公共政策实验室:21世纪的综合政策分析环境

运用公共政策理论、系统方法论和现代信息技术 ,建构公共政策实验室 ,能够有效地弥补我国现实公共政策制定中社会参与的组织化程度低、各种利益的表达和沟通不充分等体制与机制性缺陷。本文以北京交通拥堵问题为例 ,提出了公共政策实验室的概念 ,对公共政策实验室的人员构成和政策实验过程进行了初步探讨 ,最后分析了其作用和价值。     

INFORMAL CONTROL AND ILLICIT DRUG TRADE*

Antidrug legislation and enforcement are meant to reduce the trade in illegal drugs by increasing their price. Yet the unintended consequence is an increase in informal control—including retaliation, negotiation, avoidance, and toleration—among drug users and dealers. Little existing theory or research has explored the connections between informal control and drug trading. This article uses the rational choice and opportunity perspectives to explore the question: How and why does the frequency and seriousness of popular justice—as a whole or for each form—affect the price and rate of drug sales? The proposed theory is grounded on and illustrated with qualitative data obtained from drug dealers. This article concludes by discussing the scholarly and policy implications.     

Enzymatic detection of γ-hydroxybutyrate using aldo-keto reductase 7A2

Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) is a prescribed medication as well as a drug of abuse. Its detection in various matrices for in-field forensic scientists remains a challenge. We have developed an assay that uses aldo-keto reductase 7A2 (AKR7A2) for the specific determination of GHB in various drinks. AKR7A2 was purified using Ni-affinity chromatography. The Michaelis-Menten constant for the GHB oxidation reaction was 10 mM, and the minimum detection limit was 4 mM. Ethanol was not a substrate for AKR7A2. In a coupled reaction with NADP(+), phenazine methosulfate (PMS), and 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol, various beverages (orange juice, milk, soda, and numerous alcoholic drinks) containing GHB turned from blue to light yellow. In a second coupled reaction where diaphorase replaced PMS, the presence of GHB also caused the expected change of color in various beers.     

Synthesis and identification of urinary metabolites of 4-iodo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine

This article describes the synthesis and identification of urinary metabolites of 4-iodo-2,5-dimethoxyphenethylamine (2C-I), a new psychoactive drug. 2C-I hydrochloride was administered orally to male Sprague-Dawley rats, and the urinary extracts were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), then five putative 2C-I metabolites were synthesized in our laboratory. In the synthetic process of the 2C-I metabolites, iodination of the aromatic ring was successfully carried out using iodine and orthoperiodic acid as the iodination reagent, and selective debenzylation of aryl benzyl ether was accomplished by the acid hydrolysis method using trifluoroacetic acid and thioanisole. The synthesized metabolites were well separated and detected by GC/MS after valeryl derivatization. The results showed that 2C-I underwent O-demethylation, N-acetylation, and deamination, followed by oxidation to the corresponding carboxylic acid in rats. The data presented in this study will be very useful for the analysis of 2C-I and its metabolites in forensic samples.     

Application of a pyroprobe to simulate smoking and metabolic degradation of abused drugs through analytical pyrolysis

Smoking of illicit drugs can produce unique metabolic biomarkers. Smoking conditions can be partially modeled via pyrolysis, a process that decomposes a chemical compound by extreme heat. Pyrolytic decomposition was found to be useful as a limited metabolic mimic in that analytical pyrolysis can be used to generate some of the same compounds produced by metabolic degradation. This project focused on the pyrolysis of cocaine and methamphetamine using a pyroprobe coupled with a GC/MS and more generally, potential applications of pyrolysis to forensic toxicology. Common diluents including lidocaine, caffeine, and benzocaine were pyrolyzed in mixtures with cocaine and methamphetamine. Correlations between pyrolytic and metabolic degradations revealed that this method has the capability to produce some of the reported metabolites such as norcocaine and cocaethylene for cocaine, and amphetamine for methamphetamine. The results demonstrate that analytical pyrolysis has the potential to identify some metabolic products and to supplement in vivo and enzymatic studies.     

A traffic accident caused by fatigue failure of axle

An investigation of a traffic accident involving a tractor-trailer and a passenger car that were traveling at high speed is presented. The cause was the fracture of a trailer axle. The investigation showed that the fracture was because of the fatigue failure. In addition, cracks were found in the remaining three trailer wheels. Hardness measurements showed that, because of inadequate heat treatment of the metal, they were prone to failure.     

Fatalities associated with fentanyl and co-administered cocaine or opiates

Fatalities associated with fentanyl hydrochloride are increasingly seen in Massachusetts. Between September 2005 and November 2006, 5009 medicolegal investigations associated 107 deaths with licit or illicit fentanyl use, along with a co-detection of an opiate/opioid or cocaine/benzoylecognine, or both. Deaths associated with illicit fentanyl use occur in younger people (39.4 vs. 61.5 years) with higher fentanyl (17.1 ng/mL vs. 4.4 ng/mL) and lower morphine (76.9 ng/mL vs. 284.2 ng/mL) postmortem blood concentrations, and more frequent cocaine co-intoxication (65% vs. 3%), than deaths associated with illicit fentanyl use. A wide range of postmortem blood concentrations of fentanyl was detected (trace-280 ng/mL), with a minimum concentration of 7 ng/mL of fentanyl strongly associated with illicit use of fentanyl in poly-drug cases. The most commonly detected opiates/opioids in illicit fentanyl users were: morphine (29%), oxycodone (14.5%), and methadone (14.5%). Ethanol, cannabinoids, diazepam, citalopram, and diphenhydramine were each detected in greater than 10% of the licit fentanyl cases. Most fentanyl abusers died at their own home and their deaths were most often classified as accidental. Mapping of primary residences of decedents revealed conspicuous clustering of the illicit fentanyl use cases, as opposed to the random pattern in licit use cases. Fentanyl misuse is a public health problem in Massachusetts.     

浅析容留他人吸食、注射毒品罪

在司法实践中容留他人吸食、注射毒品罪很少被适用。由于现行刑法与禁毒法对该罪的规定产生了较大的立法歧义,作为毒品犯罪中的终端犯罪,其仅对该罪的具体行为人构成危害,使其成为毒品犯罪中为数不多的轻罪之一。现结合新颁布的《立案标准(三)》,①对其渊源、犯罪构成等方面分析,以期能清晰的认识该罪,促使司法实践者在今后的具体司法实践中加大对该罪的打击和处罚力度。     

居住小区道路交通安全建设初探

随着我国经济社会的发展,新建居住小区快速增加,伴随着机动车保有量的增长,居住小区道路交通日趋复杂,道路交通安全问题日益突出,已逐渐成为影响群众居住水平和生活质量的一大障碍。要切实改善这种状况,必须重视居住小区交通安全建设、完善法规和管理体系、科学规划小区道路、加强交通管理,并做好安全宣传工作。     

“因逃逸致人死亡”中的共犯问题解析

交通肇事罪中＂因逃逸致人死亡＂的共犯的相关司法解释仅规定了四种主体,但对实践中出现的其他主体的类似行为如何处理？对该问题的解析需要从司法解释的性质入手,若要明确司法解释的性质,需要从交通肇事罪的主观罪过及其客观表现着手。只有在明晰＂交通肇事致人死亡＂主观罪过包括直接故意、间接故意、过于自信的过失的基础上,就各个罪过类型的客观表现进行区分,才能在此基础上将相关解释定性为＂注意规定＂,并以此对疑题进行解析。