Carbon monoxide poisoning from indoor barbecues--incidents reported to the German-speaking Poison Information Centers and the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) in Berlin

From 2008 to the end of 2009 the Joint Poison Information Center (PIC) in Erfurt observed 7 incidents involving 17 persons (1 fatality) with signs of carbon monoxide poisoning from indoor barbecues (COFIB). To find out whether COFIB is a regional or a general phenomenon in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, all information about COFIBs recorded by the 11 German-speaking Poison Information Centers and the BfR Berlin were retrospectively analyzed for the period 2000 to 2009. In all, 60 COFIBs (accidental: 90.0 %, suicidal: 8.3%, reason unknown: 1.7%) involving 146 individuals were reported. The number of incidents increased from one case with 2 persons in 2000 to 18 cases involving 34 persons in 2009. The 146 victims (female 26.7%, male 27.4%, gender unknown 45.9%; adults 58.2%, children 24.7%, age unknown 17.1%) lived in 15 of the 16 federal states of Germany and in Switzerland. The highest number of victims was found in Bavaria (23), Brandenburg (18), and Baden-Wuerttemberg (18). The symptoms according to the Poisoning Severity Score were none to mild in 60.3%, moderate in 13.7%, severe in 11.6%, fatal in 6.9% and unratable in 7.5%. No clear correlation was found between the carboxyhemoglobin concentration and the severity of the symptoms. As a rising number of COFIBs often involving several individuals was observed from 2000 to 2009, the general public was informed about the risks of indoor barbecues.     

Primary breast lymphoma with sudden death

Primary breast lymphoma is a rare form of extranodal lymphoma. B cells constitute the most common type involving the breast. T cells represents only 3%. Even though lymphomas have a high predilection to metastasize to the heart, there are no specific clinical or radiological findings, and most of the cases are diagnosed at autopsy. We discuss the case of a 49-year-old woman with primary breast lymphoma who presented with sudden death. Autopsy revealed a primary T-cell lymphoma of the breast with tumoral infiltration of the atrioventricular node and transmural myocardial permeation with focal necrosis.     

Inter‐industrial wage differentials: Evidence from Latin American countries

The recent literature on inter‐industrial wage differentials for the United States suggests that the labour market equilibrium features non‐competitive elements. However, the lessons from the United States need not carry over to other countries, especially developing economies. This article analyses the wage differentials in selected Latin American countries. Despite the sharp contrasts between the Latin American and the US economies, our results show more similarities than differences with those reported in past studies. Wage differentials are substantial and persist over time; the differentials are also correlated across occupations and, to a lesser extent, across establishment sizes.     

Local technological capability and productivity spillovers from FDI in the Uruguayan manufacturing sector

This article examines intra‐industry spillovers from FDI in Uruguayan manufacturing plants in 1988, to determine whether differences in the technology gap between locally‐owned plants and foreign affiliates have any impact on the relation between local productivity and foreign presence. We find a positive and statistically significant spillover effect only in a sub‐sample of locally‐owned plants with moderate technology gaps vis‐à‐vis foreign firms. Our interpretation is that there are firm‐specific differences in the ability to absorb spillovers, and that these may explain some of the contradictory findings of earlier spillover studies.     

Morality, Law and the Fair Distribution of Freedom

Hart’s criticism of Devlin’s stance on the legal enforcement of morality has been highly influential in shaping a new liberal sensibility and in paving the way to many important legal reforms in the UK. After 50 years it is perhaps time to go back to Law, Liberty and Morality to see it in the perspective of the general evolution of Hart’s thought since the early 50s. This is a period of extraordinary creativity for the Oxford philosopher, in which he writes many important contributions to legal, moral and political philosophy. Prominent among these is ‘Are There Any Natural Rights?’, an article that sets the agenda for Hart’s subsequent work on liberty, fairness and rights, and provides the philosophical background for the liberal understanding of the relations between law and morality defended in Law, Liberty and Morality.     

The rise and demise of theocracy: theory and some evidence

This paper models theocracy as a regime where the clergy in power retains knowledge of the cost of political production but which is potentially incompetent, quarrelsome, or corrupt. This is contrasted with a secular regime where government is contracted out to a secular ruler, and hence the church loses the possibility of observing costs and creates for itself a hidden-information agency problem. The church is free to choose between regimes—a make-or-buy choice—and we look for the range of environmental parameters that are most conducive to the superiority of theocracy and therefore to its occurrence and persistence, despite its disabilities. Numerical solution of the model indicates that the optimal environment for a theocracy is one in which the “bad” (high-cost) state is disastrously bad but the probability of its occurrence is not very high. Quantitative evidence on the rise of ancient Israelite theocracy and the current surge of Islamic theocratic fundamentalism provides surprisingly strong support for this prediction. Lastly, supportive evidence is suggested by two rare instances of a theocracy’s peaceful demise.     

Nordic Social Science Research and the American Nightmare

The purpose of the article is to review four major social science research projects currently under way in the Nordic countries, and to discuss the preconditions for, and the significance of, the manner in which the projects are organised. Four models for organising social science research are outlined, and applied to the projects. The main conclusion of the study, albeit of a tentative nature, is that whether a research project is organised according to one or other model is dependent upon the infrastructure of social science research, and the organisation of the wider society in the country concerned.     

Decapitation due to early post-mortem canine gnawing

A 53-year-old male was found dead in his home. The deceased's head, almost totally skeletonized, was lying at a distance of about 150 cm from the thorax inlet. The other occupant of the flat was a mongrel sheepdog. The autopsy conducted for the inquest established extensive damage to soft tissue in the head, neck and chest. The second to sixth cervical vertebrae were missing. The seventh cervical vertebra and the right first rib displayed bone lesions. The tissue injuries were attributed in the diagnosis to post-mortem canine gnawing. Cause of death was given as intermittent haemorrhaging of the gastro-intestinal tract from oesophageal varices in a status of hepatic cirrhosis. There was no indication that death had been caused by another party. About two days were estimated to have elapsed since death. Attention is drawn to this doubtless rare instance of total decapitation of the deceased with displacement of the head caused by a dog during the early post-mortem period.     

Design protection Italian style

Legal context and key points. The particular geographical structureof Italy has favoured the development of parallel cultures thatin the past competed not only with spears and arrows, but alsowith works of art -hence, the particular sensitivity of theItalians for design. The Community regime of design is highly unsatisfactory, andthe "individual character" required for protection is an evanescentconcept. "Design approach" is a sexy expression, but devoidof practical significance. The risk is therefore of excessiveprotection, of the hugely and non-distinctive.This is not welcomedby the Italians and may also damage the development of design. Practical significance. An independent (non-judicial) body hasbeen created in Italy, to adjudge (or rather, advise) when awork of design deserves protection. It is suggested that a similarindependent body be created on a European scale (and perhapsthis Journal may function as a catalyst for this endeavour).