Professor Skinner's Visions

Skinner, Q. (2002) Visions of Politics , Volume I: Regarding Method . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Skinner, Q. (2002) Visions of Politics , Volume II: Renaissance Virtues . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Skinner, Q. (2002) Visions of Politics , Volume III: Hobbes and Civil Science . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.     

Corporations in Court: Big Business Litigation in U. S. Federal Courts, 1971–1991

This article provides an overview of federal litigation involving the largest 2,000 U. S. corporations over the period 1971–91. Reporting from a unique data set of the authors'construction, it finds that althugh the aggregate volume of business litigation grew during the 1970s and early 1980s, it has actually been declining in recent years in all major categories of cases; business-related litigation is heavily concentrated, with an extremely limited number of business "mega-litigants" accounting for most of the activity; this concentration is particularly evident in tort, with the result that the tort trend line outside the concentration is actually flat or declining; a good deal of the growth in litigation outside the tort area can be attributed to business itself; and big business wins overwhelmingly, as plaintiff and defendant, in cases that involve it. The general applicability of these findings is limited by the data's restriction to federal court litigation and the structure of the Integrated Federal Court Data Base from which the authors'data set was constructed. This granted, the report is by far the most comprehensive treatment of U. S. big business litigation to date, and its findings are strikingly at odds with the premises of much current policy discussion.     

The consequences of respondent attrition in panel studies: A simulation based on the Rochester youth development study

Subject attrition is a potentially serious threat to the validity of inferences drawn from panel studies of delinquency and drug use. Prior assessments of this issue produce somewhat conflicting results, with some finding that respondents who leave the panel have higher rates of delinquency and drug use than those who remain, while other studies report little or no differential attrition. Despite these findings, there has been virtually no examination of the extent to which respondent attrition can bias substantive findings in panel studies of delinquency and drug use. The present article addresses this issue by simulating higher levels of attrition in an ongoing panel study that has a low rate of attrition and little differential attrition. It finds that failure to include more elusive respondents (those who are more mobile) would bias estimates of prevalence and frequency of delinquency and drug use as well as results from basic regression analyses. Failure to include less cooperative respondents (those who require more contacts) produces similar, but somewhat smaller, differences. The methodological implications of the results are discussed.     

Identification and Individualization of Lophophora using DNA Analysis of the trnL/trnF Region and rbcL Gene

Lophophora williamsii (peyote) is a small, spineless, greenish‐blue cactus found in Mexico and the southwestern United States. Ingestion of the cactus can result in hallucinations due to its content of mescaline. In the United States, L. williamsii is classified as a Schedule I controlled substance. In this study, we use DNA analysis of the chloroplast trnL/trnF region and chloroplast rbcL gene to identify the individuals of Lophophora. Using the rbcL gene, Lophophora specimens could be distinguished from outgroups, but species within the genus could not be distinguished. The trnL/trnF region split the Lophophora genus into several groups based on the length and substructure of an AT‐rich segment of the sequence. Our results indicate that the genetic variability at the trnL/trnF locus is greater than previously recognized. Although DNA structures at the trnL/trnF region and rbcL gene do not align with the classification of Lophophora species, they can be used to aid in forensic analysis.     

Pathological Features of Fatal Crocodile Attacks in Northern Australia, 2005–2014

Eleven deaths from crocodile attacks in the Northern Territory, Australia were reviewed. The male:female ratio was 8:3; age range—10–62 years, average 29.4 years. Four children were included (one boy and three girls, aged 10, 11, and two at 12 years), and there were seven aboriginal victims (64%). The attacks were witnessed in eight cases with the victims swimming in freshwater N = 5, standing on a river bank N = 1, fishing in fresh water N = 1, or diving in the sea N = 1. At autopsy, several distinct patterns of injury were observed ranging from complete traumatic disruption of the body with only incomplete remains for examination (N = 5), to crushing of the head with fractures of the skull (N = 4), crushing of the chest with fractures of the ribs and sternum (N = 2), and avulsion of limbs (N = 4). In one case, there was decapitation. Autopsy evaluations were complicated by decomposition and loss of body parts.     

论涵括（一）：一种初步探索

经验法则是司法证明中的一项基础性法则,大陆法系司法证明理论对其进行了概括论述,其理论形态具有较高的概括性、抽象性。英美国家的司法证明学者在“涵括”概念下也具体探讨了经验法则相关的内容,与大陆法系学者对经验法则的概括论述有所区别,英美学者在阐述“涵括”理论时,更注重其在证据能力和证明力评断以及具体司法推论过程中的方法论和工具作用,为我们研究经验法则的内容、作用机制提供了一个新的观察视角。