Studies and observations on Lewis grouping of body fluids and stains

Leb positive individuals may phenotypically express both Lea and Leb in their secreted body fluids. Therefore, the interpretation of a Le(a + ,b-), non-secretor result is dependent on the absence of Leb. This study emphasises the importance of accurate procedure and biased selection of antisera such that Leb is preferentially detected in comparison with Lea. The relationship of the ABO group to the expression of Le is discussed in conjunction with the selection of samples for testing antisera and inclusion as control standards.     

The effects of drying the rinsed dissected heart on postmortem heart weight

Blood and blood clots should be removed from the heart chambers before being weighed. The actual method in removing blood and blood clots may vary and can include manual removal with subsequent rinsing the heart in water. It is unclear whether drying the rinsed heart affects the heart weight. The objective of this article was to investigate the effects drying the rinsed dissected heart (residual rinsing water) on postmortem heart weight. The prospective study compared 44 dissected heart weights after being rinsed and after being pat dried. An average 18–20 g of residual rinsing water (4% of heart weight) was present in the dissected heart. The amount of residual rinsing water correlates positively with heart weight. The effects of drying the rinsed dissected heart were considered clinically insignificant. Although being clinically insignificant, this study highlights the lack of standardized approach in weighing the heart and the potential implications in interpreting heart weights.     

Non est factum and stare decisis

Corresponding to the recent shifts on the significance of skills development in higher education, a peer mentoring scheme for international students by international students was integrated into the academic curriculum at Newcastle Law School. The aim of the scheme is to facilitate the development of skills and values of the appointed mentors that translate into the workplace and into life. This empirical article discusses, first, the place of skills today in institutions worldwide, and their influence in the globalised world of work and in the life of the graduates; second, the analysis of the relevant skills developed by mentors in their role as a mentor in the peer mentoring scheme; and third, how they transfer to the workplace.     

Legal rights in data

It is now apposite to speak of the ‘data centric world’. Businesses are paying ever more attention to their own, and others’ data, as a way of adding value to the organisation and conferring competitive advantage. This in turn is focusing attention on legal rights in data across many business sectors, where we’re starting to see more disputes. Data is funny stuff in and of itself - effectively inert in legal terms. It is more precise to speak of ‘legal rights in relation to data’. Those rights are IP rights - copyright, database right, confidentiality, patents and trade marks - and contract rights. Each IP right has its own rules, and applying those rules to data leads to a complex, multi-layered analysis where the law is unsettled and uncertain. This means that data is an area where contract is very often king, so most businesses regulate access to data by means of a series of agreements. The most commonly contested points in negotiations are around licence scope, derived data, commingled data and post term use.     

Doing Justice: Perceptions of Gender Neutrality in the Jury Selection Process

There is a paucity of research on juries in general including the jury selection process. Very little of it examines the effect of gender. This study surveyed 138 potential jurors to determine whether jurors believed they were excluded from jury service due to gender. Additionally the study assessed whether gender affected attitudes about women serving on juries and whether perceptions about women and jury service were associated with general views about the fairness of the justice system. Findings suggest that gender had little effect on jury service or views about women serving on juries, but views about women and their role in jury service was associated with perceptions of general fairness in the system, regardless of the respondent’s gender. These findings point to the need for a more complex understanding of gender when examining the jury selection process.     

Rating the prison boss: Examining supervision among prison health care staff

Health care staff are instrumental in prisons given their roles in aiding security and the growing demand for medical services among prisoners. Unfortunately, little attention has been paid to this prison staff subpopulation. This study examined perceptions of supervision among 424 prison health care staff in the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Participants felt that prison supervisors were most effective in clarifying expectations and least effective in giving feedback for performance, involving staff in planning, and extending job autonomy. Using hierarchical linear models (HLM), some unique findings emerged. Efficacy in dealing with inmates was the strongest predictor variable: health care staff who felt more positive and effective with inmates had more favorable feelings toward supervision. Staff working in high- and medium-security prisons had more positive feelings toward supervision than those in minimum security, and younger staff had more favorable attitudes toward supervisors than older staff. The implications of these findings and directions for future research are discussed.     

Sources of injustice among individuals with persistent pain following musculoskeletal injury

Evidence supports the negative impact of perceived injustice on recovery following injury. However, little is known about sources that contribute to injustice perceptions in this context. Therefore, this study systematically investigated sources of injustice following painful musculoskeletal injury. Following completion of the Injustice Experiences Questionnaire (IEQ) and measures of pain, depression, and disability, participants completed a semi-structured interview to discuss reasons underlying their IEQ responses. On average, the sample was experiencing moderate levels of pain, depression, and disability, and clinically meaningful levels of perceived injustice. Participants frequently identified employers/colleagues, other drivers, insurers, healthcare providers, family, significant others, friends, and society as sources of injustice. Common reasons for identifying these sources included their contribution to the injury, inadequate assessment or treatment of pain, and punitive responses toward participants’ pain expression. Sex- and injury-related differences emerged in the identification of injustice sources. Potential strategies for preventing perceived injustice following painful injury are discussed.     

