Regulation of Legal Service Plans

Legal service plans, widely regarded as the key to better availability of legal services for Americans of moderate incomes, have not yet found their proper place in the legal and regulatory framework. Uncertainty about regulatory requirements threatens to hold up progress. This article presents the results of a three-year study of alternative approaches to the regulation of legal service plans. It analyzes the inherent dangers of various types of plans and suggests ways of providing adequate protection for consumers while preserving maximum freedom and flexibility for experimentation with new delivery systems. Specifically, the authors recommend the existing and time-tested system of insurance regulation as the most suitable model for plans having a significant risk-carrying element, subject, however, to appropriate amendments to accommodate the unique features of some kinds of plans, such as bar-sponsored nonprofit organizations, and with special procedures to ensure close cooperation with disciplinary authorities as far as the conduct of lawyers is concerned.
A volume containing all the principal and background papers prepared in this study, including a modified version of the present article, will be published by the American Bar Foundation as Legal Service Plans: Approaches to Regulation .     

Postmortem Distribution of 3‐Beta‐Hydroxybutyrate

The concentrations of 3‐beta‐hydroxybutyrate (3HB) in femoral blood, urine, vitreous humor as well as pericardial and cerebrospinal fluids were retrospectively examined in a series of medico‐legal autopsies, which included cases of diabetic ketoacidosis, hypothermia fatalities without ethanol in blood, bodies presenting mild decompositional changes, and sudden deaths in chronic alcoholics. Similar increases in 3HB concentrations were observed in blood, vitreous, and pericardial fluid, irrespective of the cause of death, suggesting that pericardial fluid and vitreous can both be used as alternatives to blood for postmortem 3HB determination. Urine 3HB levels were higher than blood values in most cases. Cerebrospinal fluid 3HB levels were generally lower than concentrations in blood and proved to be diagnostic of underlying metabolic disturbances only when significant increases occurred.     

Adaptation and evaluation of the PrepFiler™ DNA extraction technology in an automated forensic DNA analysis process with emphasis on DNA yield, inhibitor removal and contamination security

Within the initial step of the forensic DNA analysis process, the DNA extraction efficiency and especially the removal of potential PCR inhibitors is crucial for subsequent steps, e.g. quantification by real-time PCR and amplification of short tandem repeats (STRs). The protocol of the PrepFiler™ Forensic DNA Extraction Kit was optimized for the application on a Tecan liquid handling workstation Freedom EVO^® 150. This modified application of the PrepFiler™ technology was compared with respect to DNA yield, sensitivity and the ability to remove potential PCR inhibitors to an established routine method working on the same liquid handling workstation based on ChargeSwitch^® Technology (CST) from Invitrogen.     

Effects of Human Electro‐Muscular Incapacitation (HEMI) Devices on Cardiovascular Changes in Anesthetized Swine as Measured by Transesophageal Echocardiography (TEE)

The abundance of, and reliance upon, human electro‐muscular incapacitation (HEMI) devices, especially in law enforcement, has generated scrutiny and examination of these technologies. The purpose of this study was to examine cardiovascular effects resulting from typical (5 sec) and longer activation (20 sec) HEMI applications studying myocardial function and peripheral vascular system using a combination of invasive cardiovascular catheters and transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). Six healthy swine (Sus scrofa) 3–5 months in age and weighing between 60 and 86 kg were anesthetized and exposed to the TASER Model X26 waveform while transesophageal echocardiography was performed. Stroke volume was shown to statistically decrease during HEMI application indicating an increase in systemic vascular resistance, but HEMI application did not result in myocardial dysfunction (“cardiac stunning”).     

The Economic Constitution of the European Community: From 'Rome' to 'Maastricht'

Abstract: The present paper analyses, from an economic point of view, the changes in the economic constitution of the European Community since its foundation in 1958. In order to identify the various changes, we start by developing an economic frame of reference. Our proposition is that the constitution of the European Community (EC) came closest to this frame of reference: an economic constitution for a market system. In the subsequent parts, we try to show that the process of European integration was largely based on the introduction of non-market elements. Our final argument will be that as far as the economic constitution is concerned, the Treaty on European Union (TEU) is dominated by traits which are Characteristic of modern welfare states.