The irresistible decline of the medical profession? an empirical investigation of its autonomy and economic situation in the changing German welfare state

The aim of this paper is to examine various theses of loss of autonomy in the medical profession by means of an empirical investigation of changes in physicians' economic opportunities and technical autonomy in Germany since the mid-1970s. The paper shows that transitions in the organisational structure of the health care system, government policies aimed mainly at the economisation of health care, and the changing situation of the profession in the labour market, have together been responsible for the changes investigated. It is argued that technical autonomy has been retained in out-patient care, while in hospitals there has been some loss of technical autonomy. Moreover, the economic situation of physicians has in general deteriorated as a result of central state intervention.     

《彩票法》立法之必要性及其属性分析

我国自上世纪80年代中期开始发行彩票,在为社会公共事业筹集了大量资金,取得巨大社会效益的同时,彩票的规模越来越大、品种越来越多,可以说彩票市场已经蓬勃发展起来了。但同时,彩票市场也存在着管理混乱、弄虚作假、使用不明等诸多问题。制度的不足是其根本原因。我国目前规范彩票业的规范性文件都是一些行政法规、部门规章。可以说,制定一部系统、全面、完善、操作性强的《彩票法》已经成为了当务之急。本文从《彩票法》立法的必要性及其法律属性方面进行了论述。     

西部农村社会稳定问题研究

随着我国社会转型步伐的明显加快,西部农村社会稳定问题已经成为人们关注的一个焦点。农村社会稳定是指农村社会处于相对平衡发展的状态,包括各种权力关系和利益关系得到有效协调、具有稳定的家庭关系和良好的人际关系、人们的思想相对稳定、社会治安状况良好等等。     

Returns to Foreign Language Skills in a Developing Country: The Case of Turkey

This paper analyses the economic value of foreign languages in Turkey using data on some 6000 adult male wage-earners in 2007. We find positive earnings returns to proficiency in English and Russian, which increase with the level of competence. French and German skills are also positively rewarded, although their return seems mostly linked to the likelihood to hold specific occupations. In contrast, knowing Arabic does not generate an earnings premium. Focusing on English, we check for heterogeneous returns along the conditional earnings distribution. The results are qualitatively invariant when we account for misclassification errors in self-reported English skills.     

未成年人刑事司法中社会调查材料的法律性质

修改后的《刑事诉讼法》规定,对涉罪的未成年人,司法机关可以就其成长环境、教育环境、家庭监护条件等情况进行调查。由于社会调查材料在实践中适用的广泛性和混乱性,学界和实务界对此的认识比较混乱,有"品格证据说"、"鉴定意见说"、"量刑事实说"、"法庭教育材料说"等观点。本文意在剖析社会调查材料的本质,挖掘其特有的诉讼价值,以期更好维护未成年人的合法权益。     

Foreclosing on the American dream? The financial consequences of low-income homeownership

Federal programs have consistently encouraged ever-lower-income households to buy homes, despite concerns about the long-term sustainability and desirability of homeownership from the perspective of wealth-building, especially since the recent housing market collapse and the epidemic of mortgage foreclosures. We ask in this paper: can very low-income households build wealth through sustainable homeownership, with the aid of an innovative public program? We answer this question by examining 122 very low-income households who purchased their homes between 1996 and 2007 after completing an extensive asset-building and homeownership education/counseling program offered by the Housing Authority of the City and County of Denver (DHA), called HOP. We analyze our own longitudinal surveys and focus groups, as well as data compiled from administrative agency sources, real estate records, and longitudinal census data from the Neighborhood Change Database and the Piton Foundation's Neighborhood Facts Database. We find that homeownership attained through HOP typically did provide very low-income households with opportunities to build home equity (both absolutely and relative to generic homeowner cohorts in Denver) and net wealth, although this was contingent on time of purchase and ethnicity. Our multivariate analyses revealed that changes in annualized home equity appreciation were associated with the ethnic composition of the neighborhood and age of property. Annualized wealth accumulation was associated with annualized home equity appreciation, being married throughout the tenure of homeownership, and year of home purchase. HOP homebuyers received exceptionally favorable initial mortgage terms and conditions, often enhanced with down-payment assistance from their own DHA escrow account or from local housing and neighborhood development organizations, resulting in a dramatically low rate of default and foreclosure to date. Moreover, HOP homebuyers were not immune to financial stresses, and the continuing lack of wealth for many makes them vulnerable to future interruptions in primary wage earner's employment or health. We discuss the implications for low-income homeownership policy and argue that the goal of expanding homeownership opportunities should not be abandoned.     

Methadone determination in puparia and its effect on the development of Lucilia sericata (Diptera, Calliphoridae)

This paper describes a sensitive UPLC-MS/MS method for quantification of methadone and 2-ethylidene-1,5-dimethyl-3,3-diphenylpyrrolidine (EDDP) in single empty puparial case of Lucilia sericata. Larvae were reared on substrates spiked with different concentrations of methadone (0-4 μg/g). Methadone was quantified in puparia reared on high concentrated substrates (0.8-4 μg/g). The major metabolite of methadone (EDDP) was not detected, confirming rapid elimination of metabolites by the larvae before pupation. The effects of methadone on the development of L. sericata were also investigated. No effect on sex ratio was detected. A significant difference was calculated for emerged adults but no trends could be observed. Concerning the developmental curve, a significant difference was observed between control and high methadone concentrations using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test.     

A new method of reproduction of fingerprints from corpses in a bad state of preservation using latex

In view of the problems arising while fingerprinting corpses in a bad state of preservation, especially in case of mummification and carbonization, the authors propose an innovative technique which uses latex film. To better illustrate the potential of the method, two cases where the latex technique was applied successfully are reported: the first one is a mummified body discovered in a shack on the outskirts of Milan and the second one is the case of a burnt corpse found in a car boot. Such a technique is versatile, easy to apply, and allows the operator to work quickly on cadavers without amputating parts, except in rare cases (i.e., burnt bodies with muscle retraction). By the latex technique, a perfect and enduring negative copy of the fingerprint is obtained, ready to be inked and photographed. The numerous copies produced this way can be inked several times allowing for the repeatability of the procedure and this is crucial in cases of problematic legal identification of corpses. In both the cases illustrated, the fingerprints obtained by the latex technique were useful for identification. The quality was good enough for the automatic fingerprint identification system research system to be applied.