Reviews

Certain Fragments: Contemporary Performance and Forced Entertainment By Tim Etchells, 1999. New York: Routledge

Up Your Ass Written by Valerie Solanas, Directed and Presented by George Coates, Performance Works at P.S. 122, New York City, February 7–25th, 2001

Siren Songs: Representations of Gender and Sexuality in Opera Edited by Mary Ann Smart. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2000.

The Garden An installation by Paul McCarthy, Dietch Projects, New York City

39 MICROLECTURES: in proximity of performance by Matthew Goulish, London: Routledge, 2000     

Convenience stores and routine activities in a summer tourist destination

In this paper we examine the effects of alcohol outlets, with particular attention to convenience stores, located in an East Coast Tourist City. Tourist City offered an opportunity to observe the interplay between convenience stores and robberies and assaults in the presence of large volumes of summer tourists. Guided by Routine Activities Theory, we focused on the convergence of potential victims, guardianship and offenders in the vicinity of convenience stores. The first part of our paper concerns the effects of convenience stores on assaults and robberies in block groups. Using grocery stores as a comparison to convenience stores, we found that the number of convenience stores was correlated with significantly higher levels of both robberies and assaults. The second part of our investigation employed small circular buffer areas focusing on the immediate area around the convenience stores. This analysis revealed that these small areas were associated with significantly higher assaults in the summer and offseason but robberies only during the offseason. In addition, we found that variation in the number of other alcohol outlets near the convenience stores increases the number of assaults within the buffer areas.     

Book reviews and notes

FRENCH‐ENGLISH GLOSSARY OF FRENCH LEGAL TERMS IN EUROPEAN TREATIES. [Prepared by R. J. B. ANDERSON and R. J. DECKERS. Sweet &; Maxwell/Langenscheidt. 1972. 64 pp. £1.50.]

THE PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE OF THE NATIONAL INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS COURT. By ROGER W. RIDEOUT. [Sweet &; Maxwell. 1973. xvi and 94 pp. (inc. index). £1.75 (paperback).]

SWEET &; MAXWELL'S EUROPEAN COMMUNITY TREATIES. Edited by Sweet &; Maxwell's Legal Editorial Staff, Advisory Editor, K. R. SIMMONDS. [1972. xii and 334 pp. £2.85 (paperback).]

REVENUE LAW. By BARRY PINSON. Sixth Edition. [Sweet &; Maxwell. 1972. lxx and 690 pp. (inc. index). £4.25 (paperback).]

SWEET &; MAXWELL'S GUIDE TO ESTATE DUTY STATUTES. By G. S. A. WHEATCROFT. Second Edition. [1972. xiv and 170 pp. (inc. index). £1.90 (paperback).]

ACCOUNTING IN BUSINESS. By R. J. BULL. Second Edition. [Butterworths. 1972. viii and 279 pp. (inc. index). £2.20 (paperback); £3.60 (bound).]

GORE‐BROWNE ON COMPANIES. Edited by A. J. BOYLE and RICHARD SYKES. [Jordan &; Sons. 1972. cxlii and 1232 pp. £12.60.]

COMMUNITY LAW THROUGH THE CASES. By NEIL ELLES assisted by J. H. VALLATT. [Stevens &; Sons. 1973. xxviii and 411 pp. (including an index and tables of treaties and cases). £7.50 (bound).]

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE LAW AND INSTITUTIONS OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES. By D. LASOK AND J. W. BRIDGE. [Butterworths. 1973. 314 pp. £5.40 (hardback); £3.20 (paperback).]

THE E.E.C. RULES OF COMPETITION. By W. ALEXANDER. [Kluwer Harrap Handbooks. 1973. £4.90.]

EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONS. By A. H. ROBERTSON. [Stevens/Matthew Bender. 1973. 3rd ed. xix and 478 pp. (inc. index). £6.00 (hardback); £3.75 (paperback).]

COOPER'S OUTLINES OF INDUSTRIAL LAW. By J. C. WOOD. Sixth edition. [Butterworths. 1972. lxxx, 512 and 41 (index) pp. £4.60 (limp); £6.80 (cased).]

CRACKNELL'S LAW STUDENTS’ COMPANION: CRIMINAL LAW. By T. CORE and C. L. MAUNDY. Second edition. [Butterworths. 1973. vi and 171 pp. (inc. index). £1.80.]