The effect of chlorine and hydrogen chloride on latent fingermark evidence

Exposure of forensic evidence to either hydrogen chloride or chlorine can result in acidification to such an extent that enhancement of fingermarks with ninhydrin or cyanoacrylate is inhibited. Under these circumstances, pretreatment of samples with volatile bases such as triethylamine or ethanolamine prior to using these enhancement techniques can lead to successful visualization of fingermarks. Alternatively, physical enhancement techniques such as powder dusting or small particle reagent can be used on acidified non-porous substrates, although the former technique is subject to increased background under such conditions.     

The Impact of Child Abuse Potential on Adaptive Functioning: Early Identification of Risk

Previous research has investigated the deleterious effects of child maltreatment on child development; however, little research has examined the development of children who live with caregivers who are at risk of maltreatment on child development outcomes. This study utilized self-report data from caregivers that included the Child Abuse Potential Inventory (CAPI), Parenting Stress Inventory-Short Form (PSI/SF), and Adaptive Behavior Assessment System-2nd Edition (ABAS-II) for 116 children ages 3-12 from a rural, Appalachian community. Caregivers with lower child abuse potential, children who used fewer school services, older children, and caregivers with lower household income had better total adaptive skills. Caregivers with lower child abuse potential, children who used fewer school services and older children had better functioning on the academic skills subscale. Children who used fewer school services, were older, and had lower family income had greater self-care skills. Finally, children who used fewer school services had greater communication skills. Parent-child dysfunction was not related to child development outcomes. The findings demonstrate that educators are in a unique position to intervene and support children at risk of maltreatment.     

Manganese Exposure from Welding: An Emerging Liability Risk

In the 1930s, warnings began to appear cautioning welders about risks of neurological effects caused by manganese in fumes from welding. Since the early 1990s, litigation based on these effects has increased dramatically. The basic allegation is that fumes from manganese-alloy welding rods can produce Parkinsonism, a severe neurological condition similar to Parkinson's disease. Exposure to manganese produces symptoms such as weakness, apathy, headaches, muscle cramps, and joint pains, followed by uncoordinated speech and gait, and possibly a form of psychosis known as “manganese madness.” Parkinsonism, involving tremors and movement disorder, develops as the last stage. However, most cases of Parkinson's disease, which has similar symptoms, do not have an identifiable cause and are termed “idiopathic Parkinson's disease” (IPD). The close resemblance between manganese-induced Parkinsonism and IPD makes distinguishing the two conditions difficult, and greatly complicates litigation.

Causes of the increase in litigation include recent pro-plaintiff verdicts, new studies linking welding fume exposure and neurological impairment, increased publicity regarding welding fume warnings, and aggressive recruiting of claimants by plaintiff attorneys. Companies that use welding or that make or sell welding rods and equipment are targets of this emerging litigation.

There are many potential plaintiffs with manganese-induced Parkinsonism or with Parkinson's disease, with which it may be confused. Informal reports from a recent unpublished study suggests that 12% of welders may have “Parkinson's type disease.” This percentage, and a population of 360,000 or more exposed to welding fumes, suggests that there may be at least 40,000 welders with impairment that would make them plausible plaintiffs.

Under the circumstances, defendant companies should take all appropriate measures to protect welders from fumes. To better position themselves to develop strategies for litigating or settling potential claims, defendant companies must proactively assess numerous factors, including the nature of their welding rod liabilities; the availability of insurance coverage to cover such liabilities; the status of the scientific evidence regarding exposure and health effects; the continued evolution of welding rod litigation; events transpiring on the regulatory front such as federal and state tort reform; and the development of other mass torts such as asbestos and silica.     

Mandating insurance offers for low-wage workers: an evaluation of labor market effects

Employing a simultaneous model of part-time status, health insurance offers, and wages, we examine the impacts on employment and health insurance coverage of nondiscrimination rules in the tax code governing employer-sponsored health insurance. Using 1988 and 1993 Employee Benefits Supplements to the Current Population Surveys and variations in health insurance premiums and minimum wages, we find that health insurance coverage among low-wage primary earners is increased by at most 31 percent by the policy, at a cost of an estimated 0.8-5.4-percentage-point decrease in full-time employment for low-wage workers.     

We've had training, now what? Qualitative analysis of barriers to domestic violence screening and referral in a health care setting

The present study assesses barriers to identification and referral of domestic violence (DV) victims by staff at a health care institution following a 3-hr DV training program in which 752 health care providers participated. Focus groups are conducted with staff in hospital departments that serve a high volume of women. Responses to focus group questions identify system-wide and individual hospital department barriers. These barriers have implications for health care organizations trying to implement DV screening protocols through training alone to change staff behavior in diverse clinical settings. Limitations of this study and future research recommendations are also discussed.     

Corporatism, Public Policy and the Labour Movement: A Comparative Study

This article identifies two dimensions which distinguish corporatism, especially as defined by Philippe Schmitter, from pluralism. Noting that most discussions of corporatism have emphasized one dimension and neglected the second, the article seeks to determine, empirically, whether the two dimensions are as closely associated as the concept suggests. The finding, for the cases studied, is that they are inversely rather than positively correlated. The search for an explanation of why this might be the case leads to two conclusions. First, that the management of labour-capital conflict in advanced capitalist countries has relied less on inter-group and group-state interaction than corporatist theory would suggest. Second, that Schmitter's conceptualization of corporatism is seriously flawed and that other corporatist writers avoid these flaws only at the cost of drastically reducing the concept's distinctiveness from pluralism.