Alberta: new bill will allow for mandatory HIV testing in emergency situations

A private member's bill is expected to be introduced in the spring 2004 session of the Alberta Legislative Assembly that will allow for forced testing of individuals for HIV, hepatitis, and other bloodborne diseases if their bodily fluids come into contact with emergency workers or Good Samaritans. The bill will likely have strong support from within the ranks of the governing Conservatives.     

A laboratory incubation method for determining the rate of microbiological degradation of skeletal muscle tissue in soil

A controlled laboratory experiment is described, in principle and practice, which can be used for the of determination the rate of tissue decomposition in soil. By way of example, an experiment was conducted to determine the effect of temperature (12 degrees, 22 degrees C) on the aerobic decomposition of skeletal muscle tissue (Organic Texel x Suffolk lamb (Ovis aries)) in a sandy loam soil. Measurements of decomposition processes included muscle tissue mass loss, microbial CO2 respiration, and muscle tissue carbon (C) and nitrogen (N). Muscle tissue mass loss at 22 degrees C always was greater than at 12 degrees C (p < 0.001). Microbial respiration was greater in samples incubated at 22 degrees C for the initial 21 days of burial (p < 0.01). All buried muscle tissue samples demonstrated changes in C and N content at the end of the experiment. A significant correlation (p < 0.001) was demonstrated between the loss of muscle tissue-derived C (Ct) and microbially-respired C (Cm) demonstrating CO2 respiration may be used to predict mass loss and hence biodegradation. In this experiment Q10 (12 degrees C-22 degrees C) = 2.0. This method is recommended as a useful tool in determing the effect of environmental variables on the rate of decomposition of various tissues and associated materials.     

衡平法外的受信义务——析董事于新《公司法》下之“忠实义务”

修订后的《中华人民共和国公司法》于2006年1月开始实施,其目的在于给投资者营造更为有利的法治环境,并进一步落实相关法律责任的追究与相关法律执行的透明度。新《公司法》将董事受信忠实的概念第一次引入到中国法中。受信概念源于普通法系中的衡平法系统,但普通法系统与衡平法系统在法学与管辖上并存之双轨制度在中国大陆法系中却不存在。本文将由此探究以单纯书面立法的方式引入衡平法中受信概念的可行性。本文认为,只要在这个概念被转化为一个法律概念前对其作出详尽的定义,受信理论的衡平法特性并不会真正阻碍其转化为我国的法律概念。为对上述观点作出阐释,文章以新《公司法》中禁止董事与公司进行自我交易这一具体规定为参照,结合案例讨论了通过对境外司法实践的借鉴、立法机关衡平法技巧的培养,以及更仔细地考察现行的国内法则,来帮助弥补单单引入一个空洞的受信概念不足的可能性。     

The cognitive interview: Inexperienced police officers' perceptions of their witness/victim interviewing practices

Purpose. The primary objectives of the study reported here were twofold. First, to investigate less experienced frontline police officers' perceptions of their witness interviewing practices with specific reference to their use of the ten cognitive interview components taught during initial PEACE (a mnemonic for the stages of the interview; Planning and preparation, Engage and explain, Account, Closure and Evaluation) interview training. Second, to investigate this group of officers' practical experiences of interviewing witnesses. Method. A sample of 221 young, in‐service, non‐specialist police officers from five UK police forces completed a self‐report questionnaire concerning their perceived witness interviewing practices. Respondents were surveyed about their use of the PEACE cognitive interview components, their practical experiences of interviewing witnesses and victims, and their views on investigative interviewing training. Results. There was a consensus among these officers that they perceived using some of the PEACE cognitive interview components more frequently and perceived some of them to be more effective than others. Conclusion. This study provides a unique insight into the perceived interviewing practices of some of the least experienced and the least trained investigative interviewers who conduct the majority of frontline witness interviews. These officers report feeling inadequately trained, under pressure and generally ill equipped to conduct a PEACE cognitive interview.