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European Journal of Political Research -     

Reviews

László Csaba, ed., Systemic Change and Stabilization in Eastern Europe. Aldershot, and Brookfield, NY: Dartmouth Publishing Co., 1991, x + 141 pp. £30.00.

Christopher T. Saunders, ed., Economics and Politics of Transition. New York: Macmillan Press, 1992, x + 419 pp., £50.00.

David Lane, Soviet Society under Perestroika, Completely revised edition. London and New York: Routledge, 1992, xvi + 441 pp., £15.99.

Judith B. Sedaitis & Jim Butterfield, eds, Perestroika from Below: Social Movements in The Soviet Union. Boulder, CO, San Francisco, CA, and Oxford: 1991, xii + 220 pp., $23.00 h/b.

Michael J. Sodaro, Moscow, Germany, and the West from Khrushchev to Gorbachev. London: I. B. Tauris, 1991, xiv + 423 pp., £29.95.

Örjan Sjöberg, Rural Change and Development in Albania. Boulder, CO, San Francisco, CA, and Oxford: Westview Press, 1991, xi + 199 pp., £21.95 p/b.

Anthony Kemp‐Welch, ed., The Ideas of Nikolai Bukharin. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1992, 209 pp., £27.50.     

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.     

Death due to positional asphyxia under severe alcoholisation: pathophysiologic and forensic considerations

In contrary to "physical restraint", describing a fixed body position due to external devices, "positional restraint" is defined as an abnormal body position, resulting from accidental fixation under unfortunate circumstances. We report on a remarkable case of positional asphyxia of an alcoholised young man after a fall down a staircase. On external examination, the body showed petechiae of the conjunctivae and oral mucosa, abrasions on the left zygomatic region and scratch marks, respectively. Neither broken fingernails, etc. nor signs of external violence against the neck were found. Autopsy revealed haemorrhages in the praevertebral cervical musculature and Simon's sign. Haemorrhagic pulmonary edema and cerebral edema were observed; blood alcohol concentration: 2.60 g/l, urine alcohol concentration: 3.26 g/l. As cause of death, positional asphyxia after blunt head trauma has to be considered as well as lethal ethanol intoxication. To us, alcoholisation attributed to the fall and together with unconsciousness following blunt head trauma circumvented self-rescue efforts, and therefore, aggravated the potentially lethal impact of positional restraint.     

The Effectiveness of Non-State Governance Schemes: A Comparative Study of Forest Certification in Norway and Sweden

During the last decade, we have seen the emergence, under the auspices of non-state authorities, of market-driven governance schemes for certification of forest holdings and eco-labelling of wood products. Do these schemes affect actual management practices and environmental protection in forestry? This article examines the effectiveness of forest certification in Norway and Sweden – two ecologically and politically similar countries, but with different certification schemes. It is found that certification processes in both countries have resulted in high participation in certification schemes, high market penetration by certified forest organisations, and reduced conflict prevalence over forestry practices. Although forest certification seems to have modified on-the-ground practices in ways that lead to less environmental deterioration of forests, we still know too little about forest certification’s environmental impact and efficacy as a problem-solving instrument. More research is therefore urged in these areas.     

Eating Problems and Their Risk Factors: A 7-Year Longitudinal Study of a Population Sample of Norwegian Adolescent Girls

The longitudinal stability of eating problems and their relationships to risk factors were investigated in a representative population sample of 623 Norwegian girls aged 13–14 followed over 7 years (3 time points). Three eating problem symptoms were measured: Restriction, Bulimia-food preoccupation, and Diet, all taken from the12-item Eating Attitudes Test. The aim of the study was to investigate the stability of these eating problem symptoms both as separate components (as opposed to total symptom load) as well as from a syndrome perspective. Over 7 years, dieting behavior showed the highest correlational stability (0.32). Regarding stable eating problem syndromes, at all 3 time points, 1 group of girls with generalized eating problems was found, characterized by simultaneously pronounced bulimic tendencies and dieting. However, we did not establish individual stability across 7 years for this syndrome group. Through development, eating problem symptoms were associated with characteristic risk factors. Similarities and differences between findings regarding eating problems and eating disorders are discussed.