Building majority coalitions for sub-majority benefit distributions

Public Choice - This paper poses a deceptively simple question. It asks, how can a program or group of programs that provides distributive benefits to recipients in a minority of legislative...     

The development role of community banks in rural Nigeria

This paper examined the development role of community banks in rural Nigeria by using the deposit mobilization capability and funding capacity in key sectors of the rural economy as yardsticks. By using a cluster sampling technique, it looks at the achievements of the community banking scheme initiative in terms of economic development. The scheme, established in 1991, has sustained itself and promoted rural development in the country. It is noted that communities have, for the first time, realized that they can advance their own economic fortunes. However, the scheme's performance as supporter of the agricultural sector has not been as well as expected, despite the fact that agriculture dominates Nigeria's rural economy. In view of this, non-banking activities are a welcome development since some of their approaches are proven to be knowledge enhancing and empowering for the rural population. Overall, community banks should attempt to strengthen non-banking approaches by collaborating more with self-help groups or nongovernmental organizations to be more empowering, results-oriented, and sustainable. Moreover, regulatory authorities should ensure that guidelines relate to credit application in terms of volume and sector allocation.     

Detection of THCCOOH in hair by MSD-NCI after HPLC clean-up

Regular consumption of cannabis can easily be detected by examination of hair for tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabinol, and cannabidiol. Although several studies have demonstrated that after contamination with smoke or treatment with THC containing shampoos THC is not detectable, or only in small traces, the detection of 11-nor-9-carboxy-delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THCCOOH) should be offered to prove the consumption and metabolisation of THC. Up to now this confirmation was only available using tandem MS techniques combined with negative chemical ionisation. A new method using a normal quadrupole GC/MS is described. The lack of expensive instruments has to be paid for by a costly and time consuming extraction and clean-up. After the sample has been digested by 2 M NaOH at 95 degrees C and the neutralised liquid has been extracted with a mixture of n-hexane and ethyl acetate the dried residue is reconstituted in acetonitrile-methanol-0.01 M sulfuric acid (49:21:30, v/v/v) and the cannabinoids separated by HPLC. Each fraction is collected over 1 min. Another extraction with n-hexane-ethyl acetate is followed by evaporation, derivatisation, and GC/MS determination. The calibration with THCCOOH spiked hair led to a LOD of 0.3 pg/mg and a LOQ of 1.1 pg/mg.     

Swiss Caucasian population data for the STR loci D2S1338 and D19S433 using the AmpFISTR SGM plus PCR amplification kit

Allele and genotype frequencies for the ten STR loci D3S1358, VWA, D16S539, D2S1338, D8S1179, D21S11, D18S51, D19S433, TH01, FGA were determined in a Swiss Caucasian population sample (n=206) using the AmpFISTR SGM Plus Amplification kit. Electrophoresis was carried out on an ABI PRISM CE 310 Genetic Analyzer instrument. Previously, allele frequencies were published for the 13 STR loci D3S1358, VWA, FGA, D8S1179, D21S11, D18S51, D5S818, D13S317, D7S820, THO1, TPOX, CSF1PO and D16S539 for the same samples (n=206) amplified with the AmpFISTR Profiler Plus and Cofiler PCR Amplification kits. Since the results for the eight loci D3S1358, VWA, FGA, D8S1179, D21S11, D18S51, THO1, D16S539 shared between the AmpFISTR SGM Plus, Profiler Plus and Cofiler PCR Amplification kits already are published, only the allele frequencies for the two STR loci D2S1338 and D19S433 are reported in this paper. The two loci meet Hardy-Weinberg expectations. In addition, there is little evidence for association of alleles among the 15 loci (amplified with the Profiler, Cofiler, and SGM Plus amplification kits). The allelic frequency data can be used in forensic analyses to estimate the frequency of a multiple STR locus DNA profile in the Swiss population.     

Interpersonal trust and disaffected high school youth

The study consisted of two parts. First, a new scale of interpersonal trust for adolescents was constructed using a representative sample of 70 students from a community high school. Second, the hypothesis was tested that disaffected youth compared to the more conventional would show less interpersonal trust. Two matched groups of 57 students each were employed for the second part of the study. Results indicate that the new scale is a reliable and valid measure. Correlates of the scale disclose that trust is associated with interpersonal distance, certain developmental factors, and the quality of parent-adolescent relations. Results from the second part of the study tend to confirm the hypothesis in that greater trust scores were found among students with more conventional beliefs.This study was partly supported by NIMH Grant No. MH9210, Ford Foundation Grant No. 69-0264B, and the Jessie and C. Clement Stone Foundation.Received his Ph.D. from the University of Kansas. Currently working on personality and clinical problems of adolescents and adults.Recieved his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. Plans to continue his work of program development in the area of affect education in secondary schools.Received his Ph.D. from Harvard University. Current work is in the area of community mental health.     

Federal employees health benefits program; revision of contract cost principles and procedures, and miscellaneous changes. Final rule

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing a final regulation amending the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Acquisition Regulation (FEHBAR). This regulation provides additional contract cost principles and procedures for FEHB Program experience-rated contracts and is intended to clarify our requirements and enhance our oversight of FEHB carriers.     

Medicolegal aspects of witnessed suicide due to gunshot to the head. II. Legal medicine aspects and examination of the firing hand

The second part of the paper on suicides by gunshots to the head in the presence of witnesses focuses on relevant morphological autopsy findings such as entrance site, signs of close range or contact shots, bullet path etc. and also discusses selected aspects of ascertaining gunshot residues. For the identification of the shooter an integral medicolegal assessment of all the facts including the investigation results and the autopsy findings is essential. However, the morphological findings alone do not allow safe diagnosis, as for example in a homicide the temporal region, which was affected in all our cases, may have been deliberately chosen by the perpetrator as a localization typical of suicide. Thus methods to ascertain gunshot residues on the firing hand (by means of adhesive films and the polyvinyl-alcohol collection method--PVAL) are of great practical importance. In seven cases adhesive films and/or the polyvinyl-alcohol collection method were used. In one case the gunshot residues (GSR) were analysed by means of tape lifts and subsequent scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was found that especially the combined application of topographical (adhesive tape/PVAL) and cumulative (SEM) methods allowed for the doubtless identification of the shooter, thus usually confirming the suicide. By the example of one case it is demonstrated that without the immediate collection of evidence at the scene objective reconstruction of the event becomes impossible. On the basis of the reported cases recommendations are finally given for a differentiated approach in the medicolegal evaluation of alleged witnessed suicide by gunshot (to the head).