美国房地产的兴衰故事

尽管人们的预测每每以失败告终,但我们可以换个角度来看待此事。或许这并不表示人类失去了预言能力,而只是表明目前如此之高的房价其实是一种异常与扭曲,早晚一天它会出现回调     

An apple a day does not always keep the doctor away...

The authors describe a case of suicide in the workplace. A 45-year-old man employed by a fruit and vegetable packing company was found dead in a room containing a modified atmosphere for the packaging of fruits and vegetables. The rescue team measured the carbon monoxide (CO) concentration of the ambient air with a digital CO tester and found a level higher than 600 particles per million. Analysis of an arterial blood sample taken with an airtight syringe revealed the absence of CO but high levels of carbon dioxide (CO(2)). Autopsy revealed no significant injury and police investigators found a handwritten note of intent, describing a recent personal crisis. The authors concluded that the cause of death was suicide by asphyxiation secondary to CO(2) intoxication and notably oxygen (O(2)) depletion. This manner of suicide is rare and most cases previously described in the literature were accidental intoxications. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of suicide by CO(2) intoxication and O(2) depletion in a room with a modified atmosphere.     

投资者保护与公司治理

近期研究表明,各国上市公司所有权的集中程度、资本市场的广度与深度、红利(分配)政策以及企业获得外部融资的途径存在着巨大差异。其中,投资者(股东与债权人)在多大程度上受到了法律的保护、以免受公司经理和控股股东剥夺,是对这些差异的解释中的一个通用要素。我们阐述了各国法律以及执法效率的差异,讨论了这些差异可能的起因,概述了它们的影响,并评估了公司治理改革的可能策略。在理解公司治理及其改革上,人们习惯把金融体制分为以银行为中心的体制和以市场为中心的体制。我们认为,与这种方法相比,基于法律的进路更富有成效。     

Suicide by self-removal of a pacemaker

A 70-year-old man extracted his own pacemaker and subclavian port used for delivery of chemotherapy, both implanted 2 weeks earlier. The patient died of septicemia within 6 days. This fatal outcome illustrates the risks of complications associated with severe psychiatric disorders after implantation of prosthetic devices.