Positive Resolution of Childhood Sexual Abuse Experiences: The Role of Coping,Benefit-Finding and Meaning-Making

Resolution of the trauma of childhood sexual abuse (CSA), and the current adjustment of 60 adult female CSA survivors were explored through qualitative and quantitative analyses of their coping strategies, perceived benefits, and meaning-making attempts. While the majority of the women (87%) perceived at least some benefit resulting from coping with the CSA experience, many (29%) found it impossible to make any meaning of their trauma. Specific benefits that were associated with various aspects of positive adjustment (marital satisfaction, better physical health, less isolation) included improved relationships with others, religious or spiritual growth, and improved parenting skills. Some perceived benefits were actually associated with a negative outcome. Increased knowledge of sexual abuse was associated with more isolation and lower marital satisfaction. When positive meaning could be derived from the coping process, the women reported less isolation. Avoidant coping was strongly associated with more depressive symptoms and poorer resolution of abuse issues. Results highlight the importance of considering coping strategies and cognitive restructuring efforts in designing therapeutic interventions with this population. Portions of this paper were presented at the annual meeting of the Midwest Psychological Association, May 2004, Chicago, IL.     

Co-Occurrence of Interparental Violence and Child Physical Abuse and It’s Effect on the Adolescents’ Behavior

This study analyzed the impact of the co-occurrence of parental and interparental violence on the behavior of adolescents. Results reveal that the co-occurrence of interparental violence and child physical abuse has a significantly greater negative impact on behavior than does exposure to interparental violence only. Moreover, participants, who are both abused and exposed to interparental violence, exhibit internalized and externalized symptoms falling within the clinical range more frequently. Exposure exclusively to interparental violence also has definite impact; for example, teens who are only exposed to interparental violence exhibit internalized and externalized symptoms more frequently than do those who have been neither subject to physical abuse from a parent nor exposed to interparental violence. Implications of the findings are discussed.     

新闻立法刍议

新闻活动对国家和公民的生活有着举足轻重的影响作用。新闻活动需要用法律来规范，新闻立法的基本原则有两个方面，一是新闻的自由性；二是禁止新闻权力滥用。     

叶公好龙:刑事证人出庭的一个寓言

我国目前呼唤"证人出庭"是一个叶公好龙式的伪命题,无论是法官、控辩双方、被害人,还是警察等都没有做好证人出庭的准备。其中书面证言确认制度、"大司法机关"体制、证人全程伪证责任等因素促生法官不情愿证人出庭的心理,而警察出庭作证制度缺乏"怀疑权力"的文化传统和个人积极性。进而言之,目前关于证人出庭具体配套规则的对策也有难以克服的缺陷。而我们要认真对待实践而不至于做脱离实际的制度设计。     

对反垄断法规制的垄断行为的分析与比较

市场经济中垄断行为纷繁复杂、多种多样。根据不同的分类方法,对垄断行为可做不同的分类,对各种不同类型的垄断行为及其相互变化关系进行比较研究有助于我们加深对其经济和法律性质的认识和了解。根据垄断力来源及其程度的不同,将垄断行为分为联合限制竞争行为、企业合并审查、滥用市场支配地位、行政垄断四大类;通过对它们进行经济分析和比较研究,从理论上深刻地揭示了它们之间的相互变化关系及其经济法律性质,为反垄断立法与执法提供了充分的理论依据。     

DIVORCE AND THE FAMILY COURT: WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE?

Approximately 50% of couples who have separated report being victims of violence and/or emotional abuse by their former intimate partners. Family courts can make an important contribution toward reducing the number of intimate partners who report being victims of domestic violence and abuse during and following their participation in divorce proceedings in three ways. First, increase opportunities for participation in nonadversarial procedures. Second, implement mandatory assessment/screening for domestic violence using field‐tested instruments that link subscores on sets of items (e.g., control motivated violence, conflict instigated violence/abuse, substance abuse associated violence/abuse) with appropriate community‐based treatments and/or resources. Third, educate family court judges, lawyers, mediators, and other court personnel in the dynamics of domestic violence generally, as well as the dynamics associated with separation/divorce.     

