Estimation of the post mortem period by multiple-site temperature measurements and the use of a new algorithm

The estimation of the post mortem period, in cases where death occurred under suspicious circumstances, is usually attempted using temperature measurements taken at a single body site. Early investigations of the validity of such an approach use the abdominal skin surface, the axilla and the rectum as measurement sites (B.H. Knight, Forensic Sci. Int., 36 (1987) 47-55). However, it has recently become more common to use the rectum alone, though the ear and the nasal passages have also been utilized. Whatever site is employed, the estimates are frequently found to be inaccurate. There are several fundamental reasons for these inaccuracies, the most prominent being the unknown variation in the ambient temperature between the time of death and the commencement of measurements, and the unknown body temperature at the time of death. This paper proposes a method of overcoming the above difficulties by taking a series of measurements concurrently at a number of body sites, a technique used by several previous workers (B.H. Knight, Forensic Sci. Int., 36 (1987) 47-55). Initial investigations have shown that an improved estimation of post mortem period is obtainable by the application of a suitable decision-making algorithm.     

Multinationals and institutional competitiveness

This article discusses how institutional competitiveness and multinationals are mutually enriching concepts. Multinationals transfer capital, technology, and knowledge into new settings. They allow subsidiaries access to new markets, new resources, and new processes. Potentially, therefore, institutional competitiveness can be increased by the presence of multinational corporations (MNCs) and their subsidiaries. However, this depends on the type of multinational and the type of institutional context. By differentiating two types of MNC in terms of short‐term and long‐term orientations to investment, and two types of host institutional setting in terms of strength of institutional complementarities and interconnectedness, we develop a typology of four types of interaction between MNCs and institutional settings. We then analyze how each type influences institutional competitiveness. We conclude that these outcomes, while structurally shaped, are still dependent on how actors (individuals, firms, collective organizations, and governments) strategize to develop institutional frameworks in the context of highly competitive global markets.     

Election Campaigns,Social Communication,and the Accessibility of Perceived Discussant Preference

This paper examines the communication of political preferences between citizens during the course of an election campaign. We are particularly concerned with the ability of individuals to make judgments regarding the likely votes of others within their networks of relationships. To this end, we employ the concept of accessibility and its measurement device—response latency or response time—in the context of a computer-assisted telephone interview. We argue that the accessibility of respondent perceptions regarding the voting preferences of their associates depends on a range of individual and contextual factors, and the analysis focuses on variation across individuals, across relationships, and across the temporal contexts of election campaigns.     

Moral responsibilities and political realities

Responsibility depends on neither causes nor intentions. It is a matter of answerability to a community of obligation. Only individuals are responsible, for collective actions as well as personal ones. Responsibility is both political and moral. Politics give substance to moral responsibility. Political forms, in turn, reflect the prevailing structure of moral responsibility. Both policy makers and policy analysts can be held responsible; this act itself, however, must be done responsibly.This article is based on the Presidential Address, Israel Philosophical Association, April 21, 1981.The author can be contacted at 2434 Benedict Canyon, Beverly Hills, CA 90210, U.S.A. until August 1982.