The Determinants of Vote Intentions in Portugal

This paper offers new insights on theinteractions between economics and politicsin Portugal. We use two unexplored datasets consisting of monthly polls on voteintentions for the main political partiesin Portugal and responses to a consumersurvey containing a battery of questions oneconomic evaluations. The analysis coversthe interval from 1986 to 2001. We findthat: (1) right-wing governments arepenalized for higher inflation while theleft-wing ones are not, (2) left-winggovernments are more penalized forincreases in the unemployment rate; (3)voters base their evaluations ofincumbents' performances on perceptions ofpast and current economic conditions,rather than on expected future economicoutcomes.     

What went wrong with the Hungarian consumption function? An econometric investigation of the time series aggregate consumption function for Hungary for 1960–1989

The paper focuses on the time series aggregate consumption function for the Hungarian economy. The empirical econometric analysis presented produces several new results. First, it shows that the income and consumption variables used in this type of model by previous studies are I(2) variables. Consequently, error correction models formulated in terms of their first differences are mis-specified. Second, it provides a strong empirical evidence supporting the view that consumption (and thus saving) was (real) interest rate elastic during the period under investigation, having impact both on the long run and on the short relationships between income and consumption. Third, it provides empirical evidence on choosing the proper income variable in the consumption function. The model selection results clearly supports the model with unadjusted total real money income variable. Fourth, it shows that for the period 1960–1986 a correctly specified and stable error correction model can be established. Finally, the analysis shows that when used for the period beyond 1986, this model suffers from a structural break.     

A comparison of normal and disturbed adolescent Offer Self-Image Questionnaire responses in an Irish cultural setting

In an effort to gauge the overall usefulness of the Offer Self-Image Questionnaire (OSIQ) as a practical discriminator between clinically disturbed and normal Irish teenagers, the 11 scale scores and the mean of these scores for 845 normal and 115 disturbed adolescents were computed and compared. The results show that the test does, in fact, distinguish disturbed adolescents from normals and, in particular, psychotic from both normal and other disturbed adolescents. We conclude that the test may have considerable potential on an individual clinical basis, provided suitable cultural norms are established.Lecturer in Behavioral Science, Faculty of Nursing Post-Graduate Course, Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland. B. A., 1966, and H. Dip. Ed., 1967, University College, Galway; Dip. Psych., University College, Dublin, 1973. Recipient in 1977 of Council of Europe Medical Fellowship — field of study Residential Treatment of Disturbed Adolescents.     

Postmortem stability of some markers of intra-vital wounds

We have studied the diagnostic value of several markers of the intra-vital nature of wounds - cathepsin D (EC 3.4.23.5) and ions (Ca, Mg, Cu, Zn and Fe) - after the influence of putrefaction. For this purpose, we have inflicted vital wounds to six pigs, which were killed 20 min later. Ten minutes after death, wounds were excised with 5-6 cm of skin around the incision and maintained at three different temperatures (4, 18 and 28.5 +/- 13.4 degrees C). After varying periods of postmortem interval from 0 to 48 h, aliquots of each wound were taken and analyzed with atomic absorption spectrophotometry for ions and with UV-spectrophotometry for cathepsin D. Our results demonstrate that ions conserve their diagnostic ability to differentiate vital from postmortem wounds after the influence of putrefaction. Nevertheless, cathepsin D does not show this ability in these experimental conditions.