The transfer and persistence of trace particulates: experimental studies using clothing fabrics.

A series of experiments were conducted using various types of pollen grain, powder and metal particulates to determine their persistence on a range of different types of materials. The decay curves generated in the repeated experiments all broadly conform to those obtained and already presented in the literature for fibres and glass particulates. The experiments presented in this paper were conducted for up to 647 hours for individual runs and it was found that a general rule existed that it was the material type rather than the particulate type that was the major controlling factor in the persistence of particles. For the pollen grain experiments the overall theory is sustained; there is a significant loss initially followed by a slower decay although this is not precise given the varied nature of palynomorph types. The manner by which the particulates were introduced onto the material had an initial immediate effect, however, the persistence of these particulates over longer periods of time was generally unaffected.     

Preferential Policies and the Blurring of Ethnic Boundaries: the Case of Aboriginal Australians in the 1980s

I argue against the commonly held view that ethnically based preferential policies consistently lead to the construction of well-defined boundaries between collectivities. Using a statistical study of Australia as a case, I demonstrate that preferential programs, under certain conditions, may blur the boundaries between groups. This trend is reflected in the growing number of individuals in the early 1980s who chose to claim an Aboriginal identity in Australian states that increasingly recognized indigenous land claims.
In order to account for the sometimes-divergent effect of ethnically based preferential policies on the divisions between ethnic groups, I focus on the key factor of security. I contend that programs that favor dominant ethnic groups tend to increase the feelings of vulnerability among weaker collectivities and encourage inter-group polarization. In contrast, preferential policies for subordinate groups offer reassurances to previously threatened communities and frequently encourage the crossing of ethnic boundaries.     

The Present and Future Fiscal Problems of the Two New Yorks: What Happened This Time

The state and city of New York have chronic fiscal difficulties, namely, expenditures that tend to exceed revenues by significant amounts. The deficits were moderate in the 1980s but have become large and acute in the 1990s as the state and city economies have been in a prolonged recession. Deficits are expected to continue well into the future. Supply side factors, particularly high wage levels, are the main causes of the state's deficits. For the city, supply side factors, particularly high employment, and demand side factors are main causes. Federal aid reduction is a minor cause. The city's fiscal condition is compared with that of the thirty other largest U.S. cities in a regression analysis which updates Gramlich's analysis of the period immediately before the famous New York City fiscal crisis of 1975.     

Trusts for Religious Purposes and the Question of Public Benefit

It is a well‐established principle that no trust may be regarded as charitable in law unless carrying out its purposes will benefit the public. Trusts for religious purposes have traditionally been presumed by courts to be for the public benefit. However, the presumption of public benefit will be removed from the law in early 2008 when section 3(2) of the Charities Act 2006 comes into force. At that time, two questions are likely to attract interest. First, to what extent, and in what ways, has the application of a presumption of public benefit assisted courts up to now? Secondly, without the assistance of the presumption, how might courts go about ascertaining whether the public will benefit in future cases? The article takes up these two questions with respect to trusts for religious purposes.