With the fourth sentence of the First Chamber on wrongful birth: is it possible to start talking about "jurisprudence"?]

Chamber number 1 of the Spanish Supreme Court of Justice has announced its fourth wrongful birth case decision dated December 18, 2003. The issue is whether we can state that with these four rulings there is a genuine law of precedent, that is, reiterated doctrine of the Supreme Court of Justice on this matter (Article 1.6 of the Civil Code).     

Assessing the Reliability of Retrospective Reports of Adverse Childhood Experiences among Adolescents with Documented Childhood Maltreatment

The literature suggests that childhood maltreatment is related to a higher probability of developing psychopathology and disease in adulthood. However, some authors have questioned the reliability of self-reports of maltreatment, suggesting that psychopathology at the time of evaluation affects self-reports. We evaluated the reliability of the self-reports of 79 young adults who were identified in childhood by Child Protective Services by comparing two moments of evaluation. Psychological and physical symptoms were tested to evaluate their interference with the reports. We found good to excellent agreement, with no significant correlation between the changes in self-reported experiences and the changes in physical and psychological symptoms, suggesting that the reliability of reports is not related to the health state at the time of the report.     

Capital and Labour Mobility and their Impacts on Mexico's Regional Labour Markets

Abstract

This paper studies the effects of capital and labor mobility on real wages across Mexican states for the period 1997–2006. Employing dynamic panel data methods, we find: (1) strong positive effects on real wages from foreign direct investment (FDI) and from migration; (2) domestic and foreign migration provide similar wage effects; and (3) alternative partitions indicate that real wages are more sensitive to FDI-related fluctuations across states with relatively lower wages and migration levels. Overall, these results provide support that real wages respond positively to fluctuations in capital flows and labour movements as predicted from the theory.     

A standard procedure for accommodating forensic anthropological and genetic analysis of decomposing human remains from tropical climates

At the Medical Legal Center in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil (CEMEL/FMRP-USP), unidentified decomposing bodies routinely undergo soft tissue removal (by immersion in water at 80–90 °C for 24 h) prior to an anthropological analysis intended to yield a biological profile of age, sex, ancestry, height, pathology and so on. In the event that this analysis is unsuccessful, samples may be submitted for DNA profiling. The tropical climate and the defleshing process may confound preservation, recovery and analysis of DNA, however. In order to establish an optimal standardized protocol for identification of decomposing human remains from a tropical climatic region, the outcome of anthropological and genetic analyses was compared, along with the utility of bone (mainly femur and sternum) and teeth (mainly molar) specimens for DNA analysis. In a sample (n = 39) of partially skeletonized remains, anthropological analysis was sufficient for identification in eight cases. In further six cases, DNA profiling was successfully attempted. As a consequence of our study, we recommend collection of 1–2 well preserved teeth prior to defleshing and anthropological analysis in these circumstances.     

Potato‐led growth: The macroeconomic effects of technological innovations in Bolivian agriculture

Through the use of a Computable General Equilibrium model we measure the economy‐wide effects of improving the production technology of relatively non‐traded staples (potatoes, maize), import crops (wheat), and export crops (soybeans) in Bolivia. The results of the analysis suggest that technological innovations in the production technology of potatoes would benefit the Bolivian economy most. We discuss the reasons for the limited effects of technological innovations in tradeable crops.