A versatile technique for the investigation of gunshot residue patterns on fabrics and other surfaces: m-XRF

With heavy-metal-free ammunitions becoming more and more popular, it is necessary to find methods to visualize patterns of those elements in gunshot residues (GSRs) that are not accessible by chemographic coloring tests. The recently introduced millimeter-X-ray fluorescence analysis (m-XRF) spectrometer Spectro Midex M offers an easy way to record mappings of GSRs containing such elements in order to determine shooting distances as well as the general composition of these particles. A motorized stage enables samples of a maximum size of 20 x 20 cm to be investigated, like fabric, clothes, adhesive tapes (Filmolux films), and polyvinylalcohol gloves of shooter's hands. Human tissues can be measured using a Peltier-cooled specimen holder that is mounted onto the stage. As the spot size of the exiting X-rays lies in the millimeter range, which is adequate for the assessment of the residue patterns for shooting distance determination, a significant reduction in measurement time is achieved compared with mu-XRF methods. Test shots with heavy-metal-free ammunitions were performed on different target materials, like pork skin and fabric, and the elemental distributions of Ti, K, and Ga were determined. In order to show the capability of the spectrometer for conventional lead ammunitions as well, a shot series of 5-100 cm shooting distance and an adhesive tape of a shooter's hand were investigated analogously. A comparison of several methods applied in GSR investigation shows the advantages of the m-XRF method.     

Effects of Parental Differential Treatment on Relationship Quality with Siblings and Parents: Justice Evaluations as Mediators

Based on equity theory, the present study analyzes to what extent justice evaluations mediate the effects of perceived parental differential treatment (PDT) on relationship quality with siblings and parents as experienced in middle adulthood. Middle-aged adult offspring (N = 709) rated how often they and a sibling received parental recognition, nurturance, and demands for assuming filial responsibility. In addition, they indicated their justice evaluations of PDT and completed measures of relationship quality to sibling and parents. Justice evaluations emerged as either partial or complete mediators between PDT and relationship quality. Moreover, justice evaluations turned out to be more powerful predictors of relationship quality to parents than PDT per se. Implications are discussed concerning factors contributing to justice evaluations and the role of PDT within the context of other justice issues in families.     

Das Thermo-Hygro-Labyrinth Ein neues Ger?t zur gleichzeitigen Ermittlung von Vorzugstemperatur und Vorzugsluftfeuchtigkeit bei Arthropoden

Zusammenfassung Vorzugstemperatur und Vorzugsluftfeuchtigkeit konnten bisher nur getrennt ermittelt werden, so da? zusammenh?ngende Pr?ferenz?nderungen zwischen Vorzugstemperatur und Vorzugsluftfeuchtigkeit nicht erfa?bar waren. Mit Hilfe einer neuen Apparatur, dem Thermo-Hygro-Labyrinth, wurde es m?glich, Vorzugstemperatur und Vorzugsluftfeuchtigkeit gleichzeitig zu bestimmen. Das neue Ger?t besteht aus einem “Labyrinth” von Kammern mit unterschiedlichen Temperaturen und Luftfeuchtigkeiten. Sie sind durch Laufr?hren miteinander verbunden, so da? die Versuchstiere jede beliebige Kammer aufsuchen k?nnen. Die Kammern sind in fünf parallelen L?ngsreihen mit je sieben Kammern angeordnet. Jede Reihe weist die gleiche Temperatur auf. Es k?nnen somit insgesamt fünf Temperaturstufen eingestellt werden. Rechtwinklig zur L?ngsrichtung gesehen weist jede der sieben Querreihen mit ihren fünf Kammern die gleiche Luftfeuchtigkeit auf. Dabei kann von Querreihe zu Querreihe die Luftfeuchtigkeit stufenweise steigen. Es stehen also maximal sieben Feuchtigkeitsstufen zur Verfügung. Zur Regulierung der Lufttemperatur in den Kammern steht jede Kammerl?ngsreihe in einem separat temperierbaren Wasserbecken. Die verschiedenen Luftfeuchtigkeiten werden durch ges?ttigte Salzl?sungen bewirkt.

