Adolescents' capacities to provide voluntary informed consent

Minors' capacities to provide a valid informed consent for the treatment of medical and psychological disorders are contingent in part on the determination of whether they can make voluntary treatment decisions. The gravity of a medical dilemma and the nature of parental influence are two factors hypothesized to effect and perhaps compromise the voluntariness of treatment decisions made by adolescents. In the present study 40 14- and 15-year-old subjects were asked to note their conviction for treatment decisions they had made in response to hypothetical medical dilemmas in which parental influence varied. It was found that adolescents making treatment decisions are generally deferent to parental influence, although they are more likely to resist parental influence when the consequences of the decision have serious implications for the hypothetical adolescent's health.This investigation was supported in part by a grant from the American Psychology-Law Society/ Division 41 of the American Psychological Association, whose assistance is gratefully acknowledged. Gratitude is also extended to the Albemarle County School District, the Blue Ridge School. and St. Anne's-Belfield for their kind cooperation. The authors wish to thank William Gardner, Jeanne Smith, and Edith Lawrence for their work on behalf of this project. Special recognition is due to Lois A. Weithorn for her guidance and support of this research endeavor.     

The conditions of production: A note∗

Herman E. Daly and John B. Cobb: For the Common Good: Redirecting the Economy Toward Community, the Environment, and a Sustainable Future. Boston: Beacon Press, 1989.

Bill Weinberg: War on the Land: Ecology and Politics in Central America. Zed Press, 1991.

Daniel Faber: Environment Under Fire: Imperialism and the Ecological Crisis in Central America. Monthly Review Press, 1993.

Malcom V. Brock: Biotechnology in Japan. Routledge, London/New York, 1989.     

Against Understanding: The Techniques of Shock and Awe in Jesuit Theology,Neoliberal Thought and Timothy Morton’s Philosophy of Hyperobjects

Revolving around three examples - Jesuit missionary activities in 17th century North America, Friedrich von Hayek’s neoliberal thought and Timothy Morton’s theory of hyperobjects - our paper discusses the notions of “distance” and “pointing out” which are subterraneously at work in today’s critical spirit and its tendency to align itself with the “affirmation turn”. Our investigation of the distances between subject and object and the role of the critic’s pointing at diverse “hyperobjects” (god, the market and global warming), helps us excavate a mode of critique that we call “presentist persuasion”. “Presentist persuasion” works as a form of critique that reveals the truth by pointing out hyperobjects’ encompassing presence for the sake of an overarching ethical or political goal instead of initiating a process of understanding them.     

Voices on Paper: Multimodal Texts and Indigenous Literacy in Brazil

This paper focuses on the recent production of multimodal writing in an indigenous community in Brazil, resulting from the equally recent introduction of literacy. Seeing this form of writing as part of the process of intercultural semiosis and cultural translation, the paper discusses how concepts of local indigenous oral culture and received wisdom interact with the Western concept of writing as the ‘record’ or ‘representation’ of speech, bringing to writing the indigenous notion of cultural ‘enactment’ or ‘performativity’. In an effort to overcome a view of alphabetic writing as semantically only propositional, mimetic and decontextualized, the Kashinawa´ community, by adding visual components to alphabetic texts, appear to transform writing into contextualized performative ‘poiesis’, which simul taneously inaugurates a complex process of semiosis inseparable and only comprehensible from their local cultural perspective.     

Real-time forensic DNA analysis at a crime scene using a portable microchip analyzer

An integrated lab-on-a-chip system has been developed and successfully utilized for real-time forensic short tandem repeat (STR) analysis. The microdevice comprises a 160-nL polymerase chain reaction reactor with an on-chip heater and a temperature sensor for thermal cycling, microvalves for fluidic manipulation, a co-injector for sizing standard injection, and a 7-cm-long separation channel for capillary electrophoretic analysis. A 9-plex autosomal STR typing system consisting of amelogenin and eight combined DNA index system (CODIS) core STR loci has been constructed and optimized for this real-time human identification study. Reproducible STR profiles of control DNA samples are obtained in 2 h and 30 min with ≤0.8 bp allele typing accuracy. The minimal amount of DNA required for a complete DNA profile is 100 copies. To critically evaluate the capabilities of our portable microsystem as well as its compatibility with crime scene investigation processes, real-time STR analyses were carried out at a mock crime scene prepared by the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office (PBSO). Blood stain sample collection, DNA extraction, and STR analyses on the portable microsystem were conducted in the field, and a successful “mock” CODIS hit was generated on the suspect's sample within 6 h. This demonstration of on-site STR analysis establishes the feasibility of real-time DNA typing to identify the contributor of probative biological evidence at a crime scene and for real-time human identification.     

