Initial Development of a New Measure of Minor Stress for Adolescents: The Adolescent Minor Stress Inventory

The primary aim of this study was to develop, standardize, and establish initial reliability and validity for the Adolescent Minor Stress Inventory (AMSI), a new measure of minor stress for adolescents. The AMSI improves upon existing adolescent stress measures in a number of important ways in that it does not emphasize school or classroom-based stressors, and includes a method of adjusting for the over- and underreporting of stress. In this investigation, the AMSI was mailed to 1865 adolescents aged 13–17 from which we obtained 720 (39%) usable surveys. Standardized scoring was developed and the results provide initial data supporting the factor structure, reliability, and validity of the AMSI. The AMSI has potential application both in clinical and research settings, particularly during times when school is not in session or with adolescents who do not regularly attend school.Assistant Professor, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida. Received PhD in Clinical Psychology from Louisiana State University in 1999. Research interests include psychological stress and nicotine dependence treatment in adolescents and young adults.Professor Emeritus, Division of Biostatistics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester MN. Received MS in Statistics from Iowa State University in 1971. Research interests include survey research, nicotine dependence treatment, and biostatistics.Data Analyst, Division of Biostatistics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. Received BS in Applied Statistics from Rochester Institute of Technology in 2000. Research interests include nicotine dependence and survey methods.Associate Professor, Nicotine Dependence Program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. Received PhD in Clinical Psychology from University of California, San Diego in 1996. Research interests include nicotine dependence in adolescents.Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. Received PhD in Clinical Psychology from University of North Dakota in 1980. Research interests include impact of trauma.Statistician, Division of Biostatistics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. Received MS in Applied Mathmatics from University of Minnesota, Duluth in 1999. Research interests include nicotine dependence.Professor, Nicotine Dependence Center, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. Received MD from University of Louisville in 1970. Research interest in area of tobacco dependence.     

Pneumatic spaces of the zygomatic arch (zygomatic air cell defect) on pantomograms--an aid for age determination and identification

The analysis of panoramic radiographs of the jaws for forensic purposes is well established. The dental findings on the radiographs give valuable information concerning the identity and possible age. Panoramic radiographs also depict the zygomatic arches. Pneumatized spaces of the temporal bone's zygomatic arch process are asymptomatic variations, entitled "zygomatic air cell defect" (ZACD). Data on ZACD prevalence might support the current forensic-odontologic practice in the fields of identification and age assessment. The authors analyzed 6 studies subjected to evaluate ZACD on panoramic radiographs. The out-patients were subjected to systematic radiography prior to treatment planning in specialized dental or maxillofacial surgery clinics. The age of the 7870 patients varied between 6 and 97 years. ZACD was found in 169 patients (prevalence: 2.32%; female: 56.12%, male: 43.9%). Most ZACD were unilateral (70%). In these studies no ZACD occurred in children younger than 7 years of age. There was no statistically significant difference concerning ZACD prevalence in the sub-groups of children aged 9 to 13 vs. 14 to 17 years. This review demonstrates the prevalence of ZACD on orthopantomograms. The prevalence of this finding in the investigated children does not differ from the prevalences reported for adults, and is low in general. The presence of ZACD in persons might be valuable for the identification of humans or human remains and for age estimation in addition to other physical and dental findings.     

The influence of direct democracy on the shadow economy

We analyze, both theoretically and empirically, the influence of direct democratic institutions on the size and development of shadow economies. Our model suggests that, as the extent of direct democracy increases, implemented fiscal policies more nearly reflect the preferences of citizens and so reduce their incentives to operate in the informal sector. This theory implies a negative relationship between the extent of direct democracy and the size of the country’s shadow economy. We also theorize that direct democracy has a greater effect in reducing the informal sector when the former is at low or intermediate values and when the electoral system is characterized by a larger district magnitude. An empirical investigation of a sample of 57 democracies confirms our model’s predictions.     

制定一部德意志统一民法典之必要性

在不久前发表的一篇评论文章(<海德堡年鉴>1814年卷,第1-32页)中,本人曾就制定德意志统一民法典之必要性附带发表了一些拙见.这让一些值得尊敬的人士敦促我专文对这一重要问题予以更细致的阐述.     

The Effect of Inequality on the Relation Between Socioeconomic Stratification and Political Trust in Europe

Social Justice Research - While the relation between inequality and levels of political trust has been intensely investigated, there is no consensus yet on the mechanism behind this relation. In...     

Mandibular fracture following stab injury with a knife

Stab injuries of the face accompanied by fractures of the jaws are rare. The report deals with the case of a young man, who suffered a penetrating stab injury to the cheek and fracture of the mandible in an assault. The forensic questions to be answered were if the findings were compatible with a stab and subsequent fracture, if one of the confiscated instruments could have been the causative weapon and if the injury had to be assessed as life-threatening. Both the soft and the hard tissue injury confirmed the assumption that they were caused by a stab. It was not possible, however, to assign the injury to a specific knife from the submitted exhibits on the basis of the clinical findings. In the discussion the serious nature of stab injuries in the facial region is emphasized.     

A Stiglerian View on Banking Supervision

According to Stigler’s capture theoryregulation often follows the preferences of producers.Therefore, the interests of the financial industry might be amajor driving force for the ongoing supervisory reform debate.This paper identifies possible interests of the regulatedindustries: Either they might favour strict supervision tocreate barriers for entry. Or they might use their politicalinfluence to press for a lax and low-cost supervisory system.Our empirical results indicate that the private interest viewon banking regulation is indeed relevant and that the data ismore compatible with a “preference for laxity” than with a‘‘barriers to entry’’ view.     

Honour and expulsion: Terrorism in nineteenth‐century Japan

Case studies of terrorist groups from before 1900 are rare and only a handful have been fully detailed in the terrorism literature. This article describes one such group, the shishi, a radical samurai movement which waged a terrorist campaign in Japan just prior to the Meiji Restoration. Placed in context, the origin, structure and methods of this group are described. Also examined is the profound impact the movement had on Japanese society. It is argued that the study of older terrorist groups warrants greater interest and that a scientific understanding of terrorism depends on the incorporation of such early examples.