Capillary gas-liquid chromatography separation of phenethylamines in amphetamine-positive urine samples

Good gas chromatography (GC) separation of molecules is essential for clean gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) confirmation of compounds. The trifluoro derivatives of ephedrine (E) and methamphetamine (MA) coelute on dimethyl silicone capillary columns, such as DB-1, which are most commonly used by chromatographers. Methods are described to separate E and MA to aid GC/MS confirmations of methamphetamine, ephedrine, or both E and MA together, whichever may be present in Enzyme Immunoassay (EIA)-analyzed amphetamine-positive urine samples. The use of the heptafluoro derivatives of E and MA on a DB-1 column, or the trifluoro derivatives of E and MA on a DB-17 column, is suggested for good gas chromatographic separation.     

Determination of deslanoside in antemortem and postmortem specimens. Unusual case report

One case of the erroneous administration of deslanoside and high level of drug in antemortem plasma and postmortem specimens has been reported owing to the unusual surrounding circumstances. Deslanoside in antemortem plasma was determined by FPIA and the analysis was done by HPLC in the postmortem tissue samples. The analytical results and methods used in the examinations are discussed in the following paper.     

Having the cake and eating it too: efficient penalty clauses in Common and Civil contract law

In this paper we examine one of the areas where there is a marked difference between Civil and Common contract law, that of the enforcement of liquidated damages and more particularly of penalty clauses. Common law judges are quite reluctant to enforce liquidated damages, especially if they believe that they include penalty clauses which are not enforceable. On the contrary, in almost all European contract laws liquidated damages are readily enforced, as are penalty clauses when they are not manifestly excessive. Although most law and economics scholars have criticized Common law courts for the non-enforcement of penalty clauses, there is a sizable minority of scholars who have defended the Common law “non-enforcement” policy on the ground that penalty clauses are inefficient because they hinder efficient breach. However, and despite the merits of the arguments advanced by advocates of the non-enforcement of penalty clauses, we believe that Common law’s rejection of penalty clauses is inefficient. We further show that the Civil law solution to the problem is not only comparatively more efficient, but that it can also appease the worries of those scholars who are afraid that efficient breaches will be deterred. The solution that Civil law systems give to the problem manages to enforce the parties’ wishes and to avoid deterring efficient breaches. However, we point out that in order for the Civil law systems to take advantage of this superiority, the interpretation of their Civil Codes should be guided by economic analysis and the respect to the wishes of the contracting parties.     

Enzyme activity of PGM1 in erythrocytes

The enzyme activity of phosphoglucomutase (PGM) has been investigated in red cell haemolysates from 142 individuals and compared to the sub-type as determined by isoelectric focusing. The 10 phenotypes showed significant differences in PGM-activity which indicates that there is a correlation between the level of activity and the isolelectric point of homozygotes. No indication of silent alleles or alleles with reduced activity was found in this collective.     

Did the Tax Reform Act of 1986 Improve Compliance? Three Studies of Pre- and Post-TRA Compliance Attitudes*

The Tax Reform Act of 1986 rewrote the federal income tax code, bringing it closer to policy professionals' vision of what constitutes an equitable and efficient income tax. Research on tax compliance suggests the law might have affected taxpayer compliance in three ways: by reducing opportunities to overstate deductions, by changing perceptions of fairness, and by altering tax liabilities. Changes in taxpayer perceptions, attitudes, and noncompliance intentions were examined in three bodies of survey data, each containing pre-and post-reform data from independent samples of the same population. The results show an improved normative climate for taxpayer compliance and point to both the feasibility and the importance of examining the effects of substantive tax policies on taxpayer perceptions, attitudes, and behavioral intentions.     

Identification of the driver in two-rider motorcycle accidents. Inguinal contusion-laceration as an indication of the driver

In motorcycle accidents involving two riders, medicolegal identification of the driver is necessary when one or both riders die. It is particularly important in the latter case, because the survivor almost always insists that he or she was not driving. One characteristic injury that distinguishes the driver from the passenger is inguinal contusion-laceration (accompanied internally by pelvic fracture). This injury, caused by collision of the pelvis with the fuel tank, identifies the driver.