Federal employees health benefits program; revision of contract cost principles and procedures, and miscellaneous changes. Final rule

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing a final regulation amending the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Acquisition Regulation (FEHBAR). This regulation provides additional contract cost principles and procedures for FEHB Program experience-rated contracts and is intended to clarify our requirements and enhance our oversight of FEHB carriers.     

A fatal poisoning caused by methomyl and nicotine

A 35-year-old male was found lying in a prone position in his room. He was in cardiopulmonary arrest on arrival to hospital and was pronounced dead. There was no attempt at resuscitation. No miosis was observed on admission. At post-mortem his stomach contained 170 g greenish liquid with a small amount of shredded tobacco leaves. The serum cholinesterase activities were 47-90 IU (normal range for male: 200-440 IU). GC and GC-MS analyses showed nicotine (21.8 mg), methomyl (304 mg), and triazolam (1.69 mg) in his stomach. He had consumed tobacco leaves, Lannate containing water soluble methomyl (45%), and Halcion tablets containing 0.25 mg triazolam. Methomyl concentrations in blood were 3-8 ng/ml. Substantial amounts of methomyl (2260-2680 ng/ml) were detected in cerebrospinal fluid and vitreous humor. Nicotine concentrations in blood ranged from 222 to 733 ng/ml. A small amount of triazolam was detected only in bile (176 ng/ml) and liver (23 ng/g). The cause of death was respiratory paralysis produced by the additive effects of methomyl and nicotine shortly after consumption.     

Site-dependent production of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid in the early postmortem period

This study compared endogenous gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) concentrations in various postmortem fluid samples of 25 autopsy cases. All bodies were stored between 10-20 degrees C until autopsy, and the intervals between death and autopsy were less than 2 days (6-48 h). GHB concentrations were measured by headspace gas chromatography after GHB was converted to gamma-butyrolactone. Endogenous GHB concentrations were significantly higher in femoral venous blood (4.6+/-3.4 microg/ml, n=23) than in cerebrospinal fluid (1.8+/-1.5 microg/ml, n=9), vitreous humor (0.9+/-1.7 microg/ml, n=8), bile (1.0+/-1.1 microg/ml, n=9) and urine (0.6+/-1.2 microg/ml, n=12). GHB concentrations were similar in blood samples taken from different sites. Cut-off limits of 30 and 10 microg/ml are proposed for blood and urine, respectively, to discriminate between exogenous and endogenous GHB in decedents showing no or little putrefaction (postmortem intervals usually 48 h or less). The criterion established for endogenous GHB in postmortem urine may also be applicable to analytical results in cerebrospinal fluid, vitreous humor and bile from deceased persons.     

Massive acute arsenic poisonings

Arsenic poisonings are still important in the field of toxicology, though they are not as frequent as about 20-30 years ago. In this paper, the arsenic concentrations in ante- and post-mortem materials, and also forensic and anatomo-pathological aspects in three cases of massive acute poisoning with arsenic(III) oxide (two of them with unexplained criminalistic background, in which arsenic was taken for amphetamine and one suicide), are presented. Ante-mortem blood and urine arsenic concentrations ranged from 2.3 to 6.7 microg/ml, respectively. Post-mortem tissue total arsenic concentrations were also detected in large concentrations. In case 3, the contents of the duodenum contained as much as 30.1% arsenic(III) oxide. The high concentrations of arsenic detected in blood and tissues in all presented cases are particularly noteworthy in that they are very rarely detected at these concentrations in fatal arsenic poisonings.     

在荷兰东印度公司以前居住印度尼西亚的中国人

印度尼西亞和中國的關係由來已經很久。根据在松巴哇發現的一个东山時代(大約公元前五百年左右)的青銅鼓和在青銅鼓上装飾着一个人騎着馬、穿着韃靼人的服装的圖画來看,有理由,而且有足够的理由推測,印度尼西亞和中國的關係自从史前時代就已經廣泛地開始建立了(參看雅加達博物館史前文物第3364号和樊得賀編(Dth.van der Hoop)的“史前文物珍藏目錄”第213頁)。明顯的事实是印度尼西亞最古老的歷史,那就是从公元初開始的歷史,是从中國得來的(參看克倫納斐(W.P.Groen Veldt)著的馬來羣島和馬六甲的記載”一書)。伯希和(Paul Pelliot)也这样推測,卽在那个時期,印变尼西亞和中     

《回忆》一书的几个章节(续二)

宇宙纪元的十月一战后新的一代苏联人进入了宇宙时代的生活。青年人有时很难想象,四分之一世纪以前,既没有卫星,没有宇航员,也没有到月球、火星、金星的飞行。而仅仅有对这类飞行的幻想,许多世纪以来人类能抱有的幻想。有一位诗人说得很正确:“我们来到世上,为的是把神话变成事实……”正是我国人民开始了宇宙世纪的读数。当地球上的亿万人知道发射了第一颗人造地球卫星的那一天,那个时刻才初次触及宇宙     

我在越南的古拉格

黎文德是法籍越南人,越南南方解放前曾在阮文绍军队中任上校。胡志明市诞生后,他为其日耳曼籍的表兄弟非利浦·弗朗希尼管理大陆酒店,不久该酒店移交新政府,他就被关押在再教育营。原文是黎文德叙述其在再教育营的前后经历。现摘译部份内容以供参考。     

印度尼西亚的对外贸易

国际贸易市场不景气和世界资本主义经济萧条正在对印度尼西亚的对外贸易产生不良影响。这个国家的出口增长率由一九八○至八一年度(财政年度,从四月一日起)的百分之二十四点五下降为一九八一至八二年度的百分之六点六,出口值为二百三十七亿一