Creating impressions: An experimental investigation of political advertising on television

Using an experimental design, this paper addresses a few basic, but important, questions about the influence of televised political advertising. How effective are different kinds of political spots in creating impressions of a candidate among viewers? Do negative ads work better than positive ads in creating favorable impressions? Do spots that focus on issues create more favorable impressions that spots that stress the traits of a candidate? Do two ads work better than one ad in creating impressions? Can the effects of a spot be undercut by a follow-up advertisement from the opposition? This paper offers some tentative answers to these questions.

     

PARENTS BEYOND CONFLICT WORKSHOP

This article reviews a program designed in response to high-conflict parents who have protracted family law cases and have been referred to dependency court due to child abuse allegations.     

Group-specific component imaging from trace material using isoelectric focussing and electroblotting

GC-subtyping was carried out on blood stains, that had been made on glass and stored under room temperature-conditions. Using isoelectric focusing in polyacrylamide gel, followed by transfer to nitrocellulose membrane by semi-dry-electroblotting and detection with enzyme-linked antibody complex the GC-detection was possible even after 64 days. Methodical problems are discussed.     

Poisoning caused by a paint stripping agents containing dichloromethane]

It is widely known that inhalation of the solvent dichloromethane can lead to severe intoxication. We report on a fatal accident of a 29-year-old painter. He had to remove the old chlorocaoutchoucpaint of two overflow pools adjoining an empty swimming pool by sand-blasting. After obviously having finished his work in the first pool the painter was found dead, lying on the floor of the second pool. Later an almost empty 10-kg-canister of a paint stripper (macerating agent) the main component of which was dichloromethane was found in the car of the painter. Blood samples of the corpse measured by head space gas chromatography and electron capture detection showed dichloromethane levels in the range of 513-773 micrograms/ml.     

Back-Channel Negotiation: International Bargaining in the Shadows

Back‐channel negotiations (BCNs) are officially sanctioned negotiations conducted in secret between the parties to a dispute. These extraordinary negotiations operate in parallel with, or replace, acknowledged front channels of negotiation. Back channels are like the black markets of negotiation; they are separate tables where bargaining takes place in the shadows. When front‐channel negotiations fail, they are sometimes eclipsed by successful BCNs even though the same principals, conflicts, and sociopolitical contexts are involved. This article asks: Why do decision makers deploy back channels? What is the impact of BCN on international peace processes? The Palestinian–Israeli peace process, in which both back and front channels have been used consistently, provides the basis for comparing channels and offering initial answers to these questions. The author concludes that while BCN can facilitate breakthrough agreements, it can also damage a peace process by helping to reinforce some of the uncertainties that gave rise to the use of back channels in the first place.