The survival of oral streptococci on human skin and its implication in bite-mark investigation

Ten-microlitre aliquots of whole saliva applied to human skin were sampled for periods up to 6.25 h. The rate of loss of recoverable bacteria was 45–50% per hour. After 6.25 h, viable oral streptococci could be recovered. The implications for using a “fingerprint” typing method for these bacteria with regard to the identification of bite-marks are discussed.     

The multidimensionality of peer pressure in adolescence

A sample of 689 adolescents (grades 7–12) from two Midwestern communities who had been identified by peers as members of one of three major peer groups responded to a self-report survey measuring perceptions of peer pressure in five areas of behavior: involvement with peers, school involvement, family involvement, conformity to peer norms, and misconduct. Perceived pressures toward peer involvement were particularly strong, whereas peer pressures concerning misconduct were relatively ambivalent. Perceived pressures toward misconduct increased across grade levels and pressures to conform to peer norms diminished; grade differences in perceived peer pressures concerning family involvement were community specific. Compared to druggie-toughs, jock-populars perceived stronger peer pressures toward school and family involvement, and less pressure toward (stronger pressure against) misconduct; patterns of perceived pressure among loners were more variable across communities. Results elaborated the process of peer influence in adolescent socialization and identity development.A version of this paper was presented at the biennial meetings of the Society for Research in Child Development, Toronto, April 1985. The study was supported by a grant to the second author from the Spencer Foundation, Chicago, Illinois.She received her Ph.D. in 1982 from University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research interests: adolescent peer groups and peer pressure, and implications of various instructional strategies for gifted students.He received his Ph.D. in 1979 from the University of Chicago. His research interests: effects of peer pressure and peer-group affiliation on adolescent self-concept and identity development, and social development in high school.     

Limiting your risks in the new Russian roulette--discharging employees

Time was when an employer had the freedom to discharge employees for a good reason, a bad reason, or no reason at all. As more and more employees bring claims of "wrongful discharge" to courts, however, employers' discretion to terminate employees at will is being restricted. This is particularly so where cases are presented before juries, which tend to be more sympathetic to the employee's plight. In the following article, the author examines the circumstances under which courts are now finding employers responsible for wrongful discharge. He also discusses ways in which employers can limit their exposure to wrongful discharge claims.     

Network Structures: Working Differently and Changing Expectations

There is a growing need for innovative methods of dealing with complex, social problems. New types of collaborative efforts have emerged as a result of the inability of more traditional bureaucratic hierarchical arrangements such as departmental programs to resolve these problems. Network structures are one such arrangement that is at the forefront of this movement. Although collaboration through network structures establishes an innovative response to dealing with social issues, there remains an expectation that outcomes and processes are based on traditional ways of working. It is necessary for practitioners and policy makers alike to begin to understand the realities of what can be expected from network structures in order to maximize the benefits of these unique mechanisms.     

Enron/Andersen: Crisis in U.S. Accounting and Lessons for Government

Accounting and auditing play a key role in the belief of ordinary taxpayers and investors in their institutions. This is equally true of the private and governmental sectors. The Enron/Andersen scandal, regrettably, is not an isolated case, but rather merely indicative of underlying, structural flaws in our financial systems. Moreover, there is evidence that some of these flaws may be present in governmental accounting and auditing. The Sarbanes‐Oxley Act of 2002 is an attempt to address these problems in the private sector, but does not address concerns in the public sector. Public sector accounting issues that need to be addressed and monitored include substandard audit work and related liability issues, the appropriate funding of GASB so as to ensure its independence, auditor fees, and auditor independence questions including protection of elected and appointed state auditors.     

Activity-Based Costing in Government: Possibilities and Pitfalls

Activity-based costing (ABC) is at the center of the larger management perspective known as activity-based management, or ABM. Despite its popularity in the literature, relatively little is still known about the details of ABC, especially in government circles. There are many unanswered questions relating to the details of how to go about implementing ABC, its possible uses, and its costs and benefits. Indeed, it is still unclear to many whether it is even appropriate to use ABC in government, given the reality that many governmental programs do not sell their services This article attempts to address these concerns by presenting the conceptual underpinnings and details of ABC, contrasting the system with more traditional cost accounting systems, discussing the fit of ABC in government, and considering in some detail how one small city might benefit from implementing ABC.     

Image analysis of gunshot residue on entry wounds: I – The technique and preliminary study

An automated image analysis (IA) technique has been developed to obtain a measure of the amount (i.e. number and area) of gunshot residue (GSR) particles within and around a gunshot wound. Sample preparation and IA procedures were standardised to improve the reproducibility of the IA measurements of GSR. Measurements of GSR from test firings into goat hide were enhanced by staining the barium and lead components present on the skin sections with Alizarin Red S. The amount of GSR detected on the stained skin sections was compared with backscatter electron micrographs of the same sections. The differences were deemed to be insignificant when the variability in the repeated test firings were taken into consideration. Preliminary results indicated that the decreasing relationship between firing range and the amount of GSR deposited was non-linear, and that for firing ranges of up to 20 cm the amount of GSR deposited from repeated shots fired from the same distance was highly variable.