Potential of the state to control privatized firms

The privatization strategy in many transition economies involved the creation of a special government agency that administered state property during privatization programs as well as after the privatization was declared complete. The National Property Fund (NPF) was the agency in the Czech Republic. In many firms the state kept property long after the privatization was completed. We analyze the control potential of the state exercised through the NPF via the control rights associated with capital stakes in firms along with special voting rights provided by law. Based on a complete data set on assets as well as the means of control in privatized firms we conclude that for most of the 1994–2005 period, the state control potential was extensive and certainly larger than has been found by earlier research.

Colchicine Extract Suicidal Lethal Poisoning Confirmation Using High‐Resolution Accurate Mass Spectrometry: A Case Study

A case of suspected acute and lethal intoxication caused by colchicine has been reported. The woman was hospitalized after her suspicion of suicidal poisoning by a rare autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale). Suspected colchicine poisoning was confirmed using a novel UHPLC method with a modern reversed‐phase stationary phase with a sub 2‐micron superficial porous particle size combined with a QTOF mass spectrometer. Sample preparation procedure included the addition of propiverine as internal standard, protein precipitation using methanol and solid phase extraction. High‐resolution MS only and targeted MS/MS modes are reported for the qualitative analysis and screening of other potential drugs of abuse in blood samples. All Ion MS mode was used for quantitative determination of colchicine afterward. The concentration of colchicine in the blood sample was approximately 41 ng/mL, and more than 200 μg/mL of the plant extract used for the suicide.     

Powdered Activated Carbon: An Alternative Approach to Genomic DNA Purification

Forensic evidence samples are routinely found as stains on various substrates, which may contain substances known to inhibit polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The goal of this study was to evaluate post‐Chelex^®100 purification using powdered activated carbon (PAC). Mock crime scene DNA extracts were analyzed using quantitative PCR and short tandem repeat (STR) profiling to test the DNA recovery and inhibitor removal using PAC with those of the Amicon^®Ultra 100K. For extracted bloodstains on soil and wood substrates, PAC and Amicon^®Ultra 100K generated similar DNA yield and quality. Moreover, the two methods significantly decreased the concentration of humic substances and tannins compared to nonpurified extracts (p < 0.001). In instances where extracts contained indigo dye (bloodstains on denim), Amicon^®Ultra 100K performed better than PAC due to improved amplifiability. Efficient adsorption of humic substances and tannins, which are common inhibitors, indicates PAC's potential application in the purification of high‐template DNA extracts.     

What did the Soviet Rulers Maximise?

The predominant view in the literature holds that the main objective of the Soviet rulers was growth of the official measure of aggregate output, irrespective of its use structure, that is, growth for its own sake. We show that the pursuit of this objective would have been irrational, and argue instead that the main objective was the pursuit of military might. This formulation returns the Soviet rulers to the company of rational economic actors, helps explain the main characteristics of the Soviet economic development better than the majority view, and provides a different perspective on the system's final decades.     

The development of political science in Lithuania: Years of the breakthrough

Abstract. The development of political science was closely connected to the democratic changes and the restoration of statehood at the end of the 1980s in Lithuania. This paper examines the historical and contemporary social and academic roots of political science in the country. The other issue investigated in detail is the institutionalisation of political studies, which required the development of new academic curricula. Major vehicles for the institutionalization of political science were the decentralisation of academic activities and the establishment of new institutions, such as the Institute of Political Science and International Relations (University of Vilnius) and the Lithuanian Political Science Association, and intensive cooperation withWestern universities and funding organizations. Nonetheless, the growth and efficiency of political studies and research depend very much on their successful integration into the environment of the existing universities. The research output of Lithuanian political science is characterised by a widening of research interests and the further introduction of statistical and computer methods of investigation, with problems of Lithuania's foreign and security policy and issues of democratisation as topics of continuing popularity.