreement on the fact that today there is a wide gap between the European Union (EU) and the citizens of the Member States. According to a common belief, this gap is the result of a deliberate decision made by the founding fathers and subsequent European officials to keep the integration dynamic distant from the people. Yet, if we look closely at their writings and actions that were initiated by the European Commission at an early stage in the integration process, we can only conclude that there is little evidence to support this common belief. On the contrary, it appears that the founding fathers were eager to inform the public on issues related to the communities and that they did not hesitate to support measures aimed at enhancing knowledge about Europe, its policies, and its institutions. It is essential to question these beliefs in order to improve our understanding of the democratic deficit in the EU and especially of the solutions proposed for remedying it. If we admit that the founding fathers never had the intention of keeping the people in ignorance and that some actions were rapidly taken to bring the EU closer to them then it becomes difficult to claim that a reduction of the democratic deficit will follow when decision-makers simply imagine and adopt programmes aimed at bridging the gap. The question then becomes why have this socialisation and this 'rapprochement' not occurred.