Inside Lobbying on the Regulation of New Plant Breeding Techniques in the European Union: Determinants of Venue Choices

In July 2018, the Court of Justice of the European Union decided that new plant breeding techniques (NPBTs) fall within the scope of the restrictive provisions on genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Previously, various actors had lobbied in order to influence the European Union’s (EU’s) regulatory decision on NPBTs. This study examines the venue choices taken by Cibus, a biotech company that promoted NPBT deregulation. It shows that the firm bypassed the EU level and that it lobbied competent authorities (CAs) in certain member states to gain support for the deregulation of NPBTs. Cibus chose the CAs because their institutional “closedness” reduced the risk of the debate over the deregulation of NPBTs becoming public. However, the CA’s specific competences and their influence on EU decision making were of likewise importance. The firm lobbied CAs based in Finland, Germany, Ireland, Sweden, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Two factors appear to have influenced Cibus’ choices for these countries: high‐level political support for agribiotech and the high relevance of biotech sectors. In contrast, public support for GMOs turned out to have hardly any influence, and virtually no association could be observed for the agricultural application of biotechnology in the past nor for the weakness of domestic anti‐GMO lobby groups. Finally, the in‐depth study on Germany affirms that “closedness” was important for Cibus’ choices and reveals that technical information served as a venue‐internal factor that influenced the firm’s choices.     

职务犯罪审讯技巧研究

审讯能够获得犯罪嫌疑人的供述与辩解,在查办职务犯罪中发挥着重要的作用。随着经济转型与社会的发展,职务犯罪审讯面临着诸多困难与挑战,为了破解审讯难题,提高审讯水平,充分发挥其在职务犯罪查办中的价值,认真研究审讯的技巧具有极强的现实针对性。     

网络犯罪的特点及提高侦查能力的途径

网络在为人们提供方便和便捷的同时,也给网络犯罪提供了一个低成本、高效率的作案平台,利用网络实施的网络犯罪已涉及绝大部分社会犯罪现象,给互联网安全和社会稳定带来了很大冲击,成为了一个不容忽视的社会问题。应该弄清当前网络犯罪的特点、原因,公安机关提高侦查、打击网络犯罪的能力,以有效遏制网络犯罪,使互联网能更好的服务大众、服务社会发展。     

A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF THE SUITABILITY AND LIMITATIONS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS IN FAMILY COURT

Psychologists are frequently consulted by the courts to provide forensic evaluations in a variety of family court proceedings. As part of their evaluations, psychologists often use psychological tests to assess parents, guardians, and children. These tests can have profound effects on how psychologists arrive at their opinions and are often cited in their reports to the court. However, psychological tests vary substantially in their suitability for these purposes. Most projective tests in particular appear to possess little scientific merit for evaluations within family court proceedings. Despite these serious limitations, expert testimony derived from evaluations using both projective and objective tests is often admitted uncontested. This article reviews the psychometric properties of psychological tests that are widely used in family court proceedings, cautions against their unfettered use, and calls upon attorneys to inform themselves of the limitations of evaluations that incorporate these tests.     

现代警察技能、体能培训内容研究

针对当前公安工作实践的迫切需要,对国内外警察技能、体能培训的发展趋势与制敌状况进行分析,提出设立七个类别(实弹射击、擒拿格斗、泅渡、驾驶、综合模拟任务、困境生存、全面身体素质)的培训内容,并提出分层次、分警种达标考核。     

Analysis and analytical tools for managing corporate public affairs

This paper examines the place of analysis in corporate public affairs practice. It examines analysis in the larger context of organisational decision making, examines models, tools and techniques available to the CPA practitioner, and identifies factors why analysis has not received the prominence it deserves in the field and beyond. Copyright © 2002 Henry Stewart Publications     

