Fatal intoxication with amisulpride and presentation of organ distribution

Amisulpride is a substituted benzamide used as an atypical antipsychotic drug. It antagonizes dopamine D2 and D3 receptor-mediated effects with greater affinity for the limbic system suggesting better neurological tolerance than classical neuroleptics. However, occasionally amisulpride intoxications associated with seizures, comatose conditions and agitation, hyperthermia, tachycardia, prolongation of the QT interval and extrapyramidal features have been described. A 27-year-old female with a medical history of psychosis and amisulpride therapy was found dead at home. By means of high performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC/MS) an amisulpride concentration of 13.4 mg/l was found in the peripheral blood. A lower concentration in the brain and an extremely high concentration in bile can be explained by the polarity and hydrophobic character of the substance. After macroscopic and histological exclusion of other causes of death the results of the toxicological analysis were consistent with the assumption of a fatal amisulpride overdose.     

Determinants of states' allocations of the master settlement agreement payments

To determine which factors influence states' allocation decisions for the tobacco Master Settlement Agreement and the four individual settlements' annual payments, including the decision to securitize, we analyzed the effects of voter characteristics, political parties, interest groups, prior spending on public tobacco control programs, and state fiscal health on per capita settlement funds allocated to tobacco-control, health, and other programs. Tobacco-producing states and those with high proportions of conservative Democrats or elderly, black, Hispanic, or wealthy people tended to spend less on tobacco control. Education and medical lobbies had strong positive influences on per capita allocations for tobacco-control and health-related programs. State fiscal crises affected amounts spent by states from settlement funds as well as the probability of securitizing future cash flows from the settlements.     

Two cases of suicidal electrocution

Two cases of suicidal electrocution are presented: one using a household lamp, the other using a homemade electrocution machine. The mechanisms of death and the histologic changes in electrocution are discussed.     

Gender trouble in paradise

Berliner Journal für Soziologie - Die Untersuchung setzt sich kritisch mit der in der geschlechterbezogenen Stadtforschung verbreiteten Betrachtung von Suburbia als der antifeministischen...     

The Effect of Voting Technology on Voter Turnout: Do Computers Scare the Elderly?

In the aftermath of the Florida debacle in the 2000 Presidential election, there has been an emphasis on replacing voting equipment perceived as inferior (e.g., punch card ballots) with more technologically advanced voting methods. It is possible, however, that not all voters will be comfortable with high-tech voting devices. Elderly voters, for example, might be familiar with the old voting machines but apprehensive about computerized voting. If this is the case, the fear of new voting technology might cause the turnout of elderly voters to decrease. We test for this effect by analyzing the change in voter turnout across Georgia counties in the two most recent gubernatorial elections, as it relates to the share of the counties’ populations that is over the age of 65 years. Consistent with the hypothesis that computers scare the elderly, we find a significantly negative relationship between the change in voter turnout and the elderly share of the population. An additional 1% of the population that is elderly is associated with a 0.3–0.4% decrease in turnout. The hypothesis that elderly voters were apprehensive about the change in voting technology is also supported by the increase in absentee balloting.     

Milton's Case for a Free Commonwealth

This article will examine the development of John Milton's arguments for democracy as against monarchy and other sorts of autocratic rule. These arguments are interesting both in their own right and insofar as they shed light on historiographical debates concerning the classical republican tradition. Milton is shown to hold a negative conception of liberty, as opposed to a positive or participatory conception, which lends support to the neo-roman interpretation of that tradition, associated with Quentin Skinner and Philip Pettit. However, it is further shown that Sinner and Pettit misunderstand the classical republicans' case for democracy, attributing to them a conceptual argument in place of an empirical one. A better understanding of Milton's political theory contributes to a better understanding of this dilemma, and perhaps suggests a solution.     

“It’s Great When People Don’t Even Have Their Welfare Cases Opened”: TANF Diversion as Process and Lesson

The 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) encouraged states to reduce welfare caseloads. Caseload reduction can be accomplished by promoting exit for work, marriage, or other private means of support and by diverting new applicants. Most research on caseload decline has focused on welfare‐to‐work outcomes; less is known about processes of diversion. This study employs administrative records and ethnographic data to examine diversion in West County, New York, from 1999 to 2003. Findings demonstrate a high level of diversion and suggest that application is an ongoing and at times remedial process rather than an event. Diversion occurs at all points of the expanded TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) intake process and is associated with one‐time lump sum payments as well as the hassle factor engendered by new eligibility requirements. The encumbered lives of applicants and TANF staff discretion are also implicated as factors contributing to diversion. We conclude with an analysis of the implications of TANF diversion for access to benefits.     

Computerized forensic assistance software (FAS 1.0) for training and standardized investigation in distributed and disconnected services

As part of a European union (EU) support program in forensic science for the Palestinian police, a forensic assistance software was designed to respect the quality management of the anti-terrorism laboratory of the Palestinian police by the different forensic teams in the disconnected Palestinian cities. This tool not only proposes up-to-date detection and identification protocols for traces, explosives, drugs, GSR, biological samples, but also appeared to be a convenient support for forensic practice teaching.