Jagdrecht von Bund und Ländern – Ausgewählte Bereiche der Landesjagdgesetze Brandenburgs, Mecklenburg-Vorpommerns und Sachsen-Anhalts unter der Lupe

Zusammenfassung  In Bund und L?ndern gibt es insgesamt 17 Jagdgesetze. Dazu kommen zahlreiche Rechtsverordnungen auf Bundes- und Landesebene, mannig faltige naturschutz-, tierschutz- und waffenrechtliche Regelungen, die das Jagdrecht beeinflussen oder aber durch das Jagdrecht selbst beeinflusst werden. Eine solche “Regelungsflut” hat selbstverst?ndlich auch auf die t?gliche Jagdpraxis nicht zu untersch?tzende Auswirkungen. Hierzu ein Beispiel: Ein Revierinhaber bewirtschaftet ein Jagdrevier, dass sich über die Grenzen zweier Bundesl?nder erstreckt. In jedem dieser L?nder gelten unterschiedliche gesetzliche Bestimmungen. Dies kann dazu führen, dass in jedem der zwei L?nder andere Tierarten zu verschiedenen Jahreszeiten bejagt werden dürfen, es kann unterschiedliche Regelungen zu sachlichen Verboten, verschiedenartige Bestimmungen zur Wildfolge und Nachsuche sowie anders geartete Verpflichtungen des Revierinhabers bei t?glichen Arbeiten im Revier (z.B. Jagdliche Einrichtungen, Kirrungen, Fütterungen etc.) geben. Für uns Grund genug, das Jagdrecht des Bundes und der L?nder (hier: Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern und Sachsen-Anhalt) etwas n?her zu beleuchten und anhand weniger beispielhaft herausgegriffener Regelungen, sowohl Unterschiede als auch Gemeinsamkeiten darzustellen. Nach einer kurzen Einleitung zu den Gesetzgebungskompetenzen im Bereich des Jagdwesens (A.), werden schwerpunktartig drei Themengebiete untersucht, die nicht nur für den am Jagdrecht interessierten Leser spannend, sondern auch in der jagdlichen Praxis relevant sind. Zun?chst widmen wir uns den nach Landesrecht jagdbaren Tierarten und ihren Jagd- und Schonzeiten (B.), danach betrachten wir die sog. “befriedeten Bezirke” (C.). Im Anschluss daran nehmen wir die unterschiedlichen L?nderregelungen zu Fütterungen und Kirrungen unter die Lupe (D.). Der Aufsatz endet mit einem Appell an die Legislative und Exekutive (E.).     

Commotio cordis as a result of a fight: Report of a case considered to be imprudent homicide

Commotio cordis is a clinic-pathological syndrome related to sudden death in young people involved in sports activities. It has been described, mainly, in athletes without previous cardiac anomalies who received a minor blow to the chest which produces ventricular fibrillation and cardiac arrest in the absence of structural damage to the ribs, sternum, or heart. There are few reported cases of commotio cordis associated with violent, non-sports related actions, which are commonly considered to be imprudent homicides. We present the case of a 20-year-old man, who was kicked in the chest during a fight; he suddenly collapsed although advanced cardio-respiratory resuscitation started shortly. Autopsy showed no cardiac lesions concluding that death was due to commotio cordis (blunt trauma to the chest). Toxicological analysis determined the presence of 5.14 mg/L benzoylecgonine in blood. On the basis of medico-legal investigation, the official prosecution considered the death to be imprudent homicide and the aggressor was sentenced to 4 years in prison. We emphasize the importance of the knowledge of the death circumstances through the witnesses’ testimony, prior to beginning the autopsy, to confirm this important medico-legal diagnosis. Arrhythmogenic effects of cocaine and its contribution in the production of these deaths are also exposed.