The analysis of dyes in ball point pen inks on single paper fibres using laser desorption ionisation time of flight mass spectrometry (LDI-TOFMS)

A preliminary field study in the summer in a rural village in El-Qalyubiya Governorate (Egypt) compared the necrophagous insects colonizing the cadavers of two male rabbits (Oryctolagus cunicullus domesticus L.) killed by asphyxia (control), with two poisoned by the organophosphate (OP) pesticide pirimiphos-methyl (test). Decay of control carcasses was rapid since they reached the skeletal stage in only 19 days. Test carcasses did not decay completely, even 40 days post-killing. Insect species colonizing both carcasses types were not different, indicating that despite its odor, the OP were not masking the decomposition odors which were drawing the species to the bodies. The blowfly Chrysomya albiceps (Weidemann) constituted 76.6% of all samples collected. They were the first colonizers and played a major role in the decomposition process of control carcasses and in the partial decay of the test ones. They were significantly fewer numbers of immature stages developing on the test carcasses which probably contributed to their distinct lag and poor decomposition. Samples indicate that 17.3% of the insects were members of the Formicidae. This family was present in all carcasses, mostly in the early stages of decomposition. Formicidae may be considered omnivorous, and one of the fauna which use the cadaver as a refuge, to obtain humidity and food. This study provides additional knowledge in the context of Egyptian forensic entomology and the influence of OP which is of relevance to forensic science.     

Financial losses due to financial derivatives: A problem of technology transfer

Financial derivatives represent a new technology for the financial services sector. Large and widely publicized financial losses by end users of financial derivatives (e.g., Barings Bank, Procter and Gamble) may be attributed to two major problems in transferring this technology from derivatives dealers to derivatives users: (1) valuation of derivatives; and (2) control systems to manage this new financial technology. Some effective solutions to these problems are being developed by private standard setting organizations and private firms; these solutions can be viewed in terms of non-product standardization and product standardization, respectively. The effectiveness of these solutions in facilitating technology transfer comes from involvement of all stakeholders (e.g., dealers; users; private standard setters; government regulators). The authors with to thank Dr. Francis W. Wolek, Professor of Management at Villanova University, for reading an earlier draft of this paper. The authors are also grateful to Dr. Albert Link and the anonymous reviewers for thier helpful comments.     

Which way to the barricades?

Ann Curthoys, For and Against Feminism. A Personal Journey into Feminist Theory and History (Allen & Unwin) Sydney, 1988; Elizabeth Wilson, Hidden Agendas. Theory, Politics, and Experience in the Women's Movement (Tavistock) London & New York, 1986; Charlotte Bunch, Passionate Politics. Feminist Theory in Action (St. Martin's Press) New York, 1987.     

Turnout and the party system in Canada, 1988–2004

Turnout in Canadian national elections declined sharply in the 1990s, especially among young voters. We argue that a prime cause is the parallel decline in electoral competitiveness. We demonstrate this by estimating an encompassing model of turnout, including indicators of party spatial location and riding-level competitiveness embedded in a setup that is sensitive to entering cohorts and the passage of time, broadly in the spirit of Franklin (2004a). Data come from the Canadian Election Studies from 1988 to 2004. In addition to its main conclusions, the analysis generates new questions, especially about how voters derive information about competitiveness and about the relative importance of voters' own reckonings and the strategic allocation of resources and effort by parties.     

The Limits of Critique and the Forces of Law

Three recent publications evidence a growing interest in critical jurisprudence with materiality, technology, affect and atmosphere. These approaches pose fundamental challenges to existing traditions within legal critique, spurning a focus on the ideology of legal reasoning and exploring instead the unique practices through which the law binds subjects through material, affective and atmospheric manipulations. Through either Andreas Philippopoulos-Mihalopoulos’s ‘lawscape’ or Kyle McGee’s ‘jurimorphs’ these innovative theoretical projects pluralise the ‘forces’ which account for the law’s normativity, disavowing the notion that such forces can be reduced either to a transcendental form (like sovereignty) or to notions of structural or symbolic violence. These approaches address a ‘democratic deficit’ in legal philosophy that has generally excluded the realm of the material in its theorising and allows us to attend to the multiple forms that allow for the passage of law.     

Social accountability and community forest management: the failure of collaborative governance in the Wombat Forest

This article presents a critical analysis of what caused the failure of Australia's first Community Forest Management (CFM) trial. We explore how ‘community’ was conceptualised and represented through the dynamic CFM process, leading to contradictions and conflicts that could not be resolved. We examine the governance structures and institutions that were created to try to enable community participation in forest management. Ambiguity and uncertainty in the power and purpose of the CFM organisation, as well as power relationships within the organisation, all contributed to conflicts that eventually tore the CFM process apart.