审视与瞻望：心理学的三大测验技术

问卷测验、投射测验及情境测验是心理学中齐名的三大测验技术。问卷技术虽然被普遍使用，但在西方早就遭到批评：“系统歪曲假设”的观点认为它得到的结果是行为的语义相关，并非真实行为本身；“好恶度倾向”观点认为在问卷测验中被试往往不是按主试的要求和真实情况回答。问卷测验无法解决“装好”、“装病”倾向、随机作答等问题，它普遍适合于西方化，是否普遍适合于中国化是个问题。投射技术因对心理诊断相对不重视而衰退。情境测验所设计的特定情境只能评价到特定的心理特质，并且要花费大量的人力、物力、财力和时间。在心理学的应用中综合各种技术是一大趋势。同时，开发具有较好效度的投射技术是一种很有应用前景的课题。     

Ingredients of a Successful Track Two Negotiation

During three days in 2003, an Israeli–Palestinian group met in London to negotiate the draft of the “Geneva Initiative,” which offered a potential final status agreement between Israel and Palestine. In this article, I analyze the video recording of these unofficial negotiations and examine how the framing and conduct of the talks enabled significant progress toward reaching an agreement. I describe six main framing techniques used by the mediators: calling the meetings an “exercise,” which reduced restraints on the participants and enhanced their flexibility, avoiding deep historical issues to focus solely on future‐oriented pragmatic solutions, allowing the participants to discuss any topic they chose while deliberately avoiding crucial narrative issues, convincing the participants that this track two negotiation was crucial for the future of official Israeli–Palestinian relations, accentuating the parties' understandings and agreements with each other, and building a sense of superordinate group identity among the participants, to encourage cooperation. These components were the key “ingredients” for the first — and still the only — (unofficial) detailed proposal for an Israeli–Palestinian peace agreement. They provide lessons that could improve the success of other track two negotiations.     

Detection of Acetaminophen–Protein Adducts in Decedents with Suspected Opioid–Acetaminophen Combination Product Overdose

Acetaminophen overdose is a leading cause of drug‐induced liver failure in the United States. Acetaminophen–protein adducts have been suggested as a biomarker of hepatotoxicity. The purpose of this study was to determine whether protein‐derived acetaminophen–protein adducts are quantifiable in postmortem samples. Heart blood, femoral blood, and liver tissue were collected at autopsy from 22 decedents suspected of opioid–acetaminophen overdose. Samples were assayed for protein‐derived acetaminophen–protein adducts, acetaminophen, and selected opioids found in combination products containing acetaminophen. Protein‐derived APAP‐CYS was detected in 17 of 22 decedents and was measurable in blood that was not degraded or hemolyzed. Heart blood concentrations ranged from 11 ng/mL (0.1 μM) to 7817 ng/mL (28.9 μM). Protein‐derived acetaminophen–protein adducts were detectable in liver tissue for 20 of 22 decedents. Liver histology was also performed for all decedents, and no evidence of centrilobular hepatic necrosis was observed.     

Police interrogation practice in Slovenia

Interrogation techniques are well explored, but in Slovenia it has remained unknown what interrogation techniques are used and what the basic characteristics of suspect interrogations are. The Slovenian interrogation manual proposes some coercive interrogation techniques and neglects their weaknesses. The aim of the current study was to examine Slovenian police officers’ beliefs as to the basic characteristics of their interrogations and whether techniques proposed by the manual are used in practice to begin to provide some insight into what actually happens in such interrogations. A survey instrument was used to obtain self-report data from a sample of criminal investigators. From 86 completed questionnaires it was found that a typical interrogation of a suspect lasts around 90 minutes and is not recorded. Interviewers typically use three interrogation techniques namely (i) conducting interrogations in isolation; (ii) identifying contradictions in the suspect's story; and (iii) confronting the suspect with evidence. Findings suggest that some coercive interrogation techniques are used in practice (e.g. offering moral justifications, alluding to have evidence of guilt, good cop/bad cop routine, and minimization). The study is the first insight into the practices of Slovenian investigators when questioning suspects. Differences among general, white-collar and organized crime investigators are also discussed.