One Family,One Judge,No Continuances

Continuances are a source of delay in juvenile dependency cases that may increase the length of time a child is in care. The current study builds upon an emerging body of research examining the effectiveness of the one family, one judge model in improving case efficiency. The study first examines the expectation that continuances delay case processing, then examines whether the implementation of a one family, one judge model of judicial oversight reduces continuances. Results reveal that continuances delay case events up to the adjudication hearing, but do not delay time to permanency. Although implementation of the one family, one judge model did not reduce continuances, there was a relationship between the number of judicial officers per case and number of continuances. When there is only one judicial officer per case, the majority of cases have no or only one continuance. Every two judicial officers added to the case result in one additional continuance. These findings indicate that judicial continuity can be an effective way to improve case efficiency.     

A New Method of Assessing Judicial Workload in Juvenile Dependency Cases

This article describes a new method for calculating judicial workload in dependency or child abuse and neglect cases. In contrast to traditional judicial workload methods, the method described herein produces estimates of judicial workload that take into account the complex role of the juvenile dependency court judge—a role that includes both on‐ and off‐the‐bench activities. The method provides workload estimates that give guidance to courts not only about the minimally sufficient judicial resources needed to accommodate current caseload needs, but also what level of judicial resources would be required to hold substantive dependency court hearings that comport with nationally recognized practice recommendations. The article reviews commonly used judicial workload methods, outlines the new method, and uses a pilot of the method as an example of how the method works in practice. Broader implications of this workload method are also discussed.     

Retrograde transthoracic venous bullet embolism. Report of a case following a single gunshot with multiple wounds in the left arm and chest

Bullet embolism of the arterial, venous and paradoxical types are well known but rare complications of penetrating missile injuries. Retrograde transthoracic venous bullet embolization is extremely rare with only four cases previously reported in the literature. Single gunshot can cause multiple wounds, mainly because the bullet passes through an intermediate target before striking the victim. We present the autopsy findings of a retrograde transthoracic bullet embolism to the right external iliac vein after a single gunshot with multiple wounds in the left arm and thorax. Problems related to medico-legal investigations of gunshots are reviewed.     

Analysis of DNA profiles extracted from degraded samples from archival of formalin fixed tissue included in paraffin (FFTIP) and hairs

The possibility of studying DNA extracted from archival of formalin fixed tissue included in paraffin (FFTIP) enables valuable retrospective investigations. However, according to some authors it is difficult to obtain genomic DNA of good quality, since the process of fixation often results in fragmentation of DNA. In order to evaluate the quality and quantity of DNA extracted, necropsy samples of FFTIP (spleen/lung) and hairs, with or without bulbs, were analyzed using three methods of extraction (QIAamp DNA mini, QIAamp DNA micro-kit and phenol–chloroform followed by microcon YM-30). The amount of DNA recovered was quantified by spectrophotometer. The β-actin, amelogenin gene and the profiles of STR were analyzed. Based on experimental results, a general guideline concerning the appropriate extraction method according to the tissue and the quantity of the starting material for the analysis of DNA from FFTIP and hairs could be suggested.     

An Immunological Approach to Counter-Terrorism and Infrastructure Defense Law in Electronic Domains

The West’s increasing dependence upon telecommunicationsand information infrastructures puts at risk the economic, political,and military security of the free world. The purpose hereinis to gauge the extent to which the law properly supplementsand coordinates the defense of that information infrastructure. First undertaken is an overview of the telecommunications vulnerabilitiesand dependencies of the West. The nature of terrorism is thenexplored, and principles of counter-terrorism are examined andapplied specifically with reference to electronic domains. Thereafter,Immunological modeling and principles are surveyed. The analysis continues with an examination of the current postureof Western legal systems, and a comparison of the laws relatingto counter-terrorism in electronic domains before and afterthe events of 11 September. An exploration of continuing vulnerabilitiesthen follows. Finally, recommendations for future defensiveactions are promulgated with the aim of optimizing the roleof law in information infrastructure defense.     

Tensions between congress and the executive in nineteenth-century Argentina: federal intervention and separation of powers

SUMMARY

This article analyses the debates that took place in the Congress of Argentina between the enactment of the constitution in 1853 and the end of the century, regarding the powers of the executive and legislative branches for intervening in the provinces in case of internal conflict or external attack. It focuses on the controversies arising from different bills submitted to congress in order to enact a general intervention act to resolve, once and for all, the powers of each branch in that matter. Although those bills did not pass, a study of them shows the existing disagreements about the operation of the federal system and the separation of powers. Some of the differences were linked to the discussion of American constitutional doctrine in which Argentina had been engaged since the mid nineteenth century in order to solve the dilemmas of organizing its political institutions. This article claims that this analysis contributes to ongoing debates on the roots of political conflict in Argentina by showing the importance of institutional controversies, and argues that it is necessary to address the role of congress and of doctrinal dissent in order to revise the role that historiography has given to the disputes over power as an overall explanation for political confrontations.     

Decolonization in Reverse: The Iranian Oil Crisis of 1951–53

The decolonization process in the 1940s and 1950s in Middle Eastern states under Great Britain's informal influence did not aim at recognizing the same type of independence of these states as that enjoyed by Britain and the United States. In the 1940s Washington laid the groundwork for its leading role in Iran during and following the Iranian oil crisis, whilst London with the assistance of the Americans in part reasserted British influence after the crisis. The United States achieved a paramount position in Iran with the assistance of its oil companies and through cooperation with Great Britain, and at the expense of the latter and the Soviet Union.     

Arab Nationalism and the Arab Union of 1958

The late 1950s was a turbulent period in the history of Arab nationalism. It saw the birth and demise of unity states (the United Arab Republic and the Arab Union), civil war, revolution and Western intervention. Despite its short five-month lifespan, the Iraqi–Jordanian Hashemite Arab Union contributed to the intensification of the traditional Egyptian–Iraqi rivalry, the overthrow of the Iraqi monarchy in 1958 and the American intervention in Lebanon the same year. It was the result of Arab nationalism, lingering British imperial dreams, the East–West conflict, economic considerations and an inter-Arab cold war. The Arab Union had obvious advantages over the United Arab Republic. Two such advantages were the greater number of cabinet posts granted to Jordan by the Arab Union than were granted to Syria by the United Arab Republic, and the fact that Amman retained its status as capital (one of two union capitals), whereas Damascus was downgraded to the status of provincial capital. These advantages, however, failed to prevent the premature demise of the union, which was caused by a combination of negative domestic and regional perceptions, economic constraint and military commitments.