Resource allocation under uncertainty

Rarely is the informational data required for the analysis of resource allocation decisions known with precision; uncertainty in such data is the rule, and not the exception. The conventional approach relying on data averaging, even when coupled with sensitivity analysis, limits the insights obtainable. Concepts of decision analysis under uncertainty are applied here to a controllable, Markov resource-allocative model. Proper application of these concepts provide the preferred framework for resolving informational data uncertainties.     

Sources of judicial attitudes toward criminal sanctioning

Through a 1979 survey of 89 Illinois judges, the present study attempts to assess how various social, political, and occupational factors influence judicial attitudes toward criminal sanctioning. Specifically, our analysis examined the relative impact of background characteristics (e.g. age, community context) versus occupational variables (e.g., years on the bench, former prosecutor and/or defense attorney) on five sanctioning scales: rehabilitation, punishment, capital punishment, punishing white-collar offenders, and the treatment of juvenile delinquents. The analysis revealed that political orientation was the most important variable examined. Political ideology was found to be related to all but one of the sanctioning scales (punishing white-collar offenders). In contrast, the social and occupational variables generally were not significantly related to judicial attitudes on the purposes of sentencing.     

From Corporatism to Dualism? Thatcherism and the Climacteric of British Trade Unions in the 1980s

This article examines the impact on British trade unions of the break in relations with the government, the economic recession and labour market developments in the 1980s. The shift towards a programme of 'labour exclusion' is related to specific policies designed to weaken trade unions and liberalize labour markets. A close investigation of data on union organization and activity indicates that, despite evident reversals, a full-scale de-institutionalization of industrial relations is not occurring. However, the links between government policies and longer-term socioeconomic trends pose severe challenges for union revival. The article concludes with some considerations on the future prospects of union-government relations.     

Heteroplasmy in mtDNA in a set of dizygotic twins

The authors report on a case of a dicygotic female twin pair, one of them containing a T/C heteroplasmy in two (heart and brain) of five analysed organs at position nt204 of the HV2 region. Results and especially the evidence of an unequal distribution of the heteroplasmy are discussed.     

Accidental autoerotic death by volatile substance abuse or nonsexually motivated accidents?

In contrast to typical autoerotic fatalities, when death is due to asphyxia mostly by mechanical compression of the neck, atypical autoerotic accidental deaths (AADs) involve sexual self-stimulation by other means such as electrocution or inhalation of chemical agents. Especially in lethal cases of volatile substance abuse (VSA), a differentiation between suicide or sexually or nonsexually motivated accident is often complicated in practical casework. Considering the small number of AADs involving chemical substance abuse reported in the literature, the number of unreported cases seems to be very high. We report about 5 lethal cases of VSA; analysis was performed using headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). When headspace sampling is not performed at autopsy, the analysis of volatile substances can be very complicated. In 2 cases, an AAD was diagnosed considering findings at the scene, reconstruction of the event, and discussion of the circumstances of the death. These findings demonstrate the importance of VSA in atypical autoerotic asphyxia. Therefore, in cases of suspected lethal inhalational intoxications, as a matter of principle, headspace asservation should be performed at autopsy and an autoerotic motivational background should be taken into consideration for differential diagnosis.     

A foxy intoxication

Foxy is the colloquial name for the hallucinogen 5-ethoxy-diisopropyltryptamine (5-MeO-DIPT). A non-fatality involving a 23-year-old Caucasian man who ingested a capsule containing 5-MeO-DIPT is described. He presented to the Emergency Department, not with visual nor auditory hallucinations but with sensory hallucinations, that of formication and paranoia. He was observed and given supportive care for 4 h, then discharged without any known sequelae. Blood and urine were collected for laboratory analyses. Foxy and its metabolites were identified in urine by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The concentrations of 5-MeO-DIPT in the serum and urine were 0.14 and 1.6 microg/mL, respectively. The drug undergoes oxidative deamination to form 5-methoxy-indole acetic acid. The urinary concentration of this metabolite was 0.17 microg/mL. Also, the urine contained three other related compounds. Two of them have been described in a previous case of 5-MeO-DIPT ingestion as 5-methoxy-isopropyltryptamine (5-MeO-IPT) and 5-methoxy-diisopropyltryptamine-N'-oxide (5-MeO-DIPT-N'-oxide). The third compound was substantially present in the urine and was tentatively identified as 5-hydroxy-diisopropyltryptamine (5-OH-DIPT). Only the parent drug, 5-MeO-DIPT was detected in the serum sample.     

Belief in a Just World,Causal Attributions,and Adjustment to Sexual Violence

What influence do the personal belief in a just world (i.e., the perception that one usually gets what one deserves) and different kinds of causal attributions have on adjustment to sexual violence? Using a sample of N = 62 victims of sexual aggression (mean age = 21.7) it was shown that respondents were better able to adjust to their experience of sexual violence the higher their personal belief in a just world. Moreover, the more respondents attributed their victimization to situational circumstances (external attributions) and the less they attributed their victimization to their character and personality (characterological self-attributions), the less they felt distressed by past victimization. The degree to which participants attributed their victimization to their own concrete behavior (behavioral self-attribution) was not related to their adjustment. Further analyses showed that the influence of the personal belief in a just world was mediated by the three attribution styles. Additionally, the adaptiveness of external attributions was moderated by participants’ just world belief.