Optimism as a Mediator Between the Experience of Child Abuse,Other Traumatic Events,and Distress

In this study, we examined the role of dispositional optimism in mediating distress among students who experienced traumatic events, including child physical abuse, emotional abuse, and sexual abuse. Participants included 199 undergraduate and graduate students (aged 18–63 years) from a private university in Oregon. In this study, dispositional optimism partially mediated distress among individuals who had experienced child physical abuse and child emotional abuse; participants with higher levels of optimism had lower levels of distress. In addition, dispositional optimism fully mediated distress among individuals who had experienced traumatic events such as rape, assault, and fire; participants with higher levels of optimism had lower levels of distress. Contrary to prediction, the experience of child sexual abuse was not associated with distress. Clinical implications of these results are addressed.     

Case law of the EPO Boards of Appeal in 2006

Legal context: The article reviews significant decisions handed down by theBoards of Appeal of the European Patent Office (EPO) in 2006,concentrating on decisions of the Enlarged Board and the Boardsof Appeal issued in 2006 and published or to be published inthe OJ EPO. Key points: The article discusses the application of Art. 24 EPC on exclusionand objection to members of the boards of appeal in the lightof the following decisions: G 1/05, T 281/03 and J 15/04; referralspending before the EBA on the subject of divisional applications(Art. 76 EPC and R. 25 EPC) and exclusion from patentabilityunder R. 23d(c) in conjunction with Art. 53a EPC; and decisionsof technical boards of appeal on exclusions from patentability(Arts. 52 (2)(3) and (4) EPC), the requirement of industrialapplicability (Art. 57 EPC) and re-establishment of rights (Art.122 EPC). Practical significance: The article provides an overview of the 2006 case law of theboards of appeal which is particularly useful since most ofthe decisions discussed have not yet been published in the OJEPO. The author is critical of the recent case law on the applicationof Art. 24 EPC (exclusion and objection to members of the boardsof appeal) and reports on several decisions of particular legalinterest.     

Development and validation of the Cozart DDS oral fluid collection device

The testing of oral fluid for drugs of abuse has increased significantly over recent years and is now commonplace in drug rehabilitation clinics, the workplace, prisons and custody suites. The global problem of identifying drugged drivers has also led to an increase in oral fluid testing at the roadside. The main requirements for the implementation of roadside drug testing are a rapid sample collection time, collection of a known sample volume and recovery of drugs from the collection device. We report here the development of the Cozart^® DDS oral fluid collector, an oral fluid collector that combines rapid and adequate sample collection with satisfactory drug recovery. Oral fluid was collected from drug users (n = 134) and drug-free individuals (n = 137), using the Cozart^® DDS oral fluid collector. The mean time for the completion of collection (full coloration of the sample presence indicator) was 34 s for drug-free individuals and 44 s for drug users. The average volume collected was 0.34 mL (n = 271). No chemical stimulant (to induce salivation) was used to achieve the collection times observed in either the drug-free or the drug-taking sample populations. Drugs were extracted from the collector using the Cozart^® DDS buffer and drug recovery was determined by Cozart^® enzyme immunoassays. The recovery studies showed that for amphetamine, Δ⁹THC, cocaine, methadone, methamphetamine, morphine and temazepam over 90% of the drug in the sample was eluted from the collector. The Cozart^® DDS oral fluid collector provides a reliable mechanism for the collection of oral fluid at the roadside that achieves the rapid collection times required.     

论专利侵权判定中的禁止反悔原则

禁止反悔原则是限制专利保护范围不合理扩张的一种重要手段，其实质在于防止专利权人采取出尔反尔的伎俩，先在专利授权或维持程序中为了满足有关法律要求而对专利保护范围进行限制，后在侵权诉讼时又企图取消先前所作限制、扩大专利保护范围，从而两头得利，