Prolonged Impunity as a Continuing Situation of Torture or Ill-Treatment? Applying a Dignity Lens to So-Called ‘Historical’ Cases

Netherlands International Law Review - Around the world many survivors of so-called ‘historical’ abuses persist in seeking truth and justice decades after rights violations have been...     

Chilling Journalism: Can Newsgathering be Harassment or Stalking?

Newsgathering often requires journalists to ask uncomfortable questions or make multiple attempts to talk to unwilling sources. Some journalists have been accused of harassment, even when the plain language of state laws would not classify their actions as criminal conduct. In the rare instances that journalists actually were charged with harassment or subject to protective orders for stalking, district attorneys or judges typically did not allow them to be punished. This study, however, found nine statutes that might be applied to punish newsgathering activities that are neither hounding nor harassing. It also identifies language from statutes that clearly could not be applied to punish newsgathering communications by journalists. The article recommends that prosecutors and judges continue to prevent the application of criminal harassment and stalking laws to newsgathering activities.     

The contour characteristics of the mucous membrane of the hard palate as dependent on the form of its osseous base]

Analyzes the relief of the hard palate mucosa, depending on the shape of osseous base. Presents data on the prevalence of various morphological shapes of lateral folds in the hard palate mucosa and the levels of their disposition in the ipsiloid, ellipsoid, and parabolic osseous base of the hard palate. Demonstrates the possibility of using the characteristics of the hard palatal mucosa relief as an extra test for personality identification by the oral status.     

The erosion of rights by past breach

Legal rights may erode as a result of past, uncontested, breach.In light of ongoing violations, the rightholder's lacklusterenforcement may result in the loss of the entitlement. The doctrinesof course of performance in contract law and adverse possessionin property law are prominent examples of this widespread erosionphenomenon. In analyzing the effects of such laws, the articleconfronts two conflicting intuitions. On the one hand, the 'licence'to continue breach prospectively encourages opportunism. Onthe other hand, the risk of erosion may reinforce the rightholder'smotivation to take antierosion measures, bolstering the credibilityof the threat to enforce, thus better preserving the entitlement.The article proves that these two effects of erosion rules alwaysbalance out. The same amount of value will be extracted fromthe rightholder, irrespective of the law's erosion doctrine.The article also demonstrates the limits of this 'irrelevance'claim and the factors that may lead to its collapse. It appliesthe analysis to offer new perspectives on various prominentlegal rules.     

办理制售伪劣商品犯罪案件的难点及对策研究

当前,我国制售伪劣商品犯罪案件呈高发势头,不仅损害了国家利益,扰乱市场经济秩序,危害百姓生命健康和财产安全,更降低了我国商品的国际信誉度。我们首先分析了制售伪劣商品犯罪案件的现状,指出伪劣食品、药品及农资产品犯罪案件属多发案件,且涉案金额巨大,社会影响恶劣;其次总结了制售伪劣商品犯罪活动具有危害后果严重,有组织、专业化作案趋势明显,作案手段狡猾、隐蔽性强等特点,并从定性难、查实犯罪金额难、掌握犯罪网络难和排除干扰难四个方面分析了办理制售伪劣商品犯罪案件存在的难点问题,在此基础上提出了相应的解决对策。     

Psychopathy Factors and Risk for Aggressive Behavior: A Test of the “Threatened Egotism” Hypothesis

The primary purpose of this study was to examine psychopathy within a model of aggressive behavior that encompasses narcissism and "threatened egoism." This model was advanced by Baumeister and his colleagues (e.g., R. F. Baumeister, L. Smart, & J. M. Boden, 1996; B. J. Bushman & R. F. Baumeister, 1998). We examined whether the threatened egotism model extends to the construct of psychopathy and whether the two factors underlying psychopathy exhibit different associations with aggression within this model. Self-report data, correctional officer and counselor reports, and disciplinary report information obtained for 98 male inmates provided partial evidence that psychopathic individuals tend to respond aggressively when confronted with an ego threat. Moreover, psychopathic individuals exhibited this pattern of aggression more strongly than did narcissistic individuals. These findings bear potentially useful implications for the understanding and treatment of aggression in forensic populations.     

Estimation of ethanol concentrations in biological media. Comparison of alkylnitrite and direct vapor-phase methods

Ethanol assays in the blood, saliva and urine were made according to two methods: alkylnitrite gas-liquid chromatography and direct vapor-phase method without thermostating. N-propanol was used as an internal standard. For saliva and urine the methods produced similar results. For blood, the direct vapor-phase method detected significantly lower level of ethanol compared to alkylnitrite one (p = 0.001). 24-h storage of the samples in refrigerator does not deviate the results. Recommendations are provided for most effective usage of each method.     

Extraction of nitrobenzene and its metabolite 3-aminohydroxybenzene from water solutions

The article presents the results of nitrobenzene and 3-aminohydroxibensene extraction from aqueous solutions by means of five organic solvents. The following factors influence on the extraction degree is shown: the nature of the extracting agent, aqueous phase pH, saturation of some extracting agents with water. The number of extractions for isolation of the necessary quantities of the compounds studied is calculated.