Two six-shot suicides in close geographic and temporal proximity

Two six-shot suicides are reported that occurred in adjoining counties in Ohio eleven-and-one-half weeks apart. There is no indication of any connection between victims, and it is doubtful that the second individual knew of the first death since there was no news media coverage of the first death. The most significant points of commonality between the two cases are the location of the gunshot wounds (anterior chest and upper abdomen) and the responses of disbelief from those outside the medicolegal professions. Knowledge of such cases with a high number of shots and more than one fatal wound can assist death investigators in confronting similar cases.     

Establishment of a group classification of isolated cells using anti-A and anti-B monoclonal antibodies

Anti-A and anti-B monoclonal antibodies may be used for determination of ABO system A and B antigens in mixed agglutination reaction. The authors suggested a variant of this reaction which ensures reliability of antigen detection in cells of people of secretor state. Investigation of mixed traces (liquid salivary part and buccal epithelium cells) showed that three-fold washing of cells couldn't provide for reliable identification of their blood group.     

An ethical approach to environmental protection: a code of conduct and guiding principles

Abstract: The World Commission on Environment and Development felt that it was desirable to build a common framework and action plan to communicate across the divides of world cultures, religions, and regions. Towards this, the commission recommended a set of ethical principles concerning environmental protection and sustainable development for states to follow. Canada, among several nations, conceded the need for developing such a code of environmental stewardship through its Green Plan. The purpose of this paper is to discuss: our attitudes towards nature which have resulted in the present state of environmental crisis; the extent the world cultures and religions could assist humanity to change its perspectives towards nature; the need for an environmental code of conduct, its basic principles and tenets; suggested guiding principles for environmental management so that governmental commitment to environmental stewardship is on firmer ground; and the role of the media, non-governmental organizations, and individual citizens in raising the consciousness about the environment through the use of the proposed code. In the end, the arguments presented in support of the suggested code and guiding principles are summarized. Further, an outline of the proposed code and guiding principles is appended. Sommaire: Selon l'avis de la Commission mondiale sur l'Environnement et le Développement, il est souhaitable d'établir un cadre et un plan d'action commun pour communiquer par-delà les divisions culturelles, religieuses et régionales du monde. À cette fin, la Commission a recommandé un ensemble de principes éthiques relatifs à la protection environnementale et au développement durable, que les divers États pourraient adopter. Par l'intermédiaire de son Plan Vert, le Canada s'est déclaré d'accord avec le besoin d'élaborer un tel code de conduite environnementale. Cet article vise à examiner: nos attitudes envers la nature qui ont menéà l'actuelle crise environnementale; dans quelle mesure les cultures et les religions du monde pourraient aider l'humanitéà changer sa façon de voir la nature; la nécessité d'un code de conduite environnementale et l'examen de ses principes fondamentaux; des principes directeurs pour la gestion de l'environnement afin de placer sur des assises plus solides l'engagement gouvernemental envers l'environnement; et le rôle des média, des organismes non gouvernementaux et des particuliers dans la sensibilisation au sujet de l'environnement, par l'intermédiaire du code proposé. À la fin de l'article, on résume les arguments présentés à l'appui du code suggéré et de ses principes directeurs, tous deux décrits sommairement en annexe.     

Ligature strangulation of a woman during sadomasochistic sexual activity

Sadomasochistic sexual behavior can sometimes lead to the death of one of the participants. A case of death by strangulation, occurring during sadomasochistic sexual activity, is presented.     

Culture,values, and beliefs about economic justice

We examine the relationship between values and beliefs about economic justice by conducting a cross-cultural analysis. Social values of Americans and West Germans are compared and the relationships between values and beliefs about the fairness of the distribution of business profits are examined. Data are from the 1984 General Social Survey and its West German counterpart, the 1984 ALLBUS; both surveys contain identical value and economic justice items. We find that among citizens in both countries beliefs about the fairness of the distribution of business profits are related to values even when income and education are held constant, but the relationship is stronger in West Germany. For Americans, beliefs about the fairness of the distribution of business profits are related primarily to conservative values (beliefs that greater efforts lead to greater rewards). In addition, the positive influence of conservative values and of income level on fairness judgments is greater for Americans with higher levels of education. For West Germans, beliefs about the fairness of business profits are related both to conservative and to liberal values (beliefs that class divisions persist). In general, economic fairness judgments of West Germans have a strong ideological basis, but polarization associated with differing ideologies is found. Economic fairness judgments of Americans showed both a simpler ideological basis and some relationship to self-interest. The influence of both factors on Americans' fairness judgments seemed to be affected by socialization due to education. Results are discussed in terms of the prevailing economic ideologies in both countries.     

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz: ‘Let your women keep silence in the churches…’

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz chose to take the veil not only because she had no wish to marry but because in her time the convent was the only environment which sanctioned a woman's desire for a life of study and meditation. However, her brilliant mind ventured far beyond the parameters permitted by her church, for she devoted a large part of her literary activities to secular topics, dared to criticize the male Catholic establishment and questioned the Church's inconsistent—and to her, oppressive—treatment of women. In her autobiographical letter ‘The Reply to Sister Philotea’ (1691) she took her most radical feminist stance and artfully manipulated both Scripture and patristic texts to support her personal ends: the right of women to an education and to an intellectual life.