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Summary For technical reasons it was not possible until now to study temperature and humidity preferences of arthropods simultaneously. It was therefore impossible to examine the influence of both preferences on each other. A new apparatus, the Thermo-Hygro-Labyrinth, permits the simultaneous investigation of preferred temperature and humidity. It consists of a “labyrinth” of chambers with different temperatures and humidities. They are connected by tubes (Fig. 1, “Verbindungsgang”) so that the insect can reach every chamber. The chambers are arranged in five parallel longitudinal lines, each line consisting of seven chambers showing the same temperature. Altogether there are five different temperatures. At a right angle to the longitudinal lines each of the seven cross lines consists of five chambers with the same humidity, so that seven humidity steps can be arranged. To control the air temperature in the chambers each longitudinal chamber line is surrounded by a separate temperature-regulated water bath (Fig. 2, “inneres Becken”). These five smaller water bathes are arranged in a larger one (“?u?eres Becken”). The arrangement works as a cooling system to provide temperatures below room temperatures. The humidity of each chamber is regulated by saturated salt solutions (Fig. 3) located under a perforated run floor (Fig. 2, “Laufboden”). Triangle prisms fill in all corners of the chambers and prevent the animal from hiding instead of looking for another chamber offering more favourable temperature or humidity conditions.

     

Remembering the bad old days: Human rights, economic conditions, and democratic performance in transitional regimes

Using the natural laboratory of 18 post–communist Central and Eastern European countries, this article presents a basic model for democratic transition, specifically testing two alternative explanations for the degree of citizen satisfaction with the performance of their fledgling democracies: (1) virtues of omission, which include bad actions from which the state refrains, namely violations of individual human rights, and (2) virtues of commission, which include positive state actions, in particular actions enhancing economic well–being. The findings clearly indicate that, during the transition period citizens' sense of the condition of human rights is consistently more important than are perceived economic prospects as predictors of democratic performance.     

Kooperative Politikberatung. Ein neues Beziehungsgeflecht zwischen Politik und Politikberatung?

The institutional and societal framework of policy-advice-giving is changing and so are the worlds of political consultants and policy experts in Germany and other advanced democracies. While there are several new developments which are challenging established forms of policy-advice and political consulting, the present article focuses its attention on the impact of new governance structures on policy advice and political consulting. The main argument of the article is that when government becomes governance and the number of actors and venues involved in the decision-making process increase, a new cooperative and discursive mode of policy-advice giving complements or sometimes even replaces more established forms of policy-advice-giving. We review the evolution of the debate about the role of policy-advice-giving from different perspectives, and particularly explore possible consequences of the changing nature of the state as well as of newly emerging modes of cooperative policy-advice and political consulting — both for empirical as well as conceptual research in the field. Through this, we attempt to generate a debate on the future direction of different modes of policy-advice and political consulting within a changing framework of governance structures in advanced democracies.     

Are Americans underinvesting in their children?

He has written widely on the Economics of health care. Among his books are The Economics of Physician and Patient Behavior; Economic Aspects of Health; How We Live;and The Health Economy.     

Flemish population data using the AmpF/STR Profiler PCR amplification kit

Population frequency data for nine short tandem repeats (STR) (D3S1358, VWA, FGA, TH01, TPOX, CSF1PO, D5S818, D13S317 and D7S820) were determined from 280 unrelated Caucasians from the North region of Belgium (Flanders). The data were obtained using the AmpF/STR Profiler kit from Applied Biosystems.     

Research with minors in Germany

The European GCP Directive has been implemented into German law in sect. 40 ff. AMG (German pharmaceutical law). Unlike the Directive, German pharmaceutical law basically differentiates between three constellations of clinical trials on minors: clinical trials on healthy minors, clinical trials on ill minors with an individual benefit for the individual participant, and clinical trials on ill minors without direct benefit for the individual participant, but with a so-called "group benefit". Particularly the latter possibility of conducting clinical trials on minors even if no individual benefit can be expected is not a matter of course in Germany since due to historical experiences a sceptical attitude towards clinical research on humans prevailed for a long time. German legislature has availed itself of the option granted by Article 3 of the GCP Directive to establish a higher level of protection of clinical trial subjects than the European level.