THE NEGLECTED SITUATION: A CROSSNATIONAL STUDY OF THE SITUATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF CRIME*

Although it is generally recognized in the social sciences that the “situation” is indispensable for understanding behavior, thus far criminologists have not devoted systematic attention to situational analysis. This paper contributes to the development of a situational perspective on crime by defining the concept of situation, developing four hypotheses about the situational characteristics of selected personal contact crimes, and then testing those hypotheses using victimization survey data from the United States and Venezuela. The research shows that coercive crimes are less situationally clustered than noncoercive crimes and that instrumental crimes are more situationally clustered than character crimes. Despite tremendous differences in crime rates for the two countries, substantial similarity is found in situational crime patterns. The implications of the research for criminological theory are discussed.     

Pleural pearl. An immature pleural ball?

An incidental, pearl-like body was attached to the visceral pleura of a young man who committed suicide. The lesion consisted of concentric laminations of collagen and mesothelial type cells, and was associated with a resolved pleurisy. The possible relationship of this lesion to previously reported "pleural balls" is discussed.     

规模化猪场猪衣原体病的监测——福建省某种猪场母猪群发性流产的诊断

福建省某大型种猪场暴发母猪妊娠后期流产,经血清学试验、病原分离鉴定和小动物感染试验,诊断本病系由鹦鹉热衣原体感染所致。鸡胚分离株ＦＬ 第３ 代的毒力（ＥＬＤ５０） 为１０ ．７ 。     

Influenza A virus infection complicated by fatal myocarditis

Influenza virus typically causes a febrile respiratory illness, but it can present with a variety of other clinical manifestations. We report a fatal case of myocarditis associated with influenza A infection. A previously healthy 11-year-old girl had malaise and fever for approximately 1 week before a sudden, witnessed fatal collapse at home. Autopsy revealed a pericardial effusion, a mixed lymphocytic and neutrophilic myocarditis, a mild lymphocytic interstitial pneumonia, focal bronchial/bronchiolar mucosal necrosis, and histologic changes consistent with asthma. Infection with influenza A (H3N2) was confirmed by virus isolation from a postmortem nasopharyngeal swab. Attempts to isolate virus from heart and lung tissue were unsuccessful. Immunohistochemical tests directed against influenza A antigens and in situ hybridization for influenza A genetic material demonstrated positive staining in bronchial epithelial cells, whereas heart sections were negative. Sudden death is a rare complication of influenza and may be caused by myocarditis. Forensic pathologists should be aware that postmortem nasopharyngeal swabs for viral culture and immunohistochemical or in situ hybridization procedures on lung tissue might be necessary to achieve a diagnosis. Because neither culturable virus nor influenza viral antigen could be identified in heart tissue, the pathogenesis of influenza myocarditis in this case is unlikely to be the result of direct infection of myocardium by the virus. The risk factors for developing myocarditis during an influenza infection are unknown.     

Forensic medicine experiences with methadone substitution in the Geneva canton

Methadone treatment for heroin addiction has followed three distinct periods in Geneva, Switzerland. The first period (1970-1979) corresponds to the beginning of the heroin addiction epidemic. Treatment was restricted to detoxification and did not succeed in reducing fatal overdoses. During the second period (1980-1989), methadone maintenance program was favoured but access to this program was limited. This period has brought a decrease of illegal heroin consumption and criminality but not of fatal overdoses. Finally, during the third period (since 1990), legislation was changed to allow easier access to methadone maintenance program. As a consequence there was a significant drop in lethal heroin overdoses and in deaths attributed to HIV.     

船员雷达操作与模拟器专业培训现状及对策

根据STCW78/95公约和我国海事部门对航海教育的要求,针对我国船员雷达操作与模拟器专业培训现状的问题进行分析,提出了相应的对策.     

(In)-Equality in the Allocation of R&D Resources for Rare Diseases

This paper analyses the allocation of R&D investments within rare diseases and identifies the characteristics of rare diseases that appear to lead R&D resources. Rare diseases affect less than 1 in 2000 citizens. With over 7000 recognised rare diseases and 350 million people affected worldwide, rare diseases are not so rare when considered collectively. Rare diseases are generally underserved by drug development because pharmaceutical industries consider R&D investments in rare diseases too costly and risky in comparison with the low expected returns due to the small population involved. We use data on rare diseases research from Orphanet along with academic publications per rare disease from bibliographic databases. We test the existence of inequalities in R&D investments within rare diseases and identify the disease characteristics that appear to lead R&D investments using dominance tools and bilateral tests. We show that rare diseases in children and with a smaller prevalence, such as ultra-rare diseases, are underserved by R&D. R&D investments appear to be concentrated in more profitable research areas with potentially larger sample size and adult population.

     

A demented world: Politics without politics,state without state

Johann Huizinga, the great Dutch historian, wrote: ‘We are living in a demented world. And we know it’, pointing to the Schmittian nationalist irrationalism. Nevertheless, this expression might be accommodated to stress a contemporary form of dementia: the dementia of marketing. We are obsessed, made demented, by consumption, and we know it because we go and hunt for it. Classical economics in its neoliberal shift becomes, now, bio‐economics. The institutional venue where this kind of bio‐political commitment has been strongest is that provided by the European Union. The European Union has failed to halt the process of depoliticisation underway in the government of public affairs, contributing, on the contrary, to its encouragement and acceleration. The picture that emerges seems to have thrown us back 100 years, overrunning the defences of the Welfare State against the excesses of the free market and financial capitalism.     

Data for 10 autosomal STR markers in South Tunisian population

Allele frequencies, together with some parameters of forensic interest for 10 STRs (D3S1358, vWA, D16S539, D2S1338, D8S1179, D21S11, D18S51, D19S433, TH01 and FGA) were estimated from 201 unrelated individuals originating from southern Tunisia. Significant deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was observed for only one marker. Comparative analyses between our population data and other populations showed that only markers D3S158, vWA and FGA were homogenous among populations. The combination of these 10 STR loci provide a powerful tool for forensic identification in Tunisian population.     

Rupture of a cardiac diverticulum resulting in sudden death

Cardiac diverticula have been documented in approximately 80 patients. In over 70% of cases, this lesion is associated with midline thoracoabdominal defects or other congenital malformations of the heart. The diverticulum is thought to occur early in embryogenesis from an outpouching of the endomyocardium through a weak region in the left ventricular wall, but its exact etiology is uncertain. The case of a 6-year-old white boy who died suddenly while playing is presented. Autopsy revealed a ruptured diverticulum of the left ventricular apex with massive hemopericardium and cardiac tamponade. No other abnormalities were found. The pertinent literature is reviewed.