Copper toxicity following massive ingestion of coins

Two hundred seventy-five United States coins were discovered in the stomach of a mentally disturbed individual at autopsy. Many coins containing copper were corroded by prolonged contact with gastric juice, with subsequent absorption and deposition of copper in the liver and kidneys. The patient died from complications related to the acute toxic phase of chronic copper poisoning. A discussion of the case, foreign-body ingestion, gastric bezoars and the mechanism of copper toxicity is presented. To our knowledge, this is the first death due to copper intoxication following a massive ingestion of coins.     

Assessing Newspaper Coverage of Corporate Violence: The Dance Hall Fire in Qoteborg, Sweden

The media disproportionately focus on conventional crime while neglecting the impact of corporate misbehavior. The present research examines U.S. newspaper coverage of a deadly fire at a dance hall in Goteborg, Sweden. This particular incident facilitates an examination of how newspapers treat issues involving culpability of conventional offenders (arsonists) and white collar offenders (the owners of the nightclub and the promoters of the dance). It was found that newspapers disproportionately focused on the direct harm associated with the fire, and generally neglected the role played by the organizers/promoters. Suggestions are offered regarding the need for more complete media coverage of crime, particularly white collar crime. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Discretion and corruption: The Chilean judiciary

Corruption in the judiciary and its effects on the budget of that branch of government, the efficiency of justice (prompt or belated) and its quality (biased or impartial) are analyzed. The discretionary powers of the Supreme Court and those granted to judges to manage their courts, calendar and case load, and the hierarchical administrative structures of judiciaries, which function as a queueing system, may be used as a tool to maximize graft. These phenomena reveal links between institutional forms and incentives. Using the case of Chile and the exceptional emergence of corruption within the judiciary during the military dictatorship, the role of democracy as a punishing and preventive mechanism is highlighted.This article was written while the author was a Senior Fellow at the Orville Schell, Center for International Human Rights Law at Yale Law School, and under the auspices of the North-South Center of the University of Miami.     

Jealousy,intimate abusiveness,and intrusiveness

An examination of self-report scales of 160 men and 76 of their partners or former partners found significant correlations between jealousy and abusiveness (for coupled dyads) or intrusiveness (for separated dyads). Jealousy was related to borderline personality and to MCMI-II measures of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Rejection sensitivity leading to pathological acts, such as abusiveness and intrusiveness, is seen as originating in early insecure attachment and exposure to shaming experiences.     

Governance in der politischen Ökonomie — zum Stand der Debatte

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

The collation of forensic DNA case data into a multi-dimensional intelligence database

The primary aim of any DNA Database is to link individuals to unsolved offenses and unsolved offenses to each other via DNA profiling. This aim has been successfully realised during the operation of the New Zealand (NZ) DNA Databank over the past five years. The DNA Intelligence Project (DIP), a collaborative project involving NZ forensic and law enforcement agencies, interrogated the forensic case data held on the NZ DNA databank and collated it into a functional intelligence database. This database has been used to identify significant trends which direct Police and forensic personnel towards the most appropriate use of DNA technology. Intelligence is being provided in areas such as the level of usage of DNA techniques in criminal investigation, the relative success of crime scene samples and the geographical distribution of crimes. The DIP has broadened the dimensions of the information offered through the NZ DNA Databank and has furthered the understanding and investigative capability of both Police and forensic scientists. The outcomes of this research fit soundly with the current policies of 'intelligence led policing', which are being adopted by Police jurisdictions locally and overseas.     

Die neuen wasserrechtlichen Instrumente des Hochwasserschutzgesetzes vom 3.5.2005

Das Hochwasserschutzgesetz vom 3.5.2005 (BGBl. I S. 1224) reagiert auf die Erfahrungen mit katastrophalen Hochwasserereignissen. Es sucht der Verbauung gew?ssernaher Fl?chen entgegenzuwirken, den Flüssen Rückhaltefl?chen zurückzugeben und Schadenspotentiale zu mindern. Den Schwerpunkt des Gesetzes bilden die §§ 31a–32 Wasserhaushaltsgesetz (WHG). Deren wasserrechtliche Instrumente schneiden tief in das Bauplanungsrecht ein. Dies gilt vor allem für die neuen überschwemmungsgebiete mit speziellen Nutzungsregelungen, dem grunds?tzlichen Verbot der Ausweisung neuer Baugebiete und dem neuen Genehmigungsvorbehalt für bauliche Anlagen (§ 31b WHG). Die L?nder müssen die bundesrechtlichen Regelungen bis zum 10.5.2007 ausfüllen und überschwemmungsgebiete neuen Rechts bis zum 10.5.2012, in Gebieten mit hohem Schadenspotential bis zum 10.5.2010, festsetzen. Erschwerend wirkt sich aus, dass das Hochwasserschutzgesetz an zahlreichen Zweifelsfragen leidet.