Levels of cocaine and its metabolites in washed hair of demonstrated cocaine users and workplace subjects

In a study of subjects in drug rehabilitation programs, cocaine and cocaine metabolite levels were determined in the hair of 75 subjects who had produced cocaine-positive urine results. The hair was analyzed after being washed with the 3.75 h wash procedure developed by this laboratory. In addition, results of testing 73 non-users are presented, as well as levels of cocaine, benzoylecgonine (BE), cocaethylene, and norcocaine from workplace population samples. The data support a recommendation of reporting as positive a sample with cocaine of 500 pg/mg hair and either a 5% ratio of benzoylecgonine (BE) to cocaine in samples, or the presence of cocaethylene at 50 pg/mg hair, or norcocaine at 50 pg/mg hair for samples < or =2000 pg cocaine/mg hair. For samples with cocaine present at >2000 pg/mg hair, the data indicate that a ratio of 5% BE may be an overly conservative approach. In appropriately washed hair samples, cocaine users can produce hair levels of <5% BE and thus a minimum BE cutoff in lieu of a ratio could be considered.     

The paraphilia-related disorders: an investigation of the relevance of the concept in sexual murderers

Paraphilic disorders (PAs) and sexual preoccupation are known risk factors for recidivism in sexual offenders. Nonparaphilic sexual excessive behaviors-so-called paraphilia-related disorders (PRDs), like paraphilias, are also characterized by sexual preoccupation and volitional impairment and can be diagnosed in paraphilic men. The prevalence and clinical significance of PRDs in sexual homicide perpetrators, however, is unknown. We investigated the relationship between PAs and PRDs retrospectively in a sample of 161 sexual murderers. Four groups were compared: men without a PA or a PRD diagnosis, men with at least one PRD but no PA, men with at least one PA but no PRD, and finally, those with a combination of both (PA+PRD). The PA+PRD group had the most lifetime cumulative sexual impulsivity disorders, more developmental problems, the highest persistent frequency of sexual activity, the highest number of previous sexual offences, more sexual sadism, and compulsive masturbation. Men of the PRD subsample had suffered more from childhood sexual abuse, showed more promiscuity, psychopathy, and alcohol problems. The use of the PRD concept in this special offender group should be further investigated with prospectively designed studies.     

A functional taxonomy of normative conflict

In this paper I argue for three theses. First, most philosophical analyses of the problem of normative conflict, being based on the impossibility-of-joint-compliance test for conflict, are inadequate. Second, expanding on suggestions made by H. L. A. Hart and Stephen Munzer, I develop an understanding of normative conflict which is not tied to the concept of obedience. Such an understanding of normative conflict is expressly functional: normative conflicts arise when one norm interferes with the intended functioning of another. Third, working from a functional concept of normative conflict, I develop a taxonomical classification scheme for the phenomenon of normative conflict. Normative conflict is the genus within which there are three species: normative contradiction, normative collision, and normative competition. Department of Philosophy, Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701, U.S.A.     

“A disagreement between allies”: The United Kingdom,the United States,and the Soviet-Japanese territorial dispute, 1945–1956

Russian-Japanese relations are frozen in time by their territorial dispute over the Kuril Islands. In untangling the dispute, scholars have studied the history of Russo-Japanese relations, the USSR’s annexation of the islands in 1945, and the role of the United States as the USSR’s erstwhile wartime ally and Japan’s postwar partner. The United Kingdom, a key player in 1945, has been neglected in these studies. This article analyzes the evolution of the British position on the Soviet-Japanese territorial dispute from 1945 to the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1956. The article reveals the marked divergence in this position from that of the United States, proceeding from a disagreement over the interpretation of the 1945 Yalta Agreement. In addition, the article highlights the manipulation of the territorial dispute by the United States to further its own political and security objectives and the British reaction to these maneuvers. Her recent publications includeBack in the USSR: Russia’s Intervention in the Internal Affairs of the Former Soviet Republics and the Implications for United States Policy Toward Russia (with Pamela Jewett) (John F. Kennedy School of Government, 1994).     

Internationalisation of the Public Sector

This article argues a case for exporting government services in cases where the public sector has relevant expertise and can operate within acceptable risks. Drawing on Victorian experience, it suggests structures and procedures for effective operation in international markets.     

OVERSIGHT AND COMPETITION IN PROFIT VS NONPROFIT CONTRACTS FOR HOME CARE

The paper reports the experience of the State of Illinois using proprietary and nonproprietary vendors to provide in-home services to the elderly. The analysis suggests proprietary vendors were associated with a significant increase in service costs when vendors were allowed to determine service needs of clients. However, such differences disappeared as the state implemented effortso increase political oversight and competition.